Shiver of Deception (Soul of the Sinner- Book 5) Read online

  I didn’t want another drink; I needed to get the hell out of here and away from Oliver. It didn’t feel right being here with him. I didn’t like how he was looking at me, and I didn’t trust myself if he kept looking at me like that.

  “No,” I answered as I pushed away from the table, and Oliver stood. He insisted on walking me to my car, which was parked a block away. The club was in downtown Chicago, and I refused to pay to park at the parking ramp.

  His movements were swift, full of grace and virility. I stole a few glances at him as we walked down the crowded street. Oliver remained silent the entire way, even when I caught him stealing a few glances of his own.

  “I am right over there.” I pointed toward my car and Oliver’s eyes grew openly amused. He shook his head decisively when we finally got to my smart car, his mouth twitching with amusement.

  “Do you have an issue with my car?” I leaned my head back and gazed into his dark eyes

  “I have an issue with you parking blocks away. We have reserved parking behind the club. Park back there from now on. I don’t want you walking this far by yourself. EVER.” Oliver’s lip trembled with the need to smile as he looked between me and my cherry red smart car.

  “Okay, I’ll park there tomorrow,” I whispered.

  “Bryn…” he whispered as he moved closer to me and leaned to whisper in my ear.

  “Hmmm,” I replied smelling the gin on his breath.

  “I do have a little problem with this damn car, too. Actually, I think my problem is bigger than this damn car.” He nodded and chuckled at me.

  I stiffened at his comments, not to mention at how close he was standing. I thought he was going to kiss me, and I think I wanted him to. Pulling away from him, I opened the door and fell into the driver’s seat as Oliver watched, and I raised my chin with a cool stare in his direction.

  I couldn’t help but watch Oliver in the rear-view mirror as I drove away. This man was going to be trouble; I could feel it in my bones.

  Oliver

  “I am originally from Kansas.” I kept replaying the words and the way she turned away from me. Everyone has a tell of when they are lying; I already had Bryn’s figured out.

  Alex was in my office showing me pictures of his kids and hadn’t noticed I had stopped listening ten minutes ago. I love his kids like they are my own, but my mind was preoccupied with the sexy ass bookkeeper I had hired two months ago.

  “I need a background check as soon as possible.” I shuffled through some papers impatiently.

  “Who do you need It on?” Alex asked, and I didn’t want to answer, but I knew I didn’t have any other choice.

  “Bryn Dorsey.”

  Alex laughed. “Are you fucking kidding me? You hired that girl, you let her see the books, and NOW you want a background check?”

  “I don’t need a lecture or your advice, Alex. I just need the damn background check.”

  Alex grinned and straightened his shoulders. “Why do you need one? She’s been here for two months and now you want to check her out?”

  I pinched my bottom lip, realizing that Alex was right. Bryn had been here for two months, and with each passing day, I grew more suspicious of her. She was smart, beautiful, and she had a wicked sense of humor. I can’t count how many times I’d had to jack myself off in the bathroom to relieve myself of some of the tension she’d caused me. I wanted her more than I had wanted any woman. I just couldn’t get past the Kansas lie that she told me.

  “I am originally from Kansas.” I know bullshit when I hear it. She turned away from me when she said it. I had even asked her questions about Kansas, and she failed miserably with the answers.

  Bryn never looked me in the eye when she lied or was hiding shit. It happened when I asked her anything about her family or what she did during her three-year break from working. I had always been a good judge of character, and I knew she was hiding something. I doubted it would affect the club, but I had to make sure. There was too much to lose.

  My head whipped back to Alex as he snapped his fingers at me.

  “Are you still with me, Oliver?” He snapped them again.

  “Snap your finger at me again and I’ll break the damn things off and feed them to you.” My brows narrowed in a straight line, and Alex held his hands up in a surrendering posture.

  “Do you think she’ll need to disappear?” His eyebrows rose a fraction.

  “No, I don’t think it’s anything like that. Just do it, Alex. Fuck!”

  “Okay, is she from here in Chicago?” He drew his lips in thoughtfully.

  “She said she’s from Kansas.”

  “I’ll get the information for you.” He nodded. “I will always have your back, Oliver,” Alex reminded me.

  A few hours after Alex left my office, there was a knock on the door. I glanced at the clock and knew who was standing on the other side. Bryn always came in at the exact same time, and she still always knocked before entering my office.

  I guess she wouldn’t need to knock if I would work the hours I should. I’d been coming in early since Bryn started. I needed to spend a few hours with her, almost like I needed to breathe. She came in at ten, and I made sure I was here by three. She gathered the books and worked in the bar, despite me asking her to stay in the office. When she was done, she brought everything back to the office where I waited to see her.

  She walked in and smiled, and my cock immediately stiffened.

  I hadn’t been with a woman since Bryn started working here. I’d tried… several times. I just couldn’t go through with it. They were primed and ready, but my mind always was thinking about Bryn. They just couldn’t compete with what I felt for her. I would touch them and think about Bryn’s eyes or Bryn’s lips. I even called one of the girls Bryn, and that ended things quickly.

