Fighter in Lingerie Read online

  I hated thinking about the moment when my men would carry her stuff back to her apartment and we would say goodbye. I’d never wanted a woman the way I wanted her. Maybe in a few months, I would get bored of her like all the others, but something told me the exact opposite would happen. I wasn’t a man falling in love, but I was a man falling deeper into this intense obsession. “If that’s what you want.”

  “Yes. It’s exactly what I want.”

  I stood at the edge of the casino, watching the way everything flowed smoothly. The chips constantly tapped in the background, the music played at the perfect volume overhead, and the men possessed orderly conduct while playing for millions. There was nothing that happened in my casino I didn’t know about. My need for control was constant, and if things weren’t done my way, they weren’t done right.

  One of the dancers approached me, wearing a gold thong and bra that barely covered anything. I had minimal interaction with the people who worked the floor, even though I knew their names and their backgrounds.

  My men moved in front of me, blocking her path toward me. “No one speaks to Bosco.”

  She rolled her eyes then looked at me. “I have a complaint.”

  The men pressed her back gently, getting her away from me. “There’s a floor manager for that.”

  She raised her voice so I could hear her words as she was being pushed away. “It’s that asshole, The Butcher.”

  The second I heard his name, I knew I needed to address this personally. “Leave her.”

  The men backed off right away and took their positions.

  She walked up to me, a foot shorter than me even in her heels. With big hair and lots of makeup, she looked ready for her shift. “Look, I like working here. Money is good, and the security is tight. I’ve never had a problem with any of the sleazebags in here—because they have some manners. But this Butcher guy is a pain in the ass.”

  “What did he do?” I was unaffected by her obvious charms since I had a woman at home in my bed right at that very moment. If I wanted a nice pair of tits to stare at, I’d look at Carmen’s.

  “He tried to rape one of the girls in the bathroom, for one.” She put both of her hands on her hips, strutting her attitude.

  “I gave him a warning for that.”

  “He stares—a lot.”

  “Theresa.” I used her real name since I knew all of my employees. “Can you blame him?” I cocked my head slightly to the side but kept my gaze on hers. “That’s your job—to give them something to stare at.”

  “But it’s not a normal stare,” she argued. “It’s…hostile.”

  “Did he threaten you?” I asked seriously. “Did he touch you?”

  “No and no,” she said. “But I get a bad feeling about him…”

  “You know I take your safety and security very seriously, Theresa. Same goes for everyone else in this casino. I gave him a warning and told him I wouldn’t hesitate to rescind his membership if he bothered you guys again. He seemed to take me seriously.”

  “Well, he better have. I’m not letting that asshole touch me.”

  “He won’t, Theresa. Now get back to work.”

  She gave me a look full of attitude before she strutted off and resumed her post.

  When she was gone, I reached in my pocket for a cigar. The Butcher was a thorn in my side, and I needed a way to lower my rage. I’d been running this casino for a decade, and while there were bumps in the road, I’d never had any serious issues. The Butcher seemed different, like there was no telling what he might do. Maybe granting him admission to the casino had been a mistake. Maybe my brother had been right. The second The Butcher stepped out of line, I would throw him out—and not refund his dues.

  I was just about to light the cigar when I remembered what Carmen asked me to do. The cigar was sitting in my mouth, the tip wet from my teeth. I put the lighter back in my pocket, sighed, and then tossed the unused cigar in the trash.

  Quitting would be harder than I realized.

  I didn’t smoke every day, just when I worked in the casino. I never lit up in my home because I didn’t want my penthouse to smell. My addiction had never been so strong that I had to walk outside just to light up. But now that I was denying myself in my natural environment, I felt the kick in my side.

  “Wow. Bosco Roth is turning over a new leaf.” Her playful voice came from behind me. In a royal blue dress studded with diamonds, she definitely didn’t look like one of the cage dancers. She was definitely more ambitious than that. She came to my side without objection since my men knew who she was.

  “Ruby, how are you?” I hadn’t seen her in a few months.

