Page 10 of Vice

5

Dele

Though I pretend not to notice, Viper’s glares at me from across the room don’t escape my notice the entire time during my business lunch with Stephen Pray. There are a lot of emotions in those glares. The stunned disbelief and fury most apparent of all. But also something like awe. Satisfaction. Desire.

The safest thing to do in this situation would be to ignore him. This whole thing was for Pray and I to get to know each other to see if we can work together. Our values are on completely different sides of the spectrum, even for criminals like ourselves, but the answer to that was always going to be yes. Pray may be my enemy. But he doesn’t need to know that.

Yet.

However, even so, both Revnor and the man I now know to be Jason Travis have chimed into the conversation. Revnor, who ostensibly serves as a Senior Data Director, chimes in now and again to give a statistic or two. Jason Travis does nothing for Pray on his legal business side and is just there as a supposedly close friend and political protégé. But he doesn’t miss a chance to try to make it seem like I’m stupid to which I only smile and laugh politely and correct the assumption all the while thinking of all the most torturous ways to kill him while making it look like an accident. Just like he tortured me once with his mocking grin and laugh.

But Viper never says a word.

I should continue to pretend to ignore him.

I shouldn’t draw attention to us.

But it’s not like people haven’t noticed the way Viper is glaring at me. Not that it would be suspicious. Adrian Blake is a notorious playboy.

And it’s also not like I’ve ever been able to resist making an attempt to draw Viper’s attention to me.

I make my decision.

I very obviously turn to him, meet his intense gaze as I ask Pray in my feigned accent, “And what does the infamous Adrian Blake do for your company now after shelving his bad boy and gang affiliate ways?”

He hides it well behind his mask just like he hides everything else, but I know he’s surprised I’ve addressed him. Too surprised to even be angry that I did at all.

“Well why don’t you ask the man that yourself?” Pray suggests.

When Viper visibly falters and hesitates, I ask, “Well,Mr. Blake?”

“I…” He shakes his head, and it takes everything in me not to laugh. “I’m the chief engineering compliance officer.”

I look at Pray who returns my patronizing look as though he knows what I’m going through. That he has to deal with this all the time. As though I don’t deal with Viper’s crypticness and curtness on a consistent basis.

I look back at Viper. “Oh? And what does that entail?”

“Making sure we’re kept up to date with engineering code regulations and stuff like that. Particularly when it comes to tech and machinery.”

That’s actually news to me. I’ve never asked what it is that Viper contributes to Pray’s company besides being a substantial stockholder in the company. I figured it might have something to do with machinery and finding the latest technology because Viper has always been good at things like that. But I didn’t know specifically.

“Oh,” I say, genuinely curious as much as I’m taunting him right now. “So it’s like… like a police then? Keeping law and order and peace.”

Most cops are dirty. Mainly bought and sold by some criminal mobster or another. If they’re not actually the criminal mobster. And the ones that aren’t can only do so much when everyone else is. Viper knows that, and he knows that I know it. But he gets my actual meaning. Or, at least, Addy Bianchi’s actual meaning.

“Yeah,” he says dryly, averting his gaze from me. “Something like that.”

I resist the urge to break out into a full grin.

Pray laughs. “Don’t mind him, Addy, my dear. Adrian is quite shy.”

He’s right about that. Viper is actually very shy. For all that he likes to be the one in charge and in control, he shies away from one on one interactions with people he doesn’t know or isn’t comfortable around. He just tends to play it off as being an asshole.

But agreeing with Pray would be counterproductive to my aim here. So I say, “I wouldn’t say shy. I knew many men like him back home. Silent. Broody types. Men of few words. Only speaking when it truly matters. I’m sure when it counts, he can put that mouth to much good use.”

The double-entendre is purposeful, and Viper doesn’t miss it. Neither does anyone else. Next to me, Bella is sending me a disapproving look. Across the table from me and next to Viper, Revnor lets out a longsuffering sigh, remnant of the ones he used to give when he was partnered with me and Viper on something, and he had to deal with our antics.

I ignore them all, focusing on Viper to gauge his reaction. He’s infuriated, that’s for sure. But there’s also a chance that there may be something else. There has to be something else. I can’t be the only one of us who anticipates the next time we have an encounter. The next time he’ll slam me against the wall or floor or wherever, strip me naked, pound his cock into me, send me over the edge and make us both feel explosions. This can’t all just be one-sided. This can’t just be a power struggle for him.

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