Seduced by the Loan Shark (5 page)

about to loan Ronnie any more money.

Ronnie wouldn't be able to get any action

in Hagen's underground casinos or poker

games either. But other loan sharks? Other

bookies and mobsters? They would

happily take his cash and extend him

credit.

"I've tried to help him. I've set up

counseling. I've dragged him to meetings.

I've threatened him. I've screamed at him.

I've begged him." I gulped down the pain

threatening to choke me. "It doesn't work.

He can't change until he's ready to

change."

Hagen started to say something but

clamped his lips shut. Finally, he said,

"Let's pick out some shoes. We don't want

to be late for our dinner reservation."

I wanted to know what he'd just self-

censored but figured it was something I

wasn't going to like to hear. I didn't push

him to reveal the thought he'd quashed.

There was something oddly sweet about

the way he wanted to spare me from any

more pain.

He stepped into my closet and crouched

down. His wide shoulders barely fit in the

tight space. "So—these strappy sandal

things or these high heels?"

"The strappy sandal things," I said,

pointing to the metallic slingbacks he

waved overhead.

He brought them back to me and knelt at

my feet. I put my hands on his shoulders to

steady myself and let him slide the shoes

into place. I watched him fiddle with the

tiny buckles and tried to suppress a smile.

With those big, thick fingers, he struggled

to fix them. "Let me."

I sat down on the edge of my bed, near

the spot where he'd just ravished me with

his mouth, and fastened the small buckles.

"There. All done."

Kneeling at my feet, Hagen caressed my

calf and cupped the back of my knee. He

pressed a gentle kiss to my thigh. "Cassie,

I would take care of you, if you let me."

His comment surprised me. I gazed

down at him, saw the sincerity in his dark

eyes and knew I was in big trouble. I'd

always been the kind of girl who stood on

her own two feet, who worked hard, who

scrimped and saved and clipped coupons

just to get by. Now I had this ridiculously

sexy and dangerous man kneeling at my

feet and promising me the world. All I had

to do was say yes.

And I'd never been more tempted by

such a devilishly easy offer in my life.

"Hagen," I said carefully. "I—"

He cut me off with a kiss. "It's not a

time-sensitive offer, Cassie."

The pressure alleviated, I nodded. "All

right."

He stood and extended his hand to me. I

welcomed the warmth of his fingers

enveloping mine. "I'm going to spoil you

tonight."

Somehow I didn't doubt that.

CHAPTER THREE

"Come home with me."

I glanced at Hagen and tried not to be

seduced by the yearning in his voice. He

toyed with the loose waves of my hair as

his driver expertly navigated the tricky

late-night downtown Houston traffic. "I

should go home."

"No. You should come home with me."

He grinned sexily and gave my hair a

playful tug.

After the best date of my life, I was

finding it hard to say no. The most

deliciously exquisite meal from Houston's

hottest restaurant had set the tone for the

night. I hadn't quite known what to expect

after dinner. To say I was stunned to pull

up to the city's finest art gallery was an

understatement.

Somehow he'd discovered my love for

modern art. To be so close to a Basquiat

that I could reach out and touch the

painting trumped any date I'd ever had.

Honestly, he'd set the bar high enough I

wasn't sure anyone would ever top it. The

ice cream and coffee after had been the

perfect ending to our night.

Except that it seemed Hagen wasn't

quite ready to say goodbye.

"My brother is expecting me." The

excuse sounded lame even to me but I

tossed it out there anyway.

"He's a big boy, Cassie. I think he can

manage brushing his teeth and getting into

bed all by himself."

I tried to find another excuse to say no

but came up empty. Truthfully, I
wanted
to

say yes. I wasn't ready for my night with

him to end either. It was crazy and out of

character for me but I couldn't get enough

of Hagen. He made me laugh. He made me

feel safe. He made me feel sexy. He made

me
hot
.

He nuzzled his nose against my neck.

"Come home with me, Cassie."

Goose bumps blossomed on my skin.

Heat and need pooled low in my belly.

"All right."

He grinned triumphantly and peppered

ticklish kisses along the curve of my

throat. Our driver effortlessly switched

lanes. I had no idea where we were going

now. Hagen hadn't volunteered his

address or neighborhood. I started to ask

but decided I liked the excitement of the

mystery more.

Besides, I had other questions that

needed answers. His big hand started to

ride the soft flesh of my thigh but I stopped

it, placing my smaller hand atop his huge

paw. "Hagen, what are we doing?"

His brow furrowed. He gave my thigh a

playful squeeze. "I think that's fairly

evident."

I smiled at his teasing reply. "I'm

serious. I mean—what is this? Is it really

just my brother's debt or is it something

else?"

His needful gaze seared me. "What do

you want, Cassie?"

"I don't know," I admitted on a whisper.

"You confuse me. You make me want

things…"

"Is that so bad?"

I shrugged. "It wouldn't be if you

weren't a loan shark. How the hell do I let

myself get even more involved with

someone who does the kind of work you

do?"

