Filed To Story: Falling for My Ex's Mafia Dad Novel Free PDF (Fay Alden & Kent Lippert)
â??Heâ??s thinking,â? my new friend says, smiling at me gently. â??That he has a very pretty new daughter, and he wants to see her set up right.â?
I shake my head a little, growing confused and a little worried. Iâ??ve been engaged since birth, apparently â?? an arrangement my father set up. What on earth had changed that he suddenly wants me to meet new people?
â??Who are you?â? I ask suddenly, cocking my head to the side. Iâ??ve realized, suddenly, that we havenâ??t been introduced. â??Are you one of the candidates?â?
He smirks and shrugs. â??I am if you want me to be.â?
I canâ??t help the little smile that creeps onto my lips, then. Heâ??s terribly handsome, this young man with the dangerous tattoos climbing all the way up to his neck. And, heâ??s been really, really nice to me in these past few minutes.
â??Iâ??m Ivan,â? he says, leaning over the side of his chair to extend his hand for a shake.
I take his hand on instinct, but my blood goes cold as I realize exactly who he is.
Ivan.
Ivan.
That name has been rattling around Kentâ??s kitchen for weeks now â?? Kentâ??s top enemy, the guy my father blamed for blowing up his party â?? the one who tried to kill us.
As my face goes pale, Ivan laughs a little and withdraws his hand. But his face stays friendly as he studies me. â??I see my reputation proceeds me,â? he says, smirking a little.
â??Um,â? I say, staring at him with wide eyes, not knowing what else to say.
Because in front of me is one of the most dangerous men in the underworld, second only perhaps to Kent himself.
Ivan, the young Kingpin of the cityâ??s heroin trade.
And he just told me that heâ??s throwing his hat in the ring, if I want to consider him a potential replacement for my fiancé.
And â?? if Iâ??m being honest with myself? For a second, I consider it.
Because he is really, seriously cute.
Ivan laughs at me then, at my speechlessness, and I canâ??t help myself â?? I laugh too, putting my head in my hands.
â??Yes,â? I say, blushing terribly. â??I have heard of you. And I have to say, it has not all been good things.â?
â??Oh, come on,â? he says, still laughing a little. â??It canâ??t have been all bad.â?
I peek out from between my fingers and raise an eyebrow at him letting him know that, yeah. Itâ??s all been bad.
â??What,â? he says, joking, â??nobody told you about my striking good looks or my debonaire sense of style when they were telling you about my success in the drug trade?â?
I shake my head slowly, finding myself laughing again. I canâ??t help it â?? heâ??s terribly charming.
â??Well,â? he says, giving me a sexy little half-smile. â??Now you know.â?
Ivan catches the eye of a waiter and holds up a hand. â??Two shots of tequila,â? he says, definitive. The waiter nods, walking the short distance to the little bar and interrupting the bar tender to get the order in right away.
â??What â??â?? I say, my eyes following the waiter. â??No, I canâ??t â??â??
â??Oh, come on, Fay,â? Ivan says, leaning back in his chair. â??Relax. I can tell youâ??ve just had the surprise of your life. You need a little something to settle the nerves.â?
The waiter comes back and Ivan takes the drinks from him, sliding him a folded bill and giving him a wink. I can tell by the waiterâ??s pleasure that itâ??s a gigantic tip.
I hesitate, but Ivan winks at me as well and holds the shot nearer to me.
So, I take it from his hand, shrugging. The truth was, I could use a little bit of a relaxant right now. If Iâ??m the unwitting bachelorette in my fatherâ??s little setup, then Iâ??m not sure I want to do it sober.
â??Bottoms up,â? I say, taking the lime off the edge of the glass and holding it up to toast Ivan. He does the same, and then watches me slowly lick the salt from the rim of the glass and toss my shot back before doing the same.
The tequila is sharp in my throat and sinuses and I canâ??t help it as my whole body shudders. I make a face, then, at the taste of it, sticking out my tongue and pressing my eyes closed.
I can hear Ivan laugh at me. â??The lime,â? he says. â??Bite the lime.â?
I do, and, indeed, it brings some relief, the acid of the lime chasing away the sharpness of the tequila on my tongue.
I laugh as I open my eyes again, meeting Ivanâ??s smile with my own. He gestures to the waiter again, ordering another round, and I lean back in my chair, letting him.
Iâ??m a little surprised at myself, then â?? a feeling thatâ??s becoming oddly more familiar as the weeks pass. Fay of a few weeks ago would have run screaming when she found out that she was doing shots of tequila with the wunderkind head of a mafia organization. With Kentâ??s worst enemy.
But Fay of today? Honestly, Iâ??m kind of enjoying myself.
â??See?â? Ivan says, leaning closer to me. â??Youâ??re already more relaxed.â?
â??Youâ??re right,â? I murmur, looking around at all of the people in the circle â?? at all of my suitors, apparently. I shake my head at the ridiculousness of it all, at the wasted effort.
After all, Iâ??m engaged to Daniel, and Iâ??m very happy to be.
â?¦Right?
The waiter comes and delivers our second glass of tequila. This time, itâ??s Ivanâ??s turn to introduce the toast.
â??To Fay,â? he says, raising his glass. I smile and raise mine along with him. â??The most eligible bachelorette of the cityâ??s underworld. Too bad sheâ??s already got a rock the size of a golf ball on her hand. Moreâ??s the pity for the rest of us.â?
My glass shakes a little against my mouth as I laugh at his joke before downing the contents, holding my lime at the ready as I do.
When weâ??re finished, I settle back in my chair, leaning a little closer to Ivan so that we can talk quietly.
â??So,â? I say, actually relaxed, looking at him from beneath half-lidded eyes. â??How did a nice boy like you get mixed up in all of this organized crime, anyway? Were you born to it, like me?â?
â??Nah,â? he says, smiling at me indulgently and leaning a little closer as well.
Then, to my surprise and pleasure, he begins to tell me his life story.
I find myself paying rapt attention to Ivanâ??s story for the next half hour, sipping on the glass of tequila that the waiter again delivers, savoring the bite and the taste. Heâ??s actually really, really interesting â?? a totally self-made guy, climbing up through the ranks with nothing but sheer will, determination, and cleverness.
Despite myself, Iâ??m impressed. Before all of this I had thought I liked the kind of prince-charming guys who would politely deliver you a rose and ask you, tentatively, if youâ??d be interested in being courted.
But as I listen to Ivan, and let my eyes rove over his muscles and his tattoosâ?¦I wonder, a little, if my tastes are changing.
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