Not easily deterred, he grinned up at her. "Then you'd better be very, very quiet."
He moved her skirt out of the way and grasped her panties. She squeezed her knees together but he forced them apart. Even as she fought him, he could hear her breaths growing shuddery and excited. With her panties thrown onto the desk behind him, he made quick work of tucking her skirt up and pulling her sweet, plump ass to the edge of the chair.
"No, Dimitri! Please, don't—Oh!" She mewled like a kitten when he swiped her slit with his tongue. "Oh!"
He chuckled and carefully parted the pink lips of her sex. Using his fingers to outline her clit, he flicked his tongue over the juicy little bud and coaxed it out to play. He sucked it between his lips and flicked it a few times before letting it loose and finding the right rhythm.
Benny gripped the arm of her desk chair and clapped a hand over her mouth. She muffled her own moans and whimpers as he ate her pussy. He couldn’t get enough of her. The nectar that flowed from her core beckoned him. His tongue dipped inside to taste her, thrusting up into her like a small cock and making her squeal with delight.
Soon, her hand left the chair arm and she gripped handfuls of his hair. He didn't mind the burning sting caused by her tugging fingers. He wanted to drive her crazy, wanted to hear her come undone as he nibbled her clit and lapped at her pussy.
When she came, it was with a long, quiet moan. She had a hand pressed tightly to her mouth, deadening the sound as it left her lips. The chair rocked, the wheels squeaking as she jerked her hips and pressed her mound against his mouth. After she sagged back against the chair, Dimitri continued to lap and flick at her. The aftershocks left her trembling and panting.
Reluctantly, he finally pulled away from her. He plucked tissues from the box on her desk and tidied her up a bit. She let him slide her panties back into place and fix her skirt. Leaning back in her chair, she smiled, her silky pout curved wide and her eyes bright. "I should sulk more often."
He laughed and caressed her bare legs. "Maybe you should hire me as your assistant."
She chortled with amusement. "I don’t think we'd get much work done."
"You work too hard as it is." He pecked her cheek. "Come out with me tonight."
She started to accept but then shook her head. "I won't get done with this Tasting Houston thing until mid-afternoon. I really need to go home and clean house and mow the yard."
"Let me worry about your yard." He kissed her deeply because it was the easiest way to get her to agree. "We'll go out and have fun. Yuri asked us to join him at Faze. Ivan and Erin will be there. It will be nice."
She finally nodded. "All right. Let's go out tonight."
With their evening plans settled, he slid onto the desk and watched her eat breakfast. What he finished in three bites and four long drinks took her much longer to eat. When they emerged from her office, they got a couple of curious looks but no one dared say anything. Benny's bright red ears and neck betrayed them, of course. One look at her and anyone would know what they'd been up to in that office.
They shared a quick kiss before he wished her good luck and watched her drive away in the bakery's delivery truck with Marco and Adam. He started back upstairs but one of the dishwasher boys popped his head out the side door and stopped him.
"Yo, D!"
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Yes?"
"Benny left her keys in her car, man. They're just hanging there in the ignition." The kid, Carlos, gestured behind him. "I thought maybe you'd want to know since she's already gone."
Dimitri frowned. "Thanks, Carlos."
"Anytime, man."
Carlos ducked back into the building but Dimitri took the long way around to the parking area the employees used. He found Benny's car in its usual spot. Just as Carlos said, the keys were dangling from the ignition and the doors were unlocked.
Shaking his head, Dimitri opened the door and reached in to grab the keys. This wasn't the first time she'd done this. In the five years he'd known her, this had happened at least a dozen times.
Irritated with her carelessness, he decided it was time to teach her a lesson. He'd move her car somewhere nearby. Hopefully the shock of coming back to the bakery to find it gone would burn the lesson into her brain. Not only was she risking losing her car to theft but there was always the possibility someone dangerous could take her keys. Considering she had an address tag dangling from the chain, it wouldn't be hard for a criminal to find her home. She'd be totally vulnerable then.
