Intern, p.1
Intern, page 1
intern
THE MARCANO MOGULS SERIES
J.L. QUICK
For everyone begging me for an inexperienced man and a woman more than eager to peg him…
This one is for you.
Jamie…this one is for Jamie.
author’s note
This novel is a contemporary dark romance. It contains scenes and descriptive adult content that might be triggering for some readers.
Please ensure you read the trigger warnings prior to beginning this novel.
trigger warnings
This novel is a contemporary dark romance. It contains scenes and descriptive adult content that might be triggering for some readers.
Please review the content warnings at the link below.
Contents
1. one
2. two
3. Three
4. four
5. five
6. six
7. Seven
8. eight
9. nine
10. ten
11. eleven
12. twelve
13. thirteen
14. fourteen
15. fifteen
16. sixteen
17. seventeen
18. eighteen
19. nineteen
20. twenty
21. twenty one
22. twenty two
23. twenty two
24. twenty four
25. twenty five
26. twenty six
27. twenty seven
28. twenty eight
29. twenty nine
30. thirty
31. thirty one
32. thirty two
33. thirty three
34. thirty four
35. thirty five
thank you for reading
also by j.l. quick
one
SOFIA
“Ciao, handsome.” I greet the man standing beside my seat at the bar. He’s tall, with an impeccable physique, which is only emphasized by the golden, sun-kissed tan he’s getting on the beach today. The fine lines around his eyes, coupled with the salt and pepper in his beard and hair places him well above the age of my normal conquests. But for a man who looks like him, I would be more than willing to make an exception.
“Two margaritas.” He immediately garners the attention of the bartender with his deep voice and places his order before turning his attention to me. “Ciao, bella.”
“I’m going to assume that one of those isn’t for me.” My tone is sultry as I look up at him through my lashes.
“While I am flattered at your desire to share a drink with me.” He turns his attention to a beautiful, younger woman slowly making her way from the beach.
“I was thinking more than a drink,” I whisper. “Pretty sure we could all have a pretty good time together.”
“If I were interested, mi cerecita would sooner cut off my balls than allow that happen.”
He didn’t strike me as the submissive type.
Definitely more like the throw you around the bedroom type.
“Your cherry?” I question.
The curvy woman from the beach slides up next to my barstool, her body immediately pressed against him, resulting in his face lighting up like a fucking Christmas tree.
Well, fuck. She’s not just some sugar baby of the week. He actually fucking loves her.
Pushing up onto her toes, she leans into him, and he eagerly places a tender, yet deep, kiss against her lips. Pulling back, she turns her attention to me as I am all but staring at their interaction. “I’m sorry. Did I interrupt?”
“A little,” I say with a smile. “I was just telling your husband what a good time the three of us could have together.
“Is that so?” Her tone is emphatic as she shoots a glance at the silver fox hovering over her. While she is verbally toying with him, her face tells me that she knows he would never. I’m certain a parade of naked women could stroll by and he wouldn’t take his eyes from her.
Sex with one person for the rest of my life? No fucking thank you.
“I’m curious.” The curvaceous redhead looks back to me with a slight smirk on her face. “Which one of us it that you’re most interested in?”
“Let me get your drinks.” I sincerely make the offer in exchange for my overstep into their relationship.
“That’s not necessary,” the handsome older man replies for her.
“No cocks or pussies expected in return,” I smile. “Just drinks. My apology.”
“Damn!” The redhead sarcastically exclaims. “I was really hoping to have you both between my thighs later.”
“I like you sweetheart,” I laugh. “You take no shit.”
“Never when it comes to my Alex.”
“Alex?” I repeat his name while tipping my head to him before extending my hand from her. “I’m Sofia, and you?”
“Izzy. And the big guy generally prefers Alejandro.”
“I thought you looked familiar!” I exclaim.
“I’m in the media quite frequently in the States.” His tone garners a tinge of embarrassment.
“Yes, you are.” I lower my voice before continuing, “But I am also quite certain you knew my father.”
He looks at me suspiciously for a moment as though he’s trying to place my face. Arching a brow, I questionably continue with my father’s name. “Enrique Guerrero?”
The name clicks for him immediately. He does run one of the largest cartels in Argentina, making him quite famous—or infamous. Or he did. As of last week, his stint in prison has left me in charge of an empire that I am nowhere near equipped to run.
“How about those drinks.” Alejandro flags down the bartender to order me a refill. “My cock is off the table, but I can think of another arrangement that we may all find highly enjoyable.”
two
GABRIEL
My foot taps anxiously on the marble floor of the office lobby as though I have no control over it. I have no idea why I am so nervous. It’s an interview. It’s not even for an actual job. It’s just an internship.