  She was smoking a cigar, the white smoke rising from her nostrils to the ceiling. The diamonds of her dress reflected the light every time she made the slightest movement. She was rich in diamonds—and rich in every other way that mattered. “Concerned. Why did you throw away a perfectly good cigar?”

  “Trying to cut back.”

  She shook her head slightly. “I never thought I’d see the day when Bosco Roth would listen to a woman…”

  I had no idea how she knew about Carmen, but since I’d brought her to the casino, people probably talked. “Are you having a good time?”

  She shrugged. “My date isn’t the best gambler. He doesn’t have your poker face.” She watched me as she took another drag.

  “Not very many men do.”

  “Nope. You can say that again.” She crossed one arm over her waist and propped her elbow on her hand, holding out the cigar like a cigarette. “And they don’t have your other qualities either…” She gave me a cold stare, but the desire was obvious in her look.

  Ruby and I’d had a short-lived fling. She was a beautiful woman who was attracted to power and money. She went from man to man, cleaning them out until she got everything she wanted. What made her different from being a con artist was her honesty. She told men exactly what she wanted before she used them, but she was so beautiful, the men didn’t care. That was exactly what had happened to me. She wanted a new diamond necklace, a trip to Istanbul, and to sit on my arm for a week. We spent that week fucking and drinking until it ran its course. When she walked away, I didn’t ask her to stay—even though she was good in the sack. “Keep looking, Ruby. I’m sure you’ll find a good man out there.” I didn’t sleep with the same woman twice, but Ruby had been an exception. Though she hadn’t been the kind of exception Carmen was. “Have a good night.” I turned away and headed toward the elevators, dismissing the conversation without giving her a chance to respond. Ruby still wanted me because I was the most powerful man in this country. She desired nothing more than to sit on my arm forever, to roll around in my cash and retire as a wealthy woman.

  But she knew that wasn’t possible with me.

  Ronan walked up to me, his hands in the pockets of his slacks. “I smell trouble.”

  I knew he was referring to Ruby. “Ignore her.”

  “I know I can. But can you?”

  I ignored the jab. “She never meant anything to me.”

  “She was your longest fling before Carmen came around.”

  “Not comparable.” We moved to a secluded table in the corner, where the men brought us a decanter of scotch and two glasses. Then they disappeared, leaving us alone together while the music played overhead.

  “But—”

  “I don’t want to talk about Ruby anymore.” She was a brief fling who never meant anything to me. She was direct about what she wanted from me, to be spoiled and fucked right. It had been a satisfying week, but I’d had no problem walking away when she clung to me too hard.

  Ronan stopped when he heard the threat in my voice. He drank from his glass then licked his lips. “I hope you’re in the mood to talk about Carmen, because that’s my next subject.”

  “She’s fine.” The thought of Carmen didn’t fill me with annoyance and dread. It was almost eleven, so I knew she would be asleep by now, spread out across my bed with the sheets p
ulled to her shoulder.

  “I like her.”

  “How can you not?” She was perfect, from her pretty face to the pretty words that flew out of her mouth.

  “I’m serious. She’s not like the other women we fuck around with.”

  “No comparison.”

  He abandoned his drink and put all his focus on me. “I can tell she’s crazy about you.”

  My impenetrable exterior faded slightly, even though we were still in the casino and I had to keep up my cold presence. “What makes you say that?”

  “Everything. From the way she looks at you. The way she talks to you. She isn’t a pushover who will do whatever you want, but she accepts you as you are. But she’s not afraid to tell you off either—which is something you need.”

  She’d asked me to quit smoking, and she complimented me left and right. She obviously cared about me, which is a big change from how she felt about me in the beginning.

  “Mom would like her.”

  There was no doubt about that. Mom had been an opinionated and outspoken woman, not afraid to get her hands dirty. She would admire Carmen’s independence and fire. They would fit together like two peas in a pod. “I know she would.”

