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2594 Words
Isabella noted the limo parked outside her house with distaste. She had made every effort to make sure Evgeni had never found her new address and yet the car parked there told her she had not done enough.
She walked past it, refusing to look up as the passenger door opened and the sound of feet hit the pavement.
“Isabella Ruiz?”
The unfamiliar voice made her pause and she turned on her heel and found herself face-to-face with Mr. Green-Eyes from the deli. Rich men were weird she reminded herself and faced him head on. “Who wants to know?”
“Camden Torres,” he offered his hand and when she ignored it, he tucked it back into the pocket of his trench coat.
“Why do I know your name?” she tilted her head to one side and eyed him critically.
“Is there somewhere we can chat more privately?” he asked as someone passed by them closely on the sidewalk.
“No,” she refused his request. “I don’t do anything private with strange rich white men who approach me outside my house uninvited.”
“Smart but the conversation I want to have would be best behind closed doors.”
“Then I suggest you go have the conversation with someone who wants to entertain your request.”
“Ms. Ruiz, I have a proposal,” he was interrupted by the sound of her cell phone ringing.
She held his gaze steadily while she opened her phone. “Hey Clara, what’s up?”
“Just making sure you got home okay after the crap with Evgeni this morning,” Clara spoke into the phone. “Everything okay?”
“I’m good. Question for you. Do you know Camden Torres?” Isabella watched as the man’s eyes widened at her brazenness.
“Cam Torres? Yes, he’s a security expert, owns Juggernaut.”
“Juggernaut should mean something to me?” She pursed her lips as the man in front of her folded his arms over his chest in a macho display of power.
“It’s known for providing security and doing some other work. Is there a reason you’re asking me this?” Clara wasn’t sure how much she wanted to divulge to her sister-in-law.
“Curiosity. I saw him in the deli today at lunch,” she saw him smile for the first time and her breath caught. The man could model toothpaste, she thought and then laughed at something Clara said. “Yeah, you’re right, he’s good to look at.” She deliberately looked him up and down, “I just want to make sure he’s not dangerous or something.”
“No more dangerous than you are,” Clara clarified, “he was at dinner with the Andropov’s the other night. He had his daughter Portia with him.”
“Portia?” She asked and watched him shift in front of her suddenly appearing uncomfortable. “The crazy chick who’s been harassing me for the last several months and like a psychopath since this morning?” At Clara’s laugh she shook her head and looked the man in front of her up and down. “Sounds like the acorn didn’t fall far from the mighty oak.” She noted he had stopped smiling. “Clara, I’m going to let you go. I’ll see you tomorrow in the office.”
She hung up her call. “You’re my stalker’s father. What do you want?”
“I want to have a conversation with you, not in the middle of the street.”
“Fine,” she motioned for him to precede her to the house. “Your goon and his guns stay outside.”
“No,” Gideon stepped forward.
Isabella smirked as the goon seemed surprised when she stepped forward at him and not backwards, “Goons outside or no conversation.” She stared hard at Gideon as she spoke over her shoulder to Camden. “Make a choice Torres. My time is valuable and you’re wasting it.”
He followed her up the stairs and waited patiently while she unlocked her house and then pushed the door open.
“Age before beauty,” she waved at him to walk ahead of her and fought the grin on her lips at his exasperated sigh. “Dude, I have six older siblings and my sister-in-law is Clara Draxton. If you think you can intimidate me, you’re a fool. Either go in or go back to your car.”
He stepped into her foyer and looked around the small entryway and then stared in amazement at the sound coming from the tiny dog. “Is it real or a toy?”
“Casper is real and if you don’t shut up, I’ll let him bite your face.” She squatted down and scratched the dog’s ears and pulled a treat from the side table. “Here buddy, take this to your bed and I’ll take you for a walk soon.”
She stood, pivoted, and looked at Camden. “Hurry it up, I need to walk my dog.”
“Can we sit?” he motioned to the living room.
“No,” she refused him enjoying immensely the look of frustration on his face. “You don’t get refused often, do you?”
“Not really, no.”
“You’re a big guy. What are you six-four?”
“Yes.”
“About two-thirty, two-forty?”
“Ouch,” he furrowed his brow at her. “I’ll have you know I’m two hundred and eighteen pounds of pure lean muscle.”
“Ah, must be the ego weighing you down.” She grinned at him, “or is it the emotional baggage of the kid you have?”
“You are not a kind person Isabella Ruiz.” It was apparent he was enjoying the verbal repartee from the way his mouth was upturned at the corners.
“No s**t,” she shrugged and reached for the dog’s leash. “Your time’s ticking Torres. My dog needs to pee.”
“Why was Evgeni Andropov at your workplace today?”
“He wanted me to have dinner with him tonight. I actually thought it was his limo outside.”
“You are having dinner with him?” he was strangely disappointed when he knew he should be glad.
“No,” she folded her arms. “I was not having dinner with him. Is this why you’re here? Did your daughter ask Daddy to talk to me?” She pouted her lips and batted her eyelashes. “Did Daddy’s wittle princess not get what she wanted?” she mocked him.
He clenched and unclenched his fists. “Why are you so antagonistic?”
“Why are you here?” she lifted curious eyebrows, her dark eyes challenging him.
“Why was Andropov at your work?”
“I told you, he wanted to have dinner. I said no. Are you providing his security now?”
“No, why won’t you date him?”
“Been there, done that,” she quipped back. “What’s it to you?”
“Why did you end things with him?”
“None of your business.”
“What if I want to make it my business?”
“Not enough money in the world.”
“I could make you rich.”
“I’m already rich.”
“Richer than your wildest dreams.”
