Maestro pushed off the fence. “What the fuck is the truth, Keys? That I expect a fairy tale? I think I’m getting a happy ever after? I don’t believe it for a minute. I’ll do the job, and the only way I can do it is to go all in.”
“Czar has the happy ever after,” Keys pointed out.
“I’m not Czar.” Maestro stayed silent, letting the ice in his veins make its way to his heart. He couldn’t afford to think too much about the sound of Zelie’s voice when she told him about her family being murdered. He had glaciers surrounding his heart. It had to stay that way while he worked. “Tell me what you would do, Keys. Women and children are being trafficked. No one’s looking for them. Someone has to stop these people. This is our first real lead. We don’t know whether she’s part of the pipeline or not, but we know her boss is.”
“You saw her. You heard her,” Keys persisted.
“Yeah, I did,” Maestro admitted, trying not to sound as bitter as he felt. The taste of blood was in his mouth. He felt the sharp blade of the knife as it retreated from his body. The hot lash of the whip as it tore strips of skin from his back. The burn of shame and humiliation for once again trusting a female. Betrayal tasted bitter.
THREE
With shaking hands, Azelie opened the box that had come unexpectedly. She had texted Andrii that she was sorry, she wasn’t going to be able to make their dinner date. She hadn’t told him she didn’t have the clothes to wear to an upscale restaurant—but she didn’t. She’d gone through every single item in her closet and realized even if she knew for certain she wanted to go, she couldn’t.
The worst of it was—she did want to see him again. She wanted to spend time with him. He’d texted her back asking for an address where he could have a delivery made. Thinking he was sending flowers, she gave him the address of her building. A part of her knew she shouldn’t, but she didn’t want to cut ties with him.
The box had arrived at four, an hour and a half before they would have gone on their first date. Heart beating too fast, Azelie stared at the large rectangular box for several minutes before she managed to get the courage to open what clearly wasn’t flowers.
Her breath caught in her throat when she moved the tissue paper aside to reveal a shimmering silver minidress. There were heels, stockings, garters, earrings, a necklace and a note.
It occurred to me I took too much for granted. I wasn’t thinking about anything but the chance to spend time with you. I really would like to see you tonight. Please wear this for me. I’ll come by your building at five-fifteen to pick you up. M
Silver sequins sparkled as Azelie carefully lifted the dress from the box. It was beautiful. More so than anything she’d ever worn. It was also more daring than anything she’d ever considered wearing. The dress had a plunging neckline leading to a twist in the fabric at the waist. Fully lined, with a deep V back, the fabric would cling like a second skin, showing off her body. She’d never done that before either. The label in the dress simply read, Label 287.
Her breath caught in her throat. She had often looked at the clothing from Label 287, but she had never bought anything, not even the most casual blouse, although she longed to. The fabrics were always soft, and each design looked sensual. The designer only sold limited editions of her work. If you didn’t order immediately, you might not get your choice because there was a high chance of each piece being sold out within days or sometimes even hours. She couldn’t justify spending the money when she needed it to stay in San Francisco and continue going to school.
The garters looked sexy, and the stockings were silk. The heels were shocking. Silver glitter-covered leather. She recognized the brand immediately, although she had never owned a pair and only knew about them because Janine had been saving her money for shoes from that designer. The slim band of glittered leather buckled around the ankle. The stilettos were at least four inches high, closer to five.
Then there was the jewelry. She didn’t own jewelry and had no idea what real jewelry was or how to tell the difference. That was probably a good thing because if the drop earrings were real diamonds she would have fainted. The necklace was a silver choker with sparkling diamonds she hoped weren’t real.
Nested in the bottom of the box was a barely there scrap of underwear. Just looking at it made her mouth go dry and her heart beat even faster. She desperately wanted to try the dress on, to see how she looked and felt in it.
Telling herself she didn’t have to go through with the date, she dressed carefully. She’d already taken a long bath, the way she often did on her day off from school. She was grateful she’d bathed in scented water. She had to admit, just putting on the thong, garters and silk stockings made her feel sexier than she’d ever felt.
The dress clung to her body like a second skin, emphasizing her abundant curves. She had often tried to lose weight. She worked out and ran every day, but her body had curves. She didn’t lose weight the way she wanted, and eventually she decided with her body type, she’d just cover up. The dress showed every curve. She couldn’t wear a bra with the dress, and the plunging neckline showed the high rounded curves of her breasts.
After she did her makeup with the smoky eyes Andrii had requested, Azelie stared at herself for a long time. She didn’t look slutty the way she feared she might. She looked sexy—almost beautiful. Certainly not the way she normally looked.
She did her lips in a rose-petal red and then allowed her hair to fall in its usual mass of wild curls and waves down her back and around her face. She didn’t like that she couldn’t see the earrings when they were so beautiful, so she pulled the sides of her hair up and fixed them in a fancy twist. She thought that might complement the dress and show off the beautiful earrings.
