Page 98 of An Indecent Longing

Chapter Nine

Dorrie turned to look out the back window as Gens drove away from the soccer field.

Ian had already gotten in the car but Ben continued to watch as they drove away.

“Everything okay, Dorrie?”

No, not really but she couldn’t tell her father’s man that. So she nodded and forced a smile.

“Yes, of course.”

Gens nodded but she knew he wanted to say more. He just didn’t know what to say. A common problem when her dad’s men had to deal with her. She held an unusual place in his organization. Not really in it but still part of it. And because she was female, different rules applied.

So as a general rule, her father’s men didn’t talk to her. Except for Gens.

“Would you like me to take you home for a shower before I drive you to see Mr. Antonoff?”

“I’ve got an extra set of clothes in my bag but thanks for the offer.”

“No problem. Looked like a good game.”

Making small talk with Gens kept her brain occupied for the drive to her dad’s. Gens had been with her dad for more than a decade. Karel had taken him in when his parents, good friends of Karel’s, had been killed in a targeted hit by a rival family. Karel treated him like the son he’d never had and Gens was intensely loyal.

She often wondered if Gens had guessed her relationship to Karel, but he’d never said anything.

Now she needed to ask him to keep a secret for her. Would he do it?

“I’d appreciate if you wouldn’t say anything about the men I was with to Mr. Antonoff.”

Gens fell silent for several seconds, and she forced herself to breathe through her worry.

Finally, he caught her eye in the rearview. “Everyone’s entitled to a private life, Dorrie.”

She sucked in a relieved breath. “Thank you, Gens. I appreciate it.”

“No problem.”

“Have you been back to see Blank? I was going to go to the office to release him this morning. Guess he’ll have to wait a few more hours.”

Gens grinned. “I spent most of last night with him. He’s going a little stir-crazy so just tell him to shut up when starts to snap.” Gens sighed and his smile faded. “And a little heads-up. Karel found out about Blank. He didn’t hear it from me but I think Mr. Antonoff’s a little…upset that you didn’t tell him.”

Guilt warred with her need for independence. She knew her dad only wanted to protect her but she knew he had kept secrets. Some he had to. And some… “Is something going on I need to know about?”

Gens paused again. “That’s a question for Mr. Antonoff.”

Well, damn. Maybe Ian and Ben were right about what had happened last night. Maybe those men really had been after her.

She chewed on that in silence all the way to her dad’s house on the Main Line, which didn’t take long. She really wished she’d had more time to prepare. She wasn’t even sure what she needed to prepare for. Her dad had never really interfered in her life before, except to assign Blank to her for protection. She hadn’t fought him on that because she’d realized he only wanted to ensure her safety.

But now… She wasn’t ready for her dad to know about her relationship with Ben and Ian. It was still so new and she wasn’t sure what to think of it herself yet.

And her dad had pretty old-fashioned ideas about male-female relationships. Although, considering he’d had a daughter with his mistress…

Sighing, she shook her head. She really wished she had the ability to turn off her brain sometimes.

Focusing her attention out the front window, she realized they’d just made the turn onto her dad’s street. As they drove through the gates of his property, she took a deep breath, staring at the monstrosity of her father’s mansion.

The house was a symbol. She understood that now. When she’d been twelve and only just beginning to understand why she could never tell anyone who her dad was, she couldn’t understand why she and her mom couldn’t come live with him in this huge house.

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