Crimson Night Sins (The Boston Underworld)

Chapter 1 – Amanda

“I’ll have a water,” I instructed the waiter. “We’ll make a wine selection when the other member of my party is here.”

The word boyfriend wouldn’t roll off my tongue.

“Very good, ma’am,” the waiter intoned. He went to move but faltered. It was the slightest misstep. I wouldn’t have seen it if I wasn’t looking. But I was.

Following his gaze, I noticed the energy of the room had shifted. There was a subtle stillness I’d learned to recognize in boardrooms. The moment when someone powerful entered without an announcement.

The waiter shook himself and scuttled away.

My focus, however, was snagged by the group of men in crisp, dark suits.

The luxurious tailoring draped over their hard, brutally cut bodies.

They painted a picture of wealth and power.

And something else. Something familiar. Maybe it was the way they carried themselves.

Or the predatory look in their eyes, always assessing for a threat.

Whatever it was, it simmered under the surface.

I watched them weave through the restaurant, going to the back and ghosting into a private dining room. From where I sat, it was impossible to make out any faces.

Good lord, what would it be like to have clients like those?

Someday. If I worked hard enough. Those were the kind of sharks I wanted to fight for my services.

I rose from my seat as the friendly giant approached. “Steven! How was your flight?”

Dressed in a soft navy suit, Steven didn’t look like he ran a trillion-dollar energy company.

His own energy was naturally laid back, as if he were ready to go to the yacht club, not the boardroom.

That creamy blond hair was perfectly gelled and styled, and he’d grown a thin mustache over his upper lip since the last time I’d seen him.

He chuckled and pulled me in for a hug. “Abysmal.”

If my body was stiff and rigid against him, he didn’t mention it. I took a deep breath, forcing my muscles to relax. The scent of citrus and sunlight helped, but only a little.

His blue eyes glittered as he pulled back. That cultured British accent made my stomach flip as he helped me back into my seat. “Long enough to read that book you recommended.”

I stifled a groan. “I did not recommend it.”

We weren’t in a serious enough relationship for me to force my boyfriend to read dark, unhinged books about wolf kings and fae lords. But he’d caught me reading it in the park last month when he’d come to say goodbye to me—again.

From the way he smiled across the table as the tuxedo waiter poured the wine, I asked myself for the millionth time why I wasn’t attracted to him.

Having a long-distance boyfriend was certainly a plus, leaving more time for my priorities.

Steven was handsome and rich. He didn’t berate me for my long hours at work; he never asked me to tone down my ambition.

And my father approved of the relationship, which was the first time Dad showed any interest in my casual partner.

Our time spent together? It was just…blah. When we were around each other every few weeks, Steven didn’t make my insides hum to life, and I didn’t particularly care for his touch.

But Steven was a great guy.

Those were words I would carve on his tombstone.

Well, that’s not morbid as hell.

“I’ve got to say, Amanda, I don’t understand the ‘god bindings.’ They didn’t even have a choice in the matter.” Steven laughed. “But I see how you like a powerful woman who can forge a magical sword.”

“They were meant to be together,” I said lamely, not wanting to discuss that concept any further. “It’s just a silly story. Tell me about the MirPhlax Merger.”

Steven rubbed the thin landing strip on his upper lip. “See. It’s always work with you. And yet you read such strange books.”

I didn’t understand the appeal of my comfort reads either.

I should be reading business books, growing my knowledge base, and staying abreast of the latest trends.

But I found myself craving escape and something…

darker. An idea I wouldn’t let myself voice.

Corporate girls like me, who worked in the world of sharks, didn’t admit that we wanted to be at the mercy of a powerful being. Of surrendering to a shadow daddy.

“There’s been a delay in the merger,” Steven said, and the edge in his voice had me sitting up straighter. “They gave our family a six-week extension.”

As he spoke, the back of my neck tingled.

I swept a look around the restaurant. La Petite was packed, but the hushed tones of the businessmen dining, the socialites catching dinner before the club, or the couples having a romantic evening weren’t loud enough to eclipse the strains of jazz music floating above us.

There was nothing out of the ordinary, just the typical crème de la crème of Manhattan enjoying one of the most exclusive dining spots in the city.

Even a high-caliber lawyer like myself couldn’t get a table at this place.

