Page 7 of Immoral (Park Avenue Kings #3)

DIMITRI

I T HAD BEEN a monumental feat to walk away from Benoit’s undressing upstairs. That was three times now that I’d denied myself, and I wasn’t keen on a fourth.

Even now, in the middle of my meeting with several of my team, my dick was hard as I pictured him stroking himself while backing into the en suite, half naked and giving me a daring smirk, as if I wouldn’t have him bent over in a heartbeat.

“Boss?” Omar looked pointedly at my clenched fists resting on the table. “You good?”

Good? I was wound up so tight I could spit nails that would kill a man.

Ignoring his question, I took a look at the rolled-out map on the table. It was safer to keep our plans on us and not online somewhere anyone could hack into.

“We’ll make the sale early morning. Here.” I pointed to the destination just outside of Prague’s city center. “A flower shop right off this street. Hugo, you’ll lead team two to cover all exit points surrounding the shop. I don’t want anyone who shouldn’t be there within a block’s radius.”

“Got it,” he said, nodding.

“Omar, you’ll be with me, along with the guards. We’ll enter from the front, meeting time no more than twenty minutes.”

Though we wouldn’t be handing over the weapons right then and there, it was still an intensely dangerous situation we were walking into. The possibility of capture was always top of mind, as well as the many others who would kill—literally—to be in my position.

But negotiations could only be done in person with the amount of money and weapons on the line.

I wasn’t a stranger to these deals, not when I’d been the number two for well over a decade, watching and learning, filing away what I’d do differently in the back of my mind for if there ever came a day I was the man leading the charge.

That day had come sooner than I’d expected.

Omar smoothed his hand over the second map, one of Europe. It had several dates and times, along with a few Xs by main cities, and a couple more with question marks.

“We haven’t confirmed the meeting yet for Budapest, which we’d originally planned for Sunday. We may need to change up the schedule for?—”

“No one told me this was a party,” Benoit said as he swept into the room. All heads immediately swiveled in his direction, and with the way he was dressed, he certainly caught their attention.

And mine.

In a pair of black-and-white pinstripe pants and a satin cowl-neck shirt that dipped low enough to show off his smooth chest and the set of pearls he had clasped around his neck, Benoit had clearly done what I’d suggested and cleaned up before dinner.

His hair was slicked back, and his face was devoid of any makeup, save his glossy lips.

He looked fresh, rejuvenated, and one hundred percent fuckable.

The conversation fell silent as he entered. Benoit all but floated into the room, his walk almost as rhythmic as his dancing, making his way toward the head of the table.

“Oh, don’t mind me,” he said with a dismissive wave at my men. “I just thought I’d come and see if there was any wine in this place. I’m feeling a little parched.”

His eyes glittered at Omar, who was frowning at him over his shoulder.

“What?” Benoit said. “You don’t like wine?”

That wasn’t the problem. Omar didn’t like interruptions, and neither did I when we were covering sensitive information. But in this case, I thought he was being a little too paranoid.

Benoit and his cases had been searched, and even if he planned to run off into the snow-covered wilderness, he wouldn’t skip town with any pertinent information.

“He likes it just fine.” I eyed my second-in-command in a way that told him to back off. I had this under control, had Benoit under control. I didn’t need Omar acting like my babysitter.

Benoit came to a stop beside me and sidled in close enough that I could feel his heat through my shirt.

“Oh, are you planning out our next stops?” He leaned down closer to the map, pointing to St. Anton. “My vote is Austria. We could book a little chateau in the mountains and hire some skis, and I could live out my dream of being someone’s ski bunny for the season.”

The idea was so far removed from what Omar and I had been planning that I almost laughed—almost, because we would be going through Austria. But not for skiing and definitely not to live out any ski bunny fantasies.

No matter how tempted I might be now.

Omar started to roll up the map, but got stuck when Benoit turned and sat on the table to face me, pouting.

“You don’t like that idea?”

I arched a brow. “You have an outfit to go with that idea?”

Benoit’s laugh chimed around the room as he ran a hand up my arm and squeezed. “I told you, I brought outfits for any and all occasions, mon monstre. But in this instance, a couple of cotton balls as a tail is all I’d need.”

My cock immediately hardened at the visual of Benoit in nothing but a cotton tail, and while it should’ve been ridiculous, I wanted to see that now more than I wanted my next breath.

Omar and a couple of the others coughed from their side of the table.

“We’ll leave you to it,” Omar said. “We can pick this up later.”

I was about to nod when Benoit got to his feet and turned back to Omar, reaching over the map and table to put a hand over the top of his.

“Don’t go,” he implored. “Stay and have a drink with us.”

“No.” Omar removed his hand, and Benoit straightened. “Boss,” he said, then finished rolling the map and shot out the door, the rest of the crew following.

“I can’t be sure, but I don’t think Omar likes me,” Benoit said.

“Omar doesn’t like anyone.”

His eyes widened. “Not even you?”

I didn’t really have an answer for that, because honestly, I didn’t know whether Omar liked me. Nor did I care. All I was concerned with was his loyalty, and he’d proven that on many occasions over the last several months.

“You must be hungry,” I said.

Benoit perched on the table and reached for the bottle of red wine that had been pushed aside during the meeting. As he ripped off the foil from the top, he said, “Well, if that nonanswer doesn’t speak volumes… Surely there’s someone in your inner circle whose company you enjoy.”

“Not in the way I plan to enjoy you.”

“Ooh, now you’re talking.” Benoit stabbed the corkscrew into the top and began to twist, somehow making even that look suggestive. “Do I get all the dirty details now, or do you prefer a sexy surprise?”

I popped the map into its case and hung it off the back of my chair before taking a seat at the head of the table.

