DAMIEN

 

 

I tore through file after file in the back of the limousine driving me to a political fundraiser in California. Using the only few minutes I had to spare trying to find something, anything of importance. I’d spent every waking moment for the last two months, digging up skeletons, searching for the goddamn truth. I hadn’t seen Amira in over sixty days, and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t excruciating torture. She needed space and I needed time to search for answers, answers that were necessary to move forward and to get her back into my life.

For the most part, I knew where she was at all times, but there were a few days here and there I couldn’t track her whereabouts. Like she fucking walked off the grid, disappearing from existence. Making me feel as if I lost her all over again. Those were the days I’d pull all-nighters bustling through government databases, gathering any intel I could. The times I did track her down, I quickly realized she jumped around a lot from state to state, and city to city, never staying in one place for too long. Leaving no trace that she was even there to begin with. Amira was a walking, breathing illusion. If I hadn’t seen her with my own two eyes, I’d think I’d imagined her.

Which, in the long run, made sense. I couldn’t find one thing on her, not even so much as a parking fucking ticket. It explained how she was able to build an empire that’s for damn sure. Not many people could stay out of the line of fire like I could, except apparently Amira. With one bad decision, I sealed her fate, possibly leading her to a life of crime without even knowing it.

Now Roman… he was a completely different story. The motherfucker’s rap sheet was a mile long. He’d even spent some time in prison for drug trafficking nine years ago. Paid his dues in the penitentiary for three years and was sent on his merry fucking way for good behavior. I was dying to find out how she met him. How he came into her life and turned her into the Queen fucking Bee. Those were the answers I couldn’t fucking find for the life of me.

The one thing I hadn’t looked into was Rosarío’s death. I couldn’t bring myself to do it yet. I wish I could tell you out of sight, out of mind, but that wasn’t the case for me.

Amira’s voice haunted my dreams night after night. “I didn’t reach out to you because as far as I was concerned, you died the day Rosarío did.”

Her words played in my mind on constant repeat. Fucking with my emotions as if she hadn’t already done enough of that. It unleashed the deadlock I securely had in place when it came to the only woman I’d ever known as a mother. Allowing more memories to crash into the forefront of my mind like the waves of the ocean, pulling me under and drowning me in the dark depths of the sea.

During these unexpected moments, I found myself thinking about my father for the first time since I left Cuba. He was the only blood tie I had left in this world, and for some reason that I couldn’t fucking fathom, I wanted to finally know how my old man was doing. I even went as far as picking up the phone a few times to reach out, though I always ended the call before the phone even had a chance to ring. Not knowing where to even begin when it came to him.

“Mr. Montero, we’re almost there,” the driver announced, pulling me away from my own private investigation.

I threw the files on the seat next to me, resting my head against the backrest, exhausted from the lack of sleep I’d been dealt lately. I couldn’t stop thinking about Amira, worrying about her now more than ever before. Especially at night, remembering the last evening we spent together at her safe house. Her smell, her touch, her taste, had me fisting my cock at the mere thought of her. I started sending Mariposas to her random houses every other day, just so she’d know I was still there, thinking about her.

Craving her.

Fucking needing her.

The attendant opened my door, once again breaking me away from my thoughts. I stepped out onto the red carpet leading to the entrance of The Ritz-Carlton. I was attending a political campaign fundraiser on behalf of Senator McGorbin and everyone, including myself, was there to show their support, and by that, I mean their checkbooks. I wore a black tuxedo with my hair tied back in a bun, playing the part of District Attorney. The night started off with its usual antics, mingling with everyone I was supposed to, acting as if I gave a shit about what we were discussing. It was an art I had perfected over the years.

We were about midway through the night when I felt something in the atmosphere shift. You could call it a sixth sense, intuition, or just basic instinct, but it was powerful and strong. Someone tapped me on my shoulder and I turned around, recognizing the man immediately. He was a high-profile person in Miami and one of the regulars at my club.

“Montero, good to see you,” he greeted, reaching out his hand.

I smiled and shook it. “Robert. Good to see you too. You’re a little far from home, aren’t you?”

“Well, you know me. I’m the life of the fucking party. Free booze and pussy everywhere.”

I chuckled, tuning him out as my attention wandered from him to gaze around the banquet hall. That’s when my eyes caught something, or should I say, someone from across the room, and I couldn’t turn away.

She was dressed in a fitted lavender strapless gown that was low cut, accentuating each and every delicious curve of her irresistible fucking body. A high slit came up her left thigh, practically exposing her panties. Her hair flowed loosely in large curls framing her face, especially her pouty fuck-me lips. She looked good enough to eat and trust me, I wanted to have her sit on my face to do just that. Ignoring the fact that she was on the arm of Jonathan Kent, a well-known financial contributor to all things ‘kissing ass’ to get ahead in his own agenda to become Senator.

