He stresses my last name like he might choke on it. Like he’s spitting out the most disgusting thing he’s ever tasted. Like he hates hearing it, let alone saying it.
I’m not frozen in place, but I don’t move more muscles than I need to breathe. I don’t look away as he approaches the counter. This pharmacy carries narcotic medications that more than one person’s tried to steal, so I have a gun beneath the counter. I doubt I could get it fast enough.
“How can I help you?”
Remembering my customer service does me little good when it sounds mocking after that greeting.
“You can tell me how long you’ve been fucking thatpedazo de mierda.” Piece of shit.
My chin jerks back as I fight not to curl my nose in disgust.
“Don’t enjoy being spoken to like that? You must not have been working for mytío abuelolong. He’ll say far worse.”
He’s not wrong. There’s no HR department to report sexual harassment to. Humberto says whatever fucked-up thing he wants. He does it to get a rise out of me. I know his cock gets a rise out of it. But I refuse to respond to him, and I refuse to respond to Pablo. I merely stare at him. He grins. His parents clearly got him braces, and he probably spends a fortune on teeth whitening. He could be on a toothpaste commercial. His white teeth contrast against his tanned cheeks, making them practically dazzle.
Fucking hell, Florencia.Fucking think about something other than those teeth biting your nipples.
“Ah, he already has.Quelle surprise.” His mocking “what a surprise” makes me want to grind my teeth.
“Can I help you find anything? Perhaps something for constipation? Or is it diarrhea?”
He chuckles, but it’s not filled with humor like it was when he laughed at the little boy who made faces at him.
“People say my eyes must be brown because I’m so full of shit. Or did you think I had diarrhea of the mouth when I warned Humberto what I would do?”
He’s laughing at me, not with me.
I’m fighting not to be the one who’s insulted.
“You can help me understand why you’re working for Humberto. You clearly already have a job selling pharmaceuticals.”
Legal drugs is what he means, but he’s silently reminding me of what he and Humberto sell.
I shrug as I answer. “I needed a second job to help pay off my American student loans.”
That’s a benefit but not the reason.
“Working for a narco-trafficker is the best second job you could find?”
Still mocking me.
If it weren’t at my expense, and if his words were genuine, he could appear charming. His handsome face and what I’m certain is an exquisite body beneath his custom-tailored suit are distracting. I can’t ignore the simmering anger, though.
I didn’t bat an eye at the violence I witnessed earlier. It was tame compared to shit I’ve seen before. But he wasn’t looming over me then. Even with the counter between us and a step up to get behind it, he still towers over me. He’s even broader than he appeared in the chair.
“It pays well.”
“What’s the going rate for being a mistress these days?”
“Leave.”
“It’s an honest question. Why not give an honest answer?”
“You’re insulting me and trying to humiliate me. I have nothing to say to you.”
“That’s fine because I have plenty to say to you. You can listen while I talk.”
I shift and reach beneath the counter, but he’s faster than I am. He reaches across and wraps his fingers around my wrist. He doesn’t manhandle me like he did Humberto. His hold is gentle as though he’s mindful of not crushing my bones, which I’m certain he could.
