In the most resigned voice that I have ever heard from anybody, she said, “I don’t.”
There was no doubt that I was going to lend her the money, but I think a talk with her brother was in order, as well. And Sergio was definitely going to follow her to pay off Fischer.
I pulled out a credit application from one of the desk drawers and slid it across the desk. “Fill that out while I get you the money.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re…you’re going to give me the money?”
“Yes.”
“But…what’s the…what’s the repayment amount?”
I gestured towards the application. “It’s all right there in black and white, Devi.”
She stared at the paper a long time. Long past however long it took to read through it. It was a simple one-page commitment. It required all her personal information, and the terms of interest and the repayment structures were all outlined on the bottom before the required signature.
I watched as she finally fished around in her purse for a pen. As soon as she started filling out the form, I headed for the safe hidden behind an original Pollock. Now, normally, I’d make the applicant leave the room for this part, but I wasn’t worried about Devi. If things end up going my way, she was going to be immersed in my life way beyond knowing where one of my safes were located.
I took out three stacks of ten, locked the safe, replaced the painting, and then headed back to my desk. I pulled out a nondescript envelope and placed the money inside before setting it on top of my desk. And when Devi was done filling out the form, she placed it on the desk, and just sat, waiting.
“Ready to finalize your deal with the devil?” I asked, and she shook her head.
Honesty came flying out of her mouth when she answered, “I was never ready for any of this, Mr. Sire.”
“Call me Cassius or Cass,” I told her. “After all, I think we’re going to become really close after this, Devi.”
She let out dark laugh. “I hope I never have to see you again after this.”
And that was just too bad because I had more permanent plans in mind for her.
Chapter 8
Devi~
While I had refused to let Kim drive me to meet with Alvin Fischer, I had taken her up on the use of her car. The last thing I wanted was to be stuck on the bad side of town, at the mercy of someone who had no qualms about beating my brother as badly as he had.
After Cassius had given me the cash, I had practically run out of his office and The Tenor. Never mind the anxiousness of having thirty-thousand dollars in my possession, but insanity had me desperate to distance myself from Cassius Sire as fast as possible.
Holy shit.
While I never got to ask if that was his real name or his street name, it suited the hell out of the man. I was thirty-years-old, and I was positive I’ve never seen such a stunning human being in all my life. He was so damn gorgeous, it was hard to imagine he’d been born of normal human people.
Well over six-foot, that tailored suit he’d had on had done nothing to disguise the muscular build underneath his clothes. Broad shoulders that topped a wide chest blended into a trimmed waist and hips. And I could tell his legs were just as impressive as the fabric of his slacks had stretched over his thighs when he had leaned up against the desk.
But as Greek-God-like as that body was, it had nothing on his face. His dark brown hair was styled to be short on the sides, but long enough on top to give him that smoldering bedroom look. His matching brows sat above a pair of startling hazel eyes that were framed with dark, long lashes. His nose was straight down the center and it was nestled between two sharp cheekbones. His lips were full, and his chin was strong. He looked like he could take a punch and not flinch.
When I had first walked in, all thoughts of my brother and our troubles had vanished for a quick second as my eyes registered the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. And when he had stepped forward to shake my hand, I had images of a black panther stalking its prey in the wilderness. A beautiful, feral, dangerous sight that not many people got to see in real life.
But my common sense laughed at the attraction I had been experiencing because the last thing Cassius Sire would be interested in was a waitress who had to borrow money from him to bailout her brother who was an addict.
However, if there were ever a moment in my life where I could just not care for one goddamn day, and do something for myself, I’d be doing Cassius Sire.
Pushing that unrealistic fantasy aside, I turned off the ignition and took a deep breath. I stared at the front of the electronic store where Keith had told me Alvin conducted his business. It had been mentioned when he had confessed all the trouble he was in, and I was lucky I remembered it. Keith didn’t know I had secured the money, and I hadn’t wanted to tell him until the debt was paid off. As sad as it was to admit, I didn’t trust my brother. He had weaknesses and they were strong ones. I couldn’t trust that the temptation might be too strong. I even considered waiting until the three weeks were up to tell Keith the truth.
Glancing at the time on the dashboard, it was a little past eight, and it would be getting dark soon. I needed to hurry up and get this over with, and then get the hell out of this neighborhood.
Getting out of the car, I made sure it was locked up good before heading into the store. Once inside, I approached the counter.
As soon as the salesgirl saw me, she smiled. “May I help you?”
