“Cesco went to a warehouse last night about twenty miles from Miami. He met with someone we couldn’t identify. Do you know anything about a warehouse and who it might be?”
I shake my head. “I’m not privy to those kinds of conversations. I don’t know about any warehouse,” I say, forcing a smile and knocking back more champagne. I try not to fidget under his examining stare, and I will the heat creeping up my neck to fuck off.
“Okay. Have a think about anything you might know that could help. Even the smallest detail that might seem irrelevant could help.”
“I will,” I promise, already searching my mind for things I can say and moving the stuff I can’t say into a different mental folder. I glance out the window, biting my lip as the Cristal sloshes uncomfortably in my stomach.
“Hey.” He threads his fingers through mine. “I don’t want to put a dampener on our night.” He slides his arm around me and kisses my temple. “Forget I said anything.”
“That was amazing. Wow. The acting, singing, and dancing was superb, and the staging and lighting was incredible and all the costumes.” I glance down at my dress before throwing my arms around Fiero. “You chose this for tonight, didn’t you?”
“I asked Rachel if she had anything that might vibe withMoulin Rougeand she sent me that.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to say I love him because he blows me away with his thoughtfulness, and what I’m feeling right now can only be love. But I hold back, that cautionary part of myself urging me to rein it in.
“Thank you, Fiero. Thank you so much.” I press kisses all over his face, uncaring I’m leaving glossy lip marks on his skin. “I have never enjoyed anything as much.”
“We’ll go weekly,” he says, clasping my hand and leading me out of the private box. “We’ll hit up every new Broadway show as it opens.”
He’s only giving me more reasons to stay.How will I leave him when he’s my Prince Charming come to life?A wave of pain crashes over my chest, pricking my heart. “That would be amazing.”
He looks at me a little funny.
“I need to use the bathroom before we leave.”
“No problem.” He holds me close as we join the crowds and make our way downstairs to the lobby. I’m conscious of the fullness in my back passage with every step. “Keep your eyes on your own date,” he snaps a few beats later, and my head whips around to the couple beside us on the steps.
The man is similar in age to Fiero, I’m guessing, and the woman looks to be in her early thirties maybe. They’re wearing matching wedding bands, so they’re clearly married. Her mouth turns down as she quickly glances at me, pain skittering in her eyes before she trains her gaze on the carpeted floor.
“Look at my woman again, and it’ll be the last thing you do,” Fiero threatens in a menacing tone.
A muscle clenches in the man’s jaw before the tension fades, and he makes a slow, deliberate perusal of my body.
Is he crazy or stupid?
All the fine hairs lift on the back of my neck, and bile churns in my gut. It’s the very definition of undressing someone with your eyes, and it sickens me because once again some pervert is salivating over me, and I know Fiero is going to do something reckless.
He doesn’t let me down.
Moving around me, he presses a gun discreetly into the man’s side. “You have a death wish, asshole?” he snarls, glowering at the man who’s not looking so cocky anymore. The woman still has her eyes on her feet, so she has no clue what’s going on. Thankfully, there is no one behind us, the crowd in front of us instead.
“I told you not to look at her, and you have the nerve to eye fuck her in front of my face?”
A subtle click rings out, and I react on instinct, placing my hand tentatively on his back. “Don’t shoot him,” I quietly say. “He’s not worth the trouble.”
At my words, the woman’s head jerks up, her eyes wide in shock. The crowd below has moved to the next level, and we’re all alone up here now. I have no idea if they have cameras.
“I’m sorry,” the man splutters, looking like he might shit his pants.
“Apologize to her,” Fiero snaps, jerking his head at me. “But don’t look at her while you do it.”
Oh my god. He’s ridiculous.
“I’m sorry. It was an asshole move. Please forgive me,” he says, looking at Fiero.
“Now apologize to your wife for disrespecting her.”
The man frowns.