“I make six figures working for Draxton.” She saw he was surprised by her comment. “I also do a lot of freelance work and as someone who is incredibly gifted with numbers, I can assure you my bank balance is decent.”
“I’ll give you a million dollars to take him back.”
She laughed outright. “Nope.”
“He can’t be so bad.”
“He isn’t. He’s a great guy. He’s funny, smart, and moderately decent in bed. I mean not the best I’ve had but not the worst,” she tilted her hand out in front of her and see-sawed it. He was the worst, but she wasn’t telling Camden Torres this info. Let him think his daughter was getting nailed by a beast, she thought wickedly.
“Then why not?”
She could see her bed comment had him flustered. “Why are you pushing me to date him?” she queried.
“Portia is only nineteen. He’s thirty. He’s also the son of an old friend. I don’t like it. I just found out today.”
“It’s everywhere on social media and you just found out today? Juggernaut must not be a successful company if you don’t even know who your kid is dating for months.” She threw her head back and laughed aloud as a thought occurred to her, the sound cascading around them and making Casper bark in excitement. “You’re an idiot.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re actually here trying to pay me to date your daughter’s boyfriend?” She was laughing so hard her sides hurt. “You’re so stupid.”
“You’ve questioned my intelligence twice Isabella. That’s twice more than most people get away with.”
“You realize she will now chase him to the ends of the earth. He could literally screw every woman he encountered, while she watched, and she would still want him.”
“Why?”
“Because Daddy doesn’t like him,” she pushed her finger into his chest and admitted to herself it was rock solid. “At her age, I would have chased the devil himself just because my dad told me not to. You just screwed up in the most epic of ways Torres.”
“She doesn’t know I’m here.”
“She will once I tell her.”
“Why would you?”
“Because Evgeni Andropov is a pain in my backside. I ended the relationship three years ago and I have no desire to go back in time. The best way for me to get rid of him is to encourage Portia. All I need to do is invite her to lunch and tell her." She patted his chest with a wide smirk, “tell her Daddy doesn’t like her boyfriend. Doesn’t like him so much he offered me money to take him off her hands and presto! She will be on him like a fat kid on dessert and I’ll be rid of him.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I would,” she chuckled at his confused expression. “You underestimated your opponent Torres. You thought I was some money hungry disgruntled ex-girlfriend. You probably even thought I was the dumpee not the dumper. You thought you could come here, wave your cash around and I’d be something out of a made-for-television movie.” She was enjoying herself too much. Casper danced around her feet. “If you don’t mind, I need to walk my dog.”
“You’re declining my offer.”
“I decline your offer.”
He stood there studying her intently and she waited for him to leave. “Will you call my daughter?”
“It’s absolutely a possibility,” she toyed with him.
“He wants you.”
“No, he wants what he can’t have. Spoiled rich men and their need to be indulged. I walked out. It bruised his ego and now he thinks I’m a challenge. I’m not interested.”
“What did he do to make you leave?”
“None of your business.”
“Make it my business. He’s dating my daughter and I want to know he didn’t slap you around or something.”
“Do I give off vibes to make you think I’d remain friends with someone who hit me?”
“Not really, no.”
“No, he didn’t hit me.” She widened her stance. “Torres, I think we’re done here. I need to walk my dog or he’s going to make a mess on my floor. It took me two years to train him to hold it until I got home. I’m not willing to go back in time and start cleaning accidents again. Let’s go.” She waved him towards the door.
“Have dinner with me.”
“For what purpose? I’m not changing my mind.”
“I have a different idea which could be mutually beneficial,” he grinned suddenly as she paused while slipping her dog into a harness.
“Mutually beneficial how?” her heart skipped at his smile, and she forced herself to take a calming breath.
“You get rid of Andropov and my daughter won’t want to date him.”
“How?”
“Dinner,” he suddenly felt he was back on a level playing field.
“I think I’ll pass,” she shrugged after several seconds and then moved and held the door open. “I’m good. I’ve dealt with Evgeni for six years now. I can manage him.”
“My daughter wanted me to get rid of you,” he spoke quickly.
She choked on her own spit. “What?”
“She has it in her head my security company hires hit men. She wanted me to get rid of you because she thinks you’re a real threat.”
Isabella stared at the floor and tried to recall every single exercise she’d learned since working with Bellona on controlling her temper and exhaled slowly. “Mr. Torres, I want you to leave right now.”
“I wouldn’t let her,” he spoke as if he needed to reassure a small child.
She met his eyes, and he inhaled at how cold her gaze was. She knew the girls at Bellona often said she could be Jekyll and Hyde and he was seeing Hyde for the first time. “Mr. Torres, your daughter could try, you could try, your goon outside could try. None of you would succeed. Now, get the hell out of my home before I physically remove you.”
“Isabella, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“I’m not frightened,” she clarified, “I’m angry. Know the difference and know it well. Your spoiled brat of a daughter needs to be put over a knee and spanked and I might just be the woman to do it. Now, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, get out of my house now.”
He was surprised at how the dog in her arms was suddenly nuzzling her cheek and whimpering and she absent-mindedly scratched his chest.
“Isabella, I apologize for upsetting you.” He turned on his heel and walked out of the house, gently closing the door behind him.
She pulled Casper to her chest and buried her face in his neck as he nuzzled her chin. His whimper expressed to her an elevation of her blood pressure and a negative change in her emotions. “I know buddy, I know. Let’s give them a couple minutes to leave and I’ll take you for a walk.”
She peeked out the corner of the curtain and made sure the car was away from the curb before setting her dog down and then heading out of the house. For the first time in a long time, she checked over her shoulder as she walked her dog, wondering whether she was being watched and feeling furious for it.
- Writer