That was one of the perks of dating a legacy like Steven.

Dropping his name ensured we had a table despite the two-month waitlist.

Sliding a look to the back, I suppressed a shiver.

The private dining room door was still closed.

The sharks hadn’t emerged. But I felt their presence.

I longed to go. To join them. Whatever high-stakes business was going down behind that door called to me.

There was nothing easy, nothing safe about the idea of their business.

Silly, you haven’t earned a spot there. Not yet.

I shook myself, pushing off the funny feeling in my veins. Here I was, with a perfectly nice guy, and I wanted to chase something intangible and probably dangerous.

“Oh? How come?” I asked, eyes still on the private dining door. “I thought your company had the contracts cinched.”

After all, Archibald Loring was their chief counsel. There was no way my dad was letting a contract of that nature fall through.

“My brother died.”

My gaze cut to my boyfriend. “I’m so sorry!”

The condolences sounded blunt. I squirmed, scrambling for the right thing to say.

“Thank you,” Steven replied smoothly. “It was a shock.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” I gulped. “But why are you back here? Shouldn’t you be with your family?”

His light chuckle seemed out of place. “Words every bloke wants to hear his girl say after he’s spent all day on a plane to see her.”

I reached over to clasp his hand. My clean, short nails made my fingers look smaller, lying in his great paw.

My knuckles were thick and inelegant compared to his long, slim fingers.

And there were wrinkles on the top with calluses on the palm that made the contrast even greater.

A plebian holding the hand of a nobleman.

“I’m always happy to see you,” I admitted softly. “That wasn’t how I meant it.”

My phone vibrated under my thigh.

Steven shot me a look but quickly banished the displeasure from his face. “I actually came back to talk to you.”

I frowned. A low-pitched buzz spiked in my ears. The air around me seemed to thicken; it was harder to take a proper breath. “Oh, that wasn’t necessary. You could have called.”

Shit, why was I saying all the wrong things tonight? Usually, I comported myself far better in his company. Pretending I had generations of good breeding was a skill I developed at a young age, and it served me well in my chosen career.

“No, this was something that needed to be said face-to-face.” His smile tightened, annoyance at my obvious blunder well hidden. “You’re a beautiful, smart, creative woman, Amanda. We’re different people, and you deserve better than me.”

Shit…he’s breaking up with me.

I wasn’t in danger of crying, and I tried not to frown.

I could handle this. Actually, in terms of a break-up, this was the best one I’d had.

I steeled my resolve, ready for the words to end the casual contract.

I would be sad to see him go. It was the ideal setup, dating a guy who was as invested in his work as I was.

It wasn’t like we were in love or anything.

When Dad introduced us a few months ago, I liked that Steven was away so much. He didn’t interfere with my routine.

Plus, my dad doted on his young client.

Crap. How was I going to tell my dad I let an eligible bachelor slip through my fingers?

“Amanda?” Steven’s smile confused me.

“Yes?” Here it comes.

I resisted the urge to shake my head and clear the steadily increasing buzz, but my stomach tightened in a knot.

Why did it feel like someone was watching me?

A swift around proved that idea was crazy. The paranoia was just my jumble of thoughts trying to make sense of what was playing out in front of me.

“When Ronald died, I became the heir to my family’s estates and titles,” Steven explained. “I spent the last three weeks putting things in order, but there’s one very important piece missing.”

Three weeks? My mind fixated on that detail.

We had talked once or twice in the last month he’d been away.

Right? Shit. Had I missed the information that there’d been a death in the family?

I’d been busy at work, what with the promotion up for grabs.

But I would have remembered a message or a conversation talking about his brother dying…

right? I resisted the urge to check my text messages.

“In order to become the next earl,” Steven continued. “I need a wife.”

The knot tightened. Here was the break. I wouldn’t cry. We weren’t that kind of couple, but the idea of being single stung. I didn’t want to go back into the dating pool. It was too much work finding an eligible guy who wasn’t intimidated by my career.

“—and my grandmother gave me this.” Steven pulled a velvet box from his breast pocket. “I can’t think of a better woman to wear it, Amanda.”

He drew my fingers further across the table. My ribs pressed against the edge of the wood, the rapid heartbeat thundering behind them.

Wait…what?