Chapter 3
L eandra wrapped the big white towel across her body before wiping the steam off the mirror. No matter how long she stood under the hot water, she couldn’t get Nick’s sexy touch off her body.
And honestly, she didn’t want to.
But she had to.
The focus had to be on finding Skyler and the rest of the missing kids before they were sold into slavery all across the globe, never to be found. Though she knew Skyler had most likely been unloaded already, a thought that haunted her every waking moment.
She slipped on her thong, remembering how quickly Nick grew hard as she straddled him. When he’d grabbed her, an electric pulse shot through her body. The lust in his eyes commanded her body like a conductor controlling his orchestra.
And that kiss.
Wow .
She shook her head, running her fingers through her wet hair.
Thoughts of screwing the man senseless needed to stop.
It shocked her that she’d even thought about another man other than her husband that way.
In the last year, her family had decided it was time for her to date.
She’d put them off, but her mother wouldn’t let it go and went about fixing her up with every single man she knew.
Some of them were hot, too, but she couldn’t picture herself getting naked with them, much less wanting to take their manhood into her hands and mouth, or anywhere else for that matter.
Ugh.
She finished getting dressed before putting on her makeup, trying to hide the dark circles that had suddenly appeared under her eyes.
She’d tried to get a couple of hours of sleep once Nick had helped her back through the bedroom window at Ramos’ house, kissing her gently on the lips, telling her to be safe, and if at any point she wanted out, all she had to do was call him and he’d come rescue her.
The theme song from Batman raced through her mind.
Taking her phone, she made her way down the long corridor to the kitchen where the smell of rich coffee mingled with bacon and cinnamon, causing her stomach to growl.
Stay away from starch, especially in the morning, because it will set the tone of the day.
Her mother’s words rattled in her brain. Leandra knew her mother meant well, now. But when she’d been a freshman in high school and weighed in at one hundred and seventy pounds, the words sent her into full-out body shame, something that took the love of a good man to get rid of.
She rubbed her wedding ring finger. Taking her diamond off had been almost as hard as watching the Marine Corps Chaplain and her late husband’s commanding officer walk up the short path from the street to her front door.
She’d held the knob for what seemed like an eternity before she’d been able to pull it open, collapsing to the floor, sobbing.
“Good morning.” Ramos leaned against the sliding glass door that overlooked the pool and faced the lake.
Alicia nodded from behind her computer screen. Leandra couldn’t figure her out or what exactly she did for Ramos, but the woman seemed to always be around.
“Morning.” Leandra smiled in her direction, but Alicia barely smiled back.
Leandra turned her attention to the stunning view of the lake. Five boats were anchored in the water not far from the house. Leandra wondered which ones were part of the team Nick had assembled. The resources that man had were astounding.
“Sleep well?” Ramos asked.
“I did, thank you.”
“Did you hear from your man?”
Game on. “He wants to meet at eleven in the morning. Here.” Ramos stood behind her, hands on her shoulders, rubbing. The sensation made her body stiff and cold. His touch felt like a snake coiling around her stomach, ready to squeeze the life out of her.
Alicia continued to stare at her computer screen, her fingers tapping away.
“I don’t know about here.” Ramos sat down and waved the cook over, who set a plate of French toast, bacon, eggs, hash browns, and a cup of coffee in front of her.
“You control the situation here over meeting somewhere else.” She sipped her coffee, inhaling the bitter scent as the aroma of cinnamon tickled her nose.
She’d always had a healthy appetite, and she’d been active, playing field hockey and other physical sports.
The idea that a woman should be a twig had been a foreign concept to her, but society dictated the perfect body for women, and she didn’t fit the mold.
“Thank you,” she said politely to the cook before setting down her mug and cutting into the thick sourdough bread. Nothing like a hearty breakfast.
Fitting the mold was for those who wanted to blend in, not stand out.
“What’s this man’s name?”
“Nick,” she said, knowing he was on the lake, looking in at her, watching her, protecting her.
An odd thought because she never thought she needed protecting.
Ramos leaned back in his chair, fingers scratching the small patch of hair on his chin. “And what are you getting out of this, because the finder’s fee I’m paying you doesn’t seem worth it.”
“Nick and I are partners,” she said, doing her best to be casual.
