Chapter 27

It wassurreal being in the midst of so many people who he knew for a fact would and could kill him in an instant. Zander didn’t care about that, though. He allowed Toro to introduce him to Seraphina Cook, who looked him dead in the eye, face expressionless, as she shook his hand in a tight grip.

It was a toss-up as to who the biggest threat was in that room and he didn’t like that Vince and Scotty were caught in the middle.

“What’s this about a contract?” Toro asked when he was done eye-fucking his woman as if they hadn’t literally walked in together.

Dima took it upon himself to explain the offer he’d made to Zander and when he was done, Toro pursed his lips.

“It’s not a bad deal.” He held up both hands. “At least, it doesn’t sound that way to me, but I can’t be sure. You know I don’t do the arms thing. I just kill people.” He turned to Seraphina. “What do you think?”

She shrugged. “The offer is well below what I would offer for a haul that size.”

The offer, on its face, was good for sure. Definitely cheaper. But it was what came with the offer that Zander wasn’t fucking with. He didn’t know that he could do business with the people in that room—Toro excluded. He turned to Israel. “You don’t just want my business. What else do you want? And don’t say the fucking casino.” Because he didn’t believe that for a second.

Israel grinned. “We’re expanding. You can be part of that as our partner or we can bulldoze right the fuck over you. Your choice.”

Christ. For a second—just a second—Zander regretted killing his uncle. Murray would be the one dealing with this bullshit right now, likely doing or saying something to get himself killed. But nah, good riddance to that fucker. This was Zander’s time and he had to make the difficult decisions. The fact of the matter was, his organization was large, but it wasn’t Dima Zhirkov and Israel Storm large. He could put up a fight, but this was still early days in his leadership and it wouldn’t be a good look.

Most importantly, he wasn’t going to do anything to put the men he loved in jeopardy.

But that didn’t mean he was about to roll over and offer up his underbelly. Fuck that. “What does being your partner entail? And just know, if you bring me some bullshit I’m gonna take my chances going to war with your asses.”

Dima clapped his hands. “We should get some food up in here.” He pulled out his phone and glanced around. “Anybody else hungry?”

Israel rolled his eyes.

“What? We’re conducting a meeting and this requires food.” Dima turned away, speaking into his phone, and Zander went to Vince and Scotty, kneeling next to them.

“You’re not seriously about to partner with them, are you?” Vince whispered urgently. “Zander.”

“Ssh.” He cupped the back of Vince’s head, tugging him close as he murmured, “This is better than the alternative, you and I know that.” He pressed a kiss to Vince’s temple. “I’m going into business with them, but we’re gonna do it my way.” He sat between them, holding out his hands to Scotty, who climbed into his lap, arms circling him and holding him tight. “How are you holding up?” Zander asked him.

“I’m okay,” Scotty murmured against his neck. “I was scared for a while, but I’m feeling better.”

They needed to take care of Scotty, make sure he knew he had support and knew that it was okay to feel whatever he was feeling. Zander didn’t want his demons to win. “Are you hungry?” he asked. “What do you wanna eat?”

Scotty shrugged. “I’m not picky.”

“How do you feel about going outside?” Zander asked both of them. “Get some fresh air?”

Vince immediately shook his head. “And leave you here alone with them? Fuck that.”

“I’m fine, Derri’s here. Besides, they’re not gonna kill me, they want my business. I just need you two to not be here for a while. This is hard for you.” He gazed pointedly at Vince because he knew how much the cop in him wanted to do something. “And especially for Scotty, so go take a break. Walk the boardwalk, get something to eat. Please.”

Vince held his stare for a while, then finally nodded angrily. “Fine, but we’re not gonna be long. And if they hurt you, I will find a way to make them pay.”

“I know you will.” Zander kissed him, ignoring the others in the room. He placed a kiss on Scotty’s lips. “Go with Vince. I’ll be here when you get back.” He pecked Scotty again, releasing him reluctantly.

When both Vince and Scotty stood, Zander did too. “They’re going outside for a breather,” he told the others, who were watching them way too avidly.

“Not by themselves they’re not.” Dima turned and yanked the door open. A woman strode into view; she was gorgeous, with long dark hair and a tight black dress showing off dangerous curves. “Sylvie, our guests need some time away. Escort them wherever they need to go.”

“They don’t need an escort.”

Dima glared at Zander as if he’d lost his mind. “They’re in my territory, so yes, they do.”

