Page 66 of PortCity Killers

I lifted up with an eye roll to Bryce, but his eyes were centered on Vosco, “You’re the one who had us waiting for the past hour. It’s a little hypocritical to be indignant about time when you’re the only one wasting it.”

I did an awkward shuffle on Bryce’s lap, but he only let me turn to face Vosco before he was pulling me back into him. I didn’t fight him, in part because I liked the idea of sitting perched on him no matter the occasion.

I also wasn’t going to stop him if he wanted to make some kind of show of dominance about who I belonged to. If I was caught between Bryce and his boss, I was gonna let the big man take the wheel on that one. At the end of the day, I trusted one man completely with my entire being.

“Of course,” Vosco’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing, “My apologies for the delay.”

The two men held each other's stare longer than I found comfortable, so I leaned forward onto the table, “So? You wanted to talk about payment.”

“Yes. First, I have a request. This doesn’t count towards payment so you’re free to decline, but it would be beneficial to both Bryce and myself, and by extension you, if you would deeply consider accommodating me.”

“Sounds foreboding,” I hedged.

Bryce shifted his hands on my hips, rubbing slow circles with his thumbs against my back, “It’s nothing too crazy.”

“What is it?”

“You must be familiar with the PortCity Pageant?” Vosco leaned back in his seat.

The movement pulled the bright white shirt against his chest in a way that did devious things to my brain that I most certainly was not looking to indulge. I shifted my eyes up, but he was looking right at me with the eyes of a man who knew he was too good looking not to be noticed, and it grated on my damn nerves.

His lips pulled up in a crooked grin that had my blood pumping uncomfortably as I shifted on Bryce’s lap. That didn’t make things any better since every time I did, his hands tightened on my hips. His reaction below the waist became ever more prevalent and insistent under my ass.

“Sure,” I shrugged, watching Vosco assume an even more fluid position on his side of the booth. The man was a cat, lounging as if to say fuck off to all the world, “Fancy bitches in big dresses doing more fancy bitch shit while the rest of us have to clean up the gore they leave behind.”

His chuckle was dangerous. Low. Dark. I was beginning to think my type was just psychotic or maybe even slightly unhinged, but I really didn’t want anything to do with Vosco. He was too showy in his arrogance.

“Yes, that about sums it up. Every year, there is a new host for the pageant, and I’ve been designated as such this year.”

“Congratulations,” I drolled, doing my damnedest not to shiver in Bryce’s lap at the sharp look Aedyn sent my way.

I locked the door on any and all particularly lewd thoughts involving Bryce, Vosco, that look, and a paddle. No sir, no ma’am, not here.

“Thank you,” he scoffed, “With that being said, I need a date to attend with me, but one who I won’t have to bother watching and waiting on. Ideally it will be someone who could as well distract certain mutual friends of ours while they’re in my home, so they’re not up to no good while they’re there.”

“Okay, wait. Do you mean Valentina and Don?” I laughed, “Because you know I’m dating them now, right?”

The look on Vosco’s face was absolutely priceless. I mean, I would pay big money to see if his eyes could bug out of his head any more than they were. Though if they did, I might be concerned for his health.

“Dating them? As in?”

I shrugged, moving the melting ice around with my straw, “I mean we haven’t worked out the logistics or anything, but we have dates set up for the future, and they don’t seem to want to cancel them anytime soon so...dating.”

“And when might I ask, did this change of heart occur? Somewhere between them threatening your brother and forcing you to kill a man?”

I cringed internally just a little, but the other part of me was perfectly happy to declare that it must have been sometime when Valentina was making me choke on Don’s bloody dick.

I didn’t say that though, mostly because Vosco looked like he would blow a gasket if I mentioned it, and I didn’t particularly care to show my colors to him in that way no matter how good he looked with his face all scrunched up like that.

In fact, I decided I liked the dark shade he turned when it seemed he was about to pop the pin on his hand grenade.

“I don’t really care to get into the particulars,” I said, because I didn’t.

He turned a flabbergasted look at Bryce, “And you’re just dandy with this new bit of information?”

Bryce shrugged behind me, his big shoulders moving. I could feel him shake his head, and turned to see his smile. “It ain't my place to be okay or not okay with it; it’s hers.”

“Well surely you have something to say,” he asked.

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