I shivered again, finally realizing just how insane Vincent Drake was. “So what am I to do?”
He smiled, then patted my hand and stood up. “You’re young and you’re idealistic, my Bella. Part of that is my fault, part your mother's. Your artistic streak has made you fiercely independent, and we agreed to give you some free reign to try things your way. But now it’s time to do things my way.”
I gulped and nodded as he continued.
“You will stay the night here. I’ll have a man posted outside your room, and then starting tomorrow, Daniel will become your driver and your bodyguard.”
“Daniel?” I asked, trying not to sound too excited or surprised. “Daniel Neiman?”
He nodded, but still caught the tone of my voice. “Be careful, Adriana. Daniel’s a good man, and is as loyal of a Soldier as any of my men, but he does have a weakness for pretty young women, as I’m sure you know. I won’t tolerate anything going on between you two. Do you understand, Adriana? I’ve seen the way you look at him, and if it were anyone but you, I’d just assign someone else, but Daniel is the best at what he does.”
I nodded, swallowing my objections. While Daniel was charming and there was a certain magnetism about him, he could also be a first class bastard. My physical attraction stopped there. “I understand. You have nothing to worry about, trust me.”
After Uncle Carlo left, I lay back, my mind whirling. If I didn’t already have enough on my mind, now I’d have to deal with Daniel around the clock. Easy on the eyes, I’d have my hands full keeping myself from jumping his bones. He’s got this Germanic or Nordic look about him, with piercing, amazing blue eyes to go along with blond hair, a square jaw and a chiseled physique.
He came to Uncle Carlo's house when his parents were murdered by a mobster who'd mistaken his family for someone else. I didn't even know his real name, Carlo having gotten him a fake identity in order to keep him safe from the Russians, who undoubtedly would’ve tried to hunt him down in order to eliminate all evidence of their screwup. I’m not sure why Unlce felt it was his responsibility, but despite being the boss, he did have a heart. Daniel was raised in Uncle Carlo's house, and when I came, he was like one of the staff's children.
Now, at twenty-five, he looked like an Adonis, like someone who should have been making movies or causing housewives to have hot flashes on television rather than as a member of Uncle Carlo's organization. He'd gone to work for Carlo almost immediately after junior high school, starting as an errand boy before working his way up, not through brown nosing or anything, but through hard work and a level of dedication that was both frightening and inspiring.
Still, Daniel had his drawbacks, namely his cockiness. While most of the time it came across as good humor and banter, it annoyed the hell out of me. He knew he was hot and he wasn’t ashamed to flaunt it. He was god’s gift to women, and I admit I’d fantasized about him more than once, which is probably why he got on my nerves sometimes.
But anything between Daniel and I would have to remain a fantasy, Uncle Carlo had made that clear more than once. He put up with Daniel’s womanizing as long as I, his Bella, remained hands off. That, and that it didn’t interfere with his job.
And that’s what worried me — now Daniel was assigned to me. The most efficient and dedicated operative in Uncle Carlo's organization, and one of the sexiest men on the planet, was to become my bodyguard and driver. By my side virtually twenty-four hours a day.
I shivered and lay back. Life was going to get very, very interesting.
Chapter 2
Daniel
The little Hispanic girl wiggled back and forth on my lap, trying her best to entice me with her moves. Unfortunately for her, I was distracted, as the music just wasn't sexy at all. I get it, bass heavy dance music gives the girl a chance to shake her ass, and the throb of the bass can reverberate through your body to add to the illusion of her touching you, but I can't stand it. Finally, I lost my patience, and lifted her off of me. “Not happening tonight, chica. Find yourself another disco stick.”
“But yours is the biggest here, papi,” she complained, reaching down and cupping my crotch. She made contact, a clear violation of the club's rules, but I was still wearing my pants, and I was the sort of patron that the normal rules didn't apply to anyway. “Dios mio, you must be stuffing those pants.”
Stuff my pants? Hardly. “Maybe you'll find out another time. Now beat it, I'm not in the mood.”
She wiggled her tits, clearly surgically enhanced but an overall good job, then shrugged when she saw I was serious. She was a pro, and knew when to back off. She smiled when I held out a twenty. “For your efforts. Just not tonight.”