The Enforcer (Men Who Thrill Book 1) (6 page)

“Have you handled that thing we discussed?” Shaughnessy asked after he’d played out his standard routine.

I’d handled a few of his personal problems before, a professional courtesy that the boss extended to him when he requested.

“I’ll get to when I can,” I said impatiently. Shaughnessy’s problems were at the bottom of my list.

“You got it?” he asked, changing topics.

I handed over the bag, which he accepted.

“Thanks, big boy,” he said as he slapped me on the shoulder jovially.

I wanted to break his fucking hand.

“You aren’t earning your money, Shaughnessy,” I said finally, my words clipped with my agitation as I slammed the .44 revolver into his palm.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, quirking a brow with as much curiosity as he was probably able to muster.

“You have people breaking the rules, robbing those who’ve paid like they were supposed to.”

That bushy brow went up higher, and Shaughnessy narrowed his rodent-like eyes on me.

“That trouble last night was you, big boy? You scared those kids pretty bad.”

“Kids,” I spat, not bothering to mask my disgust.

“What’s your interest in that shitty joint?”

I curled a lip in disgust, but quickly got myself under control. “No interest, but if people pay and still get robbed, the whole thing falls apart. And isn’t it your job to make sure that that doesn’t happen?”

“Yeah, but if people
don’t
pay without consequences, the whole thing still falls apart. I’m a nice guy, so I cut them some slack after the change in ownership, but my guys say the new girl has been a little…reluctant with her payments, and I figured a reminder of what happens when you don’t pay rent was in order. You know how it goes,” he said, again slapping my shoulder.

I did, but that didn’t keep me from wanting to break every bone in his fucking body.

“Call of your dogs, Shaughnessy. That place is off-limits.”

The words were growled and barely intelligible, but he got the message and raised his hands and pushed them toward me.

“Fine, whatever you say. Tell her not to worry about the money; it would be a mockery of our friendship if I took money from your lady. I wish I’d known because she could have avoided that unpleasantness.”

He shrugged and then his expression turned lecherous. “I guess a guy your size would like a bigger girl, and I’ll admit, I like to take a poke at a black one from time to time myself.”

He nudged me conspiratorially, and winked, and my hands threaded tight around his throat before I knew it. I squeezed, resisting the temptation to crush his larynx, but just barely.

“Off-limits, Shaughnessy. Forget she even exists,” I said.

He swatted at my wrists, trying to pry my hand away to no effect. I held on, increasing the pressure incrementally as I waited.

“Fine,” he finally choked out.

“Good,” I said, and then I pushed him away.

The other man’s eyes glittered with fear—and rage—as he adjusted his shirt and shooed the others who approached, guns drawn, away.

“Someone should teach you some manners,” he said smoothly, mask back in place in the blink of an eye.

“It won’t be you,” I said, and then I turned and left.

I was five blocks away when my phone rang.

“Shaughnessy called already?” I asked.

“Said I needed to keep my dog on a leash before he got hurt,” the boss said.

“He should do the same,” I said.

“Is this something I should be concerned with?” the boss asked.

“No. It’s handled.”

“Make sure it is,” he said and then hung up.

I blew out a frustrated breath. I’d fucked up, let Shaughnessy, and my concern for April, cloud my judgment, which only proved, as if there was a question, I needed to stay away from her.

Chapter Eight

I lasted three days.

It felt like three years.

Every second without her was torture, the minutes seeming almost unending. I’d been with her only once, but she was in my blood all the same. The awareness that I should leave her alone, take that day that we’d had together and cherish it but keep my distance, fought valiantly against the spirit-deep necessity of seeing her once more.

But it lost.

So despite the awareness, despite my knowledge that there could never be anything between us, and even worse, that being near her would eventually put her in danger, I couldn’t stay away.

And so I returned to the restaurant, calm and happiness so potent that I had to ignore it filling me. I took my usual seat, and April walked over to me and left the plate with pie, fork, and a cup of coffee in front of me. And then she went back to what she’d been doing before I’d entered, turning chairs up onto the tables as she did every night at closing. Nothing about her revealed the fact that we had been so intimately connected so recently. It seemed that to her it had just been another day, and though this was exactly the outcome I’d hoped for, I was annoyed. Pissed off, really. My reaction was unfair, but I didn’t care. I knew our connection wasn’t one-sided, but if April had felt it, she sure as fuck wasn’t showing it.