He didn't even flinch at my blunt

remark. Instead, he questioned, "And what

if I wasn't a loan shark anymore? What

would you say then?"

I narrowed my gaze. "I'd say I want to

know more before I make a decision."

He stroked my cheek. "This economy,

it's been bad for a lot of businesses but for

me? I've never been so flush. I've

discovered plenty of new opportunities

over the last few years."

"Opportunities?"

"Legal opportunities," he explained.

"When banks aren't lending and people

need an influx of cash for their real estate

developments or their businesses, guess

where they come?"

"To you?"

Hagen nodded. "It started slowly.

Quietly," he added. "Now I have three

personal finance companies spread across

the city. I've bought into a few payday

loan places. I'm getting out of loan

sharking for gamblers and lowlifes. I'm

selling that side of things back to the man

who got me started. He's got a nephew

who needs an entry-level job. These days

I can make a hell of a lot more money

doing it legally."

"I'm sure you can." I'd seen the payday

loan places around campus. Their ads

were all over the television. Their flyers

showed up in my mailbox. They charged

exorbitant amounts for small loans. Still,

desperate people flocked to them for help.

"What is it?" His thumb caressed my

chin. "Payday lending doesn't sit well with

you?"

I shook my head. "It's usury."

"It's legal."

"Lots of shady things are legal, Hagen.

That doesn't make them right."

"I'm not holding a gun to someone's

head and forcing him to take the payday

loan. I'm providing a vital, needed service

for people on the fringe."

"And enslaving them to your god-awful

interest rates so they have to roll that tiny

loan into another loan and another loan." I

flicked his chest hard enough to make his

jaw twitch. "You forget that I'm pretty

good with math. I know just how long it

takes to pay off those loans."

"I didn't forget. I think your math skills

are sexy as fuck." His lips skimmed that

sensitive spot just beneath my ear and I

shivered. His mouth moved closer to my

ear and his hand escaped mine, his wide,

rough palm gliding higher along my thigh.

His hot breath tickled my ear as he

whispered, "Maybe later you can recite

amortization tables while I use my tongue

to make you come again and again."

"Hagen," I said on a shudder. Cheeks

pink with embarrassment, I dared to

glance at the driver. Thankfully, he

seemed totally oblivious to what was

happening in the backseat.

Hagen chuckled and nipped at my

earlobe. "I'll behave—but once we get to

my place, all bets are off."

He wasn't joking. I'd barely stopped

gawking at his ridiculously huge house

and perfectly manicured lawn before he

was trying to unbuckle my seatbelt. His

driver pulled into the circular driveway

and we slipped out of the backseat. A

split-second later, Hagen grabbed my

hand and practically dragged me into his

home.

"Hagen!" I gasped his name as he

scooped me up just over the threshold and

tossed me over his shoulder. Mounting the

steps two at a time, he carried me up the

staircase to the second floor, hooked a

right and marched into a master bedroom

that was probably three times as big as my

cramped apartment.

I squealed with surprise and delight as

he dropped me onto his massive bed. I

bounced a few times. He crawled onto the

bed, pinning me between the mattress and

his huge body. Our mouths met in a

wickedly sensual kiss. His fingertips

brushed my face and trailed down my neck

to the front of my dress. He cupped my

breast through the thin fabric and plunged

his tongue deep inside my mouth. I arched

under him and scratched my fingernails

down his back.

"On your side," he urged and rolled off

me just enough to allow me to move. He

jerked down the zipper on my dress and

worked it down my shoulders to my waist.

He expertly unsnapped my bra and freed

me from the simple black garment.

Grasping my shoulder, he pulled me

onto my back again and threw his leg over

me. Up on his knees, he captured me

beneath him and dropped his lips to my

chest. I groaned with sheer pleasure as his

mouth followed the dusky outlines of my

nipples. He licked and nibbled and sucked

until I was panting and grasping at him.

He wore far too many clothes for my

liking. I made my preference known by

jerking on his suit jacket and tie, ridding

him of them in the same urgent way he'd

gotten rid of my bra and lowered my

dress. He sat up and hurriedly flicked

through the buttons lining the front of his

dress shirt. I watched the shirt fly and

assumed it landed somewhere close to his

tie and jacket.

Naked from the waist up, he hovered

over me again. The crisp hairs on his

chest teased my stiff nipples. Pinned

beneath him, I realized just how big he

truly was. Yet I didn't feel scared or

uncertain. It was the strangest thing. Like

earlier in his office, I felt safe. Secure,

even. It didn't make sense to me. I hardly

knew him—but I couldn't deny what he

made me feel.

With one swift move, Hagen flipped

our positions. I ended up straddling his

waist. He grasped my hips, his long, thick

fingers spanning my abdomen. His huge

cock stretched taut the fabric of his pants

and jutted against my backside. I wiggled

a little and made him growl. His eyes

were dark with lust. "I need you, Cassie."

Suddenly, it struck me just how much

power I had over this man. Never in a

million years could I have ever imagined

that I could have a powerful man like

Hagen wrapped around my little finger.

What he saw in mousy, geeky me I'd never