Remington (The Theriot Family 1)

There was no way I could hide my surprise.

Remington laughed. “That wasn’t what you were expecting, was it?”

“Not at all.”

“Imagine how excited you will be after waiting to be fucked, thinking about it, wondering what it will be like all day, all through dinner, dessert, drinks. By the time I bring you back here, you’ll be so ready to go, you won’t even hesitate to open yourself for me.”

Jesus, would the whole two weeks be like this, him talking this way to me and making me want him all the time?

9

Remington

I didn’t want to face my father. All I wanted to do was drag Henri back upstairs and toy with him until he was begging me to fuck him. I’d open him up, use him, show him he was mine, but what I’d said to him was true. Anticipation would make it even better. I needed something to look forward to after my meeting with X. The man was powerful, intelligent, and ruthless, and he knew my darkest secret. I was going to have to stay focused during dinner and monitor my every word.

How foolish was it for me to take the young man I’d picked up off the street to such an important meeting? It was a good idea to bring a date since X’s boyfriend, Emilio, would be there. I wanted to be a good host after all. I wasn’t seeing anyone. I’d made it very clear I wasn’t interested in serious relationships, and at the first hint that someone was trying to pull me into one, I dropped them instantly. Of course there were always men seeking me out, drawn to my money and power, but they weren’t trustworthy. Even still, I had some safe options, but I wanted to take Henri.

Blackjack had scoured Henri’s background. There was nothing there to indicate trouble. And Blackjack was damn good at finding people’s secrets. Between his computer skills and his ability to extract information from captives, I usually had a wealth of information at my disposal. That was partly why this whole fiasco with the gunrunners and the Landrys was pissing me off.

Who was helping them hide? Business didn’t get done in our circles without me hearing about it. It made me look less than fully competent. That is not a look I ever wanted to have.

I already had people looking deeper into the Landrys, and our intel said more weapons would be coming in through the Port of New Orleans in the next few weeks. If we could get a few more details, we could intervene and make sure the suppliers knew they were not to do business with anyone unapproved by us.

The guards at the gate of our family home in Metairie nodded to me as I drove through. The drive circled around a grassy mound that had a fountain at the center. It was ostentatious, but my father liked to show off his wealth, and that was his prerogative. He’d spent many years increasing the family’s power and riches. That was why I was so determined not to disappoint him now.

I parked my Ferrari in front of the house, and I couldn’t resist running my hand along its curves after shutting my door. Maybe my father wasn’t the only one who liked to show off. I was damn glad I hadn’t been driving my baby when I’d met Henri last night.

I expected my father to be in his office, but when I stepped through the door, he called to me from the front sitting room. He was there with Marjorie, drinking tea and eating pastries. My father had the newspaper laid out in front of him, a habit he hadn’t broken no matter how many times my brothers and I had explained the ease of reading the news digitally.

My stepmother really had domesticated him. You could tell from the way he looked at her that he was more than happy to be there, having a quiet afternoon at home. What they had was special, but it wasn’t for me. They’d both suffered for so many years that they could have spent together, all because my father refused to bring her into his world, the world he was handing over to me. How could I do any differently when I was stepping into the role of head of the family?

“Remington, it’s so good to see you,” Marjorie said. I gave her a hug and sat on the sofa opposite them. “Would you like tea or coffee or something to eat?”

“No thank you. I just ate at home.”

“I wish you would still think of this as your home.”

“I do.” That was the truth. The place where I had grown up would always be the center of my family’s activities. Corbin still lived there, and I still spent plenty of time at the house—even if Marjorie and Pop always acted as if I hadn’t been by in ages—but I needed my own place, needed to have space to figure out how I was going to run the Theriot empire instead of always being under the watchful gaze of my father.