Page 35 of Undercover Desires

“You're becoming a regular here, Hazel,” I tease playfully as I casually enter Jett's office, unfazed by their affectionate display. Hazel has popped into Queen of Hearts after a long day at work, which included a fashion show and a meeting she couldn't miss. I've been eagerly awaiting her arrival, though Jett specifically instructed me not to contact her due to the importance of her meeting. But he fails to understand that the real reason for my impatience is my desperation to know what Bella might have confided in her last night. Since my recent encounter with the guy who had been stalking her, I've been on edge, and I'm in desperate need of some answers.

“Aren’t I supposed to be getting cozy with your little crush?” she smirks, convinced she’s got the upper hand now.

I take a seat, propping my feet up on the coffee table. “Looked like she’s sharing all the gossip with you. What have you found out so far?”

“I knew you’d be lurking around here somewhere, watching us. You’re such a creeper, Kobe. Maybe the girls are right about you.”

“I was working from my office, keeping an eye on the surveillance. That’s my job.”

“Just as bad.” She rolls her eyes, irritation clear. Since she and Jett got close, we have developed this sibling-like relationship where we like to take digs at each other. I enjoy the back-and-forth with her. She’s fun to have around. My lips turn up at the sides in a sneer.

“She’s an undercover cop, Hazel. This is no joke. She could unravel everything we’ve worked so hard for,” Jett tells her with a hint of worry in his voice. He’s taking this all very seriously.

“I get it, Jett. She just seems so harmless. She’s so sweet.”

“It’s probably all an act. I wouldn’t trust a word that comes out of her mouth,” I say, knowing she’s big trouble. She has that adorable type of charisma that draws you to her. Just long enough for her to get to know us so she can screw us over. I know what Hazel was thinking because I feel it every time I’m in the same room as the girl.

“Yeah, maybe. Can you check out her bank account like you did with Liam?” Hazel asks Jett.

“I’ll do my best. Why?” He looks her over curiously.

“She’s got some loser ex-boyfriend still mooching off her. Get this, she pays his rent, and she moved out over six months ago,” Hazel tells him, mortified for the girl.

“Why would she do that?” I snap. “She’s just trying to make you girls feel sorry for her. It’s all bullshit,” I say, not believing it for a second. Why would anyone do that for real?

I take another swig of my drink as I watch Jett tap away at his computer. He smiles like he’s found what he was looking for, then swivels the screen for me to see. I knew he had access, because when he gave me the rundown on her the other day, he mentioned she was flat broke.

I stand up so I can read it more clearly. Sure enough, he has her bank account brought up. A payment of 2000 dollars every month paid to a real estate agent in LA. “Shit, she wasn’t bullshitting.” I scan through theother payments made, and between the mortgage on her nanna’s decrepit house and all her other expenses, she’s going backwards each month. Even with her wage as a cop and taking up this job part-time.

“There is more to this girl than you think, Kobe. I like her,” Hazel says, like she wants to keep her as her new pet.

“Don’t go getting attached, Hazel, she’s not a lost puppy. She will destroy all of us given the chance,” I say, more for myself than Hazel. Something about seeing her financials makes me want to save her. She shouldn’t be paying this cunt’s bills for him. Who the fuck even is he letting her do it.

“Yeah, and six months ago you would have said the same about me. Maybe she’s just misunderstood, picked the wrong side to fight for. We can sway her. I know you have a hard-on for her every time she’s in the room. She might be the girl to tame the player?” She smirks cheekily. Hazel thinks she’s really funny tonight.

I give her a look telling her she’s pushing her luck. “Find out who the cunt is who lets her pay his fucking bills for him,” I snap, taking off for the door before I tell them what’s really going through my mind. “And we need a tail on her place. I caught some guy snooping through her window last night, watching her shower.”

“What a creep. Do you think that might be the same guy who stole her underwear?” Hazel asks, mortified.

“She had underwear stolen?”

“Yeah, straight from her back porch. So disturbing.”

“Rafael is already covering her. Hazel talked to her dad for us, and he started today. I’ll get him toinvestigate the boyfriend and keep a lookout for any creepers,” Jett chimes in.

“Ex,” I correct him, hating the idea she was ever someone else’s. I go to leave. I’m itching to initiate my first task for her.

“Kobe. I didn’t tell you everything I found out,” she singsongs, forcing me to turn back to them.

Hazel’s smile is smug. She knows she did well, and I’m hanging on her every word to know it all. “She’s only ever had one long-term boyfriend. The dick that she pays the bills for. She’s desperate for money but turned down the suit, you know, the one the girls call Mr. Big. She was worried she’s too vanilla.” Hazel's eyes meet mine in a silent message. She thinks that kind of information would somehow please me. Well, she’s fucking wrong. I don’t need to know how innocent she is, that only makes me want to fuck her more.

I stride onto the main mezzanine floor and find Arabella serving table nine with a tray of beers. It’s a table full of men. I know the group well, they meet here once a month, do a little business, then go their separate ways. One of the guys likes to book the private rooms.

She smiles and laughs at something one guy says. They all want her. She’s the prettiest girl in this place. There are a lot of attractive girls here tonight, girls who would do anything I asked them to, but they all just blur into the background. She’s the only one I see.

My neck twitches, and I crack it, trying to ease the tension she creates just by chatting with other men. Why is she so fucking special? What has me spiraling out of control to get a taste of her? It’s her goody-two-shoes attitude, has to be. The fact she’s a cop. I wantto corrupt her, show her what she’s missing out on by keeping her legs shut up so tight. And now I own her. Three months she has to do what I say. It’s almost too much power. Makes me feel giddy.

I walk by her, brushing past, and she flinches. “Come see me in my office when you’re free,” I tell her loudly, making sure the obnoxious guy nearby can hear. I want him to understand that she’s with me and not available to him, even though I know she isn’t really mine.

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