Page 21 of Sweet Venom

Her eyes search mine, not understanding why I'm not taking her. I pull back the covers and gesture for her to get under them, hoping that the simple act of showing her I still want her in my bed is heard without words.

"Why?" she questions as she crawls under, relieving some of my anxiety. I really didn't want to argue anymore, and I'm not sure my cock could take going another session without being inside her.

Turning off the bedside lamp, I slide in behind her pulling her tight against my front before saying, "Because the next time I have you, it will be my way. The way it was always meant to be."

I feel her chest inflate and mine does the same, as I pull in a deep breath and prepare for the line of questioning I know she's about to lay on me. But it never comes. Instead, she slowly strokes her fingers over the top of my forearm that I have firmly locked around her front until she drifts off to sleep, and for that, I am grateful. She's home and in my arms.

* * *

It took every ounce of strength I had this morning to leave my bed with Vivian tucked into my side, but I had to. I couldn't risk Sebastian leaving. I'm optimistic he didn't make the two-hour drive back to San Jose last night. They didn't arrive until 10 pm, and after I didn't cave into the tantrum he threw regarding me and Vivian's relationship, I know he went straight for the tequila.

I'm just entering the kitchen to start the coffee when I see it's already been made. Nico keeps two staff members on salary year-round regardless of what house he's at. Mauricio, his personal chef, and Lucia, his housekeeper who wears more than one hat. She's been the only consistent woman in our lives since Nico took Sebastian and me in years ago, after I ran away from home. Sebastian had only just turned twelve, and I think he and Nico bonded immediately, finding something in the other that had been missing. Nico never had a son of his own, and while Seb and I had parents, they weren't ones any child would want. We were better off without their attention, because when they did remember our existence, the interactions never ended well.

For the most part, I was able to shield Seb from most of the beatings, but I wasn't always around. I am six years older than him, and the day I turned fifteen, I started taking odd jobs—nothing with a set schedule, and nothing that I couldn't be paid under the table for. I couldn't risk my parents knowing I had money. The money I was making was to help feed me and my brothers. I couldn't tell you what happened in those hours I was gone. But I know things started to get bad in the last year leading up to our departure.

When I would come home from a job, Seb wasn't excited to see me. He had always been happy when I got home before. Milo and I were all he had, but during the last few jobs I worked, I could see the change in him, and I knew something had happened. I just didn't know what, and he wouldn't let me in. I knew then the money I had started to make would also be our escape. I had to get us out of there. The problem was, I was years too late. By the time I had saved enough money to get us away, Milo had overdosed. His grave wasn't even dug before I took Sebastian and left in the dead of night. There was no way I would let the same fate fall on him.

As I finish pouring my coffee, I lean against the granite counter, all too eager for the caffeine to start working its magic. My eyes meet Sebastian's. He sits on the buffeted booth seat of the bay window, sipping his coffee, eyes fixed on my every move. It's clear he's assessing me, and as much as I don't care to hear his insults, they are necessary to bring him over to my side and earn his ear. I raised him myself. It's how I know that if I don't give him any words, he'll believe I'm considering his suspicions while, in reality, I'm setting the trap.

"We need to talk," I say, and he nods in agreement, setting his cup down and preparing to speak, but before he can, we are interrupted.

"Good Morning." Vivian walks in wearing a short yellow sundress that perfectly highlights her bronzed complexion. Before I can respond in greeting, she says, "Thanks for the clothes and the tea."

My eyes suddenly flash up to Sebastian, who is now looking at his phone. I sent for the clothes knowing she had nothing here, and I don't plan on returning to San Jose until things are resolved, but I didn't send the tea. Maybe he has a soul after all, sending tea to the woman he choked the night before. This act of decency is the most he's ever shown her, and she doesn't even know it was him.

Maybe we won't be at the Serra Estate as long as I thought. Vivian rounds the island and pushes up on her tippy toes to meet my lips, and just as they connect, I see Sebastian begin to move from his booth.

