Chapter 1

Chapter

One

Cory

“ Gah . Daddy. Yes! Like that.”

Romeo—a much better name than Bosley—growled as his lips suctioned onto my right butt cheek, sucking another bruise onto my body. The man was obsessed with marking me as his. Fuck yeah . And I was here for it.

“You love it, don’t you, boy?” he asked as he popped off.

“I d—” my voice cut off, ending on a groan as he dug his fingers into my ass cheeks, spreading them as he licked across my hole while water ran down my back.

We’d spent all yesterday up in the belfry, hanging out and talking, touching, fucking, letting the world outside my door go and concentrating on each other. It had been heavenly, magical, but we’d prodded each other out of bed this morning for a workout in Vigor, which had somehow led to this—us in the shower with Romeo on his knees with his tongue buried in my ass. Good morning to me!

“Hey, Cory, you in here?” Harlow called.

“Eep,” I cried out as Harlow’s sharp gasp echoed in the space. Looking backward behind Romeo, I saw two sets of legs, one obviously Harlow and another pair in black suit pants. An ominous dark chuckle sounded through the room as Romeo stood, blocking my body from the view of the other’s eyes.

“What the fuck you want, Dante?” Romeo barked, pushing me so my stomach pressed against the wall and the water pounded down on his back.

“Sorry about this,” Dante said with a snicker. “The boss sent me to get you, and the little mouse is looking for Cory.”

“I’m not a mouse,” Harlow muttered.

Mortified embarrassment at my employee catching me with my Daddy’s tongue in my ass warred with warmth as Romeo wrapped me tighter in his strong arms, shielding me the best he could. “As you can see, I’m busy here.”

Dante grunted out a laugh. “Yeah, I see that, but Boss said?—”

“I don’t give a shit what he said. He’s not my boss. Now get the fuck outta here.”

“Bosley—”

“Not Bosley,” I interrupted, finally speaking up. “Romeo.”

“We’re supposed to call him Romeo now?” Harlow asked, sounding confused.

My chin dropped to my chest. Applesauce . Why was Harlow still here? I was surprised he hadn’t run out immediately. “Uh, yeah. Harlow, why don’t you wait for me up front? I’ll be right out.”

“Okay, Cory. And don’t worry, I covered my eyes,” he said in his usual chipper tone. My dick flagged. Harlow was too sweet for a display like this. Hell, what if it had been a guest?

It was Romeo’s turn to chuckle. How was this my life? Instead of leaving with Harlow, Dante asked, “So what should I tell the boss, Romeo?”

Romeo’s hot breath hit my neck as he sighed deeply. “Wait for me out in the lobby, idiot.”

“Sounds good. Enjoy the rest of your shower.”

Pushing my wet hair off my forehead, I turned in Romeo’s embrace and wrapped my arms around his neck, stepping back under the spray of the warm water. “So much for that. What are they both doing up so early?”

“Beats me.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “Now turn around. I’m not done with you yet.”

“But—”

Romeo narrowed his eyes. “But nothing. They’re going to have to wait while I take care of my boy.” Then he flipped me around, dropped to his knees, and buried his tongue back in my hole. I had no choice but to brace myself against the wall and let him feast as my dick hardened again, jumping back on board with his plan. Damn, he felt good, going at me like I was his breakfast.

“Touch yourself,” he demanded.

Grabbing my cock, I jerked myself in rhythm as he jabbed his tongue past the soft ring, making me whimper with desire for him to fill me up. “You’re going to come for me, boy. You hear me?” he asked.

“Yes, Daddy.” I squeezed my dick harder, stroking frantically, seeking release. Quicker than I expected, my spine tingled as my body fought to obey Romeo. My orgasm crashed through me, and cum was coating the wall of the shower.

I hung my head, panting harshly and reveling in the sound of his pleased grumble. “Such a good boy.” He traced a featherlight circle over the mark he’d left on my butt cheek before rising behind me and nuzzling his face into my neck. “Mm. I hate that we have to get back to real life today, but you need to take it easy. Spend a little time down here and check on things, then back upstairs to rest.”

“I will, but first?—”

He nipped the skin under my ear. “Rest, my quirky boy. Or I’m going to leave Dante here to escort you back to your room in half an hour and stand guard.”

