by I. T. Lucas
Anticipating her next move, Syssi extended her arm, just in time to get her coffee cup out of the way before Amanda lunged to give her a hug.
When she let go, she asked, “But what happened? Don’t you like working with Kian?”
“I love it, and so does he, too much. Instead of helping him get more done, I’m the reason he gets almost nothing done. All he wants to do is neck and play kinky games.”
Shit, did she just say it out loud? God, she was so stupid. Telling Amanda something like this was like waving a red rag in front of a charging bull.
Amanda’s eyes widened and then narrowed. “Oh, really? How exciting and naughty… Please, do tell.”
Syssi felt the heat rising and engulfing her ears. “I’ll do no such thing. Our love life is private, and the last person on earth who I want to talk about it with is Kian’s sister. Well, perhaps not the last, that would be my dad, and next Andrew, but after them it’s you.”
Amanda lifted one corner of her mouth in a half smile. “At least I’m in good company. But have no doubt”—she pointed a finger at Syssi—“I’m going to find out one way or another.”
“No, you’re not. Because I’m never going to tell you, and you can forget about getting anything out of Kian.”
“I have my ways.” Amanda made an evil face.
Was she kidding, though? Probably. Because there was no way unless she planted a listening device in their bedroom, and Syssi didn’t think even Amanda could pull this off.
“When can you be at the lab?”
Thank God, Amanda let go of that embarrassing subject.
“When do you want me?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Amanda looked surprised. “Really? I was expecting you to say something like next Monday, but I’m thrilled. Now we can put the search for Dormants back on track. I haven’t done any paranormal research since I went back to work. It just wasn’t the same without you.”
She took Syssi’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’ve gotten so accustomed to you running most of those that doing it myself somehow just didn’t feel right. I kept telling myself that I need to put out an ad for more subjects but never got around to actually doing it.”
“Speaking of ads. I think we should expand beyond the limited pool of university students as subjects. We need to put out an ad, maybe even something on Facebook, that would attract people with paranormal abilities to come to us and submit to testing.”
Amanda clapped her hands. “That’s brilliant, Syssi. Could you do it? Come up with an idea for an ad?”
“I can try, though I’ve never written ad copy so I don’t know if it will be any good.”
“Talk to Brandon; he deals with media all of the time. I’m sure he’ll have good tips for you.”
Not a bad idea. “You’re right. I will.”
“Wonderful.” Amanda pulled her in for another hug. “Welcome back.”
Chapter 13: Sebastian
“Warriors, you have your assignments for tonight. Good hunting!” Sebastian sent the men off with the same words he’d been using every night.
For now, their spirits were still high, but he suspected this would change as time went by without their efforts producing results. The chance of them finding one of Annani’s clansmen in the bars and clubs they were scoping nightly was slim.
He would have to come up with something else for them to do.
Unfortunately, none was capable of taking over any of his tasks, which were proving more challenging and time-consuming than he’d expected. And finding girls for his brothel was just one of many.
This morning’s visit to the headquarters of Imagine Studios had been very educational. He would have to rethink his whole strategy as far as using Hollywood for his boss’s agenda. Money still talked, that at least hadn’t changed, but it was no longer the good-old-boys network it used to be, not exclusively. His impression was that women were running the show now.
Sebastian chuckled. It should be renamed the good-old-girls network.
And the few male executives that he’d talked with were either gay or didn’t know what to do with all the pussy already available to them. So his idea of sexual bribes wasn’t going to work.
Unless he could offer the kind of sex they could get nowhere else. After all, he wasn’t the only one with unusual tastes. There was a wide variety of kinks to choose from, and he could arrange to provide most if not all.
If he could get his hands on enough girls, that is. Perhaps he could train his two assistants to help him out.
Sebastian cast a sidelong glance at Robert. Nah, this one was such a straight shooter that he barely deserved the designation of a Brother of the Devout Order Of Mordth. He was a good fighter, though, and not everyone in the organization had to be a cruel and underhanded bastard. After all, every commander needed someone he could trust.
That left Tom.
The guy was charming and intelligent but not handsome. Not ugly, but nothing women would drool over either. He was short, which was one of the reasons he was trained as an administrative assistant and not as a warrior, and the lack of vigorous military training meant that he wasn’t muscular either. He had a good set of teeth, though, and a charming smile was sometimes all that was needed to lure a woman into a trap.
Besides, he had nothing to lose by giving Tom a chance. Worst case scenario, the guy would come back empty-handed or with a girl that wasn’t all that attractive.
“Tom, a word.” He motioned for the guy to follow as he headed for the stairs.
“Sure thing.” Tom climbed behind him.
As they reached his upstairs study, Sebastian pointed to the chair facing his desk and closed the door.
“Is there something wrong? There was a note of anxiety in the guy’s question—unusual, considering his otherwise flippant attitude.
Did Tom have something to hide?
Sebastian made a mental note to keep better tabs on the guy.
“Not at all.” He took a seat behind the desk and steepled his hands in front of him. “I wanted to talk with you privately. I have a job for you that doesn’t involve Robert or any of the other men.”
