Chapter 16 Liev
LIEV
The traffic is thick as we make our way through Manhattan.
Sera sits beside me, tablet angled toward her, eyes scanning traffic and police feeds.
She’s swapped the green sweater for a purple satin blouse with her black blazer and pants and has her hair pinned half back, so as not to interfere with her earpiece.
I wish I could tell her how beautiful she looks, but I’m pretty sure the silent treatment I’m getting means it would just piss her off more.
Her finger scrolls down the tablet. “No accidents and no reports of protestors. We’re clear for arrival.” She closes the window on the screen and lifts her head.
When she came back to the suite earlier, she’d looked fine. Wherever she’d gone had given her the space to get her temper back under control. For professional reasons, it was good, but I hated that she’d locked herself away from me as well.
Once Dani finished getting ready in the bedroom, Sera had used that bathroom to reapply her makeup. When I came in to get my tie that I’d left on the dresser earlier, she shut the bathroom door without even looking at me.
I’m not exactly sure why she’s mad at me. I didn’t hear everything Keke said to her earlier, but enough to get the gist.
Yeah, maybe I should have come out earlier and put a stop to it, but I’d been curious how Sera would react. I’d thought her jealousy might benefit my plan, but I see now I’ve badly miscalculated.
The curb in front of the jewelry store is chaos.
Flashbulbs pop as photographers behind a red velvet rope try to get their best shot, and a crimson carpet stretches from the curb to the glass doors.
I pull in tight to the curb. I’m out first, scanning left to right as I circle the rear of the SUV.
Sera is already moving, door open, hand lifted in a signal for Keke to wait.
She steps into position on Keke’s right as I take the left.
Marco and Dani stay close as we clear the SUV, both of them moving automatically with Keke.
Sera adjusts our formation without comment, shifting just enough to keep Keke centered while still allowing the others to follow.
The shouting gets louder as Keke is recognized, flashes going off in faster bursts as they call her name. We head straight for the back, drawing attention from those already inside as we pass. The French team is already in place.
Etienne steps forward, his attention briefly touching on Keke before settling on Sera. “Any problems?”
“No.”
I put up a hand as Dani and Marco move to follow Keke through the door into the private room. “You’ll wait here.”
Marco looks surprised, clearly about to say something, then thinks better of it when he takes in the guards posted nearby.
Once in the room, Etienne opens a thick case revealing what must be the most elaborate jewelry set I’ve ever seen in real life.
The Atelier Florian representative lifts the necklace first, and its weight is obvious from how he handles it.
The rubies are a deep red, with large diamonds between them sparkling in the light.
Earrings follow, then bracelets and rings.
Keke watches the process in the mirror, attention fixed on her reflection. “They’re heavier than I expected,” she says wrinkling her nose.
The party itself is uneventful, which is a good thing, even if it bores the hell out of me. Sera is at Keke’s side all night, while I watch from ten feet away. The job is to watch Keke, to anticipate any problems with the guests. But in reality, it’s Sera who holds my attention.
You’d never know it was her first job. When someone drifts too close during a photo, Sera shifts just enough to redirect them without them even realizing they’ve been managed.
But she’s tired. I can see it in the tightness around her eyes and the way she rolls her shoulders every so often. If she’s nervous, it doesn’t show.
After returning the rubies to their case, we make our way back to the SUV. I do a quick sweep before we load up, then slide behind the wheel once everyone is inside.
In the backseat, Keke blows out a loud breath. “I’m going to need a massage,” she says. “They must have weighed ten pounds.”
Dani snorts. “Not sure it’s that much, but I heard the main necklace alone is over 2000 carats just in rubies, and then there’s all the diamonds.”
“Book me one before our flight to Chicago tomorrow. And make sure the massage therapist doesn’t smell like patchouli this time.” She yawns loudly. “Everyone thinks this job is so easy. It’s actually very physically taxing. I’m like an athlete.”
At the last second, I’m able to disguise my laugh as a cough. I sneak a peek at Sera, whose lips are rolled so tight, they are almost nonexistent.
Back in the suite, Marco gestures to a stack of pillows and sheets on the sofa. “I had them bring everything up,” he explains.
Keke is already halfway to her room.
Following her lead, the other two disappear into their respective bedrooms.
The suite goes quiet. Sera and I are left standing alone.
“That was easier than expected.”
“It was,” she agrees looking around the room. She chews her lip before making a face. “Why does this feel weird?”