My temper flared, and I spun around, ready to read him the riot act, only to find him smirking at me. “Ugh. Go away.” My gaze fell down his body where his cock stood tall, needing attention. Reaching for it, I said, “Let me?—”

Gently, he smacked my hand away. “No time. Let me get this conversation with the Buccelli’s done with, and you can make it up to me later.”

He didn’t give me time to argue, stepping out of the shower, leaving me to turn off the water and follow him to get dressed.

“I’ll see you later,” Romeo promised after giving me a quick kiss goodbye at the end of the hall between the hotel lobby and the old recreation hall where the gym and spa were located.

I watched him walk away, enjoying the view of his strong legs flexing in his tight gray sweats. Then I rolled my eyes as Dante unglued himself from the wall and sauntered behind Romeo, following him to the elevator.

Thankfully, I came prepared to greet the day after hitting the gym. I slid my hands down over my vest, tugging at the bottom to pull out any wrinkles, and turned to the employees at the check-in desk. “Good morning.”

Harlow cringed when he got a good look at the side of my face. The bruising from my little altercation with Huey wasn’t pretty. God knew I liked splashes of color, but hues of black, blue, and green weren’t exactly working for me. At least he’d expected it. The two ladies standing behind their computers stared with shock as they both hustled over to check on me. I let them fuss for a few moments before excusing myself and asking Harlow to join me in my office.

Hesitating as I crossed the threshold into the room, I noticed everything had been put back to rights, including my office chair.

“I tried to straighten up in here,” Harlow said from behind me.

Nodding, I cleared my throat, pushing down the anxiety clawing at me from what happened the last time I was in here, and sat down. “I appreciate that.”

Harlow eased into the visitor chair across from me and smiled tentatively. He was one of my best employees, usually neat and tidy, but this morning he looked ruffled and tired. “Are you okay?”

He straightened his spine, sitting up straighter in his seat. “I’m fine. Luckily, my clothes were in the car from the last time I went to the laundromat, but I had to grab deodorant and stuff from behind the counter.”

I assumed he meant the travel products we kept for the guests to purchase when they inevitably forgot to pack those pesky necessities. “Harlow, have you not left the hotel since the…” I trailed off, glancing at the wall Romeo said opened into the tunnels. I hadn’t checked for myself, and I wasn’t sure I would be any time soon. It sent a chill down my spine—and not the good kind—knowing that Huey had crept around The Gin Mill in a way I hadn’t even known existed.

He shook his head. “No, of course not. You asked me to keep an eye on things after…” Apparently, he didn’t want to mention that mess with Huey either because he circled his hand in front of him in that, you know what I mean, gesture.

Chagrined, I rubbed my hand over my face. I should’ve known he wouldn’t leave at all until he’d seen me after I asked him to stay following the incident. I should’ve come out of my ivory tower yesterday instead of basking in Romeo’s presence, but I’d been so scared, and it had felt so good to be indulged and pampered. “I’m so sorry, Harlow. I didn’t mean that you couldn’t leave until I reappeared.”

He gave me a small, tentative smile. “I didn’t mind. I knew you needed to rest after that ordeal, and I feel so bad that I didn’t realize what Huey was up to.”

“Why in the world do you feel bad? I didn’t notice either. Neither did Dante and his crew. We were all working at a disadvantage by not knowing about the tunnels.”

Harlow wrung his hands together. “But I’m the one who worked every shift with him. I heard how much he complained about money and how much he hated his life. Instead of suspecting that he was sneaking around the hotel, all I thought about was myself and how annoying it was having to do his work, too.”

Guilt overcame me. I really dropped the ball since Mac’s death. I could see that so clearly now. I wasn’t sure if that was because of my near-death experience or if it was from my spirit and soul settling now that I had a new Daddy in my life. Whatever the case, it was unacceptable that Harlow had been carrying so much of the load.

“Harlow, I’m so sorry about that.”

He waved me off. “That’s okay. You’ve had a rough few years, and then we had the guests complaining about the break-ins.” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t have expected you to notice what a slacker he was.”

“But I should’ve. Mac suggested that I get a hotel manager for years, but I loved being here so much that I didn’t think it was necessary.”

Harlow smiled softly. “And Mac always caved to whatever you wanted.”

