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“Jessica, wait,” he called again, and she turned in time to see him also throw a twenty on the table. At least their waitress would have a good tip. He caught up to her. “At least let me get you a cab.”
“I can get my own cab.”
He looked up and down the street, and saw the road was empty but for a lone taxi coming toward them. It stopped, and Rafael opened the back door for her. “Mind if I share? There don’t seem to be any others around.”
Jessica thought about refusing, but she looked him over in his designer jeans and her gaze snagged on that watch. Pretty boy wouldn’t last a second. No matter what she thought of him, any harm that befell him would be on her hands for leaving him there. “Whatever. Come on.” She shuffled inside the cab, but she found herself against the hard plastic of a child’s car seat that was strapped into place behind the driver, unable to move beyond the middle seat. Rafael then got in after her, firmly trapping her in her place.
* * *
Rafael was surprised by the lack of space in the back seat of the car, and the closed confines made him squeeze his body against hers so he could shut the door. His arm and thigh pressed against hers. Her skin was warm and smooth against his, and interest stirred deeply inside of him. The crackle of electricity that danced between them was like a live wire. He looked over at her, and she sat rod-straight, looking directly out the windshield, ignoring him entirely. He wondered briefly if she’d felt it, too. He shifted again, just to see, brushing her arm as he moved. He got his answer when she drew in a quick breath between her teeth, like a gasp, and she quickly shifted away from him, putting as much distance between them as she could. Which wasn’t much.
“Where to?” the cabdriver asked. Rafael looked in the mirror and saw the eyes of the driver. Jessica gave him the address of her hotel.
“And you, buddy?”
“Drop the lady off first, then we’ll worry about me,” he said, not taking the chance that the driver would drop him off first. Rafael’s protective nature pulled at him. This late at night, well, early in the morning, he wanted to make sure Jessica got to her hotel safely before he got out of the car. The driver shrugged, indifferent to Rafael’s answer, and pulled away from the curb.
They drove in the tense silence of the car, their bodies pressed together. Every time Jessica tried to shift away from him, he felt her soft skin rub against his own, and the contact caused a familiar stirring in his groin. He’d always thought she was gorgeous, but Jesus, since seeing her performance on the stage, there was no fucking doubt that he wanted her. As his dick came to life in his lap, he tried to think of anything that would dissipate his desire. Baseball, Antiques Roadshow, Monopoly, the three-hour Easter vigils his mother dragged him to as a child. Nothing worked. He coughed to clear the lump in his throat.
Jessica was facing forward, looking out the windshield of the car as they made their way to her hotel. But Rafael kept his eyes on her. He’d harbored at least one or two (dozen) fantasies about the woman beside him, most of them capturing his imagination at the duller moments during their city council meetings, or during mind-numbing political dinners and fund-raisers. She was intelligent, tough, articulate, goddamn sexy. Since campaigning had begun, she always had an opinion about something he proposed, and she was a continual thorn in his fucking side. They were political opponents, and she took potshots at him any chance she got, while he did the same. But pressed against her in the back seat of a San Francisco taxi, all he wanted to do was kiss her. But he had to stop himself; he couldn’t let on what he was feeling, and he hoped that the bulge of his stiffening dick wasn’t plainly obvious to her. He looked down at her, her features highlighted in the light of the dash. She was beautiful, soft, vulnerable. As a man who was so normally in control of his desires, he tried to fight his need. But he wasn’t sure he would win.
Perhaps feeling his eyes on her, Jessica turned her head and they locked eyes. The air between them was still charged. Jessica said nothing, but her lips parted; the movement was small, but he caught it. Before he knew he was doing, Rafael reached for her and, putting his palms on either side of her face, brought her lips to his.
She was hot, sweet, and the moment his lips hit hers, he knew she would either reciprocate, fall into his kiss, or smack him with rejection. At first, she was stiff, but when he took her bottom lip between his own, nibbling her lightly, she sighed and softened, yielding to him. She lifted her hands and fisted them in the front of his T-shirt as her lips parted with his. She tasted like lemon from the tea she’d had at the diner, and her tongue dueled with his as he tried to maintain control of the kiss.
He reached across her, unsnapped her seatbelt and pulled her into his lap, so that both of her legs draped over one of his thighs and his dick, rock hard, drove into her lush ass. The low ceiling of the car didn’t give them a lot of room, and she had to duck her head. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers fisting his hair, and he kissed her harder as she lowered them, running her hands over her shoulders, down his chest. Rafael was harder than he’d ever been in his life, and he needed to be inside of her.
