Putting her eyes back on Dom, she could see the turmoil in his mind, weighing his options and determining if he was ready to risk it all.
“Is there a back wa—”
“Come on.” The mafia princess smiled at the supposed big, bad Luciano boss as she opened the car door and put a long, toned leg out. Looking back over her shoulder, she raised a manicured brow. “You’re not scared, are you?” Getting out of the car, she closed the door of his Mustang with a smile.
The decision Dom faced would take big, ginormous, blue balls to walk into her father’s business right through the fucking front door with his daughter. So she had to create a challenge that would be hard for the Luciano boss to back down from.
It took only a few seconds before he cut the engine off, and a ballsy, but brave, Dominic got out of the car, meeting Maria on the other side. “If you get me killed for this, so help me Go—”
“You don’t think it’ll be worth it?” she asked through heavy lashes as she sultrily began for door.
Maria couldn’t make out if Dom mumbled a silent prayer or a death threat under his breath when he followed her.
Giving him a polite smile as he held the door to the Casino Hotel open for her, she thought he might have turned back, but glancing over her shoulder, she was surprised to see him still following just one step behind her as she led the way.
In the crowded casino, Maria reached back, twirling her pinky with his. It was like a little secret, not enough of a connection to garner any attention, but it showed Dom that she was very serious.
Dominic looked down at their interlocking fingers for a second, then brought his head back up to look through the crowd.
Shocked that he didn’t break their connection, she was even more shocked by the way the littlest contact made her feel all hot inside. Her tiny acts was going well past flirting … She blamed it on having to stare at his hands for the last thirty minutes. His tattoos intrigued her, which was why she had touched his hand in the car. It had only made her selfishly crave more.
The two went up the escalators that took them off the casino floor, their little connection still intact, while both avoided each other’s eyes, knowing the cameras on the ceiling were watching them.
Stepping off the escalator, Maria gave the security guard who checked hotel key cards a smile as she took Dominic to an elevator behind him, without the guard’s approval.
The big, bald man who worked for her father did a double-take, watching Maria and Dominic walk past. Too stunned to question or do anything, considering who she was, he just stood there.
Untwining her pinky from his, she started putting in the code for the elevator to take them to the penthouse without stopping.
“Don’t show me that,” Dominic urged with frustration. “If anything ever happens, I’ll be blamed for it.”
“Don’t worry.” She pressed the last button, letting him see. “I trust you.”
“Jesus, Maria.” Dominic held the bridge of his nose, clearly telling himself mentally that this was a bad idea as the door slid closed.
“Quit worrying,” she coaxed softly, wrapping a hand around his leather-jacketed arm. She started to press her body against his, but he took a step away, backing into the corner of the elevator.
His frustrations continued. “There’s a fucking camera in here.”
“What day is it?”
Dom looked at her like she was crazy. “Tuesday. Why?”
“If it’s Tuesday night, then Sal’s working, and that means he’s the one watching us right now.” Maria waved at the camera with a smile before she gave him a nice view of her middle finger.
Rubbing his head like he had a headache, Dominic clearly hated to ask the question. “I take it you’re mad at him too?”
“No, I just don’t like him,” Maria answered simply. Already knowing what he would ask next, she elaborated, “He likes to kiss Lucca’s and my father’s asses.”
Holding a finger up to the ceiling, he asked a question he seemed to already know. “I guess there’s audio in here, too, huh?”
“Possibly.” She swept her tongue along her bottom lip as she pressed her body into his successfully since he had nowhere else to go. Instantly feeling the warmth off him through her thin dress, she met his eyes. What she was doing was definitely not considered her normal flirting, not with how it was beginning to make her feel, but she was still curious about one thing.
“Why did you get so upset with Cassius for not changing the channel?”
Shrugging, Dominic averted his eyes to the climbing floor numbers. “I just don’t like that show, is all.”
Staring up at him, she carefully watched his face. “Oh.”