Concealment (The Cassano Series Book 1) (19 page)

Adrian

The elevator doors close, and I let out a long breath. It’s one I feel I’ve been holding for ten minutes.

My eyes shift downward, and Victoria stretches out her balled fist. Her fingers open and close a few times, and I can’t help but worry she’s hurt.

Turning to her, I lift her hand. Her fingers meet my lips, and I close my eyes. The variety of emotions I’m experiencing have me ready to come unglued.

I want to comfort her yet chew her ass. After witnessing her badass behavior, I’m turned on and want to fuck her.

The desire to tie her up and whip her into submission, so she knows she can never do something like that again, is also appealing.

I kiss all her knuckles before I lower her hand and open my eyes. Her lip quivers as she peers up at me. Most of all, I want to hug her to believe she needs me on some level.

“I thought you were going home with Phil,” I murmur.

“Why would you think that?”

“You left the lounge with him. You were standing by his car. What was I supposed to think?”

“First, you need to stop watching me on the cameras. Second, I thought we settled that I only want you. Why don’t you believe that?”

“I don’t know. Is your hand OK?”

“Yes.” Victoria glides the back of it down my cheek as the elevator doors open. Gently taking hold of it, I walk us into my penthouse and take a seat on the sofa.

I grasp her hips and bring her onto me until she’s straddling my lap. “Tell me what happened.”

Biting the inside of her mouth, she’s silent for a few breaths, but then she unloads. Her voice is hurried as she explains the conversation she had with her friend, Tara, and the bruises she saw on her friend’s wrists.

Her hands wave in front of her as she gives the details of the assault that I happened to see on camera.

OK, I saw it because I can barely keep my eyes off of the camera when she is working. The overwhelming desire to be close to Victoria pulls my eyes to the screen every time.

After she finishes her story, my palms rub across my eyes. She is clueless.

“Victoria, did she say he hurt her?”

“No, but I saw the bruises she was trying to cover on her wrists.”

Damn, we make everyone who works in the lounges sign non-disclosure forms, but I figured they still talked amongst each other.

I cradle her face and gaze into her green saucers of curiosity. “Baby, have none of the servers told you about what most of the clients are into?”

“No.”

“BDSM. If I had to guess, your friend said she knew what she was getting into because Mr. Glover told her beforehand that he wanted to tie her up.”

She slowly shakes her head. “No, Tara doesn’t look like someone who would be into that sort of thing.”

Smirking, I tuck a piece of her pink wig behind her ear. “People into BDSM have a look?”

“I’ve never spent time with anyone who participates in that sort of activity, so I wouldn’t know.”

I can feel the heat on my hand from where it’s crawling up her soft skin. My fingers skirt down her arms and wrap around her waist as my lips kiss hers.

They drag along her cheek to her ear, my cock stiffening from my tough girl showing her innocence.

“Actually, you have. There’s a side to me you haven’t been introduced to yet,” I whisper.

Her body shudders in my arms, and although I love the fact she’s independent, knowing there is a thing or two I could teach her turns me the fuck on.

“You’re into that kind of sex?” she asks almost inaudibly.

“Yes, I am.” My nose skims down her neck, breathing in her flowery scent.

“Interesting. I sure didn’t suspect that.”

Lifting my head, I gaze at her. I wish I knew what she was thinking, but she’s not running out the door, so that’s a good sign.

“I’ll find out for sure whether or not your friend was held against her will, but more than likely, he asked if he could tie her up, and she let him.”

Her lip is gnawed on as she thinks.

“What if I beat him up and Tara truly was alright with it what he did to her?”

“Then I believe you deserve a punishment.” I grin at her.

“How are you not furious with me?”

“I’m fucking relieved you weren’t leaving with him.”

She frowns before falling against me. Her head turns to rest on my shoulder, so I rub her back.

“I only want you. There is no other man I desire this way.” The doorbell rings, and Victoria jumps. “Simon.”

