Zadie’s POV
There’s a fine line between danger and desire. And somehow, I was toeing both. I couldn’t stop thinking about the way Lazaro had defended that waiter. That flicker of morality, it clashed with every file I’d read about him. Every bloody rumor. Every whispered crime. And yet… there he was. Showing compassion. Or at least pretending to.
I hated that it shook me. So I reminded myself, he was still the enemy. My mission hasn’t changed. Yesterday, we found out about some of his business partners. And how flirty that blonde bitch Kendall is.
I arrived at the office early the next morning, before Kendall. Before the cameras reset their feeds. I picked the lock to Lazaro’s private office in under thirty seconds, and the room smelled like him.
I slid into the chair and opened his laptop. Three layers of encryption. Biometric firewalls. The man didn’t mess around. Still, I’d cracked harder systems. I bypassed everything in under four minutes, sweat prickling along my back.
One folder glowed red in the center of the screen. Encrypted, and hidden. Marked only with a timestamp and the initial “A.” My fingers hesitated only for a second before I clicked it and began the transfer. The flash drive in my pocket was state-of-the-art, government-issued. Nearly invisible once inserted.
Eighty percent. Ninety. Ninety-nine—The door opened. I shut the screen, yanked the flash drive, and stood up in one fluid motion. Lazaro stepped inside, eyes locking straight onto mine.
“Sir,” I said, smoothing my skirt with a smile. “I was just organizing the files you-”
He closed the door behind him, quietly. Click. “You did something wrong,” he said. His voice was calm.
I tilted my head. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
He walked toward me, slowly. “You left early yesterday. Skipped your shift. No notice. Then I heard you were out… at some party. With some man.” My breath caught up. He knew.
“I didn’t think I had to report my personal time,” I said, holding my ground.
“I don’t care about your time,” he said, stepping closer. “I care about respect. I trusted you, Marina. That trust? It has limits.” There was heat in his eyes now. But not just anger. Something darker.
“You’re smart,” he murmured. “But you need to learn discipline.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but the words died in my throat. He touched my jaw, thumb trailing under my chin like he owned every breath I took. I should’ve stepped back. I didn’t.
“S-Sir…”
He backed me toward the desk. My knees hit the edge. He didn’t ask. He lifted me effortlessly and sat me on the polished surface. His hands spread my thighs apart slowly, firmly. I gasped, breath stuttering in my chest. His mouth hovered over my skin, hot and hungry.
“You wore this tight little skirt just to tempt me?” he asked, totally pissed off, dragging his lips along the inside of my knee.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” I whispered, but my voice was shaky.
“Then explain why you’re shaking.”
His hands slid up my thighs, possessive and slow, pushing fabric higher until cool air kissed my bare skin. My pulse roared in my ears. His fingers found the heat between my legs, pressing lightly, teasingly.
“You’re soaked,” he growled. My hips jolted at the contact.
He gripped tighter. “Say it.”
I swallowed hard. “I want you.”
“You sure?” he asked, kissing the inside of my thigh. “Because I don’t stop when I start.”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My hands tangled in his hair as he lowered himself between my legs. His mouth brushed over the thin lace of my underwear, and when his tongue slipped beneath, my head fell back with a whimper.
He didn’t rush. He licked slow and deep, like he had all the time in the world to unravel me. One finger slid inside, then another. He curled them just right. My breath hitched, legs trembling around his shoulders.
“Lazaro…” My voice broke. He didn’t stop. His tongue flicked in wild strokes as his fingers thrust deeper, harder, every movement designed to torture.
“You gonna run again, Marina?” he asked between licks.
I moaned, hips grinding against his mouth. “No… God… I won’t…”
He looked up, eyes dark with hunger. “You don’t get to lie to me, baby. Not when I can taste the truth.”
The heat burst inside me, like fire licking up my spine. I shattered, gasping his name, hands fisting the edge of the desk. When I came down from the high, he stood and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“Next time,” he said roughly, “you ask permission before you disappear.” Then he kissed me. Hard, dominant, and unapologetic. I knew it was dangerous. I knew I was slipping. But at that moment, I didn’t care.