BOW DOWN: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (Barone Crime Family) Read Online Free Page A

your juice and swallow you fucking whole. I’d bring you to the edge then pull you back, again and again, until you begged for release.”
    “How can you be so sure you can do that?”
    “I’d like you to find out.”
    The trace was complete. I raised an eyebrow.
    He was calling from the Four Seasons Hotel’s penthouse. He wasn’t even on a secure line.
    This wasn’t a trick. He was really just calling to ask me out. Maybe he hadn’t figured out who I was just yet. I did use a fake name for my cellphone. They could have easily matched my fake driver’s license picture to my fake name and found me that way, which meant they thought my name was Louisa Jenkins, not Louisa Barone.
    “Okay,” I said. “Dinner tomorrow night.”
    “Good.”
    “Just dinner.”
    “So you say now.” I could practically hear his grin.
    “I’ll meet you in the lobby of your hotel tomorrow.”
    “How do you know which one?”
    “I’m resourceful myself, Wyatt.”
    “I look forward to finding out exactly how resourceful you really are.” He hung up the phone.
    I bit my lip as I tossed my phone aside. I sat there for a second, letting the excitement ring through my body as I slowly took deep breaths, calming myself.
    It was just dinner. He was a useful asset, and I needed to get him on our side. I didn’t have to sleep with him, and I wasn’t going to. I was going to convince him to help back my organization, and I was going to bribe him if I had to.
    That was all this was. Just business.
    I stood and headed out of my room, down to talk to the girls. In the back of my mind, I knew I was just lying to myself, and that this dinner was about much, much more than just business.

5
    Wyatt
    I ’d been on plenty of dates in my life. I’d met with some of the most powerful politicians and richest men in America. Never once did I feel nervous.
    As I got dressed, I couldn’t help but have nerves. It was crazy; Louisa was just a woman, though maybe she was much more than that. Ethan had done a lot of research on her, because he was convinced that the name and information we had was all fake.
    That had turned up some very, very interesting things.
    That was the best part about Ethan. He could be very resourceful when he needed to be, and in the case of Louisa, he had gone above and beyond. The man was skilled, and I valued him very, very highly.
    But the truth about Louisa changed things. As I stood in front of the mirror, inspecting my suit to make sure that it was perfect, I couldn’t help but wonder for a moment if this was a setup.
    I took a deep breath. It didn’t matter either way. I could handle whatever came at me and then some. Besides, I was too interested in this woman to pass up this chance to see her again.
    I headed out into the main room. Ethan was on his computer, as always. He looked up. “Sharp,” he said.
    “I’m sure she’ll be impressed.”
    He laughed. “I doubt she’s easily impressed.”
    “What do you think of this date?”
    “I’m not sure.”
    “What’s your gut telling you?”
    He stared at me blankly. “It says I’m hungry.”
    “Order room service.” I walked over to the door. “Wish me luck.”
    “You never need it.”
    I grinned. He was right. I made my own luck.
    I stepped out of the door and headed down the hall. I rode the elevator downstairs and spotted her immediately standing at the bar.
    She looked incredible, better than she had before. Her dress was simple and conservative, and yet still somehow sexy beyond belief. She didn’t need to show a lot of skin to make herself look incredible. She needed only to hint at what was beneath her clothes, and that was enough to get me hard.
    I walked over to her, smiling. “You showed up.”
    “It would have been rude not to.”
    “You care a lot about being polite?”
    “Of course.” She smiled. “Where are you taking me tonight?”
    “I have something special for you.”
    “What is it?”
    I offered her my arm. She took it and we