by Lynn Hagen
How was I supposed to argue with that?
Chapter Three
Maximus…
“Do you think this one will work out, Max?” Gabriel Rothe asked as he took a seat across from me at the conference table. I strummed my fingers on the polished wood, thinking about all five feet six inches of my skinny new PA, who had blond hair and bright green eyes. And the most fuckable lips I had ever seen.
And the guy was still my assistant. I hadn’t the heart to fire him, which was unusual for me. I was usually all about business, never letting my emotions get in the way. Ever.
“Max, are you hearing me?”
I looked toward Gabe and turned in my seat, resting my hands in front of me on the polished wood. “What did you say?”
“Your new personal assistant.” Gabe eyed me suspiciously. “Do you think he’ll work out? You’ve had three in the past year.”
“That’s because they couldn’t handle the truth.” I leaned back and unbuttoned my suit jacket. My morning with Alexander Bruske had exhausted me, and I didn’t want to be reminded how many assistants I’d gone through. I had a feeling this one would stick around after the mind-blowing sex we’d had in my office.
Fuck, I was getting hard just thinking of how Derek had cried out my name, how he’d shaken in my arms, and damn, I wanted a repeat. Hopefully Derek used my home address to stop by later.
“The other receptionists freaked when they found out who they truly worked for,” I said. I’d had to bribe them to keep them quiet, and that had cost me a pretty penny. I hoped like hell I didn’t have to bribe Derek, because eventually he would find out that I was a wolf shifter. There was no way I could hide that fact if he was around me on a daily basis.
“What are we talking about?” Reese Corbin asked as he entered the room and joined us at the conference table, cup of coffee in hand.
“Max’s assistant,” Gabe said. “A new hire started this morning.”
One of Reese’s brows arched. “You mean that hot little number I saw Penny giving a hard time to?”
“Can we get down to business?” My jaw clenched at what Reese just said. I was attracted to the twink, in ways that bothered me. Still, I didn’t want anyone else looking at the male with interest. Derek seemed fun for sex, but I couldn’t allow things to go deeper than that.
Had I just contradicted myself? I only wanted Derek for fun, but didn’t want anyone else to have him? Jeez, I needed to get my head out of my ass.
Reese set a folder on the table as he took a seat. Our fourth partner finally strode in, ending a call on his cell phone before taking a seat.
“Nice of you to join us,” I said.
Lucas Drago shrugged. “I do have a life.”
I knew all about Lucas’s life. It involved picking up random fucks, taking them back to his place, and staying up to the wee hours of the morning getting his dick sucked.
Derek popped into my head, and I forced thoughts of my personal assistant on his knees, giving me a blowjob, out of my mind.
“So, what did Alexander want?” Reese took a sip of his coffee as I slid the files across the table to each of the men.
“You’ve got to be shitting me,” Lucas snarled. “Antonio Malkovich has a set of brass balls.”
I agreed. Antonio already ran the east side. And now he wanted approval to expand his business. He’d enlisted Alexander Bruske’s help in hopes that would sway us in his favor.
“Keep this strictly a real estate deal,” I warned them. “We can’t get into his war with the Romano pack because they think we’re fucking them over.”
Which was the pack Antonio was trying to encroach on.
Everyone sitting at the table had a voice in the final say over everything involving our world. We’d clawed our way to the top, and we’d fought entire packs to keep our seats.
“I’ll have Penny work up a spreadsheet and crunch numbers,” Reese said. “If the deal looks profitable, we’ll give Antonio the green light.”
“But I don’t want—” I frowned and looked toward the double doors when one of them slung open. Derek walked in with a tray balanced on his arms. Was that tea I smelled?
All four simply watched as Derek maneuvered toward the conference table, the tray in jeopardy of toppling over as it rocked back and forth, the cups and saucers clinking against the porcelain teapot.
I nearly jerked from my chair when Derek tripped, but he regained his balance and set the tray down while actively avoiding my gaze.
Maybe it had been a mistake letting him keep his job and hiring his brother, Chad, to work in another part of the company. Derek really wasn’t qualified, but I’d allowed my dick to make the decision for me.
Derek wiped his forehead. “I was told you gentlemen like tea with your meetings.”
“Who told you that?” I asked.
Derek visibly paled as he waved at the door. “One of the interns.”
Reese hid his smile behind his hand. Lucas stared at Chad as if contemplating whether he should murder the little twerp. Gabe reached for a cup and poured some of the hot brew as I rolled my eyes.
“You were duped,” Reese said. “I’m guessing new-guy hazing.”
“But—” Derek looked toward the door as if he wanted to run out of it. “I’m so sorry for interrupting your meeting.”
He turned and started for the door. “Derek.”
The guy kept going.
“Derek,” I tried again.
My assistant walked out without a backward glance. I got up and stormed from the conference room. Derek sat at his desk with the heel of his hand pressed against his forehead as his elbow rested on his desk.
“Derek.”
The male jerked and looked up at me before grabbing the phone and hitting random buttons. Was he that scatterbrained from our bout of sex earlier?
“Put the phone down.” I narrowed my eyes. “My office, now.”
