Page 11 of The Mobster’s Secret

“I may be a criminal, but I’m a man of my word.”

She nods, takes a band of ten thousand out, and rifles through it. “Part of me also thought you were just going to buy me. Never let me go.”

Christ, if only she knew just how close I was to doing that.

“No,” I say, moving in closer, inhaling her sweet lime scent. “When you come to me, Willow, it will be because you want to. Not because I paid you to.”

Her eyes sparkle. “When I come to you, Ivan? Now who’s sure of themselves?”

The feeling running through me now is so foreign. I don’t do women. That philosophy is what allowed me to expand my father’s empire. Only now I can feel the rest of my life fading into the background. Soon, only she will remain.

Taking her hand in mine, I kiss her hard and deeply on the lips. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

Her eyes flicker. She wants to say it back, but there’s too much pluck to her.

“You never know, I might turn out to be a horrible bitch.”

I laugh. “Yeah, and I might be an IRS agent.”

“I think that would be even scarier.”

Talking to Willow feels so natural. So real. I’ll make her my princess. Make her my queen.

“Car’s ready, boss,” Brian calls from below. “Tom says Vincent’s getting impatient.”

I clench my fist in frustration, then run my other hand through Willow’s sunny hair. I kiss her again, pulling her right up to my body, cementing the feel of it into my mind. She leans into me, showing me her trust.

I lead her down the steps where Brian has left a long fur coat. It fits her perfectly and obscures every inch of her perfection from the leering eyes of other men.

“See you soon, Willow,” I say.

“Goodbye, Ivan.” She smiles. “Don’t go buying out any other girls.”

I chuckle as I push open the side door to where her car is waiting. “Do I detect a hint of jealousy?”

She merely smirks at me and turns. Her slender legs still wobble as she tries to walk in those oversized heels. Holding a briefcase filled with a small fortune probably doesn’t help either.

I keep my eyes on her as she gets into the car and it pulls away. Tom steps out of the club and takes his normal position by my side. He doesn’t even have to say anything. He’s as shocked as I am at what just happened.

“Was it worth it?” he asks.

“Every goddamn penny.”

4

WILLOW

I wake up feeling like a new woman.

My apartment is the same. Same scratchy sheets, same worn-out mattress, same cracks in the paint, and the same growing wet spot in the ceiling from a leak the landlord, Cole, refuses to fix. It’s all the same. Except for one thing…

A briefcase filled with eighty thousand dollars that sits at the side of my bed.

Eighty grand. Stacks of cash. More money than I’ve ever seen in my life. Even if I had my old job waitressing, it would have taken me years to earn all that. And Ivan gave it to me like he was a customer leaving a tip. Like it was nothing to him.

Part of me hates what I did last night. I’ve been hit on by men before, but none of them ever impressed me. I swore I’d never give myself to a man who didn’t impress me, and would never, ever do it for money.

Last night, I took the money.