I sigh. “Yeah, probably. Go to the kitchen and get ice for your hand. I’ll handle my brother.”

Victoria climbs off, and I adjust my straining cock as I stand to answer the door.

“Where is she?” His head is bobbing as he looks around me like a damn fan girl.

“You’re so overdramatic.”

“Phil wants to know why in the hell a server kicked his ass. She has some explaining to do.”

“Do you know about the woman he hurt?”

“Shannon questioned Tara. She willingly let Mr. Glover tie her up. Bondage. That’s all it was.”

“Victoria thought he assaulted her.”

“It’s irrelevant. She took matters into her own hands, and
you
,” my brother says, pointing at my face, “can figure out how to satisfy Mr. Glover, so he’ll let this go.”

I brush the hair off my forehead.

“I’ll go talk to him. He doesn’t want the police involved in this any more than we do. It’s an empty threat, and you know it.”

“Well, be sure, and I don’t want to see her in Elite again.”

“Simon, I’m sorry,” Victoria says after coming around the corner. Her eyes are full of regret as she holds a towel of ice over her hand.

“I’d give you a high five for your badassery if you weren’t fucking with our business, but you are.”

Jersey points at her. “Find a job elsewhere. Adrian knows all kinds of people in this city who would give you a job.”

“Please don’t fire Tara. She didn’t do anything wrong,” Victoria says.

“I’m not firing her, but thanks to you, I have to move her away from Mr. Glover, so there’s not tension.”

Simon gives me a look, reminding me he’s not pleased. Like I could forget. He loves to pretend he runs this entire operation.

He has a short fuse, but I can’t deny I’m proud of him. He dropped out of high school, leaving all his friends and the girl who, so far, was the love of his life behind, so he could move here with Theo, Zev and me.

Although he’s never been to college, he successfully oversees two separate businesses in this hotel and casino.

“We got it. Go. I’ll talk to Phil shortly.” I all but push Simon through the house and front door until I watch him load the elevator.

When I return to the living room, Victoria is on the couch, still exhibiting a look of remorse.

“Victoria, this will be easy to settle, so please, give me back that sexy smile I declared is only for me.”

It’s obvious she isn’t in the mood, but she can’t help it, and I get to see the image that takes my breath away. Sitting next to her, I kiss her temple.

“I’ll be back in a little while.”

“I’ll go, too, and apologize.”

“No, I don’t think he should see you. He’s probably humiliated. Maybe another day.”

“OK,” she says before a lengthy sigh.

“When I get back, I’m giving you another first in the shower, young lady.”

She grins seductively instead of bashfully, and hell, I’m now in a hurry to settle this situation with Phil.

I kiss her lips and practically sprint from the penthouse.

Victoria

I catch Adrian just before the doors shut on the elevator, so I can ride down with him to get my things. I believe if we had been going up instead of down, we would’ve had sex in that steamy box.

After I peel him off of me and get to my locker, I see I’ve missed a call from an unknown number. I hit the button to listen to the voicemail.

Shit, it’s Molly Pennington, the girl that was allegedly assaulted by Noah Sanders. She says I can come to her apartment now to interview her.

I try to call Reggie, but he doesn’t pick up. It’s nine-thirty at night, so maybe he’s in bed, but it’s doubtful. 

We aren’t supposed to go alone, but this can’t wait. Molly could change her mind, and I’m not going to risk losing a break in the case, so I will have to go by myself.

Being female, she will likely share more personal details if it’s only me there, anyway. As a safety measure, I shoot Reg a text with Molly’s address, letting him know where I’ll be.

Then, I confirm with Molly and begin typing a message to Adrian.

Me:
Sorry, but I have to take a rain check on what I’m sure would have been amazing shower sex. A friend needs me. I will text you once I leave her house.

Adrian:
I’m disappointed I have to wait to prove how amazing that sex will be, but your friend should be a priority. Let me give you a ride there.

