Page 21 of Promiscuous Lies

The manager at Honey, one of my father’s lingerie stores he co-owns with my mother, is piling the lingerie over her arm as I point to the pieces I think will look best on Posie. Whether she doesn’t have the time or chooses not to take advantage of access to my father’s stores, I’m not sure, nor do I care.

The store has yet to open for the day, and I haven’t stepped foot in it for over eighteen months as I have focused all my efforts on expanding my clubs.

“That will do for now,” I say as I take almost a third of the store, including sets that haven’t yet been launched. She looks like she’s struggling under their weight as she carries them over to the register to start wrapping them. I put a hand on the one I most want to see her in. “Put this one in a separate bag.”

“Yes, sir.” She smiles and tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear. I don’t mingle with employees… usually. Posie is the first. Most likely because she’s the first woman—employed by me or not—ever to tell me no and who gives me a piece of her mind. For some reason, I want to force her into submission because of it. What better way to do that than sexually so I can rid myself of this fascination with her?

I initially took an interest in her because of her potential association with the Boston Delinquents, but I’m already wavering on that. Intuitively, I know the only sinister thing about that woman is her temper. Then again, perhaps I’ve become so fixated on her in other measures that I’m not thinking logically. But I convince myself that wooing her sexually might be in my favor. If the Boston Delinquents have planted her into my business on purpose, she won’t expose herself. So I’ll make sure she’ll come to trust me, tell me her secrets, and I can determine whether she’s a threat to my family once and for all. So, right now, keeping her close is the most practical course of action. A small part of me, ever so small, and I’d rather ignore it, tells me it’s because of personal intrigue instead.

Amongst it all, I want to punish her over and over again for being the only woman ballsy enough to tell me ‘no.’ So until I uncover the truth of her dealings with the Boston Delinquents, I’ll play with her as my own personal toy. She made the mistake of catching my attention.

I check out the sex toys, contemplating which ones might excite her the most. I immediately step into the bondage section, my cock twitching at the thought of all the ways I can tie and gag the little vixen.

Although Honey is a franchise with locations all over the country, this particular store is the largest lingerie and sex toy store in New York. It has a very specific and sophisticated clientele. The building itself has belonged to my father for almost thirty years, even after it caught fire when Will Walker’s wife, Alina, was renovating it. I’m still certain there’s more behind that story, but it happened so long ago that I don’t really care for the details, and if it had been a problem, I know my father would’ve dealt with it.

“Didn’t expect to see you here.” My father’s voice carries through the empty space.

I was hoping not to run into him here because that always raises too many questions. My parents are far too curious about my life, and I’d much rather keep to myself.

I turn, offering the perfect smile—how I always act to ensure they don’t ask any questions or raise concerns that I’m ‘working too hard’ or not ‘living enough’ by not taking a leisurely break. Instead, I give them no reason to doubt me. My father hugs me and then glances over to the pile of gifts being wrapped.

“Shopping for someone in particular?” he asks curiously.

I shake my head. “No, I wanted to bring some of the new collection for my dancers at Pearl. They’ve been working hard, and business is good, so I wanted to incentivize them.”

His eyebrows furrow. “Don’t you already offer them ninety percent off everything here? Last I checked, almost all of them come here to update their wardrobe when the new collections come in.”

“Not all of them.” I do my best not to grit my teeth.

His eyebrow raises as if he’s not entirely convinced, but he says nothing. My father is strikingly handsome, and I’ve inherited most of his features. However, our demeanors are very different. Where my father is better at dazzling people, I struggle to show anything but indifference.

“Your sister was upset about a classmate recently. Said you had something to do with him going to jail. Because he asked her on a date?”

I pick up some of the rope and casually say, “SheassumesI had a part to play. And besides, isn’t it best she not date a soon-to-be convicted felon?”

He smirks. “I entirely agree.”

My father and I have circled the topic of Billie’s poor luck in love a few times. I’ve never been discreet regarding my overprotectiveness of my sister, and my father has never reprimanded me. In fact, he’s always encouraged it.

“I don’t mind you expressing yourself through… alternative methods,” he begins. When he says “alternative methods,” he means violence. “Just make sure you’re careful, especially when conducting business with Eli.”

My father has always shown an interesting reverence when it comes to the Monti family. It’s always been an option for me to step into the role of Eli’s advisor, and although I do at times, it’s not official. I much prefer the industry that my father built his entire fortune on.

Pleasure is something to be sold and exploited as much as it is to be experienced.

Everyone has a fantasy.

Everyone has a vice.

Bring both together, and you’ll make a profit.

And when someone can’t afford something they deeply desire, they’re willing to do anything for it. It makes them dangerous. And I very much enjoy lulling them into a false sense of safety because then I can use them in any way I want.

Where my cousin might prefer torture as a means to get what he wants, I prefer exploitation.

Promiscuous lies can start small, but in the end, I’m always waiting to benefit from them.

“I haven’t seen much of my cousin lately since he’s preoccupied with his new wife,” I note, placing the rope down. That’s when I notice half of the lingerie is already packed up.

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