Page 93 of Blackmail
“Right? It’s so weird. You’ll never guess who she said the new owner was.”
Guess I’m busted. “Assisted living facilities are a solid investment. And yours seemed nice. Staffing decisions are up to management, though.”
“So you had nothing to do with the job offer they gave me?”
“You mentioned you liked working there and that they wouldn’t have an opening for you after you got your certification. I wanted you to have the option to stay if you wanted to, something that didn’t require you owing anything more to Brennan. Or me.”
“You paid off my debt with Brennan too, didn’t you?”
“Like I said, I wanted you to have options. I hope you stay, but if you don’t, you don’t owe anybody anything.”
He answers by kissing me again. And by sliding his hands under my shirt. By digging his fingers into my back. It doesn’t take long for me to get hard, the way he’s grinding against me.
“I think I should see about the new job Brennan mentioned,” he whispers. But there’s a teasing tone to his voice.
“If you must,” I grunt.
Simon laughs. I love the sound, even if I hate the idea of him working for Brennan.
“You know that was a one-time thing with him, right? And I’m done with the escorting. So I’m going to need someone who can keep me satisfied.”
“Good. Because as soon as we’re alone again I want to fuck you until you can’t walk,” I whisper in his ear. Once again, we’re interrupted by a knock. “Jesus. I make it a point never to be this popular.”
Everett is standing in the kitchen doorway, equipment in hand. “Sorry to interrupt,” he says. “Just wanted to let you know I’m done. You had a keylogger on your laptop, which I took care of. You’re going to want to reset all your passwords. One camera in the office as well. I’m taking it with me, and we’ll contact you when we can get the footage.”
“I appreciate it, thank you.” Now, please leave so I can have sex.
“Where were we?” I turn back to Simon, still hard and ready.
“Don’t forget my brother’s down the hall,” he says. “And we still have some things to work out.”
I can see the nerves in his body language. He’s feeling vulnerable, and I need to help him understand that he’s safe. I’ll make sure of it.
“Here’s a secret,” I tell him. “You own me, Simon. Whatever will make you happy, I’ll do it, find it, catch it, and bring it home. Whatever you need, I’ll give it to you. If you want to move to Canada, I’ll find us a nice place and start working remotely. If you want me to stand in the rain playing love songs, I’ll do that too. Whatever you want, it’s yours.”
As he stands with lips parted, I lean down and whisper into his ear. “And I will kill anyone who ever tries to hurt you again.”
Simon’s face flushes red. “Well, lucky for you, my brother wants to stay here, and Penelope’s made herself comfortable, so I guess I’m on board.” He looks around. “I’ll be honest, it does feel a little weird. This is where you and Tony lived. And where Tony and I…”
“We’ll start looking for a new place tomorrow. You’ll have to come with me so it’s exactly what you want.”
He’s trying not to smile, but I can tell I’ve got him. And it’s everything I need.
Shouting and thumping out in the hall draws our attention. It doesn’t escape my notice that Simon keeps his fingers threaded with mine when we go into the hall to see what’s happening.
I’m surprised to find Brennan gripping Jacob’s stepfather with clenched fists. He’s got the man pressed against the wall. Jacob is behind Brennan, still wide-eyed, but silent.
“What the hell is going on?”
“Apparently this piece of shit thinks it’s cool to put his hands on his kid, so I figured I’d see how he liked it when I did the same to him.”
Larry is angry and red-faced, struggling and gasping when Brennan puts a forearm against his throat. Unfortunately, this could wind up making things worse for Jacob. The way Brennan stands, I can see there’s a gun holster under his jacket. I don’t want this to escalate or for Larry to take his anger out on his step kid.
Before I can open my mouth, Simon is already doing what needs to be done.
“Hey, Jacob. I could use your help getting past the dragon level in Fantasy Fauna. You want to come give me a hand with that now?”
The teen nods his head and slides closer.
