“Lena, dance.”
I stiffen, not wanting to turn around, but having no choice. I know who is speaking, his curt voice, the timbre, the inflection and accent, unmistakable. I turn slowly, keeping Manuel on my right, still within my line of sight as I face Luis. The boss’s son, a man who's made it clear that we are not friends, we're not even acquaintances. We're enemies. And in our world, the mafia world, an enemy in one’s own camp is a very dangerous thing.
His sexual appeal is undeniable. He’s tall, broad, and darkly dangerous. His inky black hair is long, tied at the back of his neck in a ponytail that flows to midway down his back. His suit is fit to kill. Women that is. Dark, tailored, with a crisp white dress shirt and a black bowtie. Everything about him is proper. But I know better. He's a wolf in sheep’s clothing, fitting in where he doesn’t belong. A killer pretending to be civilized.
I despise the zing that goes through my body as I study him. The way my heart beats overtime in fearful interest. He won’t know though. I keep my gaze cool, assessing, impersonal.
I keep my eyes lowered, my voice coolly professional when I say, “Are you asking me to dance?”
“I wasn’t asking.” His voice is deep and the chill matches mine.
I’m surprised that he would want to dance with me, though we are attending a charity ball and couples are whirling all around us. In the years we’ve spent living under the same roof, eating the same food, protecting the same man, he’s never once willingly touched me. Not unless ordered.
Luis is a bully. He never misses an opportunity to verbally stab at me, to test the boundaries of his relationship with his father's asset. Asking me to dance is just another opportunity for him to fuck with me.
I’m about to say no, to tell him I don’t dance, when Manuel turns from his conversation with a city developer and says, “Go dance, Lena. You rarely get to have fun on these outings, and nothing will happen to me in a room full of people.”
His voice is low so no one can hear except me and Luis. This is because only a handful of people know that I am Manuel’s personal bodyguard. Most know me as his silent, much younger girlfriend. This cover has served us well, enabling me to remain at his side through most of his outings. His other bodyguards, big conspicuous men, are ever-present as well. But at events like this, where it becomes more difficult for the protection details to monitor their clients, I’m able to remain by his side. His secret weapon. The silent but deadly shadow that will strike before the enemy knows I’m even there.
My existence in Manuel’s life is the reason for Luis’ hostility. He despises the idea of his father using a woman for a bodyguard. Luis is not as progressive as his father, he prefers the old ways. Bodyguards are big, burly men whose presence conveys a menacing threat to anyone who would dare mess with the family. Despite his annoyance at my position, I suspect he is also pissed off that I'm posing as his father's girlfriend.
