Total pages in book: 225
Estimated words: 218500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1093(@200wpm)___ 874(@250wpm)___ 728(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 218500 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1093(@200wpm)___ 874(@250wpm)___ 728(@300wpm)
I can fire him with cause. When I overheard the accusation from another staff member, I looked over the background check we ran on him when he was hired. He graduated high school in the same class as my brother Ash. This means he would know better than to fuck with anyone in my family. As my father always says, steal from a Steele and you’ll lose much more than you took.
I take theft personally.
I was just about done paying attention to the bar when the conversation happening between the brunette my eyes are on now and her friend piqued my interest. This girl was pouring the depths of her longing out to the busty blonde from upstairs who slipped me her number about a year ago. I tossed the number. A woman making a move on me isn’t something I find sexy, and I prefer not to shit where I eat.
I clued into the conversation by the tragedy and the longing, getting fully snagged when it turned sexual. And now my eyes have been on the brunette, Chloe, on the dancefloor for the length of three songs.
My phone rings, pulling my focus away.
Grace calling.
I reject the call and fire a text off to a guy I use for security and investigation services that need a little extra finesse. For background checks that need a deeper dive. Kenny lacks a typical moral code of conduct and loves money. He comes in useful from time to time.
Go deep. Subjects: Adam in Columbus. In a car accident seven months ago that resulted in paralysis. He’s in journalism. Writes for a local magazine and news website. I want a dossier on him and his fiancée. Chloe. Deep on both. Chloe: close friends with a blonde named Alannah who works somewhere in the offices above the Downtown club. Give me the basic rundown on Alannah too. Priority 1 on Chloe. P2 on Adam. P3 on Alannah. Photos coming.
He responds about two minutes later, despite the fact it’s 10:30 on a Friday night.
Deadline? More info?
I reply.
Whatever you can get in one hour via text on Chloe. The rest, by the end of tomorrow in a file. I’ll be at Downtown tomorrow night, too. Bring me dossiers directly. Contact Shep for surveillance as Chloe and Alannah are here now. Gimme five mins to give him a heads up.
I take a few snapshots of the monitor in front of me and forward them to him. One is of her dancing. One of her laughing. The third, she’s twirling.
He responds.
1 hr without a last name?
Yeah, I’m a demanding client. But I pay well.
I write back.
I’ll get you a last name. Hang tight.
As I ponder my actions and my upcoming few moves, my phone alerts me to a voicemail message.
Grace can wait.
I eyeball the monitor again and see a guy touch Chloe’s shoulder. Something foreign invades my system and I’m immediately craving violence, bolting to standing.
I forcefully shove the sensations away as I grab my handset and press the digits for my head of security, who answers on the first ring.
“Shep,” I clip into the phone.
“Yeah, boss?”
“Dance floor. Dark hair, strappy black dress dancing with that blonde from upstairs who comes here regularly. See?”
”I see them.”
“The goof talking to her in the red shirt? Show her he’s a goof who’s been hittin’ on women all night.”
“Has he?”
“Shouldn’t you know the answer to that?” I fire back.
“Don’t think he has. Think he just got here.”
“You have your orders,” I advise.
The phone is silent for a beat before Shep asks, “Reason I should know about?”
“My private eye is gonna get ahold of you for surveillance on them. Particularly the brunette, Chloe. I’m coming up behind you. Wait thirty seconds before you approach.”
“Ah,” he replies knowingly, despite the fact that this is the first time we’ve ever done this. “On it,” Shep says and hangs up.
I put the phone down and pull air into my lungs before releasing it slowly, rolling my shoulders, flexing my jaw. I tip my head to the left until my neck cracks, pocket my phone and a business card, and make my way out of the office, into the club.
I’m this pretty thing’s hall pass. No way is that honor going to the schmuck in the red shirt.
Her words, how much it sounds like she gives a shit about this guy. And more than that, the sound of the utter and complete longing in her voice? It’s lit a match in me.
Tired of boring and repetitive sex but wanting even that after not being touched in seven months? Spends all her time looking after a guy who can’t even bother to get her off when she’s spent seven months loyally looking after him? Didn’t feast on her offered pussy when it would’ve cost him just minutes of his time to keep the girl who was standing by him feeling desirable, wanted?