Now Sloan had Conall cuddled from behind, his chest pressed firmly against Conall’s back. “Did I do a good job?”
Conall glanced at him over his shoulder and grinned. “Such a good job, sir. I think you’re in the wrong profession.”
Sloan laughed, the huskiness of it making Conall’s belly cramp and cock plump up a little. “We could always create an umbrella company under our exports business.”
“Killough Interior Design?” Conall teased.
Sloan kissed his ear. “I like the sound of that.” Then he turned Conall in his arms and stared down at him. “I had a chat with Fionn about where we might need you.”
“Yeah?” Conall pursed his lips, tried to act casual with a nonchalant look, but excitement made his skin tingle. “What did he say?”
Sloan smirked and stroked his cheek. The bastard knew how excited Conall was and he dragged it on longer than he needed to. “Well, McKinnon has proved to us that his management skills of the whorehouses isn’t the best. The ODs and lack of funding to certain places proves that. We’ve demoted him.”
Conall frowned. He couldn’t argue that. After numerous ODs with whores, the Virtue had struggled to get replacements. McKinnon had rejected proposals of searching for possible replacements, which left them with waitlists that most clients didn’t care for. “And?”
“And….” Sloan cupped Conall’s jaw with both his hands. “You’re going to take over his job as manager of escort services.”
It was a fancy way of saying manager of the whorehouses, but Conall’s eyes still widened. “Are you serious?”
“Yes, but, pet, this isn’t a job to take lightly. We need results. This means that you’ll need to be fair to all the whorehouses. No favoritism for the Virtue. If you can’t give us the profits we’re looking for, we will take the job from you again. My pet or not, I expect results.” Sloan’s hard gaze drilled into him. “Can you deliver them?”
Conall nodded. “Fuck yes.” At Sloan’s raised eyebrow, he smiled apologetically. “Yes. I won’t let you down.”
“See that you don’t, pet.” He kissed the tip of Conall’s nose.
A throat cleared behind Sloan’s back and they both glanced at Terrance who shifted uncomfortably near the door. “Ah, hi, boss. Can I borrow Conall for a moment?”
“If you must.” Sloan slanted his lips over Conall’s and they kissed briefly. “We’ll talk more later. Think about a business plan. My suggestion would be to talk to Rourke too. You might not like him, but he’s an intelligent man.”
“Yes, Sloan.” Conall smiled tenderly at him and slid past Sloan to follow Terrance out of the room. His brother led him through the wide hallways to the back door. They stepped out onto the veranda, the scent of freshly mown grass surrounding them. The gardener was on his riding mower and he waved at them. Only Conall waved back.
“I overheard you talk to the boss,” Terrance said as he sat in the white wrought iron chair beside a small round table to match. Someone had put out a crystal carafe of juice with ice, as well as four glasses. Terrance grabbed one of them, pouring himself a drink. “Do you honestly think you can do this job, Conall?”
“Why not?” Conall didn’t bother to sit. He shifted toward the railing on the veranda and leaned his arse on it, crossing his arms. “I helped you run the Virtue. I know what places like that need.”
“If you fail, he’ll kill you.”
Conall snorted. “He won’t.”
“How do you know that?” Terrance took a huge gulp of his juice, some of it catching in the bright ginger beard he’d begun to grow. It looked weird on him because Conall hadn’t seen him grow one before, but it was trimmed neatly and actually suited him. “You’re getting awfully cozy.”
Conall made a face. “Why wouldn’t I be? I’m his pet, Terrance. That kind of means I’d get close to him.”
“You sure you don’t love him?”
“What?” He laughed. “No.”
“Really?”
Conall wanted to smack that smirk off Terrance’s face. “Really.”
“I think you’re full of shit. I’ve never seen you act so…lovingaround anyone before. You’re practically jelly in his arms.” He said the word loving as though it was the dirtiest word in existence, and something akin to shame curled in Conall’s gut.
“So?” Conall snapped, the anger making his blood hot. He breathed deeply through his nose and clenched his jaw so tightly his teeth hurt. “It’s none of your fucking business what happens between me and Sloan.”
Terrance raised his eyebrows. “Why are you getting defensive?”
“Is that why you brought me out here, to criticize me about what’s going on between me and Sloan as though you hadn’t practically gifted me to him six months ago?” Conall shoved himself off the railing. “What I have with him isn’t any of your business, Terrance, and I’m about to be your boss, so maybe you should show some respect.”
