11. Lex
LEX
Getting into Mitch’s place is just as easy as it was into Tanner’s. You think he would have gotten more security, or at least better locks.
Idiots.
I make it upstairs into his room, and he’s sleeping with the TV on. He wakes up when I shut the door, and I wasn’t expecting that, but this will be fine too.
He blinks a few times before his eyes widen, and he scurries back, falling off of his bed and into the corner.
“It wasn’t my idea, I swear,” he babbles as I get closer and smack my new bat against my palm. Dramatic? Yes, but worth it to watch his eyes widen in fear. “It was Chad, he wanted Rory…” I growl low and dangerous. “Please, I just do what he says.”
He curls into a ball and whimpers.
Fucking coward.
“I know too much about my dad,” Liv laments when she comes into my office and throws herself dramatically in a chair.
“Oh, was he really unhinged at Mitchell’s?” Tag gasps excitedly.
“Judging by the size of the dildo he made me get and the crazy amount of duct tape… Yeah.” She nods. “Yeah, super unhinged.”
“Alright, boss!” Tag raises his hand for a high five, which I don’t give him. “Where’s the pic?”
Liv pulls out her phone and hands it to Tag.
“Just got my ass owned by the biggest dildo ever, and it came with a free wax!” Tag reads and then loses it laughing. “Jesus, boss, you’re a sick fucker.”
The corner of my lips tries to twitch into a smile. The duct tape was a really sick twist. Mitchell should just be thanking me that I didn’t give him the bat like Tanner got.
“See, I know too much about my dad. He gives free waxes!”
“And he owns asses,” Mal adds.
“Gross, that’s your brother and father,” Tag accuses and clutches his pearls. “I think you both need to get laid if you’re thinking about boss like that.”
“I get laid plenty,” Liv says with authority.
“Mmmm. Tell me all about it,” Tag leers, and Liv flips him off. “What about you, boss? Any hot young nurses you’re thinking about fucking?”
“Enough,” I growl.
“Cause Rory is looking damn—”
I’ve got him on the floor so fast with my hands around his throat. “Don’t finish that sentence.” His face is turning blue when I finally notice both Liv and Mal trying to pull me off of him.
Tag just grins. The sick fuck. So I squeeze him a bit harder before I let go.
Standing, I straighten my tie and take my chair again.
“Are you trying to get pulled from watching Rory?” Liv hisses.
Tag is rubbing his throat while still sitting on the ground. “No, I’m honored that I get to watch him for you, boss.” And I can tell he’s serious.
“Then why provoke him?” Mal asks.
“Because I want him to admit it, and then we can help him claim Rory.”
“I’m out.” Liv stands. “For the record, I’m with Tag, but I don’t want to hear his fucked-up plans to ‘claim Rory.’” She points a finger at Tag. “No fucked-up plans.”
“How quickly can you get me four saxophones?” Tag asks, and Liv is about to answer before she remembers he’s an idiot and just leaves instead.
“Look. Rory’s been through a lot, and he’s still healing,” I huff. “He doesn’t need me to steamroll him into a relationship.”
“He likes you.” I perk up despite myself, and Tag smiles. “And you like him.” I stand up again, and Tag raises his hands in mock surrender. “I’m just calling it like I see it.”
“Get out,” I order, and he heads toward the door. Maybe he’s right, though. Maybe I should step up my game and tell Rory he’s mine.
“One more thing.” Tag interrupts my thoughts. “Do you own a thong?”
“Out!” I shout, and he opens the door.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you one. I know just the color.”
I throw the glass decanter of whiskey at the door as he pulls it shut with a laugh.
Damn.
That was good whiskey too.
We’re sitting outside of an older building with wrought-iron bars on the windows and ivy climbing up the stonework. It’s cute and out of place in a city that’s mostly glass and steel now.
There’s a sign in the shape of a tombstone that reads Graveyard Grind. I huff a laugh because I have a high enough body count to fill a graveyard.
“Perhaps you should go check his car, sir,” Bill suggests. We have been waiting for a few minutes. “He’s quite skittish.”
Maybe he’s waiting in his car because he’s scared to get out.
“Good idea.” I climb out of the car and try to look around casually, but I don’t see him.
So I move around to the other side of the parking lot and there he is.
He looks so nervous, and it’s clear he isn’t ready for this step.
Brendan and his therapist are wrong. They’re pushing him too hard too fast. Slowly I approach his car from the front so he can see that it’s me.
Once he finally looks up, his face brightens and his shoulders relax. Then I walk around to his window which he rolls down.
“Hey, rabbit. Are you alright?”
“Yeah. I was just going to get some coffee.”
“I was craving some coffee. This was the closest spot, but I don’t know what’s good. Maybe you can tell me.”
