Obsessive Temptation: A BWWM Romance Limited Edition Collection

by Peyton Banks

  Vlad sighed then swiped his hand over his face. “Give me a pen and a piece of paper.”

  Con retrieved the requested items from his drawer and slid them across the desk. Vlad grabbed the pen and began writing. Con remained silent as he watched Vlad. The man looked tired. He had no idea what Vlad was dealing with.

  However, he’d bet money that it involved his baby sister. His sister was the light of his life. Vlad would do anything for her. Even return to an organization he’d vowed he wouldn’t be a part of ever again.

  Vlad dropped the pen then pushed the paper over to Con. Con picked the paper up and stared down at the name.

  “Scar. Who the fuck is Scar?”

  “You work with Dean Chambers, right?”

  “I hire him sometimes. He’s a great P.I.”

  “Dean sometimes hires this guy.”

  “If I needed another P.I. I’d just go to Dean. But Dean is a Soldier. I can’t use him for this. Which means, I can’t use this guy either.”

  “Scar isn’t a Soldier. He’s one of Garrett’s men.”

  “Garrett. Oh, Dean’s former P.I partner.”

  “Garrett hates the Soldiers. He wants nothing to do with us. Scar is one of his men. He’s working alone these days. He can help you find Boris. But be upfront with him. Tell him I gave you his information. Tell him you’re a Soldier who doesn’t want to use the Soldiers on this case. He’ll be more likely to help you if you do that. But, he isn’t cheap. And he isn’t very talkative.”

  Staring at the number, Con nodded. “Thanks, Vlad.”

  “I’m doing this for Boris’ family. Not you.”

  Con stared up at Vlad. “Either way, I thank you. See, I knew you had a heart under all that ice.”

  “Fuck you.” Vlad turned and strode over to the door. He gripped the door handle.

  “Vlad.”

  Vlad froze. Facing the door, he said, “What is it now?”

  “I have one year left and then I’m done with the entire organization. But, if you ever need me, you can call. I’ll come.”

  Vlad hesitated for a few seconds before nodding. “My hands are tied now. But, when I’m free again, you can call me too.”

  “When will you be free again?”

  “Soon,” Vlad told him as he opened the door. With a final nod, he left the room.

  Con leaned back in his seat and stared at the closed door. Vlad would be free soon. That was good. Con picked the paper up and stared at the name. Scar. If Vlad vouched for him, the guy must be good at what he does.

  There was no better time to call than the present. Con picked up the office phone and dialed the number. No answer. Con left a voicemail. Five minutes later, he received a call from Scar.

  Their conversation only lasted two minutes. Scar told him his price. It was a little high. But Con didn’t complain. He was willing to pay it. Once he agreed to the price and terms, Scar only had three questions for him.

  He wanted to know if Con really hated being a Soldier. And whether or not Boris was loyal to the Soldiers. And he wanted to know if he could have access to Boris’ phone records. Con answered the questions and agreed to text Scar the phone records.

  Scar told him he’d contact him in two days with some information. After the conversation ended, Con returned to sipping his drink. Con wasn’t a patient man. Yet, he couldn’t rush this process.

  He would give Scar two days to find some type of lead. Any lead. If he couldn’t find anything within two days, Con would have to do what the leader specifically told him not to do. He’d have to use his own talents to find Boris.

  Using his talents often left a high body count in his wake. That was the reason the leader wanted him to utilize the Soldiers. The Soldiers hadn’t been able to produce any leads. If Scar returned with the same information they had, Con would have to handle shit himself.

  Con’s cell phone rung. Yury. Why the hell was Yury calling him?

  “Hello?”

  “Is Vlad gone?”

  “Yes.”

  “Was he helpful?”

  “That is yet to be determined. What’s up? Why are you calling me?”

  “I’m in the lounge area.”

  Cristal. “Why are you there? Is Cristal okay?”

  “She’s fine. I came here because I saw more traffic than usual heading this way.”