I alternated between feeling like a fool and being relieved. She was actually doing me a favor, her nonchalance saving me from having to pretend that I didn’t want her. But I was still pissed.

“So you don’t like blackberry?” she said.

I stared down at the untouched pie; I’d been so consumed in my own thoughts I’d completely forgotten it was there.

“Look, April—” I started, but when I glanced up at her, and saw the joy–and desire–that had her brown eyes ablaze, I stopped abruptly.

It was then that I noticed how close she stood, her breasts pressing against my shoulder as I sat. Without saying anything she leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek.

“It’s nice to see you. I was worried I’d chased you away,” she said shyly.

Never
, I wanted to say, but instead I settled on, “I’ve been busy with a work thing.”

The corners of her lips turned up in a way that told me she didn’t exactly believe my story. “That’s okay. I’m just glad you’re here now.”

“April, can I clock out?” a man called from the back.

“The new busboy,” she said at my questioning brow. “Would you mind staying while I finish closing up?”

I shook my head, and she smiled her thanks.

“Go ahead. See you tomorrow,” she called to the busboy.

“Thanks. See you,” the man responded.

“I took your advice,” she said a moment later.

“Good,” I responded, though I was distracted by her softness against me, the gentle expression on her face, the hardness of my cock.

“I’ll try to finish up soon,” she said.

“Take your time,” I responded and began eating the pie.

She laughed as she continued tidying the dining room and moving back and forth between it and the back.

“Can I help?” I asked, realizing I was being rude, something that April might not like, and that, more importantly, at least to my cock, the faster she finished, the faster I’d be inside her if she let me, and how I prayed that she’d let me.

“It’s okay. One last dish and I’m done.”

With that she removed my plate and cup and then headed to the back, reemerging less than five minutes later.

“You ready?” she asked once she’d turned off the lights and locked the door.

“Yes,” I said and then we walked down the block toward her house.

She brushed her hand against me, her fingers catching mine for a moment, the touch sending a shard of desire through me. I tried to look at her surreptitiously, but when I glanced over, my gaze met hers, and she flashed a sly, hot smile that managed to be both shy and full of promise. I returned the smile and then sped up slightly, earning a husky laugh from April.

Though my gaze was still on her, I saw something out of the corner of my eye, and my heart began to pound. I turned quickly and zeroed in on a figure across the street, the few cars that sped down the road not at all obscuring the person. It was Shaughnessy, watching April and I with unmasked interest that trademark smirk on his face. Almost unconsciously, I reached for April, closing my hand around her much smaller one and removing the distance between us, letting my leg brush against hers.

I kept my gaze trained on Shaughnessy until we passed him, the light moment between April and I zapped by his intrusion. I tried to shut Shaughnessy out of my mind, but I was undeniably affected. The ugliness of my world shouldn’t touch her; I wouldn’t let it, and having Shaughnessy, scourge that he was, anywhere near April was unacceptable.

“Here we are,” she said, and I realized that we’d reached our destination.

I hadn’t released her hand the entire time, and I still held it tight as we walked up the porch and entered the house. I finally let it go when she kicked out of her shoes and placed them in that neat row. But then she surprised me by kneeling down in front of me. She pulled one shoe and then the other off my feet and lined them up next to hers, and then she gripped my calves and rested her cheek against my crotch.

She sighed softly and rubbed her face against me and moved her hands up my calves, then up my muscled thighs before she stopped, her hand next to her face and gently covering my cock. Turning, she began to feather light kisses against me through my pants. Her hands followed her lips, and my knees weakened with the onslaught of sensation.

