Chapter 2
Ireleased her leg and put it down, licking my way from her hip to her thigh. I grabbed her bathing suit and fixed it back into place, then tapped her hip. “Get out of here.” Before I fuck your brains out and make you see stars.
Despite what the general public perceived when they thought of bosses like me, my dick didn’t dip into places I didn’t know, and I definitely didn’t spill seed inside wombs I didn’t intend to grow a baby in. Or maybe that was just me. It probably was just me.
The girl spun on her toes and walked away, then stood at the locked door.
I suppressed the urge to keep her caged for the rest of the evening.
It could be fun. Hmm. I took a minute to think, then decided against it.
“Puss-I, one person exiting, don’t lock after her.
” In a way, I told the girl, she was welcome back, though if she returned, she was in for a meet and greet the boss, not just meet.
Greeting was different, namely in the way I’d let her choke on my dick.
At the exit, she turned, a small smile on her face. “It was nice meeting you.”
I laughed.
Her smile widened. Eyes downcast, she walked back to the pool. Puss-I slid the door closed, and my world dimmed again, but briefly, I’d enjoyed the bit of sun-kissed skin with freckles, the little moans of pleasure. I’d definitely enjoyed her obedience. For now, that would have to do.
Since she drank my second round, I sucked on whiskey-flavored ice from my first glass, then lit up the cigar.
Through the smoke, I people watched, my gaze often returning to the girl.
Her friends surrounded her, their mouths running, hers not so much.
Now, she kept glancing toward my patio, even though she couldn’t see me.
Ivana’s heels clicked outside, and I leaned back as she neared. I told Puss-I to let her in. My cousin wore a tight red pencil dress that showed off her lithe figure and extended her already long legs. She’d pulled her platinum-blonde hair up in a perfect bun.
Sharp gray eyes on me, she entered. My gaze strayed toward the girl, who had paled, her mouth slightly open. I looked from my cousin to the girl and took a puff.
Ivana turned in the direction of my gaze. “Oh, please, those are kids.”
I snapped my head up. “What the fuck do you mean, kids?”
She sat beside me and squeezed my knee. “Not kids kids, but, you know, college girls.”
Relieved, I sighed.
She slid me a side-eye. “One of the Russians arrived.”
“Which one?”
“Maks.”
The Russian boss’s right hand. Interesting. “What does he want?”
“He won’t talk to me.”
I chuckled. When we were kids in high school, Ivana gutted Maks with a pencil, and our two families barely avoided conflict over it.
While at odds with each other, all families and organizations had enough sense not to go to war.
In this day and age, good and loyal people were hard to come by, and replacing them due to war casualties was in nobody’s interest. If I could make Ivana marry the Russian, I’d have already done it.
But Ivana wasn’t for everyone, and guys like me weren’t for her.
The group of girls climbed out of the pool and walked toward the bar.
Neven was handsome and chatty, which was why he bartended.
Nothing quite like a friendly neighborhood bartender and a drunk.
While appearing to have a friendly conversation, Neven scooped information out of people.
Though that wasn’t why the girls gathered around now. He was easy on the eyes.
Ivana snapped her fingers in front of my face.
“I’ll meet him in my office.” I stood, and so did she. At the exit, she paused to pull down her pencil dress and fix her perfect bun. The girl, sitting at the bar now, watched Ivana’s movement, a hand under her chin. Our eyes met, and I winked at her.
Her middle finger extended.
I didn’t think she appreciated Ivana walking out and fixing her dress minutes after I’d eaten the girl’s pussy.
I laughed at the girl’s gesture and continued toward my office, Ivana looking at me as if I’d lost my mind.
Maybe I had. Or maybe it was age. Or maybe it was the sweet little pussy that left a pleasant taste on my tongue.
I didn’t know which of those made me think about the girl longer than five minutes, but I was gonna find out.
Unfortunately, not tonight, because I had to deal with the Russian.
Upstairs in my office, the Russian stood before my desk, conversing with Ivana’s brother, Ludi, who sat on the couch.
Maks wore black jeans, a black polo shirt, and a smile.
