Page 101 of Arranged Addiction

“Easy, ghostman.” I wave my brother off. He was the family’s top killer for a long time, but that’s not his role anymore. “You have a wife and children to focus on.”

“This is existential. If Donnell and Senesi really get going together, we may be truly fucked. Together they could be unstoppable.”

“We’ll handle it. I have some ideas. Casey’s got a dossier of information on Senesi we can use, and we know Donnell better than anyone. We’ll find a way.” I take my brother by the arm and push him back to his seat. “Don’t overreact.”

Cormac reluctantly listens. I feel a slight relief at that. I have to be able to manage my family, and if I can’t even get my brothers to listen, I’m fucked beyond measure when it comes to everyone else.

Mother speaks up. “This is unforgivable. Donnell is burning his bridges. That makes him dangerous. It’s all-out war now.”

“I know that. Seamus, put everyone on alert. Full battle footing. Get the men up to strength. Arm them all. Body armor on the streets. Eyes peeled for anyone aligned with Senesi and Donnell.”

“Already on it.” Seamus is typing up a message on his phone. “You know, we’ve been investing in some fun new toys. I’m kind of excited to try them out.”

“I bet you are.” I meet the gaze of each person at the table, one at a time. They look back, hard and determined. “If anyone can handle this, it’s this family. We’ve been through bad times. We’ve handled worse. I trust you all with my life.”

“I wouldn’t want anyone else to lead us through this mess.” Cormac stands and nods at me. “Long live Boss Whelan.”

“Long live the boss,” Finn echoes.

We discuss plans for another hour. Nobody’s happy, but I can tell they’re all feeling better once we’ve got ideas in play. I’m tired when I finally limp my way upstairs, thinking about the present I left myself.

She’s kneeling on the bed, right where I left her.

“What took you so long?” Casey asks, exasperated. She rubs her hands together and flexes her wrists. “You weren’t kidding about these knots.”

“Have you been trying to escape?” I close our bedroom door behind me.

“Obviously! You didn’t tell me you were going to be a full hour when you tied me up!”

“I told you to wait until I got back. I never said it would be soon.” I approach her slowly. God, she looks like absolute perfection. Her wrists are above her head and she’s on her knees. She’s wearing a tank top and a pair of black lacy panties. Her nipples are stiff under the thin material.

“Sometimes I forget you’re still an asshole.”

“It has been a very difficult day, Ms. Brennan. Are you going to make my life even harder?”

Her teeth clamp together as she glares. “No,sir, but?—”

“If you open your mouth to argue one more time, I swear I will punish you so badly you’ll scream.”

She clicks her teeth together, clearly pissed off, but the way her chest is rising and falling makes it clear she’s liking this game.

I approach her slowly. She stares back defiantly. I let her watch as I unbutton my shirt and toss it aside.

“Sometimes I forget how willful you are, Ms. Brennan. If you are going to be my employee, you have to learn how to follow orders.”

“I understand, sir, but I’ve been trapped here for so long.”

“You think you deserve some kind of reward?”

“That’d be nice.”

“I see. Interesting.” I move closer to her, right next to the bed. “And what do you want?”

She’s breathing hard now. Her cheeks are flushed with excitement. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful before in my life. “I want you to touch me.”

I love the way she says it. Both afraid and excited. “That’s very forward, Ms. Brennan. I’m your boss. This isn’t appropriate.”

“I’m tied up on your bed. Screw appropriate.”