Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Leo
I wake at nine, a creature of habit, and smile as a curtain of curly red hair blocks my vision. Gotta be honest, I love her red hair. It's bold and beautiful, just like the way she dances. I see flashes of that in her personality too, when she's not busy being insecure.
Kim is in my bed, her body still curled into mine. She's soft and warm, with her tits and belly pressed into my side, her cheek on my chest, and my second thought of the day is how I could actually get used to this. The feel of her in my arms.
Which is crazy. I don't do that. Have snuggly sleepovers.
Except I did do that…and I liked it. No, I more than liked it. I stretch against her, my hand sliding over her hip. I fucking loved it.
She's completely naked and I brush away her hair, lovely as it is, the silky strands catching on my scruff, as I drink in the view. The curves of her body are stunning and she's so beautiful, my chest grows tight.
"Are you awake?" her voice is a sleepy slur, and I kiss the top of her head.
"Yeah. I'm awake. But you don't have to be. I'm going to go work out."
She jerks awake and I kinda hate the way she stiffens. I liked her soft. "Do I need to leave?"
"No," I push her back down into the bed, and turn her so that I'm spooning her body, my front pressed to her back. I kiss her shoulder and then her neck. "The gym is in the building. I'm going to exercise while you get some more sleep. When I'm done, I'm going to make us some smoothies and then we are going to take a shower. After that, I'll drive you home."
"You've got it all planned out," she sighs into the pillow, but she's back to being soft. I like it. I slide my hand over her hip, just tracing her curves. My cock is already hard as a rock and I know I could go with a different plan, one that involves a workout in bed.
"I do." I am sounding like my brother in a way that I actually like. I'll have to figure out who runs the clubs when I'm gone so I can start training them. The idea is to leave my family in a better position than before.
And while I'm playing Mason, I'm going to have to decide how to be at Temptation more the next few weeks while Kim is dancing. Because I don't want her on stage when I'm not there.
Which means being at the other clubs less. She lets out a soft sigh in my arms as I graze her head with another kiss. I'll get reports from the other club managers sent to Temptation and then I'll rework my schedule to visit the less successful clubs on Kim's days off. She's on Temptation's schedule on the busiest days anyway so it's justifiable I'd want to be at the highest-earning club on the weekends.
She goes back to sleep, and I hold her for a few more minutes before I slip from the bed, almost hating to leave her. But a workout helps me stay focused, driven, and level-headed so I make my way down to the gym.
Luke and Roman are there already, both pumping iron.
I sit on the rower, wanting to work up a good sweat before I start lifting, and rowing is my favorite way to do cardio. It works every muscle in my body.
Jake walks in and my brows go up. I've never seen him at the gym before. I do notice that he's got a stogie in his pocket, that he takes out and gives a sniff.
"He's quitting," Roman murmurs low as he walks by. "Cut him a wide path."
Jake not smoking? I shake my head. "I bet its worse than giving up booze."
"I wouldn't know," Jake answers, having overheard me. "You'll have to pry the bourbon from my cold, dead hands."
I smile and keep rowing, pretty content to mind my own business. But the guys have other plans.
They're all working out, but I notice they keep glancing my way…
I can feel my temper flaring. I hate this tiptoe shit. It pisses me off. If they want to ask something, ask it.
"What?" I finally say as I stop the rower, standing. "What is it you want to say?"
"Chill, Leo, we're just curious…" It's Roman who sets down his barbell that he's been lifting. "What's going on with you and Kim?"
My mouth twitches with irritation as my chest puffs, ready for a fight. "What makes you think something is going on?"
"Oh please." Luke drops his dumbbells, a loud thunk echoing through the room. "You've been in a shit mood for a month and now you're all happy this morning? Smiling to yourself while you work out. You got laid. And considering you hired Kim like three days ago, it's pretty easy math."
"I did not get laid." And that is the truth. But Luke's words take some of the sting out of my temper. No one is accusing me of rattling Mason's cage or ruining the business with my crazy schemes.
"So I wouldn't find a naked woman in your bed?" Jake asks with a grin, lifting the smallest dumbbell on the rack. How does he look so fit drinking, smoking, and lifting baby weights?
