Chapter 5

Chapter

Five

Cory

"Cory, the fella in Gangster's Paradise wants to see you."

"Applesauce," I muttered into the phone. "Did he say what he needs, Harlow?"

"No, but he didn't sound happy."

They rarely were if they asked to see the owner. "Okay, Harlow. I'll head up there now. Thanks."

I was right by the staircase, so I considered jogging up them, but instead, I made my way over to the elevator. A small ride with Everest up to the second floor would calm my nerves.

"Hello, Mr. Letterman. How was your day?"

Forcing a smile, I shook my head. "It was fine, but…"

He hummed. "More break-ins, sir?"

I sighed. "I'm not sure, but the guest wants to see me in his room, so…"

The door opened on my floor, and I gave the old man a smile. "Thank you, Everest."

He patted my shoulder. "It'll all work out, Mr. Letterman. You'll see."

As I made my way down the hall, I hoped that he was right. Maybe he was spouting some sage wisdom that he gained from his years on this planet. Groaning, I stopped in front of Gangster's, Paradise and knocked. I'd been hoping to see Bosley again, but not like this.

He opened the door with a surly scowl on his face. Even unhappy, he was a handsome man. "How can I…" I cleared my throat. "Hello. Harlow said you needed to speak with me?"

Arms crossed over his chest, he stepped back and inclined his head for me to enter. The friendliness from this morning was gone.

Nervously, I passed him and walked into his room. Other than his duffel bag and the clothing scattered across his bed, everything looked in order. Clasping my hands behind my back, I spun, lifted my chin and asked, "Is there a problem, sir?"

He stepped past me, pointing at the disarray on the bedding. "That's the problem. When I left here, my bag was sitting next to the vanity, with all the contents inside ."

He put emphasis on inside , and I swallowed nervously. "Was there anything missing?"

One eyebrow arched up inquisitively. "You don't look shocked."

I cleared my throat. "Of course, I'm shocked. No one should've been in your room, not even housekeeping. Are you sure that?—"

His narrowed eyes cut me off. Of course, he was sure. Hell, at this point, I knew someone had broken into his room. Applesauce. How was I going to handle this?

I licked my lips. "I'm so sorry, sir. I cannot apologize enough. Was anything missing?" I asked again. "Did you have anything in the safe?"

With a frown on his face, he leaned back against the wall next to the vanity and continued studying me. "Why aren't you surprised?" he asked in a low, silky voice that caused tremors down my spine. He was annoyed, for sure, but not angry. I wasn't scared, exactly, but there was a hint of something dangerous in the way he stared at me.

"Unfortunately, we've had a few break-ins."

"Robberies?" he asked, tone hard.

Yep. The muscles I was admiring earlier now seemed intimidating. This man pissed off could go very badly for me. I shook my head frantically. "No, no. It's been only break-ins. Although, yours is the most obvious so far. Up until now, it was little things moved around or drawers that had had been rifled in." Pausing, I blew out a breath. "I don't know what to say."

He continued staring at me, and I felt like I was being dissected. Finally, he inhaled deeply, his shoulders rising in the air before dropping with his exhale, and he scrubbed his hands down his face. "So this has happened before? It's not just me?" He asked the question so low it was almost as if he was talking to himself. I started to answer when he asked, "Have you called the police, Cory?"

His voice was more friendly, more like it had been earlier. "I did." I ran a hand through my head. "They couldn't do anything for me since there was no theft."

"Do you have cameras?" he asked.

Frustrated, I balled my hands into fists at my side. "We have cameras outside, watching the parking lot. And one in the lobby. I have a security person who patrols the hotel at night. Plus, I've been having trouble sleeping, so I walk around. But the break-ins happen during the day. Everest hasn't noticed anyone creeping around, so I'm lost."

Bosley nodded his head. "Maybe you should consider putting up cameras inside the hotel."

Again with the emphasis on inside . I dropped my head. "I've considered it, but some of our guests require discretion. People don't want to be watched while they're on a business trip. They certainly don't want that intrusion when they're on vacation. My hotel has always been safe. It should be safe. Applesauce," I muttered as my rant came to an end.

"Applesauce." Bosley's voice held a thread of amusement as he mimicked me.

Embarrassed, I felt heat enter my cheeks. "Sorry. I can't help it. I, I, uh, know you probably think it's…" I trailed off. What? Dumb? Moronic? What must he think of me in my suspenders and my newsboy cap, using slang from the twenties?

