Fuck. How had I gotten myself into the mess in front of me? The scarfaced bastard staring me down could have given Al Pacino the creeps and stolen every mafia boss part in the theaters without auditioning.

Auditioning. Acting.

I could do this. I was scared shitless, but I could do what I needed to do in order to save my own ass. The sexy bastard behind me obviously wasn’t one of the good guys at all, but something about that turned me on. A lot.

I’d never been around anyone but good guys, and honestly… they sucked. In bed. In business. In general.

The Don lifted his eyebrow above his good eye and gave me a cocky smirk. “Looks like Jason might have picked up a little more than he could handle tonight, no?”

“Maybe.” I extended the drink to him and slipped into character. I’d been acting since I was a girl, and just because I hadn’t had my big break, didn’t mean that shit wasn’t mine soon. I could do this. I had to.

“Let’s get this over with. I know you hate your time being wasted, and I’m not one to fuck around.” Jason moved up beside me before brushing his hand over my lower back.

Had I really just fucked him without thinking twice about it? Fear. It had to be fear. Stephanie was going to flip her shit when I told her about my night. Knowing her, she’d focus on me having unprotected sex with a bad boy stranger above everything else.

We were friends for a reason.

The Don nodded, but kept his dark gaze on me. A tremor of fear raced through me, but I forced myself to stand steadily beside my new dark lover. I wanted more of him, and for the first time in my long life of playing it safe, I wanted something more. Something different.

“I have the money, but before it’s yours, I want to watch the two of you.” He glanced up at Jason, who stiffened beside me.

“Watch what?” Jason’s voice darkened.

I glanced up toward him, numbed by the situation. I knew exactly what the Don wanted. There was no way I was stripping down in front of him and his goons.

“Max.” The Don turned his face away from us and called out to one of the guys just behind him. “Help me make this clear to our favorite hitman what’s being requested of him and his pretty lady friend tonight.”

“Don.” Jason moved in front of me, pulling me behind him. “”It’s not happening. She’s a sweet girl who-”

“Is she now?” The Don’s voice held a note of humor. “Then why do I smell sex so thick I can almost taste it?”

I gripped the back of Jason’s shirt. So much for acting anything. “No,” I whispered. “Get me out of here.”

“What do you need me to do, Don?” Max moved up, the big ugly fucker missing a few of his teeth. He pulled gun from the holster on his hip and lifted it toward Jason. “Want me to make a hole in him for her to fuck?”

The room exploded in laughter. I curled up tighter behind Jason. The dark scent of his cologne filled my nose, and the room spun. A mixture of fear and lust burned deep inside of me. What the fuck was going on? Better yet, how the hell was I going to get out of there.

“Give me the money, and we’ll get out of your way. You’re not interested in seeing anything. I promise. She’s my little brother’s wife and it’s not happening.”

“That true?” The Don barked loudly.

Jason moved, and I pulled my shoulders back as I was left standing before the monster. Max turned the gun on me, and I froze.

“Hey. Answer him.” Jason glanced over at me. “Now.”

I nodded. “Yes. It’s not sex you smell. Lust maybe, but not sex.”

“She wants me, but it ain’t happening.” Jason shook his head, gave me a psuedo look of disgust and turned back to the Don. “My money. Now. Or find yourself someone else to do your dirty work next time.”

“You talk a big game.” The Don walked toward the door where another large goon of his was holding a dufflebag. “This time you get a pass, but bring a bitch to our meetings next time, and you’ll watch while I fuck her in the ass until she passes out. Got it?”

“Yep.” Jason reached for my hand, gripping it tightly and pulling me toward the door. “Call when you need me again.”

“I will. Soon.” The Don turned and handed the bag to Jason before glancing over at me and smiling. Only half of his face lifted. “You’re a pretty little thing. Better take heed of this one.”

I nodded. “Thank you. I will.”

We walked out, and Jason pulled me closer to his side as his breathing got off kilter. “Goddamnit. That was stupid of me to take you in there. That bastard has no sense of ownership. He thinks if he wants something or someone, they’re his for the taking.”

I jerked my hand from his as we stopped just outside the alley on the street. “Is that what he did to you? He took you? He owns you?”

Jason whipped around and moved to stand in front of me, toe to toe. The anger burning in his eyes almost stole my breath. If I didn’t know better, he was more dangerous than all of the men I’d come in contact with that night.

“You don’t know anything. Don’t act like you do.” His eyes moved down to my lips as anger burned into heat. “You’re coming home with me.”

“No. I’m not.” I pulled back though I wanted to press forward. The fresh air had my mind clearing. I wasn’t the kind of woman to fuck a stranger. I wished I were.

“Fine. Then stay the fuck here.” He reached out and slid his fingers into my hair, gripping it tightly and pulling me close. His lips were warm against mine, his tongue dominating my mouth as he slowly took control of our kiss. Everything melted and warmth engulfed me.

The desire to whisper ‘more’ was on the tip of my tongue.

He jerked back and growled. “Take care, and call someone. It’s dangerous on this side of town. Get your pretty ass out of here.”

“Wait.” I took a step in the street as he jogged away from me toward a motorcycle sitting lonely on the other side of the street. “My cell phone doesn’t work over here.”

He glanced over his shoulder and gave me a long glare. “You got three seconds to get on this bike and I’m out of here. I’m not asking twice.”

I bit my lip and ran through my options. The Don and his goons hadn’t come out of the building yet, and I knew for a fact that the assholes from the club were still laying down the street in the alley Jason had left them in.

Indecision ran through me.

Go with the evil I knew, or try to fend off the evil that I didn’t.

Had I not been running from love, the answer would be easy.

“One. Two. Three.” He got on the bike and started it as my heart almost stopped in my chest.

Owned. Did the man across the street want to own me.

Fuck. Did I want him to?

Yeah. I did. Badly.