The way Benoit made himself at home, casually posed to his best advantage on the cherry oak with his hands working the corkscrew like he was handling a cock, had me feeling even more confident about my choice of travel companion.

There was a lightness to his temperament that somewhat eased the weight from my shoulders when he was around.

A sense of humor wasn’t one of the top five qualities I looked for in those who worked for me, but with Benoit it was a welcome trait.

Sex had been at the forefront of my mind, still was, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy the man himself too.

“Another nonanswer,” he said, shaking his head as he popped the top off the wine and poured us each a glass. “And here I thought we were getting to know each other.”

“That wasn’t one of the terms of our agreement.”

“As I recall, the terms were astonishingly vague.” Rising to his feet, he sauntered toward me, the satin cowl neck dipping to mid-chest and giving a teasing glimpse of skin.

He held one of the glasses out for me, brushing his fingers along mine when I reached for it.

“I’d like to know more about the man I’m spending the month with. Don’t make me beg…”

But he would do it so well…on his knees.

I gestured toward the chair to my right. “Why don’t you have a seat? Dinner will arrive shortly.”

“How do you know?”

The doors opened suddenly, and two of the kitchen staff entered with silver-domed serving trays.

“Oh.” Benoit took a seat beside me, gracefully placing the linen napkin in his lap and offering up compliments to the chef once the domes were lifted.

That was one thing I’d noticed about my companion—his unfailing politeness, not to mention his enthusiasm. A far cry from my disposition, and one the staff no doubt reveled in.

He waited until the servers left before lifting his wine glass toward mine. “To you, mon monstre . And a month of delicious devilry.”

Those hazel eyes practically twinkled as I tapped his glass and then took a long sip of cabernet. I wasn’t usually a wine drinker, but it paired well with the roast pork, dumplings, and sauerkraut we’d been served.

“Mmm.” Benoit closed his eyes and moaned around the fork in his mouth. “That is heaven.”

“First time having Vep?o Knedlo Zelo ?”

“First but definitely not the last,” he said, tapping his mouth with his napkin. “And what about you?”

“No, it’s not my first.”

“What’s your favorite? If you could have a final meal of anything in the world, what would it be?”

“ Pastitsio .”

“That didn’t take you long. Is there some deeper meaning behind it?”

I kept my eyes on my plate as I scooped up another bite. “Just a reminder of home.”

“And home is in Greece, I take it. Athens?”

“Santorini.”

“Even better,” he said. “Though horribly overrun with tourists lately.”

I arched a brow. “You’ve been?”

“I might’ve performed there once or twice. Years ago.” He ran the lip of his wine glass along his mouth as he tilted his head at me. “My very own gorgeous Greek god. Whatever will I get to do with you?”

That suggestive comment was accompanied by his foot sliding up the inside of my leg.

“I’m sure you’ll come up with something. You don’t seem lacking in ideas when it comes to the…physical side of your nature.”

Benoit’s foot stopped. “I believe I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“That’s how it was intended. Although I have to admit, your confidence in that department makes me?—”

“Horny?” My lips curled around my fork, and Benoit chuckled. “There, I did it—you definitely smiled that time.”

I didn’t even bother refuting his claim, because he was right. “I was going to say?—”

“Jealous?” I lowered my fork to the plate, and Benoit held up his hand. “Okay, okay, I was just playing. But it would be hot if you were jealous.”

Then I must’ve been on fire, because the more I sat there thinking about him acting this way with anyone other than me, that green monster was starting to lurk.

“Go ahead.” Benoit relaxed back in his seat with his glass. “You were saying my confidence in that department makes you…”

“Curious,” I finally said. “About your past and any significant others you might’ve had.”

Benoit took a sip of wine then aimed a sultry look my way. “Who says I don’t still have one?”

That was the last thing I’d expected to hear, and it was obvious by his sly grin that my expression gave that away.

“Again, just playing with you. I’m free as a bird—or snow bunny. I don’t do relationships.”

Interesting…

“Really?”

“I know it’s hard to believe. And trust me, many a man has tried to tie me down. But once the fun and orgasms were over, well, I disappeared into the night.”

I considered his response carefully—the flirty smile, the sexual overtones, and the flippant nonchalance—and while it was all very convincing, this was the first time I’d noticed a slight tension in his posture.

I’d hit a nerve, and I wanted to know what.

“Why do you disappear?”

“Hmm?”

“You said you disappeared into the night. Why?”

Benoit shrugged. “No one gave me a good reason to stay.”

“No one since…”

He straightened then cocked his head. “What makes you think there’s a ‘since’ in there?”

“Because I’ve been watching you very closely over the last two weeks, and this is the first time you’ve looked uncomfortable.”

Benoit looked down at his hands, then licked his lower lip, and I knew I was right. Someone had hurt him in the past. Someone had made him avoid relationships, and I wanted to know who he was—and why he was still breathing.

“I had a bad breakup, that’s all. I confided in him about certain things, and when it was over, he used it against me. See, nothing that dramatic. Plus, it was years ago.”

“He betrayed you.”

Benoit nodded. “He did.”

I shook my head and closed my eyes, my mentor’s face flashing behind my lids in that final moment we shared when he flipped open his knife and lunged?—

“Dimitri?”

My eyes snapped open and focused on Benoit, who reached over to place a hand on top of my fist.

“Are you okay?”

The concern in his voice told me I looked anything but. However, not about to bring up that bastard’s name in Benoit’s company, I merely nodded and drew my hand from his.

I reached for my wine glass. “There’s nothing worse than a betrayal. If there’s a snake in your life, you need to cut off its head.”

Benoit stared at me for a long moment before nodding and reaching for his own glass. “I couldn’t agree more.”