I nodded. “If you have any issues, call Levi. He’ll be driving me and Darcy.”
“Yes, sir.”
I gripped Darcy’s waist tighter and said, “Lemonade, car.” She immediately started leading me, and in turn, Darcy, and I let her. She knew exactly where she was going, like she’d been trained.
“Where are we headed?” Darcy asked, his hand touching my chest carefully. I was surprised he hadn’t fought against me leading him around yet, but he’d come tomeon his own, and that was new for him. The man I’d known would never have purposely searched out someone unless it had to do with the Courtesan. As far as I knew, he didn’t have any friends, and the only time he was allowed to leave the hotel was for business.
“You’ll see.” I turned my head and leaned in to kiss him, and I was close to my mark, which had been his cheek. I got his ear instead, and I stayed there to breathe him in. He smelled so sweet, and he was my favorite scent, more so than the flowers.
“I came here because I was curious,” he said, tensing and putting on his brakes a little, but I tugged him forward so we wouldn’t disrupt Lemonade’s trajectory.
“Exactly, and I said I wanted to take you out,” I murmured against his cheek, laying a kiss on his skin—hot against my mouth. “So, let me do that.”
“I’ve already been gone for too long.” The words were more of a grumble that he obviously didn’t mean. He wanted to be away from that place, even if he couldn’t admit it to himself. It was my job to give him what heneeded, and I wasn’t going to fail. Madam Winters trusted me to take care of him.
“They can survive without you for a while.” From what I’d seen when I was a bodyguard there, it was possible they couldn’t because they relied on Darcy to solve all their problems. The staff and sex workers never used their own brains to fix their issues, and they didn’t realize how much he did for them, not yet, but they would after I stole him away. Even Madam Winters would come to appreciate her son’s work ethic.
Darcy made a sound of frustration, but I ignored it. When Lemonade reached the car, she sat. “Levi?”
“I’m here, sir.” Levi’s sharp tone drew my attention to the right, where I could finally smell the overpowering aroma of his aftershave. He always wore too much, and it was spicy, making my nose twitch in discomfort.
“Good. You know where we want to go.” I turned my head in Darcy’s direction and gave him a tender smile. “Could you lead me to the back door?” That was something I could do on my own, but I didn’t want to let him go, and if there was anything I did know about him, it was that he liked feeling useful. He wanted to help, even if he acted like it was a hassle. He didn’t complain about me asking for a hand, though.
“Let me,” Levi said in a rush, followed by the sound of the door clicking open. Darcy huffed, and suddenly he wasn’t at my side, slipping away. He was replaced with Levi’s shorter body. I took my cane from under my arm and rested it against the ground. “Boss, this way.”
“I think he meant me,” Darcy snapped, tone as cold as ice.
The possessiveness made me smirk. I patted Levi on the shoulder. “Darcy is right. I meant him. I need you to get Lemonade into the other side and take off her harness.”
“But, Boss—”
“Levi, I’ve given you instructions.”
He sighed, and I didn’t have to see the glare he was sending Darcy; I couldfeelit. Levi was young at twenty, and he’d been with me since he’d graduated high school. He’d chosen to do online college courses and applied for a position with my company. He was good at his job, and I didn’t think I could find a better assistant.
Darcy touched my arm and led me to the door.
“Go ahead. Get in,” I said.
“You’re sure?” Darcy asked.
“Mm-hmm.” I heard him huffing under his breath, but he followed my orders. I felt for the arch at the top so I could measure where I was before I ducked into the car, my ass landing on the seat. Darcy’s left arm brushed mine. Levi opened the door on the other side and Lemonade jumped in, lying immediately on the floor. The back seat had plenty of room. I’d made sure of it when I bought the BMW 7 Series for this exact reason. Lemonade needed to go everywhere with me. Once I heard the click of her lead being locked into a custom latch we’d had made to protect her in case we were in an accident, I smiled in Levi’s general direction.
The door on the other side closed, and I shut mine. Darcy settled in beside me, his arm pressing against mine. He shifted, and theclickof his seat belt in the buckle encouraged me to do the same. The car started and we were off.
“I had a bodyguard. I should have told him—”
“He’s taken care of,” I interrupted, reaching out to slide my fingers into his again. Clutching his hand tightly, I brought it up to my lips and pressed a kiss to the back.
“How did you handle that?” He sounded annoyed, so I pressed another kiss to his hand.
“Your mother called me to tell me you were coming.”
“She what?” Rage seeped from him, and his fingers tightened in mine.
“And I told her I wanted to take you somewhere, so she made sure to let him know he wouldn’t be needed after he dropped you off.” The distinctive voice of Elvis Presley came through the speakers in the back of the car. A privacy screen gave us the discretion we needed, and I hadn’t heard Levi put it down, which meant it was still up. I turned toward Darcy and found his chin, stroking my thumb over his warm skin. “You wouldn’t have stayed if you knew I was going to whisk you away.”
“Where are we going?” His breath fluttered against my thumb, and he gasped when I popped the tip into his mouth, pulling at his bottom lip.