And it’s already basically mine.
My madre knows Mr. Marcano from some business dealings in Mexico, and after losing out on the last five internships I’ve applied for, she reached out to him on my behalf. He agreed to take me on as a favor to her, making today little more than a formality.
“Mr. Alvarez?” A pretty and well-dressed woman standing beside the receptionist’s desk calls my name. Attempting to control my fidgeting, I awkwardly stand from my chair and tug at the bottom of my blazer. “Mr. Marcano will see you now.”
“Mr. Marcano?” I gulp.
I thought I was meeting with some lady from human resources. Jamie?
The well-dressed woman’s steps are long and brisk. Even though I tower over her short stature, I struggle to keep up with the pace of the stilettos clicking down the hall in front of me. Reaching an office door in the back corner, she knocks and waits for a response before pushing it open and revealing a massive corner office.
“Mr. Marcano,” she acknowledges him as we enter the room. “Mr. Alvarez for your meeting.”
“Thank you, Rachel.” His voice is deep, authoritative, and confident. “Please shut the door on your way out.”
She promptly leaves us as he crosses the room to me with an outstretched hand. I feverishly rub my sweaty palms over my thighs in a futile attempt to dry them before he reaches me. “It’s so good to see you again, Gabriel.”
“Again?” The word vomits from my mouth.
“You probably don’t remember me,” he responds with a chuckle. “I don’t think I’ve seen you since were about six. Maybe seven.”
“I’m really sorry, but I don’t remember you.” My tone a mixture of sincerity and embarrassment.
“It’s fine. You were just a kid. I can’t believe how grown up you are now.” He firmly grips my shoulder before continuing, “Come. Have a seat, and let’s talk about his internship that your mother called me about.”
There is something off about the way he says the word internship. Something I can’t quite place.
“If you are joining our company”—there’s that strange inflection again—"it’s a long-term commitment. Because of my relationship with your parents, I’m willing to give you a chance before requiring what I do of my other men, but know that chance is not a short-term offer.”
“Sir?” I don’t know what else to say. This is so different from the other interviews I have been on.
A slight look of confusion spreads over his face before he asks, “What all do you know about us?”
“Um…Ju…Just that you’re an import company,” I stammer, knowing that I should have spent some time preparing for this interview.
“Do me a favor.” He extends his business card toward me. “Call your mother. Talk to her about the company. More specifically, ask her about what it is your father used to do for me. After that, if you’re still interested, give me a call, and the position is yours.”
“Thank you.” My voice cracks as I try to process what is happening.
I just got offered an internship at one of the biggest companies in New York City.
Internship.
Company.
The words echo in my head with the weird inflection he used as he said them.
What the hell kind of job is this?
“Thank you again,” I swallow hard as I take the card from him.
My heart thumps in my chest, and my stomach flips as I turn the card over in my hand. I am overwhelmed with the feelin g that this decision is going to be life-changing for me.
I only wish I knew if it was a beneficial or ominous impact heading my way.
“No thanks necessary. If you are half the man your father was, we’ll be the ones lucky to have you.”
He gestures to the door letting me know that our meeting has ended. Climbing from my seat, I nod at him as I tuck the card into the breast pocket of my suit jacket. Making my way to the door, I turn back to find him already engrossed in the work that was spread across his desk.
As I grip the large metal handle of the solid wood door, his voice billows across the office. “Call your mother.”
“Yes, sir.” I eagerly nod my head before leaving the office.
What the fuck was that?
The moment I reach the elevator, I pull my phone from my pocket and turn it back on. I wait impatiently to make my call as I stare at the start-up logo. She answers on the first ring.
“Mijo! How was your interview?”
Three
SOFIA
Walking down the bustling city street, I am already missing my quiet countryside estate in Argentina. While the city that never sleeps has plenty of entertainment—and what should be more than enough gorgeous young men to keep me occupied—I have grown quite accustomed to my peace and quiet.
How in the hell did Alejandro and Isabella talk me into this?
And without a single fucking orgasm to convince me.
What I would give for a proper orgasm. One that I wasn’t giving myself. While this city has over a million bachelors, I have yet to find one that shares the same bedroom interests as me.
They all talk a big game when you meet them. Each man I’ve met this week rambled on and on about how much they’d love for a woman to take control in the bedroom. How fucking hot they find the idea.
But they’re all full of shit.
The moment I truly take control, their assholes pucker, sealing up tighter than one would believe humanly possible before they quickly decide that they want to be the ones in charge.