“I can! My bestie works here, so I know all of the best drinks.”
“Perfect. Will you come in with me?”
“Okay.” He rolls up the window, turns off the car, and unbuckles his seatbelt. I open the door for him and see the stuffed bunny I got him all buckled in the passenger’s seat.
“Looks like you’re taking very good care of my gift.”
Rory blushes. “She’s very soft.” He reaches back into the car. “Oh! And I happen to have your gift.”
“Thank you. Should I open it now or wait?”
He shrugs and looks down at the ground, but he’s still smiling. So I open it now.
It’s a picture of him and the lantern, only it’s a drawing. He must have sketched and colored this just for me.
He looks so pretty and ethereal. I could stare at it all day.
“You don’t have to hang it up or anything. You said it was your favorite,” he defends, but then rushes to assure me. “But that doesn’t mean you want a picture of me—”
“Thank you, rabbit.” I pull him into a hug. He stiffens but then relaxes into me, and I realize that this is it. Rory is mine even if I’m not sure what that means. He’s mine. “I love it.”
“Really?!” he asks excitedly, and my gaze drops to his lips. They are gorgeous. His teeth catch his bottom lip, and he looks down. Seems Rory isn’t ready for a kiss yet. Am I?
“I’ll put it on my desk at work.”
His smile brightens, and he says, “I’ve been meaning to ask. What do you do for work?”
Um… Fuck.
I point to the coffee shop in an effort to distract him.
“Why don’t we go in and order and I’ll tell you.” Hopefully you’ll forget because Brendan will not be happy if I tell his little brother that he’s working for the mob, and honestly, I don’t want to scare Rory. He’s so sweet.
And that was why I was going to leave him alone.
And that lasted all of about ten minutes.
Seeing how scared he was when he went to get the present and how happy he was when he opened it. I knew I couldn’t stay away.
He needs someone to protect him and make him happy.
I might be a killer, but it seems I’m not so hardened that I can’t find a soft spot for him.
“Hey, bestie.” A curvy barista with a huge rack greets him cheerfully. Then she turns to me with a wink. “Who’s the sexy Daddy with you?” Rory hisses next to me like he’s telling her to shut up. “Wait, is this the guy?”
“What! No!” Rory squeaks, and his cheeks flame red.
“Rory has been talking about you nonstop,” she tells me.
My chest puffs up at her words. Rory talks about me.
“I have not!” Rory gasps, and I chuckle.
“It’s okay, rabbit. Now introduce me to your friend.”
He pouts and crosses his arms. “This is Vera.” He waves at her. “My former bestie.”
I chuckle when he doesn’t introduce me, so I gently prod him. “And who am I?”
“Mine,” he huffs under his breath. It makes me very happy to hear him claim me, even if it’s quietly.
“I’m Alexander.” I offer Vera my hand.
“I’m Rory’s feisty bestie. Do not hurt him or I will slash your tires. I’ve done it before.”
“Oh my god. Vera.” Rory turns bright red.
“I believe you would, and I have no plans to hurt Rory.”
“Okay,” she chirps. “Then your tires are safe. What can I get you?”
“What should I have?” I ask Rory.
“What do you like?”
“I like sweet things.” Rory blushes when I smile down at him. God, he’s so damn pretty. I just want to lean down and taste those plump lips right now.
“And you said he wasn’t interested in you.” Vera scoffs.
“Vera.” Rory whines out her name.
I laugh and put an arm around his shoulder.
Vera gasps and looks shocked, but then she smiles.
“I’ll just have what he’s having,” I answer and hand her my card, but I continue to stare down at Rory.
“Are you sure? Cause he likes insanely sweet— Holy shit! Is that a black card?!” she shouts and turns it over in her hands. “Very nice, big Daddy.”
“Oh my god! Stop calling him Daddy!”
Vera ignores him and hands me back my card. “It was nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
“I’ll see you later, Rory, and I expect details.”
“There will be nothing to tell.” He hisses like a pissed-off kitten, so I lead him to a table. “Sorry about her. She’s nosy and loud.”
“She cares about you.”
“She cares too much.” Rory huffs, but he’s smiling.
“You deserve to have people who care about you.”
He nods. “Okay, so what do you do?” Shit. “For work, I mean.”
“I’m a businessman.”
Rory raises an eyebrow in challenge. “That couldn’t be more vague if you tried.”
Damn. Normally that’s enough to get people to back off, but not my sweet observant boy. “I run a number of businesses?”
“Not any better,” he teases.
“I have my hands in a lot of things. Like restaurants, bars, distilleries, finance, fashion.” Underground fighting rings, brothels, running drugs. “You know, normal stuff.”
“The fact that you have to say ‘normal stuff’ makes me worry.”
