Kissing
Rex
When we pulled up at the warehouse, Dante didn’t say much. I could only feel his hot gaze drilling a hole in my head. I walked first into the building, seeing as I was the bodyguard.
The building was old and gray. Big metal doors were closed. I looked around. Two men were already there; they were standing in front of a wooden crate sealed perfectly.
They looked like they had been standing there for a while. One of them nodded when they saw Dante. The other one gestured to the big wooden crate.
Dante walked forward, walking past me. He nodded towards the crate. “Open it.”
The man opened the crate. I was standing behind, so I couldn’t really see anything. I didn’t want to peer into the crate to avoid looking suspicious.
After Dante examined the crate, he nodded his head, and then the guys closed the crate and started drilling it shut again.
“This is yours now,” Dante said, turning to me. “Take it to the address I’m texting you.”
I looked at the crate. It was heavy. Very heavy. “Alone?”
“Yes. Just you.”
“And you?”
“Draco and I have somewhere else to be,” he simply explained.
I nodded slowly. “Got it.”
He pulled out his phone. He typed something fast. Then he showed me the screen. An address on the other side of town.
“Don’t take too long,” he said.
I nodded my head. The two guys helped me with the crate, and we went together to the car, and they helped me place it in the trunk. Dante didn’t come out; he stayed inside while I drove away.
Perhaps Draco would return to take him where he needed to be. As I drove halfway, I needed to see for myself what really was in the crate. There was no way that it couldn’t be weapons, knowing the illegal things he indulged in.
I parked the car at the side of the road. I needed to check.
I got out and opened the trunk of the car. I looked around to make sure no one was watching. Then I pulled out my portable scanner from under the seat.
The scanner was small and black. It could check for metal, anything dangerous. One of the perks of the job. Or at least, my real job.
I started scanning the crate. However, nothing alarming seemed to be kept in the crate. That was unusual. It had to be weapons. It should be weapons.
I frowned and scanned again. The machine beeped. Same result. Nothing.
“That’s weird,” I said to myself.
And there was no way for me to pry it open and give it a good scrutiny because, unfortunately, I came without a drilling machine.
“They sent me off with empty crates?” I muttered under my breath.
I stepped back. My hands were shaking. So that was the plan?
Were they trying to test me? Dante had said his actions that night were because he wanted to test me. Could this be another test?
Had I been deceived by them?
Fuck!
How stupid was I to be deceived by a bunch of criminals!
Instead, I closed the trunk and drove to the address like I was supposed to. Following the map, I arrived at the store. The building was a small store. It looked normal from the outside.
I parked the van and got out. A man came out of the store. He was tall and thin.
“You’re from Dante?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Good. Bring it inside.”
We carried the crate into the store. The man didn’t check what was inside. He just nodded.
“Boss says you’re to take this,” he said, handing me a black suitcase.
The suitcase was heavy. Heavier than it looked.
“Where to?”
“His hotel. You know the one.”
I did know. It was a hotel he usually stayed at.
“What’s in it?”
The man looked at me like I was stupid. “Don’t ask questions.”
I took the suitcase and walked back to the car. I put it in the back seat instead of the trunk.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Dante.
He answered after two rings. “Yes?”
“They gave me a suitcase. I was told to take it to your hotel.”
“I won’t be there,” he said. His voice sounded far away. “Just drop it off. Ask for the key at reception.”
He didn’t wait for me to say anything else before he hung up.
By the time I got to the hotel, I was still annoyed. Still disappointed. The hotel was big and fancy. Well-dressed people walked in and out.
I walked into the lobby and straight to the front desk. The woman there was young and pretty. She smiled at me.
“Hi. I’m dropping something for Mr. Dante. I need the keys to his room.”
The woman at the desk smiled like it was the most normal request in the world. Or more like she was used to things like this. “Of course, sir. Room 702.”
She handed me a keycard. It was white with gold letters.
“Do you need help carrying anything?” she asked.
I smiled at her before shaking my head. “No, thank you.”
No questions. Nothing. This really was a frequent thing for her.
I found room 702 and opened the door with the keycard.
The room was big. Very big. The bed was a king-sized bed. There was a couch and a table. Floor-to-ceiling windows looked out at the city. The room was almost regal, perfectly designed.
The room smelled expensive, with a hint of cigarettes. I walked in and shut the door behind me.
After placing the suitcase, I started to look around. There had to be something in this room. There was no way this whole day would go without any shady things happening.
I checked drawers first. They were mostly empty. There were not even papers around.
I walked over to the closet, and there were a few clothes hung there.
On the nightstand was a closed laptop, and opening it might be a bad idea, seeing as the laptop might have security watching for whoever touched it.
Suddenly, the soft beep sound of a keycard came into the room. My heart jumped, and I stood upright, walking towards the door, pretending I was just leaving.
Dante stepped in. He was alone. No Draco.
He closed the door slowly. His eyes landed on me immediately. His eyes trailed from my feet up to my face and then again.
“You dropped it off?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said, clearing my throat. “Just about to head out.”
He took two steps closer. Then two more. His eyes were filled with the same emotion I saw in the mirror when he touched me.
My heart skipped a beat.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
He didn’t answer. Just kept walking toward me.
I stepped back, but the wall stopped me. There was nowhere to go.
“Boss—”
He placed a hand on my chest and gently pushed me back until I was fully pressed against the wall.
I froze.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
He didn’t say anything. His hand was still on my chest. I could feel his fingers through my shirt. His long, well-manicured fingers trailed over my chest, grazing right above my exposed skin.
“Are you… are you drunk?” I asked quickly. My heart was racing, haunted by the memory of what happened between us last time.
He leaned in. His breath was warm but steady. His cologne wafted into my nose, and he smelled heavenly. A mix of chocolate and lavender.
“No. I’m sober.” His voice was groggy.
I stared at him, heart pounding. “Listen, boss. I’m not into guys. I’m perfectly straight. Let’s just keep things professional. A simple work relationship between a boss and a staff.”
Dante tilted his head. His eyes looked different. Tainted with the darkness of lust. “You look too good to be just a staff.”
I narrowed my eyes. “This is a bad idea. I work for you, we shouldn’t mi…”
He plastered his lips on mine.