Hitman Daddy by Aster Rae

7

Christian

Taco Taxi?

My head is spinning so fast I can barely keep track of my emotions.

One second this man waltzes in here threatening to report me to the police.

Next, he asks me on a date.

I thought Rowan drinking coffee with ice cream was the weirdest thing I’d seen all day.

This takes the cake.

"Taco Taxi?" I scoff. "I don't even know your name."

"Nikolai Antonov." His lip curls as he speaks.

Something dark seeps into my blood.

His accent is Russian. But the way he said his name sounds like he's in the mob.

But he did offer to pay for lunch.

I've never had a man offer to buy me lunch in my life.

At my favorite restaurant no less.

What do I have to lose?

I slide the tray of free cookies away from him one last time and remove my apron, hanging it behind the counter. "I'll go. But don't think of getting up to any funny business. I'm only going so you don't report me to the cops."

This is a total lie.

I can barely control the lust in my veins as I think of sharing a meal with this sexy man.

And oh my God. Never in a million years did I think he owned Crave.

It's the most exclusive LGBT club in Manhattan which means Nikolai is rich as fuck.

After Rowan takes over from me and punches into his shift, I follow Nikolai down the street.

We walk to Taco Taxi three blocks away.

Nikolai.

Dangerous. Russian. Ripped as hell.

His very name evokes a sense of terror within me.

Yet it also gives off other vibes – vibes that the average person would overlook.

Safety.

It's a gut instinct I can't explain.

In the ice cream parlor, I felt so safe I wanted to slip out of my apron and crawl across the counter to throw myself in his arms.

I wanted him to wrap his big strong arms around me and hold me as he peppered me with kisses.

My fantasy balloons.

"My special boy." His callous thumb grazes my soft cheek, igniting sparks in my belly. "I've waited so long to meet you. You're the cutest boy I've ever seen. I had to have you the minute I saw you in the club."

I let out a groan as my fantasy takes on mammoth proportions.

I follow Nikolai down the street and think of what it would feel like for him to bottle and pamper me.

As pathetic as it is, I can already feel his firm masculine hands soaping me up in the bathtub, scrubbing every inch of my body as I splash and play with rubber duckies.

"You're so silly, Daddy. You make me feel perfect inside."

"That's what Daddies should always do to their boys.” His lips find my neck and kiss it. His tongue swirls around my soft flesh until I melt in a puddle of warmth.

Ugh.

I don't even know this man but my ridiculous fantasies are already out of control.

***

When we finally reach Taco Taxi, I study the menu and opt for my favorite — a.k.a. the best tacos ever — avocado and chicharron.

Nikolai opts for the the carne asada. We head to the patios with our orders.

It couldn't be a better day for Mexican.

Sunlight pours forth from the heavens and bathes the little picnic table parking lot in effervescent light.

Little clouds line the endless blue sky like balls of cotton and a gentle breeze ruffles my hair.

I inhale the scent of delicious tacos and relish the warmth of the sun on my skin.

"It's such a nice day." I pick up my taco and take a bite.

Nikolai shoots me a glance that tells me he obviously despises small talk as much as me and that if he must make it, it certainly will not be about the weather.

"Here." He removes my ID from his pocket and slides it across the table. "Keep it. I don't want to see you in my bar again."

"That's fine with me." I chew my taco. The meat is so crunchy and yummy in my mouth. "I'll find another establishment to patronize.”

"The reason I brought you here is because I need to make a deal with you. A deal you can't refuse."

I stop chewing. I stare into his eyes.

A moment passes and a spark ignites between us.

A chill rushes through me and I quickly force myself to stop staring into his deep hazel-brown eyes.

Gah.

A boy could get lost in those.

But I refuse to go down without a fight.

"A deal I can't refuse?" I roll my eyes like Rowan does when I give away free shit. "You don't have to talk like you’re straight out of a mob movie."