  “So I like her. You like her. Mom would like her. Hmm…” He took a drink from his glass. “Interesting.”

  I knew exactly where this was going. “We have an expiration date. She made that clear.”

  “I know. But you’re the kind of man that can make things happen. So, make something happen.”

  My life was about gambling, booze, and women. Carmen would always have a special place in my heart because she was different. She would be a good memory, and she would be someone I never forgot about. But my life would continue forward on the path I was meant to walk—alone. “It’s not gonna work out. We want different things.”

  “Then make sure you want the same things.” Ronan handled all situations with simplicity, like everything was as straightforward as a math problem and there was only one solution. “This act isn’t gonna be cute forever. When you’re forty and fifty, you’re just gonna be an old guy with a bunch of money.”

  I turned the tables on him. “You want to get married and have a family?”

  He shrugged. “If I met the right woman, I’m not opposed to it.”

  I raised an eyebrow, surprised my heartbreaker brother would say that. “Really?”

  “I’m having fun right now, but that’s gonna get old after a while. If I met a woman who was absolutely perfect for me, I wouldn’t let her go. I would man up and be everything she wanted—even a husband and a father.”

  I was still stunned.

  “Come on, I just turned thirty. I’m not in my twenties anymore. You haven’t been in your twenties for a while.”

  I never felt a particular age. I never felt rushed to do anything in particular. I figured I would live life and see where it took me. Listening to my brother say these things surprised me because he’d been a playboy for so long.

  “So if Carmen really means something to you, you shouldn’t let her go.”

  Even if I wanted those things, it didn’t change anything. Even if I loved her, we still had our problems. “I’m not the kind of man she’s looking for. She sees me as a dangerous criminal, not husband material. I can’t blame her. She tried to break things off with me, and I wouldn’t let her. Since the beginning, I’ve been controlling the relationship and not giving her much of a choice. She wants an average man, safe and simple.”

  “So if she changed her mind about all of that, would you?” He regarded me with a serious expression, watching every slight reaction I made with my face.

  “I don’t know, Ronan. I’ve only known the woman for a month or two.”

  He shrugged. “They said when you know, you know right away.”

  I took a drink and looked away. “I’m not in love with the girl. I care about her and enjoy her company, but that’s it. You’re looking too hard into it.”

  “Maybe,” he said. “Or maybe I’m making you think about things you don’t want to think about.”

  I loosened my tie in the elevator and pulled my jacket off before the doors opened. Even though I didn’t smoke, I still smelled like cigars and booze. If Carmen smelled my clothes, she might think I went behind her back and lit up anyway.

  Or maybe she didn’t remember asking me to quit in the first place. She had been pretty tipsy at the time.

  The doors opened, and I walked into the penthouse, expecting it to be dark with the exception of a few lights. The skyline of the city was in the background, glowing with the beauty of the Italian landscape. I tossed my jacket over my shoulder and noticed the glow from the TV.

  Was she sleeping on the couch again?

  I crept into the living room, carefully pressing my feet against the hardwood floor so the soles of my shoes wouldn’t make a gentle tapping noise. I spotted her on the long couch, her knees pulled to her chest with a blanket draped over her body. The TV was still on, but the sound was down low. Just like last time, she wasn’t deeply asleep because she seemed to be aware of my presence. She opened her eyes and looked at me. “Oh…you’re home.” She ran her fingers through her hair then sat up, her eyes heavy with exhaustion.

  “Why are you on the couch?” It seemed like every time I came home, she was crammed on this piece of furniture instead of lounging in the enormous bed with the luxurious sheets. It wasn’t nearly as comfortable out here. If she wanted a TV, there was one in the bedroom. It worked exactly the same way as this one, so there was no possibility she didn’t know how to work it.

  “I was just having a hard time falling asleep. Too much coffee.” When she stood up, she tossed the blanket over the back of the couch and walked toward me. She was in one of my t-shirts, her hair down and her skin clean because she’d washed her face before she got ready for bed. “How was your night?”

