Page 31 of Devil's Deal

Thank you for an amazing night and for trusting me. I’ve got your back, quirky Cory. I promise you that. I’ll be working late tonight, so I probably won’t see you, but if you need me, call. ~Bosley

Underneath, he left his cell phone number. Did I trust him? I did. But I didn’t have time to dwell on him when I had a hotel to run.

There were no messages on my phone, so I assumed everything was running smoothly. The ladies at the desk this morning were pros, so if they hadn’t reached out, then there’d been no more trouble. After a hasty shower, I got dressed, ran down the flight of stairs to the elevator, and pushed the button. As the glass box slid up, Everest beamed at me.

“Good morning, Mr. Letterman. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you come down this late. You look well rested, too.”

“Good morning, Everest. I feel good. I guess I really needed the sleep.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I imagine. I just took Mr. Taylor down, too. Usually, you boys are up and have already hit the gym before I come in. Guess he was tired, as well.”

I felt my cheeks warm as he winked at me. Since he’d taken us up to the third floor last night, he knew darn well that Bosley was the reason for my tardiness this morning. I fought to keep the grin off my face, but it was impossible.

The sex had been fantastic, but the aftermath had been even better. I’d been surprised he didn’t hightail it right out of the room after we were done, and I was glad he hadn’t. I’d never thought I’d want to share a bed with another man, but…there was something about Bosley. He made me feel wanted. He made me feel safe. I shouldn’t need that, but I did.

Wanting to change the subject, I said, “Everest, you really don’t have to work such a long day.”

He straightened. “No, I enjoy being here. I like to make sure I’m available for the guests when they’re bringing their stuff down, and I don’t like to leave until after the big wave of them checking-in in the evening.”

“But your wife. I’m sure she misses you during the day.” The reality was, I appreciated how much time he spent here. He took Monday and Tuesday off as they were our slowest days, but since I didn’t have another elevator operator, I knew we were in good hands with Everest on our busier days.

“Ha. One of my granddaughters stays with Maddie during the day. Those two have a good ol’ time without me there.”

“If you’re sure,” I said.

“You’re a good man, Mr. Letterman. Don’t you worry about me.”

I stepped off the elevator with a smile. “I’m going to trust you on that.”

He tipped his head at me. “I appreciate that, sir. You have a fine day now.”

I made my way through the lobby toward my office, greeting guests as I went and stopping to help a woman who’d dropped her makeup bag while trying to juggle her other luggage. “Would you like me to help you up?”

She shook her head. “No, I appreciate it. The bellboy offered to help, but I really am fine.” She laughed. “It’s my own fault. I tried answering my phone.”

I chuckled, and with a smile still on my face, I continued on my way. It wasn’t until I saw Dante standing against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest that all the things proceeding what happened in my bed rushed back to me. It was one thing overhearing and suspecting that my current security were made-men, another thing having it confirmed.

As much as I hated it, despised the thought of one specific Family knowing the ins and outs of my hotel, their presence meant Bosley was still here. I wanted that. Wanted him.Applesauce. I was in so much trouble.

Chapter

Twelve

BOSLEY

Today had beena bust so far. I’d decided to spend a day or two watching each of Nico’s Capos. These two were supposed to be amongst his most trusted men. They each had a territory and soldiers under them to direct. They were the ones who reported to Nico what was going on within his boundaries and with the people under him.

This one, Elio Conte, was a complete waste of space. He hadn’t done anything wrong, per se, but he hadn’t accomplished anything either. He’d taken a couple of his soldiers out for dinner and drinks, then he and his bodyguard had made their way to another bar. An establishment that wasn’t in their territory. I’d been more curious about that, hoping to see something useful, or at least halfway interesting, but they’d only gotten more loaded.

What would Cory say? They were zozzeled. I chuckled softly to myself. That quirky boy.

Conte’s bodyguard ended up so inebriated that he’d put him in anUberand sent him on his way. The dipshit didn’t leave once his protection was gone but walked back into Buccelli territory without even realizing I was following him. What an idiot. I’d spent the last half-hour sitting outside a dive bar waiting for him to come out. I’d be tempted to stab myself in the eye if this guy ended up being into public displays of affection. No one needed to see that—ever.

The worst part about this lack of action was that my mind kept circling back to Cory. Perfect Cory. Quirky Cory. The man who occupied all of my thoughts. It wasn’t ideal. This was so far from good that I’d call it disaster. I didn’t get involved in relationships. I didn’t crush on men. I fucked hard, quickly forgetting names and faces afterward when I went on to my next assignment.

When I needed a break to keep from losing myself, I headed to a formalized Daddy-boy weekend to save myself from entanglements. It was the only opportunity I gave myself to be soft and tender with another human. In that structured environment, that was fine because it had a beginning, middle, and end. This thing with Cory was already more complicated than that.

If he hadn’t told me last night that the security I arranged for him was only welcome as long as I was there to supervise, I’d have packed up my duffel bag this morning and made a run for it. I slept in the guy’s bed, for fuck’ sake. What had I been thinking? I knew, though. I’d wanted to keep him safe, make sure that he had a full night’s sleep. I hadn’t expected to follow him into dreamland where he smiled sweetly and begged for me as his Daddy. What was even more surprising than that I’d dreamed, was they’d all been about Cory.

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