“Meow.”


    Ginger detested the cat carrier, and she made her displeasure known. After breakfast, Dom and I headed to the animal rescue center and picked up a former neighbor’s cat.


    We used Dom’s Escde because my van was being temperamental. Besides the groceries, Dom asked his minions to deliver him a car and clothes. Another ring difference in our lifestyles. I didn’t get to order people to do my bidding. I was the hired help.


    If I had used Ginger to gauge Dom’s likability, he’d have failed instantly. She hissed at Dom on sight, and Dom returned her reaction with equal distaste, as though Ginger was vermin.


    A sadistic idea teased me about locking them in a room together. May the best asshole win.


    You see, Ginger had a cattitude. She was independent, feisty, and had a problem with authority.


    But I was looking forward to getting my first Dom-delivered orgasm. In fact, I questioned my sanity for dying gratification, since it was obvious Dom was dying to bend me over the table and fuck me senseless. I questioned whether my little breakfast table could handle the promise of vigorous activity. I was no shrinking violet. I loved a hard fuck. I would be extremely disappointed if Dom didn’t leave me with a few bruises.


    And that was probably why I wanted to torture him. Dom seemed like a guy who thrived on challenges and the harder you denied him, the harder he’d punish you. And I was looking forward to the punishment.


    But I also knew men could be touchy about their ride, so I didn’t want Ginger distracting Dom by destroying his leather seats. This cat was vindictive enough to let me know that A) She despised being left in a shelter and B) She didn’t trust Dom.


    You and me both, girl, but he might be the salvation to my Sahara-dry vagina, which had certainly gotten its fair share of rainfall since Dom showed up yesterday.


    And when you were parched, any kind of water would do, even when it was bad for you.


    “Meow.”


    Dom nced at me. “You can let her out.”


    “No, she’s fine in there.”


    “So, why are we going to Delphine again? Your neighbor?”


    “My visit with Harriet was cut short yesterday,” I told him. I had been with her when Grigori summoned me. Ginger was her cat, but ever since my neighbor had to go into assisted living, Harriet’s friend at the shelter tried to rehome the cat with no sess. I was Ginger’sst hope, although if I were to voice my opinion, Ginger didn’t need an owner. She was perfectly fine roaming the catwalk in our building to visit different tenants. “Actually, you saved me a trip to the grocery store.”


    “Let me get this straight. You shop for other people, but not for yourself?” he asked. The Escde reached a stoplight.


    “Harriet’s not other people, she’s family.”


    “You’re not rted.”


    “Not all family is blood. You should know that better than anyone. She was there for us when Dad left and the first time Billy had to go to rehab.”<fn5473> Original content can be found at Find?Novel</fn5473>


    “How long ago was that?”


    I was ufortable with Dom’s probing questions. I mean, I didn’t ask him about the skeletons in his closet, and I was sure he had more than a few, probably even literal ones.


    When the light turned green, I still hadn’t answered him. He realized I wasn’t nning to and remained quiet for the rest of the drive. But I felt like I needed to make things clear to Dom. I did not know what possessed me to have him tag along, although instinctively, I knew he would insist oning along and I was saving myself the energy of arguing with him.


    “I agreed to this weekend, but I think our private lives should remain off-limits.”


    This time, it was Dom who didn’t answer me. Since it was Saturday, the tiny parking lot of the assisted living facility was at full capacity and he had to drive around to look for street parking. He slid into a spot a street over.


    I waited until he cut off the engine before I brought it up again. “Tell me you’re clear about that, or you can forget any chance of getting into my pants.”


    In answer, he shot me a dark, measured look. “I’m going to find out what made you put up such walls and I’m going to enjoy breaking them down.”


    “Are we clear?”


    “You don’t want me to meet your neighbor.”


    “Her name is Harriet.”


    “You’re confusing me, woman. Do you want to keep our private lives separate or not? That’s why I didn’t use your neighbor’s name, but you also insisted I meet your cat.”


    “Ginger will being home with me today. I need to make sure she’s fine with a man she’s never met in the confines of my apartment.”


    “So you’re hinging your promised orgasms on a cat.”


    Iughed.


    “Okay…” He raked his teeth over his bottom lip. “How are you going to bring in the groceries and the cat to visit Harriet without making two trips?”


    He had a point.


    “Don’t let pride get in the way ofmon sense,” Dom added. “I don’t want any awkward introductions to Harriet about my presence. You can say I was simply a decent human being who found you struggling with the shopping bags and the cat carrier.”


    And with that zinger, Dom left me in the SUV, sitting in my embarrassment. Just a little. I was sure his ego could handle a bit of jostling. This is self-preservation, I told myself, although his threat of breaking down my walls rang little rm bells in my head. He was getting presumptuous that I would give him my time past this weekend.


