Page 24

RHAIM

And when Sable said, “For all I know though, Rhaim, they’re hauling around her corpse—you should’ve given her an Apple Watch instead, so I could check her pulse,” I knew she’d had enough of me.

“Look up some piece of shit named Bix who sells heroin to kids at Columbia.”

Sable squealed like a winning beauty pageant contestant on the far end of the line. “I knew you’d break!” and she fell into utter silence, doing her thing. “Does he shave his head?”

“I don’t fucking know.” I was on the roof of Corvo now, pacing as I smoked, my former bad habit now firmly back in the driving seat—until I could replace it with my other one, murder.

“Pretty sure I’ve got him then.” Since I was alone, I put her on speakerphone as she sent me files, along with an address and photos. While his head was aggressively shaved, he was still good-looking enough I could see him getting into student parties.

“He ever do time?”

“He’s come close, but managed to dodge it. Lawyered up hard—looks like there’s family money in play.”

“Good.”

“What’s the plan?” Sable asked.

“Not for you to know just yet,” I said. “But—can you do whatever you did for Zane, to him, for me?”

She groaned dramatically. “Only if you ask me nicely. And tell me what you’re planning. ”

“You don’t have family money, Sable. Who’s supposed to keep you out of jail, if not me?” I countered. “Where’s Lia?”

“Ugh!” she complained, but then answered. “Looks like she’s on her way home.”

“Finally,” I said. “If you get me another bug—I’ll tell you everything.”

“You’d better!” she said, right before I hung up on her and put out my cigarette to make my way back to my office.

Lia called just as I got the door closed behind me. “Rhaim?” she asked, and just hearing her voice was more potent than my morning’s first cigarette.

“You okay?”

She sighed. “Yes, and no.”

“Get on camera. Inspection time.” She walked into her bedroom and gave me a shy wave. “Did he touch you?” Because if he had…

Lia sat cross-legged on her bed with her phone in her lap, and shook her head. “No. Actually. And—he kind of can’t, because Trevia’s a genius.”

“How so?” I already knew Nero’s lawyer was one of the best in the biz.

“She put a no-premarital-hanky-panky clause in the pre-nup.”

I rocked back in my chair. “Fuck. I’m sending her keys to a Lexus in her Christmas basket this year—how’d the Senator take it?”

“Surprisingly well?” she said, in that up-talk way women did sometimes, giving the camera a confused look.

“I mean, I definitely don’t want to be in a room alone with him, ever, but he mostly wants me to be free publicity and a figurehead.

I’m supposed to bring in the youth votes, horny undecided men—and people who don’t like blondes. ”

“Who the fuck are they?”

“Don’t ask.” She ran her hands through her own hair, and letting it fall in a veil around her as she bowed her head.

“I spent all afternoon with my new handler, being tested on his political positions, and being told I had to change my wardrobe and while being scared my wrists would show,” she said, looking up nervously. “I’m going on TV tomorrow morning.”

“You’ll do fine,” I said instantly—because I knew she would.

“And they’ve got me booked out until the election, Rhaim—he wants me for himself—to be his walking billboard—and according to the pre-nup, I have to be.”

The way she was drawing out the words as she spoke then, I knew she was worried. “And?” I pressed.

“He wants the wedding the weekend after my father’s birthday.”

Which was slightly less than two weeks away. “Is that why you’re anxious?”

She looked up at the camera and nodded.

“You worried that’s not enough time for me?

” I caught myself before I made it sarcastic.

Even though I was slightly offended she didn’t think I could successfully plan a hit sometime in the next thirteen days, I knew she’d been through a lot since I’d left her.

No doubt she and her father had fought, and if I’d been in the same room as St. Clair, I would’ve had to stab him, pre-nup or not.

“Believe me, that’s long enough for me to handle anything ,” I promised, and watched some small portion of her fears disappear.

“How long have you had to be strong today?” I went on.

“Today?” She looked off to one side and gave a rueful shake of her head. “More like ever since you left me the other morning.”

“I bet,” I said, rocking back in my chair. “You want to stop for a little while?” The look she gave the camera then was complicated. “What’re you thinking?”

“I’m worried that if I stop, I won’t be able to start again.”

