Chapter 9
Pip
Henny had no idea what he’d done. The man thought I couldn’t keep in line. He believed he had a guaranteed out because I wouldn’t “behave” as he wanted.
If he stopped to reflect on all the years he’s known me, then he’d know I wasn’t the type to back down from a difficult task. Usually, it made me more determined.
This time was no different.
Back at the casino, I trailed Henny as he worked through his to-do list. He mostly ignored me during the first hour. I knew it was probably to make me believe I could let my guard down. Once I grew comfortable, he’d test me in some way.
Mind games weren’t anything new for me. I’d mastered them long ago.
So it didn’t come as a surprise when he turned to me with instructions to review the complaints sent in by guests. I took his spot behind the desk. The open laptop showed a screen with some type of database about the property.
“Where would I find them?” I asked Henny, my eyes roaming over the screen for some type of clue.
His finger came into view, pointing at the section labeled Client Care. Inside, I saw the complaint section and clicked on it.
Henny propped himself up on the desk beside me, arms crossed, focus intently on me. Even without a word, his agitation was clear. He wanted me to be upset about this project. Maybe even fight back about it.
“Is there anything I should do about the complaint? Like send it to a manager or something?”
“Typically, I add them to a spreadsheet based on who needs to take care of it. Then at the end, I notify all department heads of the issues. Problems mentioned more than twice are marked for immediate action,” he said.
I nodded, grabbing a notebook and pen from the edge of his desk. “You can keep your spreadsheets. Pen and paper work fine for me.”
He didn’t comment on my choice. Instead, he sat quietly as I worked through the inbox. Some of the customers were obviously the type to find something wrong with every tiny thing in their life. Those fuckers were the type to look down on the staff as less than. I couldn’t stand them.
Others were more dangerous issues that should be addressed. It was easy to see who was concerned versus who wanted to be a jerk.
“Did someone really get cut on the slide? That’s fucking horrible, Henny.”
“They did,” he replied, tone softer than I expected. When I looked his way, his expression stole my breath. “You seem to really care about this. Why?”
I shrugged. “Not everyone gets to have a voice. I know it seems dumb that a complaint form could be life changing. But maybe it is, you know? Sometimes it’s the moments you least expect that transform everything.”
Henny nodded. “I do know. And I agree.”
The way he said it felt like another shift in the right direction. I needed to show Henny I was more than the assassin he knew me as.
Did I love murder, violence, and chaos? Sure as shit, I did.
Did I also enjoy being held by him, having him tell me what to do, and coming my brains out from how sexy he was when bossy? You bet your ass.
For the next few hours, I focused on the task of going through complaints. Each one gave me new insight to the inner workings of the casino and the hotel. Kinda like looking behind the curtain.
I’d been on the illegal side of things so long, I had no clue there was so much to keeping a business of this size running, much less that so much shit went wrong. Rel was a goddamn saint to put up with it.
Then again, money was a good motivator. I did a lot of questionable stuff for the added zeros in my account.
A hand landed on the page where I was taking notes. I looked up to see Henny’s eyes on me.
“We’re stopping to eat.”
I frowned. “It’s not time to… fuck. Is that really the time?”
The tiny digital clock in the corner of the screen mocked me. I didn’t think much time had passed. A couple of hours maybe.
“As I said, we’re stopping to eat. I ordered for you since you didn’t respond when I tried speaking to you. I figured you would be fine with it.” He raised his brow.
I’m sure he expected me to challenge him on this. To maybe tease him for making the decision for me.
But I didn’t want to.
I liked the idea of Henny choosing my food. And my clothes. And where I slept. And what kind of work I did.
Letting go for him was the fucking easiest thing in the world. I trusted him to know exactly what I needed. Explaining the logic behind this feeling would probably make me sound crazy.
Well, crazier than he already thought I was.
When I didn’t say anything else, he grabbed my bicep and tugged.
I rose from the chair, my body sore from how long I’d been still.
Being in one place for a while wasn’t new to me.
Usually, it was tucked away somewhere with a weapon at the ready while watching a target, or in my current role, protecting Rel and Henny.
