Chapter 12
It’s midnight by the time I cross the foyer of my penthouse. After leaving Maxine’s apartment, I headed back across town to be sure the job with Alexander was completed.
The last two hours, I spent combing through her brothers’ apartment looking for anything that might suggest what dark hole they’ve crawled into to hide. Nothing. It didn’t even look like they’d packed themselves a bag.
Which isn’t great news. If they weren’t planning on leaving town, and they can’t be found, either Vartan Petrosyan hasn’t seen fit to let them loose, he’s decided they’re not useful anymore and got rid of them, or they were sent off without any time to prepare.
Their apartment is a shithole. It’s obvious Maxine tried to tidy up for them when she’d been here earlier, but there’s no hiding how these two idiots live.
Dirty clothes in piles. The clean one’s are in piles too, but they’re on the dressers.
I’m not sure these fools even know how to fold clothes.
The other items are hanging in the closets on thin wire hangers.
And the fucking smell.
If these assholes return, they’re going to have a lesson on cleaning.
There’s a deep contrast to their apartment and Maxine’s.
In her place, other than the fact she keeps it clean, there are little mementos of her family.
There’re several pictures of her with the boys, and a few smaller pictures of only them on magnets on her fridge.
They’re young in those, though, so I’m guessing they were school pictures she kept.
The boys have nothing in their place that suggests they even have a sister.
On the counter in the kitchen in the pile of mail, there was a birthday card from her.
The boys must have had a birthday recently, because it was still on the counter with chocolate smudged across it from the candy bar they’d set on it.
They were using the fucking thing as a plate.
I wonder if she noticed that when she was there. Did she see how little they’d thought of her card?
Anger boils in me again at the ungratefulness of those fucking punks.
My phone rings as I enter my bedroom. The day’s grime sticks to me, all I want is a hot shower and my bed.
“Yeah?”
“Nice way to answer the phone.” Kaz laughs on the other end.
“If you wanted nice, you should call at a decent hour.” I shuck out of my jacket and toss it on the bench at the foot of my bed and toe out of my shoes.
“It’s barely midnight. Thought you might like some information, but if you’d rather I call after you’ve gotten your beauty sleep, I can wait.”
“Shut up.” I nearly growl. “What do you have?”
“A sighting.”
“I’m not in the mood for games, Kazimir.” I grab my belt and work it open, pushing out of my clothes as I head to the bathroom.
A hot shower. It’s exactly what a man needs at the end of the day.
No. That’s bullshit.
What a man needs is a woman warming his bed when he comes home. Not any woman. Just one. And just like that, my mind conjures up the image of Maxine lying on her bed, legs spread for me.
“Are you even listening?” Kaz’s voice shreds the mental picture.
“I wasn’t. I am now. Go ahead.” I reach into the shower and turn on the water.
“Those little boys you told me about? The twins. They surfaced tonight.”
“Where?” My men haven’t been able find anything on them, and they’ve hunted down more skilled men than these idiots.
“I was at the airport, dropping a friend off. They were getting out of a cab. No bags with them.”
“At the airport? Any chance you waited to see if they got on a flight or where they were going?”
“They checked in at the desk to get tickets, but I didn’t see where they were headed. Domestic though, so not sure if that helps. Anyway, they’re not here in town.”
“What friend were you dropping at the airport?” I question.
“I have friends,” he says defensively.
“You do.” I agree. “And none of them would be flying on a commercial flight.”
He laughs. “Putting her on a private flight would have given her the wrong idea.”
“Ah. And you can’t have that.”
“No. One full day was enough. She’ll be back home in California, and I will be a distant memory.”
“Or so you hope?” I add. “Do you even know the name of this one?”
“I do. Carie.” He clears his throat. “So, the sister of these twins.”
“Don’t go there, Kaz. Your face is too pretty for me to have to break it.”
“Ah. So it’s like that.”
“It’s like nothing. She’s Nicolette’s friend, and her brothers are dealing with shit that could put her in danger.”
“Right. That’s all it is. So you wouldn’t mind then, if I offered my assistance? I got a look at her at Nicolette’s party the other night, and she’s—”
“Not for you.” I cut him off.
He laughs. “Got it.”
“Make sure you do.”
“Let me know if you need any help,” he says. “With the twins or the Armenians. I wouldn’t mind a good fight. These DeAngelo fucks are boring with their little fires. If Alexander would give the okay to go full out on them, I could have them out in the open, and we could end this stupid war.”
“Alexander’s right to keep the fighting low key. If it gets too loud, other factions will have to weigh in, and it will cause more trouble.”
“I don’t disagree. I only want to get more done.” He sounds bored. With the turnstile in his bedroom, I’d think he’d have more to keep him occupied, but maybe the little brother is finally growing up.
“Ambition can be a snake bite to the ass if you’re not careful.”
“It must be late. You’re talking like an old man who’s had too much to drink. Go to bed, old man.” He laughs and ends the call.
The steam billowing out from my shower beckons me, but first I shoot a text out to have the flights combed to find where the hell the twins flew off to. Are they on a job for the Armenians, or are they hiding from them?
Hot water cascades over my muscles, softening some of the tension of the day as I stand beneath the stream.
Again, the image of Maxine floats into my mind. First the defiance in her eyes, hidden only by her glasses. But not so much that I couldn’t see it burning in her eyes. The woman hates being told what to do, but she craves it just as much.
When I kissed her, a decision was made. Nicolette will have to deal with the fact that her friend is now mine. I claimed her in that moment, though I’m not positive Maxine understands it. I’ll explain things to her tomorrow.
Right after I spread her thick, beautiful thighs again for me. This time, instead of my mouth, her pussy will be filled with my cock.
Just thinking of it makes me steel hard. Alone and in need, I wrap my hand around my shaft, squeezing as I stroke.
Her moans were so fucking pretty. Little whimpers I’m sure she thought she was hiding from me. Every little noise squeaked through her defenses, and each one was like a vise grip on my dick.
She tasted sweet. A delicious delicacy I won’t deny myself any longer. It had been stupid to deny myself as long as I had; even a day was too long to stay away from her.
Her pussy gripped my fingers as I stroked her, as I fucked her, and licked her. And those sounds, they replay in my mind now as I imagine her spread out for me on her bed. Her hair spread out against her pillow. Her glasses sliding down her nose as she tilted her head to watch me eating her pussy.
My balls pull tight thinking about it now, the familiar tension zipping down my spine.
I’m going to bend her over next time, right over the arm of her couch.
I’ll pull her pants down and fuck her hard from behind.
Her ass, round and sweet, will bounce with each of my thrusts.
Her hair will fall over her face, until I fist it in my hand.
I’ll pull her head back, until her throat is stretched and then I’ll wrap my other hand around it, squeezing until she cries out.
“Fuck!” I growl in the shower, stroking my cock harder and faster as my orgasm tears through me.
Thick ropes of cum paint the shower wall. If only it were Maxine’s face, her tits, or that ass of hers. I grit my teeth as the last of the waves slow, and my breath returns to me.
Letting the water rush over my face and my chest, I take slow, steadying breaths. I need my bed. A good night’s sleep will push this infatuation away, and by morning my head will be clear again. I can focus on the Armenian problem.
As I step out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my waist, my phone buzzes with a message. Picking it up, I swipe the notification that opens to a text message from Stephan. He’s positioned outside Maxine’s apartment.
We have a problem. I have eyes on three men looking very interested in your girl’s window. Want me to go up?
My grip tightens on the phone so hard, I’m surprised the casing doesn’t crack.
Not unless they go into the building. I’m on my way.