“I do.”
I studied him for a moment. “A proposition or a demand?”
This time his smile did remind me of a fox. “Is there really a difference?”
“Yes, there is.”
“I’ve told you before. I always get my way.”
I should be truly scared. Instead, I found him only mildly infuriating. He hadn’t hurt me, and he easily could have. I was totally at his mercy. I’d never gone anywhere with a client except down one of the darker alleys. I was in danger every night, and I knew these lovely surroundings didn’t actually change my situation, but Remington made me feel comforted. Cared for. It was hard to hate that.
“My proposition is this. I’ll pay you eighteen thousand more if you stay with me for two weeks.”
8
Henri
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am very serious. You’ll get eight thousand at the end of the first week and the rest when our agreement ends.”
“But that’s…”
“More money than you could make doing anything else for two weeks.”
“It’s… very generous, but I have some questions.” It was too good to be true, and that meant there had to be a catch.
“Ask your questions.”
I took another bite of omelet while I thought, but it was hard to swallow. “I would stay here for the two weeks?”
“We’ll either be here or at my family’s home in Metairie. I have a suite there as well.”
“Okay. Will I be working twenty-four seven?”
He grinned. “I will occasionally let you sleep.”
“That’s… good.”
“Along with having you at my disposal for these weeks, I will require absolute discretion from you. You aren’t to speak of anything that happens here.”
I could live with that. “And you will pay me eighteen thousand dollars?”
“I will.”
“And no sharing.”
His expression hardened. “No one touches you but me. You’re mine.”
Jesus. Why was that so hot?
“One more thing.” Remington’s tone told me I wouldn’t like his final stipulation.
Instinctively, I took a step back. “What is it?”
“I get to have your ass.”
I’d been thinking he was going to ask for something kinky or ask me to do something illegal—or more illegal than fucking him for money. I should have been prepared for his request, but I wasn’t. “I… um…”
“I want to be the first man to fuck you.”
I swallowed hard. I should say no, but the money he was offering me would be more than enough to get me off the street. I wouldn’t have to go with random men anymore. I could get a new place to live and even have the breathing room to find another job, one that didn’t scare the fuck out of me.
What was I waiting for anyway? Did I think some perfect man was going to come along, sweep me off my feet, and make my first time so special that lights flashed and lovebirds sang? I never meant to wait so long to try anal, but once I came to New Orleans, I swore it wouldn’t happen with a customer.
Telling myself Remington was different was dangerous. He was a man who had hired me, but I liked him. I’d enjoyed being in bed with him. Would it be so bad for him to be my first? “Anything else?”
Remington slowly assessed me. “No condoms.”
My heart pounded against my chest. That was wrong, really wrong, but the thought of him taking me with no barrier between us had my cock starting to plump. It would make my first time even more intense. I didn’t have to be experienced to know that. The heat of him, the feel of his cum inside me, would be incredible, but if I had him like that, with that added layer of intimacy, how much harder would it be to walk away in two weeks.
At least I’d be walking away a hell of a lot richer, and it wasn’t like staying would be a choice. Once Remington was done with me, I’d be back on my own.
I was still on my own, even there. This wasn’t a relationship; it was a business arrangement. I had to remember that, but if I was struggling to make that distinction after a single night, what would it be like after more?
“Henri?”
I realized he was waiting for an answer from me. “So, this isn’t like last night when you asked but I didn’t actually have a choice?”
“You will stay with me, but I want to hear you say it, and I want you to agree to my terms.”
I licked my lips. Was I going to give him what he wanted? Would he really keep me there if I said no? I had no doubt he could. If I didn’t agree, would I be paid? I needed the money, and… I wanted to stay. I just worried it was my soul I was selling instead of my body.
“I agree to your bargain. Two weeks for eighteen thousand more. That’s twenty thousand total.”
His lips quirked up in a smile. “That’s right. It is.”
He pulled out his wallet and counted out two thousand dollars. “There. I’ve settled last night’s debt.”
“You had that in your wallet?” Who carried around that much cash?
Criminals. I had no doubt he was involved in something shady. I just didn’t know what.
He shrugged. “I like to be prepared.”
“That’s a lot of preparation.”
He watched me, looking expectant.
“What now?”
“I’m still waiting for you to agree to the full bargain.”
“I just did.”
Remington shook his head.
I knew what he meant, but I didn’t want to say it.
Remington continued to watch me, tapping his foot with impatience. He was going to force me to say the words. Why was that a barrier for me? I was willing to do it, to let him go where no man had gone before. I was willing to stay there with him, to be available whenever he wanted me for whatever he wanted. Panic rose in my chest. What exactly would that entail? What was I agreeing to? “What if I have some stipulations?”
He frowned. “That’s not how this works.”
“Last night you promised you wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Ah. What if I promise I won’t hurt you in any way you don’t like?”
