Page 34 of Dark Knight

"You wouldn't like the way that I train," Hudson said finally. "It'd be better if you asked Theo."

My eyebrows shot up. "Theo?"

"I didn't think you'd be the type to judge a book by its cover." Hudson cocked an eyebrow at me and flicked his damp t-shirt over one shoulder before reaching out and gripping my chin with his thumb and forefinger. He ran his thumb across my lower lip, making my breath hitch. "I mean, if I judged you by the way you look, I would think you're as sweet as cherry pie, but you're a vicious little thing underneath it all, aren't you? You liked it when I used you in the office. Is that what you want to be? Do you want to be a good little slut for me? Open that mouth whenever I ask you to?"

My breath was coming faster and faster as the words seemed to boggle my mind. Did I want that? I didn't know the answer. Maybe I wasn't comfortable with it yet, but Hudson just grinned down at me before dropping his hand. "Maybe next time. Seriously, though, if you do want to learn self-defense, then you should talk to Theo. He's good at that shit, and he's a good teacher. If I tried to train you, we would probably just end up fucking on the gym floor after I'd given you more bruises than you could count. That would just piss Dylan off."

I nodded my head in what felt like a sharp, jerky motion. I was more than a little flustered by him.

As if he could see the hesitation on my face, Hud added, "If Theo refuses, then obviously I'll train you or whatever, but you should ask him first."

"Okay." I managed the two syllables, but somehow it sounded like a breathy moan at the same time. The heat of my reaction climbed my cheeks and I knew I was blushing.

Hudson just smiled again before turning around. "Good to know you like dirty talk, sweetheart. I'll keep that in mind for next time."

He disappeared down the hallway while I stood rooted in place, my legs refusing to move while my whole body felt like it was pulsing with anticipation. He kept saying next time like it was a guaranteed thing, and I couldn't help but agree with him. Whatever was happening between us, I couldn't deny that we had chemistry together. I liked what he did to me, the way he made me feel. Not just when we were in the office, but when we were in the dressing room as well.

After a moment, I smacked my face with my hands, trying to break myself out of the stupor I'd fallen into. I headed to the end of the hallway, intending to turn left to go and work out now instead of napping. I could at least go for a walk on the treadmill.

It had been so long since I had done any kind of movement with my body outside of our office escapades that I felt like I needed to start or my muscles would just disappear. I’d never been particularly strong to begin with, but I didn't want to lose what I had left after Sampson's kidnapping. I was still trying to get my food intake back to normal, so it made sense that I was weaker as well, which was something I wanted to change.

It was the sound of voices that halted me in my tracks, though it was Theo's specifically that stopped me. I turned toward them and found myself edging toward Dylan's office. The big wooden door with its hand carved panels and fancy gold handle was ajar. I knew if the conversation was something that couldn't be overheard, the door would be shut and I wouldn't have been able to hear a damn thing. I didn't feel quite so bad lingering outside. I didn't want to eavesdrop, but my curiosity got the better of me, at least when I heard Lyric's name.

Theo was more riled up than I'd ever heard him. "She's the heir to the Sterling family. Going after her, looking for information on her, is just asking for trouble. We shouldn't be doing it."

"It's not going to cause trouble if you're just looking into what happened to her," Dylan's voice was one of calm reassurance.

"This is a fucking land mine, and you know it. It's a land mine made up of shit. As soon as we step on it, we're going to get shit on ourselves, and it's going to blow up around us. That's what the Stirling family does." Theo was almost pleading with Dylan as he alternated between anger and clearly trying to get his boss to see reason.

Dylan sighed before he said, "Technically, she isn't the heir anymore. She is the head of the Sterling family. Simon Sterling is dead, and since the other sisters are dead as well, she's all that's left. Rumor is she's got herself a merry little band of boyfriends protecting her. I want to know who, and I want to know what the situation is. I don't think she's dead since Sampson is, but we need confirmation."

"You better not be doing this just for some girl." I wished I could see Theo's face when he said that. I was sure it would be contorted in disgust.

"She's not just some girl. She's a bargaining chip. If Lyric is still alive, like I think, and they really were roommates and friends, then it can help us come to good terms with the Sterling family and, by extension, the Leonardi family. If we can get the Leonardi family to come to the table to talk to the O'Sullivan family, then we could create a strong front against the Sidorov family.

“The more we can stabilize territories in the area and businesses, the healthier the area will be. You might think that this is a shit storm waiting to happen, and it very well could be, but there's also the possibility of a pot of gold at the end of this fucking storm. Do as I've asked and don't piss me off any further." Dylan was clearly getting more than a little irritated with Theo, and it made me wonder just how far Theo would push him.

"You know I'm not trying to piss you off. There's just something about that girl I don't trust. She shouldn't be here. She needs to go back to where she came from."

Silence fell for a moment. "What do you know about where she came from?"

"Nothing," Theo said entirely too quickly, which was unsettling. "I just know that she's not part of this world. She doesn't know anything about our lifestyle and what we do. You think if we told her that Hud was a fucking serial killer, she would just go bake cookies? She'd flip the fuck out.

“I stumbled into this world. I didn't mean to. I didn't know what I was doing, which means I know how overwhelming it can be. She is clearly delicate. She needs to be looked after or some shit. We are not equipped to do that. Our world is not equipped to do that. All I'm saying is that we shouldn't be catering to her when she shouldn't be staying in this world any longer than necessary."

"I took her. Do you understand that? Somebody paid money for her, and I took her. I stole her from underneath them purely to piss them off. You think the Ricci family is going to just let that go? Yes, they are only a subfamily, but that doesn't matter if we piss them off enough. It'll piss off the Leonardi family, and that could start a clan war.

“That's not exactly what I want, but Luca always seems to take what I'm looking for before I can get my hands on it. This time it's my turn. She's not just some debt. Yes, she could be, but she's also a bargaining chip, and in case you were wondering, she's also fantastic at giving head." All the irritation had left his voice, and he seemed amused.

Sometimes I wondered if Dylan knew how quickly his moods changed. Looking at him I would imagine he'd be stoic, completely unaffected by those around him. But when it came to Hud and Theo, that wasn't the case.

"I wasn't wondering. Thanks," Theo said.

Dylan chuckled. "I mean, would it kill you to try it? I'm not saying you have to fall in love with the girl, but maybe if you know what it feels like, it might encourage you to get out a little more. And I don't just mean with your band. Playing instruments with a bunch of dudes is fine. Don’t get me wrong, I'm glad you have that, but you need to find other ways to relieve stress as well. Sex is a fantastic thing to help with that."

"Why will you and Hud not leave that topic alone? I've told you to just drop it how many times?" The irritation in Theo's voice was rising, and I couldn't help but wonder what it looked like when he was angry.

"We just want you to be happy, man. That's all it is."

---