Page 31 of Dangerous Men (Fortune City Mafia #1)

SYDNEY

“Sydney Sinclair?”

I look up from the register, frowning at the petite woman standing in the doorway of our shop. She doesn’t look like a customer, and she’s wearing a delivery uniform, a large, flat silver box clutched in her hands.

“That’s me,” I tell her, handing my waiting customer their books and change.

The woman grins, holding out the box.

“This is for you,” she says. “From a Mr. Sterling. I’ve been instructed to say he hopes it helps you sleep.”

Warily, I take the box from her. She’s gone and out the door before I can even think to tip her, her high ponytail bouncing as she disappears down the street.

“Ooooo!” Jade coos, watching as I set the box on the counter. “What is it?”

“I’m not sure,” I tell her, laughing.

The box is surprisingly heavy, and even the packaging feels expensive. Silver satin, tied with a matching bow.

There’s a card on the top, and I open it .

Until we see each other again , it says. It’s simply signed Alec .

“Open it, open it!” Jade chants excitedly.

I glance around. Business is slow right now, with only a few customers peppered around the store. A few customers and Sebastian, set up at his usual table, typing away. He doesn’t seem to notice Jade and me at all, his attention focused entirely on his work.

Grinning, I untie the ribbon, setting it aside so I can lift the lid off the top. I can’t imagine what could be inside. The box is way too big for jewelry, and maybe a little too flat for flowers. A dress, maybe? To wear on our date when he gets back into town?

When I finally lift the lid, I pause, staring into the box, confused.

The interior of the box is a darker gray velvet, and inside is… is…

“Are those sex toys?” Jade squeals loudly, managing to sound both shocked and impressed.

The sound of Sebastian’s typing falters, just for a second, and I see him glance up at us from the table he’s occupied these last four days, eyebrows raised.

“I… think so?” I whisper back.

Thank God there are no customers nearby to see this. I reach into the box to touch one of them. The box is full of so many different things, including a pair of leather wrist cuffs, several varieties of vibrators, and…

I gulp, pulling my hand back. There’s a wide selection of different, uhhh, sizes , in the box, and while a few seem manageable, there are at least two that are way too big to be for what I think they’re for.

“Sydney!” Jade shrieks, slapping my shoulder playfully. “ Girl, you have been holding out on me. Who knew you were such a toy hound?”

“I didn’t… I didn’t ask him for this,” I try to explain, stammering.

Jade laughs, plucking an item from the box and…

yeah, that’s undeniably an eggplant-colored butt plug she’s waving around, isn’t it?

I try to snatch it away from her, but she completely ignores me, scrutinizing the toy in her hand.

“High quality stuff, too. You know, I knew this guy was a keeper. Look at all of this! He really wants to keep you happy, doesn’t he? ”

When she sets the toy back in the box, I close the lid over it all quickly, hiding my smile as I duck down to stash it away under the counter.

“Now that’s a man. Jeez, can you imagine Chase giving you something like this?” she asks with a bright laugh.

I shake my head, chuckling. “God no. Are you kidding? That man was jealous of my tiny little bullet vibrator. He’d throw a fit if he saw half of these.”

A look of pain flashes over Jade’s face, quickly replaced by anger.

“Well, fuck him,” she says, curling her lip. “It’s every woman’s right to enjoy herself. No real man would ever be jealous of a toy. Toys are teammates, not competition.”

“She’s right,” a low voice says from the bakery counter.

I look up to see Sebastian’s looming form at the café register and wince, mortified. Of course, he overheard everything.

“What can I get for you?” Jade asks him, grinning. She gives him a lewd wink. “It’s on the house for a man who appreciates a woman’s pleasure.”

Sebastian’s lip quirks slightly at the corners, the ghost of a smile. It’s the closest I have ever seen him to showing an emotion that isn’t some flavor of irritation .

“Earl gray, with room,” he tells her. “But I’m happy to pay for it.”

Jade shrugs, moving away to start on his drink. “It’s your money, big spender.”

“Did you … uh, know about this?” I ask, gesturing vaguely toward the box.

Sebastian straightens his glasses and shakes his head. “No. I … noticed a rather substantial purchase come through Sterling’s personal account this morning, but I didn’t recognize the company.”

