Unauthorized Affair (Unauthorized #1)(32)

Abandoned. That’s what the stronzo had been about to say. Yes his son had abandoned him. 16 years ago his own son had turned his back on his father and everything that his father stood for. And Fiore didn’t understand it. He offered his son everything anyone could ever want. Money, power, influence, wealth that would last for generations. And his son said no. He didn’t want anything that came from Fiore Savoy, like it was dirty or something. He turned his back on the entire family.

Fiore sighed. His only son. All his other children were girls. Good girls that loved the family, but girls nevertheless. He couldn’t turn his empire over to a girl when he retired. He wanted to give it to his only son. So was this a good thing? Only time would tell.

“And the second thing?” he said, his voice weary.

“Well, um. OK. Remember I told you about the investigation into your new guys and their operations? The cops have upped the game a little bit. They are operating a pawn shop downtown, and one of them invented a way to track every bill that goes in and out of the shop and they are running all the money from every arrest and bust in the town through this little machine, and the DA says it’s a miracle and it’s going to revolutionize the way they connect cases. And I’m not sure if this means you can be connected to the street operations. And, well, they are planning on patenting the machine and sending it out to every cop shop on the West Coast. That and the items database that goes with it. Which means they’ll be able to track money and items anywhere in the state.”

In the quiet that now filled his ear, Fiore realized he had a headache that was trying to kill him. Fury washed over him. “And why didn’t you smash this machine, stop this distribution?” His words were tight and laced with anger.

“I did what I could! But once the DA knew, there was nothing I could do! Don’t you see? I could lose my job. My reputation.”

“Your reputation! That is not important. It’s my reputation that is important! Your reputation is shit! And so is your job. I’ll see to that.”

Fiore pulled the phone from his ear and did chuck it over the railing. He didn’t feel any better. And the phone was smashed to bits on the rocky slope beyond the house. Sweet Mother Mary what a butt-f*ck.

This was bad. And those f*cking cops were getting a little too big for their britches. Fiore got up and shuffled into the house. He would nap. And when he woke up he would decide what to do about the cops. And his son.





Chapter 17





Jen let herself be kissed. She let the sensations in her body wash away the swirl of confusing emotions from her mind. Her body responded at once; nipples hardening, breath coming in short gasps through her nose, heat twining its way down her spine all the way to her sex. Coleton tasted lightly of peppermint and his skin, up-close, smelled like salt and ocean. His tongue met hers and she gasped lightly in his mouth. He brought his free hand up to her hair and ran his fingers through it, causing tingly goosebumps to break out over her skin. She didn’t want her first kiss in months to end. But at the same time, guilt finally started to weigh on her.


She broke the kiss, and pulled back from him slightly. His eyes fixed on her, burning her with their intensity. He ran his fingers through her hair one more time and then stepped away, pulling her back beside him so they could walk on, past the aquarium.

“You’re for real, aren’t you?”

Jen’s heartbeat doubled. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I haven’t had a girlfriend in 3 years, because ever since I started making so much money I haven’t found one real woman who didn’t immediately throw herself at me sexually, once she found out about my bankroll.”

Jen gave him a sideways look. “Really?”

“Really.”

“You must be hanging out with the wrong people.”

Coleton laughed. “I must be.”

“Coleton, there’s something I have to tell you though.”

He stopped walking and pulled her hand to face him, his face set like he’d been expecting it.

“I’m not totally available. I really like you a lot. And I wish I’d met you two months ago. Or three years ago. Maybe things could have been different. But I don’t see us going anywhere serious.”

His mouth drooped slightly and his eyes lost their light. Jen felt her heart crimp at his sadness.

“Can I ask why?”

Jen took a deep breath. “Things are just … complicated. I’m sorry.” The guilt she felt earlier started to press on her like a physical weight. What was she doing? He was a perfectly nice man, and she was dating him as an undercover cop. She was his Adam. “I’m sorry,” she whispered again.

They started walking, Jen’s throat constricting painfully.

“Maybe I can change your mind.”

Or maybe you’ll hate me eventually, she thought, shaking her head slightly.

They’d reached the very back of the building. He pulled her through an exit door into the strong, late-afternoon light. They walked slowly, hand-in-hand, back towards their cars. “Why did you go out with me if you are … unavailable?”

Jen was caught. She knew she’d created this. But now she had to tell her first outright lie. But she could cushion it with truths at the same time. “Because you’re handsome, and sexy, and sweet, and interesting. And I guess I wished that things were different. And because it was just lunch. And just surfing.”