He had to slide her seat back as far as it would go but his knees were still bent uncomfortably in the compact front seat. When he fired up the ignition, his gaze jumped to the gas gauge and the flashing empty symbol. No gas and keys in the ignition?
His irritation eased as he considered the stressful hell Benny had been living the last few days. Forgetting her keys and neglecting to gas up were symptoms of a broader issue. She was trying to do too much by herself. She needed to learn to rely on other people for help. She needed to grow comfortable asking him for help, even with something as small as gassing up her car.
Rather than prank her by moving the car, he buckled the seatbelt, backed out of the space and drove to the closest gas station. After filling up, he made his way to the full-service car wash his buddy Alexei owned. He ignored the surprised looks as he climbed out of the front seat of the tiny car. Inside the small lobby, he bought a package that included a full detail. He sat in a corner seat, pulled out his phone and answered emails and texts from the office manager and the supervisor at Front Door while he waited.
Gaze down, he kept his ears open and listened to the conversations swirling around him. He heard two men, their heads close together, whispering about something that sounded suspiciously like a human trafficking operation. It wouldn't be the first time he'd heard of such a thing. No place was immune from that kind of horror.
In this area, those operations were run mostly by a handful of Asian gangs and a contingent out of Central America who brought in young girls and boys for the most vile of purposes. No Russian with half a brain would touch that dirty action. One whiff of trafficking and the frightening side of Nikolai would rear its ugly head. It was a side of Nikolai no man ever wanted to see.
Dimitri pretended to be busy but listened intently. Even though the details bandied back and forth made his stomach pitch, he kept his focus on the two men. These were the things Nikolai would want to hear. The large and growing Russian immigrant population was terribly vulnerable to trafficking, especially the desperate young women who dreamed of a new life here.
As the two men headed for the door, Dimitri became aware of a young man talking quickly into his phone. His Spanish skills weren't good enough for him to catch every word but he was able to understand enough of it. When he heard the Hermanos mentioned, he held his breath. Even though Johnny was on his shit list, he wanted to keep him from getting hurt.
"Dimitri?" Alexei waved him over. "Your girlfriend's car is ready."
He hadn't mentioned it was Benny's car but Alexei didn't need to be told. In the same way his relationship with Benny had spread through her bakery, it would have started the rounds among his circle of friends, too.
Tucking away what he'd overheard while eavesdropping, he joined Alexei at the counter and followed him onto the sidewalk. Alexei handed over Benny's keys. "Your girlfriend's car insurance is about to expire. My boys noticed it when they were wiping down the glove box."
Not surprised that she'd overlooked that detail, he thanked Alexei and climbed into the gleaming car. He considered driving it straight back to the bakery but his discussion with Benny kept going round and round in his head. He decided it was time he and Johnny had a little talk.
Pulling into the driveway at her house, he noticed the overgrown grass and the messy flower beds. Everything needed a good pressure washing. If she was really serious about selling, all these little things would have to be taken care of to ensure she got a good price and made
a positive impression on buyers. He made a mental list of all the things he would need to tackle in the next week or two to help her get ready.
He used her keys to get into the house. It was quiet inside. Uncertain whether Johnny was armed, he cleared his throat and shouted, "Johnny! It's Dimitri! You here?"
While he waited for an answer, he made his way into the living room. He spotted the stack of envelopes on the coffee table. He shouldn't snoop but that didn't stop him from thumbing through the late notices, credit card and loan statements there. He could only imagine the kind of gut-gnawing stress this was causing Benny. To come home every day and see this huge stack of reminders? She was lucky not to have cracked by now.
"Johnny!" Dimitri moved to the foot of the stairs and shouted up to the second floor. "You awake?" He paused and heard nothing. "Johnny, I'm coming up. We need to talk."
Upstairs, he pushed open the doors, standing to the side just in case Johnny did something stupid, and searched for the right room. He found a bathroom first and then an empty bedroom, probably the one their grandmother had used when she'd been alive.
