Page 14 of Caged Bliss

I make my way to the bar and order a beer. Nobody bothers me, though I spot more than a few men and women glancing down at my wrist. One guy seems particularly disappointed, which is a bit flattering.

When I’m halfway through my drink, the floor manager, Rodrigo, appears at my elbow. “How are you tonight, Mr. Bianco? Are you here for business or for pleasure?”

“Business,” I say, cocking my head toward him. “I’m meeting someone shortly. His name’s on the guest list.”

“Understood. We’re very discreet.” Rodrigo gives me a simpering smile. “Anything else I can do?”

I glance at the couple in the corner. She’s on her knees now, her head bobbing up and down. “One more thing. There’s a girl that works here named Claudia.”

Rodrigo stiffens slightly at her name. “Yes, I know her.”

“Does she ever work on this floor?” I ask it carefully, trying not to show how much the answer matters to me.

He shakes his head. If he knows how strange it is to ask about her like that, he hides it well. “No, she doesn’t. Third floor work is strictly voluntary.”

“Good. Make sure she never does.” I give him a long, serious look, and he grimaces away. “Do you hear me?”

“Yes, sir. I understand.” Rodrigo clears his throat. “Tommy would never let her.”

My hands tighten around my drink. “And why’s that?”

“She’s his favorite.”

My fucking blood boils. I knew Tommy had a twisted thing for Claudia, but hearing those words, his favorite, makes me fucking sick.

He’s dating her sister, for fuck’s sake, but it’s obvious the creep flirts with her whenever the opportunity arises.

Sometimes right in front of his girl.

“That’s everything. When my guest arrives, send him up.”

Rodrigo turns and hurries away.

I sit and stew. The couple in the corner starts to get a bit vocal, but nobody seems to mind, and it’s almost comforting, how much fun they’re having.

There’s got to be a way to convince Claudia to work with me. I just need to find a better angle. She’s got to want something. It seems like her job is really important to her, but when I offered her ten grand, that didn’t seem like enough even if it’s definitely a lot of money given how simple the job should be.

Which means she’s motivated by something else.

I just need to find what.

And I need to make sure I’m doing this for a good reason, and not because I find her attractive and want to fuck her.

It’s such a damn mess. I don’t know what Rodrigo’s going to do with the conversation we just had, but I have to assume he’ll tell it to Tommy. That means my former lieutenant is going to be very aware that I’m interested in Claudia.

Which could be a good thing. If we’re smart about this.

The man getting his dick sucked groans loudly as he finishes in the woman’s mouth. They cuddle for a minute or two before getting up and disappearing down a side hallway. Like a fucking pit team at a NASCAR race, three employees descend on their booth and thoroughly disinfect it. When they’re gone, it’s as if nothing had ever happened, and the vibe remains utterly unchanged.

Public dick sucking must not be that big of a deal on the third fucking floor.

“Interesting place you got here, Bianco.”

I lean back and look at the tall, dark-haired man standing behind me. He looks a lot like his brother, but we’ve never met before. I get to my feet and shake his hand. “Thanks for meeting with me, Seamus.”

Seamus Quinn takes a seat and orders a lager. It arrives as he studies me with a curious expression. “I have to admit, when you got in touch, I was very curious why you were reaching out to me and not to Brody.”

“I didn’t want Elena involved.”

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