I didn’t bother to look behind me to see if Derek followed. When I gave an order, I expected it to be followed.
When we entered, I closed the door behind us and spun, glowering at him. “What’s gotten into you? I let you keep your job, but in return. I expect your top performance.”
I really didn’t want to hire another assistant. I was hoping Derek could handle the news that I was a wolf shifter. More importantly, I needed the male to do his job without question, especially when he learned of what really went on at Russo and Associates.
My cutthroat world scared off a lot of people. That was how I’d lost my last three assistants. They’d freaked the fuck out when they’d discovered that I, and my partners, were not only lawyers but crime bosses. Derek seemed more enamored with me than his job, and I had to get him back on track.
Derek’s green eyes rounded as his hand fluttered at his throat. “I don’t know what you mean, Mr. Russo. I’m trying my very best. I was just duped.”
The guy wouldn’t stop blushing, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the human spread out on my desk, moaning my name.
“When you’re at work, it’s all business.” I pressed my body closer to his. “When I want other things from you, then I’ll let you be a scatterbrain.”
It never hurt to use honey instead of claws.
“Are you up for the task, or should I fire you and get your brother in here?” I needed to know because Derek was about to take on a lot of responsibility, and the human needed to get his head in the game. The learning curve I was about to throw at him would be fast, and hopefully Derek could keep up.
He squared his shoulders and jutted out his chin. I kept my smile from surfacing. This little male had backbone, and that turned me the fuck on. “I can do this job, Mr. Russo. I won’t be duped again.”
“If you’re not sure about something, check with Penny.” I opened the door and left my office before I stripped Derek down and put him back on my desk.
When I passed Penny in the hall, I said, “Set up a meeting with Mr. Malkovich.”
She nodded
and hurried away. Penny knew our true natures, what we really were, and she was damn good at her job. Of course, she was heavily compensated for her work.
From the corner of my eye I saw Derek take a seat behind his desk. His posture was rigid, and he picked the phone up, talking into it like a pro. Maybe there was hope for the human after all.
* * * *
The wind was cutting as I popped the collar of my coat and headed into Purple Sunrise. The lounge was a front for a lot of my businesses, and I had a private meeting room in the back.
Sometimes we referred to it as our war room.
That was where I planned on meeting Antonio Malkovich. The lounge was filled with customers who knew nothing about what went on in the back. A lot of the people were wolf shifters, rich bastards who were there simply enjoying the fruits of their labor with cute little twinks who served drinks half-naked and, for the price they were paid, serviced those who wanted more than to wet their whistle.
The back had a single hallway, two guards beside the door leading to the meeting room. But inside, there were two ways to escape if things got dicey. I didn’t plan on things going wrong, but when dealing with someone as arrogant as Antonio, one couldn’t take any chances.
Lucas Drago, Gabriel Rothe, and Reese Corbin were already in there. They had already been served their drinks and were sitting around the table looking bored.
“Now who’s late?” Lucas arched a brow.
I looked at my watch. “I’m right on time.”
The half-naked server poured my drink and brought it to me, and then he quickly and quietly left the room. I was feeling on edge, nerves wound tight. I’d never liked Antonio to begin with. He had a mouth on him, was too cocky, and the only reason he’d been allowed to continue running things on the east side was because he was damn good at gunrunning and money laundering.
If he hadn’t been, Antonio would’ve been dead already. His business had nothing to do with my friends and me. We simply brokered deals and made sure the rival packs didn’t kill each other. It was a lucrative business, and one we were damn good at.
Along with our successful law firm.
I wouldn’t say I was a bad guy, but I wasn’t a good guy, either. The gray area was immense and deep, and most people lived in it, whether they knew it or not. No one was wholly good, but I knew a lot of people who were wholly evil.
“The prick is late again.” Lucas looked ready to get up and walk out. There was a hardness in his eyes that said he was tired of Antonio’s stunts. “I’m starting to wonder if dealing with him is worth the headache.”
It was as if Lucas had read my mind. I was glad he couldn’t because I was still thinking about Derek. Those slim hips, those pretty lips, that tight ass that I was dying to sink back into. I was so lost in those thoughts that I nearly missed the knock on the door.
“It’s open,” Gabe called out. He was sitting there in his expensive suit, sipping his drink, looking as though he didn’t have a care in the world.
The guard at the door opened it, and in strutted Antonio. He had a smarmy look on his face and was dressed in jeans and a leather jacket. His russet-brown hair was in waves, with a patch of strands that always covered one eye. I saw why Antonio had a reputation with the ladies. He had an almost movie star look about him. A handsome devil who was really a serpent.
He sat and tossed his booted feet up on the table, resting his entwined hands on his gut. “You guys approve my expansion? Can’t say I’m surprised. The Romanos are getting too cocky. They need to learn their place. I’ll keep buying up their territory until I’ve pushed them out.”
Lucas’s jaw clenched. I could tell my friend wanted to wipe that smug smile off Antonio’s face. That was exactly what I was about to do.
And with great pleasure.
“The deal is a no-go,” I said, barely containing my own smirk. “We ran the numbers, and what you’re asking for just isn’t ideal for our bottom line.”
