Page 120 of Filthy Dirty Dom

"Alex?" Leslie's voice broke through his introspection. "Is everything okay? Did I... did I upset you?"

He shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "No, Leslie. Quite the opposite," he admitted. "You give me something no one else ever could. Mia once told me that she already had monsters around her, and she didn't need one in her bed. It hurt me. And maybe she was right to imply I was a monster given what I later did—”

“You’re not a monster!” Leslie snapped.

“I said maybe, baby girl, but you didn’t let me finish.”

She narrowed her eyes at him and waited.

“I was going to say, maybe I was monster given what I later did, but maybe not, Maybe I’m not a monster because you make me feel human, accepted, loved..."

It was true. She didn't see a monster in him, but a man who was complex, who had desires that may not conform to the societal norm, yet was worthy of love and acceptance.

Leslie's eyes were suddenly bright with tears. "Alex," she murmured, her voice choked with emotion. "I want to give that to you. I want to be that person for you."

“You are, Sunshine. You—”

A knock sounded on their door.

Frowning, Alex kissed Leslie’s forehead. “Let me see who that is. I’ll be right back.”

He quickly threw on his clothes then opened the door. It was one of the monks he’d gotten used to seeing around. He held out a cell phone. “Excuse me, Mr. Samuels. But you have a call.”

A call? Who the fuck would be calling him? No one was supposed to know he was here.

“Thank you,” Alex said as he took the phone. He stepped back into the room, shut the door, then held the phone up to his ear. “Hello?”

“Alex, it’s Luca.”

Alex was instantly hit with a sense of foreboding, a gut feeling that Luca was about to confess something horrible. Bracing himself, he pressed the phone against his ear, ready for whatever news awaited him on the other end of the line.

"How did you know where I was, Luca?"

He looked up when he saw Leslie, still wrapped in a towel, standing close by, her expression cautious. Get dressed, he mouthed, and she nodded, then scrambled to do as he said even as she kept shooting glances back at him.

“You know I always find a way, Alex,” Luca said.

Fuck. That wasn’t good. Because if Luca had found them…

"It’s good to hear your voice,” Luca continued.

"What happened on Caris, Luca?”

"I'm sorry about that. A faction of my men betrayed me. Held me hostage. But I’m free now, back where I belong. Even better, I've made a deal with the Russians.”

The revelation was a blow. A deal with the Russians? The ones hired by Pearson and Anderson?

"The politicians you helped take down are still in jail and are no longer a problem," Luca added, his words triggering a sense of triumph within Alex now. “You and Leslie can safely return to New York."

55

Alex was stunned by Luca’s assurance that it was safe for he and Leslie to return to New York. Could it really be over, just like that? It all seemed too surreal.

"Are you sure we’re safe? You trust the Russians?" he finally managed to ask. Leslie, now dressed, rushed to his side.

"In this, yes, I trust them.”

He nodded at Leslie and relief swept over her features. He reached out and took her hand.

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