Page 3 of Pet

I had just finished up some business for the Cohen family when James told me he had a present for me. I explained that that was hardly necessary, since the retainer was more than enough, but he insisted. I was a little wary of what sort of present James would come up with.

He was very eccentric and seemed eager to outshine any underboss who had come before him. That, combined with his weird desire to impress me, had me very curious about this gift.

James called and asked me to meet him in a hotel lobby near my office. I agreed, thinking we would have a drink or something, and he would give me a suitcase full of cash or some other ridiculous, extravagant display.

When I arrived at the hotel, James greeted me with a delighted expression, like a kid showing his parents what he’d made at school that day. His glee was quite at odds with his age and the dingy surroundings.

“William, my boy, how are you, looking sharp, as always!” he boomed. “Love the suit; you must give me your tailor’s info.” We shook hands, and I grimaced as James clutched my fingers way too hard and pumped them energetically.

“James, good to see you,” I lied. “Shall we go to the bar for a drink?”

“No time for that, my boy, don’t you want to see your present?” He was practically jumping up and down. I had to give him credit. For an older guy, he had a lot of energy.

“You really didn’t have to get me anything,” I protested as he led me to the elevator.

“Nonsense, you are invaluable to my family! And I think you’ll be quite pleased… I bet no underboss before has ever given you a gift such as this,” he said slyly.

We got off on the top floor of the hotel and James led me to a room where three enormous men in all black we were standing guard. My guess was that they were protecting the suitcase of cash and that James wanted to put it in a room or spread it all out for maximum effect. He was dramatic that way.

“Now, give me just a minute to make sure everything is ready,” James said, slipping into the room while I waited outside.

“Do you all know what this is about?” I asked the men, more to fill the silence than because I actually wanted to know. I’d find out soon enough. But they just shrugged and never spoke.

After a few minutes, James came back to the door and said, “Come on in, James. Your surprise awaits.”

I entered the room and looked around for cash, jewels, anything of that nature. At first, I was confused. The room was empty, except for a girl, who stood by the window in a black dress, her eyes wide with fear. Her body language clearly showed she was terrified. But where was this gift? The money or whatever?

Then it dawned on me. Surely, James couldn’t possibly mean...

“What the hell, James?” I blurted.

James looked upset. “What? You don’t like her? She’s a virgin, you know. Clean as a whistle, we had her tested. And she’s ready to go, with birth control and everything, of course. But what, you prefer brunettes instead? We can dye her hair… or I’ll take this one and get you a new one.” He gave the girl a wolfish smile, and she backed into a corner.

I had to think fast. Clearly, I couldn’t leave the poor girl alone with James. That was more important than explaining to James that a sex slave was not an appropriate present. And if I offended him, that would be very, very bad, for everyone in the room. I had to get her out of there.

“No, no, she’s… great,” I choked, feeling disgusting for talking about her like she was property. “Beautiful. I love it. Great gift, James,” I managed.

“Wonderful! I just knew you’d like her. Bet no underboss has treated you this nicely before, huh?” he boasted as he clapped me on the back. “I’ll leave you two alone, then, shall I? Let you enjoy your present…” Then he turned to the blonde girl. “And you behave, little one, otherwise my men and I are just a phone call away, and if we have to come see you again, we won’t be so friendly next time.”

With that, he turned on his heel and left. I heard the footsteps of the men follow behind him.

I peered out the peephole until I could see they were gone, then turned to the girl and said urgently, “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

As we walked to my car, the poor thing shook the whole way. She looked like she was going to burst into tears at any moment.

Unfortunately, we ran into James and his men in the hotel parking lot.Damn.I should’ve waited longer before leaving the hotel. Normally, I wouldn’t make such a stupid mistake, but it wasn’t like I had experience with this situation.

James rolled down the window of his ostentatious white sports car as his men piled into a black SUV. “You’re not leaving already?” He frowned.

“Oh, I just want to get her home right away, break her in, you know,” I responded quickly, cringing internally at my own words.

“Very good then,” said James. “I’ll have eyes on you both to make sure she doesn’t run away. What’s a gift without a good insurance policy, am I right?” he cackled menacingly, rolling up the window and driving away.

The men in the SUV followed me to my car, clearly waiting to escort me home.

This was going to be more complicated than I thought.

When we got to the car, I opened the door for the front passenger seat and she ducked in. I noticed, shamefully, that she had a great body—curves in all the right places and slim and tight everywhere else. I shook my head, trying not to think of her that way.

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