Indebted to the Mafia King

*Heidi*

I would never imagine Cal to be the type of man who is attentive and kind while looking so intimidating and cold on the outside. If anything, I imagined him as a grumpy, arrogant, stupid man who thinks he runs the world and that everything needs to be done according to his rules and demands.

But barging into his bar and crying in front of him-even though it almost made me die of embarrassment-has proven to be somewhat worth it.

I've never been the type of woman who was the object of desire for any man. I did have some boyfriends here and there while I was in college, but none of them ended up forming a serious relationship.

And all of them eventually cheated on me. Good thing was that I was never in love with any of them, so I can't say I suffered immensely. But it did some damage to my self-esteem. No man has piqued my interest after I graduated, and it's been like that for years. But something in Cal makes me feel different. The way his eyes drink me in makes me feel like I'm the last glass of water in the middle of the desert, and he desperately needs me to satiate himself. The way his gaze darkens and studies me makes me feel a need I've never known pooling in my core.

And he is so flirty, too. How does he do it? How can he be so sweet in the middle of a serious conversation and all of a sudden flirt with me as if we're on a date?

What did he mean when he said he can be both? Both trouble and pleasant? What does that even mean?

And why do I want to test it? What exactly is it that I want him to show me?

Do I want a man in my life who can be trouble?

No.

Do I want to know how exactly Cal can be trouble?

Yes.

I'm surprised and shocked at myself when I realize how much I want him to do things to me that I shouldn't even be thinking about at this moment.

I clear my throat, squirming in my seat, slightly uncomfortable under his gaze. The grin on his lips is devilish, and yet, it does something with my insides that I can't interpret. Or maybe I'm just not ready to.

"Uh, so, how long have you owned this bar?" I ask, biting down on my lip as soon as the words are out of my mouth.

What kind of stupid question is that, Heidi?

As if I couldn't look more awkward and weird.... Why did I have to bring up his bar? I don't even like it.

Cal leans back in his chair, looking at me with amusement in his eyes. The grin on his lips is still there, and I have to look away so I don't lose myself in it.

"Are you suddenly interested in my bar?" Cal retorts, joy evident in his tone. "You work across the street for years and never once came here for a drink. So, I'm sorry to say this, but your interest doesn't seem very genuine to me," he teases. He's not wrong about that. If I were to be honest with him right now, he might not like what I have to say about the things I always thought of his clientele and his establishment. Not to mention him and his workers.

"Well, it's not exactly the type of place I choose to hang out in," I reply, trying not to be rude. "I'm more likely to go to the coffee shop, or a stay-at-home kind of girl." I shoot him a half-hearted smile.

He doesn't look offended, though. If anything, I'd say he's enjoying himself way too much with this awkward conversation. "Shocker," he muses.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I arch an eyebrow.

Cal simply shrugs. "Well, everything in you screams bookworm. You work at a bookstore. It wasn't that hard to figure that out, you know?"

"Yeah, well... whatever. Can we get back to the main topic and the whole purpose of this conversation?" I snap, getting a bit worked up. I hate that I can't be more composed in front of him. I'm not usually this arrogant, but this guy brings out feelings I didn't even know I had in the first place.

"Okay," he agrees with a nod, going back to what I assume is his professional tone. "I can help you, and will help you, but first I think we should get to know each other a little bit better."

I frown. "Why?"

Cal tilts his head slightly. "I'm not someone who trusts others easily. I'm used to a lot of people wanting to take advantage of me. I'm not saying you're going to do that, but-"

I gasp, interrupting him, too astonished with where he's going with this conversation.

"What? You think I'm here to get your money or what? I just came after justice. My family lost everything! I have no idea what type of people you're used to hanging out with, but I'm certainly not like that," I say, exasperated. What a waste of my time....

But then again, this is my fault. I don't know what I was expecting when I came here. Truth be told, I don't think I'd take this guy's money even if he offered.

"Of course you're not. It's just that I've learned the hard way not to trust anything someone else says. However, I've also learned to trust my instincts a bit more as time's gone by. I can tell you're a good person. I was just teasing you. Breaking the ice a little. I want to get to know you a little better."

"Why?" I repeat. I don't know why I'm so on the defensive, but this guy makes me feel so vulnerable. I'm not sure I like that.

Cal shrugs nonchalantly. "Just because..."

I stare at him for a few seconds in silence. He seems genuinely interested in me. What could he possibly want from someone like me? "What do you want to know?" I test the water.

"Are you married?" he asks.

My jaw drops.; "Why is that important?" I retort.

"I have my reasons."

"I don't see why this concerns you, but no, I'm not married," I finally answer.

Cal hums, leaning back in his chair a bit more.

"Is that all?" I press with my brows raised at him.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" he continues.

"No, I don't," I say bluntly.

I don't know where he's going with this, but I can't deny the fact that I'm secretly proud that a guy like him is showing any interest in me at all. I'm not sure if he's flirting with me, but to say that I don't like the attention he is lavishing on me would be a lie.

A big one.

"Where are you from?" I abruptly change the subject, not giving him the opportunity to continue with his interrogation.

"Ireland," Cal answers swiftly.noveldrama

"Why did you come to New York?"

"I have businesses here."

Duh, I had figured that out by myself, I want to say. Why is he so enigmatic about himself while he's been asking about my personal life?

"This conversation is going nowhere," I point out, frustrated. I stand, adjusting the strap of my purse on my shoulder and folding my arms across my chest. "I really have to go, so are you going to do anything to help me fix this situation or not? This has taken longer than necessary already." I don't want a handout, but I do want him to take responsibility for his part in all of this and compensate me somehow.

But it seems I've hit a dead end coming here, and I should know when to stop pushing for something that will lead me nowhere.

Cal gets to his feet as well, fixing the collar of his leather jacket, his eyes set on me. "I want to help you, Heidi. You might not believe me, but I'm not a cold-hearted man. And I would never let you, or anyone else, for that matter, have to deal with this mess alone. I'm glad you showed up at my door today. I've been waiting for you."

I swallow hard, ignoring the way those last words make my core tight with need. I've been single and lonely for longer than I can remember, and being in the presence of a man like Cal is melting my brain to the point of making me think of absurd things.

"Will you follow me?" Cal offers, gesturing to a back door that leads to somewhere deeper inside his bar.

Everything in me is telling me that this is a bad idea.

But for whatever reason, I accept his offer.