We greeted by kissing three times on the cheek, and he handed me a bottle of liquid death, a rare brand of vodka I know cost a fortune and might kill a person as the liquid went down the throat.
“Happy birthday, Nikola,” he said.
I lifted the bottle. “You shouldn’t have.”
He laughed, and we stood by the window overlooking the pool.
“Big party,” he said.
“Too big.”
“Ivana.” He turned toward my cousin, who stood by the door. “Get me a drink.”
I pursed my lips. This would go well for him.
“Please,” he added as if that helped.
I waited for her response and turned a bit to see her looking bored. She couldn’t even be bothered with the guy.
I walked to the bar and poured us two glasses of the vodka he’d gifted me, then brought the drinks back to the window. I handed him one. When his fingers wrapped around the glass, I didn’t release it. “You know to help yourself when you’re here. She’s not your barmaid.”
“But you are?” He smirked.
“I can be anything you want me to be.” I showed him my teeth.
Knowing he was in the wrong when he’d asked my right hand to bring him a drink just because she happened to be the only girl in the room, he dropped his gaze.
“I’m sure you didn’t come here for the party.
” I knew this because Mikhail, his boss, had called to wish me happy birthday this morning, so between then and now, something had changed, something big enough to warrant a personal meeting between us.
I presumed it was the deal I’d closed with the Italians earlier today.
“Rumor has it the Italians are due for a reshuffling.”
The group of girls remained at the bar, but the blonde had disappeared. I searched the pool area.
“At what level?” I didn’t see her downstairs anymore. Maybe she’d left or gone to the bathroom. Why the fuck do I care?
“At the top,” he said.
I leaned a shoulder on the glass. “I doubt it. I think rumors will prove false.”
He sipped his drink. “I’m here to warn you. What you do with the information is none of my business.”
Mikhail wanted in on the deal I closed with the Italians. Or else why bother telling me? “Thank you. Is that all?”
Maks clicked my glass with his. “Cheer up, Nikola. It’s your birthday.”
I chuckled. “Stay for the cake.”
“And pussy.”
Ivana snorted.
“That too,” I said. “Ivana will show you to the girls. Don’t touch anyone I wouldn’t touch.”
He placed his drink on my desk and lifted his hands. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
I glanced at Ivana and met her death stare. I loved my cousin, but she also had to behave. Everyone had to behave and play nicely.
After the two left, Ludi joined me at the window. The girl returned to the bar. Relieved, I sighed and wondered why I gave a fuck at the same time.
“Any thoughts on what Maks said?” Ludi asked.
“Not yet.”
“We keep Sokol in New York?”
“And send a few more.”
“You do think the Italians have a problem.”
She slammed three shots in a minute, then spun in the bar chair, legs spread wide. Spreading legs in a bathing suit was one thing. Spreading them with a—I pressed my forehead on the window to see better. I needed binoculars to see her clothes on the bottom. “Trouble, trouble.”
Next to me, Ludi sighed. “Those are kids.”
“Why the fuck is everyone saying that?”
“Because it’s true.”
“Oh, please do lecture me on the college girls, Mr. Stalker.” Ludi had shacked up with a girl in his cabin for two days. He married her and put a baby in her within thirty days. She was twenty-four and barely out of college.
He smiled and pulled out his wallet to retrieve a piece of paper. He showed it to me. It was black and white, and I didn’t have a clue what I was looking at. “What is it?”
“My kid.”
I snatched the paper from his hand, studied it, then gave it back. “It’s beautiful.”
“Eat me, Nikola.”
I laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.
We walked back outside and found Maks dragging the girl and the girl trying to struggle against the pull.
My beast switch flipped. I walked up to the Russian and socked him, then continued pounding into him on the ground.
Ludi grabbed me around the waist and hauled back while Ivana dragged the Russian away from me.
All the while, the patrons screamed, and the girl stood there, mouth agape.
Lifting my bloody hands, I said. “I’m good. It’s done.”
Ludi let me go and cursed at me in Serbian three ways from Sunday, but I didn’t care. I walked over to the girl, picked her up, and slung her over my shoulder. Spinning around, I looked around at the now-quiet party people. “Carry on.”