First, coffee and food, but then I have to speak to Mickey. I need to set him on that task of getting all the information he can about Vienna and the guys. If they are going to live in my house, I want to know everything I can about them. Then, I need to do some shopping. I want to buy a wig and an outfit so when someone looks at me, they won’t see Victoria Russo, enforcer for the Russo family, but just another girl out for a good time with her boyfriend. Sage probably needs a disguise too. He isn’t as recognizable as me, but the two of us have become quite prominent back home, and I wouldn’t put it past Lorenzo to pass our photos around to anyone in his pocket. I need to touch base with the manager of the Kitty Kat club here in Seattle as well. Fuck, what was her name again? She was an old friend of Carla’s, so I’m pretty sure this town is safe from Lorenzo’s interference, but it doesn’t hurt to check. It’s also a long way for them to betrafficking women to the cartels, since there is a higher chance of them being caught between here and the Mexican border, but I want to warn her just in case.
I’m so lost in thought that I don’t hear the shower curtain open, and it’s not until two hands encircle my waist and Sage nuzzles my neck that I realize I’m no longer alone.
“Hmm, you smell so good,” he murmurs, breathing in deeply. I frown. I haven’t even washed myself. I’ve basically been standing here, letting the water wash over me.
“Are you going to hog the shower too?” I ask, grumbling halfheartedly as his hands rub my shoulders, working out some of the kinks.
He chuckles, and I feel his hard cock brush against my ass as he deepens his ministrations on my shoulders.
“Sorry, babe. You should realize by now that I like my sleep, and I’m not used to actually having someone in my bed. Usually, I kick them to the curb before anyone can get too comfortable,” he admits unashamedly.
I turn around and glare at him. “Well, you better get used to it. I’m not waking up every morning feeling like a pretzel.” I stab a finger into his naked chest, but he just grabs it and smiles goofily as he presses a kiss to the tip.
“For you, anything,” he promises before we proceed to wash each other, just enjoying running our hands over each other’s naked bodies. He washes my hair, and I return the favor, and his groans of enjoyment have my core clenching and my nipples pebbling with desire, but I have things to do, and my own pleasure is going to have to wait.
Once we get out, dry off, and dress, I place the call to Mickey. He puts me on speaker, and I tell him and Maeve what I need. They assure me they will get to it quickly.
As I hang up, a call comes in, and my screen shows it’s Gio. I decline the call, sending him to voicemail, and we head out in search of disguises.
Chapter Nine
Our week is a whirlwind of flights, undercover work, and dodging calls from my brother. I don’t even bother to listen to the dozens of messages that have filled up my voicemail, but it seems that the only other clubs that were compromised were the ones in Tucson, Arizona and San Antonio, Texas, which makes sense, both are close to the Mexican border. I didn’t interfere with either club, not wanting to show my hand to Lorenzo. I want to make sure he is out of the way before I go in and dismantle the operations there. I also don’t have enough trusted staff to put in place. I tasked Lacey with discretely interviewing new staff for both locations. She has flourished and is taking to the roll like a boss girl. I think I’ll probably offer her the job to oversee all locations to free up more of my time, but first, I need to deal with my uncle.
I didn’t get a chance to check out the Black Rose in Vegas, and by the time we arrive at Suncity, I’m pissed off and just a little murderous. I consider heading home, but when I spoke to Suzy earlier in the week, she confirmed Gio moved his friends into the house. I decided a night at the Lucky Diamond to get my emotions in check would be beneficial.
Thankfully she had gotten their last name, so Maeve’s Irish connections are busy doing a deep dive into their background.
“Ugh, it’s good to be home,” Sage says as he throws himself onto one of the couches in the presidential suite of the hotel. “I’m itching to get my hands on my plants.”
Sage has been so patient. A couple of times, he had to distract me from my murderous tendencies and did so by fucking my brains out. I’m not sure why I didn’t explore men as a sexual outlet earlier. I let Stacey get all up in my head when I could have been enjoying all the pleasures a male body has to offer.
“We will head home tomorrow. I just needed to catch up on a few things here before I get distracted by Gio and all his drama again,” I murmur, pouring us both a drink from the wet bar and joining him on the couch.
I pass him his drink as he puts his arm around my shoulders and pulls me into his side. “What are you going to do about Gio?” he asks and I give him a small shrug of my shoulders.
“Not much I can do, is there? Short of killing them, I’m just going to have to accept they are now living in our house.”
“You would kill them?” he asks without judgment.
“I mean, sure, if they were a danger to us. I’m still waiting to hear back from Mickey and Maeve.”
“But don’t you have feelings for them?” he asks, and I turn to look at him when I hear the concern in his voice.
“Feelings of attraction. The four of them are sexy, and Vienna does this thing with her tongue that makes me see stars, but not anything deeper. I barely know them,” I reply, studying his expression for his reaction. His lips turn down in disappointment. “Did you catch feelings already?” I ask, unable to hide the surprise in my voice. He shrugs and avoids meeting my eyes as he takes a sip of his drink.
“They are okay,” he hedges, but my heart sinks. Ah shit. Sage is such a fucking softy, and he already caught feelings. I can tell.
“Well, don’t let me stop you if you want to spend more time with them,” I say, standing up and downing the rest of my drink. There’s a rush of jealousy inside me, and I don’t like how it feels. Who am I to demand anything of him? I’m not the most emotionally available, and I can tell he needs more than I’m giving him at the moment.
All of this shit is getting to me. I need to put some distance between me and Sage before I inevitably put my foot in my mouth by saying something to upset him. “Why don’t you get some sleep or even head out, and I’ll meet you back at the house tomorrow? I’ll probably be busy for the rest of the day, and I don’t want to stop you from returning to your plants or the others.” I try to hide the hurt in my voice, so it comes out harsher than I wanted it to. I hoped to sound like I didn’t care, but from the wince on his face, I don’t think I succeed. “I’ll catch up with you later,” I tell him, not waiting for a reply before leaving the suite and heading to my office.
My heart races, and my palms sweat as I move through my hotel. It’s early morning, and I would love to climb into bed, but I have some work I want to get done in my office. I didn’t get any sleep on the flight from Texas, too busy mulling over everything we discovered on our little tour. There is only a week until the merchandise Lorenzo was talking about is moved, and I need to find out everything Sam and Dean discovered. They are coming in to brief me later, but I want to go over the previous week’s operations of the hotel and casino. I don’t have time for the abundance of annoying emotions that are plaguing my body. I have to lock that shit down and focus on the most important task at hand, and that is keeping control of the Russo family and making sure Lorenzo pays for attempting a hostile takeover.
A few staff members say, “Good morning,” and I give them a polite nod in return, but I don’t stop like I usually do. When I enter the office area, the secretary that looks after both me andBryce isn’t in yet, and I let out a small sigh of relief. I don’t really have the mental capacity for small talk this morning. Taking a seat at my desk, I begin catching up on reports from the previous week. I’m going to be busy with other family stuff for a while, and I don’t want to get behind on the legitimate part of our businesses.
I’m deep in concentration when my door bangs open, and when I look up at the clock, I realize I’ve been hard at work for three hours. My lips purse in annoyance when I catch sight of Penelope at the door, but then I do a double take when she tows a small child in behind her.
“Who the fuck trusted you with a small human?” I ask dryly, leaning back in my chair as she waltzes into my office, gently tugging the small child with her.
