The Guardian (The Wolfe Series) (4 page)

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he fell in love with it the moment she saw it.  Crafted from a luxurious blend of cashmere and silk, the slim-fitting Armani halter dress featured an attached scarf that could be tied in a variety of ways.  Normally retailing for twelve hundred dollars, Laurie couldn’t believe the three-hundred dollar thrift store price tag. 

She had noticed the little thrift
shop on her walk to catch the bus each day, tucked discreetly between a deli and a convenience store.  She’d stopped in on her way back from working with Aragon in the hopes of finding something to wear that evening.  She knew that Julie was serious about her getting out more and she knew deep down that her friend was right.  She needed to start concentrating on having a real life, a life that included not only the home that she planned to buy but a husband and children.  She’d not had much luck with that in the past.  Most of the men she’d met had only wanted one thing from her, the one thing that she refused to give them.  She was definitely old-fashioned in her thinking in that her virginity would be saved for the man she would some day marry.

Laurie remembered the disaster that was her one and only prom.  Jason
Leverage had been captain of the basketball team, a real stud, and she’d been flattered that he’d asked her to go with him to the prom.  Little did she realize that he had made a bet with his teammates that he could and would bed her, willing or not, before the sun rose the next day.  It was Jason’s girlfriend who had warned Laurie of his intentions, the girlfriend he’d dumped a week before the prom.

Laurie had been mortified and had refused to speak with Jason after that.  She had cried herself to sleep the night of the prom and refused to date anyone after that.  Her sole mission in life after that night had been to become a writer, a good enough writer to be financially independent
and not beholden to anyone.

             
“That’s a beautiful dress,” the store clerk said, breaking into Laurie’s dismal thoughts.  “It’s funny, some of these high-society muck a mucks won’t wear a dress more than once.  Lucky for you and me, though, huh?”

             
“Yea, lucky for us,” Laurie agreed.  She’d lost her enthusiasm for the evening ahead but knew that she couldn’t disappoint Julie.  “I’ll take it.”

             
“Don’t you want to try it on?” the clerk asked anxiously.  “We have a no return policy, you know.”

             
At that point Laurie really didn’t care if the dress fit her or not.  “No, it will be fine,” she said as she handed the woman the correct amount of money, inwardly cringing at the extravagance of it.

             
“Good luck, honey,” the clerk said as she carefully wrapped the dress in tissue paper and slipped it into a shopping bag.  “That dress should bring the men flocking.”

             
Great, that’s just what I don’t need.
  Laurie grimaced as she left the store.

              “This place is amazing,” Laurie said in awe later that evening as she looked around the nightclub that Julie had chosen.  “I’ve never seen anything like it.”  She stood at the top of the stairs, unable to move as the sights and sounds of the nightclub throbbed around her.

             
“Told you so,” Julie smirked, secretly pleased that Laurie was impressed with the place.  She had to admit The Greenhouse was unusual, and was exactly the type of placed she’d been looking for to impress Laurie.  Located in SoHo, it was billed as an eco-friendly nightclub, a green experience.  Julie smiled. 
You just never knew what you were going to find in New York.
  The city had it all, pulsating with life.  She would never understand Laurie’s aversion to it.

             
“Yes you did,” Laurie agreed as her eyes took in the multitude of vivid colors.  A transparent ceiling fixture above their heads held five-thousand individually hung crystals and seemed to undulate like a rolling landscape.  The bars were clear glass in a panorama design displaying lush natural scenes while a long row of brilliantly lit green plants lined the far wall.  The vivid pinks, oranges and magentas of the club were a delight to the senses. 

             
“Let’s find a seat at one of the bars,” Julie said as she took Laurie’s arm and they descended the stairs knowing that half of the men in the club had been watching her protégé.  The dress that Laurie had found in some thrift shop was a knock out and showed off the young woman’s flawless figure to perfection.  “They have two VIP sections, one on the first floor and one on the second.  I couldn’t get us into the one on this floor which is the one I prefer.  Seems there’s some huge party that’s taken up the whole section.

             
“I think I like the bar better anyway,” Laurie commented.  “The designs are beautiful.  They’ve managed to turn this place into nature’s high-end disco.”

             
Enrique saw her first.  He was a connoisseur of beautiful woman and the woman he saw standing at the top of the stairs was more than beautiful.  He was about to get to his feet and approach her when Luzaro rose to his feet as well, effectively blocking Enrique’s way.

             
“Don’t even think about,” Luzaro growled.  “She’s mine.”  He waited until Enrique had taken his seat again before sitting back down himself.

             
He starred at the woman who was now descending the stairs, transfixed by her beauty.  The black dress she wore hugged her lithe body and swayed gently around her long shapely legs.  She was tall and statuesque and carried herself well, seemingly unaware of the effect she was having on the men in the nightclub.  He drank in the way her blonde hair caressed her shoulders and was held back by diamond pins.  He was mesmerized by her exotic looking eyes, their emerald green color rivaling the brilliant greenery that surrounded her.  Her mouth was lush and pink, the lower lip full and generous, begging for a man’s kiss.  Luzaro felt himself harden when he saw her nervously moisten her bottom lip with the tip of her tongue before sitting at the bar beside her female companion.

             
He thought long and hard about his reaction to this particular women.  He had known many beautiful women but none of them had affected him the way this one did.  Instantly and on such a deep level.  There was a purity and innocence about her that beckoned to him. 
Mine!
  The thought came unbidden, jolting him with its intensity for a moment before acceptance gradually settled deep into his soul.

             
“You want her?” Enrique asked sourly, still smarting over Luzaro’s interference.  “I’ll arrange it.”

