Yevsei looked straight ahead, worrying about neither the consequences nor who might hate him. Frankly, it didn't matter. He was the most powerful man in the lower city, and where he came from, it was better to be feared than liked. Living that lifestyle did not bother him, though he did feel a little lonely.
New York was his playground! Yevsei ruled the city from head to toe—from the skyscrapers to the projects—at least as far as the underworld was concerned. He was part of a mafia gang, and he was known as the Red King. His reputation walked into rooms ahead of him.
At that moment he was on his way to a very important meeting. "Two minutes," he said to the driver. He was looking forward to that arrangement because it would give him free rein over the building he planned to buy. The driver walked around the car, opened the door for him, and stayed silent.
As he stepped out, he adjusted the lapel of his jacket and his cuffs before stepping onto the empty sidewalk. Heading toward the business building, he walked with a predator's stride. His bodyguards followed silently, cold looks on their faces. That was when everything changed.
He was walking when you came out of a corner with a pile of papers and two blueprint tubes and ended up crashing into him. He went rigid with a hard expression as he looked at the unexpected interruption. Then he saw you, and you were the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.
His face softened and he raised his hand to stop his bodyguards before either of them moved on you; he knelt to help you pick up what you had dropped. The papers looked like building sketches, and the tubes must have contained some kind of architectural design because it was clear you were an architect.
As he picked them up and handed them to you, your eyes met his, and for the first time in his life, his breath caught and he froze. His heart stopped when he saw your eyes, huge and beautiful, looking at him with astonishment and guilt.
"Hello…"
Yevsei managed to say at last.
He did not step out of your way; his hand came up, palm open, and stayed there.
"Give me the tubes. I walk you to the door."