“A reasonable fear. Do you trust me?”

That earned me a shy smile. “Always.”

“Then take off your clothes.”

She inhaled like she might fight back for a moment, but then her lips parted so she could merely exhale, as she started pulling elements off, in no particular order, and not trying to do a strip-tease or anything, no effort toward being sexy.

It didn’t matter though, she was—because she was Lia Ferreo, and because she was listening to me.

“Everything everything?” she asked, after her bra was off, and just her underwear were left.

“Yeah. And get your toy for me,” I said, and she went off screen. “You off the rag?” I asked, and heard her groan.

“Don’t call it that!” she said, returning, fully naked, every bit as beautiful as when I’d had her the other night.

“Why?”

“Because it’s such a hideous phrasing?—”

I laughed. “I’m just looking out for your high threadcount sheets. And also—I like getting a reaction out of you. And distracting you—that too.” The more mad she was with me, the less she’d be worried about him.

She went back to her bed and sat down with her purple dildo in one hand, and her legs tucked under her coyly.

“I’ll be honest, part of me wants to be mean to you, Lia—I don’t like knowing you’ve been out with other men.

But the rest of me, the part that’s not the beast, understands what you’ve been doing.

Buying me time. Putting yourself in harm’s way—and I know even though it feels like it’s killing me, I can appreciate that it’s a thousand times worse for you. ”

“You don’t even know,” she said, pouting up at me.

“I’ve eaten shit before. I have a vague idea,” I said, with a snort. “Here’s my truth, on my side of things—I did fuck all for the IPO this morning, I’ve just been chain smoking and making my contact who’s got your phone tagged tell me where you are.”

She rose up in anger instantly. “If you blow Corvo’s IPO over this, Rhaim, I swear to god?—”

“Stay just like that,” I interrupted her. “I want a screenshot of a beautiful naked woman holding a sex toy talking finance at me.” She threw the dildo at the camera and I laughed. “Go pick that up.”

She did as she was told, then rose up, half-again closer to the camera, and her breasts did devastating things to my self-control—I sank both hands to start unbuckling my belt. “Just so you know, I had Trevia carve Corvo out of the pre-nup—as a pre-and-post-marital asset,” she said.

And suddenly the erection that’d been firmly straining against my suit slacks sent some blood back to my head. “Without a fight?”

She lightly shrugged. “It’s my baby. And he has enough money.”

That was where Lia’s youth shone through. Men like St. Clair never had “enough” money—not as long as someone else had some that wasn’t theirs.

“Maybe,” I offered, even though I was filing the fact away. “And—I promise I’ll keep doing my job for the rest of the afternoon, right after you let me take care of you.”

She gave the camera a puckish grin. “Oh? Utter altruism, that’s all this is?”

“Yeah. You’ll feel better after you come—and I’ll feel better after I see your pussy.”

I watched her flush, then turn, to get back on the bed, giving me a glimpse of her smackable ass.

“And what’ll you be doing?” she asked, feigning innocence.

“Jerking off beneath my desk, wishing you were here.”

She perked up immediately—thrilled to have some modicum of control over one thing in her life. “Really?”

“You want to facetime with my dick?” That made her laugh—and I loved to hear and see it. “Grab some pillows for your head, then lay back and spread your legs.”

She did as she was told—and gave me a conquering stare, straight down the barrel, between her breasts which had slightly fallen to each side, and between her thighs, right at me.

Then she put me on speakerphone, and left the phone itself beside her pillow, so she had both hands to play with—currently one was reaching for a breast, and the other was stroking the inside of her thigh.

“This pussy here?” she asked, before reaching down to use two fingers, opening herself wide.

I hissed then made a thoughtful sound. “Yeah. That looks like the one I like.”

“Just like?” she asked, running a fingertip around her clit.

“Just like the one I want to eat—and fuck,” I corrected. “And very near to the ass I want to spank so hard you can’t sit for a week.”

She smiled wickedly—then reached over and got some sort of throw-pillow to place beneath said ass and hitch it up, so her hips were pointed straight at me.

She was feeling better already—and so was I.

“Get your toy and fuck yourself for me.”

She gave the camera an innocent look—then reached over to pull it out of the folds of her linen. “But I thought only feminine hygiene products were allowed down here?”