A desk chair was not normal. How did people do this shit on the regular? No wonder they had back problems in their thirties and were unhappy. Murder wasn’t for everyone, but it would definitely keep me healthier much longer than being a pencil pusher would.
Hmmm. Maybe I should give motivational speeches about it? Like for people who are already leaning towards the criminal life. I could help them see their potential and give them a mantra or something for them to repeat to themselves.
Murderers matter.
Oh!
Or maybe Get up, Get shooting.
I didn’t know. I’d workshop it later.
Henny pushed my shoulders when we reached the small couch he had to one side of the room. Dropping onto it, I waited for my next set of instructions. A knock on the door came before he could speak. A bellboy rolled in a table with covered trays.
“Here you are, sir. Do you need anything further?”
“That will be all,” Henny said as he handed the boy a tip.
Once the door closed behind the kid, Henny uncovered the trays and brought them over one by one to the small table. I held still as he got everything just how he wanted. I could admit I was curious about how this would go so I didn’t want to interrupt.
“Eat,” he demanded as he held out a set of wrapped silverware.
I took it from him, placing it in my lap as I waited for him to sit too. No way would I start without him. It wouldn’t be fair. And he might even take it as disrespectful.
Or he could think I’m not following his orders.
Fucking hell. Why was I so unsure about this? It wasn’t like me to not have the answers.
“What’s wrong?”
Henny’s voice broke through my thoughts. I searched for a response that would make some sense. A way to phrase my indecision for him to see how and why I’d frozen.
Stuck in the loop, I closed off even further. It wasn’t until I felt a hand on my neck that things changed. The tight muscles in my shoulders fell away. My heartrate slowed. I could breathe again.
“Pip.” Henny pressed against my neck as if urging me to face him. “You have to tell me how to help you. If you don’t like the food, then you can have mine. Or we can order more.”
“It’s not the food. I just… I just didn’t want to start eating until you were ready. But then I thought by doing so it would be me not following instructions.”
“And you’d promised me you’d be good,” he finished.
“Yes, I did. And I was.”
“You are. You have done everything you told me you would. Pip, you’ve been so good for me today.”
My entire body jolted at the praise. I knew he felt it too with that hand on my neck. His eyes were focused on me, observant of every miniscule detail.
“When we get back to the room, I’ll show you just how much I appreciate you following orders.”
How in the world was I supposed to eat with a raging boner?
The answer was simple: Do it or risk Henny changing his mind. Each bite took all my effort to keep my mind off sex. I didn’t taste a single damn thing.
After I cleaned my plate, Henny took it back over to the rolling cart. He gathered the rest of the dishes even when I tried to help.
“Sit and wait,” he’d told me.
Never thought I’d see the day I’d get bossed around by a sexy, dominant Henny. Honestly, I still had no clue how any of this would go. But I sure as fuck would ride the wave until it crashed on the shore.
Inside the suite, things took a shift. Henny shrugged out of his suit coat and laid it across the arm of a chair. I watched from my position at the door, fighting against the need to rush to him.
I couldn’t let him see all my cards. Couldn’t let him know just how deep into this power play I was.
“You were a good boy today, Pip,” he called out as he paced around the room. God, he was beautiful when he was in his element. All power and grace, with a hint of softness I don’t think he ever let anyone else see.
“I was. For you.”
He stopped moving to face me. “You did everything I said. There were none of your normal quips. No talking back.”
“You sound surprised. I told you I would be good.” There was a snark to my words. A teasing that brought us back on even ground.
His jaw tightened as I took a step toward him. I almost hesitated, but then he said something unexpected.
“As a reward for your good behavior, you can have whatever you want.”
My entire world tilted. There were a million things I wanted. So many that I couldn’t imagine picking one.
Except…
One thought had been on my mind for a long fucking time. I couldn’t seem to get past it.
Henny never took his clothes off.
I didn’t mean like full nudity. Just a shirt. Or maybe he’d wear some shorts since it’s fucking hot in Vegas. But no, I’d never seen more than what could be seen when he wore a suit.
Lying next to him at night had me thinking about it more than usual. His buttoned-up fancy pants fucking pajamas were cute. Their only fault was how they covered so much skin.
“Take off your shirt.” My voice came out rough. “And just stand there.”
Henny’s gaze lit with interest. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”