Page 38 of Immoral (Park Avenue Kings #3)

BENOIT

I CLAMPED MY hand down on Dimitri’s wrist as he tried to take the wallet in my jacket pocket. “That was so slow I think the cop down the street saw you reach for it.”

“Bullshit. You just knew I was going for it.”

“You have to make me forget.” I smirked as I removed his hold on the wallet, tucked it back into place, and then stepped in closer.

“Remember, it’s all about misdirection. You don’t need to be faster than the eye necessarily; you just need to make the eye look somewhere else.

” I ran my hand along his waist and lifted my chin to graze my lips over his.

He still tasted like the coffee we’d brewed earlier, and it took all my willpower not to fall into the kiss.

When I pulled away suddenly, Dimitri started to protest, and it wasn’t until I held up his watch that he realized what I’d done and cursed.

“How the fuck did you do that?” He examined his now-empty wrist and shook his head. “I didn’t even feel you take it off.”

“Told you I’m good with my fingers,” I said with a wink.

“I already knew that much.”

“Aww, don’t pout, mon monstre . With my help, you’ll be a pro in no time.” I fastened his watch on my wrist and then moved the wallet from the outer pocket to the inside one as Dimitri watched with an expression full of doubt. I crooked a finger. “Come here.”

When we were toe to toe, I reached for his hand and brought it up to cup my face.

“The hand they’re watching isn’t the one doing the stealing.

So if you have me focused here, on your touch”—I leaned into his caress as his fingers brushed my cheek—“then you have the perfect opportunity to keep me distracted so I won’t notice what you’ve taken. ”

With my other hand, I guided his to the hidden wallet, our eyes locked on each other. He easily grabbed it this time, and I barely felt it slide out of my pocket.

“See?” I said. “We’re naturally distracted when we’re being touched, so use that to your advantage.”

“I can do that.”

“I know you can. You’ve been distracting me for weeks.” I grinned and pressed a kiss to his lips.

“The problem is, how the hell do I distract someone when it’s not you?”

“Meaning?”

Dimitri narrowed his eyes. “I know you don’t have a problem seducing someone to get your way, but I’m not about to kiss a bunch of assholes to get what I want.”

“Touché. I won’t take offense to that, since I don’t want you kissing a bunch of assholes either, but it doesn’t have to be a sexual distraction.

For instance…” With my hands on his shoulders, I guided him to where I wanted him and then brushed by him like a stranger on the street.

“There are a lot of ways you touch someone every day without even realizing it. Just moving past them like this on a street can make it an easy grab—or easy to place. Or when you’re making conversation”—I moved to stand in front of him—“maybe they have something on their shoulder you can help them brush off while your other hand is doing the real work. Maybe you need to place something and you drop your keys?—”

“Like you dropped your ring on the train?”

I smiled proudly, glad he was catching on. “Exactly. You were all so focused on looking for my lost ring that you didn’t notice me planting something in the curtains.”

“The curtains? I wouldn’t have guessed that.”

“Another good thing. You don’t want to be predictable. After all, there are a million ways to use distraction to your advantage, so don’t rely on the same trick to get what you want.”

Dimitri stared at me for a long moment, and then rubbed at his jaw. “You’re impressive, I’ll give you that. No one could ever see you coming. Certainly not me.”

“I beg to differ. You saw me coming several times.”

The awe swirling in those dark depths quickly took on more than a trace of arousal, but I wouldn’t let him use that to distract me.

When we’d dived in and started asking each other the hard questions, I was surprised to find Dimitri more than curious about my tricks.

They were things that could be particularly useful for him in knowing who he could trust. If he ever had doubts about his inner circle or someone he was conflicted about, he could easily plant a device the way I had to get the information he needed.

It wouldn’t have been anything he needed to learn if I were around, but considering we were down to our last hours together, I figured helping him in whatever way I could to remain a strong leader was the best thing I could do.

For one, it kept my mind off the fact that I was leaving soon, and two, Dimitri had established himself as someone the Kings and I could trust, someone we’d want to be in business with, so really this was the smart thing to do on both accounts.

A twinge in my chest had me swallowing hard, and I shoved all those feelings into a box and struggled to lock it up tight. These past few days with Dimitri had been everything, and I didn’t want to think about the fact that I didn’t know when I’d see him again. If I’d ever see him again.

“Okay, teach me something else,” Dimitri said, making me laugh.

“Ah, such an eager student. I like that.”

“I’m sure you do.”

“Mhmm, let me see.” I tapped my finger against my lips. “While tricks and technique are important, when it comes to picking someone’s pocket, your attitude is key too.”

“My attitude?”

“ Oui. You need to be confident about what you’re doing.

You can’t fumble. You have to go to your target with a purpose.

Know what you’re looking for, where it is, and zero in.

Hesitation is a confession. But if you strike with confidence, then they will believe exactly the lie you’re selling them. ”

“That makes sense.” He nodded. “Like shooting a gun.”