Nick remembered everything, something she’d learned in her first hour with him last night.
Her memory? It was good, but they hadn’t spent much time developing this plan, which meant the margin for error was greater than she’d normally have.
“Are you fucking this man?” Ramos traced his finger up her thigh toward the hem of her skirt.
“He’s my husband, so yeah, we fuck.” She brushed Ramos’ hand from her thigh.
“And he wouldn’t take too kindly to you hitting on his wife.
” She swallowed as the word ‘wife’ left her lips.
That hadn’t been part of her and Nick’s carefully laid out plan, but she hoped Ramos, who valued loyalty more than anything, would now keep his greasy paws off her.
Alicia peered over the computer screen. “Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted you to know it’s done.”
“Good.” Ramos continued to dance his fingers across Leandra’s skin. “I think you have a meeting, don’t you?”
Alicia closed her laptop and stood. “I’ll let you know the outcome.”
Ramos nodded. He watched Alicia’s hips sway as she slinked out of the kitchen.
Leandra swallowed the bile burning her throat.
“Alicia is sexy as hell, but she’s a cold fish,” Ramos whispered into Leandra’s ear. “I don’t like it when people lie to me.” Ramos kept his slimy fingers on her leg. “And I don’t care if your husband would be bothered by this.” His fingers slid under her skirt. “Because I am going to fuck you.”
She choked on a piece of bacon as she batted his hand away. After taking a slow sip of water, she wiped her mouth and turned to face Ramos. “I’m not a liar, so I can promise you, we will not be going to bed together.”
He leaned back in his chair, clasping his thick fingers behind his head. The corners of his mouth tipped up in the kind of grin that made her skin prickle with fear.
“How does your husband feel about you staying here with me?”
She shrugged. “He trusts me, and he’d kill you if you laid a hand on me.” She smiled, cocking her head. “But I’d kill you first.”
“I like this side of you.” Ramos adjusted himself.
She kept her gaze on his eyes, not the mound between his legs he tried to get her to notice.
“You’re a sexy woman, and I bet you’re a real tiger in bed. I suspect it takes a quite the man to satisfy you. I know you’d be happier with my dick inside you than your husband’s.”
Conjuring up the sensation of having Nick between her legs and the way his lips sizzled against hers, a huge smile spread across her face. “Highly unlikely.”
He waved to the cook, raising his empty mug. “Text your husband, if that is who he is, and tell him the meet is on. I assume he knows I’ll have eyes everywhere. ”
She nodded, nibbling on more bacon.
“Do it now.”
The command startled her but didn’t surprise her. She pulled out her phone and pulled up Nick’s contact information, which had his last name as Manovich.
Hey, babe…meet is confirmed, Wifey.
She set the phone on the table, face up, so Ramos could view the text.
Transparency.
Pushing her plate aside, she glanced out the window, focusing on one of the smaller fishing boats.
She couldn’t see the man’s face, but he held something in his hands and by his frame, she could tell it was Nick.
He didn’t glance up, but at the same time he stuffed something in his pocket, her phone dinged.
Perhaps we move it up? As planned?…Hubby XOXO.
“What does that mean?” Ramos shook his head, dropping his hand to the side.
“Means he’s out there.” She pointed to the lake front, then texted:
Your call…Wifey.
Ramos pushed back the chair, the legs screeching across the tile floor like fingernails on a chalkboard. “How dare you,” he said with a snarl. “I generally kill people who spy on me.”
“It’s a public lake, and there are a dozen fishermen out there. Only one is my husband, so I wouldn’t call it spying.”
Ramos turned, grinning. The way he sauntered toward her made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
“You’re a smart woman. Let’s hope that husband of yours is as smart,” Ramos said.
“He married me, didn’t he?”
Ramos patted her shoulder as he glanced out at the lake. “If you manage to fuck this up, I’ll kill your husband, but not until after he’s watched me make you cum like no one else could.” His smile turned her blood to ice. The food in her stomach churned.
“I don’t take kindly to threats in the middle of a business deal.
” She kept her tone level as she curled her fingers around the coffee mug, doing her best to appear indifferent to his comment.
A smile tugged at her lips when she saw Nick pull a small boat up to the dock, though she quickly frowned when three of Ramos’ men pointed their weapons on Nick.