But I'm back to being pissed. "Try to go in my apartment and find out what happens." I pick up a much larger weight, lifting it with enough menace to let him know he's been warned.
I've made some pretty big mistakes since my father's death. I know that. I probably should have gone off and made them away from the family, processed my anger on my own. Then again, if I'd done that, I might be dead.
But just because I know I've fucked up, doesn't mean these guys can tell me what to do.
"The gym might have been a bad choice for this conversation," Roman says with a sigh before he lifts his hands. "But the truth is…"
"The truth is that Kim is an adult," I say. "And so am I."
"Who you are employing and who is the most important person in the world to Mason's wife other than Mason."
Both true. Not that I didn't know this conversation was about Mason. I shake my head. I've got to stop losing my temper and do what Mason would actually do. He'd reason. He'd win them over with logic rather than try to beat them into submission. I'm working on it. "Fine. I concede both points. But…" I curl the weight, sinking deeper into this idea of winning the guys over. "I am letting her completely run the show."
"You?" Roman asks.
"You?" Luke says at the same time.
"How?" Jake follows.
"She says we can't actually sleep together while she works at the club. It's her rule, not mine."
The guys are all staring at me, so I continue. "And I wouldn't have hired her at all, but she wants to go to New York in January, and she won't take money from me or Mason. I had to hire her to help finance her move."
Jake's eyes narrow as he cocks his head to the right, assessing me. "Are you pussy whipped?"
Fuck that and fuck him. "I will throw this at you."
He takes a step back.
Luke starts adding weights to the squat machine. "So you two are messing around but you're letting her dictate all the terms so that you can finance her future move?"
"That's right," I let out a long breath. "The woman is hellishly hard to nail down. Every time I think I understand the rules, she changes them."
The guys all laugh.
"What's funny?"
"You're dating you," Luke says on a snort.
Maybe I am.
But Roman is the first to recover. "In the name of turning over a new leaf, you ought to tell Mason."
That would sour any good mood.
Mason is going to be a giant pain in the ass about all of this. Still, they're right. If I'm going to convince everyone I'm doing the right thing, I have to be upfront and honest. Not always my strength. "I'll call him today or tomorrow."
Luke finishes his squats and steps out from the machine. As he walks by, he slaps my shoulder. "Good man. I've got to say, Leo, you really have been playing it smart lately."
I appreciate those words, and though I'm not looking forward to the call with my brother, I am excited to bring a gorgeous redhead breakfast in bed.
And I hope he's right. I abandoned one plan to hurt Carcetti, because it was too risky instead of just barreling ahead. Maybe this is all growth.
Then again, I don't have a new plan, and everyone knows Carcetti is about to make a move. Maybe old Leo had it right…
Workout done, I take the stairs two at a time. Stopping in the kitchen of my apartment, I pull out my blender and start mixing up a spinach smoothie. As hard as my workout is, dancing clearly zaps Kim of her energy, and she needs quality food.
She comes out of my room, wearing my T-shirt from the night before, her legs on full display, and I've got to be honest…the sight of her in my shirt does some weird shit to my insides.
She's so sexy and the fact that she's wrapped in my clothing, my scent, triggers some possessive instinct and has me moving around the island to pull her close.
"Tonight, bring an overnight bag to work."
"This is why you can't date your boss," she murmurs, but she still wraps her arms around my neck with a sleepy smile. "Bossy."
"Look," I'm already getting defensive. "We don't have to have sex, but I like what we did last night and?—"
She squeezes my neck. "Any chance we could finish this discussion while we drink those smoothies you made? I'm starving and they look amazing."
I grin into her hair and then step away, filling two glasses. Handing one to Kim, I start to sip mine and look over in time to see hers is half gone.
I like a girl with an appetite, so I set mine down, and throw more banana and avocado into the blender.
She finishes one and I refill, pulling out a pan. "You need an egg."
She doesn't argue and I watch as Kim drinks the second smoothie and then eats two eggs. Silently, I pull out a grapefruit, slicing it up. Her eyes light up.
I make a note to order more groceries.
"Coffee?" I ask, going over to my espresso machine.
"No thank you. I don't drink much caffeine anyway and lately it smells funny…" She waves a hand, taking another slice of grapefruit. "This was really good. I can't afford groceries like this, and I think I actually feel better from eating so healthy, so I really appreciate it, Leo."