Tom’s face relaxed and his familiar smug smile returned. He straightened in his chair. “Whatever you want me to do, I’m on it. You know me, boss. I get things done.”
“I know. That’s why I chose you for this. I need help getting more girls.”
For a moment, Tom looked stunned, but he recovered quickly. “Sure thing. And I appreciate that you thought of me for this, but isn’t Robert a better choice? I mean, it’s not like I have trouble getting myself a piece of ass, but Robert is like a chick magnet, he can do better.”
Sebastian smiled. “It’s not all about the size of a guy’s biceps, Tom. We both know Robert. Do you think he can pull off something like this? Hell, if he were even half as devious as you, I would’ve at least paired you up. He could do the luring and you the catching. But the guy has no initiative and can’t think on his feet. You’ll have a better chance of catching flies on your own. Just use that charming smile of yours.”
“You think my smile is charming? I don’t know what to say, boss, I’m so flattered.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes. Give a guy one measly compliment and he thinks you love him.
How did that human saying go? You can catch more flies with honey than with lemon? Or was it vinegar?
“Get over yourself and go get dressed. I’ll meet you downstairs in twenty minutes.”
“You want me to start tonight?” Suddenly, Tom’s bravado went poof.
“The sooner, the better. I’ll explain on the way. When we get to the club, I’ll watch you go for it. If I think you need correction, I’ll text you instructions, or if things are going real bad, I’ll tell you to abort.”
“Maybe I should have a bug on me, you know, so you can listen in and tell me if I’m saying the right things.”
“No need. Don’t worry; my hearing is excellent,
and I’m going to stay close.”
As Tom left to get ready, Sebastian went back downstairs and headed to the kitchen pantry, where Robert had carved a little space for himself to work. In addition to shelves loaded with canned and dry foods, it now contained a desk, a computer, and a chair.
Tom didn’t mind working with background noise, and he either used the kitchen table or worked from the couch.
This was another thing Sebastian overlooked in his plans—a space for his assistants to do their jobs. Not that he’d had much choice. Most of the available space was turned into bedrooms for the warriors, and the rest was divided between the various storage and service facilities, a dining room spacious enough to serve the men in two shifts, and a large recreation room. The weapons were stored outside.
So given that his available options had been limited to stuffing three men instead of two in a room, giving up his luxurious third-floor apartment, or having his assistants work from the kitchen, he had chosen the third.
And besides, the pantry was spacious enough.
“Robert,” he said as he entered the guy’s domain.
“Yes, Sebastian?” Robert swiveled his chair around to face him.
“What’s the status with the yard work?”
“The pool contractor is going to be here with two crews tomorrow at seven in the morning. He said he could be done in four days. And I ordered the planting material so it will arrive the day after he is done.”
“What about the sprinkler system?”
“The pool contractor is going to take care of it. He needs to move pipes around to make room for the pool anyway.”
“Good job.” Sebastian clapped the man on the shoulder, “Tom and I are going out. You are in charge.”
“Yes, sir. Any special instructions?”
“The usual. Check on the girls, see that they have everything they need, and make sure that the men who are on cleanup rotation do their job. I want to see and smell the clean when I come back.”
“I’ll make sure it is done to your satisfaction.”
As he left the pantry and headed out, Sebastian thought about his girls. With only five available, using any of them for himself was out of the question. He couldn’t have even one out of commission for the time it would take her to heal.
Regrettably, his lawyer was available no more than twice a week, which meant he’d been forced to use random subs at the club in between.
Blah, boring and predictable.
Sebastian sighed. Perhaps now that Tom was joining the effort, he could devote time to finding something better for himself.
When he got to his car, Tom was already waiting by the Escalade. Sebastian clicked the thing open.
“Want me to drive?”
“Knock yourself out.” He tossed the keys at his assistant, then got in on the passenger side.
Tom turned on the ignition, then adjusted the seat and mirrors to his smaller size. “So, boss, how do I go about choosing my victim?”
“You start by selecting ordinary girls with potential for improvement. Ignore the knockouts—they get too much attention and are hard to snare. Zero in on a suitable candidate, then continue with asking a lot of questions.”
Chapter 14: Andrew
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” As Andrew pulled into one of the vacant spots in the clan’s private parking level, he shifted the transmission to park and cut the engine even though he was just dropping Bhathian off.
“What time?” Bhathian closed the passenger window and depressed the handle.
“I have to be at the office at nine, so right as she opens at eight. I’ll meet you there.”
“Good deal.” He unfolded his frame and stepped out. “Thanks, man. I really appreciate what you’re doing for me,” he said, leaning into the cabin.
“Think nothing of it.”
Bhathian gave a curt nod and pushed the door closed.
Sitting in his car, Andrew debated what to do next as he watched the guy open the heavy, reinforced door leading to the bank of elevators, then let it slam shut behind him.
