provided.
That peace was shattered by the quiet vibration of my phone.
I bit off a curse and gingerly moved away from April, answering the phone impatiently.
“Yeah?” I said.
“Meet me in an hour at the club.”
The line went dead, and I bit back another curse.
I returned to the bed and kissed her awake.
“You’re leaving?” she asked groggily.
“I have to work,” I whispered. “But I’ll be back.”
And I would be, as soon as I could.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
I was at the club an hour later as requested, though I was unhappy about it, something that I knew I projected with my stance and the mean expression that twisted my features. I marched to my destination without pausing, paying the thumping music, raised voices, and crush of bodies no attention. Without pause, I walked to the office where the boss managed affairs. I stopped in front of the table where he sat with three others. He inclined his head slightly, and the other men stood and left without a word. I knew all of them, but I didn’t spare them a passing glance.
“Have you handled that thing for Shaughnessy?”
“I’ll get to it,” I said gruffly.
“Good. You are a valuable member of this organization, and I trust your judgment, but you have to let this Shaughnessy thing go.”
“I fucking despise that guy. He’s scum,” I said scornfully.
“Useful scum,” the boss said matter-of-factly.
I couldn’t refute his statement, so I stayed silent.
“Is this Shaughnessy thing going to be a problem?”
He stared at me with hard eyes. I wasn’t afraid; I never was, but I didn’t want to test the limits of his affection for me. He was not a man known for sentimentality, and given Shaughnessy’s value, I doubted he would choose me should he be forced. I didn’t blame him; I would have made much the same decision were I in his shoes. Which is why I never wanted to be in his shoes.
“It’s bullshit that I have to clean up his domestic affairs.”
“It is, but think of it as a token of appreciation. And once you handle this for him, I’m going to have someone else step in. You and him are trouble, and I can’t have that. But you hurt his feelings, so you need to smooth this over.”
I nodded, swallowing the bile that burned at the back of my throat. “Anything else?” I said.
“Anything you should tell me?” he retorted.
I couldn’t tell if this was a fishing expedition or if he had some real information on me and April, but unless he outright asked, I would reveal nothing.
“No.”
“Okay. Take care of Shaughnessy’s issue, and I might have another thing coming up.”
“Just let me know the particulars, and I’ll handle it.”
The boss nodded, and I left, not bothering to say good-bye in my haste to return to April.
Chapter Nine
The two weeks that followed were the best of my life, the best I knew I’d ever have.
I handled my work, but those moments were just blurs, tiny blips of time between visits with April, and I craved my time with her with a hunger I couldn’t explain and treasured them like they were the most precious jewels.
Today was one of April’s rare days off, the first she’d had since the attempted robbery, and I’d made the most of it. I hadn’t let her get more than a few feet away for hours, taking every opportunity I could to touch her, fuck her, make love to her, and just be with her. And she didn’t seem to mind, gazing at me with mix of longing, acceptance, and affection that I’d never thought I would experience. I treasured each moment with her more than the last, looked forward to each time I was privileged to be with her, and tried to remember every second of it.
And right now, I had one particular memory I wanted to make.
“Up you go,” I said, smacking her ass playfully before I lay back on the bed.
She glanced down my body, taking me in with avid eyes that never failed to make my cock stir, this time being no exception. I swelled to full attention as she watched, and the
That peace was shattered by the quiet vibration of my phone.
I bit off a curse and gingerly moved away from April, answering the phone impatiently.
“Yeah?” I said.
“Meet me in an hour at the club.”
The line went dead, and I bit back another curse.
I returned to the bed and kissed her awake.
“You’re leaving?” she asked groggily.
“I have to work,” I whispered. “But I’ll be back.”
And I would be, as soon as I could.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
I was at the club an hour later as requested, though I was unhappy about it, something that I knew I projected with my stance and the mean expression that twisted my features. I marched to my destination without pausing, paying the thumping music, raised voices, and crush of bodies no attention. Without pause, I walked to the office where the boss managed affairs. I stopped in front of the table where he sat with three others. He inclined his head slightly, and the other men stood and left without a word. I knew all of them, but I didn’t spare them a passing glance.
“Have you handled that thing for Shaughnessy?”
“I’ll get to it,” I said gruffly.
“Good. You are a valuable member of this organization, and I trust your judgment, but you have to let this Shaughnessy thing go.”
“I fucking despise that guy. He’s scum,” I said scornfully.
“Useful scum,” the boss said matter-of-factly.
I couldn’t refute his statement, so I stayed silent.
“Is this Shaughnessy thing going to be a problem?”
He stared at me with hard eyes. I wasn’t afraid; I never was, but I didn’t want to test the limits of his affection for me. He was not a man known for sentimentality, and given Shaughnessy’s value, I doubted he would choose me should he be forced. I didn’t blame him; I would have made much the same decision were I in his shoes. Which is why I never wanted to be in his shoes.
“It’s bullshit that I have to clean up his domestic affairs.”
“It is, but think of it as a token of appreciation. And once you handle this for him, I’m going to have someone else step in. You and him are trouble, and I can’t have that. But you hurt his feelings, so you need to smooth this over.”
I nodded, swallowing the bile that burned at the back of my throat. “Anything else?” I said.
“Anything you should tell me?” he retorted.
I couldn’t tell if this was a fishing expedition or if he had some real information on me and April, but unless he outright asked, I would reveal nothing.
“No.”
“Okay. Take care of Shaughnessy’s issue, and I might have another thing coming up.”
“Just let me know the particulars, and I’ll handle it.”
The boss nodded, and I left, not bothering to say good-bye in my haste to return to April.
Chapter Nine
The two weeks that followed were the best of my life, the best I knew I’d ever have.
I handled my work, but those moments were just blurs, tiny blips of time between visits with April, and I craved my time with her with a hunger I couldn’t explain and treasured them like they were the most precious jewels.
Today was one of April’s rare days off, the first she’d had since the attempted robbery, and I’d made the most of it. I hadn’t let her get more than a few feet away for hours, taking every opportunity I could to touch her, fuck her, make love to her, and just be with her. And she didn’t seem to mind, gazing at me with mix of longing, acceptance, and affection that I’d never thought I would experience. I treasured each moment with her more than the last, looked forward to each time I was privileged to be with her, and tried to remember every second of it.
And right now, I had one particular memory I wanted to make.
“Up you go,” I said, smacking her ass playfully before I lay back on the bed.
She glanced down my body, taking me in with avid eyes that never failed to make my cock stir, this time being no exception. I swelled to full attention as she watched, and the
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