Page 76 of Sinful Seduction
She wraps her arm across my back and hooks her hand on my hip. “You want us to get along, we get along. Now I’m doing the thing you wanted, and you’re jealous about it.”
“I’m a complicated man.” I drag our apartment building door open and lead her inside, and though she doesn’t say so, I know her eyes drop to the floor, right where Steve lay a couple of nights ago. I know her brain torments her, hurting her, running through thealternate ending,and what life would be like if Cato weren’t here when he needed to be.
We walk straight over the spot thatcouldhave been Steve’s final resting place and start up the stairs. One flight. Then another. “I’m still open to the ordering takeout and eating in bed plan we had before. You could be dessert.”
She snickers, burrowing her cheek against the side of my chest. “I would kill for a burrito, and that place around the corner is always pretty fast. You order while I shower. I processed more DBs today than I can count.”
“I know.” I sniff the side of her neck and nip at her earlobe. “I can smell it on you.”
“Shut up.” We round the third-floor landing and start up the last. “How much do you think it would cost to convince Cato to stay somewhere else tonight? I’m not kicking him out or anything. I just want a chance to walk from my bathroom to my bedroom without wearing clothes. Is that so much to ask?”
“Price will go up if he finds out you’re planning to be naked.” I dig keys out of my pocket and approach the door,praying, hoping, fucking pleading with the devil himself, that we don’t walk in and find my baby brother raw dogging some new chick.
“He wouldn’t do that again, would he?” Jesus, my hand almost shakes as I slip the key into the lock and turn the handle. “He’s a prick, but he wouldn’t be so disrespectful two days in a row, right?”
“No, he would.” She shoves the door open and escapes my grip, striding into the kitchen and pink-panther sleuthing, like she intends to catch him out. The television is on, last night’s Knicks game highlights on the screen, his moppy black hair pointing toward the sky while he lounges on the couch and rests his feet on the coffee table.
The kitchen is spotless, the sink empty. The countertops gleam, and despite the pile of shoes and shit he keeps by the window in the living room, even that pile is neater than usual and marginally organized.
The dread rolling in my belly turns to relief. The coil of fear I hadn’t realized I was carrying dissolves.
“Did you bang on my counter?” Minka sets her things on the shiny countertop, emptying her pockets and toeing her shoes off. With narrowed eyes, she strides to the back of the couch and fists his hair, tugging him back until she’s met with his beaming smile. “You screwed some chick in my kitchen and knew you’d get in trouble for it, so you did what you did and sent her on her way, then you cleaned up so you could get away with your crime.”
“Hardly getting away with it, am I? If I were dumb enough to do thenasty where you prep your morning coffee, I wouldn’t scrub it clean and alert you to what I did, would I?”
Scowling, she releases him again and moves to the end of the couch, peeking over the side with tightened eyes.
“What?” He laughs. “You think I got her bundled up and hidden on the floor?” He drops his feet and slides to the side so he can watch the TV while his favorite sister-in-law is in the way. “Your distrust is hurtful, Chief. Move your ass. I’m trying to see the game.”
“I have spies watching this building.” She turns and slams her hands to her hips, glaring down at him. “I’ll know if you brought someone up here today.”
“Mmhm. Okay.” He reaches forward and moves her out of the way. “Shush now.”
“Maybe just go have a shower, babe.” I close the door and take out my phone. “I’ll order our dinner and discuss that other stuff.”Buying my brother off and sending him away for the night.“You have twenty minutes to de-stench and relax.”
“Fine.” She eyes Cato and glowers, bulldog-nosed and wrinkle-lipped. “I apologize.”
No, she doesn’t.
“I pre-judged you tonight, expecting poor behavior, since you’re apt to partake in certain undesirable activities after emotionally tumultuous times. This week has been one drama after another, so I figured you’d lash out and do…” She waves a hand in the air, but she turns and starts toward the bathroom. “Cato things.”
“Kind of you, Chief.” He kicks his feet up onto the table and noisily digs his hand into a bag of potato chips. “Quiet now, please. You’re interrupting my chill time.”
“Jerkoff.” Grumbling under her breath, she ambles into the hall and disappears out of sight.
“Listen, Cato.” I toss my keys into the bowl by the door and walk blind, scrolling my screen for the food delivery apps. “You wanna spend the night at Tim’s or something? The chief and I wanna have?—”
He bounds up from the couch and looks toward the hall. “Shh.”
“You…” I stumble and bring my eyes up. “What?”
“Shush.”
“Get out!” Minka roars, charging back into the hall with pounding footsteps and fiery rage. But she doesn’t emerge alone. She wraps a woman in my towel and swings wild eyes in Cato’s direction. “Get. Out!”
“I’m sorry,” the woman stammers, stumbling and desperately clingingto her towel. “He said you were interested, too! He said there would be three of us.”
“I’m going,” he giggles, his chest bouncing and piggy sniggers moving along his throat. “Come on, Cleopatra. Guess the missus is in a bad mood tonight. We can try again tomorrow.”