  “Same as always.” My hand cupped her cheek, and I brushed my thumb across her soft skin. She turned her face into my palm, letting me cradle her. I watched the subtle glow of her green eyes, the way she was tired but also wide awake. It was past one when I walked through the door, and she would leave for work in a few hours.

  “So you missed me the whole time?” she teased.

  I didn’t smile, but my heart noticeably lightened in my chest. When I was at work, I rarely thought about anything besides money, security, and scotch. But Carmen drifted into my mind from time to time, especially when I was in my office. “You’re the only woman who’s ever been in my office.” I’d stared at the leather couch and remembered fucking her there. We’d fallen asleep afterward, and I’d cuddled her with my body to keep her warm. She’d wrapped herself in my clothes like a blanket, and I’d acted as her personal heater.

  Her playful attitude faded away, her eyes softening like that meant something to her. “Why is that?”

  “I don’t trust anyone down there. It’s where I keep all my records and laptops.” If someone wanted to steal my information, they could have a woman seduce me, and when I was passed out, she could rifle through my belongings and transfer everything to a hard drive. Ruby had tried to invite herself to my office once before, but she’d been denied. “But I knew I could trust you.”

  “Trust me?” she whispered, her voice shaking particularly hard on the word trust. “You hardly know me…”

  We’d known each other a relatively short amount of time. I didn’t know everything about her, from her favorite color to her most embarrassing childhood story, but that didn’t mean I didn’t know her spirit. “I do know you. I know you don’t give a damn about my money. You’ve never been impressed by it—still aren’t.” My hand moved into her hair, and I felt the ache inside my chest, a sensation I didn’t recognize because I’d never felt it before. With Carmen, I never had to be on my guard. I never had to look over my shoulder and wonder what her motivations were. “You’re an honorable woman who comes an honorable family. You would never steal from me, not when you
can accomplish anything you want on your own.” Carmen was fierce and strong, more independent than most men I knew. Ruby was a man-eater looking for someone to take care of her. The women couldn’t be more different. I didn’t even know women like Carmen existed until I passed that alleyway. “You wouldn’t betray me.” She didn’t owe me any loyalty, but I knew she gave it anyway. There wasn’t greed in her eyes. She was afraid of my power, not obsessed with it. It allowed her to see the man under the suit. It allowed her to see me.

  “No…I wouldn’t.” Her green eyes looked into mine, becoming more vibrant as the attachment between us intensified. There had always been powerful chemistry between us, but this connection was different. I felt it down in my office when she sat in my lap, when I told her it would be hard for me to let her go. Now I felt it again as I continued to look into her beautiful face. I didn’t need to press my lips to hers to kiss her. I didn’t need to touch her to sense her, to tell her how quickly her heart was racing. Somehow, I could feel everything in that moment. I’d never experienced this kind of intimacy in my entire life, regardless of how many women I’d bedded. This was different.

  I lifted her into the air so I could carry her to bed. Her body moved with my direction because she could read my intentions so well. I carried her to my bedroom down the hall, our faces pressed together without kisses being shared.

  I laid her on my bed, lowering with her as my jacket slipped off my shoulder and dropped beside us. My tie fell off somewhere down the hallway.

  She pulled off her panties for me, too eager to wait for me to take them off. She kept her shirt on and widened her legs for me, like there wasn’t time to strip down to her naked skin.

  I pushed my slacks and boxers down until my cock was free. My shoes were still on and so was my collared shirt. I was too eager to take my time, so I pressed my head through her entrance, felt the notch of her body, and then slipped all the way inside. I sank in deep, hitting her at the perfect angle because her legs were wide open. I moaned once I had her, when I was surrounded by the slickness of her perfect pussy. I’d been at the casino all night, unaroused by the naked women constantly walking around, but the second I came home and saw Carmen sleeping on my couch, I was harder than steel. “Fuck…” There was nothing better than being sheathed to the hilt inside her pussy, feeling that powerful squeeze as she stretched around me.