“You’re allowed to masturbate—but only if I’m watching.”

“You’re so mean,” she said—and meant it slightly—I could tell by the way she looked off screen. “I didn’t come at all for two months, after you left here—until we were in the bathroom.”

“Really? Because I jerked off so much thinking of you it’s a wonder my dick doesn’t have calluses.”

She rose her head up to gawk at me.

“Every meeting I took with you sitting across the table, studiously ignoring me, just like I’d told you to—I came in here to beat off after.

Every day when I got home, I’d close the door to my apartment and my dick would jump out.

Every night before I went to sleep—just so I could try to sleep—and every fucking morning in the shower.

I didn’t know if you were the world’s most obedient sub, or if you’d entirely forgotten me, and I knew I couldn’t risk asking. ”

She rose up on her toes in protest, throw pillow falling aside. “I could never forget you!”

“Then show me,” I demanded—because even though I believed her, I wanted to see.

She picked up the purple monstrosity and shoved it in her pussy—I heard it go in with a wet sound.

“Good girl,” I purred. “Fuck yourself, little moth. You have some catching up to do.” Lia moaned, as she pulled out the toy and then thrust it back in. “Keep going,” I said, utterly turned on by watching her make pornography for me.

“Like this?” she teased, lifting her head up to give me an innocent expression.

“Precisely. Do whatever you need—I want to hear you come.” She hauled it in and out of herself, looking sweetly at me, and I let her hear me breathe roughly, as I stroked myself from hilt to tip. “Goddammit, you’re beautiful.”

I heard her give a laugh of delight. “Would you still love me if I were blonde?”

“I’d still love you even if you were bald and toothless—I mean, honestly, that part might be better?—”

“Rhaim!” she protested loudly, snickering.

“As long as there’s enough of your pretty mind left enough to sass me.” Although, given the difference between our ages, she was probably going to get the short end of the stick.

Assuming I didn’t get myself killed framing one of the St. Clair sons for murder.

Assuming I didn’t die right now from not getting to properly fuck Lia again.

I leaned forward, so I could get closer to the screen she was on, with my dick in my hand.

“Someday—I’m going to use that toy in your pussy, while I fuck your ass,” I threatened—and watched her freeze.

I let go of my dick immediately. “Have you ever had anyone in your ass before?” If she’d never been on top, it seemed likely.

“Not…anyone I wanted there?” she said, like she was guessing, and I leaned even closer on my desk. I couldn’t see her face—because she’d rocked back to stare up at the ceiling.

“Who?” I demanded—and when she was silent, I switched course. “What are you thinking?”

“That he’s fucked up enough of my life already. I don’t want to give him this time too.” She pushed onto her elbows to stare at the camera, pulling the toy out, letting her knees knock together. “You don’t have to know everything about me to love me, do you?”

I wanted to say yes—but it wouldn’t have been the truth. And also because if I had, it would’ve been fair for her to want total honesty in return, and as fearsome as I knew she knew I could be, I really didn’t feel like giving her a Who’s Who of People I’d Buried.

“No. I just want to protect you is all.”

“I know,” she said, nodding. “I’ve always known that. Ever since I was thirteen.”

I wish I could’ve remembered more of that blurry night she’d decided to set her eyes on me. There had to have been some extenuating circumstances—but I could barely remember helping her, muchless anything else that’d happened after three cocktails twenty years ago.

She twisted her head to the side where the phone was closer. “So can we go back to where we were?”

“Sure, but first, sit up all the way.” Lia did as she was told, so I continued. “I’m going to love you no matter what,” I began, “but I’ll love you slightly more if you come in the next five minutes.”

She glanced at her phone, then gave the camera a smirk. “Is that because you have a four-thirty?”

“No, it’s because I’ve been slowly dying ever since I left you—and I actually know what that feels like. I’ve come close before.” I let the moment linger for as long as I could, before bursting it. “And also it’s a four-forty-five.”

Lia cackled. “Go fuck yourself, Rhaim.”

“No, please—fuck yourself. For me. Because I don’t think I can survive listening to the CFO of Halberd Strategic suck his own dick, metaphorically, in twenty minutes, if I don’t hear you come first.”