“I’ll add it to your tab… Do you have a cell?” He shifts and moves closer, and I get incredibly claustrophobic with the proximity of someone his size, strength emanating like a heavy dark cloak and that aura of an aggressive, dominant male. He’s formidable for a man; I remember that much from seeing him in daylight. I wish I could better recall his appearance, but my memory is hazy with the finer details.

“I tossed it when I ran. I don’t have one anymore.” I sink back into my cushions when he steps the last small distance, suddenly right beside me. Trying so hard to make him out, when I am blinded by the dazzling light of him switching on the lamp over my bed, I screw my eyes shut. Flinching at the assault, head aching intensely, before blinking myself back to the room and acclimatising slowly as I flutter them open to try and see.

“I’ll have one dropped off in the morning, and you can give the details of where to collect your belongings then. When you’re ready for release, you will be taken to my club, and we will talk again. Until then, Miss Walters, try to make the most of your recovery time. I happen to like a full effort from anyone I associate with.” He’s so calm and faultless.

I am glued to that face and almost speechless, nodding at whatever he’s saying because I am completely thrown. I clearly never got a good eyeful of him when I was shacked up in the back of that car with Sophie, bleeding myself into oblivion as I would remember someone who looked like this.

Alexi is gorgeous in an entirely devastating yet almost forbidden way, and I have to check my tongue is not hanging out; I never knew gangsters could be so ‘Phwoar’. He reminds me of a wild husky or a predatory animal. Black ruffled, expensively styled hair, showing hints of a curl if it was left to grow, over tanned skin, and ice grey eyes that almost appear colourless—like a soulless animal searching over his prey for the last scraps to pick.

He is all squared, chiselled perfection, with a clean-shaven face and hints of dark stubble below the surface. A black ink tattoo of a dragon curling up one side of his neck, under a white button-down, with a leather jacket moulded and sculpted to a very fit and toned body. Hints of more dark ink peeking over one hand under his sleeve, and I wonder how far his markings go, tempted to see that body with less covering.

Alexi is a little too handsome to be real. He wears expensive clothes, a heady aftershave, and a face that would not look amiss in a Hollywood mob movie. The accent is slightly Italian; I caught the odd twinge in some words, but it’s so minor it’s barely there. He has spent much time in Italy if he wasn’t born there to leave its mark. He is not the package I was expecting, and I would put him in his early thirties if I had to guess; young for a mobster King.

He has that look of mature and filled out, though, that only comes when men move out of their twenties and yet, there is still a boyish charm in the depth of that face. I’m not going to lie; I would sleep with him in a second and enjoy every minute of it. I would notch a headboard space for him, even if I have been playing the celibate game for a couple of years. I think he found the direct line to my libido.

“Until you’re ready to work, I guess. It will be nice to see what you look like under the swelling.” He throws me a sarcastic smile, and I swallow with great effort, still a little dazed at how sexy another human can be with so little effort when you have good DNA, expensive taste and a great hairdresser. I have never had a full-blown “take me now” moment over any man before, and I hate that my face must resemble a smashed, bloated pumpkin, and I can only see out of one eye.

I am experiencing my first ever ‘fuck me senseless’ moment in my life.

“Right, thank you, I guess.” I have no idea why that’s what comes out of my mouth. I think the d**** are messing with my ability to flirt through any situation with the opposite sex, or maybe it’s just him, and I feel completely out of my depth.

My body is warming to searing levels, and I’m squirming to calm the tingles between my thighs. I have never been faced with a human I instantly needed to have naked and inside of me before. It’s messing with my brain.

Get your shit together, Camilla! You are well-versed in the arts of seduction and playing it cool.

“Try and stay out of trouble. I don’t happen to have any patience for women who cause me any — bear that in mind.” The statement is made with a charming expression, but the intent is clear and not too veiled to extract the meaning. He’s polite, well-mannered, and precise. It’s in his neat attire and groomed appearance and the careful, slow way he talks while boring your eyes with his unflinchingly; everything is deliberate, calm and relaxed in a well-played way. This man knows how to get what he wants in life and knows what poker faces to play with which people.

That means he’s smart, and behind that face, which could either be your ultimate fantasy or your worst terrifying nightmare, is a fast brain and keen eye that adds another layer to an already formidable player. I can see why he’s known as New York’s crime boss of the century—he is a born manipulator who reads people in the blink of an eye. He has summarised what he thinks I am in a heartbeat.

Alexi Carrero is a predator in expensive tailoring and smiles, yet he has the black soul of someone who has killed without remorse. His family’s body count must be immense by now, being four or five generations of underhand dealings and back-alley negotiations. They are infamous for who they are, even if some have become legitimate and steer clear of the crime world publicly.

“I don’t intend to make any.” I falter, lacking conviction, even though I genuinely do not want to end up on this one’s wrong side. He wipes away all my wiles and confidence while I am laid up black and blue and swollen beyond recognition. Wait until I have my heels, face, and killer wardrobe… an even keel to deal with Sexy Alexi! Tyler was a playground bully compared to this one, and I know I have my work cut out without a shadow of a doubt.

This one might as well be Lucifer himself, but he just met a lady well-versed in taming beasts and unafraid of the challenge. A match made in heaven or hell, I guess. We will have to find out, and I may have use for this one if I can train him to heel.

It will be interesting to peel off his layers to reveal what weaknesses I can. And I fully intend to exploit every single little one of them.