Seduced by the Loan Shark (3 page)

dick was coated in my slickness. He

moved easily within me, his cock gliding

in and out of me in a way that gave us both

pleasure.

"Yes!" I clutched at his forearms and

grasped the fabric of his shirt in my

fingers. "Oh!
Oooh
!"

The unexpected ripples of an orgasm

ripped through me. I couldn't believe how

quickly he'd taken me over the edge again.

His fat cock stroked all the right spots.

His fingers strummed my clit, working the

tiny pink nub until I was gasping and

begging him to stop, to let me have a

moment to come down from the heights of

pleasure.

Hagen bent over me, his body covering

mine completely, and captured my mouth

in a punishing kiss. I clung to him as he

smothered me with his kisses. I wrapped

my legs around his waist and lifted up to

meet his deep thrusts. It was wicked and

wanton and I couldn't get enough.

Rising to his full height, Hagen grasped

the backs of my thighs and pressed my

knees toward my chest. Fully exposed to

him now, I felt impossibly tighter and

experienced every swift penetration with

newfound sensitivity. He pounded my

pussy relentlessly. The desk squeaked

noisily and started to jump. I gripped his

arms and held on for dear life. His

fingertips bit into the flesh of my thighs.

No doubt I'd be sporting fingertip bruises

by the time I left his office.

With a growl, Hagen slammed balls-

deep. I slid up the desk an inch or two

from the force of his final thrust. He

jerked as his cock shot spurts of blazing

hot semen inside me. The warmth spread

through my core and left me trembling

with aftershocks.

Hagen gathered me up in his arms and

flopped down into his chair. Our bodies

still intimately joined, I ended up

straddling his thighs. He tangled his

fingers in my blonde hair and made love

to my mouth. His erotic kisses washed

away the lingering sensation of cheapness.

Our illicit tryst may have begun on seedy

terms but it had ended on a much different

note.

As our body temperatures cooled, our

kisses grew languid and easy. Reality

started to intrude. A quiver of regret and

embarrassment pierced my belly. I started

to climb off him but Hagen stopped me.

His big hands cupped my bare backside.

He forced me to meet his hard gaze.

"Don't even think about it."

"Think about what?"

"Jumping off my lap and running out of

here." He rubbed my lower back. "You're

going to clean up in the bathroom and then

we're going to talk."

There was no refusing him. I nodded

and let him lift me up from his lap. I

tugged down my dress and grabbed my

panties from the desk. Seeking refuge in

the bathroom, I made quick work of

tidying up and stepping back into my

cotton hipsters.

Back out in the office, I found Hagen

leaning against the wall. He dangled my

shoes from his fingertips. After grabbing

my purse from the chair and placing the

envelope of cash back on his desk, I

joined him near the closed office door. I

took my ballet flats from him. He held my

hand as I stepped into the shoes. Cupping

my chin, he turned my face towards his.

"What are you doing tonight?"

A white-hot frisson seized me. I could

be coy or outright refuse him. Instead, I

chose the most practical option. "You tell

me."

He laughed. The grin lighting up his

face made him seem so relaxed and

friendly. Maybe there was another side to

this man. "I'll pick you up around eight.

Wear another dress—but no panties."

I quirked an eyebrow. "No panties?"

"Well there's still quite a balance on

your brother's debt…"

His reminder of the coercion behind our

quickie should have bothered me but it

didn't. His teasing tone told me that this

thing blossoming between us wasn’t just

about the debt anymore. I let my fingers

walk up his chest and toyed with the top

button of his shirt. "And how much did I

just work off that debt?"

His sexy grin warmed me. "Let's call it

five."

"Five, huh? Should I be flattered?"

He dipped his head and claimed my

mouth. "Absolutely."

I took a step back and patted his chest.

"I should go."

He nodded and opened the door. "I'll

see you tonight."

I stepped through but he snatched my

wrist. I glanced up at him. "What?"

His expression had morphed into one of

pure business. "Tell your brother this is

the end of our business."

The painful intrusion of reality made my

gut clench. I gave a terse nod. "I will."

His fingers slid down my wrist to my

hand. He gave my hand a squeeze before

letting go. I hiked my purse up higher on

my shoulder and turned away from him. I

could feel his gaze searing my back as I

walked

down

the

corridor

and

disappeared into the bar. The goon gave

me
the look
but I ignored him.

Instead of shame, I experienced the

strangest sensation of lightness. I'd always

been the girl who played by the rules, who

did the right thing and never veered off

course. I'd always prided myself on being

such a good girl.

But being bad? Who knew it would feel

so ridiculously good?

CHAPTER TWO

"I can't believe you went to his bar!

What the hell were you thinking, Cass?"

I swiped the makeup brush across my

eyelid and avoided my brother's angry

glare reflected in the bathroom mirror. "I

was thinking that I wanted to keep you out

of the emergency room or the morgue,

Ronnie."

"I told you I had this under control!"

His voice was laced with stress.

I dabbed my makeup brush in the darker

eye shadow pigment and tapped it against

palette's edge to dislodge the excess.

"You've been hiding in my bedroom closet

for a week, Ronnie. I hardly call that

under control."

