Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
He’d done the right thing, but I was still going to spank his pretty ass.
“Calm down, Agent Wilkinson,” Landon said, his voice sounding incredibly nervous. “We need to meet with our client, inform him of what happened and who was responsible. Javier needs an update before he’s surprised by the police or news agency. We need to do our job, Seth.”
“Where. Is. Baker?” I growled. Terror gripped my soul and began twisting it in one direction and then another, wringing the very life from me.
“He’s gone, Seth. He wanted to go home, and the director of the agency agreed. He was injured, nothing too serious, but enough to keep him from meeting with Javier.”
Relief washed over me. “Home? So, he’s back at the apartment,” I concluded. “That’s good. Is somebody there with him? Somebody to take care of him until I get back?”
Landon’s eyes shifted nervously. He pushed me through the doors and back outside of the hospital, and answered, “No, Seth. Home. He went back home…back to where he lives. The agency sent a private jet for him over an hour ago. I’ve been taking care of his paperwork. He’s…he’s gone. I’m sorry, Seth. I know this hurts you.” He reached out to touch my shoulder, but I jerked away. “Tell me what I can do,” he pleaded.
I’d known better. What had I thought? That he was falling in love with me? Fuck, no. He was straight. I’d been some fun experiment to satisfy his curiosity. I’d fucking known. Hell, he’d even told me back in that room. We’re finished, he’d said.
I tucked my feelings in the darkest corner of my mind, looked at Landon, and said, “Not a damn thing, Boss. I’m good. We don’t need Baker for this part of it.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s go tell Mr. Flores what a shitty family he has. It seems like Javier could have mentioned he had an identical twin…that hated him.” I looked at Landon, hoping the pain ripping my heart out wasn’t visible in my gaze and said, “His name was Jericho, right?”
Landon stared at me, not falling for my act for a second. “I’m sorry, Seth. I would have never allowed the Director to send him to us if I’d ever thought it would lead to this. I’m so fucking sorry.”
A black SUV pulled up and I assumed it was there to pick us up, so I started walking toward it. I felt Landon fall in step with me. “Don’t sweat it, Landon. Baker’s straight. It wasn’t like we were going to fall in love, adopt puppies, and remodel a three-story Victorian. I’ll survive. He was a good sub, but there’s plenty more out there.” I opened the door for him and added, “Gay subs for me from now on.”
He climbed into the backseat and I followed. I could do this. My job had been my life for as long as I could remember. Nothing had changed.
Every-fucking-thing had changed, and my life would never be the same again.
*******
Two weeks had passed, and the pain felt as raw today as it had that same moment Landon had told me Baker left me. I functioned, but it was merely robotic. My mind felt scrambled and if anybody had requested more than basic tasks from me, they’d been shit out of luck. Landon had relegated me to desk duty, which would have normally pissed me off to my highest level of pissiness, but I didn’t really give a fuck.
Landon begged me to take some time off, a beach vacation to catch some fun in the sun and drink plenty of booze. Little did he know, I’d never be able to visit a beach again—not after spending time there with Baker. I hadn’t returned to the penthouse we’d shared during our assignment. The pain would have been too much. I’d known there would be traces of Baker everywhere. His smell. His Pop Tarts. The fucking bedsheets stained with his cum.
I slammed my fist down on my desk hard enough to make my cup of coffee tip over and saturate the contents of the latest file Landon tossed on my desk. I didn’t give a shit, it was nothing more than busy work, anyway. Hell, I didn’t even know why they hadn’t already fired me. I would have.
“You gonna clean that up?” Ari asked me.
Poor kid. His desk was next to mine and I honestly pitied the fool. I’d snapped at him at every opportunity and even created some when there was nothing readily available to snap at. I griped when he talked on the phone. Growled when he tapped on the keyboard of his laptop. Cussed when he invited me to lunch and then threw the sandwich away he’d brought to me when I wouldn’t go with him. All in all, I’d been a complete asshole to him.