I didn’t tell him that the Romanos brought in more money than the Malkovich pack. That would’ve set off Antonio and he would take it as a personal insult, more than likely going after the rival pack in a bloody war that I wanted to avoid.
Antonio looked at each of us before his gaze settled on me. “This is a joke, right? You guys aren’t serious.”
He was livid and didn’t try to hide the fact. His brows were pulled together, making the skin between them bunch. His lips were paper thin, pressed together in a tight line. His blue eyes were shooting flames at me. I noticed a tick working in Antonio’s jaw. He had honestly thought we’d approve the expansion, like he’d never had a single doubt.
I could see the wheels turning in the wolf shifter’s head and didn’t like it.
“Be real careful of your next words,” I warned. Antonio was allowed to be as pissed as he wanted, but I would be damned if I let the bastard disrespect me.
And I could see that Antonio wanted to with the way his jaw twitched and his tongue slid over the inside of his lower lip. He was itching to say what was on his mind, and a part of me was daring him to.
“Do you accept our decision?” Reese asked.
I was watching Antonio really close, trying but failing to read his expression, to try and figure out what he was thinking in that deviant brain of his.
Antonio’s smirk resurfaced. “Yeah, I’m cool.”
My gut told me that we’d just started a personal war with the arrogant prick. Antonio Malkovich wasn’t going to simply roll over and show his belly.
When Antonio got up and walked out, I made a phone call.
“I need you to tail Antonio Malkovich. Eyes only. No contact. I need to know what he’s up to.”
“On it,” Smokey said.
I hung up and turned to my friends. “You guys feel that, too?”
They all nodded.
“Antonio is gonna take what he wants,” Lucas said.
“And if he tries, he’s a dead man.” Gabe slammed the side of his fist on the table, his canines bared.
Why did I have a feeling that taking Antonio down wasn’t going to be that easy? I was tense and pissed off, and the next thing that popped into my mind was finding Derek and fucking his brains out to release the pressure building inside me.
* * * *
After I’d left the lounge, I slipped into the backseat of my car and instructed my driver to take me home. I had an early morning meeting and needed some rest after the long day I’d had.
It had felt as if the day had dragged on forever. First my new assistant had started. Then my meeting with Bruske, sex in my office, a meeting with my partners, and then with Malkovich. I was completely drained.
My thoughts were winding with turbulence about both Antonio and an upcoming case I hadn’t really prepared for. I was tired to my bones and needing a drink when I spotted the most peculiar thing in the worst part of town.
Like a rose among choking weeds.
“Pull over, Gary,” I said to my driver. It was nearly midnight and the vultures were out, predators who looked for prey, fed on them, and tossed aside their bones.
“Are you sure, sir?” But Gary pulled over and parked the car at the trash-lined curb. He looked nervously around as I stared out the back window.
I hesitated for only a second before I got out and walked toward the corner store, which was lit up with signs and looked rundown. Scum was hanging out front.
“Derek?” My brows dipped. “What the fuck’re you doing here at this hour?” I asked. “At any damn hour?”
Derek’s green eyes went wide as he stared up at me, a bag clutched to his chest. The human looked around, swallowed, and glanced back at me. “What’re you doing here, Mr. Russo?”
Admittedly, I was out of place in my expensive suit, tweed coat that reached my knees, and my thousand-dollar haircut. I made no excuses for enjoying the finer things in life.
I wasn’t afraid of this neighborhood, though. None of the predators around here were as dark as I was or could do th
e damage I could inflict.
“Answer me.”
“I wanted a late-night snack,” Derek said. “I don’t live too far from here.”
I was ready to put the human over my goddamn knee and spank the shit out of him. Just because he lived in that neighborhood didn’t mean he was safe. God, the scum on that block alone were staring at Derek like he was prime meat. I didn’t want to think what might’ve happened to him if I hadn’t spotted him.
“Get in my car.” I curled my lip at one of the men standing in front of the store. The stranger had a shady look about him, as if he was sizing me up. I really wished the guy would try and rob me. After the day I’d had, I would put him down in seconds.
“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Derek complained as he crawled into the backseat. “I do midnight store runs all the time. I carry pepper spray, so I’m safe.”
A groan escaped my throat. He was asking to be assaulted. Derek looked too damn innocent, and pepper spray wouldn’t stop attackers if they outnumbered him.
He didn’t look as if he could fight his way out of a paper bag.
“You need a damn keeper.” I looked at Gary through the rearview. “Take me home, Gary.”
“Whoa!” Derek sat up and gaped at me. “You might be my boss, but what I do off the clock is none of your business. You can’t just hijack me and take me to your lair because you think I’m being risky with my safety.”
“That’s exactly why I’m hijacking you.”
I thought the human would be a perfect fit as my assistant, but goddamn if he didn’t lack street smarts. How had he not been attacked before? Everyone knew that the Lodi area was where rapists, drug dealers, gangbangers, and murderers hung out.
It was Antonio Malkovich’s territory. With a single phone call I could have a hundred men down here, but I wanted to avoid a war if at all possible.
One would already be coming if Antonio ignored our refusal for expansion and went ahead with his own plans. I didn’t like the fact that Derek lived in this area.