  “What’s going on down there?”

  “I think you should look at the cameras. I’ll add extra security here, since there are so many customers hanging out in this spot.”

  The line went dead. What the fuck was Yury talking about? As long as Cristal was okay, Con was okay. He swiveled around in his seat to face the computer. A few clicks later he was staring at Cristal.

  Or, rather a woman who looked like Cristal. But this wasn’t his Cristal. His Cristal didn’t wear skintight attire that left nothing to the imagination. His Cristal always wore a scowl and was quick to curse you out when provoked.

  His Cristal sang songs that made him yawn. This Cristal was singing along to a seductive melody while slowly swaying her hips from left to right. Why the hell was she swaying her hips from left to right?

  Con gripped the edge of his desk as he eyed the men who were eyeing her. His customers appeared mesmerized by her. There were even a few women in there who couldn’t seem to take their eyes off her.

  Con picked up his phone and called Yury. “Bring her to me now!”

  “Boss, that would cause a scene.”

  “I don’t give a fuck.”

  “Boss, think about her. Think about how embarrassed she’d be.”

  “Fuck that. Bring her…”

  “If you want her, come get her.” The line went dead.

  Sometimes Yury got on his fucking nerves. Eyes still on the computer screen, Con slid his phone into his pocket. What type of fuckery was Cristal up to? He leaned closer to the screen.

  Why the hell was she moving like that? Con’s eyes widened. Why the hell did she just lick her lips and smile like that? Who the fuck was she smiling at? Whoever that motherfucker was, he was dead.

  Con stood up and stormed from the room. As soon as he stepped out of his office, security surrounded him, wanting to know if he needed them. Con sent them on their way. As soon as they departed, females surrounded him.

  “Hi, Con. I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever,” a brunette purred.

  “Why do you always stay locked up in your office? That’s no fun,” a redhead told him.

  “Con, when are you going to get rid of your, no mixing business with pleasure policy? That’s so boring,” the redhead’s twin pouted as she spoke.

  He didn’t have time for this. His eyes connected with Ramirez. Con nodded. Ramirez waved to two other guards. Con breathed a sigh of relief after his men pulled the females away from him.

  “I should stay with you, boss,” Ramirez said. “Just in case you get attacked by kittens again.”

  “Good idea. Follow me.” Con stormed across the crowded dance floor.

  “Hey, boos,” Ramirez yelled from behind him. “I’m supposed to bring up the front.”

  “No time for that.”

  All Con could think about was Cristal, with her breasts out and her legs showing. Why would she wear that? She’d had a damn heart attack when he asked her to strip for him. Yet, her ass was willing to dress like that for her customers.

  And where the hell had that crowd come from? He’d never seen that many people come into the lounge to hear her sing. Con pushed his way through the crowd of dancers. When he reached the walkway, he increased his speed.

  He glared at Lina when he passed by her bar. She smiled and waved. He knew she was behind this. He’d seen her on camera, telling Criss she needed to dress sexier. If he could fire Lina’s ass, he would.

  There was nothing wrong with the clothes Criss had been wearing. She’d looked just fine in those clothes. Better than she did tonight. In her old clothes, he hadn’t had to worry about these no-good men approaching her.
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br />   As he neared the lounge area, he could no longer hear the loud must blaring from the speakers near the dance floor. He rounded the corner then came up short. The doors to the lounge area were open.

  The patrons who didn’t have room to sit and listen to Criss sing, were standing outside listening. Most were wearing stupid grins on their faces.

  “Damn boss, are they all here to see Cristal sing?”

  Ignoring the question, Con stormed forward. Ramirez rushed to get in front of him. Con grit his teeth as Ramirez cleared a path for him to enter Criss’ lounge. Con hadn’t wanted Ramirez to clear a path.

  He’d wanted to shove his way through the crowd, in hopes that it would calm him down a little. In hopes that it would take the edge off a little so that when he came face to face with Criss he wouldn’t say something stupid.

