I got up, opened the door, and let the girl head out in front of me. On the way out of the shop, I stopped by the door leading to the work floor, opened it up, and prepared to stick my head in.

"What color?" I asked.

The girl's eyebrows went up slightly, and I could see that she was relieved.

"Um, black," she said.

"Get this girl's car next. Paint it black as it gets. And send me the bill."

Stan nodded.

"You got it, boss," he said.

The girl and I left the front entrance of the shop to where my luxury car was parked. I opened the passenger-side door for her and let the girl in. Once was behind the wheel, I spoke.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" I asked, slipping my key into the ignition.

"Eliza," she said. "Eliza Gardner."

"I'm Vin Romero," I said. "Let's get to know each other a little bit better."

Chapter Three

Vin

We drove in silence for a while. The scene outside was a blustery early winter's day, the sky slate gray and a dusting of snow on the streets and grass. I hadn't even wanted to leave the house today, but business with some of my holdings had required me to be there in person.

It had turned out for the best, however. Eliza here was about to turn my day from nothing special into one to remember. I was getting so turned on at the thought of having this little hottie squirming with pleasure underneath me that I was halfway tempted to pull the car over and get started in the backseat.

"Thank you so much," she said, blurting out the words. "I'm so grateful for what you're doing."

Not the way I'd be reacting if I were in her position, and it got me thinking about what kind of fuckedup situation she was on the run from.

"You can show me how grateful you are when we get back to my place," I said, feeling my cock stiffen again as I drove.

She flashed me a half smile before turning her attention back to the road.

"How long do you think it'll take for my car to be ready?" she asked.

"Stan's going to move you to the front of the line," I said. "Shouldn't take more than a day."

Truth be told, I wanted more than a day with Eliza. If she was on the run like she said she was, then maybe I could talk her into sticking around for a little while. I was sure that I'd be able to keep her safe from this ex of hers that was giving her trouble, and I could think of a few ways that she could pay me back for the trouble.

After twenty minutes or so of driving we arrived in Garden City, and a few minutes after that we were in front of the black wrought-iron gates of my mansion. I pressed the button on my visor and the gates slowly opened.

"Holy shit," she said, looking at my three-story estate. "This is where you live?"

"Nah," I said. "This belongs to some guy that I'm sexually servicing to let me stay here. You think you're the only person who can play this game?"

I flashed her a smile to let her know I was joking, and the look on her face was something between wanting to laugh and wanting to give me a smack.

I drove up the large circle driveway in front of my house, pulling around the fountain in the middle and coming to a stop in front of the dozen-step porch that led to the front doors. I killed the engine and got out, opening the door for her.

Hey, just because we were going to fuck didn't mean that I couldn't be a gentleman.

I opened the large black front doors and allowed Eliza to step in first.

"Wow," she said, walking into the entry hallway. "This place is ... huge."

She was right about that. My home was on the opulent side, but I loved it just the same. Our shoes clicked on the marble floor, the noise resonating through the enormous expanse of the hall and up the spiral staircase that led to the other two floors.

Eliza stopped and cast a suspicious eye in my direction.

"How can someone like you afford a place like this?"

"What do you mean 'someone like you'?" I asked with a smirk. "You mean Italian?"

"No," she said, a smile spreading across her face, one that made her features light up. "I mean someone your age. You can't be older than thirty, right?"

"Thirty-two," I said. "And I got this place on the cheap. The last guy who owned it needed to, ah, get rid of it in a hurry."

I was leaving out a few details, such as how, while this place had been comparatively "cheap," it'd still cost me a pretty penny. And the fact that the last owner had been a guy I knew who'd been busted for running a business not too dissimilar from mine and had needed to sell the place in a hurry to pay lawyer bills.

Nothing Eliza needed to know at the moment, if ever.

"Let me give you a quick tour of the place," I said.

"Sure," said Eliza.

I was in a hurry to get Eliza naked, but I was still thinking long-term. I didn't know where Eliza had run off from, but I had a feeling wherever she'd been living before was nothing compared to my pad. I figured showing around and letting her have a taste of my lifestyle might be just the thing to convince her to stick around for a while.

And the longer she stayed, the more I'd be able to do with her what I had in mind. I had dozens of rooms in the house, and I wanted to fuck her in every last one of them.

"Three stories to this place," I said, gesturing up the stairs. "Twelve bedrooms; just as many baths. A few studies, a library, and a few rooms I've got that I haven't figured what to do with yet."

"Why do you have all this space?" she asked. "It's just you, right?"

"Me and the pits," I said.

"The whats?"

I smirked, placing my fingers in my mouth and letting loose with a shrill whistle. Eliza gave me a curious look as the sound of paws on the marble grew louder and louder. Around the corner appeared my twin pit bulls, both of them eager as always to see me.

Eliza stepped back in shock, clearly not prepared to see a couple of fierce-looking dogs run up to us.

"Sit!" I called out, the two dogs obeying instantly, sitting on their back legs and awaiting the next command.

"Those are really big dogs," she said.