This man was fucking devious because I wanted to respond that there wasn’t any way he could hurt me that I would like, but with him, I wasn’t sure that was true. “I want your word that I’ll be free to go at the end of two weeks.”
“I promise you that unless you’re in danger, I will let you go.”
“Will you be the one to decide if I’m in danger?”
“Henri, I think you know I’m a man with some… controversial business pursuits. Being around me is dangerous. Sometimes people don’t like my choices, and sometimes they go after people close to me when I piss them off. I will not allow you to be hurt because of me. Otherwise, you have my word that after two weeks I will not force you to stay with me.”
He spoke more slowly than usual as if he was reluctant to give me that promise. Why? Did he actually think he would want me to stay longer than that? He could always ask instead of demanding if he did.
There were probably many other stipulations I should make, but I knew it was mostly pointless. Remington would do what he wanted, and unless I came up with a clever plan to escape when his home was guarded at all times, I would have to go along with it.
“I agree to give you my body, all of it, and to stay with you twenty-four hours a day for two weeks. After that, I’ll leave here eighteen thousand dollars richer.”
Remington gave me a predatory smile, and my mind screamed for me to run, even though I doubted I’d make it more than a few steps.
“We’re going to need to take care of several things since you’re extending your stay.”
I didn’t like how ominous that sounded.
“First, I need to attend a business meeting. You may use the house freely with the exception of my office. The door is locked, and it will stay that way.”
He seemed to want a response. “Yes, sir.”
“Very good. While I’m gone, I’ll be sending a nurse to take blood for an STD panel. When my meeting is over, I’m going to take you shopping. You’re going to need things to wear during the next few weeks for the rare occasions when I don’t want you naked. By the time we have you properly attired, I will have your test results. And then you’re going to accompany me to dinner with an associate and his boyfriend.”
There was no way I could hide my surprise.
Remington laughed. “That wasn’t what you were expecting, was it?”
“Not at all.”
“Imagine how excited you will be after waiting to be fucked, thinking about it, wondering what it will be like all day, all through dinner, dessert, drinks. By the time I bring you back here, you’ll be so ready to go, you won’t even hesitate to open yourself for me.”
Jesus, would the whole two weeks be like this, him talking this way to me and making me want him all the time?
9
Remington
I didn’t want to face my father. All I wanted to do was drag Henri back upstairs and toy with him until he was begging me to fuck him. I’d open him up, use him, show him he was mine, but what I’d said to him was true. Anticipation would make it even better. I needed something to look forward to after my meeting with X. The man was powerful, intelligent, and ruthless, and he knew my darkest secret. I was going to have to stay focused during dinner and monitor my every word.
How foolish was it for me to take the young man I’d picked up off the street to such an important meeting? It was a good idea to bring a date since X’s boyfriend, Emilio, would be there. I wanted to be a good host after all. I wasn’t seeing anyone. I’d made it very clear I wasn’t interested in serious relationships, and at the first hint that someone was trying to pull me into one, I dropped them instantly. Of course there were always men seeking me out, drawn to my money and power, but they weren’t trustworthy. Even still, I had some safe options, but I wanted to take Henri.
Blackjack had scoured Henri’s background. There was nothing there to indicate trouble. And Blackjack was damn good at finding people’s secrets. Between his computer skills and his ability to extract information from captives, I usually had a wealth of information at my disposal. That was partly why this whole fiasco with the gunrunners and the Landrys was pissing me off.
Who was helping them hide? Business didn’t get done in our circles without me hearing about it. It made me look less than fully competent. That is not a look I ever wanted to have.
I already had people looking deeper into the Landrys, and our intel said more weapons would be coming in through the Port of New Orleans in the next few weeks. If we could get a few more details, we could intervene and make sure the suppliers knew they were not to do business with anyone unapproved by us.
The guards at the gate of our family home in Metairie nodded to me as I drove through. The drive circled around a grassy mound that had a fountain at the center. It was ostentatious, but my father liked to show off his wealth, and that was his prerogative. He’d spent many years increasing the family’s power and riches. That was why I was so determined not to disappoint him now.
I parked my Ferrari in front of the house, and I couldn’t resist running my hand along its curves after shutting my door. Maybe my father wasn’t the only one who liked to show off. I was damn glad I hadn’t been driving my baby when I’d met Henri last night.
I expected my father to be in his office, but when I stepped through the door, he called to me from the front sitting room. He was there with Marjorie, drinking tea and eating pastries. My father had the newspaper laid out in front of him, a habit he hadn’t broken no matter how many times my brothers and I had explained the ease of reading the news digitally.
My stepmother really had domesticated him. You could tell from the way he looked at her that he was more than happy to be there, having a quiet afternoon at home. What they had was special, but it wasn’t for me. They’d both suffered for so many years that they could have spent together, all because my father refused to bring her into his world, the world he was handing over to me. How could I do any differently when I was stepping into the role of head of the family?