He knew that they were in the back of a cab, and that they had an audience in the driver, but he didn’t care, and from the way her lithe fingers made their way under his shirt, and up his chest, she didn’t, either. The hand that rested on her bare thigh skimmed upward, until he was under her skirt. Her legs parted slightly, and he took it as an invitation to go further. When his fingers hit the satin barrier of her panties, he slipped past them and, again, she offered no resistance. He about shook with desire as his fingers found her hot flesh, already slick with her need. His fingers circled her clit, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, clutching him, pulling him closer. She cried into his mouth. Oblivious to the driver in the front seat, Rafael slid one finger and then another inside of her. She gripped his fingers from the inside, and he began to slide them in and out, as the heel of his hand pressed against her clit, his movement almost made effortless by how wet she was. He imagined that it was his dick, and he groaned into her mouth. Jessica’s breathing quickened. Her every physical response, her shallow breath, the way she spread her legs wider, allowing him greater access, the small desperate sounds that she made in his mouth, told him that she was coming.
He considered taking her then and there, as his cock about threatened to burst through his jeans, and he would have, if not for the sound of a throat clearing from the front seat. The driver, requiring their attention. He pulled away from her long enough to look at the other man. “Fuck,” Rafael muttered.
“Miss, we’re at your hotel,” the driver announced, looking straight out the windshield.
“Oh, right,” she said, her voice shaking, with her impending release, and his hand still between her legs, neither of them making any effort to move.
With one hand at the back of her head, he pulled her to him again, not letting her get away that quickly. He kissed her again. “Invite me up,” he told her, just a breath of electric air was all that separated them, his lips skimming hers with every word.
She said nothing, as he held his breath, waiting for the okay to go up with her and continue the night. But as the haze of desire cleared from her eyes, a look of shock replacing it, she gave him a soft “no” and pushed herself from his lap. “I can’t.”
His need for her numbed the surprise he felt by her refusal. Most women didn’t refuse him, especially after he made them feel the way he just had. But Jessica was different. She disengaged from him, taking her seat next to him. He immediately missed her heat, her slight weight against his dick. And they both remembered that because of the car seat that blocked the door nearest her, he had to get out to release her. “Move, please,” she said, her breath still heavy and matching his own.
He could have remained seated, insist again that they spend the night together. But she was right, and he knew it. They couldn’t. They shouldn’t. So, he nodded and got out of the car, adjusting the near-painful erection that threatened the integrity of his jeans zipper. She stood and opened her purse and withdrew her wallet.
“I’ve got the taxi,” he said. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I pay for my own ride,” she told him, putting some money on the back seat of the car, and before he could insist she take it back, she was already halfway to the hotel door. Rafael got back into the cab and blew out a breath. Jessica might pay for her own ride, but he knew that he would pay dearly for it, as well.
CHAPTER THREE
BY SUNDAY EVENING, Rafael was beat. He’d flown back to Vegas from San Francisco early that morning, and he’d gotten right down to work. In addition to his work on the city council, he also quietly oversaw the finances of The Brotherhood’s operations; while he was left out of the group’s decision-making, he was still very much involved behind-the-scenes. While most conglomerates employed teams of people to oversee all facets of operations, The Brotherhood preferred to manage as much as they could by themselves. Some people could look at his business involvement and see a conflict of interest, if they knew how closely tied he still was to The Brotherhood. Rafael had never explicitly used his political power for the betterment of his friends, or his own business, but he’d always considered it using all of the tools at his disposal. It was just how things were done.
From his office in the BH, the commercial tower they’d erected that housed the headquarters of their respective companies, he was putting the finishing touches on his analysis of the previous quarter’s profits. He closed his spreadsheets and turned his attention to a Word document he was working on. He heard his door open, and Alex walked in. The partners all had an open-door policy between them and rarely knocked before entering each other’s offices. It was Sunday, but that didn’t mean they weren’t at work. There was a lot to do. A lot of balls to keep up in the air. Rafael raised his hand in greeting, and Alex took the seat on the other side of his desk. Rafael hadn’t seen his friend since he’d returned.
“How was San Francisco?”
“Good,” he said simply, not willing to provide any detail. Not looking up, he put the finishing touches on the report, trying to forget the way his body stiffened, remembering how he’d touched and kissed Jessica the night before.
Alex leaned forward in his chair. “So, what happened? Did you see her?”
“If you’re so interested, maybe you should have come along.”
“Dude, I told you. I had a date. That fortuitously turned into two dates,” he said with a satisfied grin.
Rafael smiled, glad that Alex hadn’t actually tagged along. “Well, good thing I gave you the weekend off from the campaign.”
“But you need to tell me. Did you see Jessica? Was she at the strip club?”