For the first time in her life, she thought she looked beautiful. Even sexy. More than anything, she wanted to go to dinner with Andrii. That would mean she would have to pay him back for the dress and shoes. She could give the jewelry back to him unless it was costume jewelry—in that case she was going to keep it, even if it was on the expensive side. It would be wonderful just knowing she had the dress and shoes in her closet.
How was she going to get to the coffee shop? She didn’t want to chance riding the bus in the dress. She’d probably get robbed. She could wear a long coat and her tennis shoes and change. She picked up the note and read it again. He had a definite masculine scrawl. He’d signed it with a single letter. Not A, but M. What did that mean?
The last line told her he’d come for her at her apartment building. It probably hadn’t been the best idea to text him her address. She knew better than to trust any man with her safety, but somehow her need to see Andrii again superseded common sense. She glanced at the clock. He would be arriving soon. She didn’t really have the time to tell him not to come, that she wasn’t going after all.
She searched through her closet for a decent coat or sweater to wear with the dress. She had nothing. A puffy jacket and vest. That wasn’t going to go with the outfit. She didn’t want to ruin the look. She stared at herself for a long time debating and, in the end, decided she would go without a coat. It was San Francisco at night, which meant it would be cold, but she was willing to hope the inside of the restaurant was warm enough.
She picked up the little glittery bag that contained her ID, credit card and emergency cash. She was smart enough to know if things didn’t work out, she might need to find her own way home. No matter how attractive she found him, Andrii was a stranger. She had already broken enough of her rules just agreeing to go out with him.
Azelie texted him that she would be waiting downstairs. She didn’t want him coming up to her apartment. For one thing, he was obviously far wealthier than she was. She didn’t want him seeing her tiny space. And she didn’t want to forever picture him there. Or smell his cologne. Maybe it wasn’t cologne—maybe it was his natural scent. Whatever it was, she found Andrii Federoff intoxicating.
She tried not to obsess over the man as she took the elevator down to the first floor. She couldn’t help trying to dissect why she was so enamored with him when she wasn’t attracted to other men. When she was with him, she felt like she was under a spell. His voice mesmerized her. Sadness lurked in his eyes, and it felt very genuine to her. She found herself wanting to do whatever it would take to make him happy.
He was plainspoken, telling her exactly his feelings and what he found attractive about her sexually. She heard honesty in his voice. He might have sounded crude, but she had the feeling he did that deliberately to see if she would be offended. She had considered, for one brief moment, pretending to be. But if he was being honest with her, she wanted to be just as honest with him. She admitted to herself that the things he said to her sent heat waves through her body.
She reached the first floor to wait by the door for a car. She should have texted him to find out what he was driving. It was difficult to find parking in San Francisco. She had a space in the lot at the apartment building where she could park a car if she owned one, but she preferred the bus system so she wouldn’t have to try to find parking everywhere she traveled. She’d been using buses and the BART system for so long she knew the various connections and stops without looking at maps.
She hadn’t been waiting more than three minutes when a BMW pulled up to the front of her building and Andrii stepped out of the car. Instantly, Azelie couldn’t breathe. He was incredibly gorgeous in a dark suit. The jacket emphasized his wide shoulders and deep chest. When he moved up the walkway toward the building, his gait was so smooth he appeared to be gliding—or prowling like a great jungle cat.
Azelie had no idea why she was so susceptible to him, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him. Draped over one arm appeared to be a full-length coat that clearly was too small for him. Her heart accelerated and a million butterflies took flight in her stomach. He was too thoughtful for words. She didn’t think men like him really existed. In her world, they never had.
She stepped out the door of the building just before he reached it, watching his face, needing to see if her appearance pleased him. Andrii’s eyes softened and his mouth curved into a smile. Not only was there approval in his eyes, but the way his gaze drifted over her body and returned to her face filled her with a strange pride. His eyes had darkened with intense sensual desire. For her. All for her. She wasn’t used to a man’s entire focus or admiration, and she felt color sweeping up her neck into her face.
“You look beautiful.”
His voice, that compelling velvet voice, played over her skin like the touch of fingers. Goose bumps rose. Her sex clenched. She even went damp. She found herself blinking up at him, unable to speak.
He cupped her chin and tilted her face up toward his. “Solnyshkuh, when I give you a very sincere compliment because you are truly the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, it would be nice if you acknowledged it.”
His thumb slid along her chin, featherlight, sending flickering heat streaking through her veins. He was truly deadly when it came to seduction.
Azelie swallowed the tight knot in her throat. “Thank you, Andrii.”
Immediately, she got a warm look of approval that added a hard knot of desire to the emotions already roiling inside her. She decided honesty was the best policy, even if it was embarrassing.
“When I look at you, or you speak to me in that voice you have, sometimes I find it difficult to breathe, let alone speak.” She made the admission in a low tone, but she kept her gaze fixed on his. It was important to see his reaction to her honesty. If he looked amused, she would turn and go straight back to her apartment.
