Page 9

Chapter 9

Kobe

Today is not a good day to be working at this company. Not for any of us, and not even for Jasper Zane himself.

As Trey put it, in a carefully low voice, daddy’s home . Unannounced, unexpected. Definitely unwelcome. Me and Lenny are the unlucky individuals closest to ground zero. While we motionlessly stand guard outside the office door, the muffled conversation taking place within becomes louder and louder with each passing minute. Words turn to shouts, interspersed by ominous segments of silence.

There’s no TV or radio chatter coming out of the break rooms. Instead, all the guys sit there quietly, awaiting the resolution of whatever family dispute is happening in the office, every one of them too curious to overhear something to leave and too scared to make a sound to do anything else but wait around motionlessly.

Better yet, Solomon Zane’s own men stand at the other end of the hallway, where he ordered them to stay, creating an awkward line of sight of knowing looks and nervous glances.

I catch snippets here and there. Lenny and I glance at each other when a part of a sentence containing the words ‘haughty ambition that will cost us’ can be heard all too clearly, put forth by Jasper’s father.

His concern is definitely not baseless. It’s hard to gauge the way things have been running because of how short my time here has been, but only by listening to the chatter of those who’ve been around longer or the gossip of the dolls, I can tell that Jasper has been a little too aggressive in pushing into territories and businesses of the other gangs as of late.

That kind of behavior doesn’t go overlooked for long.

Jasper clearly thinks he has it all under control, but wouldn’t Solomon Zane, a man with decades more experience, know more about that? What does him being here, giving his son a verbal ass-whooping, actually mean?

Are there things coming I should be worried about?

Lenny and I barely jump aside when the office door bursts open. Jasper storms out first. His father follows in a completely collected manner, like nothing has happened at all. He gives me a quick, knowing glance, nodding lightly, before gathering his men and also heading down the stairs.

Opening my mouth, I look at Lenny. “Should we… What do we—”

One of the side doors opens. Gibbs steps out and leans against the wall. He knows Jasper well, from what I gather. “He’ll want to be left alone for a good while. All day, probably,” he says drily, aiming his answer at me. I guess everyone else seems to know the drill. “Come. I’ll get you to run some errands, so you’re useful while he cools down.”

“Got it.”

Admittedly, I’d much rather be driving out there, doing whatever, than hanging around here, so I’m grateful for the excuse. Jasper is exactly the type of unpredictable alpha that makes me nervous when out of control.

Still, even as I do the mundane pickups and deliveries Gibbs assigned me, my mind keeps buzzing with incessant worries.

Working for Mr. Wilson wasn’t at this level of intense. He ran his gambling and other illegal ventures, and there was violence when it came to getting his debts back from the poor fools who fell into it. I never saw too much of it, though. Some fights, sure. Other gangs, or foreign ones, trying to push into his territory. Minor scuffles and misunderstandings within the underworld.

But it never felt like I was living in some gangster movie, having to worry about a full on turf war. This isn’t what I signed up for , I think to myself, but have to laugh when it enters my mind. What a na?ve fucking thought.

Of course I signed up for it. I became a criminal, regardless of my motivations or reservations.

When Jasper sends out a message for everyone to take the night off right as I am about to return to the Dollhouse, I let out a sigh of relief. Whatever his father told him, it must’ve set him off real bad. I’m just happy to not be anywhere near it.

I wonder if Apollo has to deal with him in those moments. I hope he’s okay.

It’s dark again by the time I arrive home. I get out of the car with the bag of shopping I got on the way and lazily walk up the stairs to the apartment. As I do, a movement in the shadows beside the building catches my attention. I pause for only a moment, quick to shake my head and will myself to ignore it.

You’re on edge for no reason. It’s nothing.

Right?

Narrowing my eyes as I walk across the upstairs pathway leading to the apartments, I wonder if it’s possible I’m actually being followed. It’s a feeling. An uncomfortable sensation tickling at my nape, telling me I’m being watched…

I drive Jasper around, but if someone wanted to get back at him, surely they wouldn’t go after me, right? I’m only the chauffeur.

Anxiety wells up inside my stomach. I clench my jaw, trying to push it away. I pause with my hand on the door handle, listening to the fairly calm sounds of my surroundings. Some TV noise from one of the other units. A car alarm blares in the distance. It always does. And the annoying, flickering street light outside the building keep buzzing.