I don’t know if that’s a relief or not. Somehow, the idea of cold, emotionless Sebastian helping pick out sex toys makes my skin feel a little too warm.

When Jade hands him his drink, taking his money and putting it directly into the tip jar, bypassing the register completely, he adds, “But I approve. Your friend is right.”

Jade smirks at me in victory.

“A real man wants his partner to be pleasured. In every way possible,” he says, staring down at his drink instead of either of us. The words make my blood heat a little more. Even more so when he finally looks up and locks eyes with me.

“But if you can’t handle that sort of attention,” he says in a voice colder than ice, “you should let him know. And he can find someone who can .”

Then he leaves, heading back to his table without another word. It’s like he can’t help himself. He says something so hot I almost find myself attracted to him, and then he ruins it all by insulting me in the same breath.

I glare at his back, seething.

Turning back to Jade, I throw my hands up to signal see what he’s like?

“I can’t tell if I love or hate that little freak.” Jade laughs, shaking her head .

Hate, I decide. Definitely hate.

“Love you!” Jade calls in a singsong voice, waving her fingers at me before she turns and disappears around the corner, heading home.

“To the moon and back!” I answer, struggling to wave back with the giant gift box from Alec in one hand and my keys in the other.

I’m forced to juggle the box a little in order to fit the keys in the lock and close up the store, but finally I manage, relaxing at the heavy sound of the lock sliding into place.

Safe and sound.

The entrance to my apartment is only accessible by a staircase hidden around the back of our shop, half concealed by a small garden I keep back there, and a handful of tall trees.

Technically, the building houses two duplexes, both with exterior doors side by side at the top of the stairwell, but in the whole time I’ve lived here, Dorothy, our landlord, has never bothered to rent the other one.

In fact, before my breakup with Chase, Dorothy had never bothered renting either of these apartments.

Not that I’m complaining about the absence of another tenant.

There’s a certain freedom that comes with never having any neighbors.

I like knowing I can watch bad reality television as loudly as I want, without bothering anyone.

I’m so distracted trying to carry the box without dropping it as I navigate the stairs, I don’t even notice Ash standing in front of my apartment door, leaning against the wall, until I’m at the top step.

“Hey,” he says, grinning at me. He lifts his hand, showing off a white plastic bag full of takeout containers. “You hungry?”

My stomach growls loudly in answer .

“Starving,” I admit, a little sheepishly. I rarely have time to eat at work, save for shoving a few of Jade’s pastries in my mouth when we’re not busy. Normally, I wait until we close to finally eat, devouring a massive dinner in front of the TV right before I head to bed.

So what if it’s not the healthiest thing in the world? Few of the best things in life are.

Ash’s grin widens. “Good. I got enough for both of us. But, if you’re tired and would rather eat alone, I can take mine to go. No pressure.”

I shake my head. Even out of the tux, he’s stunning. In his T-shirt and jeans, sandy blond hair ruffled and unkempt, Ashton somehow looks like he stepped right off the runway. And despite his size and his fighter’s body, he manages to look boyish. Sweet.

It’s the smile, I’m sure. Ash has a smile that shines like a star.

“No, it’s fine. I’d love the company.” I say it automatically to be polite, but am pleasantly surprised to realize it’s true. I’m excited to see him and excited to eat a meal with another person. Especially someone as fun and affable as Ash. “Let me just get the door, and?—”

“Here, let me help,” Ash says, stepping closer and lifting the box out of my hands. The relief in my arms is instantaneous, and I thank him, moving up the door to unlock it and let us in.

I don’t have a lot of visitors other than Jade, of course, but thankfully, I’m a neat person by nature. I wave Ash inside, closing the door behind him and turning on the lights.

He whistles, staring around. “Wow. This is?—”

“It’s small, I know,” I say, talking over him.

And, well, it is. The apartment is only a one-bedroom—two, if you count the tiny workspace I use mostly for storage.

The living room is nice and spacious, though, with plenty of room for my old comfortable couch.

Plus, there’s a claw-foot tub in the bathroom that’s big enough to lie down in, so honestly, it’s the best place I’ve ever lived.

“I was going to say it’s ‘gorgeous,’” Ash laughs, shooting me a wink. “It’s very… you.”

I frown, looking around. It’s very me? What does that mean? And why does he say it like it’s a compliment?