Page 22 of Immoral (Park Avenue Kings #3)

BENOIT

I ’D DODGED A bullet last night, there was no doubt about it.

In all the years I’d spent going undercover and pulling missions, I’d never actually been as close to getting busted as I thought I was last night when Dimitri rudely awakened me.

My heart had actually stopped at one point, but then the fog of sleep disappeared and I remembered that should anything happen, my brothers would show up in a flash.

If I wasn’t taken out before then. But no matter.

Dimitri’s prickly demeanor had only stemmed from being uncomfortable, because last night was so not his scene.

But he’d done that for me, gone out of his way to surprise me with a night out dancing, and that had me feeling some type of way deep down.

With my toes, I flipped the hot water back on and relaxed into the tub.

Sure, I’d been lounging in the bath for a half-hour already, but my sore muscles deserved a good soak.

Dimitri was just the right kind of rough in bed, and I enjoyed the fact that I could still feel him the next day.

I really shouldn’t be enjoying my time with him as much as I was, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.

I didn’t really need to—I mean, I knew my limits.

Just because the man was hot and fucked like it was his last night on earth didn’t mean I wasn’t fully aware of who he was or that danger lurked around every corner.

That was the reason I was here—to figure out whether Dimitri could be trusted.

I closed my eyes, turned the water off, and tried to clear my mind long enough to enjoy the amber-scented oil I’d poured into the bath with a heavy hand. But every time I tried, all I could see was his face, and all I could feel were his hands stroking over every inch of me.

Fuck it.

It wasn’t like anyone knew my thoughts or that I wasn’t allowed to enjoy my time here. If it turned out Dimitri wasn’t a guy we wanted to be dealing with, well, then I’d cut ties and disappear back to Manhattan once the mission was over.

Unfortunately, my brain wasn’t quite thinking that way.

It was on the what-if-he’s-a-good-guy-who-does-bad-things train of thought.

I didn’t want to admit to myself that there was some minuscule bit of hope inside that Dimitri wasn’t a man I’d have to avoid in the future…

or be on the opposite side of. That never boded well for those caught in the Libertine cross-hairs.

And speaking of cross-hairs… What were the odds that I would’ve run into someone I knew at a club in Venice in the middle of winter? Especially Enzo, of all people.

I cringed thinking back to the way he’d called me Gabriele in front of Dimitri, something that should’ve really set off alarms in mon monstre ’s head. I’d played it off, but I had to admit that seeing Enzo had rattled me.

It’d been at least a decade since I’d gone undercover as “Gabriele,” befriending Enzo so I could secretly gather information about his tech billionaire father.

He’d been part of a group that’d been too close to uncovering King’s private business, TerraKohr, and my efforts had managed to throw them off the scent.

Enzo had never known about my involvement.

Which was why he’d been so friendly last night—but damn if he hadn’t almost blown my cover.

A knock sounded on the bathroom door, but Dimitri didn’t wait for me to answer before walking inside.

“Just checking you haven’t turned into a prune,” he said, coming over to sit on the edge of the tub. He was wearing more clothes than he had been earlier, down to the buttoned suit jacket, and I arched a brow.

“Why don’t you join me and see for yourself?”

Dimitri ran his eyes over my body, but didn’t make a move to undress. “Tempting,” he said, “but I have somewhere to be.”

“Yes, you do.” I pointed to the other side of the bath, where my feet barely touched with all the extra room, and made a little splash with my toes. “You belong right there, so get naked and get in. Please and thank you.”

“Not sure if you’ve forgotten, but this is a business trip for me. That means I actually have to go and conduct some.”

Oh, I hadn’t forgotten. His business was always on my mind. But I feigned my best pout and batted my lashes. “Fine. I won’t stop you. But it’s such a shame to waste a good bath.”

“I would agree,” he said, and trailed his fingers down the side of my face. “But I’m sure there’ll be other times.”

Dimitri straightened and headed to the door. “I won’t be long—it’s just a quick walk to St. Mark’s Basilica.”

Wait. Did he just tell me where he was conducting his business tonight?

“I’ll get in, do what I need to, and be back in less than half an hour.” He glanced at me, and I quickly schooled my features into a relaxed smile, not the shocked expression I knew had just crossed my face.

“Wonderful. Do you think you’ll want to eat in tonight, or?—”

“Eating in sounds like a good plan. I want tonight to just be about us.”

I licked my lips, excited by his promise. But in the back of my mind I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d be able to sneak out of here, follow him to St. Mark’s, and get back in time to meet him without his knowledge.

It was a risky move, but one that could give me some important intel. King would love to know who Dimitri was meeting up with here, and since he’d practically given me his meeting place and time, surely it was a sign I should use it.

“I love the way your mind works, mon monstre. ”

With a final nod, Dimitri slipped out of the en suite and seconds later the penthouse door, and that was my cue to get my ass out of this tub.

It really was a shame to waste the bath, but business called, and if I didn’t hurry up and get into some clothes, Dimitri would get to the church before I even got out the front door.

I pulled on a pair of black slacks and a sweater and, after grabbing my compact phone and slipping it in one of my boots, headed for the door of the suite. I put my eye to the peephole to see if anyone was in the hall and, seeing it was clear, gently pulled open the door.

I stuck my head outside to make sure no one was posted on our floor, but it seemed Dimitri had taken his guards with him tonight.

That made sense, especially if he was walking. It just meant I needed to be extra vigilant when following, keep enough distance that no one spotted me.

I took the stairs down to the main floor and headed out of the lobby and through the courtyard.

It was another cool night, but not half as bad as the night before.

That meant there were a lot of people out and about, which worked in my favor.

The more people milling around, the more I could blend in.

I always was good at working a crowd.

A quick word with the concierge provided the direction I needed to go to get to Dimitri’s meeting place, and I headed in the direction of St. Mark’s Basilica, ready to see who my favorite arms dealer was meeting up with tonight.