RaineyI didn’t let out a breath until I pushed through the doors of the building and sucked oxygen into my lungs. I no longer worked for Michael so I shouldn’t care what was going to happen to him with the police. But somewhere deep inside of me, I did care. And I hated myself for it. Was Michael in trouble? Or was he going to be okay? Other than his ties to the mob, Michael did good things for people, especially kids. I wished he would keep out of illegal activities and use his money for good. But as much as I was hiding things from him, he hid them from me as well. His little confession gave me exactly what I already knew, but what else lay under the tip of Michael’s iceberg? I knew there was a lot and I felt relieved that I had dodged that bullet.I headed toward the curb and lifted my hand to call a cab. While waiting, I glanced over and saw an idling black sedan. It could have been any car in the whole city, but I knew it was Michael’s. Constantine sat in the front seat, and I s
MichaelI waited until the elevator bell dinged again before I ventured out of my office. I quickly thought of an excuse to come out of there without it seeming like I was checking if Rainey had gone. I strode over to Sandra’s desk.“Please hold my calls for the rest of the afternoon,” I said.Typically, I would have called her from my desk to tell her that, but I had to know if Rainey was still there. I was a fool to expect her to be. I wanted her to run back into my office and take the job back. But her damned stubbornness prevented her from doing that.“Will do,” Sandra said, continuing to type on her keyboard.I nodded and went over to the coffee bar set up in the lobby. I preferred a fresh brew from a carafe, but a pod would have to do. I needed a little burst of caffeine to get me through the rest of the day. Now that I cleared my schedule of phone calls, I had to fill my time with work to distract me from thinking of Rainey. I didn’t like how she left without giving me an answe
Michael“Did you give her the day off?”I wasn’t sure I wanted to reopen the wound, but I had no one else to talk to about Rainey. It wasn’t as if Sandra and I were the office gossips. “I had to let her go.”“How come?”“She lied to me.”“Was she stealing from you?”“No,” I said. “Nothing like that. She lied about having a kid at home.”“Was she looking for a sugar daddy?”“No,” I said. Rainey wasn’t the type. I knew that now, but only after accusing her of just that. Talking with Frederick wasn’t making me feel any better. “But if she hid something then I don’t know what else she lied about.”“Well, you don’t have time for that bullshit,” Frederick said. “I’m sure you can find another hot piece of ass at the club tonight to satisfy your needs.”“Alright, I have to go,” I said. I liked to have fun, but I wasn’t as callous about talking about it as Frederick was.He laughed on the other end. “Okay. Speak to you soon.”“Bye,” I said then hung up.I placed my cell in one of my drawers of
RaineyI shouldn’t have let Tessa call the Uber. When we arrived at Kadia, I pinched her arm.“Ow!” Tessa cried out.The driver looked back at us through the rearview mirror.“I told you I didn’t want to come here,” I said.Tessa waved me off, scooted over in the seat to push me out of the car. I had a right mind to let her out, get back inside, and go home, leaving her there to whatever fate her dating app picked for her.Instead, I stood at the curb, crossing my arms over my chest, glaring at her.“This is the reason I didn’t tell you,” she said, rubbing her arm. “You really hurt me.”“You deserved it,” I said.“Listen, I knew you weren’t going to come unless I didn’t tell you.”“You’re right. I wouldn’t have.”“He picked the place, though,” she said. “I don’t want to appear inflexible with my plans. First impressions are everything, you know?”I did know that. And she looked amazing tonight. She went with a simple black and white dress that hugged her curves yet allowed her to danc
RaineyWere they talking about Michael and Frederick? What did they do to this guy? He was huge, more muscles than brain function, though. I’d have to warn Michael if I saw him. Then the guy continued to say vulgar things about both Michael and Frederick. His plans to harm them started to get more gruesome. Maybe instead of waiting for Michael, I could try to find him and warn him. It was the opposite of what I wanted to do tonight, but I felt an obligation to him. We were involved for a little while, and I still cared for him as a person. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to him if I could stop it.I stood up, determined to tell Frederick or Michael about these guys when I felt pressure on my arm. I glanced down and saw the leering guy holding me in place.“Take your hand off me!” I said. Over the music, my words weren’t as efficient as a threat.“You leaving so soon?” he said, his beer breath made my stomach turn. “I thought you might be interested in joining us since you were so e
MichaelSitting in Frederick’s office, there were so many things I wanted to do with the decor. The walls were painted a dark red, too dark for a room with no windows. There were no pictures on the wall either. Granted, Frederick didn’t spend much time at his desk the night’s he was in his office, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t make it presentable. Especially for Demetri.Our old friend sat in one of the plush leather chairs opposite the desk. I bounced lightly in the rolling chair that sat behind the oak desk I’d bought for Frederick as a present when the club first opened. I wished he would have picked a more appropriate office chair.“You seem distracted,” Demetri said, his eyes narrowed only slightly. It wasn’t a threatening gesture, just one of curiosity.I decided to open up about Rainey, at least in a professional sense. If Demetri knew she no longer worked for me, then she wouldn’t be a target anymore. It was the least I could do for her.“My assistant left this week,” I sai
Michael“No,” Demetri said. “We’re almost done here. I want the both of you to enjoy your night.”“My friend—” Rainey said.“Your friend is invited to come up here too,” I said, finishing Demetri’s thought. “We have Frederick’s room for the night.”“But let’s make sure she’s talking about the same people,” Demetri said, standing up. “I’d hate to leave you in any real danger.”I knew exactly what he wanted to do. We couldn’t have Chuck and his friends spouting off their disdain for Frederick and me in front of listening ears, especially not now when we needed to protect ourselves with the investigation into our family.Demetri crossed the room and flung open the door.Rainey stood up next to me.“Are those them?” I asked. Chuck and his friends were leaning over the railing, looking down on the dance floor. We were lucky that their VIP room was closer to the office. That’s why Rainey thought they were following her.“Yes,” she said, crossing her arms. The fire in her eyes returned, and
Rainey“Why are you so concerned about me? Why would you risk being in danger to warn Frederick?” Michael asked.We both knew the reason, but I was unable to put what I felt into words. It was so wrong that I felt this way for him. But seeing him again, now that we were alone and not in his office, made me want to do the things we only experienced when we were alone, outside of working hours.Why did he do this to me? With one look he turned me into the girl that fell in love with Killian. One who would throw everything away just for him to touch me?“Michael, I—”And then his lips were on mine, silencing the words on the tip of my tongue.“God, I missed kissing you,” he said against my mouth.Every inhibition I had since quitting disappeared. My body responded to Michael, and I wanted to be as close as I could. I squeezed his shoulders and reached up to him on my tip toes. Even with the heels on, Michael was much taller than me.Michael leaned down, and his warm hands gripped my legs