Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 129980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Maestro pushed off the fence. “What the fuck is the truth, Keys? That I expect a fairy tale? I think I’m getting a happy ever after? I don’t believe it for a minute. I’ll do the job, and the only way I can do it is to go all in.”
“Czar has the happy ever after,” Keys pointed out.
“I’m not Czar.” Maestro stayed silent, letting the ice in his veins make its way to his heart. He couldn’t afford to think too much about the sound of Zelie’s voice when she told him about her family being murdered. He had glaciers surrounding his heart. It had to stay that way while he worked. “Tell me what you would do, Keys. Women and children are being trafficked. No one’s looking for them. Someone has to stop these people. This is our first real lead. We don’t know whether she’s part of the pipeline or not, but we know her boss is.”
“You saw her. You heard her,” Keys persisted.
“Yeah, I did,” Maestro admitted, trying not to sound as bitter as he felt. The taste of blood was in his mouth. He felt the sharp blade of the knife as it retreated from his body. The hot lash of the whip as it tore strips of skin from his back. The burn of shame and humiliation for once again trusting a female. Betrayal tasted bitter.
THREE
With shaking hands, Azelie opened the box that had come unexpectedly. She had texted Andrii that she was sorry, she wasn’t going to be able to make their dinner date. She hadn’t told him she didn’t have the clothes to wear to an upscale restaurant—but she didn’t. She’d gone through every single item in her closet and realized even if she knew for certain she wanted to go, she couldn’t.
The worst of it was—she did want to see him again. She wanted to spend time with him. He’d texted her back asking for an address where he could have a delivery made. Thinking he was sending flowers, she gave him the address of her building. A part of her knew she shouldn’t, but she didn’t want to cut ties with him.
The box had arrived at four, an hour and a half before they would have gone on their first date. Heart beating too fast, Azelie stared at the large rectangular box for several minutes before she managed to get the courage to open what clearly wasn’t flowers.
Her breath caught in her throat when she moved the tissue paper aside to reveal a shimmering silver minidress. There were heels, stockings, garters, earrings, a necklace and a note.
It occurred to me I took too much for granted. I wasn’t thinking about anything but the chance to spend time with you. I really would like to see you tonight. Please wear this for me. I’ll come by your building at five-fifteen to pick you up. M
Silver sequins sparkled as Azelie carefully lifted the dress from the box. It was beautiful. More so than anything she’d ever worn. It was also more daring than anything she’d ever considered wearing. The dress had a plunging neckline leading to a twist in the fabric at the waist. Fully lined, with a deep V back, the fabric would cling like a second skin, showing off her body. She’d never done that before either. The label in the dress simply read, Label 287.
Her breath caught in her throat. She had often looked at the clothing from Label 287, but she had never bought anything, not even the most casual blouse, although she longed to. The fabrics were always soft, and each design looked sensual. The designer only sold limited editions of her work. If you didn’t order immediately, you might not get your choice because there was a high chance of each piece being sold out within days or sometimes even hours. She couldn’t justify spending the money when she needed it to stay in San Francisco and continue going to school.
The garters looked sexy, and the stockings were silk. The heels were shocking. Silver glitter-covered leather. She recognized the brand immediately, although she had never owned a pair and only knew about them because Janine had been saving her money for shoes from that designer. The slim band of glittered leather buckled around the ankle. The stilettos were at least four inches high, closer to five.
Then there was the jewelry. She didn’t own jewelry and had no idea what real jewelry was or how to tell the difference. That was probably a good thing because if the drop earrings were real diamonds she would have fainted. The necklace was a silver choker with sparkling diamonds she hoped weren’t real.
Nested in the bottom of the box was a barely there scrap of underwear. Just looking at it made her mouth go dry and her heart beat even faster. She desperately wanted to try the dress on, to see how she looked and felt in it.