Mr. President

Whatever that woman is up to, Austin is in on it. And if Lester’s right… Oh, God, if Lester’s right Austi

n is not only harboring a criminal, but he’s part of whatever the fuck is going on in here.

And a man like Austin wouldn’t be a part of anything… No, if there’s something happening, Austin is the one leading. That’s the kind of man he is.

I push my way through the crowd, walking through the maze of women, all of them staring in a trance at the stage where one man in a medical outfit dances to an upbeat sensuous tune. I go straight for the bar, where Austin is leaning against the counter, and I only stop when I’m just inches away from him. He turns slowly, as if he has all the time in the world, and shows me his million dollar smile.

“Hey, babe,” he says, and reaches with his hand for my waist, but I smack it away.

“Who the hell is that woman, Austin?” I start angrily, “and don’t bullshit me, I want to hear the truth,” I ask him, staring into his eyes as I feel a knot forming in my throat. God, is Lester right after all? Is something illegal going on here at Python? Please, God, don’t let it be true. I can’t handle that.

“Jealous?” His grin widens even more and I place both my hands on my hips, staring him down.

“I’m not in the mood for games right now, Austin. Just tell me the truth.”

“Why would I lie to you, Destiny?” Austin simply shrugs, taking one step toward me and softly stroking my cheek with the back of his hand.

I shudder under his touch, not knowing what’s the truth anymore, and his lips go from a smile into a serious straight line. “We call her Mistress Strokes. She works for me,” he whispers to me. “And why the interest all of a sudden?”

“Austin… She’s a hooker,” I tell him. “A hooker from the streets, for God’s sake! And not only that, I think she’s on the run. She robs her customers and I think that… that she’s killed them too.”

Oh, God, why is a woman like that in Python of all places?

With Austin?

What the hell is going on in this place?

Maybe I shouldn’t have been telling him all this…

I mean, it sort of shows that I know more than I should, but I can’t stop myself. If there’s a chance that Austin has nothing to do with whatever’s going on, I want to take it. I want to believe.

Then Austin does something I wasn’t expecting at all.

That motherfucker…he starts to laugh.

The sound of it is almost contagious, but I’m too stressed out right now to join him.

Why are all the men around me acting crazy today?

“What’s so funny, Austin?” I’m asking almost hysterically. “She’s a criminal!” I cry out, pursing my lips and looking into his eyes.

“She’s not a fucking criminal, I can promise you that,” he tells me, his lips curling into an easy smile. “Far from it.” The way he says it, I can’t help but believe him… I’ve built myself into someone who keeps her guard up at all times, but whenever I’m around him I can’t help but trust him, something I haven’t done for a long, long time.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m fucking positive,” he tells me softly, but then he frowns. “Although… What you told me, that seems like it’s coming out of the mouth of someone else.”

I look at Austin as he narrows his eyes. “You know, Destiny,” he sighs, “this isn’t the first time the police commissioner has tried to get someone inside Python.”

My heart sinks once more, but this time it’s because I realize that my small lies are starting to rear their ugly head.

Fuck. He’s going to stop trusting me.

I’m sorry if I’m becoming grouchy, hun.

I don’t want to lose his trust and ruin… whatever there is between the two of us.

“Austin… Don’t say that. Don’t imply that I… That I have anything to do with that,” I tell him, lowering my voice as my heart tightens up at my lie. I’m digging myself into a hole, and I have no idea how I’ll escape from there once I’m deep enough.