  Like, get your motherfucking ass off that stage before I kill all these motherfuckers. Ramirez cleared him a path so that he could get through the door. Inside the lounge wasn’t any better. The place was packed.

  Ramirez grabbed his arm. “Over here boss. Yury is waving for us from the back corner.”

  Fuck Yury. But one look at Yury’s face alarmed Con. Yury was wearing his serious look. Con jerked away from Ramirez and strode over to Yury. The sound of Criss’ voice washed over him. Not looking in her direction was hard.

  Con fought the urge. He knew if he looked at her, he’d end up dragging her from the stage. Right now, he needed to know what had Yury looking alarmed. When Con reached Yury, he stood toe to toe with him, with his back to the stage. Don’t look at her, he told himself. Not yet.

  Yury leaned forward to whisper, “Security spotted the same vehicle seen at Cristal’s house, here tonight. It circled the club twice. The last time was four minutes ago. Then he drove East and hasn’t returned.”

  Con grit his teeth. “The motherfucker knows where she works. I’m not letting her stay at her house tonight.”

  “That’s a bit extreme. I’m sending Louis to watch…”

  “I’ll watch over her. At my place.”

  “She has a grandmother and a niece.”

  “They can come too.”

  “Boss, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “It’s done. Send someone to get her family and bring them to my…”

  “They don’t know us. They’re not going to just hop in the car with a stranger.”

  “Lina has met her family. Send Lina to get them and bring them to my house.”

  “Won’t this blow your sister’s cover?”

  “There’s no reason for Lina to tell them who she really is. They only know her as Cristal’s friend.”

  “But boss…

  “Just do it, Yury. And tell Louis to trail her. Just in case the dude who showed up here shows up at Cristal’s house also.”

  Yury nodded. “I think this is insane, but, I’ll do it.”

  “It’s about damn time you do something I say.”

  “Before I go, I just want to say…”

  “Must you say it, whatever it is you’re about to say?”

  “I must. You’ve picked the wrong time to go and fall in love.”

  Con felt like the air was punched from his lungs. Love. Who the hell said anything about love? “What are you talking about?”

  “You can deny it all you want. I see the way you look at her. I know you drive by her house every night to make sure she gets home safely from her gas station job. You have me drive you there every night on weekends. You stay watching the security screens, just so you can keep an eye on her. You have her working here to pay off a debt. But the truth is, your car has been fixed and you don’t need the money. You just want to be able to see her.”

  “I assume you’re trying to make a point.”

  “The point is, this isn’t a good time for this, Boss. You only have a year left in your blood debt. One year. If you play your cards right with the leader, you can spend that year working here. When that year is over, if you still want to pursue Cristal, then go ahead. But right now, we have business to take care of. Our business. Not hers.”

  “Are you done?”

  “No. I have one more important fact to share with you.”

  “And then you’ll be done, right?”

  “Right. After I share this, I’ll be done. I won’t bring this up anymore, ever.”

  “Then please, go ahead and share your last fact. Because I’m tired of discussing this with you.”

  “The last fact is, no matter what you do, no matter how you help her, it’s never going to change how she sees you.”

  Con balled his hands into fists and shoved them into his pockets.

  “Not only do I see the way you look at her, I also see the way she looks at you. The looks aren’t the same.”

  “That’s enough.”

  “She doesn’t look at you the way you look at her.”

  “Yury…”

  “You’re in love with her. But she can barely stand to be in your presence more than five minut…”

  Con gripped the front of Yury’s shirt and pulled him forward. “Enough,” Con growled. “If you weren’t my friend…”

  “I know what you’d do. However, I am your friend. And it’s my job to tell you the truth.”

  Con released Yury and stepped back. “Go. Send Lina and Louis to do as I asked.”

  Yury nodded then strode off. Con clenched his fists tightly. He needed to hit something or someone, right now.

  5

  Con took a deep breath and released it slowly.

  Yury’s words were on repeat in his mind.

