Theo
“Apromotional gift . . . right.” Skepticism thickened Illya’s tone, and she cocked her head as I tried and failed to contain the intense desire that rampaged through my body. Apparently, this whole uncertainty thing she had going on only pertained to me, and even Carlyle couldn’t break that with a glance like usual. Fuck . . . watching her keep her cool without the slightest sign of struggle, staring Carlyle down like he was just another scumbag in a club . . .
“I’ll let you pay your own bills if it makes you feel more comfortable. Rent excluded, of course.” It occurred to me that Carlyle knew something about Illya that made him go so far, but I didn’t bother with that for now. He was going to ship me off to New York with him, and that was great!Not.“So, what do you say, Illya?”
Her name rolled off his tongue like butterscotch— thick and sticky and not very appealing at all once melted. Scanning her as she cocked her head, I cupped my mouth to hide my scowl as she frowned under furrowed, slender brows.
“I’ll think about it.” Carlyle nodded as if he expected that reply, and stood up to huff in satisfaction.
“Good. Sleep it over, and I’ll stop by tomorrow for my answer. Oh, and I forgot to mention . . . ” Illya stood up, folding up her envelope with practiced ease, and I frowned darkly into the room. There was always something more with Carlyle, but he seemed genuinely miffed before he opened his mouth to her quizzical glance. “I’m leaving, but Mateo is staying here while I deal with his . . . mistake. Keep him company. I’m sure he knows where the ATM is.”
“Are you gonna kill her?” Posing the question instantly, Illya did a good job muting her expressions, but she knew she couldn’t hide them all, or Carlyle would figure out why easily.Impressive.
“Well, of course not. That thing is probably wishing for it after being strapped to a bed rotting in its own shit for a week, though.” Frowning darkly, I tore my eyes off Illya as shame sloshed up my throat only to be beaten down by rationale. Knocking Sylvie out had been a blessing. All I did was knock her in the temple with the end of the brush, and there was some relief. Carlyle walked out of the VIP room, gently shutting the door behind him, and I lifted my gaze as Illya practically threw herself back onto the sofa. Her hands shook as she covered her face, and I shuffled over to sit next to her in the growing silence.
“What the Hell is going on?” Groaning loudly, Illya flopped to sprawl over my lap, and I clenched my gut as I struggled to force down my hard-on. Rolling onto her hands and knees, she pouted at me as my hands itched painfully to shove her face down. “You couldn’t have warned me?”
“I don’t have your number, remember.” Her bottom lip stuck out thicker, and I bit back a groan as I reached to caress it with my right thumb. “That was so sexy. I didn’t know you had some bite to your bark, Illya.”
“What does he really want?” The question had no answer, and Illya sighed heavily before sitting back on her heels to pull the envelope out of her sleeve. Before ripping open the side, she glanced at me, and I buried my two fingers in her hair to scratch her scalp. “Don’t worry about what I said, okay, Theo?”
“Said what? I was too busy trying not to storm over and fuck your brains out to listen to what you were saying.” Illya smacked my arm playfully, a soft smile stretching her lips, and my own twitched up as I leaned back against the sofa to cross my knees. “Anyway, how’d you know Carlyle would pay you just to listen to what he had to say?”
“Because a guy like that knows a lot of unsavory shit. I work here, so while I’m here, any interaction that he wants in his favor needs to be paid for. That’s probably why he chose now— it’s super slow, even for Friday, and it’d better his chances.” Unfolding the envelope to rip open the side carefully, Illya pulled out a check and groaned softly. “I don’t have a bank account. I’m gonna have to open one, which means getting an ID.”
“You can just get a Rush Card or something, though, right?” She only hummed at my suggestion, and I glanced over her orange hair at Mateo as he glared at his feet. “You just don’t wanna have a card on you, huh?”
“Yeah. I don’t really have a choice, though.” Noticing my gaze, Illya twisted to Mateo, but she didn’t linger too long before shaking her head. “What’s Carlyle going to do to Sylvie?”
“Honestly, I don’t think he’ll do anything toher.” Dark curiosity stained Illya’s pretty face, and I flopped my head back as I thought on that for a second. Carlyle was all about teaching his little brother not to be a little shit, so he hadn’t been lying— he wasn’t going to kill Sylvie. “I have a feeling that whatever happens will be worse.”
“I feel bad for her, but . . . ” I only shrugged at that. Sylvie was a bit of a stale topic, now. Shifting my weight to ease the pressure on my cock, I spread my legs before Illya crawled to straddle my thighs. My abdomen tightened, and I gingerly set my hands on her hips as she ground her ass against my bulge.
The honest to God truth . . . I couldn’t pinpoint why I didn’t bend her over. Gliding up her smooth back, my palms tingled wildly, and a numbness attacked my right hand. Illya was so damn sexy, but I just couldn’t make that jump. I wanted things to be even semi-okay, and she was neck-deep in misery at the moment. A small, condescending smirk tilted my lips as her words floated up in my head.
Was screwing her really taking advantage of her, or was not screwing her really the crime here?
Leaning against my chest, Illya blew a puff of hot air down my neck, and I closed my eyes to savor her heat. The questions fell away to simple enjoyment that this sexy-as-sin woman was on my lap, and she nuzzled my stubble with her cheek. Warmth suffused my body, and I reached to cup her face as the tenderness of the moment gripped my heart in a vice.
“I’m probably going to take this job.” Whispering in my ear, Illya’s voice thickened with distaste, but I heard the thread of resignation regardless. “He’s probably already got everything set up— otherwise, he wouldn’t have offered me that ‘sweet deal.’”
“Hopefully, you’ll be close by so I can sneak into your place and f— ” A soft, choked sob cut me off, and I tensed as my gaze whipped to Mateo. He was fuckingcryinghot, angry tears that streamed down the muscles straining in his neck, and Illya paused her movements. Mateo knew his brother better than me— probably had a much better idea of what was going to happen to Sylvie— but it was very apparent that whatever it was . . .
It’d be humiliating beyond belief for Mateo. He was about to learn the hard way that he can’t escape the consequences, or that things rarely happen how he expected.
“Anyway . . . ” Ignoring him, I turned back to Illya, and her brows twitched up expectantly as I gripped her hips. “When we get settled in, I’ll take you on a date.”
“Adate?” Her squeak gyrated my eardrums even as I nodded firmly, and her cheeks turned rosy from the fireworks sparkling behind her contacts. “I never thought you’d ask me on a date, Theo.”
“Don’t be stupid. I’m not that much of an incel.” She giggled a little, resuming her swishing and swaying, and I pushed down on her hips to sigh roughly. “Take it as progress that I even told you about it this time.”
“You should tell me about it so I can say ‘yes,’ and you can feel good about yourself.” Hot palms braced on my knees, and Illya arched her back to pop her ass against my abdomen as she spoke. Sucking in a sharp breath at the friction, I squeezed her ass cheeks through her leotard as a reply balanced on the tip of my tongue.
“Fuck . . . I’m gonna wreck this pussy the first chance I get.” Growling through clenched teeth, I dropped Illya’s ass into my lap to grip her shoulders, and my cock ached fiercely. Her moan floated into my ears, and I pulled back on her body until I could feel her beyond the thick fabric of my jeans.
Powerful muscles rippled under her leotard, and I got sucked into my own mind as Illya worked her magic.
