When I first decided to overhaul the Upper Echelon, my plan was always to leave the prologue the same as it read in Birdy's story. I don't know why I was so attached to it, but I was, and despite all the other changes I was making, I wasn't willing to part with it. Well, as fate would have it, one night I felt compelled to write this scene, or rather Ángel compelled me to write this scene lol. I wasn't sure where I was going to fit it, but once it was done, it hit me: make it the new prologue. And you know what? For the first time since starting the re-writes process, it just felt...right. So here we are. On top of all that's changed, I was able to let go of words that, while powerful for me personally, never really captivated my readers the way they should have. Hopefully, the new words will. XoXo - Dee
PROLOGUE
♫▶ Papi Chulo - Octavian
Three years ago...
“Go, go, go!” my new friend yells as she dives into the front seat of my Mansory Renovatio and slams shut the door.
The haste in her voice immediately drops my foot on the gas without hesitation, the beast of an engine roaring to life as I floor it down the dark and quiet residential street.
Not gonna lie, my pulse thunders wildly.
The fuck is going on?
She’s rustling around with something, that much I can tell, prompting me to slap on the overhead lights. A glint in her lap drops my gaze there, where a diamond-encrusted pocket gun and a thick wad of cash stare back at me. It’s so thick, she can barely fold it in half.
No, she didn’t...
Our eyes meet for a split-second, and even as I turn my attention back to the road, cutting a quick left at the stop sign, I don’t miss the way her lips curl in a smirk as she stuffs the cash in her purse. “Did you just…”
“Rob them?” she echoes my thoughts, scoffing a little laugh. “Technically, yes, but also no, ‘cause they owed me.” The slight growl in her voice as she mutters the last bit jerks my dick against my jeans.
I didn’t think she could get any more perfect—for lack of a better and less cliche word—but here she is, making me consider things most women would have me running from.
Alright, so maybe that’s cheesy too, but you get where I’m going with this.
A dangerous place, that little voice in my head whispers. Don’t go there. Use the skills she clearly has to your advantage. Mantenlo profesional.
For as right as it may be, I know damn well there is no ‘keeping it professional’ with this girl. I’ve already pictured her beneath me one too many times since we met an hour ago.
I have to have her.
Have to taste her.
Feel her.
Hear her moaning my name while I—
“You seem oddly cool with all of this. I thought you would’ve kicked me out of the car and called the cops by now,” Benni remarks, adjusting the low neckline of her black slinky dress. Her tits jiggle with the motion, a not-so-subtle action that leaves me grinding my jaw.
“Yo? La policía? Do I look like someone who fucks with cops?” I counter, fingers twitching restlessly against the wheel. When I finally get my hands on her…
“I mean, no, but still. I literally just committed a crime and you’re acting like it doesn’t even faze you.”
“‘Cause it doesn’t,” I scoff. “I’ve both seen and done worse, mami. If anything, I’m impressed. You booked it in a dress and heels.”
She blushes; I swear I feel it, raising the already scorching tension between us another twenty degrees. “Worse? Who are you? Pablo Escobar or some shit?” And while the little laugh tacked on at the end tells me her spot on presumption is nothing more than a joke, she’s about to learn it’s anything but…
Blanketed by the dark of night, I slam on the brakes without warning, jerking the car to a stop in the middle of the empty street. Benni gasps at the sudden halt, her small hand falling flat on the dash to avoid crashing into it.
I shouldn’t, I know I fucking shouldn’t, but I’m moving before I can rein in the impulse, draping myself over the center console into her personal space. Hand flying to her throat, I guide her toward me in a blink until we’re so close, her scent invades me. “No…” My tongue flicks out against her lips, hungrily licking along the soft seam. “I’m Arcángel.”
I need this book now!! 🤣😱🥵