Zander rolled his eyes. “Just make sure nothing happens to them”—he looked first at Dima then at the woman, Sylvie—“and we won’t have no problems.”

Sylvie’s lips curved in the smallest smile, but she didn’t speak, just waited as Scotty and Vince made their way to the door, looking back at Zander. He gave them a nod, releasing a breath when the door closed behind them.

Silence filled the room and he frowned when he took in the way everyone was staring at him. “What?”

“So. Two of them, huh?” Dima cocked his head. “How does that work?”

Reggie barked a laugh. “I know you’re not asking that.”

“I mean, I know the mechanics,” Dima responded. “But an actual relationship with two of them? Shit.”

“Can we not?” Why the fuck were they discussing his love life? “Let’s talk business so I can take my people and get the hell outta here.”

“You don’t have to run off so quickly. We’ll be out of your hair once we iron this deal out, but the three of you can stay here for however long you want.” Dima winked. “Everything you need is upstairs. Just know, you’re not the first and you won’t be the last.”

What the fuck did that last part mean?

It didn’t take longto get the deal in place with Dima and Israel. Zander hated that he’d been backed into a corner, but they were the lesser of all the evils and if he put his ego aside, he could admit that going into partnership with them was a solid business move. Still, no one was left completely happy once everything was all said and done. Each side had to give up shit they didn’t want to, but Zander was fine with that. One of his non-negotiables was the other side removing whoever they had inside his camp acting as snitch before Zander got to them.

None of them got exactly what they wanted.

But it was done.

They’d vacated the penthouse quickly too—Toro hugging him goodbye, Dima throwing him a wink, and Israel just watching him, expression stoic. Now, Zander stood in the empty place with Derri, waiting for Vince and Scotty to return. They’d been gone for a while now and he was trying not to show his anxiety at their absence, but he didn’t think he was doing a good enough job.

“So, that’s it, huh?” Derri’s question pierced the heavy silence. “Just like that. All they had to do was threaten your men and you gave them what they wanted.”

He scrubbed a hand over his face. He didn’t want to have to fight with Derri, not again and not now. Because it wouldn’t be a fight. He would just shoot the other man in the face and call it a day. He was fucking exhausted. He was hungry, and he needed to put eyes on Vince and Scotty more than he needed to take his next breath.

But here Derri was, once again, with jealousy and bitterness ringing in his voice. “You’re ignoring me?” He scoffed. “Wow, I can’t believe?—”

“When was the last time you got some ass?” Zander asked softly. “I suggest you get on that. Find somebody to nut in so you can clear your mind and think straight because you’re too invested in my life.” He stepped closer to the other man, staring him dead in the eye. “The next time you bring up those two men, I’m shooting you. In the face.”

Hurt darkened Derri’s eyes before he blinked and all Zander saw was anger. “They’ve got you out here doing shit you would never otherwise do, but when I call you on it, I’m the bad guy?”

Zander sighed. “No, Derri. You’re not the bad guy, you’re the scorned, jealous ex. Or at least, that’s the role you’ve chosen to take on and I gotta say, I hate that for you. But just know, if that’s what you’re on?” He shrugged. “I got no place for you in my life, in my business. Because then it means I can’t trust you.” He stepped in even closer, lowering his voice. “And I’m sure you remember how I deal with people I don’t trust.” He didn’t give a fuck how he used to feel about Derri. That shit didn’t factor in when it came to protecting himself and those he loved. Derri used to be one of those people but if he kept up with the attitude and the questioning, that motherfucker could rot in the grave Zander would drop him in.

Derri stared at him, expression sullen, flared nostrils giving away his anger.

Zander stepped back. “We head out in the morning. If you choose to return with me, I would love that. If you don’t, then it would suck…for you.” The door opened then, Scotty entering first with a little color on his cheeks.

“We brought you food.” He held up the bag of food in his hand.

Vince was right behind him and Zander watched Vince’s gaze dart around, cataloging the scene before he took Scotty’s hand, leading him past. Vince murmured in Scotty’s ear and Scotty placed the food down on a nearby table before the men climbed the stairs and disappeared.

“You never looked at me the way you look at them.”

