Jesus, I looked hot.
The emerald green satin dress clung to every curve like water, and the neckline dipped low enough to make me look lethal.
I smiled as I slicked back my hair into a tight, high pony, letting my shoulders catch the light on every bone. The thin straps looked like threads, and this dress left very little, yet so much, to the imagination.
Well, Arko Pavlov said dress up, and now he was in for a rude awakening, for I was going to make him eat his heart out tonight.
The high slit up my thigh revealed just enough leg to be tempting but not trashy. My brothers would have a collective heart attack if they saw me in this, which made wearing it all the more fun.
I wanted Arko to choke on his own tongue when he saw me.
I told myself it was just a way to keep him distracted. As long as I let him think I could be molded, I’d retain some freedom to make another run for it. Tonight’s dinner, too, was the perfect opportunity to see if I could sneak away.
But as I walked down the stairs, I felt a strange fluttering in my heart that had nothing to do with my plans for escape. Arko’s face flickered uninvited through my mind, and I felt the urge to slap myself for even wondering if he’d notice the dress.
What was I even doing…wanting to make him eat his heart out when it shouldn’t matter what he thinks of me.
When I couldn’t find Arko downstairs, one of the maids told me he was already outside, waiting by the car.
I stepped out and found him standing with his back to me, his hands folded behind him like a soldier’s. I didn’t know why, but I froze for just a moment to take in the sight. His suit draped so well that for the first time, I noticed how broad his shoulders were.
“Am I late?” I asked, my throat feeling drier than it should have.
Arko turned, and the look on his face was worth every second I’d spent getting ready. His eyes widened a little before he got control of himself. But I’d seen that flash of interest, and I knew I’d just won the first round.
“Not at all.” His voice had a rough edge that hadn’t been there before. “You look nice.”
“I put on the first thing I saw in the rack you sent up,” I shrugged out the little lie. “Shall we go? I’m starving.”
He cleared his throat. “Of course.”
I moved toward the sleek black limousine before him and felt Arko’s hand on the small of my back as I waited for him to open the door. Even through the dress, his touch burned through to my skin.
“After you,” he murmured, and as I climbed in, I took in a deep breath, accidentally catching a whiff of his cologne. He smelled like mahogany, as masculine a scent as could be, and I hated how it hit me in all the forbidden places.
I let out a small breath through my lips and felt every motion my body made near him. When my slit slid open as I moved across the leather seat, I knew he stared.
Arko settled in beside me, and when the limo started to turn out of the driveway, that’s when I realized I’d never been in a car this fancy. From the buttery leather seats to the dim lighting, everything screamed luxury I wasn’t accustomed to.
My family had expensive cars, too, but nothing this…romantic.
I felt my palms go clammy at that word, the heat rising in my neck.
“Would you like some champagne?” he asked, after a few minutes of silence. My eyes snapped to his, and in the dark, his blue eyes reminded me of the ocean. They looked like the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen.
He motioned to the bottle chilling in an ice bucket, and I felt myself blush when I realized I’d been staring right into his eyes.
“Sure,” I whispered, then cleared my throat. “It’s not like I have anywhere to be tomorrow.”
“Ouch.” He let out a chuckle. “Taunting me, are you?”
“Sorry. Did you believe I should be lauding you with medals?” I asked, sweetly.
“For such a pretty face, you’ve got one bitter tongue,” he said back to me, just as sweetly.
“For a mafia don, you’ve got way too much time to go around kidnapping young women,” I smiled back.
There. I felt it again, that rush of adrenaline in dishing it out with him. It was followed instantly by guilt, because I had nobusiness enjoying this, but my heart simply didn’t care enough to listen to my brain.
