Page 95 of Bitter Lies

A voice I don’t recognize comes through the phone. “Fuck, man. This will take me a while. Lucky for you I brought my amplifier with me, meaning I need silence.”

“Need to take Bear out anyway,” Aiden says, right before he whistles. The clicking of dog nails against the marble quickly follows. “Anything else before I let you go, princess?”

“Nope. I’ll let you get back to work. I should do the same. No reason to give Dr. Grieves any more fuel to fire me.”

“I’ll check in later. Send you a photo of what we find inside. If you’re available, we’ll talk. If not, I’ll catch up with you once you’re off.”

“Don’t forget, I’m meeting with D.C. Sanders once my shift is over.” I’m not looking forward to that meeting. He’s going to ask me things I’m pretty sure I have zero answers for.

“Tell him to fuck off.” Aiden whistles again. “If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll call and reschedule. He should be good to go after our earlier conversation.”

“Do I even want to know?” I swirl my juice around and watch the bubbles rise. “Remember, you promised to keep me in the loop.”

“I haven’t forgotten.” He huffs, his frustration evident in the rough sound. “But some things are better shared in person, not over the phone. Most will need to wait until you get back. Know that I’m on top of it, the arsehole responsible will face justice. I need to go. I need to take this call.”

“Be careful, Aiden.”

His voice grows softer, with a hint of intimacy behind it. “Are you getting attached, princess? Worried about me?”

“Don’t get a big head. It’s more about the stress relief you offer. I’ll need more of that soon. Already feel the tension building in my shoulders, a huge knot of anxiety.” I tease, but deep down, it’s true. I’m worried about him, even though I know he can take care of himself.

“I think I’ll start a tally of how many spankings you’re racking up.” He growls into the line, and it makes my skin break out in goosebumps.

“Please do.” I bite my lip to keep the moan building inside.

“Fuck. I’m going to enjoy reddening your arse, making sure when you sit you’ll feel me for a week. Keep it up, and I’ll have to spank your fanny too.” His words should be a red flag. But all his threats to spank me only make me squirm with need.

“Is that a threat or a promise?” I’m blushing and can hardly believe I’m pushing him.

“A promise. Goodbye.”

The phone beeps as the call ends, and I squeeze my thighs to relieve the pressure he triggered. I’m so damn turned on, and he hasn’t even touched me. That’s never happened before.

Finishing my juice, I stand to toss it in the bin when my phone rings again. My brother’s name flashes across the screen, and I almost ignore it, but then decide it’s better to do this now.

“Hello, Antonio.”

“Our flight’s been delayed. It’ll be tomorrow morning before I can get there.”

I hop up onto the table, knowing this won’t be a quick conversation. “It’s fine. I’m working tonight. HR still needs to approve my leave. I expect that to happen tomorrow morning. I should be back in London by noon. Grandmother’s still in hospital, so I’ll check on her first. Then I’ll check in with Aiden to see if he has any updates.”

“The man who works for the Irish mob?” The judgement in his voice is loud and clear.

“Please don’t.” I close my eyes to steady my anger. “I don’t need a lecture. This is my life. So far I’ve done a decent job at it, right? Try trusting my judgment and quit assuming you’re the expert.”

“Darius is looking into him. I’ll let his report tell me what I need to know.” His next words come gentler. “I’m sorry about Rico. No man deserves to die that way. Darius has men looking into it. We’ll find the person responsible and have them arrested. I’m just glad you weren’t hurt.”

There’s no doubt he’ll do just that. My brother doesn’t mess around when it comes to his family. That’s why Darius Falcon’s company is on retainer—they’re the best.

And that’s the problem.

I don’t want him digging into Aiden, uncovering shit that’ll force me to choose between my family and the man I’m quickly falling for. It would be an impossible choice, one that would shatter what’s left of my heart.

“Thank you. I have to get back to work. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

Just like he’s done since I was a little girl, Antonio ends our call with three simple words. “Love you, sis.”

“Love you, too.”