Page 72 of Vicious Little Games

“This?” I ask as if I don't know exactly what she's talking about.

“Don't come to my room again or I'll tell my father.”

Now that fib makes me snort. “No, you won't.”

“Want to bet?” she says, sounding dead serious.

“Why?” I ask, wanting to know her reason for putting a halt to us fooling around when she obviously enjoys herself.

“I told you.”

“Because I'm your enemy? Your competition? You're so full of shit.”

“And you're just a horny frat boy who can't keep his dick in his pants.”

“Oh, yeah? In case you haven't noticed, my dick hasn't seen any action in weeks. Since the wedding actually. I'm the one who just went down on you, making you scream and come on my tongue.”

“You only did it because you're expecting something from me in return.”

I can't deny that I want to fuck Cass or have her get on her knees for me again, but that's not all this is.

Is it?

I'm so damn confused and hard without any sign of relief in sight while she’s going on a date that I don't say anything in response. I just step away from her, going to her bathroom to clean up and give her time to slip out of her room so I can sneak out. The bedroom door opens and closes softly as Cass takes the hint and leaves.

I hate every single night that she goes out with some random asshole while I’m left wondering if she likes him and if she’ll kiss him or fuck at the end of the night.

Or worst of all, if she’ll marry him some day.

Cass

I hate that Cole was right.

I can’t get past my date’s height no matter how nice he may be. Too nice, actually. I would walk all over him, literally, and he would probably beg me to imbed my heel into his flesh a little harder.

I need someone who will challenge me, not back down in a fight. Which is stupid logic. I should want to be with someone who always lets me win, right?

Beggars can’t be choosers…except, no, I can’t marry Alistair James. I couldn’t even spend one night with this man without worrying I would break one of his bones.

It’s Cole’s fault for being tall as fuck and strong enough to pick me up and carry me. Not to mention that he’s also spoiling me with amazing orgasms. He’s so much better than the guards who were just…eh. After five minutes with Cole, it’s impossible to forget a second of it, and not crave more. Constantly.

Other than tonight, I had been holding strong, not caving, and fooling around with him because he’s my competition. I can’t get distracted from my goals. I have to prove to my father that I’m capable of handling anything he throws at me.

And if he thinks Alistair is worth a date, then I’ll try my best to feel something for him.

“So, what is it that you do?” I try to make chitchat with the quiet man sitting across from me in the casual Japanese restaurant, my guards observing from the sushi bar. I don’t mind that things are more laid back than in the fancy restaurant Theo took me to the other night. The customers here aren’t as snobby or staring at us.

“I was a cop for a few years with Vegas Metro, and now I own my own PI company.”

“Oh?” I say in surprise since he seems too small to be a cop. Under his suit jacket, he must have a few muscles. “So why did you leave the police department?”

His fingers drum on the table like I make him nervous. Or more likely, my father has made him uneasy after reading him the riot act before I came downstairs to meet him. But when he speaks, he does so confidently. “Because there was so much corruption in the force that it felt like I was constantly being pulled in two directions. Brass would tell us to fight crime in the city, but then they would trash cases that were slam dunks because someone paid them off to look the other way. It was exhausting to figure out who I could trust, who was there for the right reasons. So, I left.”

“Isn’t PI work sort of similar to police work?”

“Yes, but at least now I know who I’m working for upfront. I can refuse the cases I don’t want. When my mentor retired, I took over his agency, so now I’m my own boss. It’s the best of both worlds.”

“What sort of cases do you take?” I ask as I clench my fists in my lap. I’m trying to resist the urge to grab my phone from the purse hanging on the back of the chair to bitch out Cole for possibly ruining all other men for me.

---