    I grabbed Ginger’s crate while Dom carried the groceries. I’d spent less than twenty-four hours with this man, but we were behaving like a domesticated couple. Unlike his suit yesterday, Dom had on a fatigue-colored henley tucked in dark blue jeans. He was wearing scuffed leather boots. He left his leather jacket in the SUV. His eyes were shaded by aviators. Despite his attire, he was still a far cry from pedestrian traffic on an early weekend morning. No, his entire vibe suited the night prowls.


    “Not how you expected to spend your Saturday morning.” I leaned in closer so only he could hear. “No criminal empire to run?”


    His mouth twitched in amusement. “I’m taking a break. The empire is in good hands.”


    “I hear you have an office at the De Li Transnational offices. Do you go in?”


    “I attend board meetings just like any executive.” He walked in rxed, confident strides I tried to match by walking twice as fast.


    “Executive, huh? So what’s your title?”


    “Director of Operations.”


    “Really?” Iughed lightly. “That has a broad meaning.”


    “In short, I get shit done.”


    We made the trek to the Delphine building with small talk,ing to a mutual truce of sorts, and stayed away from touchier subjects. As I’d discovered, Dom had an uncanny way of turning innocent conversation into pure sexual innuendo that rattled me. I chanced a nce at him. I wished I had on shades to disguise my eyes because I couldn’t see his and discern his mood. Poker face must be second nature to him with his position as don of the De Li crime family, and I had trouble reconciling that man with the man beside me, even from that manst night.


    “How’s your side?”


    “It’s fine,” he said shortly. “I hardly feel it.”


    “I’ll look at itter.”


    “I have ns for youter,” he promised.


    When we arrived at Harriet’s room, I pushed open the door. “Look who’s here?”


    I meant Ginger. My octogenarian former neighbor was on the sofa reading, but when she looked up, her eyes bypassed the cat carrier and zeroed in on Dom.


    “Where do you want these?” he asked.


    “You can drop them just inside the door—thanks for your help.”


    I lowered the cat carrier so abruptly that Gingerined. But I had to get Dom out of the room before Harriet asked him questions.


    Dom had an amused tilt to his mouth as I hurriedly shoved him out. “Thanks again.” And mmed the door behind him.


    Harriet, though, didn’t get to the age of eighty without wading through bullshit. She got up slowly and hobbled over. She usually had a cane for longer distances, but shuffled around just fine in smaller spaces. The past year, she’d moved to the Delphine Assisted Living Home because her mobility had deteriorated. That, coupled with her emphysema from a lifetime of smoking, prevented her from independent living. “Was he your emergency appointment yesterday?”


    “Don’t be silly.” I let Ginger out and she immediately wrapped around Harriet and started purring. “Oh, she missed you.”


    “Don’t change the subject.”


    “He saw me juggling the bags and Ginger’s crate and offered to help.”


    “You’re full of nonsense, missy.”


    My phone chimed. I ignored it.


    “Aren’t you going to check your message?”


    “I have no pressing matters to attend to, so it can’t be important. If it’s Billy, he’s on his own.”


    “You shouldn’t judge your brother that harshly.”


    Billy was a sore subject between us. I felt resentful for how Harriet had suchpassion for my brother when he screwed up over and over. He was the reason why I nearly missed a payment for Harriet’s stay at Delphine, because Billy somehow overspent his cut of the deal he made between the Russians and the Albanians. If it weren’t for Sandro and Bianca and the jobs they threw my way with a generous tip that was more than what the job cost, I wouldn’t have been able to resume nursing school and keep up with the Delphine payments. “He’s the reason why I’m still at nursing school, eight yearster.”


    “The cleaning job pays, though.”


    I caught myself fromshing out. Harriet never asked for my help. I offered it. I loved helping people who had no expectations. That was probably why every scrape that Billy found himself in was like nails on a chalkboard because he expected me to bail him out.


    “So going back to that young man,” Harriet said while carefully sitting in the armchair. Ginger immediately hopped on herp and started kneading her thighs.


    “Not talking about him. Nothing there.” I started putting the groceries away.


    “How about the one who took over my apartment?”


    “Phil Harding? I hardly see him. He travels.”


    “You said he asked you out.”


    “And I said no.” Although I didn’t want to exin that I had a grueling series of awful clinical rotations where I’d seen enough penises, balls, slits, boobs, and asses that seeing someone in clothes was a novelty. The desire to get naked with someone was nil until Dom propositioned me.


    Ginger, thankfully, hadmanded Harriet’s attention, and it gave me an opportunity to check my phone. Dom sent me a message.


    Dom


    Just text me when you’re done.


    Me


    Leave me. Do boss things. I’ll find my way home.


    I didn’t wait for him to reply and gave my full attention to Harriet. She was a true crime aficionado and took part in several message boards. A hot topic right now because it was local to the tristate area was the reemergence of the Mistress Strangler. I kept asking her questions about the case so she wouldn’t remember to press me about Dom. And I seeded. Ny minutester, I was on my way out with Ginger when I spotted the facility administrator.


    “Hi, Miss She!” I called out.


    She was a tall ck woman with locs and spectacles. She smiled when she saw me, but there was a trace of sadness in her eyes.


    Oh no.