Fuck. He was not in the mood. “Derri, I don’t have time for this. I don’t have time to babysit your hurt feelings and your broken heart. I apologized before and I don’t feel the need to do it again. It is what it is, man. Fucked up, I know, but that’s it. If you can’t deal, let me know and I’ll proceed accordingly, but I’m over this. I’m over you comparing and lashing out. You and I have a past that I will never regret. And you have a place in my heart that nobody else can touch, but I moved on. I need you to do the same. For real.” He turned away, ignoring the food as he went upstairs to find the men who made him happy.

He found them in a bedroom, Scotty stretched out on the bed and Vince stroking his back, murmuring to him. “What’s up? He okay?”

Vince nodded. “Yeah, he’s just tired. Gonna take a nap.”

“Okay.” Zander knelt on the floor next to the bed and joined Vince in silently stroking Scotty’s hair and back until he fell asleep with a small smile on his face.

Once Scotty started snoring, Vince asked, “You got the deal ironed out?”

Zander nodded. “Yeah.”

“Are you happy with it?”

He barked a laugh. “Nobody came away happy when it was all said and done, but it’s solid.”

Vince hummed. “And what we just walked in on? What’s up with that?”

“Man…” He huffed. “It’s Derri, so you know, same shit.” He gazed up at Vince from his spot on the floor. “But I don’t want to talk about that.” He reached for the other man, taking his hand and bringing it to his lips. “I missed you.” He got onto his knees and edged closer to Vince, who sat on the edge of the bed. “It was fucking terrible being without the two of you. I’m sorry I walked away. I’m sorry I left you alone.”

Vince’s Adam’s apple shifted when he swallowed. “You thought it was the right move.”

“I was wrong.” Zander wrapped his arms around Vince’s waist, dropping his head onto his chest. “I was wrong.” He’d thought distancing himself from them would make them safer, but that backfired spectacularly. He didn’t know how they were gonna make it work with Vince being who he was but he wanted them with him. He wanted them glued to his fucking side.

Vince stroked his head and when Zander drew back to stare up into his eyes, the marshal asked, “You wanna take a shower with me?”

He would take any opportunity to get naked with either of his men, but… “I don’t have any clothes.”

“There are clothes, new with the tags still on, in those drawers.” Vince gestured to the large dresser behind Zander. “But if they don’t fit, there’s a washer and dryer.”

“Say less.” Zander got to his feet, holding out a hand for Vince, who immediately grabbed it and led him out to the bathroom near the top of the stairs.

All that registered was the enormity of the space and how lived-in it appeared, before Vince was stripping Zander and Zander was doing the same to him, ridding him of his clothes. The act wasn’t overtly sexual, but it was intimate and the feel of Vince’s hands on him when he hadn’t experienced it in so long had his dick bricking up, greedy and desperate for attention.

Vince was just as hard, making Zander’s hands itch to wrap around him, to jack him off.

They both ignored their straining cocks, for the moment at least, because there was no way Zander wasn’t gonna empty himself in one of Vince’s orifices before their shower was over with. For now, he watched as Vince turned on the water in the glass-enclosed shower that was spacious enough for at least five fully grown men to stand in comfortably.

When Vince moved aside, Zander joined him.

They bathed each other, allowing the water to be the only sound. Zander scrubbed Vince’s skin first, smirking when he allowed the rag to drag along the other man’s dick and Vince’s moans rose above the rush of the water. Zander cleaned him from head to toe, fingers delving between Vince’s ass cheeks, pressing against his hole and then quickly darting away when Vince arched for him.

“Rinse off.” His voice was little more than a growl, giving away just how aroused he was. He shook with it. It’d been too long since he’d felt either of his men wrapped around his dick.

Vince did as ordered and then it was his turn to scrub Zander down, to tease and tantalize. Zander bit the inside of his cheek, breath shuddering when Vince stroked his dick with a soapy, slippery palm. Washing him, but also jacking him at the same time. Zander couldn’t help the movement of his hips, couldn’t help the hard thrust into Vince’s fist or the near-feral growl when Vince released him.

His toes curled, knees making him look fucking bowlegged.

He rinsed off when Vince told him to, then wiped the water from his eyes, meeting Vince’s just-as-hungry gaze. “Come here.” He grabbed Vince, who stumbled into him, kissing him while his hands roamed down Vince’s back, cupping and kneading his ass. Their kiss was loud, sloppy, and rough as they tried to get closer.

Zander shoved a thigh between Vince’s legs, knee pressing up against his balls.

“Ugh. Fuck.” Vince rocked on him. “Zander.”

