Page 41 of Virtuous Vows

She laughs and snaps her fingers. One of her guards picks up the jewelry and leaves the room.

“Another virgin auction, then?” Anya asks.

Our agreement has always been they get a small cut, and I advise them when they have a particular client who is looking to dabble in the services I offer.

I nod. “The usual.”

“Hm,” she purrs. “You know my brother and I enjoy exchanging business with you. Our dealings have been transparent and mutually beneficial.”

“I feel the same.”

“Then I wonder if you’re sorting your shit out,” she seethes.

And there is the bite. The venom that sits just beneath the surface.

I offer a tight smile. “Regarding?”

“I’ve been advised that a man propositioned one of my security guards to try and find out information about our next auction. Someone who boldly announced that he works for you.”

My blood drains, but I keep my composure. “And could he verify that claim?”

“No,” she admits. “And my security is wary enough of commoners and police sniffing around to know how to avoid the question. I should hope that my people will not be approached in such a way again?”

“It’s being handled.”

“Hm,” she says as if she can’t hear me.

My knuckles go white. “It’s being handled,” I repeat. I can’t very well ask Anya if her people can identify the man because it certainly won’t look like I’m handling it. But I do know that someone is fishing around where they shouldn’t be, and now it is affecting my business.

I keep my composure because the Ivanov siblings are best kept as allies. And we’re already on fragile ground after the stunt Crue pulled by killing off one of their regular clients. One who bid for me to personally escort her.

Anya pouts as she walks over to me and stands between my legs. She presses her finger againstmy lips. “But I could be lenient. Forgiving, even. I could put a good word in with my brother if you play nice.”

Everyone knows the Ivanov siblings work in equal shares. She is the front, and the brother is the dirty work behind the scenes. But they are ruthless. It doesn’t mean that I can’t be any less cruel if needed.

I curl my fingers under her hand and kiss her knuckles. “I think you’ll put a good word in for me either way. You will both receive your usual cut from the auction.”

She seems pleased. A difficult thing to do with Anya Ivanov.

She offers another lingering gaze over me. “We look forward to doing business with you as usual, Dawson. But clean up your shit.” And there’s a hint of a threat behind her words.

Fuck. Too long.

We’ve taken too long to find this fucker.

No more.

CHAPTER 23

Honey

He’s waiting for me, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit. And I am wearing a white dress, per the instructions in the email I received earlier.

“Are you ready?” I nod as he holds open the door for me and offers me his hand.

“Honey?” I turn to find Rya walking toward the building, obviously coming home from work. Dawson looks her way but doesn’t say anything. Her eyes scan him before they land on me and eye me up and down.

I can’t tell her anything, so when she’s closer, I stay still as a statue, trying to think of the best lie I can think of, but instead, something else falls out of my mouth. “Dawson is taking me on a date.”

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