I felt the jab of pain that always hit my heart at thoughts of Mac and how well he’d loved me. At what I’d lost. “Noticed that, did you?”

“We all did. He loved you so hard. That’s what I want someday,” he said wistfully.

“I want that for you, too. Make sure you hold out for a man who loves you completely—fiercely. You deserve that.”

Harlow tilted his head. “And does Bosley? I mean, Romeo?”

“Does he what?” I asked, confused.

“Love you completely?” He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands under his chin. “Fiercely?”

While thinking of Mac didn’t hurt any less, my heart melted as all the little moments with Romeo fluttered through my mind. He was passionate, kind, but brutal when necessary. All the marks he’d left on various places on my body, little aches to remind me that he’d marked me, possessed me, made me feel desired—safe. It might not be love yet, but we were well on our way, and I had no doubt that this Daddy, a freaking button man, of all people, would consume me. That should probably terrify me, but he’d killed for me, and instead of scaring me off, it made me crave that kind of devotion.

“We’ll see, won’t we?” I winked. “Now, back to you.”

“I’m fine. I promise. If it’s okay with you, though, I’ll run home and take a nap until my shift tonight.”

Applesauce. This kid. How did I get so lucky to find someone so loyal? “It’s funny how many things come into perspective when a gun-wielding maniac threatens your life.”

He cringed. “I can imagine.”

“And are you okay with all that? How it was handled?” Again, I was screwing up. Why hadn’t it occurred to me until right now that he might be scared? Sure, Huey was gone, but now he knew that Dante and crew were flipping gangsters and that Romeo had killed at least one person.

He gave me a tight smile. “Everest explained everything to me.” Everything? “Romeo did what he had to do to rescue you, and I don’t think any of us can afford an investigation by the police to disrupt the operation of the hotel. We all need our jobs.”

Everest deserved a raise. And Harlow, well, the decisions Romeo had helped me make yesterday regarding The Gin Mill were spot on. “Good. I’m glad you understand, but if you have any questions or need to talk about it, don’t hesitate to come find me.”

He opened his mouth, probably to argue that I was too busy for him, but I plowed on. “As for the rest of the employees, Romeo helped me realize”—more like demanded—“that it’s time for me to hire a manager.”

Apprehension flashed across Harlow’s face before he attempted to school his expression. I understood that. Except for Huey, we had a good, solid crew here. I didn’t deal with the turnover that other boutique owners complained about. In fact, many of the employees had bonded and were friends outside of work. They’d come together like a family and surrounded me during the lowest points in my life, like the disappearance of my nephew, the loss of my sister, and the tragedy that took Mac from me.

“I know change is always scary,” I continued on. “But I think the transition will be much easier than you think.” I snickered. “At least for the rest of the staff. You, however, are going on one hell of a learning curve if you accept my offer.”

“Your offer for what?”

“I’d like you to be the general manager for The Gin Mill. I’ll still be around, of course, but I’m going to take some time to focus on healing.” Not only my banged-up head, but I’d never really grieved all the people I’d lost, and I wanted to be there for Romeo. If he followed through with his decision regarding the Buccelli Family, and I knew he would, he’d need me, too.

“Me? Are you sure? Aren’t I too young?”

“The only person who loves this place as much as me is you. I can’t imagine turning it over to anyone else.” I held up my hands. “But don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere, and we’ll take as long as it takes to train you. I also want you to start thinking about other members of the staff that you’d like to promote to shift managers. I won’t have you burning yourself out”—or hiding from life—“like I did. Of course, this will come with a sizable raise. And I’d like you to consider living on the premises. It will be a perk, and it won’t impact your salary negatively.”

The awe on his face disappeared as he wrinkled his nose at me. “Live where?”

“Instead of reopening the fourth floor, I’m going to reserve it for certain employees, and potentially, an office for Romeo. We haven’t really decided what to do about that yet.”

Romeo thought we had. He planned to stay in the belfry with me, then we’d have the fourth floor for anyone we wanted to house there, like Harlow, and if we got our way, Charity. But I knew my man needed more space than the little spot I’d carved out in the hotel. He was so used to living out of suitcases that he thought it would be fine. I knew better.

“You and Romeo won’t move to your house?” Harlow asked curiously.

Hmm. Now that was a thought . What would Romeo think of my actual home?