We lay there for a long time, her breathing in my arms, until the jets shut off and we were surrounded by silence.

Silence that was quickly shattered by a knock at my bedroom door.

I covered Luisa’s ears with my hands and yelled, “What do you want? I’m busy!”

I heard Este say something muffled and then my bedroom door opened. “I need to speak with you,” he said.

“Well stay right the fuck where you are. I’m in the bathroom.”

“Doing what?”

Luisa raised her head to give me a look and I let go of her ears. I gave her a sympathetic smile then hollered, “None of your fucking business! Give me a minute.”

“I’ll be in your office.”

I heard my door click shut.

I groaned, straightening up in the tub. “Sorry,” I said to her. “Business.”

“Right,” she said as she leaned back on her heels. “Business.”

We exchanged a loaded look. We both knew what the business was.

I could see how our fucking was about to make things a lot more fucking complicated.

I quickly got out of the bath and dried off, wrapping the towel around me. “I’ll come right back,” I told her as she hoisted herself out so she was sitting on the edge of the tub, staring down at her feet in the water. “And you better be naked, lying on my bed with your ass in the air, waiting for me.”

At that, I left her in the bathroom and quickly got dressed. Black silk shirt, black jeans. I hurried out my door, shutting it behind me, and went down the hall to my office.

Este was already sitting in the chair, making it swivel back and forth while he sipped on a Tecate.

“It’s still early,” I said, nodding at the beer as I came around the desk and sat down.

He took a swig and shrugged. “I’ve had a hell of a time the last few days.”

I cleared my throat and folded my hands neatly on the desk. “Well, I suppose that makes two of us then.”

He cocked a brow. “Oh yeah? I suppose all the sex is helping.”

My eyes narrowed. He needed to be careful. Out of my peripheral I could see the letter opener sticking straight out of the desk. Then the memories of slamming Luisa on the desk last night began to seep into my brain.

“Oh, you’ve got it bad,” he commented snidely after a moment.

I snapped to attention. “Why did you call me here, Este?”

“For obvious reasons. We need to talk about the girl.”

“And why is that? Is she bothering you?” My hackles were going up. I couldn’t help it.

“No, not me,” he said, finishing the beer and putting it on the desk. I watched as the cold drops of condensation ran down the side, heading straight for the fine finish. I reached over and quickly slid a thin coaster under it before it was too late. My desk had been abused with too much scotch and cum last night as it was.

“Then who?” I asked.

“Well,” he said, “she’s making you bother me.”

“Who told you to speak in riddles, Este?”

He leaned forward and looked me dead in the eye. “I’m afraid you’re putting yourself and the cartel in jeopardy.”

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. “We have already been over this.”

“But now you’re fucking her.”

“So? I know you fuck things too, on occasion. Whores and your hand.”

“I’m worried you’ve been compromised.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “I think you worry about all the wrong things, and I think you forget who you’re talking to. Since when does fucking someone compromise anything? It’s my damn right to use the hostage any way I please. Don’t get all jealous just because I’m not sharing her.”

“I’m not jealous,” he said. “Not much, anyway.” He eyed my half-empty bottle of scotch. “But you were drunk last night, which meant something had gotten under your skin. It wasn’t what you did to Franco. It was what he did to her. And if that affected you, a little abuse and attempted rape, how the hell are you going to kill her when this is all over? Or deliver her to Salvador, if that ends up being the case? You won’t.”

My gaze grew flinty. “Don’t tell me what I will or won’t do. Remember what you used to say about assuming, how it makes an ass out of you and me. Don’t be a fucking ass, even though you’re so good at it.”

“Funny,” he said, slowly getting to his feet. “Anyway, I thought I’d bring it up again. I’d hate for the others to start thinking the same thing.”

I got up too, pushing my chair back. “How about you let me worry about that?”

He gave me a self-assured look. “Just don’t grow a mangina.”

I snarled at him and unzipped my fly, swiftly bringing my dick out into my hands. “Does this look like a mangina to you?”

He blinked and looked away, shielding his face with this hand. “Jesus, Javier. Put that thing away.”

I kept my cock out for a moment, stroking it once, before putting it back.

Este peeked through his fingers and lowered his hand when he saw it was safe. What a homophobe.

“Is it always hard,” he asked, “or just when you’re looking at me?”

“Just when I have a wet cunt in my bedroom, waiting for me to stop talking to you so I can go back and fuck it. What do you have?” I waved at him dismissively. “Why don’t you go and enjoy your hand?”

He made a sound of displeasure and started to leave. “One more thing,” he said, pausing before he opened the door.

“Yes, what now?” I asked curtly, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

“Where is Luisa right now?”

I frowned. “I told you. In my room. Waiting to get fucked.”

“Alone?” he asked, drawing out the word.

“Yes, alone,” I said, mimicking him.

“How many guns do you keep in your room, Javi? A nine millimeter under your pillow. Your thirty-eight super in your drawer. An AR-fifteen under your bed. Am I right?”

I didn’t say anything although my pulse quickened curiously.

“I’m just saying,” Este said gravely. “Be careful when you open your door.” He left the room with a morbid look on his face.

Shit.

But Luisa wouldn’t shoot me. Would she?

Of course she fucking would, I told myself quickly. She’s still your fucking hostage and she’ll do anything to escape.

I exhaled sharply and picked up my pistol from underneath my desk, quickly checking the chamber. I really fucking hoped I wouldn’t have to use this.

I left the office, seeing Este head down the stairs in the opposite direction. Some backup he would be anyway. I gripped the gun in my palm and eased myself down the hall toward my bedroom. I paused outside the door and put my ear to it, listening. I couldn’t hear a thing.

Taking in a deep, steadying breath and hoping for the best, I quickly turned the knob, my gun down by my side, and pushed the door open with my shoulder.

Luisa was on her knees on the bed, naked, my 9mm in her hands and aimed right at me.

I automatically had my gun pointed back at her.

The sexiest Mexican standoff I’d ever been involved in.

“What are you doing?” I asked, taking a cautious step toward her, not lowering my gun for a second.

“Leaving,” she answered, her eyes hard. She was distracting as all hell, her tits and pussy and that gun. I don’t think I’d ever been so turned on so quick and in such an untimely situation.

“It doesn’t look like it.”

“I’m going to ask you nicely to let me leave, and if you don’t, I’ll shoot you.”

A grin broke out across my face. My god, she couldn’t be more perfect.

“If you shot me, you’d kill me,” I said, taking another step. “Then who would make you come all the time?”

“My fingers,” she said, her double grip on the gun tightening. “And I’d shoot you in the knees. I don’t want to kill you. I’m not that bad.”

I cocked my head. “No, you’re not. But you could be.”

Her face remained serious. “Please, Javier. Don’t make me do this.”

“Don’t make me do this. You know the minute you shoot me, I’m going to have to shoot you. And I hate to brag, but I’m a terribly good shot, no matter the range. The odds of you hitting me, even from this close, are very low. Have you ever even fired one of those before?”