Me:
No, uh, you need to stay here and talk to Mr. Glover.

Adrian:
OK, but call me as soon as you’re finished, and I’ll pick you up.

Me:
It will be late.

Adrian:
I don’t care. I want to wake up with you.

Me:
OK, and you’re a sweetheart.

Adrian:
Remember that when you’re tied to my bed.

Me:
Uh, that’s a conversation for another day.

Adrian:
There won’t be conversation. Only moaning and heavy breathing.

Me:
How did this become sexting? I’ll call later.

He doesn’t respond, so I throw on my jeans and t-shirt and dash out of the hotel. I figure out the buses and get to Molly’s ground floor apartment at ten-thirty.

She answers the door on the first knock and greets me with a nervous smile.

“Hi, I’m Victoria.” I hear footsteps about the time I finish getting out my name. I start to turn after seeing the alarmed look on the brunette’s face, her gaze diverting to behind me.

“No, watch out!”

Adrian

Stretching, I feel the stiffness to my body. I open my eyes, and I’m still on the sofa.

Victoria.

I swipe my phone from the coffee table, but I have no missed calls. It’s eight in the morning.

Did she fall asleep talking to her friend? I shoot her a text and wait, but after fifteen minutes with no reply, I tread to the bathroom to shower.

Checking my phone after, I begin to worry. Why hasn’t she called?

Since I’m already cleaned up, and the waiting is driving me crazy, I take the elevator down to my office. I guess I will get some work done with Theo until Victoria calls.

Theo works dayshift since he has a family, and I typically work second shift, which has me in the office about half of his daily hours.

Zev and Simon tend to work a mixture of second and third since they oversee the nightclubs in the hotel.

“You’re here early,” Theo says loudly as I pass by his door. You can get to my office through his, but it also has a main entrance off the long hallway of offices.

After setting down my briefcase, I stroll to the refrigerator and pull out a bottle of orange juice. It makes me think of apple juice, which has me thinking of Victoria again.

Glancing at my watch, I feel the worry deepening. My heart is racing and mouth is dry.

“Is everything OK?”

I spin around to face Theo. “I don’t know. Victoria left last night to see a friend. She was supposed to call me to pick her up and didn’t.”

“Oh, no.” Theo hustles over to my television and turns it on.

“What?”

“Let me see if it’s still on.” He switches back and forth between a few channels with the remote.

“What the hell is going on?” I ask aggressively. I’m fucking worried enough without him adding to it.

“This morning the news was talking about a kidnapping. It wouldn’t have stood out to me, but the reporter mentioned that an undercover female officer was involved and taken to the hospital with injuries.”

“Fuck.” Orange juice pours over my hand after I squeeze the plastic. I jump back to keep from getting it on my clothes and shoes.

“I guess that part stuck out to me since we know one. I still didn’t think it could be Victoria.” Theo hurries over to the small kitchenette and returns with paper towels.

“Could it be her?” he asks.

“I don’t know. She still hasn’t revealed her identity to me, so I have no idea what goes on with her day job. I have to find out if it’s her.”

After throwing away the juice and cleaning up my mess, I pull out my cell and call my informant in the police department.

He only ever calls me if I need to know something. I’m not supposed to try to contact him unless it’s an absolute emergency, but to me this is one.

“It’s Ace,” I say.

“Now is not a good time.”

“Is it her?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Is the undercover detective that was hurt last night Victoria Hart?”

“Yeah, but why do you care?”

“I was curious. It was on the news.”

“She’s in the hospital, so you don’t need to worry. She won’t be in your hotel–”

“Is she OK?” I dig at my scalp with my fingernails. I’m ready to fucking explode over the helplessness I feel.

“She will be.” He’s quiet as I let out a breath of relief. “Like I said, don’t worry about her. I’ll let you know if she’s even coming back.”

He hangs up on me, and I growl loudly as my hair scrunches into my fist.