Rafael didn’t respond at first. He closed his laptop and looked at his friend. “I need you to keep what you know about her between us,” he warned him.
“What? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“You can’t tell anyone about what we found out about her, okay?”
Alex nodded. “Yeah, man. Of course. But why? This could hand you an easy victory. Why the change of heart?”
He ignored his friend’s last question. He didn’t even know the answer to that one. He had gone to California to bust her, to see firsthand the information that would win him the election. “I did see her,” he confirmed, with a quick nod of his head. “And she was dancing. But I don’t know what I want to do about it yet.”
“What’s to know? Just give us the okay to leak it to the press. Dude, this is what you want.” He cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowing in understanding. “Did something happen between you and her?” he asked, suspicious.
“Nothing happened,” Rafael responded. Except a kiss that completely scorched him to his core and left him with a burn no number of cold showers would heal. “But I decided that I don’t want to win like that. I can win this election on my own. I don’t need to ruin her in the process.”
He could tell that Alex knew Rafael was hiding something. “What’s going on?” his friend asked. “Just two days ago, you wanted to end her.”
“Nothing’s going on. Just give me a little time to wrap my head around this. Everything is fine. I assure you. Don’t worry.”
“Fine.” Alex held up his hands in mock surrender. “It’s getting late. I was going to take off, but I stopped by to see if you wanted to head downstairs to the club and get a drink. See if there’s anything fun going on.”
The club, Di Terrestres, was their favorite business, their pet project, the crowned jewel of all The Brotherhood’s operations. When they’d built the office building, they’d left the bottom floors empty for their own fun—a members-only adult playground for the elite. The sex club catered to almost any desire a consenting adult could have.
“Weren’t you with two women last night?” Rafael asked, eyebrow raised at his friend’s insatiable sexual appetite.
Alex shrugged and checked his watch. “That was like twenty-four hours ago.”
Rafael thought of the beautiful women and everything else he could ever want waiting for him downstairs, and he sighed. None of it interested him at the moment. He needed sleep, and a certain petite, green-eyed brunette with a heart-shaped face, who occupied an office at city hall and the forefront of his fantasies. “No, I can’t. I’m going home.”
“Now I know something’s going on.”
“Dude, I haven’t slept since Friday night. I’m allowed to take a night off from debauchery.”
“Yeah, you’re allowed, it’s just never happened before.” He stood. “All right, I’m done. I’m heading down. Join me if you want.”
Rafael shook his head. Tired and horny, but with no way to ease either at Di Terrestres, he sat back. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
CHAPTER FOUR
ON MONDAY MORNING, Jessica boosted the speed and incline on the treadmill and she ran, pumping her legs as a surge of energy coursed through her body. She couldn’t get Rafael out of her head. He’d gone to San Francisco to what? Bust her, to show that he knew about her secret life?
She knew how to figure out men, they weren’t complicated creatures, but Rafael was an enigma that she couldn’t decipher. Waking up in her hotel room yesterday morning after only a couple hours of sleep, she’d felt hungover, as if she’d overindulged in alcohol, but she hadn’t. So, she downed some coffee, and had then gone online, checking news sites and gossip rags. She’d even Googled her own name to see if he had leaked her secret life. And she’d found nothing. What was his game?
She thought about the night before, remembering that she hadn’t been drinking, nothing but herbal tea. The only intoxicant she’d experienced had been the taste of Rafael’s lips and the brush of his tongue. The stroke of his fingers.
And what about that kiss? And those hands... She ran harder, trying to rid herself of the memory of his lips and fingers on her. Her muscles screamed as the adrenaline flowed through her, and she remembered being trapped with him in the back of that cab. From the way he touched her, she knew he must be a spectacular lover. It was something she’d always suspected whenever she’d looked across the room to him at meetings, or when they met at functions. The way he held himself, the capable, confident swagger of a man in control. But with Rafael, it wasn’t an act. Even keeping pace with the belt of the treadmill, she felt a desirous hollow between her thighs, one that she could fill with only him. Frustrated, she boosted the speed of the treadmill again, hoping to run it out.
But his knowledge made her vulnerable. He held her life, her career in the palm of his hand and could snatch it all away from her if the whim struck him. Everything she remembered from that night had actually happened, and it hadn’t been her worst nightmare, or her hottest erotic dream. Not only did Rafael now know the secret that she’d successfully hidden for years as a city councillor, but she’d also about dry humped him in the back of a taxi. What a goddamn mess. She considered his proposition—spend time with him, get to know him, and maybe he wouldn’t spill the beans. She didn’t like the man, but to be fair, she didn’t really know him. What she did know was that he had a hard, hot body and he kissed like a demon.