The stench of pot wafting from the door on his left confirmed it was Johnny's before he even opened the door. He glanced inside and experienced a rush of disgust at the pig sty Johnny called a room. There were piles of dirty clothes and stacks of cups and empty liquor bottles on the desk and the massive speakers. In the center of the bed, still fully clothed, sprawled Johnny. He snored loudly, probably sleeping off a hangover.
Dimitri stood at the side of Johnny's bed and nudged the arm hanging over the side with his boot. "Hey! Johnny! Wake up!"
The kid's eyes snapped open. A split-second later, he bolted upright and swung a pistol toward Dimitri. Acting on instinct, Dimitri slapped away the hand and gripped Johnny's wrist hard enough to make him cry out. He stripped the gun from Johnny's hands and elbowed him in the chest, throwing him back on the bed.
Johnny groaned and rubbed his chest. "What the fuck are you doing, man?"
Dimitri glared at him and rendered the weapon safe, popping out the magazine and clearing the round sitting in the chamber. "What the fuck am I doing? What are you doing? You could have shot me!"
"You're trespassing! It would have been my right!"
"And what if I'd been your sister? Huh? What if she'd been in here trying to wake you up and you'd shot her? What then, Johnny?"
The dumb kid didn't have an answer for that one. Dimitri tucked the pistol into the back of his jeans and pocketed the single round and magazine. "I've been shouting downstairs for you."
Johnny sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed. He rubbed his bloodshot eyes. "What the hell are you doing here, Dimitri? You can't just come inside my house."
"I can do whatever the hell I want, Johnny. Get dressed! You've got work to do."
"You think that just because you're fucking Benny you can come into my crib and tell me what to do? She's the one sucking your dick. Order her around, not me."
Dimitri took a menacing step toward him and pointed his finger in his face. "If I hear you disrespect your sister like that one more time, I'm going to knock your teeth down your throat. You should want to protect her reputation, not cut her down in front of other people!"
Johnny dropped his head with shame. He was smart enough not to push it. Dimitri wasn't joking. One more ugly remark about Benny and Johnny was going to need a dentist.
"What do you want, Dimitri?"
"I want you to get dressed and mow the yard. Weed those flower beds."
Johnny stared up at him as if he were the stupidest man in the world. "Why?"
Dimitri sputtered with frustration. "Because this is your home and you should take some pride in it. You want to sell this house and get your money? Then get out there and make it look nice. Help your sister!"
"Oh fuck off with that shit!" Johnny waved his hand in the air. "I'm so sick of everyone telling me how Benny needs help and how much she's sacrificed for our family."
"Did you ever stop to think about why so many people remind you of those facts, Johnny? Huh?"
Johnny didn’t answer.
Dimitri sucked in a long, steadying breath. Shaking his head with disgust, he warned, "One of these days you're going to finally open your eyes and you'll realize how much Benny means to you. She's your sister, Johnny, and she's all you have left of your entire family. You better hope that it's not too late and that she hasn't finally given up on you when you need her the most."
Unable to stomach another moment in Johnny's presence, he spun on his heel and headed for the door. He doubted he'd gotten through to Johnny. He didn't know if anyone could. In the doorway, he paused and fixed Johnny with a cold stare. "I heard some vato down at the car wash talking about some trouble kicking off with the Hermanos tonight. Be smart and keep your ass inside!"
Johnny narrowed his eyes. "Man, what you do care what I do?"
"Benny means everything to me. I won't stand by and let you drag her down into the shit you've stirred up, Johnny."
With nothing else to say, Dimitri left the room and descended downstairs. Up on the landing, Johnny shouted, "Hey, you bastard! Give me back my gun."
Dimitri stopped at the front door and smirked at Johnny. He opened his arms wide. "Come take it from me."
Johnny leaned forward but thought better of it. Acting tough, he said, "Man, fuck you. I'll just get another one."
"Do you plan to steal another three hundred dollars from your sister to buy it?"
