WOW. I SUCK.
The first time I needed to give my name on my new ID, and I totally choked. I was the worst mobster’s daughter in the history of mobsters’ daughters.
I spun around and faced the door to the room, hoping to hide the panic at my mistake.
Bishop reached around me to slide the keycard into the reader, and the heat from his body radiated against my back. I held my breath, wondering if he’d press against me, and then gave myself a mental slap for even considering it.
He was a perfect stranger. A dangerous stranger. Who found me a place to stay when I would have otherwise been out of luck. It didn’t add up.
But the puzzle of Bishop poofed into a cloud of smoke when he pushed open the door, and I took in the scene before me.
Two women. Naked. One spread-eagle on the bed, and the other licking and sucking a path down her body as her fingers pumped in and out between her legs.
Oh my God. Live porn. Right in front of my face.
I tried to back away but slammed into Bishop’s chest. “Uh, wrong room?” I turned toward him, desperate to get out.
His arm wrapped around my waist, stopping my attempted flight. His chest rumbled as he murmured, “Fucking Leon.”
“Hey, baby. We were wondering when you were going to show up. Don’t worry; I’m getting us both fired up for you.”
My gaze darted up to Bishop’s face but all I could see was the hard set of his jaw, which didn’t look very excited at what had to be most men’s fantasy laid out before him.
“Did Leon tell you I wanted you here?” His tone didn’t sound welcoming, rather the opposite.
I turned slightly, as though I couldn’t hear her answer just fine without seeing her. Mistake.
The girl on top withdrew her fingers from the other girl and sucked them between her lips.
Oh. My. God.
“Of course. Who wouldn’t want us here?” Her attention landed on me and the arm Bishop had around me. “You don’t need her, baby. We’ll take care of you all night long.”
The girl on the bottom finally opened her eyes and spoke. “I’ve been waiting for that big cock of yours, Bish. Kitty’s fingers just don’t fill me up.”
Kitty scooted off the bed and stood. She was built like the girl who’d slammed her way out of the tattoo shop. Tall and slim, with legs that went on forever and boobs that defied gravity. The girl beneath her looked to be of a similar and equally unfair build.
Where did all these girls come from? He’d turned down the one, but what guy would turn down this? Another thought followed. Is this his type? If it was, there was no way I could ever compete.
Why was I even worried about competing?
“Not tonight. You need to go.” Bishop’s tone was devoid of hesitation.
Kitty—what the heck kind of name was that, anyway?—looked at me with derision.
“Because of her? She looks like she’s got a stick shoved so far up her ass there’d be no room for you in her cunt.”
My mouth dropped open at her rude and incredibly coarse words. Wow. Just . . . wow.
Bishop’s entire body stiffened behind me and his arm around my waist tightened. “Get your clothes on and get the fuck out. I don’t know what made you or Leon think this little party of yours was a good plan, but you were both dead wrong.”
She huffed, and the girl beneath her sat up. “Don’t talk to her like that.”
“Both of you. Go. Now.”
“You’re a dick.” That came from Kitty.
“Don’t make me tell you again.”
Bishop unwrapped himself from behind me and strode forward to scoop tiny scraps of clothing off the floor and toss them on the bed. Looking back at me, he said, “You want to go try to find a housekeeping cart to get a clean set of sheets? I doubt you want to sleep on those.”
He was right. It also gave me an excellent excuse to get the hell out of the room as quickly as possible. Five minutes later, I’d raided a linen closet at the other end of the floor that hadn’t been shut all the way, and headed back to the room, hoping the girls would already be gone.
I should have taken a little bit longer, because they were just leaving when I returned.
Both girls looked at me with daggers in their eyes. “Fucking bitch. You better believe we won’t forget this. You wouldn’t even know what to do with a guy like him.” Kitty’s tone was pissed. “No one else ever gets a second shot with Bishop, and you fucking stole mine.”
Second shot? I didn’t even want to think about the fact that she’d had a first.
“She does not exist for you,” Bishop said, anger threading through his voice. “Not another goddamned word. Get the hell out.”
I slipped into the hotel room, desperate to get away from them. Actually, right this moment, I wasn’t too keen on being around him either.
Anger and disappointment rolled through me, and I didn’t want to think about why that was. I didn’t know him. Didn’t care who he screwed or how many at the same time.
I stalked across the room and froze before I could drop the fresh linens on the desk. A room key and four lines of white powder lay across the glass.
“Whoa. Is that—”
Bishop was behind me before I could finish my sentence. “Fuck.” He grabbed the trash can and swept the powder into the bin.
I’d seen the movie Blow; I’d just never seen cocaine in real life.
Bishop dropped the trash can back on the floor, strode to the bed, and tore off the sheets. When he was finished, he balled them up and tossed them in the corner before snatching a clean sheet from the stack I still held in my arms.
I didn’t know what to say, so I rounded the foot of the bed and helped remake it in silence.
When the job was done, Bishop backed toward the door. “You should be good. Room is comped tonight and tomorrow, but after Saturday morning, it’s on you. Room service and anything like that is on your card too.” He tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Look, I’m sorry about Kitty and her friend. I wouldn’t have—”
I held up my hands, palms out, hoping he’d stop right there. “It’s okay. You don’t need to say anything. I mean, I might have to burn the garbage—wait, would that get me high?”
He choked out a laugh and shook his head. “Hold on.” He crossed the room and grabbed the trash can before disappearing into the bathroom. The next thing I heard was a flush. He came out and dropped the can back in place next to the desk.
“You’re all set. I’ll make sure Leon didn’t give out any more keys. If he did, I’ll have him rekey the room and call you to come down to get a new one.”
More than anything, I wanted to ask him why he’d bothered to help me, but I couldn’t find the words to put together. Instead, I went with my sincere thanks.
“Thank you. I really do appreciate everything. I’m not sure what I would’ve done without your help.”
Bishop shifted, looking uncomfortable at my words. “Thank me by staying out of trouble.”
He turned, pushed open the door, and disappeared.