❝I could throw as much water as I needed.
I could hold my breath and dive in.
Jesse would burn me every time.❞
When Jess lands himself in hot water, Shar has no choice but to jump after him. He needs cash, quick, but the only way to get it is to...
Carlos sat across from me at the kitchen table, a bag of frozen carrots pressed to the side of his face. He shook his head at me, slowly. "We never speak of this."
"Sure--if you tell me why Jesse's in trouble."
He smirked. "Do you ever give up?"
"On rare occasions I've been known." I leaned forward, folding my arms on the table. "Look, if you're his friend then help him. Jess is on probation. If he screws up, he goes back to jail--"
"Funny, Mary, you don't look like his sister. I'm not exactly seeing the family resemblance." Carlos squinted, inspecting my features in a way that caused me to flush and sit back.
"Step-sister. And my name's not Mary--"
"Yeah. Sadie, right?"
"Sade."
"Lo siento. I like Mary better."
"Jess said you were at the hotel to warn Mr. and Mrs. Blakely. What are you, some sort of weirdo messenger or something?"
"Sí." He tossed the carrots on the table. "Call me Hermes. Or maybe The Flash. I kinda like that one too. This is fun, but where the hell is Jesse?"
"Picking up trash for community service. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be joining him very soon."
Carlos chuckled. "Y'know, where I come from, most people don't talk to me like that..." He cocked his head to the side, enjoying me from a perspective that sent shivers down my spine. Was I afraid or enamored? "What makes you so brave, Mary?"
I cleared my throat, primly adjusting my glasses. "I'm not brave at all." I'm a coward.
He smirked. "Coulda fooled me."
Before I could reply, the front door slammed open and closed. Guilty as I knew they'd one day charge me, I jumped from my seat as my mother waltzed into the kitchen. She looked like a teenager in her red converse and skinny jeans, her work apron tossed over her shoulder. "Shar, tell me why Jesse's parole officer tracked me down at work today? I swear! That man is almost as uptight as you, boo!" Her head disappeared as she rooted in the fridge. "He says Jesse has to get a job by the end of the month--he could sweep hair at To Dye For if he wants to. I bet I could even teach him to do a perm..." Mom shut the fridge door, a bottled water clutched in her hand. She stopped short, eyes widening at the stranger sat at her table. "Oh. Well..." She cocked her hip, patting nonexistent fly-aways as the stranger smiled on politely. "Shar, I didn't know you were having company."
"He's not company! He's.... my date." I couldn't exactly tell her Carlos was a criminal for a living. That would just encourage her.
"Your date?" Mom raised her eyebrows high, like I'd just claimed metaphysics as my major.
Jeez, has it really been that long since I brought a guy around? "You bet." I eased around the table, taking a delicate seat in Carlos' lap. I placed my arms around his neck, offering him my sweetest smile. "Uh-h-h-h, three weeks. Right, Carlos?"
"To the day, babe." He flashed my mother a reassuring smile before tenderly brushing a curl from my face. Carlos placed his finger beneath my chin, tilting it upward in expectation. When he pressed his lips against mine, I didn't recoil like expected. Instead, I fell into it-the slow, tentative carefulness of an unexpected first kiss. He parted his lips, the tiny bump of his ring sliding across my tongue, his hand warm on my thigh...
Brazen.
Carlos took what he wanted.
This is dangerous... I pulled away, lips tingling, my fingers threaded in his hair. How long were we kissing? Long enough for my mother to get the picture and leave the room. My gaze snapped back to Carlos, who had never taken his eyes from me.
He let his hands drop to my waist and squeezed. "I wouldn't say no to doing that again."
"Tell me why Jesse's in trouble and I will."
Carlos smiled, considering. "The people he used to work for--the people I still work for--figured out Jesse's not in London. Everyone thought he would get deported, like his dad."
"So. Why does that matter?"
"Porque. He owes them money."
I stiffened. "How much?"
"A lot."
"How much is a lot?"
"Mucho. And if they don't get their dinero..." Carlos slowly shook his head.
I exhaled. Damnit, Jesse.
"But I can help."
I frowned at Carlos, attempting to see past the cockiness and charm. Impossible. "How?"
"A job. If he's down, he can make the cash in one night. Problem solved."
Really, pal? Because somehow, it doesn't sound like it'll be that easy... But Jessie's life was at stake, and if keeping him alive and out of prison meant I had to take a few risks on his behalf, so be it.
"You're on." I spoke the words, even though somewhere inside, the cowardly part of me cringed. "But Jesse's not doing it. I am."
We kissed on it.
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