I lifted my hands to grasp her head, and she closed her lips around the ridge of flesh and even through my pants, I felt the heat of her mouth against me. With deftness, she unbuckled my belt, loosened my pants, and pulled them down, the loss of her touch making me grunt with displeasure. From her kneeling position she looked up at me, her eyes swirling with desire, and my heart and cock throbbed in time. I traced my thumb across her lips, lingering at the seam, and I sucked in a breath when she parted them and teased the tip of my thumb with her tongue, closing her lips around it, much as she would have my cock.

She moaned low in her throat, the vibration sending my arousal spiraling out of control. I removed my finger from her mouth and hooked them into the waistband of my boxers and then pulled it down slowly, watching her as she watched me, hunger burning in her eyes. I maneuvered over my erect cock, smiling as her eyes followed it as it smacked against my stomach and then bobbed lightly in front of her.

Slowly, she lifted her hand and grasped me tight, moving her hand up and down the thickness of my shaft, and then swiping a finger across the crown, smearing the fluid that seeped from my slit. She moved closer, the warmth of her breath across my cock making me curl my fists. I curled them even tighter when she exhaled roughly and then kissed my tip and then kissed her way down my shaft. When she reached the root, she circled her tongue around the base of my cock and then worked her way back up my shaft, using her tongue instead of her lips.

Then she circled that sensitive skin where my shaft met my crown, and I moaned out loud. My voice left me when she stroked up the crown with her tongue and delved into my slit, teasing the tiny opening, lapping at the precum that flowed from me. Mercifully, as she grasped my shaft tighter, she closed her lips around me and sucked me in deep.

The hot cavern of her mouth had me bucking my hips, wanting more, needing more. She opened and let me in, and I took over, thrusting my cock into her mouth. Her lips were sealed tight around my shaft, and she rasped her tongue over me as she sucked in a steady rhythm. I reached for her head and stilled her, and she turned her eyes up to me; the sight of her on her knees with my cock stuffed in her mouth was enough to send me over the edge.

I tried to pull back, but she reacted quickly and held my hips to stop me. And when she nodded, I let myself go. The first blast of my cum hit her tongue, and she swallowed it greedily as she did the next and the next. She moaned as I emptied myself into her mouth. As my cock softened, I pulled it from her mouth, feeling satisfaction as I stared down at her swollen lips.

After I’d pulled up my pants and boxers, I put my hands under her arms and lifted her, letting her body rub against mine until she was on her feet. Without my encouragement, she wrapped her arms around my waist and lay her head against my chest.

“Nice to see you too,” I said, and she laughed.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Hours later, April slept beside me, her limbs entwined with mine. I idly stroked her, moving my hands along her body and enjoying the peaceful calm that I realized being with her provided.

That peace was shattered by the quiet vibration of my phone.

I bit off a curse and gingerly moved away from April, answering the phone impatiently.

“Yeah?” I said.

“Meet me in an hour at the club.”

The line went dead, and I bit back another curse.

I returned to the bed and kissed her awake.

“You’re leaving?” she asked groggily.

“I have to work,” I whispered. “But I’ll be back.”

And I would be, as soon as I could.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

I was at the club an hour later as requested, though I was unhappy about it, something that I knew I projected with my stance and the mean expression that twisted my features. I marched to my destination without pausing, paying the thumping music, raised voices, and crush of bodies no attention. Without pause, I walked to the office where the boss managed affairs. I stopped in front of the table where he sat with three others. He inclined his head slightly, and the other men stood and left without a word. I knew all of them, but I didn’t spare them a passing glance.

“Have you handled that thing for Shaughnessy?”

“I’ll get to it,” I said gruffly.

“Good. You are a valuable member of this organization, and I trust your judgment, but you have to let this Shaughnessy thing go.”

“I fucking despise that guy. He’s scum,” I said scornfully.

“Useful scum,” the boss said matter-of-factly.

I couldn’t refute his statement, so I stayed silent.

“Is this Shaughnessy thing going to be a problem?”

He stared at me with hard eyes. I wasn’t afraid; I never was, but I didn’t want to test the limits of his affection for me. He was not a man known for sentimentality, and given Shaughnessy’s value, I doubted he would choose me should he be forced. I didn’t blame him; I would have made much the same decision were I in his shoes. Which is why I never wanted to be in his shoes.