Still holding the handle of our apartment, I glance back at the staircase. Seeing a blur move around the corner, I drop the bag. Some instinct I didn’t even know I had takes over my body. Adrenaline rushes through my veins as I pull out my gun and dash toward the stairs. Someone is running down underneath me.

“Hey!” I shout, but they keep retreating. Nearly flying down the steps, I use the railing to hop over and land right behind them as the figure tries to turn the corner into the dark alley behind the building. “Stop!” I yell again, aiming my gun.

The click of the trigger safety coming off must be what makes them freeze.

My heart pounds inside my ears. I glance around to make sure no one’s watching. More people, more danger. It doesn’t look like it.

I tighten my grip on the gun as they stand there, carefully putting their hands up. I’ve never actually used this damn gun. Mr. Wilson ordered Henry, his right hand, to teach me to shoot, but I never really had to.

“Let’s settle down. I don’t think your boss would much appreciate you gunning me down,” the person says in a slightly playful, mostly hesitant tone. The melodic, masculine voice sounds familiar.

Parting my lips, I let my arms drop down as he slowly turns around. “Apollo?” I blurt out in shock.

He faces me fully with an apologetic smirk while he puts his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. I never would have recognized him if he passed by me on the street. Definitely not looking like this. All the times I’ve seen him in the Dollhouse, Apollo’s had on those luxurious, sheer, gaze-pulling pieces of clothing, or only intricate lingerie. Unlike now, when almost all of him is covered. He wears combat boots, dark jeans and a thick black hoodie with the hood up that goes all the way under his ass and is so oversized I can barely guess what gender he is.

“Wh-what are you doing here?” I finally push words out, still confused as hell. It hits me that we’re just standing here, so I quickly secure the safety again and holster my gun at my waist.

Apollo shifts on his feet, displaying an unusual lack of confidence. “You weren’t actually supposed to see me, you know?” Hair falls into his face as he tilts his head down with a faint smirk. “You’re more perceptive than most people. Or paranoid.”

“Who wouldn’t be, with how tense everything is lately?” I note. You wouldn’t know , I want to add, but the look he gives me tells me he probably does. “That doesn’t explain why you’re here. At my house. Following me?”

As if he realizes I am seriously weirded out and won’t let it go just because he makes a charming expression, Apollo sighs and nervously looks down while digging his foot into the ground. “I…wanted to get an idea of who you really are and stuff. Where you live, what you do outside of work. Things like that.”

I’m still not sure I follow. Tilting my head, I step back. “But wh—” Exhaling, I rub my face and try to wrap my mind around it another way. “If you were curious about my life, you could’ve just asked,” I say with a bewildered chuckle.

Apollo seems taken aback, blinking at me like he doesn’t understand English. Like it didn’t even occur to him to ask me instead of following me.

Why would he be here?

Why would he care to know anything about me in the first place?

I watch him sink deeper into the safety of his thick hoodie, and I can’t tell if it’s shame or remorse that flashes over his face.

There’s no point in us doing this in the middle of the street, out in the cold, like we’re in some kind of stand-off. I click my tongue and turn toward the stairs. “Just come inside, we can… You can try to explain whatever this is to me there,” I say in a resigning voice.

Apollo draws in a breath before nodding and follows me upstairs.

My bag of groceries still lies there. I bend down to pick stuff up, making sure no packaging is split or ruined. Thankfully, it all seems fine. As I straighten back up, Apollo gives me an apologetic smile that I return before finally opening the door.

This is so strange. Apollo is…in my apartment.

To make matters even more awkward, both Marci and Skyler sit on the couch watching TV. The moment we get in, they’re both already turning with unabashedly exaggerated faces of surprise, staring at Apollo as if they’ve never seen another human being in their life.

“This is…” I stumble over my words, having to clear my throat before I continue. “This is, um, someone from work. I ran into him,” I mutter. As quickly as possible, I throw the things that need to be in the fridge inside, leaving the rest on the counter. “I got all we needed. We’ll be in my room.”

Why does this feel like I’m a teenager bringing my boyfriend home for the first time?

I roll my eyes at myself and purge those thoughts, nearly pushing Apollo toward my room. Marci and Skyler both stare without a word, but right before I close the door behind us, I see a corner of Marci’s mouth tug upwards.

