Page 22 of The Apprentice
“You were never interested in that weasel.” I threw my hands up. “You were only concerned about fucking over Sloan by having sex with his pet. Adrian is lucky the boss sent him to Mexico and didn’t kill him.”
“Eh. Sloan was done with him by that point anyway. He was bored and was going to send him away with or without my intervention.” He shrugged. “And Sloan couldn’t kill me, even if he wanted to, little bro. I’m fucking unstoppable, and he knows it.”
“He hasn’t sent Ardan after you yet. You know Ardan’s good at killing.”
Aodhan laughed. “Ardan Murphy is as much of a pussy as Fionn. These ghost stories about him are fucking stupid.”
“Tell that to the hundreds of people he’s killed,” I muttered, taking a step forward. I scratched behind Sinead’s ear, and she perked up, tongue lolling out. Crouching in front of her, I bopped a kiss on her forehead. “You’re a good girl.”
Oona sat up on Aodhan’s other side, head cocked and waiting patiently, and I laughed, rising so I could do the same to her. When I was done giving love to my girls, I left Aodhan in the living room to head up the steel stairs to my bedroom. I went directly into the connecting bathroom and shucked off my shorts before stepping into the shower and switching on the lever.
Hot water shot from the silver showerhead, kneading my sore muscles and shoulders. I leaned forward, resting my forehead against the black tiles that lined the inside of the shower. While I relaxed under the water, I thought back on the morning I’d spent with Fionn. I’d been telling Sloan for a couple of years to give Fionn more control, and only in the last week had Sloan finally let me know Fionn could start making decisions. Sloan had confided in me that with the escalating war with the Reyes Cartel and other gangs and mobs, he needed Fionn to be ready in case anything ever happened to him. It was a sign of a good leader that he was preparing for the worst.
While I hated the idea of Sloan no longer being boss—mostly because that’d mean he was dead—I thought that given the chance, Fionn would shine. He’d learned a lot from Sloan over the many years of his apprenticeship, and I didn’t think he would absorb any more unless it was through real-world experience. By the time Sloan was Fionn’s age, he’d controlled the most powerful mafia in the country. Fionn needed the opportunity to make the same decisions that Sloan dealt with every day.
I grabbed the loofah that hung from a hook on the wall and soaped it up. Running the rough sponge over my aching body, I closed my eyes in ecstasy. There was nothing better than a shower after a hard workout.
Fionn had been perfect today, a boss anyone could respect, even someone as drunk and stupid as Pellegrini. While he’d not directly given us the book we needed, he had told us acrucial piece of information that would help us get it. I hadn’t stayed around for Sloan’s return because I trusted Fionn to give his uncle the rundown of what had happened, and if anyone deserved the praise, it was him. He’d done an amazing job showing his power while not letting the retired detective get anything over him. I believed Fionn was ready, and I’d never been prouder of him than I was today.
Seeing Fionn in his element had done something to me, more so than what his tears had. I didn’t like to put a name to it, but desire swirled inside me the entire time Fionn spoke to Pellegrini. And knowing I was at Fionn’s side, guiding him and instructing him, was another surprising element that turned me on in ways it shouldn’t. I didn’t know why.
What was sexy about controlling a future mob boss?
Everything.
Then, there was Fionn, beautiful and delicate, like a dainty piece of china, but below that porcelain fragility was a leader who demanded loyalty.
Over the years, Fionn had reminded me of Eoin in a lot of ways. From the way he stood, to how he smiled, and even the deep hazel of his gaze, which was why sleeping with Fionn on his eighteenth birthday was an unforgivable act.
Eoin had trusted me and Sloan to take care of his family if anything happened to him... and I had lusted after Fionn instead.
Sleeping with him since then was beyond inexcusable. I repeated the words of shame through my mind every time I let it happen, yet I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to. Fionn was a dangerous obsession for both my physical and mental health. His body called to me, even when I’d convinced myself once again that I couldn’t do this. Eoin would certainly never condone my relationship with Fionn.
I sighed and slapped my hand against the soapy tiles.
Eoin.
I turned my back to the wall and raised my chin, letting the water cascade over my face. I ran my fingers through my hair and grabbed a handful, tugging. Eoin was a man I’d once loved, not that Eoin had ever known. Sloan had no idea, either, and I wanted to keep it that way. Eoin’s death had been a knife in my heart, shattering me in ways I’d never expected. As a result, I’d kept my distance from Fionn for a very long time.
The first time I everreallyspoke to him, Fionn was around sixteen or seventeen, though I couldn’t say what age for certain. From that moment, I was met with strong conversation and a bold personality. He was smart and articulate and reminded me a lot of Sloan, making it easy for us to get along. I was the only one Fionn was nice to, even back then.
“Fuck.” I opened my eyes and tickled my fingertips across my abs, heading downward toward my twitching cock. The thought of Fionn, with his tight hole, was enough to send every ounce of blood rushing south.
I grabbed a bottle of conditioner and tipped some into my hand before replacing it on the shelf and wrapping my palm around my cock. I stroked and leaned back against the wall, thinking about the night that started our sexual relationship. Fionn had looked beautiful, an innocent bird in a room of predatory carnivores searching for who to devour next.
Fionn’s 18thBirthday Party
Gentle music vibrated from the massive speakers in the corners of Sloan’s formal dining room, which he’d cleared out to make space for a large group of guests. The songs playing were traditional Irish music with fiddles that had me scrunching mynose up in distaste. I’d always preferred a good old rock song, with deep, rough vocals and a thumping bass.
I stood beside Jamie Shannon—who was working his way up the Company ladder—near the right side of the room, a beer in each of our hands. We were watching Ardan Murphy, assassin extraordinaire, by the refreshments bar as he sipped Coke timidly. Once upon a time, not too far in the past, he would’ve been downing alcohol, but Sloan had stepped in after a mistake that nearly cost Ardan his life. Even though we were both staring at Ardan, Jamie had been jabbering about the Exotic Virtue and some guy he saw there.
“So, the Virtue’s run by these two wee brothers, right? The youngest, can’t remember his name if I’m being honest, has an arse like this.” He waved his hands in the shape of an hourglass. “I told the boss about him. Said he was sexy. Boss said he might have to visit there one day and see for himself.”
“Mm-hmm.” I wasn’t interested in some guy from the Virtue or what Jamie had to say about his ass. Jamie had a lot to say about everyone’s ass, and it wasn’t anything new.
“Shite. This is some birthday. Though can’t say this is the kind of music I had at any of my parties.” Jamie laughed, taking a sip of his beer. I had long forgotten about my own, not really interested in drinking, even though I’d told Jamie to get me one when he’d gone to the bar. “Do ya remember what ya did for your eighteenth?”
I snorted and grinned. “Fortunately, I got too drunk and forgot most of the night. But I did remember how I woke up.”
