Bad Boy Sinner (Bad Boy 2)

"Mixing business and pleasure?" George shook his head. "Not good idea. Keep separate. Hunter, you can have any pretty little bit of pussy you want with that big pile of money in the warehouse."

"She owes me."

"Well, I say no more," he said and clapped me on the back. "I can see there is no talking with you. Just something to think about."

"I don't want to think right now," I said and thrust my shot glass forward. "Fuck thinking. More vodka."

I walked arm-in-arm with George into the third-floor loft and laughed when I saw the bed standing in the corner by the makeshift bathroom that, even now, plumbers and tillers were finishing, working late the previous night for almost triple time. “Yeah, that’s a sultan’s bed all right, you ostentatious son of a bitch.”

“Why not have best if you have such big pile of money?”

“Have a good sleep. I’m going to do a little light reading.” I pulled out the diary and flashed it at George.

“What is?”

“Her diary.”

“What?” George made a face. "You are reading diary now?" He shook his head.

I flipped through the pages. “I found it at her apartment today when we were installing the bugs. Now I get to know all her little secrets.”

“Let me see.” George held out his hand.

I passed it to him, watching as George opened it and turned a few pages. As he read, George rubbed his chin, where a serious six-o’clock shadow was forming. “Oh, yes?” He raised his eyebrows. “Really?” He turned away from me, shielding the diary from my view.

I followed him, trying to get the diary back. “I’ll take that now, thanks.”

George eluded me, always keeping a step ahead, turning the page and reading carefully, his expression one of fascination. “Ho, ho. Celia. You little minx.”

“Give it to me,” I said, half-smiling, but also half-wanting to pop George a good one.

George turned another page, moving his lips as he read, his eyes wide. “Oh my God.”

I grabbed the diary from George, ensuring I had it still opened to the same page.

March 21

Today I got a video camera! I spent all afternoon learning how to use it so I could connect it to my telescope to take time-lapse photographs of the Milky Way…

The rest was just more of the same, with Celia recording the intricate details of the camera's various settings and capabilities.

“You bastard.” I couldn’t help but smile as George roared with laughter, holding his stomach as he did.

“What you think you find?” George said, wiping his eyes. “Confessions of nymphomania?”

“Well,” I said, nodding. “That’d be a bonus, but no, I thought I might discover the essence of Celia so I could better… know her.”

“In biblical sense?”

“I already did that.” I closed the diary and stuffed it back in my pocket. “Come on, George, you remember the old adage that you have to know your enemy as you know yourself if you want to be successful in battle.”

“Celia is enemy now?”

I put my arm around George’s shoulder and squeezed. “You know what I mean."

I glanced over at the office space we had hastily set up, using some office dividers, a couple of desks and computers. Richardson sat at a desk and worked on a computer. I stood behind him. "How's the system working?"

"Great," he said and leaned back, rubbing his eyes. "She's in the bathroom."