Page 59 of Promiscuous Lies

“I’ve managed to get into good favor with Striker again, but if we pull another stunt like you did in Boston a few weeks ago, I don’t think I’ll be able to save it twice, and that could cost me a lot of money,” Eli tells me.

It was a miscalculation on my part to severely beat one of Striker’s men, so perhaps Posie did me a favor by swearing me not to kill him because after I saw the fear in her eyes, I was about to.

I try not to smirk, thinking about all the delicious positions I put her in last night, pushing her past her limits. I thought I’d fuck her so thoroughly that she wouldn’t be able to move for days, but somehow, she was still able to silently sneak out in the early hours of the morning while I slept.

I don’t often sleep that deeply, but having her there offers a comfort I don’t entirely understand. It’s terrifying as much as it is intriguing.

“Fuck off, Jewel!” Hawke snaps.

Eli stands abruptly from his seat at the back of his cinema room. “Watch how you speak to my wife,” he growls, and Jewel is laughing as she completely obliterates Hawke in the video game they’re playing.

“Down, Eli. I can handle myself. And besides, this is very satisfying,” she says, smirking at him over her shoulder. Hawke sulks as he rolls his shoulders.

“It’s about time we got a woman in here who can kick your ass, you big oaf,” Billie says as she snatches the controller out of his hand to take her turn to play. If only my sister knew how accurate of an aim Eli’s wife was in real life. She’s a hitwoman and equally as dangerous as most of the men in this room.

Ford sits quietly with Ivy Walker, playing a game of chess. He’s eating a slice of the cake Billie baked and brought over, and I swear the glutton eats every last piece every time; he has the biggest sweet tooth here, yet he’s smaller in lean muscle mass than his brother.

“It’s good that the deal isn’t affected because of my miscalculation,” I say, ignoring the others and taking a sip from the glass of whiskey in my hand. I look over the contract Eli is considering presenting to the MC to exchange weapon contacts and shipping for drug distribution in Boston. The deal could be highly profitable for us and silently extend our reach into the Boston area. He wouldn’t even have to put much security or labor there since Striker’s men would do most of it for him.

“It looks manageable and attractive on both ends,” I say thoughtfully. Eli is a clever businessman. Granted, sometimes he’s reckless, but only when he’s thinking emotionally. The few times I’ve seen that happen mostly happened after Jewel entered his life. “I’m going to have to start charging you for looking over these.” I smile as I put the contract down.

“As if being my cousin isn’t payment enough,” Eli says. “Besides, it’s the least you can do after almost fucking this up for me.”

My teeth grind, but I don’t reply.

He takes a sip of his whiskey contemplatively. “So, any update on the blonde? I’ve heard you’ve promoted her from stripper to some social media role.”

I glare at him because nobody seems to be able to keep their mouth shut in this family. But, at the very least, I owe him some explanation since I almost ruined this deal for him.

“Will found out everything about her. She lost her parents at sixteen. Fell in with the wrong crowd after. Ran away at eighteen and had a child.”

“And how do you feel about that?”

“About what?”

“Her having a ki?—”

“Fuck, you are too good! Are you sure you weren’t a sniper in a previous life?” Billie exclaims, interrupting what Eli was saying. Like Hawke, she throws the controller, and he laughs and makes fun of her.

“I’m sorry, guys. That’ll be fifty bucks,” Jewel says, holding her hand out with a smug smile.

“Double or nothing!” Hawke yells.

“Fuck that, I’m out,” Billie states. She comes over to me with her hand out. “Can I have fifty? I don’t carry around cash.”

“And you think I do?” I reply with a raised eyebrow.

She narrows her gaze on me. “You own strip joints. Of course, you do. You wouldn’t want me to go back on my word in a bet, would you? That’d look so bad for the family.”

Eli chuckles. “Remind me why I come to you as my advisor and not your younger sister.”

Hawke and Jewel continue playing as I roll my eyes and pull a hundred-dollar bill for Billie because it’s all I carry.

“Speaking of the blonde, why don’t you invite her to my birthday party tomorrow?” Billie asks.

“She has a name,” I growl, irritated that my sister was obviously eavesdropping. “Posie will not at all be interested in meeting my family.”

She shrugs. “Yeah, but if you’ve invited Striker to this thing, why not invite her and see if they recognize each other? You’ll see how deep their connection runs by their reactions. Surely, if the president of the motorcycle club recognizes her, she was a lot closer with them than just chilling with them for two years.”

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