Page 108 of Vicious Little Games

Sitting up straighter, he says, “Have you come to beg me not to tell Daddy you’re fucking Cole?”

“No. I know you won’t because you don’t want to admit you saw me naked.”

“Fine,” he huffs, slouching again. “What do you want?”

“I sort of need your help with something,” I admit as I take a seat in one of the two less comfortable chairs in front of the desk.

“Okay.”

“Two things, actually. And I need you to keep them both quiet.”

“Oh, something else you mean, other than the fact that you're fucking your stepbrother?”

“This isn't going to cause as many problems, but I need your help since I don't know how to book reservations at the hotel yet.”

Cole told me he got plenty of experience with it yesterday, which gave me an idea.

“Who do you need to make reservations for?” Eli asks.

“See, that's the thing. I'm going to be inviting twenty men to a Sigma Chi fraternity reunion, so we'll need to also reserve a ballroom for this weekend. A small one is fine. And then rooms for them. I hope all of them will show up on such short notice, but if we can get ten that would be a win.”

Eli barks out a laugh. “Do I even want to know what you plan to do with twenty frat bros?”

“I want to get samples of their DNA.”

Now he just stares at me blankly. “You want to invite all those men here to...swab them with a Q-tip and run their DNA?”

“Yes.”

“How…why the fuck would you want to do that, Cass?”

“Because one of them could be Cole's father.”

“Holy shit,” he whispers before he leans over and starts slamming his forehead into my father’s desk.

“Eli! Eli, stop!” I tell him before he splits his head open. When he does as I ask, I add, “Please don't tell Cole. I don't want to get his hopes up, you know, in case it’s all for nothing.”

“Don’t tell him what?” he says with a longer, louder bark of laughter. “Don’t tell him that you're trying to find his father or don’t tell him that you're head over heels in fucking love with him?”

“I’m...ppfft, whatever,” I scoff. “I am not in love with him. We're just screwing. And we're getting it all out of our systems this week.”

Rubbing at his now red but thankfully not bleeding forehead, he says, “You are so full of shit it's about to start running out of your ears.”

My nose wrinkles in revulsion at that metaphor. “Gross.”

“Seriously, Cass. You know your father will lose his mind when he finds out, right? And poor Vanessa, it won't end well for her either. I can’t pretend like I’ll miss Cole. There’s only room for one handsome blond man in this penthouse, and that’s me,” he rambles.

“Nothing is going to happen because other than me and Cole, you are the only other person who knows about us. And you're not going to say a word, right? Right, Eli?” I repeat when he doesn’t respond.

“What about your guards?” he asks quietly.

“What about my guards?”

“Your guards and Cole’s must know you’re humping by now.”

“How would they know?”

“Let’s ask them, shall we?” he suggests. “Those men are paid to be observant. I'll have your lead guard, Brian come in first, then August.” He types out the messages on his phone while I dig my fingernails into the leather chair arms and tell myself he’s wrong.

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