“Remington, it’s so good to see you,” Marjorie said. I gave her a hug and sat on the sofa opposite them. “Would you like tea or coffee or something to eat?”
“No thank you. I just ate at home.”
“I wish you would still think of this as your home.”
“I do.” That was the truth. The place where I had grown up would always be the center of my family’s activities. Corbin still lived there, and I still spent plenty of time at the house—even if Marjorie and Pop always acted as if I hadn’t been by in ages—but I needed my own place, needed to have space to figure out how I was going to run the Theriot empire instead of always being under the watchful gaze of my father.
I shifted my attention to him. “I came by to give you an update on what I learned last night.”
He nodded and looked at my stepmother. “Marjorie, do you mind?”
She gave him an indulgent smile. “No, go ahead, though as I told you a million times, you can talk business in front of me.”
He shook his head. “It’s not polite, and I don’t want to bother you.”
“The only thing that bothers me is thinking of you in danger.”
He waved a hand as if brushing off her concern. “I know how to take care of myself.”
“Not as well as you think.” She gave my father a look as he picked up one of the chocolate croissants from the tray. “How many of those have you had? You know your doctor told you to lay off the sugar.”
He scoffed. “That man would take away every pleasure in life if he could. I’m not going to make myself miserable.”
“Having one pastry instead of several probably wouldn’t contribute much to your misery.”
I smiled. My mother had been raised in a crime family and taught the old-fashioned rules of respect. She’d never openly challenged my father. Marjorie didn’t believe in any such rules, and I loved her for it.
“Don’t worry about me so much.”
“Oh, Bébé, I can’t help it.”
They gave each other sappy smiles, and I cleared my throat.
“You’re always so impatient, son. You should try to relax more.”
I forced myself not to scowl at him. He was the one who’d passed on most of the family responsibilities to me so he could relax. How was I supposed to do that?
“There’s a lot going on right now, Pop.”
“Sure. But you can handle it.”
His confidence in me helped me relax far more than him telling me to. He was still tough as hell, and I knew if an enemy walked in right now, he’d put a bullet through the man’s head without asking questions, but he’d never held back affection from me and my brothers, not even before he and Marjorie had gotten back together and he’d found true love himself.
I knew he truly cared for me, and I also knew he didn’t give compliments lightly. He was pleased with how I’d handled things, but that was why I felt so much pressure to get the damn gunrunner situation cleared up. I couldn’t fuck things up and make him or anyone else in the crime world think less of me. Any show of weakness would bring the sharks circling.
My family had held power for decades. We had solid alliances and firm control over much of what happened in the city, but I’d been taught to never take our position for granted. There were always those looking to move in, thinking they could undermine our power. We needed to appear as strong as ever.
My father stood, and I followed him to his office after promising Marjorie to look in on her before I left. I assured her the meeting shouldn’t take too long. At least I hoped it wouldn’t.
My father’s office looked like it could be a set for a stereotypical mobster movie. It was decorated with dark colors, a massive desk, and heavy leather furniture. When he’d worked in here regularly, he’d always had a glass of whisk
ey beside him, no matter the time of day. I was sure in my grandfather’s day the room had been filled with smoke. I’d rarely seen the man without a cigar.
My father had given up smoking ages ago, soon after I was born. It was just one more way he’d shown he cared about us, no matter how dangerous a man he might be. I was glad he’d taught us we could be both family men and businessmen, but that didn’t mean I believed him when he told me I needed to find someone who meant as much to me as Marjorie did to him.
I explained what happened the night before, minimizing the situation with the car, then showed him the pictures I’d taken.
He studied the images for a few moments before nodding. “That’s Charles Landry. I’m sure of it. So what’s your next move?”
I gave him a rundown of the intel we’d gathered.
“That’s a lot of information, but it’s not a plan. You’re nervous about this one, and you don’t want to commit to anything.”
I hated how easily he could read me. “I don’t want to fuck it up.”
I couldn’t believe I’d just admitted that to him. I wanted him to think I always knew what I was doing.
“The surest way to fuck something up is to do nothing.”
I studied him for a moment. Was he serious? Charging in when our intel was wrong or taking out the wrong people seemed far worse than biding our time. “You think we should move now?”
“The longer these men are getting what they want and selling their wares in our territory, the worse we look. It’s time to step in and put an end to this now that we know the players.”
I sighed. “He was right, but if I gave the order to move in and we were wrong, then we were going to get screwed, and that would look far worse.”
“I’m meeting with X tonight, and I’ll find out what kind of help he’s willing to contribute. If weapons are truly coming in in ten days, we’ll be in position to intercept.
He thought that over for a moment. “That sounds good. It’s just enough time to move rationally, but you have an end date. You’ve got to pin yourself down and make moves with confidence. If you don’t, others will think you’re hesitating.”
Remington Page 5