happy she likes it. The relief of something going right, no matter how small, is a nice change, considering the absolute mess my past four days have been.
“So, you’ll sign the contract?” I tell her, after our entrées have arrived.
“Are you giving me a choice?” Catalina asks, finally looking up from her jewel encrusted finger.
I can’t help but respond with a little smirk. She’s learning. “You will be richly rewarded. $20 million, American, if we make it to the altar.”
Catalina’s jaw nearly drops through the table. I watch her with amusement, glad to have a pretty distraction, until she corrects her earnest reaction and snaps her jaw back into place.
“Will I have to stay in that condo the entire time?” Her voice wavers as she asks the question. I almost feel bad for keeping her locked away for so long, it’s clearly started to affect her. Catalina may be tough in a battle of wits, but her mind seems to be a lot like mine: always in need of stimulation.
“You won’t be locked up anymore, if that’s what you mean,” I say, leaning back in my chair.
“Will I be able to go home?”
“You may visit, but you will have to live downtown, by my side... for appearances sake, obviously.”
Catalina studies my eyes for a moment, before dropping her gaze back down to the engagement ring. “And if I refuse?”
“You won’t.” I probably shouldn’t be poking her like this, but apparently, I’m still controlled by that original deep desire to see her squirm... or maybe I just want to touch her. Boy, could I go for a good fuck right about now. I’ve been so tense over the past few days that if I don’t explode in the right way soon, I may never be able to put myself back together again.
“Watch me,” Catalina snarls. She twists the ring off her finger and slams it down on the table.
I’m not worried. “You’d give up $20 million just to spite me?”
“Money isn’t the most important thing in the world,” she responds, dryly.
I smirk. “You don’t seem like the type who passes up a good pay day.”
“You must be thinking of someone else.”
“No, it’s you who’s been on my mind since that stuffy gala. Girls in your position don’t go to events like those unless they’re trying to catch a golden goose. You want to be rich, even if it means attaching yourself to an unflattering character. So, why not me?”
“Because you’re not unflattering,” Catalina immediately responds. “You’re just vicious.”
A waiter appears at the side of our table, but I quickly wave him off. All I need right now is this. Catalina and her fire. All the cold dark mystery in my life fades away under her lashing tongue. It’s exhilarating and completely new. No one’s been able to captivate my attention like this before. Not a single person.
“Maybe,” I respond, slowly taking a bite of the grilled meat from our plate of Fritanga. The rare delicacy tastes of delicious blood. “But you don’t even know the half of it. I’ve been taking it easy on you, and I’m willing to continue to take it easy on you, as long as you play along.”
Catalina huffs. “Bullshit! If this has been you taking it easy on me, then there’s no way I want to stick around to catch your bad side.”
I finish off our appetizer and push the empty plate away from me. “You said money isn’t the most important thing in the world,” I start. Catalina nods, crossing her arms and watching me with a cautious suspicion. “Then, what is?”
“Respect.”
That draws a smile to my face. She’s even smarter than I thought. My answer would have been the exact same thing, though I doubt for the same reason. Catalina may be feisty, but I can’t imagine she wants people to fear her. I wonder, if I was in a different line of work, would I still feel the need to gain respect through fear?
“Who’s to say I don’t respect you?” I taunt.
“You sure don’t act like you do.”
“Maybe I’ve just been testing you, seeing if you could handle the responsibilities that I’m willing to hand over, along with the $20 million.”
“Don’t lie to me,” Catalina hisses, uncrossing her arms and leaning forward. “This hasn’t been some test, you’re just sadistic.”
Sadistic... If only she knew what real sadism was. If I’d let her fall into Dante’s hands, then I’m sure she’d have found out quickly enough.
“I’ll admit, things have changed since our first ‘encounter’ but I will tell you one thing...” I hesitate for a second, the words that want to come out of my mouth are so raw and true that they don’t feel right. Since when have I not carefully coated my every word? It’s a necessity for a kingpin, but for a fiancé? Even for a fake relationship, there’s something in me that just wants to strip away the iron covers that always weigh me down. Maybe I’m just going crazy from stress, but the sudden idea that I could be completely honest with someone fills me with a warmth that harkens back to that heat I found in Catalina’s kitchen...