Once it’s just me and Apollo trapped in my bedroom, I realize how messy it is.

No, no, no. No time to think about that. This is about him explaining this mess.

“So?” I ask, crossing my arms across my chest while Apollo makes himself comfortable at the end of my bed. He takes down his hood and ruffles his hair a bit to fix it up. It’s as puffy and attractively wild as always, only not as styled.

It’s strange how even in a damn hoodie and the most basic clothes, he looks…alluring. Or maybe it’s just my fucked up mind that somehow associated him with what he does at the Dollhouse, objectifying him unintentionally. Shit. Get it together.

“I take it that was your brother and mother back there?” Apollo asks curiously, making eyes at me like he probably does at his clients when he wants them to do what he wants.

I frown. “Shouldn’t you already know? Since you’ve already done a background check on me or whatever, considering you have my address and all?”

Apollo seems to finally get that I’m not letting it go and lets his eyebrows fall down, shifting his face into a more serious expression. “I didn’t do a background check,” he says in a low voice, leaning back against his arm. Exhaling, he rolls his head to rest against his shoulder, looking at me. “I found your address from a notebook Jasper keeps at home. It has the basic information of everyone who works for him. Name, birth date, address, that sort of thing. That’s it. He likes keeping tabs on people.”

Of course he fucking does. Damn it. But why is Apollo here?

“I’m sorry, alright? I know this is weird, and I’m sorry for freaking you out,” Apollo says, maintaining hesitant eye contact. He sounds genuine.

After a moment of silence, his gaze dips and he seems to zone out a little.

“Before Jasper brought me into the Dollhouse, I spent years working for all sorts of gangs. A bulk of that time, I was being used as someone to get into important people’s rooms, into their beds, and once they were asleep or had their guard down, I’d dig around, looking for whatever info my boss needed. So I guess doing this to see what sort of person you are instead of ‘just asking’ was my first instinct.”

My chest tightens at the way he speaks, and I start feeling bad for reacting so harshly.

“Besides, people don’t tend to be very honest in this line of work,” he adds with a shrug. “I shouldn’t have…expected you to be the same, okay? Not that I know you well enough to know what to expect, but…again, I apologize,” he says, sounding like he doesn’t do that very often.

No wonder. How could anyone be angry at that lovely face and those dreamy eyes?

I gulp, urging myself to keep my thoughts straight, and shift my weight in front of him. “Marci isn’t my mother. She’s like…my aunt, but we’re not related. Since I can remember, she’s been here for me and my brother. Even when those who should’ve failed at that miserably,” I note bitterly, feeling that familiar burn of simmering hatred in my heart.

“I see,” Apollo says, tilting his head again. Why does he keep studying me like this? He has this strangely pensive expression, and he doesn’t even seem to hide it. “Is that why…” He pauses intently, glancing toward the door. “Your brother. He’s got fetal alcohol syndrome, right? Is that why your mom isn’t around?”

Opening my mouth, I’m left momentarily speechless. People tend to be pretty uneducated about this. Sure, anyone can tell Skyler looks different, but that’s about it.

Apollo’s gaze is soft, understanding. “I grew up in the system. Was around plenty of kids similar to him. It’s pretty common, actually. Usually less noticeable.”

Is he trying to make me feel sympathy for him?

If he does, it’s working. My heart does that overwhelming thing it does when I see a stray dog or a crying baby.

“Look,” I say, joining my palms together, “I’d just like to know your reason for all this. You keep saying you wanted to ensure I’m a good person or find out what kind of man I am—fine. But for what purpose?”

The moment I ask that, something about him shifts. Looking up at me from the bed with a faint smile, he slowly stands and steps closer. “Remember when I told you how Jasper and I have an open relationship? I don’t usually, but I’m free to entertain that when I want to. And lately, I’ve been…craving a little something. Something different.”

Apollo’s movements toward me are slow and controlled, like when a cat creeps up to its prey when playing. Even his eyes, made bigger by his long lashes, look like a cat’s bulging gaze, irises blown and all. All he needs to do is wiggle his butt and arch his back.

I stare at him in disbelief while my heart panics. My cheeks burn up, too.

“You-you’re talking about me?” I mutter breathlessly. He’s inches away from me now, and his pheromones waft out; a sweet temptation.

There is no way he’s serious. That Apollo… No. This must be some kind of test from Jasper.