Johnny looked taken aback. "Whatever, Dimitri. Just get out of my house."
"Gladly," he grumbled and slammed the door behind him. He slid into the front seat of Benny's car and dropped the pistol into the glove box. After he returned Benny's car, he'd grab his truck and take that to Kostya. If anyone could make a dirty piece disappear it was him.
His jaw clenched and his stomach knotted. Dimitri couldn't shake the feeling that his problems with Johnny were just beginning.
Chapter Eight
Exhausted but feeling incredibly accomplished, I slid out of the front seat of the bakery truck and hopped onto the pavement. The bakery had closed almost an hour earlier and the street was mostly quiet. Marco and Adam climbed out of the front seat more slowly. Together, we rolled the empty trays into the back room to be cleaned and tossed the bagged garbage into the dumpster.
I stayed behind to do a walk-through of the bakery and found everything perfectly put away and shut down. Satisfied, I headed out the side entrance. While I searched for my keys in my purse, I heard a vehicle rolling into a parking spot behind me.
A quick glance over my shoulder verified it was Dimitri's truck I'd heard. The memory of what he'd done to me in my office made my tummy swoop. I doubted I'd ever be able to walk into that room again without thinking of Dimitri on his knees with his face buried between my thighs.
I didn't think it was possible for him to look even sexier than usual but he did. Leaning against the door of his truck, he watched me intently. I shivered under his intense stare and turned my attention back to looking for my keys. I was just about ready to dump my purse on the sidewalk when Dimitri whistled softly. When I looked over at him, he shook my keys, the soft jingling seeming so loud in the stillness of early evening.
Shit.
He walked toward me slowly and stepped onto the sidewalk. Even standing on the top step there at the employee entrance, I was still shorter than him. He stared down at me, his displeasure evident in the tightness around his mouth. "We've talked about this before, Benny."
"I know." I cringed and waited for him to ream my backside for being so careless.
To my utter surprise, he tipped my chin and kissed me tenderly. His thumb traced my lower lip. "Please be more careful, Benny. No more rushing in the morning, okay?"
Relieved, I nodded. "Okay."
With a playful grin, he dangled the keys just out of my reach. "I should make you earn these back."
I laughed and lifted on my very tippy-toes t
o press my lips to his. "There's no one in the bakery to hear us this time. If you wanted to take me back to my office and show me a lesson, I mean."
He groaned dramatically and gathered me in his arms. "You little temptress! If I didn't have to go in to the office to sort out some scheduling problems, I'd have you face down over that desk in the blink of an eye."
My pussy throbbed as he described what he'd do to me. I licked my lips. "Rain check?"
He chuckled softly and nodded. "Definitely."
When he handed me the keys, I took them and made quick work of locking up for the night. Dimitri's hands moved over my shoulders and down my back. He gave my bottom a little swat. "How did it go?"
"Better than I'd expected," I said and turned to face him again. "Lena and I had a quick chat about the very real possibility of me selling the building and moving locations. I thought for sure she'd flip out because she wanted to sell the underdog angle but she took it all in stride. In fifteen minutes, she had new talking points for me and changed the background story for the reporter. She found a way to spin it to our advantage. People really loved the food. Our likes on Facebook skyrocketed and so did the mailing list signups. I'm cautiously optimistic."
He ran his finger down my cheek. "I'm glad it went well. I wanted to stop by and see you but I got sidetracked with some other business."
"It's fine. You would have been a huge distraction anyway. God only knows I can't think straight when you're around me."
He chuckled. "I know the feeling."
Down on the sidewalk, I glanced at my car and did a double-take. The inch thick layer of dust and grime had vanished. The tires gleamed. I peeked in the window and found the seats and floorboards completely devoid of the usual flotsam and jetsam. I whirled on Dimitri. "Did you wash my car?"
"Not personally," he clarified. "I took it to Alexei's and had it washed and detailed."
I thought about the empty gas tank and reached for my wallet. "What do I owe you for gas and the car wash?"