"You feel better from a smoothie?" A little alarm is sounding in the back of my thoughts.
"Maybe I have a vitamin deficiency or something."
I make a second note to call a doctor. My guess is it's been a while since she's had a check up.
"So…about the overnight bag?"
"Are you making me breakfast again?"
"Yep."
"Then I am in."
I smile as I finish my smoothie. "Now. How about a shower?"
"Gee. Let me think…" She taps her chin. "Six shower heads at your place or one really crappy one at mine…"
I pull her close. "You forgot about the automatic washer."
"Automatic washer?"
"Yeah. Me." I kiss her then, grapefruit on her lips. I bury a hand into the softness of her curls, pulling her belly tight to mine.
I love the way she fits into me. She kisses me several more times before she pulls away. "And a really great rinse cycle."
I laugh against her cheek. "This morning we might have to skip the rinse cycle but tonight…"
"Promises, promises," she murmurs against my skin as I pick her up, and carry her toward the bathroom.
I'm true to my word and we're in and out of the shower in under a half hour. She tosses on her clothes from the night before, while I put on my standard jeans and T-shirt and then we head down to the garage.
I start the car, shifting into reverse as the engine revs. "I've got to stop in a few other clubs. Why don't I leave you at your place and I'll be back to pick you up between two and three?"
"I don't want to be late. I'll get myself to work."
I grimace over at her. "I prefer driving you."
She touches my hand on the stick shift. "Thanks, Leo. But I don't want to be late. Everyone's been really nice, but?—"
"Of course, they're nice. I have to hire nice people."
"Why's that?"
"Because I'm an asshole."
She shakes her head as a call comes in on my phone. My eyes flash to the screen and nearly bug out.
It's the New York Ballet.
In a quick move, I dismiss the call, Kim still fiddling with my hand. She didn't notice…my breath rushes out from my lungs. "You're not an asshole, you're just an alpha."
"How's that?" But I've never felt like more of a dick then I do in this moment.
"My last boyfriend cheated on me and then told me that it was because I was boring in bed. He's the asshole."
"Bobby said that to you?" Call forgotten, I think I might track Bobby down and punch him in the face.
I see her wince. "He also said that he'd thought a girl like me, no father figure, no money, would have had enough daddy issues to be good in bed."
"Fucker," I snarl. I can see her face is red with embarrassment, her eyes darting away. Bobby made a deep cut. Whatever else I do, I decide I'm healing that wound. I'm an asshole too, she just doesn't know it yet. But I'm an asshole who understands her worth, and at the very least, she'll understand that before this is all done.
"I shouldn't have told you. I don't know why I did."
"Yes, you should have." I hate thinking of her holding those feelings, what that douche bag said, inside.
"I never told anyone and I've worried?—"
"He's not just an asshole, he's a manipulator, Kim. Don't listen to him." I slow the car as I pull up in front of her apartment. "Guys like that say a bunch of shit, not because it's true, but because they're hoping it will make you act the way they want you too."
Her eyes meet mine. "You don't think he's right? I've got no money. I can't even buy groceries."
I'm starting to understand why Kim's so worried about what other people think. "Sweetheart, I've got money, but my dad was a gangster. How does that make me better than you? I'm the one who should be worried about being trash."
She shakes her head. "But you run legit businesses. You're smart and successful."
I sigh. "I quit drinking because when I don't, I make better decisions. Mason is angry with me because I nearly really hurt him and Charlotte when I was on a bender. It was bad. I have some sins to atone for and some real actions that would cause people to think less of me." The very ones I'm trying to make up for. "But you, you don't."
She blinks at me, big green eyes, before she leans over and kisses me long and slow, holding my face like I just proved to her that Santa was real.
I want to sink into her. I want to say all the things that make her feel good. And then I want to make her feel even better by making her orgasm in every way possible.
"Leo," she whispers against my lips.
"Yeah, baby?"
"I don't want to masturbate tonight." She's still nibbling at my lip, her fingers digging into my neck.
"No?"
"I want to feel you inside me."
Fuck. I want that too. But I'm going to have to come clean about a few things too. And holy shit, is it going to suck.