Before he has a chance to get overly perturbed by our affection, I place my hands on her shoulders and rub gently, breaking away to say, "Sebastian, a word in the office, please." He pauses in his movement but doesn't give me his eyes. When he continues walking without a word, turning right when he exits the kitchen, I know he's meeting me.

"Baby, I need to talk to Sebastian about business involving the Club."

She nods before adding, "Yeah, he told me that someone on the staff has been stealing."

Her remarks surprise me. I find it interesting that Seb shared any details with her when he refuses to share them with me, but the fact that he did speaks volumes to the progress I thought hadn't been made in my absence over the past two weeks. "Yes; we need to discuss that and a few other things. There's a gym in the west wing, and I had swimsuits delivered with your things this morning. Make yourself at home. I'll try not to be too long."

She nods in agreement, and I kiss her forehead before pursuing Sebastian. Walking down the corridor toward the office, I'm trying to think on my toes. Sebastian and I will have immediate business to discuss, but I need to find a reason to keep him here after our conversation. I don't want him to drive back to San Jose.

When I open the door to the office, he is sitting on the brown leather couch flanked by bookshelves. Nico's home is not overly flashy, but his home offices, both here and in Sicily, are meant to intimidate. A massive mahogany desk takes up a significant piece of real estate in the room. Behind it is an enormous stone fireplace with a stack that runs to the top of the twelve foot ceilings. The man who sits behind that desk is not one you would want to cross. Hell, he's not even here, and I don't want to sit in his chair. Instead, I perch my ass on the corner of his desk.

"What's going on at Covet? You came to San Jose four months ago to investigate discrepancies in drawer counts that you believed were targeted thefts; in that time, you've given me few details, and I haven't pushed, but that ends now. I trust you, Sebastian; you are my brother. Why is it that you don't trust me?"

He furrows his brow as he looks up from his phone. The look on his face would lead anyone to believe that my words have confused him, but I know that's not the case. I know he's hiding something. There is more to him being here than just the theft. There has to be.

"Is it about the girl?" I've caught a girl leaving my place with him twice now, and I know she also works at the club. While we might own the clubs, the rules still apply: no dating the staff.

His eyes narrow, and he says, "No. Unlike you, I don't let pussy cloud my better judgment." I cross my arms and bite my tongue, waiting to see if he'll give me more. When he sees that I'm not giving him the reaction he hoped for, he adds, "The blonde you've seen on camera is working at the club, but I'm sure you already know that. However, you might not know that she's also the courier. It's why I've been keeping her close. I had my suspicions, but I needed proof, and last night, I finally caught her in the act."

"There's more you're still not telling me. Why haven't you made a move on her? If you know she's stealing, why not turn this over to the authorities?"

He rises from his seated position on the couch and walks back to one of the windows that flanks the fireplace. "She's not making the hits alone. Someone is helping her, and I want that name. We both know we can do more than the authorities. If it's not her, whoever is behind the scenes could easily get another girl to do their bidding."

I rub my chin in thought as I mull over his words. I don't believe he is lying to me, but I'm also not naïve enough to think I am getting the entire truth. Nonetheless, I am getting more now than I have in months, and I, too, have my own agenda I want to push without setting off alarm bells. It's then that I come up with a distraction that will keep him busy, and I could use help with it anyway.

I've been going over books, and besides the missing drops Sebastian found, there's another moving piece, one I still need to identify a pattern with. Like Sebastian, I have this deep-seated determination to be the one to figure all things out on my own without help. It's why I've given him such a long rope over the past four months. I understand the mentality, but right now, it's something I'm willing to leverage.

"Before you go, I was wondering if you might look at some spreadsheets for me. You found the errors related to drawer counts, which tipped us off on the theft, but I'm now wondering if the reason we haven’t been able to find a pattern is that these hits–“

He finishes my sentence for me. "Are a distraction for something else." Sebastian stalks over to Nico's desk, rolls back the chair, and says, "Show me."

---