Chapter 4

I really should’ve paid attention.

However, I found myself licking my lips and not seeing how he dropped his gaze to observe the deed. He made me feel desirable and attractive as I had never felt before.

Growing up, I was never a shy girl. I was a self-assured lady who felt comfortable in my own skin. By society’s standards, I had never been considered slim or sleek. But it didn’t bother me, and it had no bearing on how I viewed myself. Because I had fantastic parents who always reminded me of my value, told me how much respect I deserved, and how I’d grown into someone special in that particular person’s eyes, I knew I didn’t have to compromise.

I wouldn’t be with Rolly, for example.

He stared at me as if I were the only thing that could satisfy his hunger.

I should’ve probably paid attention to those warning signs and declined because he was far too arrogant for me. I did not, though.

Instead, I felt strong, liberated, and womanly. The more he looked at me, the more lovely and enticing I felt.

So I smiled, moved in closer, and said yes to his offer.

I sat back in my chair, my wine glass brimmed with “liquid gold,” and I raised it to my lips, taking a long, slow sip of the delicious, fruity red wine, relishing the flavor as it poured over my tongue.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Rolly after he left the office earlier today. I was mad, demented, and deluded to have such strong feelings for a man I had never met. It was physical attraction at this stage, but it was also more. The masculine, gentler half of me was drawn to the air of something powerful and overpowering.

Rolly Exruto Guevara exuded a tough masculinity that made me weak in the knees and want for things I’d never had before.

I raised my glass to my lips once again and drank a big gulp of crimson wine. I was a virgin, but I’d been celibate for longer than I liked to admit, and I knew that any sexual encounter Rolly could provide me would be beyond my wildest dreams.

I gazed at the little coffee table in front of me, where my cell phone was.

The sound of traffic outside my apartment window couldn’t be hushed, even if my thoughts was full of today’s events and, of course, the sound of Rolly’s words that repeated in my head. I raised my wine glass to my lips and drank deeply while glancing out the window at the flashing lights of the nearby buildings.

We swapped numbers, and he said he’d contact me later tonight after checking his schedule.

I remembered him and how he made me feel, and then I remembered the stares and murmurs he’d received the first time he walked into the office over a month ago. I hadn’t heard any rumors, which seemed odd given the amount of attention he’d received. I hadn’t been courageous enough to inquire, and I didn’t want to bring attention to myself by expressing my curiosity.

I put down my wine glass and reached across the table for my laptop, which I turned on and placed on my lap.

After that, I went looking for Rolly Exruto Guevara.

The top results were prizes and wonderful phrases, almost what the world wanted to see. Donations to organizations, essays about his youth and the immigrant experience of his mother and father. I saw how good he was from internet. I read about how he grew his corporate empire and became a multibillionaire.

Everything appeared to be so well-made, so standard. However, because of the danger and intensity I sensed surrounding him, I began to go further. Then I started reading articles about other alleged links he had, suspicions regarding his involvement with organized crime. The syndicate is a group of people who work together to achieve a common The Italian mafia is a criminal organization that operates throughout Italy. As it was dubbed, “The Family”

It sounded like something out of a film. And if it hadn’t felt so realistic when I thought about Rolly, I could have put it off to folks running with stories that looked a little ridiculous. The air that surrounding him, the way he moved, appeared.The power, control, and attitude made me think I wasn’t reading fiction. However, this is not the case.

I carefully closed the lid of my laptop and set it back on the table, then grabbed for my wine and drank deeply before realizing I had drunk the entire contents and was now holding an empty glass.

Is it possible that Rolly Exruto Guevara is a mafia figure?