While a handful of them have managed to make me come, I am dying to have a man tied up in my bed and at my mercy.
And what I would give to watch a man learn just how much he enjoys getting pegged…
Reaching my destination, I pull open the door to the upscale bar. I am immediately met with a buffet of men in immaculately well-fitted suits. Several sets of eyes graze over my body as though they think that I am the prey.
Men can be so cute…
“Glad you could join us,” Alejandro calls out as he walks toward me. “Andres and I have a booth in the back.”
Following behind him, I continue to eye over the selection of potential cocks to take home after this meeting.
“I’d like you to finally meet my brother, Andres.” Alejandro provides introductions when I reach the table. Continuing with a smirk, “He is also off-limits.”
“I’ll keep my cunt in my pants,” I quip at Alejandro as I shake Andres’s hand. “Besides, he’s not my type.”
“Damn. You weren’t kidding,” Andres addresses his brother.
His comment piques my interest and I ask, “Kidding about what?”
“Your bluntness,” he responds, “And I don’t mean that as an insult. In this business, there isn’t time for niceties.”
We all pause our conversation as the waiter approaches our table to drop off the drink order that the men placed before I arrived.
“Fernet con coca.” I take a sip of my drink. “You’ve done your homework.”
“I have.” Andres is the one to respond. “I’ve delved into your family businesses, and I think it’s very feasible to merge our businesses together, dramatically increasing our distribution area.”
“Andres informed me that you were in charge of your father’s books,” Alejandro says to me, “because you have an understanding of the position, I think it would be best to bring you on as CFO at Marcano.”
“You don’t think hiring the daughter of a cartel boss is going to blow the cover that you’ve built with your enterprise?”
“The last photo I could find of you, you couldn’t have been more than seventeen years old,” Andres interjects. “My contact at the DEA informed me that they don’t even have a file on you. That, coupled with the fact that there must be several thousand Sofia Guerrera’s in Argentina, we’re both quite certain we’ll be in the clear.”
“My father ran his business in the open.” I pause to take a sip of my drink. “While I won’t blindly bend to whatever you ask of me, I will concede on this secret identity shit because it’s not something I know anything about.”
We spend roughly an hour going over the varied details of my new position and are about to wrap up our meeting when Alejandro questions, “Anything else we need to go over?”
“Just one thing.” My tone is sincere. “I need you to know that while I graciously accepted your help in keeping my father’s empire running, I am not a helpless woman.”
“We never—” I raise my hand to silence Andres.
“I know the financials of my father’s business inside and out. I’m not a woman afraid of being in power. I fucking love the control. He taught me at a very early age how to handle myself, and I am no stranger to having a gun in my hand. I’m no stranger to using it when necessary either.”
They both continue to listen in silence. “But my father never painted me as his successor to his men, and I learned very quickly that his men think they need a man to lead them. This arrangement is merely giving them that illusion. I have no qualms about doing whatever is necessary to keep control of my family’s legacy. Understood?”
“Understood.” Alejandro gives a solemn nod. “I’ve told you what Andres and I went through to retake control of what was taken from my father. We want to help you grow your legacy, not take it from you.”
“Good.” I stand from the table. “Then I will see you on Monday. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find an entertainment cock.”
Andres nearly spits his drink at my words as I walk from the table.
four
GABRIEL
As strange as my interview with Mr. Marcano was, it paled in comparison to the outlandishly bizarre events that followed.
Following his instructions, I called mi madre to inquire about the things he felt she hadn’t told me. She refused to discuss anything regarding it over the phone and kept shushing me when I tried to press the issue.
Two minutes ago, forcing me to roll out of bed for the morning, she was ringing the buzzer to be let into my building.
Grabbing a pair of dirty sweatpants from the floor, I throw them on to greet her when she reaches my apartment. I pull open the door before she has a chance to knock, and she immediately pulls me in for a hug as she exclaims, “I missed you mijo!”
“Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what in the world are you doing here?”
“You wanted to know about your father.” She makes the statement as though that should completely clear up my confusion.
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“The things you were asking aren’t safe to be discussed on the phone, mijo.” She pushes past me into my apartment. Her eyes judgmentally scour every surface that is undoubtedly not up to her cleanliness standards. “You need to find an esposa. Someone to clean up after you.”
“I don’t want a wife. And even if I did, I wouldn’t want her to clean up after me.” I grab a few handfuls of dirty clothes from the back of the couch and toss them to the floor in my significantly dirtier bedroom before pulling the door shut. “And don’t change the subject.”
