Page 25 of Tormented Heir

“Did I ask you to screw her?” Jacob stares at me, defiant and angry. This is getting awfully close to us having an argument.

“I’m not going to force some woman into my bed, is all. I’ve crossed every other line I ever had. I won’t cross this one.”

“Oh, I’m sorry if I ruined your moral compass.”

“We both know you didn’t. I won’t fuck Dorian’s dirty leftovers, though, but I’ll make it look that way for any outside eyes on the situation. Okay?”

He nods brusquely. “Just make sure you do. I know about what you did with Leslie, so don’t act the innocent now. That was a genius move. If you take Dorian’s woman, you show the world that you’re a fucking Viking. Exactly as you said. Our very own warlord. Not only my heir, but my avenging angel.”

“Anything else?” I ask, discomfort stirring in my gut at the twisted rage painting his face.

I get it. He knows he screwed up last time. He went easy on our enemies, thinking it would keep his daughter safe, and it sent the opposite message. Now he is unmoored by anger, a pendulum swinging too far the other way.

“No.” He grimaces. “That’s all until I get more intel. As soon as I do, you’ll know.”

“Okay.” I’m turning to leave when he stops me with a hand on my arm.

“The guards who were on duty when Mila was taken. Have you dealt with them?”

“Yes.”

“They’re disciplined or fired?”

I stare at him. What does he think this is? The Apprentice? “I cut their hands off, Jacob.”

For a split second his mouth goes slack in shock, but he recovers himself. “You did?”

“Yes, I fucking did. They failed. Now they can live with the knowledge of how badly.”

He swallows hard. “That’s um, certainly strict.”

Whose moral compass is shaken now, huh?

“Yes, they got complacent. They let a very important member of our family be put in harm’s way.”

“Not sure how good for moral it will be if the men think every time they fuck up they’ll lose a body part.” He shakes his head.

“They were hired guns, Jacob. Not part of our inside circle.” I blow out a breath. “They were fucking around. Watching porn on the monitors.”

His eyes narrow. “What the hell?”

“Yes. I did what was right. They screwed up, and they did it because they didn’t give enough of a shit. It wasn’t a genuine mistake. It was fucking laziness and horniness.”

“Well, then, in that case, I suppose what you did seems only right.” He smiles at me then, and it’s fond but confused. “Sometimes, Dimitri, I must admit I don’t know where your lines end and begin.”

“And that’s why I am so useful to have around because neither do our enemies.”

He nods. “True, son, very true.”

I give him a rueful smile and stride out of his office. This whole fucking headache is going to be stressful. I need a drink and to get laid. Lizzie really should be here. Still, I can always find someone to take the edge off at the club.

I lick a long, wet stripe up the sweaty back of the woman bent over the table in front of me. Music from the bar downstairs thuds dully through the floor, and I fuck her in time to it. I’ve already come once, but I need more. She’s moaning under me, her face turned to the side. Her hair is dark. Her limbs are long and lean. Right before a major event, I give into the buildup and let myself take a woman for the night.

Normally, I meditate, and I train, and if the urge gets overwhelming, I put on some porn and take care of things that way.

“God, yes, harder,” the woman moans.

I have no idea if she’s enjoying this as much as she’s making out, or if she’s auditioning for the role of my girlfriend. I ought to tell her the latter is a waste of time.

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