He was a tall, heavier set man but still had the rugged pretty boy looks with his blue eyes, brown hair, and a shit load of money that drove ladies’ wild. His vast reputation with women stemmed from his large bank account. He changed his arm candy like he changed his goddamn boxers. A different set of tits for every event. I wasn’t surprised he’d shown up, what shocked me was Amira was his latest conquest.

I spent the next hour socializing, watching them work the room together like a power couple as if they had something to prove. All I could do was endure his constant caresses on the side of her arm and down the spine of her back. The way he’d lean in a little too close when she was talking to him, making sure to keep his eyes focused on hers when he really wanted to be eyeing her tits on full display. Their interaction wasn’t the only thing that bothered me though. What held me captive the most was how she had every man in the room eating out of the palm of her hand. I wanted to get accustomed to how the new Amira worked in my element.

In my world.

Which was why I fought the urge to make my presence known to her and each man she came in contact with. I watched her every move, from her mannerisms, to the way she flipped her hair when she spoke, getting these men to hang onto every word that left her mouth. Her subtle movements of how she stood and casually swayed her body to the beat of the music from the orchestra. Never once breaking eye contact with who was speaking to her. How she would casually touch their arms or chests, making sure to laugh or smile when she was supposed to. Amira used her sexuality to get what she wanted, the same way she did to get to the States. Proving she was the epitome of perfection—on and off the streets.

She could handle her own in both of my worlds and that had been the hardest pill to swallow.

My will to just study her, shattered when Jonathan pulled her onto the dance floor during a slow song. He was holding her a little too close for comfort, his touch sensual and claiming. I couldn’t watch them for very long, dancing under the twinkling white lights like she was Cinder-fucking-ella and he was Prince Charming. Hell, jealousy was washing over me at a rapid pace. My possessiveness over her spread from across the room and the distance between us. She didn’t even realize I was there, and a huge part of me wanted to catch her off guard. To truly test her self-control and determination to keep up her façade of no longer loving me.

More importantly, I just wanted to fuck with her.

And fuck her.  

I walked over to the luscious blonde by the bar who had been eye fucking me all night. Grabbed ahold of her hand and led her to the dance floor. Close enough where Amira would have to see us, see me. She was chatting with Johnathan as he slowly spun them in a circle at the precise moment I pulled the blonde to my chest. Wrapping my arm around her lower back, placing her left arm on my shoulder, and then I entwined our other hands at our sides. She gasped when I unexpectedly brought my right leg in between hers, so she was pretty much straddling my thigh. Hugging her to my chest tight.

Allowing no distance between us.

I locked eyes with the blonde like she was the only woman in the room that mattered, when in reality, that woman was in another man’s arms.

“Aren’t you going to at least ask me my name?” she purred as I moved my lips closer to hers. Close enough to where I could feel her breath against my mouth.

I grinned, lightly pressing my lips against her cheek. Gradually inching my way toward her ear, whispering, “I don’t need your name to dance with you.”

She giggled in that girly way as if I just gave her the best compliment of her life. When the truth was, I didn’t give a fuck who she was. I was using her to prove a point to the woman whose penetrating stare was throwing daggers in our direction. Tiny blades cutting into my skin.

I didn’t pay Amira any mind, stirring her emotions the same way she fucked with mine. I slowly slid my hand down the blonde’s bare back, dipping into the edge of her dress right above her ass, while still provocatively dancing to the soft tune of the music. Knowing Amira was watching our every move, I shifted with the beat, twirling her around the room closer to where Amira was scrutinizing us like a fucking hawk. In an instant, I tugged the blonde back into my torso the second we were a few feet apart from them. Skimming my nose down her neck, I gripped onto the back of it in the same possessive gesture I did with Amira all those nights ago.

I could physically feel Amira’s restraint being stretched to the max. Her collected composure cracked momentarily, knowing her eyes probably turned stormy and her nostrils flared for a split second. I had her exactly where I wanted her all along. That’s when I decided it was time to make it snap. Using my thumb, I glided it along the blonde’s bottom lip. Making Amira think I was reveling in the feel of her velvety skin like I had with her that same night.

Confirming to Amira that I didn’t even have to touch her for her to still feel me everywhere and all at once.

I continued to dance with the blonde with my hand around her neck and my thumb on her bottom lip. Feeling nothing but her pulse beating with anticipation beneath my fingertips, while Amira’s heated composure burned into my skin from the short distance between us. Nothing could have prepared Amira for the reaction I was intentionally provoking. Making the blonde feel as if she was the only woman for me, knowing damn well there was only one woman that always faithfully had my attention.

The song was coming to an end, and so was my shameless performance. I slightly dipped the blonde back, using the blatant display as an opportunity to really one-up her. To finally prove to Amira, I knew she was full of shit. Grazing my lips across her cleavage to her neck, and right before I was about to reach her mouth, I peered up through the slits of my eyes and locked blazing stares with the woman who always had my heart.