    “Sloane, I’ve been meaning to call you about your Capstone proposal.”


    As part of a nursing student’sst semester, I had to present a case study with a practical application. My project was assisted living facility improvement. Capstone wasn’t merely a thesis. It was based on real-world issues more than theory.


    I braced myself.


    “The board is not keen on a nursing student studying our operations. There is no money to spend on improvement.”


    “It’s a proposal. They can take it or leave it,” I said.


    “They’re also concerned you’re going to take too much of the staff’s time, and I can’t push your agenda right now if I want to hire more people.”


    What she wasn’t telling me was they didn’t want anyone poking in their business. It was the wrong time for me to be invested in something like this because nursing homes hade under scrutiny for neglect, staffing issues, andck of training in senior care.


    I blew out a breath, deted. “Thanks for trying.”


    “I’m sorry, Sloane.”


    I shrugged. “It didn’t hurt to ask.”


    Dammit. It did hurt. I was feeling dejected when I exited the establishment, but experienced an odd lift in my spirits when Dom was waiting in front of Delphine.


    He was on the phone, but quickly ended the call when he saw me.


    Unnerved at the sudden spike of my heart rate, I flushed. I had to remind myself that he wanted sex. I didn’t need wooing. Wooing led to feelings. However, I also told him I had to at least like someone I had sex with.


    And I liked this very much, judging from how I couldn’t help the smile that stretched my mouth. And given the Capstone rejection, this was a boost to the self-esteem I needed. I didn’t want to wallow in self-pity, but I weed getting lost in the promised orgasms. Please don’t disappoint.


    “How long have you waited out here?”


    “I drove around and got us more food since you gave what I got for you away. So, around fifteen minutes.”


    He reached for the cat carrier.


    “You actually did the shopping?”


    “What?” he drawled. “Like it’s hard?”


    This man. He was equally charming and aggravating. I felt sorry for anyone who had to go up against him. Dom possessed overwhelming self-assurance, and I was sure it was on its lowest setting when dealing with me. And there was nothing more that turned me on than a confident man, which partly exined my attraction to him.


    I got into the vehicle, and after he deposited Ginger in the seat behind me, I watched him saunter around the front of the SUV.


    “Looks like I’m in deep trouble, Ginger.”


    “Meow.”


    Dom slid into the driver’s seat and nced at me. “Any more errands to run?”


    “No, it seems you’ve taken care of it. I’m not going to starve. How sure were you I hadn’t left?”


    “The receptionist had my number. She was going to tell me if you had left since you refused to answer my text.”


    When I remained quiet, he asked, “Noeback?”


    I looked out my side of the vehicle and answered as nonchntly as I could. “There’s nothing to discuss yet. Especially if we don’t know if our hookups willst past this weekend.”


    Dom gave a deep rumbling chuckle before making a turn toward my neighborhood. The assisted living home was around fifteen minutes from my apartment.


    “Bianca mentioned this about you.”


    “Oh, what about?”


    “You don’t like to waste time repeating yourself.”


    “It saves us from confusionter,” I said. “In my business, the less said, the better. Too many details can muddle the main points.”


    “So assuming we continue to hook up…”


    “We’ll need defined boundaries.”


    “I’m intrigued. I should be the one with boundaries.”


    I snorted. Typical, but I expected nothing less. “I have more to lose here because I could lose my business and my reputation as a nurse before I even graduate. Your organization is built on the illegal and morally gray. No one expects you to be a saint. They would say you’re sowing your wild oats. You may even get a pat on the back. Meanwhile, a woman who enjoys sexual freedom is called a whore.”


    “Hey—” Dom cut in so sharply, it pulled my gaze from the window and I looked at him. “Never call yourself a whore. I don’t know what kind of men you’ve been associated with, but I admire a woman who is sexually in tune with what she wants.”


    “Really? Don’t they have a virginal bride lined up for you in an arranged marriage?”


    “Probably. However, a virgin is not on the list of my requirements.”


    Though this was not news to me, especially with the more progressive crime families, I couldn’t help being a little more curious. “Why aren’t you married, Dom?”


    His jaw hardened, and I thought he wasn’t going to answer me until he said, “I thought we were not letting our personal life get mixed up.”


    “Wait, if you’re engaged—” My heart clenched painfully at the thought.


    “I’m not,” he snapped. “I’m not with anyone. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have propositioned you.”


    Hmm, he was sensitive to my question. Maybe he was recently jilted. That would exin using me as a rebound. Not that I minded. He could totally use me as a rebound as long as he gave me all the orgasms I wanted.


    “Good,” I said as the Escde found parking near my apartment. “Let’s see if your ego is writing checks your cock can’t cash.”


    Dom’s chest shook with silentughter before a suppressed chuckle escaped past his mouth. “Sweetheart, you know I’ve been hard all day and each word out of your mouth has me imagining ways to make you beg.”


    I clenched my thighs. Here we go. This man was fun to rile up.


    He nced behind us. “What are we going to do about that pussy?”