             
Luzaro jerked toward his second-in-command with murder in his eyes.  “You will not arrange anything, nor will you touch that woman!  Not now, not ever!  Is that understood?”

             
Enrique held up his hands in self defense, shocked at the murderous intent he saw in the other man’s eyes.  “Hey, no problem, man.  She’s all yours.” 

             
“I mean it, Enrique,” Luzaro said, not in the least mollified.  “She’ll not be one of your women.”

“No worries, boss.  There are plenty of other women around for me to chose from.”  Enrique was seething inside but knew that now wasn’t the time or the place to confront Luzaro, especially over a woman.  He’d already chosen a likely candidate to spend the rest of the night
with, a luscious brunette sitting three barstools away from the woman Luzaro seemed to be so fascinated with.

How do I approach her?
  Luzaro could tell she wasn’t the kind of woman who would be impressed if he sent an expensive bottle of champagne to her as was his normal routine when he wanted to make contact with a woman.  Most women would be impressed by the fact that they’d been sent champagne by a man who could afford to buy out both VIP sections for the entire evening.  He somehow knew this woman wouldn’t be impressed.  In fact, he guessed she might even be insulted by such a gesture. 

What will it take to impress
this woman?
  She was dressed simply yet elegantly compared to the other women in the club with their skimpy clothing, pierced navels and discreet tattoos.  She wore no jewelry that he could see, only a scarf that she wore looped around her slim neck.  The woman needed no jewelry.  He loved that fact and the way her brilliant gemstone green eyes sparkled with life and wonder as she gazed at the profusion of colors, sights and sounds surrounding her.

             
He had never approached a woman on his own and he was surprised when he found himself rising to his feet and waving his bodyguards away.  He unhooked the velvet rope that divided the VIP section from the general population and replaced it, then walked toward the bar where the woman was seated as though drawn there by an invisible force.

             
“I’m so glad I let you talk me into coming tonight,” Laurie said as she accepted a gin and tonic from the bartender.  “This place is magnificent.”

             
“I was hoping you’d like it.  There’s so much more to New York than what you’ve allowed yourself to see.”  Julie inhaled sharply and motioned with her eyes toward the VIP section.  “Such as that hunk walking toward us.” 

             
Laurie turned to see who had caught Julie’s attention and found one of the handsomest man she’d ever seen walking toward her.  His lips were sensual and his midnight eyes were direct and bold and held hers with an intensity that caused Laurie’s skin to heat and her heart to skip a beat.  He wasn’t tall, yet his broad shoulders and muscular physique seemed to fill the room and spoke of a man who kept his body in top physical condition.  His hair was midnight black and matched his dark eyes which sparkled with intense interest.  The man walked confidently, a man used to shouldering great authority, a man used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it.  All of her carefully built barriers of protection screamed that here was a man who would not only demand her heart but her soul as well.  Laurie instinctively drew away, suddenly terrified by the thought of letting this man get close to her in any way.

             
“May I join you?” Luzaro asked politely as he motioned toward the empty barstool beside Laurie.  He was careful not to seat himself before she gave her permission, something else that surprised him, and something he definitely wasn’t used to.

             
“Of course you can join us,” Julie piped up when Laurie hesitated to answer the man. 
Wow!  What a hunk!

             
“With your permission, Senorita?”  Luzaro asked, ignoring Julie’s invitation.  He could see the obvious interest in the older woman’s eyes and was glad it was on her friend’s behalf and not for herself.  She would have been a complication he had no interest in dealing with.  He had no compunction in using her, though, if he chose to pursue her younger friend.

             
“You may,” Laurie said stiffly.  She couldn’t understand her reaction to the man who was being a perfect gentleman.

             
Julie couldn’t understand it either and frowned at Laurie’s reaction.  Pasting a smile on her face she said, “How are you liking the city?  You are from Mexico, Spain perhaps?  I’m pretty good with accents so I would guess you’re from Mexico.”  She’d noticed the heavy accent and guessed that he was a visitor to New York.

             
Luzaro barely glanced at Julie as he replied, his eyes still focused on Laurie’s face.  “Sadly, I’m here for only a short while, on business you see.  I hope to see some of the sights, though, before I leave.”  He looked hopefully from Laurie to Julie and then back again.

             
Laurie forced herself to extend her hand.  “I’m Laurie and this is my friend, Julie.”

             
Luzaro took her hand and squeezed gently, rubbing his thumb over the pulse point in her wrist.  “My name is Luc Rivera.  I’m very pleased to meet you both.” 

He found the woman even more beautiful up close.  He longed to run his fingers over her peaches and cream skin, knowing it would be
as soft as velvet.  He refrained from feasting his eyes on the swell of her generous breasts or traveling the length of her long, shapely legs.  He felt himself harden at such thoughts and crossed his own legs to hide the bulge in his trousers, which was yet another thing that surprised him.  He couldn’t ever remember not being able to control his sexual urges around a woman.  He somehow knew this woman was different or perhaps it was just her hesitancy to succumb to his obvious charms and wealth that intrigued him.  He was used to having women pursue him, not the other way around. 
I will have her, one way or the other.

“Perhaps you lovely ladies would join me for a tour of the city tomorrow?”  He addressed
his request to Julie sensing she would be his ally in this.  “I’m staying at the Ritz.  We could meet there at say, one o’clock, have lunch, then begin our tour?  I’ve always wanted to see your Empire State Building and your Statue of Liberty.”

Laurie looked at Julie and ever so slightly shook her head, suddenly alarmed all over again
at the thought of spending the day with a man like Luc Rivera.  Laurie always relied on her instincts where men were concerned, especially after her prom travesty.  For some reason Luc Rivera had her alarm bells clanging.