“Piss off. Yannick doesn’t owe that bitch a goddamn thing. She’s yanked his chains for years. You’re telling me you’re all right with that?”
“Enough, Greg,” I called across the room. “It doesn’t matter at the moment. Details, remember?”
“You’re serious with this?”
Was I? I’d thought a lot about what would happen once the contract with Irina ended. In truth, it could have been dissolved years ago when her father died, and the old guard had dropped one by one. Yet, it never came up in conversation, nothing changed except old became new. So, was I serious? Yes, yes, I think I was.
“We should come back to this conversation in a few days. Let everyone gather their thoughts.”
“Then what’s with all the housekeeping?” Greg asked. Meaning, why had we been going through the books for the last few days.
“Scoping Lev out, seeing what we missed. I need Irina to show herself too.”
“You might be waiting a while then,” Tayte snorted. “Her patience is like yours - unwavering.”
“Good job I’m not in a hurry,” I smirked, bringing the tension down a notch.
“I think you need a holiday, man.” Sandir laughed. “Or maybe to get laid. Rediscover that sweet taste of pussy, you poor man.”
Laughing with the rest of them, I sat back down in the recliner. “Okay, shop talk done. I’m frigging exhausted.”
“Sooo…” Sandir was up to no good as he turned and grinned at Greg. “Devlin? You hit that yet?”
Groaning, I buried my hands in my face, not wanting to hear the next thing out of Greg’s mouth. Sandir was a dick if he thought Greg was going to lie down and take his ribbing. The pair sparred playfully and often, and it was usually good fun to watch, they bounced off one another beautifully.
“I don’t kiss and tell.” Thank God.
“That’s it?” Andrey huffed. “You’ve got a mouth like a foghorn and you ain’t kissing and telling?”
Greg eyed Andrey, then Sandir, then broke out into a glorious smile. “Man knows how to work a cock, that’s all you’re getting out of me.”
“Great, now zip it,” I murmured. The person in question was actually a copper and an old friend. We scratched one another’s backs occasionally and not in the way Greg would have liked. “I need some sleep. Gonna crash in your spare room.”
“Make yourselves at home, though one of you tools are gonna have to sleep on the couch or double up.” Andrey got up off the floor, picking up the discarded plates.
“Yeah. I’ll share.” Greg jumped up and eyed us, one by one. “No one? Aw, come on. I’ll be the little spoon.”
“Fuck my life,” Andrey sighed. “Seven years and you still can’t take a hint. Nobody wants your arse, baby cheeks.”
“Fuck you, Andrey. No idea what you’re missing, darling.”
“Hey, I don’t mind a little anal play but ain’t nobody sticking a cock up there. I like my bed partners with tits.”
“Gross!”
“Greg just volunteered for the couch.” Tayte was lounging on it still, scratching his chest, trying hard to keep his laugh to himself.
It was definitely time for some sleep, the hooligans could entertain themselves. I said my goodnights and made my way to the guest room thinking maybe I could make myself at home for a few days. Distance from Irina seemed pertinent for the time being, I didn’t want to get stabbed in my bed.
Jolie
My finger hovered over the enter button on the keyboard of the laptop as my eyes ran over the search term I’d typed into the bar. Gross invasion of privacy - which was where my indecision lay. Inquisitive by nature, I wasn’t really a nosy person at all, and this was over-stepping big boundaries. Shutting down the laptop, I pushed it across the bed, disgusted with myself. This was not me. If I wanted to know anything about Yannick Ischmov, I would only need to ask, because without a doubt, I’d be seeing him at the bar again.
The sounds of my mother moving around the flat filtered through my guilt and I squeezed my eyes shut. It was half six in the morning, I hadn’t had any sleep, and I wasn’t up for dealing with a hungover woman who had nothing nice to say. I needed some shuteye if I was to be of any good to anyone at my next shift. No easy VIP for me later. When the flat quietened down again, I slipped down the bed for a few hours before I had to get up and battle my mother for yet another day.
Four hours later, groggy and disorientated, I sluggishly woke to a heavy weight at my side. “What the hell?”
Blinking several times before my vision cleared, I grabbed the covers and pulled them up to my neck when I saw who was sitting on the edge of my bed. Jared’s eyes roamed up and down where I lay, sending waves of disgust through me.
“You shouldn’t be in here, Jared.”
He shrugged, looking unconcerned. “You want coffee?”
“What? No. I want you to get the fuck out of my room.”
“Your mum said I should come wake you.”
“Get out, Jared!”
“Come on, Jolie.” He leaned down, his hands either side of my hips. “Have you forgotten how good we were, babe?”
“Piss off,” I gritted out, growing increasingly uncomfortable.
“You too good for me now, huh? With your fancy teaching job. You didn’t mind me before you started going to those preppy places.”
“You stuck your dick in someone else, so yes, that makes me too good
