Chapter 1

POV Zelda

Las Vegas, the city of sin, where all your dreams come true!

Well, that was what the casino hotel pamphlet said next to the bedside phone. But it was a big lie. I looked at the time on the clock, making sure I would order a snack over the phone because I was too tired to see the beautiful nighttime city. No wishes fulfilled, no damn sin, not even a curse I said up until that morning. Just the purest eternal slavery, walking like a trained Yorkshire terrier, running back and forth with my bosses, ensuring they wouldn't miss any lecture times or forget or misname some known business associate. I endured the cruel hints they threw at me for being chosen to accompany them. They mentioned how I was young, and that wasn’t an intern’s job. My brain even warned me to keep my mouth shut, but the hot blood from my mother escaped, and before I knew it, I was once again in arguments or staring contests. I’d rather burn alive than divert my attention from those blue and black spheres.

"Miss Zelda!" I turned my face to the broad chest standing next to me in his custom-tailored suit. I raised my gaze further, and his large black eyes stared back at me. It was my boss, Bruce, giving me a look, arching his eyebrow in a dominant way that only he knew how. The damn man exuded power from every pore. Over these past years, finishing my internship at Ozborne, I still couldn’t quell that damn feeling in my vagina that went euphoric when I saw him.

"Yes, señor?" I brought my thoughts back to reality as I ordered my body to calm down.

I saw him clench his jaw when I called him "señor." He looked at me, making his eyes turn cloudy, almost silver. They didn’t even seem black anymore. I had started paying attention to this—how his pupils dilated at certain moments. I noticed it after an event, in the coffee room, during my second year as an intern when I was distracted fixing my sandal. I could have sworn I was alone. My hip was up, my back curved, giving a good view of my tight backside in my skirt. The clearing of his throat made me jump, hands on my heart as I looked at the tall man who was gripping the door handle tightly.

"Dios mio, señor!" I had fixed my posture, trying not to look too startled.

"I don’t think it’s appropriate to be bent over like that, Miss Alonso, especially when most of the company consists of men. You’d better keep your behind straight and save the company from any sexual harassment lawsuits." And he fell silent after that, leaving me lost in the way his eyes turned silver-dark, almost graphite, scanning my body and returning to my face. "Interns should only show up during their free time, preferably far from the company. Take this as a warning!"

He gave me a warning look while my face burned under my chocolate skin. Who did he think he was?! He turned, walking out of the room after giving me a verbal reprimand, as if insinuating I had purposely caused that scene.

"Cabrón!" I whispered under my breath, clenching my nails into my palms, embarrassed for having my backside pointed in his direction.

"Debe tener cuidado con tu lengua, cariño!" His loud voice came through the half-open door, surprising me with how perfectly he spoke Spanish. Then he left, followed by a bitter laugh.

"Did you take all the notes from this lecture, Miss Zelda, or were you just staring at the men around the room?"

Damn man! I cursed madly in my mind as I raised the notepad to him. I had written down everything that could be useful to the company. This was the sixth lecture they dragged me to, making me jot down every damn word.

"Yes." I replied seriously, feeling pain in my legs from standing for so long. My only wish was to run to the hotel room and sink into that tempting bathtub.

"Yes?" He stuck his hand in his pocket, looking at me with an ironic expression.

"Dios, yes. I wrote everything down." I raised the notepad, waving it in the air. "And yes, I also looked at the men, if you must know. I tried, señor, but there were only old men in this place." I smiled sweetly, giving him the most fake smile I could muster.

I could have sworn I heard a small curse slip from his sophisticated mouth. Damn man in his expensive suits. Before he took many steps, my body collided with his broad back as he turned around. He observed me, and his feline eyes scanned me from top to bottom, stopping at the neckline of my silk shirt, exhaling slowly. Dios! How could I have agreed to come to this place with the hottest men, who made my body burn with both anger and desire?! The woody scent coming from him made me think of things I’m ashamed to even confess to a priest. The tight white polo shirt that molded his chest perfectly, along with the large muscles in his arms, made me wish I knew what it would feel like to be pushed and lifted by them. Vagina, stop! I tried to control my thoughts.

"I thought you’d be in some youth recreation area by now, Miss Alonso." His voice, like the powerful engine of a Maverick accelerating, made my heart race. This guy was hot. Damn men.

"No, señor Ozborne. I was at the back of the room, didn’t want to interrupt your conversation, so I stayed back there watching the lecture."

My eyes, though they were paying attention to the man on stage, didn’t miss the way he was talking to a slim creature with straight hair and a low-cut executive outfit. She was practically throwing her boobs at him.

He stared at me, and before he could say anything, the myopic snake of a woman stroked his arm, whispering in his ear, while his blue eyes stayed locked on mine. It was something I didn’t want to see, so I focused on my beautiful shoes instead of the degrading scene before me.

I got a glimpse of the gaudy hands, with bright red nails, sliding a small magnetic card into the pocket of his black pants.

With a burst of air in anger, I shifted my attention in another direction. Great, now I had to note the bitch giving him the extra room key. Okay, I knew at these conferences most of these idiots were just messing around, I wasn’t naïve. We were in Las Vegas, the city of sin. Even I wanted to catch up on my sins. But seriously? The son of a bitch hadn’t even ditched other women in the last three conferences! What was he going to do?! Open his door every hour and shout “next”?

"Do you have a problem, Miss Alonso?"

I turned my eyes back to him, seeing that the snake was no longer pressed against his ear, but the nauseating smell still lingered in the air. I shook my head negatively, returning to my professional posture. What I wanted to say was: hey, cabrón, my problem is that you’re a jerk! NO, I couldn’t say that. The problem with being a woman among many men, and on top of that being considered young, as Tauro liked to point out, and Afro-Latina, was not being able to let your guard down for even a second. I needed to be a fortress. Never let the sharks smell blood: that was the rule. And it was triply important when you had a big great white shark in front of you, watching every move you made.

I hated Tauro much more than Bruce because the way he could read body language without even blinking was a cheap shot. For me, it was a damn disadvantage. I was aware he had caught me a few times admiring him, and not in a professional way.

"I think it’s time for the child to be in bed." I turned, giving Bruce an angry look as he seriously stared over my shoulder, calling his cousin’s attention.

I turned while cursing even more inside, making sure he didn’t see my rage. Meticulous, controlling bastard! I was about to go barefoot on the red carpeted floor, granting my feet’s wish to be free.

"I think so, señor." I looked at my watch, giving him a sour look. "Just like the old men are retiring, looking for their caretakers."

I felt the air above my head leave in anger. Tauro just stared at me without showing any reaction. The little spark in his blue eyes grew even more when he looked at me, darkening his expression.

"Should I assume that I’m old in your eyes, Miss?" His deep voice was low, like he was trying to make me want to swallow my words again. "Men like us do look for women who take good care of us. Teaching this youth is not for us!"

I felt the sting he gave me, making me shrink even more.

"The Chinese are opening a contract. The best one will bite this whale. We need to plan what’s going to be done. I want this venture for the company." Bruce passed by us. The two of them walked ahead, leaving me behind as if my existence were nothing.