Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“Are you jealous?” he asks, leaning forward in his chair.
I can tell when he’s intentionally trying to push my buttons. In fact, I’m incredibly gifted at it myself. Pissing people off is what we do best. I don’t like it when the woman I’ve set my eyes on is doing it to me.
“No.”
“Interesting. Because I heard rumors about a blonde girl at a certain club…”
I raise a brow at him. News travels fast.
“What did the twins say?” I growl.
“That you were acting weird around a dancer.”
“I told you; I’m keeping an eye on her and her association with the Boston Delinquents club.”
“Is that all, though?” he asks. “Because you haven’t mentioned hiring Will yet for intel about her. And that’s very unlike you. You usually go for the most efficient route, so why are you looking into this personally?”
“Shouldn’t you be thanking me for looking out for you?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I don’t think the Boston Delinquents are going to be a problem. I met with their new president, Waylon Striker, a few weeks ago, and we’re in the midst of negotiations. Nothing’s solidified yet, though, and if I were them, I’d definitely be putting spies in where I can. But I think we’ve come to an understanding.”
“Which is exactly why I have to get to the bottom of this,” I say, glancing back at my phone.
Eli doesn’t seem convinced. “Hawke said she’s a looker.”
I clench my jaw as I attempt not to play into his hand and give him a reaction. “Hawke will fuck anything with a hole, so tell him to back off this one,” I deadpan.
“That sounds awfully possessive of you.” He gives me a humorless smile.
My phone pings, and I immediately look down at it.
Posie: No
Two simple letters rolled into one powerful statement.
Her favorite fucking word.
I quickly reply.
Me: You agreed to one date.
“So, yeah, I sucked cock the other day,” Eli says, but I’m not paying attention.
“That’s nice,” I say, concentrating on my phone. The dancing dots appear, then disappear.
“Or maybe it was you who wants to suck cock,” he adds.
Posie: I didn’t agree to when. I’m busy tonight.
Busy? With what? Or whom? I go to reply but then blank on what to say. She doesn’t do as I tell her, and this time, I actually asked… sort of.
“Let me guess, it’s the blonde.” This time I look up at him.
“Why are you talking about someone’s fucking cock?”
“So you were listening.” He shakes his head.
“She agreed to go on a date with me, then backed out,” I tell him, finally throwing my phone down. “I’m genuinely at my wits’ end on how to deal with this woman. My usual tactics for obedience don’t seem to be working. What do you do when intimidation doesn’t work and you can’t resort to torture?”
“Hold up. Rewind. So you did actually ask a girl on a date?” He sounds baffled. “When was the last time you did that?”
“Never.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, she wouldn’t let me fuck her. So I figured dinner would be the next best option so I could extract information.”
“Hmmm.” A knowing smirk crosses his features. I want to wipe that arrogant smile from his face.
“I’m doing this for you, remember?” I remind him as his phone rings.
“Of course. It’s definitely me you’re thinking of and not your cock.” He laughs as he stands to take the call. His tone changes immediately, and I know who it is on the other end of the line: his wife. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of Jewel initially, since she’s a hitwoman who had Eli as a target when they met, I now respect that she loves him. Though I still don’t like that she’s a better shot than all of us.
“I have to go,” he tells me absentmindedly, still holding the phone to his ear. “Why don’t you send her flowers?”
Jewel’s voice comes through the phone. “Or a gun. I love guns as a present. Wait. Is Dutton dating someone?”
“I’m not sure most women would like your type of gifts, Kitten.”
I roll my eyes at how quickly gossip spreads in this family. It’s like wildfire.
And yet, I find myself grumbling to make a point. “She would throw out flowers if I got them for her.”
“Okay, so take dinner to her if she won’t meet you somewhere,” Eli suggests as he leaves.
A smile blossoms on my lips because although I’m definitely not taking dating advice from Eli or the twins, his suggestion isn’t a bad one.
Guess I’m bringing her dinner.
CHAPTER 15
Posie
I’m doing the dishes when there’s a knock on my door. My eyebrows furrow because eight in the evening is way too late for a delivery driver. There’s another knock, and I curse. I’d leave it if the person weren’t so persistent, and I wasn’t worried about it waking Bentley.
I collect the bat beside my door, bracing myself for the third knock. I open the door, and my left eye twitches when I see Dutton standing there, looking like he’s just stepped off the runway, holding a big brown bag that I’d much rather be over his head. Because, fuck, he looks too good for an insufferable asshole.