If looks could kill, I’d be fucking dead.

Amira scoffed in disgust, shook her head, and threw her arms down at her sides. Immediately realizing I knew she’d been there all along, catching on to the fact I’d just played her.

In one quick, sudden movement she abruptly turned, leaving Johnathan there stunned. I didn’t hesitate to excuse myself from the blonde, rushing over to Amira in three long strides. I gripped onto her wrist and roughly yanked her back toward me, stopping her momentum and determination she was using to try and get away from me. Causing her to lose her footing and fall against my chest and into my arms as the orchestra clicked over to a soft Tango at the same time.

The last thing she wanted to do was make a scene, and that’s exactly what would happen if she hauled ass away from me. So, I hooked my arm around her lower back, placing her right hand into my left at our sides and proceeded to dance with her instead.

“Did you enjoy the show, baby?” I questioned as she pushed off my chest a little too hard into a turn, spinning back into our hold and then we walked two slow steps.

Quick, quick, slow.

“Not as much as you did performing it,” she replied with a hard edge to her tone.

Possessively moving my right hand to the back of her neck, I pulled her down into a fast dip at my side, sensually bringing her back up to face me again. We started to dance effortlessly around the room, repeating the steps slow, slow, quick, quick, slow as if we were the only two people in the space.

“You can take the girl out of Cuba, but you can’t take Cuba out of the girl. Do you remember, Muñeca? Rosarío…” I paused, saying her name fueled the remorse inside of me. “Anyway.” I shook it off. “That was a long time ago. I’m proud to see you still remember the moves and so would she.”

“I remember everything, Damien,” she snidely countered with a soft glimmer in her eyes. “I see your taste in women hasn’t changed. Blonde bombshells with low IQ’s, just like you love them.”

I proudly grinned, eyeing her up and down with a predatory regard. With my hand still gripping the back of her neck we strolled the dance floor, two more slow steps.

Quick, quick, slow.

Once again, I dipped her. Crudely jerking her back up with enough force to lock her body in place where I wanted it.

Her lips close to my mouth.

Her perfect tits pressed on my chest.

Her wet pussy against my hard cock.

I rasped, my mouth almost touching hers. “Jealousy looks fucking amazing on you.” Thrusting my dick into her heat before I got the last word out.

She narrowed her eyes at me, mainly pissed that I spoke the truth. We aggressively walked in a circle, stepping back into our closed embrace.

“There you go thinking with your dick again,” she snapped, playing it off like I wasn’t on to her.

Breathing out a chuckle, I roughly spun her so her back was snug against my chest. Slowly sliding my hands down to her hips, making sure I took my sweet ass time. Wanting her to feel every inch of my fingers along the sides of her breasts, her ribs, the curve of her waist. Igniting conflicting emotions she didn’t want to deal with, feelings she failed to bury from years ago.

“Should I keep going?” I whispered huskily, grazing my nose and lips along the slope of her soft, silky neck until I reached the tender spot right beneath her ear and jawline. “Do I need to finger fuck you from behind or do we need to finish this with my cock deep inside of you to finally put an end to your bullshit lies?”

As soon as she felt my fingers descending down her hips, she slapped her hands over mine, shoving her ass into my cock with her right leg pointed out to the side. The violins from the orchestra hit a high point in the ballad and she seductively slid to the floor, her leg stretched out beside her. In the same sinful movement, she rotated her hips up my body. Never stopping her persistent sway of grinding her ass against my body.

“The only bullshit lies I keep hearing are the same ones coming out of your mouth,” she argued, turning her face into mine.

I growled, hastily shifting her to face me. Wrapping her left arm around my neck, I gripped onto her right thigh, hard. Causing her to whimper before angling it up to the side of my body. We stared deep into each other’s eyes and the intensity of the music took over, only adding to the craze of our diminishing self-control.

“You’re the cause of everything wrong in my life,” she viciously spewed, cocking her head to the side.

I leaned forward, close to her lips. “Well, Muñeca, you’re the only cause of anything right in mine.” With that, I stepped back, taking her along with me.

Her body lounging into mine as I dragged her petite frame across the floor. Her left leg straight out behind her. The second I stopped, I held her close to my chest to steady her movement. Our chests rising and falling as one. The room dark like we were the only ones there sinfully dancing like old times. When all of a sudden, she tried to yank her leg away from my grasp. Failing as I dipped her, grasping both her arms above her head, leaning her back, completely at my mercy. Her eyes shifted to my mouth, licking her lips. Fucking baiting me to kiss her.

“I can still taste you in my mouth,” I groaned, following the movement of her tongue.

The consuming look in her eyes was filled with so much intensity I could barely take it.

“Muñeca, I lov—”

Amira shook her head, causing her expression to harden right before my eyes. Pushing me upright to stand. “I’m not doing this with you again,” she stated, turned and left.

Leaving me there, only adding more unresolved issues to the unfinished bullshit between us.