Page 19 of Bastard Prince
“Yeah,” he sighed. “It’s this annual thing for business owners in the city. It’s supposed to be about networking and shit, but it’s really just a chance for the rich assholes to dress up and see who is the richest asshole.”
“Sounds delightful,” I said flatly.
“Sure,” Lexi chimed in. “If you like assholes.”
“I don’t like assholes,” Enzo replied. “But, Iaman asshole, so I gotta go to this every year and remind them who’s the assholiest asshole of them all.”
“Wow,” I deadpanned. “That’s a lot of assholes.”
“Fuck, yeah, it is.” Enzo turned to look at me, the scowl on his face slowly melting back to his usual smirk. “But don’t worry, baby. You’ll knock ‘em dead.”
“Me?” I stared at Enzo. “Why me? I want nothing to do with this whole thing.” I shook my head. “I’m not going.”
“Yeah, babe. You are.” Enzo prowled over to me, his dark eyes full of mischief as he looped one arm around my waist, his large hand gripping my ass hard. “You’re going with me because I need you there to distract all those lecherous bastards while I talk them out of their money.” He tossed me a sexy smirk that had likely been used to divest many folks of their hard-earned cash over the years. “You’re going with me because now that this thing is official, it’s important for people to know you’re mine and that fucking with you will cost them more than they are willing to part with. And,” he added, yanking me tight against his body, where I could feel the hardness of his cock pressing against me, “you’re going with me because I want to take my wife out on the town, dressed to kill, and likely willing.” Enzo finished his statement by pressing his lips to my neck, and I melted against him, his warm lips feathering against my rapidly increasing pulse.
“Well, when you put it like that,” I said breathlessly, and Lexi snorted.
“See?” she said, laughing under her breath. “Committed.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, too. There was something fantastic about a super possessive Enzo, something that made me want to do dirty, reckless things.
“Lexi,” Enzo suddenly snapped, turning to face her but not letting go of my ass. “I’m giving you a job.”
“Another?” she whined. “Sure, because who the hell needs sleep, right?”
“You’ll like this one, I promise.”
“Alright, boss man. Fire away.”
Turning to look at me, Enzo gave me a look that told me that whatever he was about to say, Lexi might love, but I was certain to hate.
“I think my wife,” he said slowly, “will be needing a new outfit for this event. Why don’t you take her shopping?”
And as Lexi cackled beside me, I curled my lip in disgust, because Enzo was right; I would definitely hate that.
CHAPTER FIVE
Enzo
I was running late.
And that pissed me the fuck off.
After two shitty days of trying to hire a new operations manager and wading through a sea of under-qualified women who seemed to think that a job opening at my place meant an opening in my bed as well, I had finally settled on a guy named Ryker. Stupid name, but he seemed like he had his shit together, so that was all that mattered. He wasn’t some young, fresh outta school kid, and I could see in his eyes that he was driven and hungry to prove himself, which was what what I really needed in a new hire. I didn’t have time to be holding someone’s hand, not with all the shit going down outside my usual day-to-day.
That didn’t mean I was just gonna throw him completely into the deep end either. I had spent most of Monday and all of today going over details and trying to get him up to speed, all while the guy took notes like a mad man. I had half a dozen clubs and businesses, withSin Citybeing the biggest of them all, so that was where I started him. It was a little bit trial by fire, but Ryker didn’t seem at all concerned, so I left him to it.
And that left me late for the stupid Business Gala bullshit. Not that I minded being late to that shit-show; those rich fucks didn’t want me in their circle anyway, so what did I care if they were insulted by my inability to follow their schedule?
No, what really pissed me off was that I was so late, I couldn’t pick Francesca up from the house like I had wanted. Instead, I had driven myself to the event after I finished atSin City,and now, I was pacing outside the venue while I waited not-so-patiently for her to arrive.
I didn’t recognize this version of myself—this man who constantly thought about someone else. But with Francesca, I had no choice, she was in the forefront of my mind every waking moment, and more than a few non-waking ones. Even my fuckin’ dreams had been consumed by thoughts of her, and more than once I had found myself waking in the night with a ragin’ hard on and a desperate need to touch her, to feel her beside me, under me, and around me.
It was fuckin’ insane, but I didn’t want it to end.
My pacing was halted when a long black limo pulled up at the curb, slowing to a stop at the pretentious red carpet some douchebag had ordered, like the wealthy people of Las Vegas were goddamned celebrities or some shit. Jogging down the stairs, I reached the sidewalk just as the driver was opening the door, and I froze when her slender leg appeared as she exited the car, the sexy as fuck high-heeled shoe accentuating her calf muscles.
Taking the drivers offered hand, Francesca stood the rest of the way out of the back seat, and my breath caught at the sight of her, my feet stumbling as her beauty stunned me once again.