I jolted when one of his large fingers trailed down the front of my suspenders. "I think it's cute. Cory."

Was he making fun of me? "You mean silly."

"No." He hooked his fingers into each suspender, tugging a little. "I mean quirky. I like interesting things, Cory. That's why I stay in boutique hotels. Usually, I don't find the staff or the owner near as interesting as you, though."

Head still bowed, I peeked up at him from under my eyelashes. "Really? You don't think I'm, uh, we're over the top?"

He chuckled. "Oh no, I definitely think everything about this place is a little extra, but…" He tipped his head, like he was considering something. "That's where the appeal comes in."

"Appeal?" I choked out.

He tugged a little again, and this time, I stumbled a little closer. We were about the same height, evenly matched in so many ways, except the gleam in his piercing blue eyes confused me. It looked like interest, maybe even desire, but that couldn't be right. He'd called me in here because someone had gone through his stuff. Like, he was angry, right? Shouldn't he be ranting, demanding a refund? "What are you doing?"

"You're sure this has happened before, Mr. Cory Letterman? That someone breaking into my room isn't an anomaly?" he asked in a near whisper.

Applesauce. Applesauce. Applesauce. Was this man—the first one to really spark my interest since Mac passed away—going to beat the crap out of me for this? Did people really do that? I'd had fights break out in Discreet Delights, but that was to be expected. It wasn't only hotel guests who drank in the speakeasy. It had become a popular hangout spot for locals, and where alcohol flowed, tempers often followed.

I shouldn't have even let him get this close to me. He'd piqued my interest, and the uncertainty I was feeling about how to handle the break-ins had thrown me off my game. "Mr. Letterman, you're not answering me." His breath misted over my face as he drew me even closer, and his gaze bore into mine. "Have other guests really experienced the same thing?"

Hoping to calm him, I went meek, docile, relaxing my shoulders and dropping my own gaze to his Adam's apple. He'd insinuated he was a Daddy, right? Surely he wouldn't…but I'd never told him I was a boy. Who knew what he'd do? "Yes." I swallowed hard. "I'm sorry. Maybe I should close until I get to the bottom of this or hire more security. I'm terribly sorry?—"

He placed a finger over my lips, silencing me. "You have a problem on your hands." My knees nearly buckled. What the hell was he planning? "But I have one, too." His hand dropped back to my suspender so he had a grip on both of them again.

My gaze bounced back to meet his. "So they did take something?"

"No, all my stuff was still here." He pursed his lips. "But I had another matter crop up today that I'd hoped to avoid. It's left me…" He trailed off.

Left him what? In need of a punching bag? Why was he so close? Why hadn't he done anything yet? I wasn't usually a fighter, and the thought of hitting a guest was horrifying, but I was strong and fit. If he made this physical, I'd have to go back at him. This was my hotel, my baby, and I wouldn't be?—

"I think we could both use some stress relief."

What? "Stress relief? I don't understand."

He stroked up and down my suspenders as his tongue licked across his bottom lip. "Don't you?"

Did I? He couldn't mean…? I felt my own tongue lick my lips of its own volition, and Bosley grinned devilishly.

"In my fifty years, I've found several ways to release tension. Some aren't worth mentioning, but there are others that might interest you." As I grew hyper-conscious of his every movement, his fingers slid down my suspenders again, his breath warmed my face, and one of his legs slid between mine.

"Like?" I croaked out. Was it getting hot in here?

"Well, there's always Vigor. Instead of running on the treadmill, we could hit the weights. Spot each other, or…"

My breath came faster. Was I hyperventilating? In as long as I'd owned the hotel, I'd never found myself in a situation like this. Yeah, I'd been propositioned several times, but not in a guest's room, not like this. "Or?"

"There's always fighting or fucking." He snapped my suspenders back in place and let his arms fall to his side, leaving two feet between us as we stood chest to chest. "I know what I'd be more inclined to do, but I don't fuck without permission. Consent is sexy, don't you think?"

I didn't think. I didn't speak. Crashing my lips to his, I took him up on what he was offering. He met my lips with brutality, biting at my lower lip and sucking my tongue into his mouth, nipping at it as he pulled back, chuckling.

He spun us around like it was nothing, putting my back against the wall and knocking my hat to the floor. "Yeah. This is exactly what you need. What we both need." He nipped at my lip and thrust my suspenders down my arms. "These are hot."