It was still early, and the prospect of going home didn’t particularly appeal to him. But Bridget was gone, and showing up uninvited at Syssi and Kian’s, because he had nothing better to do, would spell ‘pathetic’ in big fucking neon lights.
So what were his options?
Hit Barney’s?
Call Susanna?
Andrew shifted in his seat, pulling out the back of his blazer from under his butt so it wouldn’t wrinkle.
Damn, even though what he had with Bridget was more or less the same arrangement he had with Susanna, it didn’t feel right to call his co-worker while he was still seeing the doctor. Decency demanded that he at least keep it down to one casual friend with benefits at a time.
And then there was Nathalie.
True, there was nothing going on between them, yet, that he should feel guilty about. But he was more than tempted to give it a try. There was no doubt in his mind that he would flirt with her tomorrow, even at a risk of antagonizing Bhathian. After all, the guy owed him, and what’s more, he didn’t seem to be against the idea—in principle at least.
Not that Bhathian was okay with Andrew, or any other male for that matter, hooking up with his daughter, but he would be fine with a more meaningful relationship.
Question was, however, whether Andrew was fine with it.
There was something decidedly different about the way he’d reacted to Nathalie. Besides the attraction, she’d awakened a protective instinct in him that he hadn’t felt for any of the other women in his life. Well, with the exception of Syssi, but she was his baby sister so that went without saying. But the women he’d dated had been capable of taking care of themselves and hadn’t needed him for anything other than sex or, on occasion, his company.
It didn’t make sense. Nathalie was a capable and independent woman, who was not only running a business on her own but was also taking care of her ailing adoptive father.
And yet, deep down in his gut, he had this overwhelming need to protect her, keep her safe, make sure she was okay.
For some reason, it made him think of Dalhu. Amanda was capable and independent, and yet the guy was extremely protective of her, which given the circumstances—with Dalhu being a kept man, dependent on her for his support—didn’t make much sense either.
He should go see the guy. In fact, he should’ve done it already. After the ordeal he’d undergone, Dalhu had needed time to recuperate, but almost a month had already gone by, and the guy deserved at least one friendly visit.
Trouble was, Andrew didn’t have Amanda’s number, and he didn’t feel like going up and just knocking on the door. Then again, the guys manning the security desk in the lobby could make the call for him.
With that in mind, he got out of the car and headed for the elevators. He didn’t bother to lock the thing, there was no need. The only ones with access to this level were clan members, and he doubted any of them would want to steal his car. It was crap compared to what was parked there.
As he got up to the lobby, one of the security guys recognized him from his previous visits.
“Mr. Andrew Spivak, how can I assist you this fine evening?”
“What’s up?” He clasped hands with the guy.
“Nothing exciting, I’m happy to report.”
“Excellent. No news is good news, right?”
“You got it.”
“Could you please check if Dr. Dokani is home? She is not expecting me, but I just dropped off a friend and thought to go up and say hi.”
“Let me check.” The guy tried the penthouse, but there was no answer, and he called her cellphone next.
“She wants to talk to you.” He handed Andrew the phone.
“Hi, Amanda, sorry to interrupt whatever you’re doing, but I wanted to come see Dalhu, and I don’t have your home number. “
“You’re not interrupting, Andrew, never. I’m over at Syssi’s, but I’ll cal
l Dalhu and let him know you’re coming. I’m sure he’ll be very pleased to see you. Oh, and Syssi says that she wants to treat you to a cappuccino from her new machine. So come over here after you’re done with Dalhu. On second thought, grab him and get him to come as well. He needs to taste the difference between this and our Nespresso. And anyway, he should take a break from drawing all day long.”
Andrew chuckled. “Are any of you getting any sleep with all that coffee? You sound a little hyper.”
“Yeah, I am. But I’ll tell you about it later.” She snorted. “Over coffee.”
“Good deal.”
He handed the phone back to the guard and stayed a couple more minutes to chit chat with the guys about the security measures in the lobby, which were impressive, to say the least, then headed up to Amanda’s penthouse.
The door was open, and he rapped his knuckles on it before walking in.
The place was a mess. What had used to be an elegant and luxurious living room was now a painter’s workshop, and stunk from oil paint and paint thinners and other things he didn’t recognize.
Several tall easels held portraits in various stages of completion. One was of Anandur—with no clothes on. Thank God, so far Dalhu had done only the upper body.
“I see you’ve been busy,” he said as Dalhu walked in from what looked like washing his hands. The guy needed to clean more than just those, though. There were paint smudges all over his clothes and even some on his face.
Messy.
Dalhu came closer, and as they shook hands, Andrew observed that he hadn’t regained his full strength yet. The guy was thinner than he’d used to be, and there was still a gray overtone to his naturally tanned skin color.
“Yeah, it seems my services are in high demand. I have a waiting list of portraits.”
Andrew smiled. “How much do you charge for one?”
Dalhu looked surprised by the question. “Nothing, why would I charge for something I enjoy doing? It’s a hobby, not a job.”
The guy needed a reality readjustment. He was never going to his old job, and the sooner he realized it, the better.