“I missed your fucking mouth.” He kissed his way across Vince’s jaw, nipping at his earlobe, his throat, fingers digging into his ass cheek. Then he pulled back, one hand circling Vince’s throat. Vince’s eyes snapped open. “I want that throat. You gon’ give it to me?”

“It’s yours,” Vince rasped.

“Fuck yeah, it is.” Zander kissed him again, biting down on his bottom lip, tugging. “Get on your knees for me, baby. I wanna see you cry on my dick.”

Vince dropped to his knees, right there in the shower. Zander adjusted the spray of the water so it fell against the wall. Then he gazed down at the man waiting so patiently for him. Water dripped from Vince’s hair, beading on his eyelashes and earlobes. The sight of him filled everything inside of Zander.

Reaching down, he cupped Vince’s jaw, thumb stroking, tracing his lips. “I missed seeing you like this,” he managed to get out. “You’re thirsty for it, aren’t you? You wanna wrap those cock-sucking lips around my dick and swallow my nut? Tell me.”

“Yes.” Vince wrapped a fist around Zander’s length, squeezing him, drawing a hiss. “Please.”

“Suck it.” Zander nudged his hip forward. “Do it.”

Vince fell on him as if he’d been waiting to be unleashed, taking Zander into his hot, wet mouth. Zander gasped, grabbing the back of Vince’s head.

“Ssssss. Fuck, that’s good. Yes.” He couldn’t help the thrusting of his hips or the shivers that raced up and down his spine as Vince worked him over, tongue and teeth and his fist. All of it as he bobbed on Zander, taking him deeper and deeper.

Zander helped him, easing in and out of his mouth, swirling his hips.

“Fuck, you’re sucking me too good, baby. Damn. Love that mouth. Drool on it.” He rose on his tiptoes when Vince’s stiffened tongue probed the large vein on the underside of his shaft. “Gahdamm.” He groaned, struggling to keep his eyes open, to watch Vince take him. “Go deeper for me. Mmm. Yes, open up that throat for me, baby. Let me in.”

Vince groaned around him, the sound traveling up the length of Zander’s dick and settling in his balls, drawing them up.

“Fuck, look at you swallow that dick. Choke on it for me. Let me see you take it.”

Vince moaned.

“You gon’ take it for me, huh?” He tightened his grip on Vince’s short hair, controlling the other man’s movements, forcing him on his dick and then pulling him off it.

Vince whined, one hand dropping down to touch himself.

“I want that squeeze, baby,” Zander gritted out. “Give it to me.” He surged all the way in, holding Vince’s head steady as he made his way as deep as he could go. Vince gagged around him, throat muscles convulsing.

Fuck, the sight he made as he gazed up at Zander with his eyes overflowing with tears, snot running, lips stretched wide to accommodate Zander’s girth.

“That’s it.” Zander kept talking to him because he knew Vince loved that shit. Loved to be praised and Zander wanted to praise him, wanted him to know how he felt. “So fucking gorgeous, baby. Let those tears run.” Vince’s throat convulsed and Zander’s eyes crossed. “Shit, choke on it for me. Ugh, God. You’re fucking perfect. Perfect. Let me stuff that throat.” Vince struggled a little in Zander’s hold, likely because he couldn’t breathe. But Zander didn’t let up. “Missed this shit. Love that shit, baby. Love watching you choke on me, drip your tears on me.”

Vince’s nails dug into Zander’s hips, scoring his flesh as Zander fucked his face.

“I choke it ’cause I love it.” Zander thrust into him, toes curled into the floor, balls aching, spine curved. “’Cause I love you. You know that, right?” He yanked all the way out and Vince would have collapsed onto his face if Zander didn’t have a death grip on his hair. “You ready to catch this nut? I want it on your face, baby. Let me paint you up.”

Vince barely nodded and Zander was spraying out his seed on the other man’s face. Vince caught some drops in his open mouth, on his tongue. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous. Look at you.” Zander groaned, deep and long, stroking himself, emptying all he had onto Vince’s face. When he was done, he collapsed against the wall, panting.

Fuck.

He’d needed that shit.

“Come up here,” he commanded, and Vince staggered to his feet. Zander held on to him with one hand, readjusting the water with the other. He washed the other man’s face and kissed him, clasping Vince’s face in his hands. “You got yours?”

Vince nodded. His eyes and expression were spacey, breath still ragged.

“I love you,” Zander whispered against his lips. “Love the fuck out of you.”

Vince’s lips trembled. “I love you too.”