  “Hey.” I exchanged a smile with her then shook my head. “You know you don’t have to knock each time, don’t you?” I teased. She broke into a wide, open smile and my cock grew even harder.

  “I can’t just walk in. What if you had company?”

  “Company?” My mouth twitched.

  “Yes, company. Adele filled me in on what goes on in these offices. I almost think I need to disinfect your desk before using it.”

  “Adele told you that I fuck in my office?” My eyebrows shot up in surprise.

  “Are you denying it? She said it always sounded impressive.” A smile trembled over her lips.

  I slowly inched closer to her and touched her trembling lip with one finger. “You’ll find out soon enough, Bryn.” Leaning down, I slowly curled my fingers in her hair.

  “Oliver,” she whispered.

  My heart was racing. I could feel the sweat dripping down my spine. I wanted this woman so fucking bad it hurt. The professional thing for me to do would be to pull away from her and keep her at arm’s length. I knew that was the only answer to any of this, but I wasn’t moving.

  “Why were you talking about me with Adele? I am right here and always available to you… for anything you need or want. All you have to do is tell me what you want.” My free hand moved recklessly to her neck. She placed her hand on my forearm. I whispered, my breath hot against her ear, “Tell me what you need, baby. Tell me exactly what you want from me. Do you want me to fuck you in this office? Do you know how much I want to taste your pussy?” Her eyelashes fluttered against my cheek. I felt her tense as her body was suddenly pressed against mine. Her trembling limbs clung to me.

  I moved my leg so that it was between hers and stared into her eyes. I felt like I could almost see her soul. She put her arms around my neck, pulling me closer. This was the moment I had been waiting for. I was about to take her until someone knocked on the damn door.

  Bryn pulled her arms away from me with a shocked, unsettled look on her face. She’d gotten lost in the moment. She turned her eyes away from me and toward the floor. Reluctantly, we parted a few inches, and I tried to make her look at me but she wouldn’t. I needed to address this with
her, but the knocking didn’t stop.

  I practically stomped to the door and yanked it open to a smiling Adele. She walked inside and glanced between me and Bryn, who looked flushed as she stared at the floor.

  “Am I interrupting something?” Adele asked, staring at Bryn.

  “No,” Bryn answered so fast my head whipped in her direction.

  “What did you need, Adele?” I snapped at her and her eyes widened. I’d have to apologize for it later, but damn, if she could have waited ten minutes before knocking on my door, I’d have been ramming myself into Bryn’s pussy.

  “I thought Bryn would need this, and there is someone to see you downstairs.” She held up the cash slips from the previous night. I nodded and walked out of my own office, leaving them alone. I didn’t know who was waiting for me, but I hoped I could get rid of my pissy mood before I reached them.

  Bryn

  “What did I interrupt up here, Bryn?” Adele snickered.

  I fell against the desk, moving the papers aside. I went poker-faced as I answered. “Nothing.” I could hardly lift my voice above a whisper.

  I could tell Adele didn’t believe me. Why should she? I was lying through my teeth. Something major happened between me and Oliver. If she wouldn’t have knocked on the door, I would probably be lying across his desk letting him fuck me. I couldn’t figure out how I’d let him get to me.

  Oliver was dangerous and the last thing I needed. He carried himself with a commanding air of self-confidence as he walked toward me. The way he studied me when his hands touched me, when he said I should tell him what I needed or wanted… My panties were soaked. I don’t know if I needed Oliver, but I sure as hell wanted him.

  On shaky knees, I walked to the other side of the desk while Adele’s suspicious eyes watched me. The room suddenly felt smaller and hotter. I wiped the sweat from my forehead, wondering if the heat was from the temperature or my body’s reaction to Oliver.

  I glanced at the desk and leaned back in the chair thinking about him. I thought of every dirty thing we could do to each other on this very desk. This desk that he had had other women on. I closed my eyes thinking about Oliver with another woman and got sick from the thought. It shouldn’t matter to me, because nothing could happen between us. It couldn’t because I had come too far to let a man affect me this way. It would only cause trouble and make me lose focus. I lost everything once before and I couldn’t risk it again.

  Adele eventually realized that she wasn’t going to get me to talk about Oliver. When I was finally alone, I closed my eyes thinking of how good his hands felt on me. I stirred uneasily in the chair as I glanced at the work that sat in front of me. I closed my eyes, taking one last deep breath before I started to work on what I was here to do.

  I swallowed hard, trying to manage a feeble answer. None of it made any sense; there was too much money here.

  Pressing my cold hands to my cheeks, I looked at the numbers. I knew the club was always packed, but they brought in more money than most small banks. I guess I should be impressed that they did this type of business. I made good money, so I should have known they were raking it in. It also explained why they were so anal about keeping everything separate and when to make the bank deposits. I wanted to make all the deposits at the same time, but Oliver assured me they should always go on separate days and to different banks.

  I closed my eyes and trembled slightly when my mind drifted back to Oliver. I fanned myself at the thought of him. What would it have felt like to touch his lips? His hands were so firm and yet so gentle.

  Get a grip, Bryn. This can’t happen. You must stay focused.

