ATONEMENT | MAFIA ROMANCE | SMUT

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

He shifted from one foot to the other. "Mr Warren pays me to take care of you, Ma'am."

"Collaborative finances," I pointed out. "What's mine is his, and what's his is mine. We share money. Now, let's find my friends so that you can scare them with your neck tattoo."

"I hardly doubt I can scare anyone in a place like this." Spurning the dive bar's squalid interior, he traipsed in my footsteps, inattentively touching the cursive ink on his neck.

"What does it mean?" I indicated to his skull-piece.

His hand lowered. "Why do you assume it means anything?"

"Do people permanently ink unmeaningful art on their skin?"

"I did." He offered a humoured smile, and when he noted my undying curiousness, he sighed. "I have horrendous acne scars from pubescence. I had to cover it." He briefly locked eyes with a passing male. "I selected the first design presented by the tattooist."

"Fair enough." I see a silver button-down shirt. "I found them." Grayson prances by a round table in ostentatious glamour, fake leather pants, sparkly jewellery and newly dyed grey hair to match the shirt. "I am so excited. It's pathetic."

Alfie sipped vodka whilst skulking behind me. Jared, Shane, Harlyn and a few other unrecognisable faces packed the leather booth. Jace's nowhere to be seen, though. "Ah!" Grayson squealed, jumping up and down on the spot. "Do my eyes deceive me? I was almost sure you'd bail on us at the last minute."

"Not tonight." I smiled as his arms hauled me in for a long, tight hug. "You look great."

"You too, doll," Gray whispered in my ear, his hand getting a squeeze of my backside. "Okay, let's get the introductions over. You know these muppets." He motioned to Jace's roommates. "That's Becky and Janette. They replaced you losers down at the Coffee House."

I shook both of their hands. "It's lovely to meet you."

"That's Burger." Gray pinched the man's chubby cheek. "And this handsome fella," he chimed proudly, leaning down to plant an affectionate kiss to his shadowed jaw, "is Arthur. My boyfriend. Go ahead and tell me how awesome I am for pegging a doctor."

"Oh, my God." I moved in to shake the man's hand, but he stood to give me a friendly hug instead. "Arthur, how do you cope?"

He flashed me a neat set of pearly white teeth. "He wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Excuse me?" Gray draped his arms over our shoulders. "I don't recall that version of the story, Arthur. Do enlighten us."

Arthur looked at Grayson like a man in love, and I melted. His loving eyes softened behind black-framed bi-focal glasses. "He's right." Correcting his skewed bowtie, he nursed a half-filled tumbler. "I buy coffee every morning before work, and, well, I was smitten with the manager."

Grayson grinned like a Cheshire cat. "That would be me."

I laughed. "Just stating the obvious."

"Hell, yeah." Grayson's hand latched on to his lover's shoulder. "Who's your friend?"

Shit. I completely forgot about Alfie. "He is my...Alfie."

"Your...Alfie?" Grayson snorted and then, under his breath, told Arthur, "She's unhinged."

My chin hit the deck. "I heard that."

"You were supposed to." Gray outstretched his arm to give Alfie a gentle handclasp. "Nice to meet you, Alexa's Alfie. I hope you like cocktails because you can't stay here if you don't."