His jaw ticks. "Listen to me. What you did at my club was reprehensible and I have a legal obligation to report you to the police. But I have a plan to get you off scott-free."

I glare at him. "I don't like where this is going."

"I need you to help me,” Nikolai says. "Part of the responsibility of being a business owner is attending networking events and presenting yourself in the best light. Next month I have an enormous event coming up.”

"I don't see why you need my help."

"I may have gotten myself into a pickle."

"What kind of pickle?"

"I told the event organizer I was engaged. But I don't have a partner. I've never thought about getting married."

Well, this is getting interesting.

I'll humor him.

"What's the event?" I query.

"My cousin Michael’s wedding. Michael is the largest investment partner in my LLC. He helped me secure financing for Crave but he also thinks that I've been in a committed relationship for the past year. If he finds out I've been lying, I'll break his trust and he'll refuse to fund my future ventures."

"I don't see how this involves me."

"I need your help,” Nikolai growls.

"How?"

He stares me dead in the eyes. "I need you to be my fake boyfriend."

I nearly choke on my taco.

"Your what?!”

Nikolai hands me his diet cola. I take a swig to clear the obstruction.

"My fake boyfriend,” Nikolai says. “Fiancé, actually. I need you to be the gorgeous young vixen I fell in love with who changed me."

This would be hilarious if it weren't so crazy.

Me. A fake fiancé. To a man who sounds like he walked straight out of the Godfather.

Little ol’ me who's never been in a relationship in his life.

Is this man fucking nuts?

"I can't be your fake fiancé.” It takes everything in me not to laugh.

"Why not?"

"I'll embarrass you. I've never been in a relationship in my life."

"I'm asking you to go to one wedding with me. We don't have to kiss. We don't even have to touch. You don't need to know the first thing about relationships. All we need is a semi-believable back story that my cousin will buy.”

"I'm a klutz. I'll end up standing awkwardly by the punch bowl and piss your cousin Michael off."

"Michael can deal with it."

A groan escapes me. "What's in it for me?"

"I won't turn the surveillance video of you in my club into the police."

"Nice try," I grumble. "But that's not a serious offense. It's small potatoes to the shit I'm sure you've got going on behind closed doors."

Like drugs.

Something tells me this man is running more than just a nightclub in his building.

"You'll go to prison for five years,” Nikolai growls.

"I'm a first-time offender. The judge will probably let me off with a warning."

Nikolai glares at me. "You know, I'm trying to blackmail you, but you're not making it easy."

"That's obvious.” Nikolai is clearly a man who's used to getting what he wants. He stacks people up like bowling pins and knocks them down with a flick of his wrist.

I bet he's used the same bully tactics on countless men before.

Maybe he's even threatened to kill people for not obeying him.

But his threats won't work on me.

I'm way too much of a brat.

"Blackmail doesn't work on me,” I say.

Nikolai lets out a grunt. "Tell me your demands."

"I want two things. First, I need tuition money. That's two semesters at ten-thousand-dollars a pop.” I steal a sip of his diet cola. "I need the first semester paid upfront and the second after the wedding. If that's too much, then you'll have to find someone else to be your fake boyfriend."

Nikolai pulls out his phone. "Give me your bank info and I'll wire you the funds."

I retrieve my phone and give him the routing and account number to my checking account.

Moments later, a notification dings informing me that Nikolai's deposited ten-thousand-dollars into my account.

I gape at the money.

This is real money.

My eyes find Nikolai's. "This is so weird."

"What?"

"You just paid me ten-thousand-dollars to be your date to a fucking wedding. Something doesn't add up."

His features shade black.

Suddenly I get the feeling that Nikolai needs a helluva lot more than a date to a wedding.

He's holding information from me. I'm not naïve.

But at the same time, I just made ten grand.

For nothing.

Why shouldn't I see it through?

"Tell me your second demand,” Nikolai grunts.

A smile pulls at my lips. “I want you to be my fake boyfriend too.”