I laugh loudly, trying to throw him off the scent. “I’ve been growing my business for years, but I’ve handed most of them off to other staff I can trust. I still oversee everything directly.” I just don’t always listen to Numbers.
“Brendan said that—”
“Big Daddy,” Vera calls out, and Rory groans before slumping in his seat. “Coffee for Big Daddy,” she calls out again, even though she’s looking directly at us.
I chuckle and get up. “You really enjoy embarrassing your friend,” I tease her.
“He’s the strongest person I know. Yeah, he’s been more reserved since the ordeal, but he’s getting better. I mean, he’s leaving the house. That’s huge for him! But seriously, I don’t know if you’re into him or not, but please be careful with him.”
Rory notices us talking, and he slumps even farther under the table. He’s so damn cute.
“I will. Rory’s special.”
“He is.” She nods, and I look at the iced coffee drinks with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.
“This isn’t coffee.”
“I warned you,” she sings and gets back to work.
Taking my cavity in a cup with me, I head back to our table.
“What did she say?” Rory asks when I get close. “It was probably a lie. I mean, besides that one time, but it was totally her fault!”
“She told me that you’re strong.”
“I’m not,” he whispers and ducks his head.
“Remember what I told you when we first met?” I raise his chin to look at me.
“That you’re the boss and what you say goes.”
“That’s right. Now tell me what she was lying about,” I tease, and he launches into a story about how they ended up with three llamas on a golf course. I barely listen to the words he’s saying but watching him talk so animatedly is like soaking in the sunshine.
“And they were only from across the street, so it’s not like we took them very far.” He pauses and looks at me. “I’m sorry, is this boring?”
“Not at all. You sound happy.”
“Instead of being pouty and sad all the time.” He puts his head down again.
“Rory. Look at me,” I order, and he does. “It’s okay to be sad. You’re still recovering.”
“It’s been months. I should be, well, maybe not over it, but getting better.”
“My wife died twenty years ago.” The words come out, and I’m shocked by them, but I continue. “She was my best friend, and it still hurts when I think of her.”
“I’m so sorry, Lex.” He puts his hand on top of mine, and I just look at it. He moves to pull it away, but I twist my hand and entangle our fingers together.
“Thank you, rabbit.”
He smiles down at our hands before he takes a drink of his coffee. I realize that I haven’t touched mine, so I take a sip and almost gag.
“Told you!” Vera shouts across the shop.
“You don’t like it?” Rory asks, and he sound kind of amused. Did he know this would happen?
“It’s… sweeter than I’m used to.” I take another drink and force it down. Rory smiles and looks up at me while he takes a drink.
“I thought you said you like sweet things,” he teases, and fuck, he looks good with his tongue wrapped around the straw.
“I was talking about you.” I raise an eyebrow, and Rory almost chokes on his drink.
“That was mean.” He shoves a napkin against his mouth and coughs.
“Would you be offended if I went and ordered a different drink?”
“Can I drink yours?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Why not?” He pouts, and that luscious bottom lip makes me want things I’ve never wanted before.
“Because that is way too much sugar and caffeine for one person.”
“Fine.” He huffs, and I take my cup with me back to the counter just to remove the temptation from his reach.
Vera hands me a regular black coffee.
“Thanks?” I ask and take a sip. It’s good.
“Strongest most bitter stuff we got.”
“How did you know?”
“You might like your men sweet, but you’ve got a cigarette-and-scotch kinda vibe.” She shrugs, and she’s not wrong. Although Liv convinced me to stop smoking when she was five.
“What do I owe you?”
“I knew this would happen, so I already charged you for it.” That startles a chuckle from me. “Oh, and this.” She hands me a plate with a breakfast sandwich on it. “It’s Rory’s favorite.”
I nod in approval.
Taking the sandwich, I stuff a hundred in the tip jar and head back to Rory.
“Seems your friend is a mind reader,” I tease and place the sandwich in front of him.
He huffs. “Everyone is always trying to feed me.”
“You’re too skinny.”
“I couldn’t gain weight if I tried.” He takes a big bite and moans. “So good. Aren’t you hungry?”
“No, I already ate.”
“What’s your favorite food?”
“A nice juicy steak. Yours?”
“Fried rice. I love how versatile it is. You can add so many different things and still have fried rice!”
“That’s true. I know of a restaurant that has great Chinese food. If you’d like to join me for dinner.” What am I asking? Is this a date?
I’ve decided that Rory is mine, and I want him with me all the time, but do I want him sexually?
He is gorgeous, but I’m still not sure if I want to suck his dick.
Would it be that bad?
“I’d like that.” He smiles, and my eyes fall to his pouty bottom lip. Maybe I should start with a kiss before I suck his dick.
“Good. Now eat your breakfast.”
“Yes, sir.”