My smile fades when I realize my connection to Rex is what got me reinstated.“Nepotism at its finest, I guess.”
“You earned it,” he says, and he’s right.I wish my own merits would have earned my place, but it’s not a perfect world, and I’ll take what I can get.
I imagine myself walking in tomorrow and swiping my badge that reads “Inara Roy.”How is this my life?
Not to mention that I’ll be dropped off by a personal driver and escorted to the door of the police station by two huge guys with skull rings.
Which reminds me of what Silva said earlier about Fraternitas.
“Do you have gang members guarding me?”
“I’m told that Kaiser and Jaeger are the best.”
Kaiser and Jaeger must be the identical hulks.I make a note of their names.“Won’t people be upset that an NRPD detective has criminals acting as her bodyguards?”
“The press knows not to talk about Fraternitas.No one will mention them at all.”
I blanch.“Because they feel threatened?”
Rex shrugs.“Bribes, threats, favors, St.James deploys them all.”
“Oh, that makes me feel better.”I roll my eyes.“Wait, St.James is part of Fraternitas?”
Rex nods, and I throw up my hands.“Well, that’s just wonderful.”
Rex
I lean backin my chair, savoring the moment, drinking her in.I like that I’m the one to explain the intricacies of my city to her.“He doesn’t wear his ring all the time because he’s become the public face of the brotherhood.The business side, anyway.”
“Good to know,” she mutters, stabbing her fork into her pasta.“Now I know why the ring looked familiar.I got a debrief about the criminal activity in NRPD as part of my orientation.”
“Fraternitas is less a criminal organization and more an essential cog in the city’s wheel that happens to step outside the bounds of the law from time to time.”
“Like a corporation.”She shoves a forkful of pasta into her mouth and chews, glaring at me balefully.
“Exactly.”
She speaks with her mouth full, still glaring.“Like you.”
“I’m more than just a cog.”
“You’re a pain in my ass,” she mutters.
I tilt my head.“I can be.But I think you like pain in your ass.”
“My gods,” she mutters.I chuckle, and she grabs a dinner roll and throws it at my head.I catch it and take a bite so it doesn’t go to waste.
She must be feeling better if she’s goofing off like this.I love being silly with her.She seemed to have accepted her change in marital status.“This is nice, isn’t it?Having dinner after work.”
She grunts, unwilling to admit how much fun she’s having.Challenge accepted.I reach for a final plate on the nearby rolling cart and present her with the last part of our meal—a large slice of tiramisu.
This turns out to be a mistake.Inara licking into a thick layer of mascarpone is more erotic than anything I’ve seen.I grip the edge of the table as she practically licks the plate clean.I display admirable restraint, but it takes all my control not to pounce on her.
Finally, she pushes her plate back with a sigh.
“Better?”
“Much.Thank you.”One last swipe of her tongue over her plump lips.I have to turn away for a moment to get a hold of myself.My cock is painful in my pants.
