Take Me Higher (Castaletta Syndicate #1) - Ali Parker Page 0,23

me.

I moved to the bar and leaned against the railing, smiling at the bartender as his eyes lit up. He wasn't much over thirty from what I could tell. His blond hair was a mess upon his head, and the smile on his mouth gave him away completely. He enjoyed what he was doing and loved the attention it most likely brought.

"Hi, beautiful. I didn't think angels were allowed to leave Heaven." He winked and leaned against his side of the bar, his teeth pulling at his thick bottom lip.

"Then be careful because Hell puts on a good show, and trickery is our calling card." I shrugged as his eyes widened. "I'll have whiskey, two cubes of ice and a lime."

"Quite the drink for a lady." The voice beside me was deep, rich and wrapped in confidence.

I glanced to my left to see Parker standing there. Good luck was shining down on me once again as it always seemed to.

"You assume I'm a lady." I gave him a smug look.

"Are you not?" His eyes narrowed slightly as a smirk played along his lips.

I turned toward him and reached out, running my fingertips over his forearm as I smiled seductively. "I'm a woman but nothing more. A lady would be in bed reading tonight, and yet I have the desire for more than imagining what could be from the pages of a book."

His mouth turned up into a sensual smile. "I'm Lucas Parker. Tell me your name."

"Karen Smith." I laughed softly as he shook his head.

"Horrible lie. You should really work on that."

"Too plain?"

"You, my lady, are no Karen Smith." He nodded to the bartender. "Just give us the bottle, and put it on my tab. We'll be out on the balcony talking if the lady finds me fit to share a few drinks with."

I moved from the bar and glanced over my shoulder, letting my gaze drag along him.

"Bring the bottle, and leave your questions for another girl. I'm not here to make friends, but to find someone to spend the night with." I walked out into the cool night air as my stomach tightened with disgust.

Parker was beautiful and killing him would be a pleasure, but making love to him would only hurt me. Every touch, every whisper, every moment of ecstasy was a lie. They were all renamed and repurposed to be the one man I wanted above me, underneath me, behind me...

"I fucking hate you, Demetri DeMarco," I whispered as I stopped by the edge of the balcony.

The moon was full and on display before me as if putting on a private performance. The wind blew and lifted my hair to dance along my exposed shoulders, tickling me.

How long would I suffer for him? Would I wait forever, or would this last rejection finally be the thing that pushed me past my need for him? Healing would come, but when?

I turned at the sound of the door opening and rubbed my calves together sensually.

Parker's eyes shifted down as he subtly licked at his lips. "Please don't make me moan the name Karen tonight. I just don't think I could do it."

He laughed, and I joined him, unable to help myself.

He was beautiful and seemed to have a personality that I might enjoy if the circumstances weren't what they were. My father must have thought a lot of him to loan him so much money, but the questions around his situation and relationship with the Don melted away as quickly as they'd arisen.

It wasn't my business, and investing my thoughts or emotions into something that would end that very night was useless.

"Veronica. You just get my first name, as I don't think my husband would enjoy you knowing our last."

He offered me a glass and moved back to put the bottle on a nearby table. "Why are you here, Veronica? Certainly a woman as beautiful as you is taken care of by this husband of yours, no?"

"Taken care of how, Lucas?" I whispered his name before reaching out for him.

He walked toward me and pressed himself flush against my body as the delicious aroma of his expensive cologne washed over me.

I needed to get into his room, as his bank account information was most likely in the safe hidden inside the closet. I would call in Marco to come finish the deal once Parker was dead, as my oldest brother was much more capable of breaking into things than I ever was.

"Pampered. Doted on. Pleased. Loved," he whispered