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“But you didn’t, so now you say ‘Yes, Daddy’ and let me do what needs to be done to protect you.”
He saw the moment she gave in. Everything about her seemed to soften, from her expression to the way she all but melted against him with a sigh. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Good girl. I hope you mean that, because if your phone is dead or not on your person at any given time, or if you try to give your security the slip, I will punish your naughty little bottom inside and out. Am I perfectly understood?”
“I’m going to need a little more detail before I agree to this.”
“If you break any of the rules I’ve just laid out for you, I will not only take my belt to that gorgeous ass of yours until it’s striped and welted from top to bottom, I will also fuck your tight little asshole so hard you’ll remember your punishment with every step you take. Is that detailed enough for you, little girl?”
This time when she spoke the words, her eyes glittered with desire and her voice was thick with it. “Yes, Daddy.”
ChapterSixteen
For about the hundredth time since the ceremony, he gave silent thanks that Maggie had forced him to take the extra time off to get his affairs in order. And if anything, he might need to take the rest of next week, as much as it grated.
Seated in the corner booth at a charming little coffee shop almost an hour outside of the city, he sipped his latte and scanned the people passing by for anyone who seemed even remotely out of place. Which was admittedly difficult so close to the nation’s capital, as it was swarming with tourists on a normal day. Add in his recent swearing in ceremony and the various appearances he’d been expected to make, and it seemed like the city was busier than usual.
A familiar face appeared in the crowd and he couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as he rose to greet his oldest friend. Although they hadn’t seen each other in years, Cyrus skipped the handshake and pulled the other man in for a fierce, brief hug.
“It’s good to see your ugly face.” Taking his seat opposite Cyrus, Cole Brennan smirked, obviously pleased with his jab. “Being the master pawn looks good on you.”
“I’ve missed you, too.” And he had. Growing up, they’d been as close as brothers. Closer, if Cyrus’s relationship with Adrian was anything to go by. “How is your family?”
“Good. But I have a feeling you didn’t call me up out of the blue and ask me to drive an hour and a half out of my way just to play catch up when we could have just as easily met in the city.”
“As annoyingly perceptive as ever,” Cyrus murmured, lifting his mug to his lips and sipping the too-sweet coffee. “I have a favor. One I’m willing to pay for, of course, but it’s…personal.”
Cole straightened in his seat, everything about his demeanor shifting to that of a man on alert. “What’s going on?”
“Adrian is in town.”
Both of Cole’s eyebrows winged up toward his hairline. “What does that asshole want?”
“I don’t know, yet. I’m assuming it has something to do with the Guild since he just showed up yesterday after the ceremony.”
“That tracks. You think he’d come after you if you don’t play ball?”
“No. You, better than anyone, know that’s not how my family works.”
“Yeah.” Surprisingly, there was no bitterness in his tone, despite Cole having plenty of reason to hate Cyrus and his family.
As teenagers, he and Cole had run wild in New York, making trouble wherever they could find it. Harmless pranks, mostly, and Cyrus’s parents were always happy to get them out of a jam here and there. Until the night they’d stolen a car and taken it for a drunken joy ride.
It wasn’t even so much that they’d stolen a car as it waswhosecar they’d stolen. A business rival of his father’s, the kind of man who wasn’t placated by a half-hearted apology and a wad of money. He’d demanded thatsomeonepay for the crime, so Cyrus’s parents had put the money to another use, paying off the DA and the judge so that the blame fell squarely on Cole’s shoulders despite Cyrus’s protests and insistence that it had been his idea. Nobody blinked twice at forcing a seventeen year old kid from the wrong side of the tracks to choose between a few years in prison or a few years in the military.
Cole had chosen the military. Cyrus had chosen law school, and to remove himself from his family’s circle of influence as much as possible. Even if he’d wanted to stay in New York, his family’s tolerance of his career path wouldn’t have extended to him meddling in their business. And he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if he’d continued to allow them to run their empire right under his nose. Not when he personally knew the name of every dirty cop on their payroll.
So maybe Cole didn’t cling to that bitter hatred, but Cyrus had enough for both of them. And he was damned if he was going to let his family hurt someone else he cared about.
“Who do you think they’ll go for?” Cole’s question yanked Cyrus out of the past and squarely back to the present.
“There’s a woman,” Cyrus said, shaking off the dregs of the memories. “Mina Ouranos. She’s a reporter. We just started seeing each other, but…”
“She’s different.” When Cyrus raised an eyebrow in question, Cole shrugged. “If she was just someone you wanted to bounce on, you’d cut her loose and call it a day. But you’re here, asking me to protect her, so she must be different.”
“You’re annoying when you’re so perceptive.”
“Comes with the territory, old friend. You can’t do the job I do without picking up on the little things.” Cole’s smile was more than a little smug. “And just because we haven’t talked in a dozen or so years doesn’t mean you’ve changed that much. What exactly are you looking for?”
