Page 43 of Extradition (Mobsters + Billionaires 1)
I’m not a religious man, but God, do I want to worship at the altar of his ass.
“Sir, you rang?”
I nearly jump out of my skin. “Grayson! You scared me,” I exclaim, turning bright red.
“Ah, yes, sir. I didn’t mean to frighten you while you were…concentrating.”
I turn to my loyal employee, whose eyes are also appreciating Joe’s assets. I wait till I have his attention, then purse my lips. “Do you have everything set up?”
His mischievous smile shouldn’t put me in a better mood, but it does. “Yes, sir. If you and Mr. Portelli are ready, I can take you through my entrance to the commoner’s elevator.”
“You know, if you’re going to openly sass me, you might as well just use my first name all the time.”
“Certainly, Rand. And if I may make a suggestion, I believe that Sherry’s level of sass also garners her full-time first-name status as well.”
Joe lets out a rude guffaw, and I gesture between him and Grayson. “This is your fault, you know. You’ve infected Grayson with your Brooklyn attitude.”
Joe drops into his thick accent. “Hey, yo. Grayson, baby, ain’t nothing wrong with getting a little Brooklyn in you every once in a while, you feel me?”
Grayson bows his head, barely managing to hold back laughter. “Yes, Joe. I shall keep that in mind.”
I throw up my hands. “It’s a world gone mad. Grayson, can you please just help me sneak out of my own building?”
“Of course.”
We follow Grayson through the service door, and Joe chuckles. “That at least solves the mystery of how Grayson appears out of nowhere.”
Grayson grins. “I have my ways,” he says, leading us down a flight of steps to a typical apartment hallway.
I hold my finger to my lips then point to the second door on the right. “Edgerton’s apartment,” I whisper under my breath.
Joe’s eyes sparkle with mischief and he gives me a thumbs-up.
We make it to the elevators and head down to the lobby, joined by two other people along the way. The private elevator is nice in theory, but after meeting two lovely neighbors I’ve never ever met before, I wonder if I’ve been in too much of a bubble in general.
I’m a little nervous about this next part because Grayson has to distract the building’s security personnel. Joe and I stay in the elevator vestibule while Grayson saunters up to the security guard on duty.
Grayson knows how to saunter?
Before I can puzzle on that for too long, I watch as he leans into his accent, cracking a joke. The guard laughs uproariously, and when Grayson places a delicate hand on his arm, the world could end around them, and that man wouldn’t notice.
Joe and I silently slip past them and quickly make our way across the street, aiming for the closest entrance to the park. Within moments, we’re surrounded by nature, and the sounds of the city fade into the background.
Joe turns to me, laughing. “Who knew Grayson had game?”
“Game? No. Grayson is a gentleman. That security guard, though…he definitely has a thing for Grayson, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, he has a thing because Grayson is flirting with him.”
“He is not. You take that back. Grayson does not flirt. He’s English, for God’s sake.”
Joe laughs, his hand landing on his chest. “Whatever, boss.”
I linger over the veins on the back of his hand, then remember to respond. “Grayson is loyal, I’ll have you know. He would not sully himself with the help.”
Joe pushes my shoulder. “Grayson is the help.”
“You take that back! You take it back right now. He is not the help. He’s Grayson. My life would fall apart without him.”
