Page 10 of Queen Of WildCards

Hisjostling of the phone sped up, and with a sudden jolt,Irealized what he was doing.

Hisbreathing was more shallow now, and he looked dead at me through the screen as he spoke. "Youknow,Iget fucked, doc, that's not the problem.Thereal problem is thatIdon't get anything out of it.Theheists are just heists, the whores are just whores," he lamented, "and they blend into one another.Butyour voice, those pretty lips wrapped around my name . . . " he paused, his eyes fluttering closed as he bit the swell of his bottom lip. "Thatvoice does things to me, doc.Yousound like you really care, and it's been a long time since anyone's cared aboutme."

Iwanted to stay silent, to wait and see what would happen next, butIwas rarely able to keep my mouth shut. "Icare about you,Cass,"Iheard myself say.Mentalme was swearing up a storm in my mind, butIdidn't give two shits. "Talkto me.Tellme anything.I'mall yours."

I'mall yours?!?Really?

I'dmeant to say'I'mall ears,'but, like usual, my words got tangled up in my head with another phraseIused often, creating a much more dangerous, unprofessional phrase.Andfrom the way his screen was shaking and how labored his breathing was,I'dsay it affected us both in somewhat the same manner.

Hehad an excuse, though.Hewas drunk.Iwas not.

Ishould know better.Shouldend this conversation.ButIcouldn't bring myself to walk away.

Cassslammed his head against the brick wall, a feral groan leaving his lips and echoing around me like a sinful podcast brought to life.Itwas likeIwas starring off-screen in my own porn show, and for some fucked up reason,Iliked it.

Iliked it a lot.Mypanties were drenched.

Buthe didn't have to know that.

Thisbroke so many fucking parts of myHippocraticoath it made me sick—but not sick enough to stop.

Andbesides, it seemed likeCasswas gettingsomethingout of this.

"Fuck, sugar, you know just what to tell me, don't you?Youhave no idea how badI—unghhhh,"he moaned, the shaking turning to a steady jerk before stopping entirely. "Youknow,Icalled you to confess thatI'drobbed one of the most prolific crime syndicates inKhulaCity, stole millions of dollars worth of gems and jewels and shit, thinking it would ease my soul.Instead, your voice got me all hard, and nowI'mabout to get a public indecency charge to go with that rap sheet."

Igasped at his revelation.Sure,Isuspected he'd been jerking off,Iwas no blushing virgin, butIhadn't realized the ramifications of the action in a dimly lit alley until it was too late.

Ijust sex chatted with a client in public,Irealized with a sort of jaw-dropping horror.

"Oh, my god,I'mso sorry, this washighly unprofessional—"

Hestarted to chuckle even asIscrambled to readjust my seat and regain my sanity.

"Don'tsweat it, sweets.Igot my money's worth.AndmaybeI'llstar in the feature program when you getyourslater, yeah?"

Iblushed scarlet from my toes to the tip of my forehead. "Idon't know what you mean."

Hislaughter was damn near maniacal as he stuffed himself back in his pants. "Sureyou don't," he teased. "Sorry, sugar, but the party's over.Thewarden's here to take me home.You'vebeen a great help—"

Theline went dead, andIsagged against my chair likeI'drun a marathon.

Whatthe actual fuck was that?

CHAPTERFIVE

ACE

"Listen, you're not going to like this,Ace. . . "

Istared at the phone in my hand likeIcould change the words emanating from it with sheer willpower alone.Iyanked the damnable thing back to the side of my head with a snarl. "Idon't like any part of what you just said.Let'stry that again."

Onthe other end,IheardSpadeclear his throat.NothingrattledSpade; he was like a solid stone monolith, unmoving, unyielding, sturdy, and reliable.Sofor him to be palpably nervous was concerning.

No, scratch that, it was downright frightening.

"Well, for starters,Jokerdrove us to a bar—"

Themuscles in my neck tightened perceptibly. "Excusethe fuck out of me?WhywasJokerdriving, fresh out of jail?"

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