Page 20 of The Players

“And what is it that you see?”

Trying to hold her ground. Nice. Futile, but still a nice effort.

He stepped into her space, until she had her back against the wall. Her pupils widened and he could see a vein pulsing in her neck. He wanted to suck on it, make it go even faster. It wasn’t the only place he wanted to wet with his tongue.

“Are you afraid of me?”

“Yes.” Her voice was soft. He had expected her to lie, but she surprised him.

“Then why are you here? When Vince isn’t here as a buffer? ’Cause that’s the way he sold it to you, didn’t he? That you would be ours, but he’d be there all the time. That he’d make sure you’d be safe. I bet he didn’t mention me, but I’m sure you saw it as being safe from me as well.” Whenever Vince found a sub to share, their roles were clear, as if painted on them. The women sought comfort with Vince. Sy was just the stud who liked to fuck hard. Carmen coming to him first was unusual.

She looked into his eyes for the longest time. It made him feel oddly unsettled.

“Vince said no such thing,” she said. “He told me that you would be on board with this and made it clear that it was a two-for-one deal. I refused. Obviously, I’ve changed my mind.”

“Why are you here, Carmen? Why not go to the apartment where Vince wants to stash you?”

A frown marred her face. “I need to understand why you agree to this. Why you would make yourself a target for a woman you barely know. It feels as if I’m missing something. I can’t live waiting for the proverbial ax to drop. I need to know what you get out of this.”

“Ain’t it obvious? I get to fuck you.”

She hastily stepped back. “No. Vince said I don’t have to do anything I—”

“Yeah, yeah.” He rolled his eyes and tightened his biceps. “But can you resist this? I doubt it. See, the question isn’t if we’re gonna fuck butwhen.” His thumb brushed over her bottom lip, making her quiver. He couldn’t help but grin.

“That doesn’t mean anything. It’s just cold in here.”

“Really? Is that why your nipples are so hard?”

When she felt at a loss for words, he took pity on her. “I want your casinos,” he said.

She looked visibly relieved, and he knew he’d made the right choice. He didn’t give a shit about the casinos, other than sticking it to Morelli, but he told her what she needed to hear. Anything to get her where he wanted her—underneath him, on top, before him and behind, and, of course, between him and Vince.

“Won’t you get in trouble for taking over my casinos?”

She sounded worried. Even when trying to save her hide, she was worried about others. About a perfect stranger who had nearly choked her. Which was exactly why this world would chew her up and spit her out.

“I’m not going to be the one operating them.” The casinos were going to be a target. They needed a strong man to take them over. Viking was just the man for the job. Unlike him, his brother didn’t operate in the shadows, hewasthe fucking shadow. Carmen nibbled on her bottom lip, still looking uneasy. Then, for some reason, he added, “They’ll be handed over to someone who can handle both Morelli and Keegan. Someone who's been looking for an excuse to destroy them.”

She looked past his shoulder, into the adjoining room. “Your brother,” she guessed.

“That’s right. My brother, Viking.”

The man who had raised and taught him everything he knew, in more than one way. Women were not to be trusted. He’d learned that from a young age. His own mother let her boyfriend use him as target practice for his cigarettes and beer bottles. Viking was betrayed by one as well. Best way was to enjoy them while it lasted.

He inched closer to her, until he could see the amber of her eyes. “Speaking of brothers, Vince is also like my brother,” he whispered into her ear. “We always have each other’s back. Just tell me one more thing. Did you come to me first to piss Vince off?”

CHAPTER 7

CARMEN

Her first instinct was denial. But Sy was right. Shedidcome to him first to piss Vince off. It was also to send Vince a message; that she held him as high in esteem as Sy, which was below zero. If she would be temporarily shackled to not one but two men, this time it would be on her terms.

Bracing herself, she told him the truth. “Yes.”

His white brows furrowed and a steel gleam entered his yes.

Her anxiety peaked up and she felt like she was losing control. Little black dots appeared before her eyes. What if Sy turned into a monster, and lashed out? However, she refused to cower in a corner, afraid to tell the truth or voice an opinion.

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