Read Online Sold: A Billionaire Bad Boy Mafia Romance by Natasha Tanner, Molly Thorne - Free Book Online Page A

filled the air, holding a tray with a bottle and a couple of glasses. When she saw Van, though, her smile froze in her face and gave way to a disagreeable rictus. She had likely bugged Harlan to get him to let her fly to Chicago too, hoping to surprise me after souring our last encounter. She hadn’t expected to see me entering the room in the company of a new girl, one that, among other things, was seven years her senior.
    “I didn’t expect to see so many people,” Vanina whispered.
    “This is more of an event, a gathering,” I explained to her. “In the present situation, it’s a good thing. It’s not very likely that whoever is after you would attack you here.”
    “And what is
she
doing here?”
    I stared at her, wondering if she was actually jealous of Veronica after the night we had just spent.
    “She’s part of my team,” I said. “Why wouldn’t she be here?”
    “And what about her?”
    Van was pointing discreetly with her chin. I followed her gesture and met Tara’s eyes. Tara was wearing a highly revealing dress, as usual, and she had the goods to go with it. Her meaty lips shone seductively and her perfectly delineated eyebrows drew an inviting shape. She uncrossed her legs and crossed them again the other way. She had a perfect technique for showing off a perfect body.
    “Oh, that’s Tara. Part of my team too. Come on, let’s say hi.”
    Veronica and Vanina exchanged looks of strong disapproval when they greeted each other, and they let go of each other’s hand as soon as possible. Tara, on the other hand, was cool and friendly. She welcomed my companion and offered her a drink.
    “It’s like gorgeous women follow you wherever you go,” Van said, in such a serious tone that I laughed internally. “Am I one of them too?”
    “Well, at least you admit you’re gorgeous.” My quip was met with an audible snort.
    The guys at one of the tables were already playing. I recognized Iraklis Nalkios, the owner of a tech company based in Chicago, and Jim Stoth, a petroleum executive who wanted to be mayor against all odds. Nalkios was smoking like it was the end of the world, while Stoth sat upright and held his cards with dismay.
    My opponent was waiting at the center table. He looked upset; I was supposed to arrive much earlier, by plane, with the rest of my team. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to know that something had happened yesterday. Nobody seemed to have a clue. Jack Starr remained in New York, gathering whatever info he could find about the thugs.
    I nodded at the man who was sitting at the poker table waiting for me. His name was Dmitri Penyov, and was Russian as fuck, too. He gave no signal of recognizing Van, which was a relief for me.
    Vanina’s big, dark, beautiful eyes were meandering around the room, absorbing every little detail. If she was a spy, she was too overt.
But of course she’s not a spy. You already know that, moron,
I told myself. And yet, I wondered if the Russian thugs might have been sent to dispatch her after she didn’t do the job she was supposed to do. Get information from me? Kill me? Whatever it could be. I intimately felt that I could trust Van, but that still remained a possibility. Or maybe I was growing old and mistrustful.
    I leaned over Van and whispered to her ear.
    “Take my place,” I said.
    “What?”
    “Do you know how to play poker?”
    She hesitated. “Well... a little bit... Misha taught me, but—”
    “Wonderful,” I said, and pressed three fingers on her spine, gently. Even such a small touch seemed to disarm her, as I felt her body relaxing and she took a step forward.
    “Are you sure?” she whispered.
    “Come on, I drove for twelve hours. You can do it.” She took another step. “That’s it,” I encouraged her. “Go ahead and screw the guy. Only not literally.” Raising my voice, I announced, “There is a change in the table. Vanina Vokhtazin plays for Ace Hart.”
    A collective murmur followed Van as she walked towards the