I shrug. “Because we’re two adults about to have a slumber party?”
She huffs a laugh and begins unfolding the blankets, and arranging pillows, while I pull the back cushions off the sofa.
“What’s wrong?” I ask when I catch her frowning.
“I didn’t think about it before… But there’s no place for us to change. I really don’t want to sleep in this.” She gestures at herself.
Yeah, the thought of sleeping in suit pants and a dress shirt doesn’t thrill me either.
While I have no problem stripping down to my boxers, I’m fairly certain there is something in the Elite handbook—that I didn’t read—that says I can’t.
And as much as I’d like to see Sera in only her bra and panties, I’m not interested in anyone else getting that pleasure.
I gesture at the wall adjacent to the windows. “You could go behind the curtain.”
She looks dubiously at where I’m pointing. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to work.” Her face takes on a resigned expression. “I’ll just change here. You keep an eye on the doors and don’t look.”
I blink.
Is she really going to take her clothes off? Right now? In front of me?
My cock perks up.
She gives me a mock stern look. “Follow the rules, Gangster. This isn’t a free show.”
“I’m excellent at following rules.” I grin.
“Liar.”
“I haven’t broken one yet.”
Sera’s gaze flicks to my mouth and lingers. “Night’s not over.”
Her mouth falls open, and she flushes bright red, as if she realizes what she said out loud.
My eyes are glued to where her fingers have hooked the hem of her blouse.
“Turn around.” She sounds exasperated but also like maybe she’s trying not to laugh.
“You’re the one taking your clothes off. Shouldn’t you be the one to turn around?”
She narrows her eyes, but her twitching lips give her away. “You can’t watch the doors if you’re watching me.”
“Hmm. That is a dilemma. Which one should I be most concerned with?”
She rolls her eyes. “You’re enjoying this.”
“You have no idea.”
My pulse is thudding in my chest, and as much as I enjoy teasing her, my imagination has my heart pounding.
“Okay,” I say, turning my back to her so that I’m watching the bedroom doors. I hear rustling behind me, and less than a minute later, I hear, “Done.”
I glance over my shoulder. Dressed in a loose T-shirt and sleep shorts, Sera places her folded pants and blouse on the back of the sofa and begins pulling her hair up into a high ponytail. She does some sort of magic swirl, and suddenly, all of her hair is on top of her head in a floppy topknot.
My heart flips over in my chest at how comfortable she looks.
How beautiful she is.
What would it be like to see her like this every night, and in the morning?
“I’ll keep watch if you want to change.”
Her words pull me from the oddly domestic fantasy.
“Sure.” I quickly strip off my shirt and tie. She inhales sharply. “You’re supposed to be watching the doors, not ogling me.” My voice is gruff.
Her eyes drop to my pants, and I know she can see how she affects me.
“What? Oh!” Flushing brighter, her gaze jerks up. “I am,” she says hoarsely. “Just… “ She waves a hand, flustered. “It’s not my fault you’re so big you block my view.”
My mouth curves. “I’m too… big?”
She turns scarlet and flips me off. “You know what I meant.”
I return the gesture with a grin. “Yeah, baby, I know what you meant.”
“You wish.” Sera spins on her heel with a huff, giving me her back.
“You can look again if you want,” I tease when I’ve pulled my sweatpants on.
She turns around and then does a stutter step.
I haven’t bothered to put my shirt back on.
It’s just too much fun to tease her. Her eyes drag over me, lingering on the ink covering my torso.
Her tongue presses at the corner of her mouth, and when my body tightens in response, I wonder who’s tempting whom.
“Careful, Seraphina. You keep looking at me like that, and I’ll start thinking you’re the one looking to break the rules tonight.”
“Puh-lease.” She adopts a bored expression and crosses her arms over her chest, which only ends up pressing them tighter against her shirt.
I swallow hard at the sight of her hard nipples clearly visible through the cotton.
“I’m just trying to figure out if all that muscle is functional or just decorative. ”
When I pull my eyes away from her breasts, I see she’s smirking knowingly at me. She’s doing it on purpose, I realize, her words from the plane coming back to me.
“Two can play at this game.”
This isn’t a game I intend to lose.
“I’m not shy.” A wolfish smile plays over my lips. “Feel free to touch if you aren’t sure. I don’t bite.” I cock my head, holding her heated gaze with my own. “Not without being asked.” I drag my tongue over my lower lip.