"There you go again!"

I zeroed in on his perturbed reflection

in the mirror. "What?"

"You're always throwing my mistakes

in my face. You've always got to prove

how perfect you are! How fucking

responsible you are!"

I frowned at his wild outburst. "What

the hell are you talking about? I've never

thrown any of your mistakes in your face,

Ronnie."

He knew it was true but wasn't about to

let it go. "Maybe not out loud but I know

you're thinking it!"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, so now you're a

psychic?"

"Don't be a bitch, Cass."

"Quit being a dick about this, Ronnie." I

shot back in frustration. "It's done, okay?

You're safe now. The debt is paid. Just let

it go."

"I can't." He ran his fingers through his

hair, making a mess of the thick brown

locks he hadn't cut in months. "I did this to

you. I turned you into a whore."

"Excuse me?" I whirled on my older

brother and jabbed the pointy end of my

makeup brush into his chest. "I'm not a

whore,

Ronnie.

Nothing

terrible

happened, okay? I gave him the cash I'd

scraped together. That's it."

"Bullshit, Cass. I know this guy. I know

what he's like. He's not going to just write

off a thirty thousand dollar debt because

you paid him four grand. I know you

traded something for it. What? A blow

job? A quickie in the bar's back room?"

I couldn't lie to him but I couldn't tell

him the whole truth. "It wasn't like that,

Ronnie. Yes, we were together but not in

the way you're imagining."

"You fucked him, Cass. For money. For

my debt," he added in disgust. Destroyed,

he fell back against the wall and clutched

his chest. "I did this to you. I turned my

baby sister into a mobster's whore."

"Stop saying that!" I fought the urge to

smack him upside the head. "I'm not a

whore!"

"I'm sorry." He looked abashed.

"You're right. You're not. He took

advantage of you. These people, Cass?

The y' r e
dangerous
. And you? You're

sweet. People like Hagen? They can smell

innocence a mile away."

I didn't doubt that but said, "I'm not

innocent, Ronnie. It's not like I was some

lily-white virgin."

He scoffed. "One guy? You may as well

have been a virgin. That's why he seduced

you. You're a prize to a man like Hagen."

"Look, the whys and how of this don't

matter, Ronnie. Okay? Your debt will be

cleared. You don't have to keep looking

over your shoulder. You can start over."

"Wait." He pushed off the wall and

straightened up. "
Will
be paid? This isn't a

done deal?"

"No. Well. I mean…we're going out

tonight. I think maybe after tonight he'll

consider it done."

"And if he doesn't?" Panic invaded his

voice. "What if he wants another date or

two or three?"

My body practically vibrated with the

memory of my tryst with Hagen. "I guess

that wouldn't be so bad."

"Wouldn’t be so bad?" Ronnie parroted

in shock. "Cassie, listen to yourself! Are

you hot for this guy? For this loan shark?"

I shrugged and turned back to the

mirror. "Maybe."

"Fuck, Cass. You're out of your mind."

"Why?"

"Why? He's up to his eyeballs in the

mob, Cass. This guy
hurts
people."

"He didn't hurt me."

"Oh, well, that just makes it so much

better, right?"

For a long moment, we stared at one

another. I knew he was right. I
was
flirting

with danger. Hell, my knees had been

knocking together when I'd walked into

Hagen's office earlier. Now my belly

trembled with need and desire for the man

who had basically threatened my brother

over a gambling debt.

Ronnie was right. What the hell was

wrong with me?

"I don't want you to go tonight, Cass."

Ronnie ran his fingers through his hair and

shook his head.

"I have to go, Ronnie."

"Have to or want to?"

I swallowed hard as my brother asked

me the same question I'd just asked

myself. "Both."

He swore under his breath. "At least

you're being honest with me."

"It's not easy." I dropped my gaze to my

collection of makeup and picked out my

favorite mascara. It was one of those

ultra-expensive brands I reserved for

special occasions. As I started to apply it

to my lashes, Ronnie exhaled loudly and

headed out of the bathroom. I called after

him. "Hey! Where are you going?"

"Out."

"Out where?"

"You're not my mom, Cass. I'm a big

boy. I can handle myself."

I wanted to beg him not to go to one of

the underground casinos but didn't. He

was on edge. An argument wouldn't make

matters any better. Besides, I'd been

begging him to get help, to go to gambling

addiction meetings or counseling, for

months. He hadn't listened then. He sure as

hell wasn't going to listen now.

I doubted he could get any credit from

the other loan sharks in town. Whatever he

had in cash wouldn't get him far. At least

he wouldn't be able to get back into much

debt if he did cave to his craving for the

rush of betting.

"Are you coming back tonight?"

"Why?" He popped back into the

bathroom. "You planning to bring your

date back here?"

I narrowed my gaze. "Don't be a jerk,

Ronnie."

His jaw tightened. "Yeah. I'll be back

later."

"I'll leave a light on for you."

"Yeah. Great. Whatever."

He disappeared from view. Seconds

later, I heard the front door to my small

apartment slam shut. I blew out a noisy

breath of irritation and finished applying