Trapped by the Bastard's Kiss

Chapter 7

Roman slouched lazily onto the kitchen chair in Sean’s apartment, his long legs spread wide and casually draped over the sides of the seat. He took a deep swig from his beer, feeling the cold liquid course down his throat and into his empty stomach. He knew he would be feeling the familiar buzz of alcohol start to settle in his system any time soon and it wasn’t even four in the afternoon. This wasn’t like him, but he took another swig and then finally he faced his friend.

Roman’s lips curled into a playful smirk as he shot a teasing remark in Sean’s direction. “So, what was so urgent you had to leave me five messages?” he quipped, his tone laced with amusement. “Did we start dating, and you forgot to tell me? I only expect that kind of behavior from a lover.”

Sean let out a disapproving scoff, his lips curling slightly as he surveyed Roman’s slouched form in the kitchen chair. Then, with a fluid motion that belied his large frame, he hoisted himself onto the countertop next to the sink, settling into a comfortable position with his legs dangling over the edge. Despite his imposing size, he landed with surprising grace, the marble surface beneath him barely even trembling.

Roman frowned, almost instinctively bracing himself for the counter to c***k and crumble under Sean’s weight. He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy at his friend’s effortless ease - Sean always seemed to move with such fluidity and grace, as if he were born with the innate ability to navigate any environment with perfect ease. It certainly worked well for the kind of job he had.

“Would you even tolerate a lover leaving you five messages?” Sean inquired before taking a drink from his own bottle.

Roman mock-cringed and shuddered. “Nope. No way. And that’s why I never give out my number to any of my hook-ups. And if by some misfortune of the highest level, one of them got it… I would fire whoever gave it to the crazy woman and block her ass on the first message.”

“Exactly what I thought.”

“Exactly what I thought,” Roman repeated, his tone dripping with sarcasm. He leaned forward in the chair, crossing his arms over the top. “You always assume the worst, Sean. It’s one of your charming qualities. But don’t try to play saint, man. You are just as bad. Now, quick stalling and tell me why you got me out of the office so early.”

Sean arched a brow and took another gulp from his bottle before answering. “You weren’t in your office. I know this because your secretary told me you left almost immediately after I did.” He gave Roman a look as though he dared him to deny it.

Roman felt a simmering frustration rise in him as he clenched his teeth, his thoughts swirling with annoyance and resignation. His efficient secretary had really dug him a hole this time, he thought. There was no point in lying to Sean - if his friend wanted to know where he had gone, he could easily find out. After all, Sean was nothing if not resourceful. Sean was only giving him the courtesy of saying it himself. Besides, the man had obviously guessed the answer already, and that was why he had left five damn long messages for Roman to get to his apartment as soon as possible.

“I took a stroll and ran into Miss Becky Quin at the cafe.”

“f**k,” Sean cursed under his breath. He finished his bottle in one long swallow before bringing it down and glaring at Roman. “Do you have a death wish?” he finally asked. “Men have killed for less! Remember that Cole Pollen has hated you from the day he knew you existed. You go after his wife-to-be and he will shoot you and justify his actions in the bloody court of law!”

“Sean, you are shouting,” Roman said calmly, not exactly pleased with his best friend’s reaction.

The sound of the empty beer bottle landing in the recycle bin reverberated through the kitchen. Sean then suddenly jumped off the marble counter and threw his arms wide in frustration. “I will f*****g shout even louder if it gets anything into that thick head of yours! Leave Becky Quin alone. For the love of god, there are too many options out there, man, don’t touch one already claimed. Especially not by that i***t half-brother of yours.”

“For heaven’s sake, calm down.” Roman stood from his seat and faced his friend. “You know I only touch single women. Never jailbait. Never drugged or intoxicated women. And never those that don’t seem sure. I have standards.”

Sean drew a deep breath, his broad chest expanding under the tight fabric of his shirt, before he let out a resigned sigh and lowered his tone. “Then explain to me why you went out in the middle of the morning to look for this woman. I have never seen you put a woman before your business. Ever.”

Roman wished he had the answer. The truth was, he was clueless as to why he had left his office. He had hoped to have an answer to his strange fascination with the woman after talking to her, but he didn’t. He was, in fact, more confused.

“Oh, boy.” Sean scratched his head. He looked at Roman weirdly. “This is bad.”

“Don’t be dramatic,” Roman spat in building frustration.

“I blame myself for this,” his friend said, shaking his head. “I shouldn’t have run that search on her. The more details you got, the more the fire in your pants was fanned.”

Roman huffed and stepped out of the kitchen, heading for the living room. “I just want to make sure she will be okay,” he said over his shoulder. He could hear Sean’s heavy footsteps following behind him so he thankfully didn’t have to raise his voice. “Frederick and Cole have something shady going on. Becky seems like a nice girl. She shouldn’t get tangled up in all that.”

Roman stumbled over to the nearest couch and collapsed onto it unceremoniously, his body feeling heavy and drained. He looked up at Sean, who was standing with his arms folded over his broad chest, giving him an unimpressed look.

“You know you are talking s**t, right?”

Roman looked away and turned to the seventy-five-inch flat screen mounted on the wall. Unfortunately, the television was off and he couldn’t pretend to be watching anything, so he looked back at his friend. Sean hadn’t moved a muscle and seemed to be waiting for an answer. Roman wasn’t in the mood to continue with that topic.

“So, what else did you find out?” Roman asked instead.

Sean didn’t seem ready to let things go, but something on Roman’s face must have told him he wasn’t going to get anything else out of him because he shook his head and took a seat next to Roman, and sighed. “Let’s just say, if your little answer seconds ago was actually genuine, I would understand. There are some things about Becky’s fiancé and his family that are a little... questionable.”

Roman sat up and leaned forward, his interest piqued. “What do you mean?”

“I think there is serious trouble in their businesses and they are desperate,” Sean replied. He ran a hand over his face. “I honestly think it might not be the best idea for you to get involved with this whole situation, Roman.”

Roman sighed, running a hand through his own hair. “I know, I know. Trust me. I know. But there’s just something about her, Sean. I can’t explain it.”

Sean raised an eyebrow. “Something about her? You are scaring me, man. Is it just her or the whole strange situation with the Pollens?”

Roman frowned, knowing his friend had a reason to be worried. Hell, he was worried and couldn’t make sense of his actions or thoughts, even to himself. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s both. But I just can’t shake this feeling that there’s more to this than what we see on the surface.”

Sean shook his head again. He stood up. “I need something stronger than a beer for this conversation.” He walked back to the kitchen, but stopped when he reached the door and looked over his shoulder. “Just be careful, man. You don’t want to get caught up in something that could be dangerous.”

A smile tugged at Roman’s lips. “Won’t you protect me?”

Sean scoffed. “I will take a bullet for you and then I will turn around and beat your ass for being so damn stubborn in the first place.”

Roman laughed. “You might want to check in with my mother before you lay a hand on me,” he quipped.

“Your mother, sweet, beautiful Sonia, would probably help me beat you. If she knew what you were doing right now, she might even suggest we chain you to your office desk to keep you from whatever trouble you are trying to get into.”

Roman laughed as Sean walked into the kitchen in search of his strong drink, but he knew the man wasn’t wrong. His mother would worry if she knew he was getting entangled in the Pollen business. Unfortunately, Roman wasn’t sure he could stay away. He only hoped it wouldn’t be as bad as Sean feared.