Her heart rate sped up, and it didn’t have anything to do with running. She looked up at the television and saw a newscaster was speaking with Rafael outside city hall. She took out her earbuds and turned the TV volume up to hear him over the sound of her feet pounding.
“I want to encourage business growth. And that’s why we need to work with business owners in our city. All successful cities are built by the people first.”
Jessica rolled her eyes. She hated his act of pretending to care about the little people, when it was clear he only cared about helping business owners. Since announcing his campaign, he’d been eager to talk about his upbringing in a middle-class, immigrant family. But no matter his background, he was now so far removed from anything middle class. He may have started out there, but what did he know about the struggle of the people now, while he looked down upon them from his ivory tower?
Jessica knew the people intimately. She’d devoted herself to community issues surrounding housing and social assistance since she’d become a councillor. Growing up, she’d made a point of volunteering regularly in her neighborhood—even now she would go across town once a month to help out at the shelter she’d become so familiar with as a young student. Looking back, it was probably no surprise she’d ended up in public office.
Rafael might have a good act, but she knew better.
But it didn’t matter; he currently held the upper hand. He knew about her secret life. And even though he hadn’t said anything yet, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t. There were so few people that she trusted, and she was reluctant to add Rafael Martinez to that list.
Frustrated and fatigued, she pounded the end button on the treadmill’s control panel. When the belt stopped, she hunched over the panel, breathing deeply. She knew better, but it didn’t stop her from wanting the man more than she’d ever wanted anyone before.
Jumping down from the machine, Jessica took more calming breaths and drank her water. She picked up her phone and saw the text message from Ben telling her to call him. When she did, her friend sounded excited.
“Girl, have I got news for you.”
“What is it?”
“It’s about Dreamboat Martinez.”
“What about him?”
“I found something out about him.”
It was as if Ben had read her mind. “How did you know—”
“I’ve been talking to some people.”
“Again with these mysterious people you know. I know for a fact you don’t know people.”
He laughed, but then turned serious. “Just listen to me. Have you ever heard of Di Terrestres?”
“Of course I have.” Who hadn’t. It was a well-known hangout for Las Vegas’s superrich and the elite. But she’d never been inside. Not being rich, or elite, she’d never been invited through the front doors.
“What do you know about the shadowy cabal who runs it?” Ben asked. Jessica was running out of time and patience to play this guessing game.
“I’ve got stuff to do today, can you just save us some time and tell me?”
“I have it on good authority that Rafael Martinez is a silent partner of The Brotherhood, the extremely well-connected group that owns it and many other enterprises.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I heard a rumor and I got a friend of mine to do a little digging. It was tricky, but apparently Mr. Cute-but-Dumb-as-a-Post has some friends in high places. But this is some real information for you. What would staunchly conservative Las Vegans think of their golden boy owning a sex club within city limits?”
Jessica felt a smile grow on her lips. She finally had some leverage on the man who knew a truth about her. “Thanks, Ben. I know I told you not to dig, but I’m glad for once that you didn’t listen to me.”
“No problem, doll. Will you be home for dinner?”
“No,” she said, her lips pursing as an idea formed in her head. “I’ve got plans tonight.”
“It sounds like you’ve got something on your mind, and I want you to fill me in later.”
“I will. Don’t worry.” Jessica hung up the phone, checked the time and realized that her workout had run long. She had a meeting with her team, and then she had an appearance to make at the university. Time to get her ass in gear and out the door.
* * *
Jessica took the time to talk to every student who’d shown up to meet the mayoral candidates and other members of council. It was part of a city initiative, in conjunction with the student union, to get young people interested in municipal politics. And judging by the crowd that had packed the student union building, people were interested. This high a youth turnout was almost unprecedented. The plan had worked, and it gave Jessica hope for the future generation and political engagement. Even the local TV news crews had shown up. She couldn’t remember an election that had gotten so much coverage. People were fascinated by her, Rafael and the entire electoral process, and voter registration was high.
She looked across the room and saw Rafael and some of his people working his own corner. He looked confident, strong, gorgeous, in his jeans and T-shirt, just as he had that night in San Francisco. They had both opted for a more casual look, and again, just like the last time she’d seen him, he looked damn good.
He laughed at something a young man said to him, and the sound rang over the din of the packed room. When he looked up, he caught her eye, and they maintained contact for a brief moment, before she turned back to the young woman she was speaking with. She then moved on, making her way through the crowd, until she found herself in front of Rafael.
He looked down at her, his smile amused but cordial, and she nearly blushed at the way secrecy lingered between them. Her own lips tipped upward.
“Hello, Jessica.” He turned back briefly to the people he was talking to. “Excuse me, for a moment.” They found a quiet corner.
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