He chuckles like one does when a child does something cute and blinks slowly. “There’s something intriguing about you. I’m not sure what it is, really. It just is . Clearly, you’re not some deadbeat or a psychopath, and you’ve been strangely good to me, so…” Apollo’s slender fingers hang onto the collar of my jacket while he runs his eyes down my body, kneading the inside of his bottom lip between his teeth.

The moments we shared out at the loading dock flash through my mind. I didn’t think I was being flirty. I only tried to help. To be a decent person.

“It seemed to me you were intrigued too, or have I…read things wrong?” His voice falters at the end, and for the first time, Apollo appears genuinely insecure.

N-No!” I blurt before even thinking about it, making him jerk away because of the intensity. “I’m just surprised.”

Flaring his nostrils with a quiet exhale, Apollo looks relieved by my response.

I never would’ve conceived someone like Apollo being interested in me in that way. He does mean sexually , right? Someone like him, who’s with an alpha on the very top of the food chain, and has had sex with an unimaginable number of people who lust for him…wants me? Why?

“I— What exactly is it you’re proposing?” I ask, my throat closing with the burning heat of anticipation that’s rising through my chest.

Having found his nonchalant confidence again, corners of Apollo’s rosy lips rise. He straightens his back, hooking his hands together over his lap while he shifts his weight from one hip to another. “Nothing more than some mindless, careless, no-strings-attached fun,” he says playfully and leans close, looking somewhere down my body instead of my face. It makes me feel like he’s undressing me. “I get tested every two months, even if us venus don’t really have to worry about STDs. I can show you my medical record and that everything’s negative, if you want.”

My heart is going to burst out of my chest. It’s been a while since I had a mind to think about something physical.

There’s still a sector of my logical brain working, and it lights up with warning alarms. This isn’t just anybody. The person in front of me is Jasper’s omega, whether or not he likes that fact. My touch-starved body might urge me to say yes right now, but what about reality? What about the serious consequences this could have?

“What about Jasper?”

Apollo purses his lips before finally meeting my eyes. “Let me worry about Jasper. Like I already told you, he and I have an agreement. He’s fine with it. As long as I tell him about us, which I will. It’s just sex, and he knows that. We’re all adults.”

Won’t he? I don’t want to always think about the worst scenarios. I want to believe Apollo. Maybe…I really can have this one nice thing. It’s been a while since I could enjoy myself in this way.

Finally, I relent, giving him the definite answer he’s waiting for. “Alright.”

A charming, bright smile appears on his lips, and his eyes almost seem to sparkle for a second. “Lovely. Now…” He pauses with his brows arched. Confused, I look down to see his open palm reaching out. “Your phone. You’re going to need my number, won’t you?”

I blink, trying to get it together. I must come across as one of his mindless, horny clients right now. “Oh.” I pat my pockets and pass it to him. He’s smiling while typing his number in, making me realize… “You probably already have mine, don’t you? From Jasper’s notebook,” I note in a frustrated undertone.

Apollo finishes putting his info in and hands me my phone. Only instead of placing it in my open hand waiting for it, he slides it into the side pocket of my pants, brushing gently—and definitely not as accidentally as he makes it out to be—against my crotch.

Thankfully, I’m not completely worked up, but the idea of him feeling an outline of my half-rigid cock sends more sizzling blood into my cheeks.

“I’ll be in touch about arranging a meeting,” he says, clearly thrilled with himself and what he did to me, before walking out. “Sorry I interrupted your evening. Enjoy your night,” I hear his voice from the other side of the door, talking to Marci and Skyler. Shortly after, the main door closes with that familiar screech and he’s gone.

Letting out an unsteady breath, I take two more steps back until I hit the wall behind me. I finally relax my body, letting the warm, soft tingling pass through me.

I give it a few moments to see if Marci won’t come knocking, demanding juicy info about the first person ‘from my work’ I’ve brought here since joining this field . Something like that never happens, so I hang my head back and finally clutch my boner through my pants, barely holding in a moan.

I haven’t jerked off in so long it took nothing more than his flirty glances and calculative closeness to make me like this . Good god. He might be a professional at this, but still…

And not just my front. Clenching my ass, I feel slick running down my thigh.

“Fuck,” I whisper, stroking myself faster.

What the hell have I gotten myself into?