Page 34 of Lord of Vice

Breck would learn to be careful what he passed around.

And my message would be sent to the great politician.

Maybe Sheldon was the one under duress, but no one fucked with me in my city.

CHAPTER 12

Penny

He’d fucked my mouth.

And I’d enjoyed it. In fact, the taste of his cum lingered in my throat and on my lips.

Him.

King of the world.

Bad boy personified.

The bastard.

I’d been so exhausted that as the morning light drifted in through the partially open blinds, all I wanted to do was roll over, ignoring the world.

But I’d felt him in the middle of the night. I was certain he’d sat in the chair across from the bed, watching me in the darkness. Maybe I was imagining his presence, but I was also prettycertain Remington had spent time by the man’s feet, abandoning his mother for the ruthless man.

But as I lifted my head, staring at the piece of overstuffed furniture, there was no sign I’d been doing anything but dreaming. As soon as I rolled over, Remington stretched out long and lean, all four paws in the air. He was still sleeping but his tail was thumping against the comforter, the boy as content as I’d seen him.

How could he not be? Now that I wasn’t freaking out like a woman who’d lost her mind, I was able to bask in the beauty of my surroundings. The bedroom was as exquisite as the rest of the suite, the bed more comfortable than any I’d ever slept in. I couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit giddy from my good fortune, although I needed to continue reminding myself that good luck didn’t follow me. Only bad luck did.

It had been that way my entire life.

Involuntarily, I rubbed my lips, my bottom still aching from the spanking. Even the way my jaws hurt was a reminder of the man’s power. But that begged the question why he wanted me in the first place. Okay, so I’d saved his life and witnessed a crime but there was much more to it than that. There was a darkness in him that needed to be satisfied.

God. I was starting to go down an ugly rabbit hole. If I wasn’t careful, I’d lose myself in it completely. But the moment I closed my eyes, I started to envision the man naked. Oh, hell, no. That was more than just out of character for me.

Instead of continuing the twisted fantasy, I rubbed my fur baby’s belly. I tried to pull away from the fear that had been with mesince being fired from my job. It was silly, really but it was the way I felt.

When I finally glanced at the clock, I knew I had to get up. It had been entirely too long since Remington had been allowed to go potty.

“Wake up, you little scruff muffin. We need to get you outside to do your business.”

He lifted his head, his eyes sleepier than normal. While his tail continued to thump, he did nothing more than stretch out again, allowing gravity to roll his body in the other direction. Laughing, I used one of his outstretched legs to turn him back over, lowering my head so I could blow on his tummy.

Huffing and puffing, this morning he didn’t like our little game.

“Come on, you. Mama needs to figure out what we’re going to do.” The man couldn’t be serious about keeping me. That was crazy.

I threw back the covers and that was all the extra incentive my boy needed, oozing off the bed like a Slinky. As I stood, I noticed there was a slight wet ring from a glass on the table next to the chair. I stared at it for a full ten seconds.

I’d been right. A cold shiver coursed down my spine. He had been watching me. Why? I was no fool. I’d heard all about the mafia owning the majority of resorts in town, the Morellis included, but I’d done what I could to keep names from my mind. It was none of my business in the first place.

But I had a feeling that danger followed the man wherever he went.

I cautiously moved toward the door, barely opening it a crack, listening for any sounds coming from the rest of the suite. Hearing nothing, I opened it wider, allowing Remington to bound out. The sun was really coming over the horizon, the colors splashing across the sky possibly indicating an approaching storm. I debated taking him to the patio and the pristine grassy area, but I knew that was more out of spite than anything else.

But why?

While Kraven had forced me to come with him, he hadn’t kidnapped me. Not really. He’d encouraged me strongly, yes, telling me he wanted to protect me. From what? Boogeymen? Okay, I was pretty certain the two assholes who’d been with the assassin had seen my face, one having beady eyes as he’d stared at me. I had a feeling bad men like him remembered innocent ones like mine.

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