  “The last fact is, no matter what you do, no matter how you help her, it’s never going to change how she sees you.”

  Bullshit. What about the way I see her? Con thought. Cristal wasn’t perfect. She never listened to him. She had a smart-ass mouth. And she was no angel. She too, had a criminal record. Like, breaking and entering.

  Who the hell breaks into a tire shop? Criss, that’s who. She came from a family of criminals. She was no better than he was. Fuck what Yury said. Cristal would soon look at him differently.

  He’d make sure of it. He’d make sure she realized he was the only motherfucker she could be with. He was the only motherfucker who could make her problems go away. He was the only motherfucker who could keep her safe.

  The beat changed to a slower song. The melody pulled Con away from his thoughts and back to the present. He slowly turned around to face the female who occupied his thoughts day and night.

  The moment his gaze landed on her, a shiver raced down his spine. Mine was the first word that came to mind whenever he looked at her. She wasn’t looking in his direction. She was singing a love song while smiling at different men in the crowd.

  Anger flooded Con’s system. Why did she smile at strangers, yet she refused to smile at him?

  “Maybe she would if you were nicer to her.”

  Con looked to his right to see who’d spoken. Ramirez. Why was he still there? “What did you say?”

  “I was answering your question.”

  “I didn’t ask a question.”

  “Uh, you did. You said why does she smile at strangers but refuse to smile at you.”

  Damn, he’d said that aloud?

  “And then I said, maybe she would if you were nicer to her.”

  “It’s not my job to be nice to her.”

  “It’s not her job to smile at you, boss.”

  “I guess all you motherfuckers want to speak your minds today, huh? First Yury, now you.”

  “I’m just saying, boss, you’re never nice to Criss.”

  “What the hell ever. She hit my car and I didn’t call the police.”

  “Oh right. I guess that makes you gentleman of the year. Get the fuck out of here with that.”

  “Ramirez,” Con said, warning evident in his voice.

  Ramirez place his hand on Con’s shoulder. “Boss, stop being all rude and shit and listen. It’s clear you like Cris
s.”

  Con started to deny it, then changed his mind. “Your point?”

  “If you like her, let her know. Yeah, she may curse you out, but that’s just her defense mechanism. She was rude to me at first too. But, I didn’t let it bother me. I kept asking her if she needed help…”

  “Why? Do you like her?”

  “Not the way you do. I did it because I could tell she felt out of place here. I know what it’s like to be surrounded by people who are different from you. So, I kept pestering her, until finally, we became friends.”

  “You mean associates.”

  “No, I mean…”

  Con glared at Ramirez.

  “Oh right,” his guard said. “I mean associates. We became associates. Bottom line is, she’s nice to people who are nice to her. But she won’t take the first step, or even the second. You have to walk to her. Okay, boss?”

  Con nodded. He needed to walk to her. He needed to be nicer to her. He could do that. He was Constantine Novinkoff. He could do anything. Be nice, he told himself. Being nice meant not snatching her off stage and forcing her to put some clothes on.

  He could do that. He could be nice. He could… his gaze zeroed in on Criss as she did some sort of slow shimmy while rubbing her hands over her body. What the absolute fuck? The patrons in the room began cheering. Con saw red.

  “Um, boss, she’s just singing a song,” Ramirez told him. “Boss. Where are you going? Don’t do it, boss. Boss. Damn it.”

  What was he doing there?

  Criss missed a beat. Luckily, none of her customers seemed to notice. Criss continued singing and swaying her hips as she rubbed hands over her sides. She was not about to let him ruin her night. But seriously, why was he there?

  Her confidence level was slowly dropping. His eyes were zeroed in on her. Using Jedi mind tricks, she tried to make him look away. Her Jedi skills were a little rusty. His gaze remained focused on her.

  Screw him. He was just mad because she was winning. Her night had gone better than planned. Her tip jar had filled up quickly. So much so, that Lina had to bring her three more during the night.