“Uh…” My brow furrowed. “I’ll take your word for it.”

Dimitri chuckled at my obvious displeasure. “So you really don’t like to use weapons.”

“That would be a negative. The idea of holding something that can take another’s life? Not for me. I’m more about information gathering?—”

“Plus, that body of yours is weapon enough.”

My lips curved, and I moved back into Dimitri’s arms. “Is it now?”

He wound his arms around my waist and cupped my ass. “Almost had my heart giving out several times over.”

“Now that would’ve been a shame.” I gave a flirty wink and smoothed my hands up to cradle the back of his neck. “Especially when I was just about to show you how I was going to steal it.”

Dimitri grazed his lips over mine. “Who says you haven’t already?”

It was a good thing he had a hold of me then, because while I was being flirtatious and demonstrating my craft, Dimitri was dead serious.

I pulled back a fraction to make sure I wasn’t reading more than what he was saying, but when I caught the emotions swirling in his eyes, I knew I was right.

My heart began to thump a little harder as my stomach flipped, and just as I was about to return the sentiment, a phone rang.

The sound was so intrusive, so jarring in this otherwise perfect moment, that I cursed the blasted object and pulled out of Dimitri’s arms. He looked down at me as though he didn’t understand why I’d stopped.

And while I knew my anger was irrational, I’d be damned if I got interrupted confessing my feelings by some gun deal.

“Well, aren’t you going to answer it?” I demanded. “I know it’s not mine.”

Dimitri smiled at my annoyance, and that only made me more irritated.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he said, casual as you please, as if he hadn’t just told me I’d stolen his damn cold heart. Bastard. “I just hadn’t realized how adorable you are when you’re angry.”

I planted my hands on my hips as he strolled over to where his phone was vibrating on a table. “Well, you’ve had plenty of opportunities.”

“That’s true,” he said, picking up his cell. “But I was too mad at you then to really appreciate it. I’m seeing it now, though, and…adorable.”

I was just about to give him a piece of my mind for laughing at me when he answered the phone.

“Stavros,” he barked.

I spun away from him and walked over to the window that looked out over the pool and sea. With only hours until I left, the intrusion was unwelcome, and whoever was on the other end of that call could go straight to?—

“It’s King.”

Oh.

I let out a sigh and turned to see Dimitri crossing the room to me, a smirk on his lips, the phone held out in his hand.

I didn’t think I’d ever been irritated to hear from King, and I had to mentally slap myself out of my mood before I took the phone.

He wouldn’t be calling if he didn’t have a good reason, and I instantly went on high alert.

“King,” I said, “what’s wrong?”

“Hello to you too, Benoit. No ‘nice to hear from you’ today?”

Considering he’d barged in at the worst possible time, I wasn’t exactly ready to greet him with my usual flair, but more than that, I was unnerved he’d called at all. I hadn’t heard from him this entire trip.

“Has something happened?” I said. “What do you need?”

“More like what you need.”

I blinked. “Me?”

“According to your location tracker, it appears you’re not in an easy place to get to, and I’m assuming Dimitri isn’t offering his services to help you leave.”

Oh. Right. King wanted to help me get off this island and back home now that my time here was at its promised end. He wasn’t calling because anyone was in trouble; he was calling to take me away.

I didn’t know which was worse.

“Uh…” I looked up to see Dimitri watching me, his arms crossed tight over his chest. “We haven’t discussed those plans just yet.”

“No need. Lachlan and I are already in Athens. We’ll send a helicopter to you within the hour?—”

“No,” I said, the word coming out a little too forcefully. “I mean, uh, that time frame isn’t going to work for me.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Are you in danger? Yes or no.”

“ Non , of course not.”

When I didn’t elaborate, I could practically see King’s frown forming. “Tomorrow morning, then?”

Putain , that was still too soon, but I wasn’t about to wear out my welcome here…or be the reason their tentative agreement went to shit. I bit the inside of my lip, hard, and forced the words out.

“That works. Thank you, King.”

“Are you…” He stopped. “Need to say goodbye?”

“Something like that.”

“All right. Be ready at seven.”

My body instantly rebelled at the early hour, but I found myself nodding and agreeing anyway. “Will do.”

I ended the call and handed the phone to Dimitri, but before I could turn away, he grabbed my arm.

“Is he on the way?” The harsh set to Dimitri’s jaw was as sharp as his words, as his eyes searched my face for the answer he sought. “Why aren’t you happier?”

“You know why,” I whispered, and gently pried his fingers from my wrist. “And no, he’s not on his way…yet.”

Dimitri swallowed and looked down at where our hands were connected. “When?”

“Tomorrow. Early.”

“But your time is up tonight.”

“I know.” I brought his fingers up to my lips and pressed a kiss there. “But tonight it’s my turn to steal a moment for us.”