He’s left the apartment a few times to deal with work stuff. He ends up coming back stressed out. He swears nothing is wrong, but clearly something bothers him. I think some of it is leaving me here without him. I know there’re adequate guards because I see the men outside his door whenever he leaves. When we go for walks, they blend into the surrounding crowd, but I know they’re there.
He’s the only unit on the penthouse floor. There’s more to his top-floor Manhattan apartment than just the breathtaking view. It’s so nobody can get to him easily. By the time anyone who comes to attack him gets to the second floor, he’ll know about it. Nobody’s coming down from the roof because the angle of the slanted tiles is too steep. It would be like something out ofMission Impossible.
Lavish doesn’t even begin to describe this place. His decor isn’t over the top. It’s actually really homey, but he certainly has the best of the best. He even has a pool up here. Plenty of buildings have rooftop pools, but this is for his private use. It reminds me of Switzerland. Who would’ve thought I could benostalgic over something like a mountainside lair where I hid from mercenaries for two weeks, but it certainly felt safer than the wilds of New York City.
“Chiquita, are you ready?”
“Yeah, I’m coming.”
If only I were saying that during sex. Instead, we’re about to meet his entire family at a restaurant. It’ll be my formal introduction to people I’ve only heard about. People who absolutely despise everything about my family. I can’t help but be nervous that they’ll only be polite for Pablo’s sake, but they’ll hate me behind my back. Worst-case scenario, they’ll reject me to my face. However, I don’t believe they’d do that, and that’s purely because of Pablo. They wouldn’t hurt him like that, but that doesn’t mean they’ll welcome me or accept me any more than the bare minimum.
“Chiquita, you look beautiful.”
He kisses me behind my ear, and I get a waft of his cologne that’s so incredibly familiar to me I even dream about it. Lavender used to be my favorite. It has always been so calming, but getting a whiff of Pablo’s cologne tells me he’s nearby. Not only does that calm me, it reassures me.
“You look pretty good too, Daddy.”
“Just pretty good?”
“Pretty gorgeous. Is that better?”
“Much. Little one, I want to make sure I look the part for being the man on your arm.”
“Oh, you’re the arm candy. I could get used to that.”
“Only for you,chica.”
“Damn right, Daddy.”
He offers me a searing kiss that has me grasping the front of his shirt as he pulls away. I slide two fingers between the buttons and kiss him back with full force. His hand rains down on myass, and it stings. He does it four more times before he backs away. It’s the distraction I need to get me out the door.
The restaurant is an unprecedentedly quick ride into Queens—at least that’s how it feels. He fucks me hard enough I fear the driver and bodyguard on the other side of the town car’s privacy glass will know what we’re up to. It should embarrass me to meet his mother with his cum on the inside of my thighs, but he understands how comforting that is to me. It’s a little part of him with me when I know he’ll have to step away to talk to other people. I can’t be glued to his side during the entire dinner. I don’t want to appear that needy and childish, but it’s certainly tempting.
“Chiquita, I wouldn’t bring you around people who have ill intentions for you. I understand you’re scared, but I swear it’ll be all right.”
I nod once, the trepidation clogging my throat.
“Flora, if you don’t feel comfortable or anything happens, we leave immediately. No questions asked. I won’t be upset with you. I won’t have you somewhere you feel unwelcome or unsafe.”
“Thank you, Daddy.”
I appreciate his saying that now, but I know he’d resent it if I made him leave his family dinner because I’m having a tantrum. I can’t do that to him, so I’m going to have to suck it up. It may not be easy, but I’ve dealt with far worse. I can deal with this too.
When we are presentable, he raps on the car window, and the driver opens the door. Pablo slides out and offers me his hand as he buttons his suit coat. I think it’s so fucking sexy watching him do that whenever he stands and watching him unbutton it when he sits.
The way he can do it with just one hand is some suaveJames Bond–level shit. Sean ConneryJames Bond. None of those other wannabe guys. Though, I’ll take Daniel Craig in a pinch. My mind’s wandering to distract myself from how apprehensive Ifeel right now. This is straight up a thousand times scarier than meeting Humberto for the first time. It’s even scarier than when Humberto arrived at the Colombian estate, and I didn’t know if we faced a full-blown attack.
I don’t realize how tightly I’m clinging to Pablo’s hand until he stretches his fingers. I ease my hold on them, and he smiles down at me.
“It’s all right, little one, I promise.”
He kisses my temple just before we step inside and walk to the private dining room. A sea of faces greets me. So many of them are practically mirror images. I keep thinking that phrase over and over because I don’t know a better way to describe how dominant the Diaz genes are. It takes only a moment for me to realize which woman is Luciana.
Two men stand beside her who could practically be twins. I scan the crowd and spot another man who could be a triplet to the first two. He’s got a blonde woman on his lap in the back corner. That must be the third member ofTres J’s. I heard he’s involved with a woman who was Pablo’s childhood next-door neighbor. I wonder why they’re so far away from the rest of the crowd.
Does he need to be at the opposite end of the dining room from me?
I look back at Luciana, and she’s clearly assessing me. Pablo’s arm wraps around me, and his hand sits heavily on my waist. It’s only when my body brushes against his that I realize I’m trembling. My gaze locks with one of the three brothers. I don’t know who he is, but his stare is so fucking penetrating it feels like he sees right into my soul. I don’t intend to, but I burst into tears.
