“I know everything about everyone.” Does he? The thought pisses me off, and I stare at him, wondering how he got to anything I supposedly have locked down. “Don’t worry. I haven’t stolen anything,” he says, taking a sip of his drink and throwing his napkin to the table. “Someone else might, though. You wanna get control of that shit.” He smirks. “Could be trouble for you.”
A smile tips my lips, my eyes locked with his. Devious little shit. I like him already. Perhaps this team of two needs a little more consideration than I previously thought.
“You can sort that out for me?” I ask, about ready to kill my own mainframe tech team for letting anyone through my doors.
“Sure.” I look back at Quinn and wonder what exactly it is that he needs from me.
“Seventy-thirty?” He stares, dice rolling around his palm. It’s a face I know well, one I use all the time to get what I want. “And what do you need from me for that cut?”
“Muscle and weight.” Hmm. “All of it, on side with us.”
I take a sip of my drink, enjoying the front he's bringing. Not many come at me with this sort of offer. And not many would dare face me off like he is doing.
“That’s the deal, Vico. There’s no room for manoeuvring. You get a legitimate place to run fentanyl through. We’ll take that risk and give you a larger cut, but we get an alliance with you that goes through to the end.”
I glance behind me as the women giggle about something, watching as Hope slides closer to Emily and pretends she gives a damn.
“With any luck, we’ll all come out better off.”
He gets up after that, giving me some space to think and crosses to the bar for more booze. Intelligent. I gaze back at the accountant instead, still wondering about that tension between them. I won’t have that shit in my house. Tension causes problems and with problems comes anarchy. He smiles at me.
“What?”
“Nothing, just being congenial.”
“You got whatever problem you two were having finished?” He looks behind me, a wider smile creeping up his mouth. I flip back to see Quinn and Hope talking. Good girl.
“We never have a problem with business. Personally? Different story.”
The admission makes me look back at him. I have no understanding of how that feels, having no siblings or family to give a damn about.
“There’s no need for you to be concerned. Everything being offered is genuine.” He stands and looks down at me. “What have you got to lose, Vico? I thought you liked a good fight. Or perhaps I was wrong on that score.”
He walks over towards the group behind me, a smug sense of satisfaction in his stride. He shouldn’t bother with it. I won’t be railroaded into anything by sly coercion, let alone brothers working as seamlessly as these boys are doing. They’re good, though. Astute. And more interesting than I’ve encountered for some time. I stand to join them, my feet directing me towards the only person I give a damn about. Hope leans into Quinn, saying something that will be useful to me at some point, no doubt.
She’s all smiles, a perfect lure for a man like Quinn—fuck, any man—and she’s doing exactly as I instructed. I slow my pace, reading her lips. “I certainly know this trip won’t all be business. I imagine you have other priorities as well, Quinn.” They lock eyes for a moment too long, her hand barely stopping itself from touching his chest. Provocative bitch. I smile as he falls for the bait, his eyes frowning at whatever he’s thinking about. Probably his dick.
A hostess chooses this moment to offer another drink, and I lose my line of sight. My snarl sends her running quickly enough that I pick up Quinn’s last words to her and barely contain my temper.
“Maybe you’re worth it.” Yeah, that’s fucking enough for now.
I walk towards them, arm outstretched to call her to heel. She comes instantly, a smile on her sharp little face as she graces the ground with her heels. We’re going home where I’ll fuck myself back into those eyes of hers and plan for tomorrow.
“Why don’t you two come on into the office in the morning?” Both boys look at me, Quinn smiling slightly. I glance at the accountant. “Sounds like I’ve got a breach you need to look at anyway. We can carry on discussions while these ladies shop downtown.” Hope leans into me, her hand trailing over the back of my neck. “This has been a good start.”
A good start.
Four
The clock on the dresser reads five thirty. Not the usual time for a run, but I'm awake, and my mind’s spinning faster than it should.
No matter how hard Benjamin fucked me last night, I couldn’t get Quinn from my mind. It felt dirty just thinking of him, but after all this time I’d sat across the table from both him and his brother. It was exhilarating in some ways.
I slide from the soft sheets and change, unable to take the quiet any longer. My body needs to process some of this frustration. If Benjamin wakes up, he’ll know where I am. By my reckoning, he’ll have another hour at least. The pills are very accurate, and I prepared enough for a good six hours.
Torino isn’t outside the apartment yet, but he’s in the lobby when I stroll through at six. He follows, keeping a marginal distance like he always allows when I run. He’s dressed in running gear as well, though, knowing my routine.
The apartment on the upper west side gives me the perfect route into the park and its multiple tracks and pathways. Five to six miles a day is my routine—sometimes more, sometimes flat out. It gives me the space to think, to consider, without the ever-watchful gaze of Benjamin or the many men he keeps around. Each has their job in his inner circle, as do I. We're like chequers on a board—moved when necessary, removed if need be. I'm his perfect mistress, though, a prize within his collection of fine things. The one he protects at all costs.
