She took another sip of her drink and told him frankly, “It’s too much work. Most promo-ters have partners.”

Ivan couldn’t argue with that. He had run around like crazy just trying to pull off his small events for three hundred, let alone three thousand.

He said, “Okay. But why me? I mean, I’m just getting started in this thing. I really don’t even know what I’m doing yet,” he acknowledged. “I’m still on my learning curve.”

Lucina looked at him through her colored eyes and said, “That’s why. Because you are new. So I have a chance to trust you. But the other promo-ters I know…” She shook her head and said, “They all change, and I no lon-ger trust them.”

But you’re gonna trust a guy you don’t even know? Ivan asked himself. That part of it didn’t make any sense.

Lucina read his mind without him asking her the question.

She said, “Do you trust your-self with other people’s money, I-van?”

He was an accountant. It was his job to trust himself with money. He had just sold the Chargers on his trustworthiness to secure the party less than two hours ago.

He answered, “That’s all day, every day. That’s what I do. I’ve been watching a dollar since I was a kid. That’s why I became an accountant in the first place.”

She said, “Well, then trust me now to know what I am do-ing. I just had a fee-ling with you. And I met you and went with my gut. Now, if I can’t trust you, I-van, then you tell me right now.”

Damn, she was intimidating! A snappy little rich girl from Brazil, with a full Italian ego, and exotic eyes like his own to boot.

Ivan kept his composure. He looked back at her and said, “I didn’t climb out of my bed and get dressed near midnight to rush down here and meet up with you if I wasn’t serious. So just like you trust me, I gotta trust you. And we’re in this thing together now.”

Lucina smiled, the first innocent smile that Ivan had seen from her. And it melted him.

She said, “You were in bed? Oh, my God, you’re an early bird.”

Ivan was so turned on by her smile that he thought of ignoring her question to lean over and kiss her lips. Or maybe the effects of the alcohol had made him feel that way.

He caught himself instead. He answered, “Yeah, I was halfway out of here. But I’m glad I came out, though. Damn, I’m glad.”

Lucina continued to smile. She said, “Me, too,” in her accent.

That’s when Ivan began to reflect on how badly he would love to lay her down and spread her open for heavy moaning and groaning.