  I managed to sneak out of the club without running into Oliver. I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle it If I did. What would I say to him? What would he say to me? Was it possible to go back to the casual work relationship we had developed? I’d caught Oliver staring at me before, and I was sure he’d caught me doing the same. Did we cross a line that we shouldn’t have? More importantly, could we go back?

  Once the alley door slammed shut, I practically ran to my car. I didn’t want to take any chance that Oliver would notice me leaving. I fell into my smart car and drove to the bank. As casually as I could manage, I focused on the floor as I held on to the bag.

  “I have a deposit.” I passed the bank deposit to the bank teller, who looked sixteen. I always went to the same bank tellers for each of the deposits. The first time I made the deposit, I scanned the lobby. I always went to the bank teller who was the furthest away from the bank cameras. The last thing I needed was to be caught on camera if there was ever a robbery. When the deposit was made, I thanked the teller and put the receipt in the bank bag, making sure to turn away from the camera. Once I was safely back in my car, I pulled off the blonde wig that I always wore for those same cameras.

  It might sound ridiculous that I disguised myself when going into the bank, but I had no other choice. I couldn’t let them find me. If they did, I was dead. I thought they were my family, but they weren’t. I was their prisoner and I managed to escape. They had people everywhere and I couldn’t take the risk. If they found me, I’d have no other choice than to run. I was just so tired. I didn’t want to run forever.

  On the way home, I started to think about him. I felt like I’d betrayed him… the love of my life. At least, I thought he was the love of my life. In all honesty, I don’t even think I really knew him. I could see his green eyes and blond hair, him smiling at me. The man I fell in love with. The man I promised to spend the rest of my life with. When he died, I thought I would never find another man. I thought back to driving home that night and walking into our bedroom. I shuddered when I remembered finding him on the floor… dead.

  He promised me that nothing would happen to him. It was just business, a way to make more money. How could I let myself fall in love with someone like him? He was a criminal, a monster, a mobster. I would never allow myself to make the same mistake again. Now, I could never go home again. I couldn’t. They would find me, and I would never let myself get caught.

  I tossed and turned that night. Most of the night, I stared at the ceiling or the empty walls. I had two men on my mind and I couldn’t have either one of them. I was wide awake when the alarm clock went off. I jumped out of bed, showered, and ate breakfast before it was time to head to the club.

  Adele greeted me at the door asking if I wanted to have lunch with her. I really liked Adele, but I didn’t want the friendship now. I knew how it would work; she’d confide in me and soon would expect me to confide in her. How could I confide in her when all I had were secrets?

  I’m not sure how she talked me into it, but hours later, I found myself at lunch with her. We headed to a steakhouse a few blocks from the club. After the waiter dropped off our waters, Adele smiled at me, tossing her hair over one shoulder. I sat across from her, my fingers tensed in my lap.

  “How do you like working at the club?”

  “I like it,” I answered and wondered why she was asking.

  “You seem to be getting along with Oliver.”

  “Oliver is my boss. I think it’s almost a universal rule to get along with your boss, isn’t it?”

  “It is… but there is something different between you two. We all can see it,” she taunted.

  “You all can see what?” My guard was now up.

  “The way you two look at each other. I think he really likes you. My sister in law told me that he’s not even dating anyone now. Not that he ever really dated, he just had women he screwed. He’s not even doing that!”

  I met her accusing eyes without flinching.

  “Do you keep records on who he’s screwing?”

  “No! You have to understand, Bryn. We are family. We look after each other, and that sometimes means we butt into each other’s personal lives,” she said with easy defiance.

  “I am not family, Adele. I work at the club and that’s it,” I answered in a rush of words.

  Adele boldly met my eyes
before giving me information that I doubted I would forget.

  “When I met Alex, I was on the run. I was hiding from a very abusive man. The last thing I needed was to get involved with him because I didn’t want to get caught.” She chose her words carefully.

  “Why are you telling me this?” I was too stunned to cry.

  “When I look at you, I remember who I was. I can see that you’re hiding from something or someone. If you are, you have to trust someone, Bryn.”

  A soft gasp escaped me. The waiter delivered our food and we ate in silence. I was suddenly anxious to escape from her disturbing presence. I took a deep breath and tried to relax, but it was pointless. When we were finished eating, Adele grabbed the check before I could object. She paid the bill, insisting that she invited me and it was her treat. We walked back to the club in silence.

  “Adele,” I whispered as she reached for the door at the club.

  She turned to me, giving me a small smile.

  “I would really appreciate if you don’t mention your suspicions to anyone. It isn’t true, but I just don’t want anyone looking at me.” The last thing I needed was anyone else asking questions or watching me.

  Adele placed her hand on my arm before cutting me off.

  “I won’t say a word, Bryn. You can trust me.”

  I had no other choice but to trust her. I had a feeling that things were about to get very complicated for me in Chicago.

  Oliver

  It’d been a week since I’d had my hands on Bryn. A week that felt like a lifetime. When I walked into the club, my eyes immediately found her. She was sitting at the bar, her eyes revealing a burning, faraway look in them. I don’t know why, but I had a feeling that her wide-eyed innocence was merely a smokescreen. You don’t last long in this business without being able to read people. It’s a job requirement because, if you trust the wrong person, you can end up dead.