"Twenties aesthetic," I panted out.

"Oh, I know." He left them hanging and dove in for another teeth-clattering kiss, while grabbing my half-hard cock through my trousers. "Fuck yeah."

With sure, steady hands, he quickly unzipped me, and my cock filled as he wrapped his hand around it. He gave me two hard, demanding strokes before releasing me and going for his own pants. "This will be quick, quirky Cory. Work off some steam, yeah? A good orgasm always clears my head."

"Yes." I leaned in and captured his mouth again. He took over, licking and sucking as he wrapped one hand around both our stiff cocks. I clutched at his shoulders, holding on as he moved his hand up and down in a rapid motion, using our precum to smooth his way.

"Fuck yeah. I knew you'd like this. That you needed it," he muttered. My head fell back, hitting the wall. "I needed it, too. Since the minute I saw you on that treadmill, all hot and sweaty. So fuckin fine in those athletic pants, bubble butt poking out, taunting me." His mouth hovered over mine. "Were you trying to tease me, Cory? Did you want me to spend my day salivating at the thought of fucking your ass? Because I did."

He did? Holy shit.

His hand moved faster. "Did you think about me? Did you think about my big cock? How it would feel sliding in and out of you?"

"Ahh," I cried out as he twisted his hand.

"I asked you a question, quirky Cory. Did you think about me? About my dick? Did you want to drop down and suck me? Did you picture my tongue eating your greedy hole? Because I thought of it all. Wished I hadn't let you sneak out of the gym."

Fuck . I didn't know if he meant any of that, but I didn't care. I'd given a blow job, had a couple of quick handies when I'd gone out, desperate for touch after losing Mac, but they'd been nameless, faceless. They were just looking to get off as much as I was. Bosley made me feel seen. Wanted.

Just the thought pushed me over the edge. My spine tingled with electric currents as my orgasm rushed through me. "Daddy," I choked out, as cum spurted, making its way out of me, and Bosley crashed his lips back to mine, kissing me as I rode the wave. Not stopping until after he rode his.

His forehead rested against mine as we both caught our breath. As I came down from the high, I stiffened, and he chuckled. He pressed his lips to mine one last time and stepped back. "Don't freak out. It's okay."

"It's not," I said as panic gripped me, and my pulse sped up for a far less enjoyable reason than mere moments ago. I'd just let a guest see my dick. Touch it to his. Stroke me until I orgasmed. I called him Daddy! What the hell was I thinking?

"Well, applesauce," he said teasingly with a wink. "Let me get something to clean us up." He strode into the bathroom, coming back with a white towel with the gold GM monogram in the corner.

"I can't believe I did that. I'm so sorry, sir. This is my place of business, and I shouldn't have?—"

His bark of laughter stopped me. Amused, he stepped back into my space and wiped off my dick. "You got some on your shirt. Sorry about that. Let me get you one of my shirts."

Moving away from him, I said, "No. That's okay. I'll go up to my suite and change."

"Everest will see you. That." He pointed to the cum stain.

He sounded so concerned that my racing heart began to calm again. I blew out my breath. "It's okay. I'll take the stairs." Feeling awkward, I said, "Uh, thanks for the stress relief."

He approached, cupping my cheek. "It was my pleasure, quirky Cory." He leaned in and kissed my forehead. "Go ahead. I know you have a hotel to run."

Applesauce . I'd forgotten about his break-in. "I really am sorry about someone getting into your room. Can I interest you in dinner at The Velvet Room on the house?"

He waved me off. "Nah. It's fine. I'll be checking out in the morning, anyway."

Even though what had just happened couldn't ever happen again, the idea of him leaving made me…sad. Our interaction today brought me to life in a way that I hadn't experienced in over a year. Whether appropriate or not, there was a reason I'd called him Daddy. An instinctive trust I couldn't deny. Once he left, all my thoughts, time, and energy would be consumed by whoever the hell was making a mess of my hotel, and that was the way it should be. I needed to remember that.

"Yeah, sure. Um, I hope you enjoyed your stay. Other than…" I waved toward the clothes all over his bed.

He leered at me, licking his bottom lip. "Oh, I did. I'll be jerking off to thoughts of today for a long time."

Feeling my cheeks burn, I hustled out of the room with the sound of Bosley's deep laughter following me. He wasn't the only one who'd remember this for a long, long time.