Page 61 of Who Said Mobsters Were Scary?
“Let it go, Leo. Goro’s not worth your time.”
Leo scowls at me, but still opens the door as I approach. “What’s his problem? ‘Make sure you don’t mess up, Leon. It doesn’t take the Akiyama Group much to find a replacement.’ That fucking asshole,” he fumes, his imitation of Goro making me chuckle. “It’s not funny.”
“If it’s any consolation, I don’t like him either.”
“Well, can’t you have your father fire him or something?” he huffs out, boarding the elevator.
“It’s not as easy as that, I’m afraid.”
We go to our hotel and change. It’s so hot here, I opt for knee-length shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, needing something lighter than a suit. I pop some sunglasses and a hat on as well, making sure my disguise is sufficient. I’m not particularly famous, but it never hurts to exert caution. Leo keeps his slacks, but abandons his suit’s vest and jacket, rolling the sleeves of his dark blue shirt up and undoing the top couple of buttons.
“What are you in the mood for?” I ask as we lock our room and head outside.
“Dunno. You pick.”
I don’t usually like when people give me attitude, but Leo sulking is a little amusing, so I let him be grumpy as I choose a restaurant. His annoyance tampers down while we eat, and he even makes a couple of those appreciativesexy noises, but as soon as we leave the venue, he’s back to his grumpy self.
I consider asking him if there is something he wants to do or see, but I decide against that as he lets out a deep sigh. I’d hoped food would fix his mood, but seeing as it didn’t, it’s time for a Plan B. I have a couple ideas of what might help, but as we enter a mall to check what movies are playing at the cinema, the perfect solution to my adorably frustrating problem presents itself to me.
Grinning so hard I feel my mouth hurt, I drag Leo away from the escalators. “Let’s go check a few shops out.”
He makes a grumbly sound. “I thought you wanted to see a movie.”
“The movie can wait. This here looks more interesting,” I insist, taking him past the area with the arcade games to the shop with the massive neon pink sign.
He pauses as we reach the entrance, causing me to stop, too. His eyes crinkle in the corners as they bounce between me and the sign, the pink from it making his face glow in the same hue. I sense the moment some of the tension leaves him, feeling a surge of satisfaction that bringing him here was the right call.
“Sweet dreams?” he reads off the sign, fighting a smile. “Chai. When you said you wanted to check some shops, I assumed you meant for snacks or something,” he says, mirth making it through the note of irritation still lingering in his voice. “What are we doing in front of asex shop?”
I drum my fingers against my chin, shrugging. “I thought it might lift your mood.”
Leo shakes his head, the grin widening until it turns into a wicked smirk that has goosebumps rising all over me as I second-guess my decision to bring him here. Myfight-or-flight response triggers, flooding me with adrenaline and anticipation in the best way possible.
“Oh, yeah?” he drawls, biting on his lip. “That the only reason?”
I suppress a shiver at the predatory look he gives me. It was, yes, at least until he asked me. “Yes, Leo.” I keep my voice stern and authoritative. “I have no ulterior motives whatsoever in bringing you to this sex shop.”
Chapter 27
Chai is such adork. I laugh at his serious expression and tone, grab his hand, and drag him inside the sex shop. The entire place maintains the pink and black of the curtains pulled over the front windows, with blue neon signs above the four aisles. Costumes and lingerie are located near the entrance along with a shelf of porn mags. The cash desk is tucked in the left corner and sits on an elevated platform with four faux marble columns decorating it. There are stairs just off it, and next to them, an elevator.
When I turn to Chai, his eyes are darting from one thing to the next, glimmering with a hint of excitement. It’s not the sexy kind, it’s more the ‘what am I doing here when I can order all of this online… but also this looks like fun’ type of enthusiasm and that brings a smile to my face that I don’t even bother to hide.
As we greet the shop assistant and head further into the shop, he notices my grin, giving me a questioning lift of one eyebrow. “What is it, Leo?”
I drag my fingers along the smooth, cold rubbery skin of a mannequin wearing a bright purple jockstrap and nipple clamps with tassels. “You ever been to a shop like this before?” I ask, flicking the tassels.
Chai gives mealook, narrowing his eyes as if I shouldn’t have asked that question. “No, I haven’t. What about you?”
“Once or twice, sure. Never bought anything, though.”
He hums, trailing behind me as we turn into the next aisle. This one has vibrators and dildos in all kinds of shapes and some with extra appendages. They start off on the smaller side, growing in size as we reach the end and slip into the next section. To be honest, the shop didn’t look as big from the outside, but it’s actually massive. What I’ve seen so far from their collection is also quite impressive.
“Why go if you weren’t buying?” Chai tosses, pausing at the shelf with lube just before the butt plugs start.
“Well…” I join him there, planting myself behind him and placing my hands on his waist. The shiver he fails to contain causes one of my own, the tingling delightful as it starts at the base of my neck and spreads through the rest of me. “One was a dare when I was in middle school. Got thrown out before I managed to steal anything. And the second…”
That was in my first year of college. Not really a dare this time, and certainly not involving the cashier chasing me because I had no business in a shop like that, but I’d been broke all the same.
