Page 36 of Empire of Lust
“Can it wait?” I croak. Bianca’s gone still, her orgasm forgotten. She’s too busy staring up at me, looking to me for direction. The fear of being caught shines in her eyes.
“You said you needed these names by the end of the day. Now it’s okay to wait? Are you sure you’re okay?” He tries the knob again.Fucking bastard.He’s not going to stop until he sees me.
“Under the desk, quick,” I whisper, backing away while wiping my fingers on my pants. I’m pissed I didn’t get to lick them clean like I wanted.
“What?” she whispers, but I’m already shoving her beneath the desk. After hesitating a second, she crawls on her hands and knees until she’s disappeared. I toss the purse after her. There’s no evidence she was ever here.
Meanwhile, Romero hasn’t given up. The doorknob continues to jingle. “I will kick this fucking door down.”
“For fuck’s sake, give me a minute!” Once she’s set, I cross the room and unlock the door, but leave it closed. “Jesus Christ, give a man the chance to get his shit together before you break the door down.”
“You don’t normally lock the door.”
I sink into my chair, then ease it partly underneath the desk. There’s more than enough room for both my legs and Bianca. She squeezes between them, sitting like an angel.
Is she thinking what I’m thinking? My cock thickens again after only just going soft. She’s shown me a side of her I didn’t know existed. How far can I make her go?
Romero’s eyes dart around the room before he comes to a stop in front of me. “Everything okay?”
“What’s with the concern? I needed a little privacy. Privacy that you invaded, by the way.”
“Understood.” Though he looks unconvinced. “I’ve been going through the accounts like you asked.”
My molars grind together at the touch of small hands on my thighs. She can read my mind, after all. “And?” I grit out as her hands creep higher. There I was, thinking she was a good girl. My little bird likes to play dirty.
“And you were right. There are more than a few that need settling.” He passes me the file. “Printed are the names and balances.”
“Overdue?” I can’t concentrate on numbers when soft hands are stroking my inner thighs, teasing my growing bulge. This little minx.
“These are the guys we gave a warning to last month. I think we should pay them another visit and collect what we can.”
I glance up from the names and addresses. Romero’s stone-faced, the way he should be. This isn’t the first time we’ve had this conversation. But it is the first time we’ve had it with Bianca hiding under my desk, playing with my cock. She rubs her palm over my dick, and blinding pleasure zings through me. I can hardly breathe for wanting her mouth on me.
“Possibly,” I grunt. “We can decide on that later.”
“Later?” His brows furrow. “We’re talking about a lot of money. Two of them, we already gave extensions. They knew what they were doing when they borrowed—”
“Enough!” I growl, my voice booming. Bianca’s touch freezes while Romero’s head snaps back. “Since when do you tell me how to manage my business? Thank you for bringing me the info I requested. That is your job. It is not your job to tell me how to handle things after that point.”
“Pardon me if I’m overstepping, but any other day you would usually be halfway to the car, ready to blow some brains out if they didn’t pay up.”
Bianca’s hands settle like lead on my legs. She hasn’t moved.Motherfucker.I’ve spent years doing everything in my power to keep Tatum out of this. She’s not a stupid girl—far from it—but I believe she’s in the dark on the finer points of what I do. That’s blown to shit now that Bianca has heard what Romero said. My chest tightens, and my vision goes hazy. I’m going to lose my shit if this conversation continues.
“We’ll need to talk about this later,” I mutter, glaring at him. I’ve always been able to rely on him to know when it’s the best time and place to discuss these things and to pick up on when I’m not in the fucking mood to talk. I’m surprised he would choose this very moment to let me down.
As if intuition has finally hit him, he mumbles, “Fair enough. Let me know what you decide, and I’ll be ready.”
I give him a tight nod and watch as he walks out of the room.
I back the chair away from the desk, staring at the wall across from me. “You can come out now,” I mutter, careful to keep my voice low. She wouldn’t flip her shit over this. I need to believe she’s got too much sense.
She’s in no hurry to crawl out. I bet she’s afraid of me.Who could blame her?There are lesser men that I’ve made piss their pants. And after what she just heard, I’m positive her view of me has changed.
My gut goes tight once understanding settles in my bones. She keeps her gaze on the floor, leaving her hair hanging in front of her face like a curtain. By the time she gets to her feet, she’s trembling.
“I…”
When she doesn’t continue, my resolve hardens. This, whatever we’re doing, is a mistake. Not only for myself, but for her as well. I can’t drag her into my darkness. I can’t taint her. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to her because of me. Protecting Tatum is hard enough.