7

"Where are you?" Kenji asked from the other side of the line.

I held the phone with my shoulder while climbing the stairs of the building.

"A place," I answered calmly.

"What place?"

"In the neutral zone."

"What part?"

I smiled hearing the impatience in his voice. Kenji had many qualities, but patience was never one of them. It was funny to see his face turn red with anger and frustration, like he was blushing but would punch anyone who got in his way.

"I need to go," I warned, holding the pizza box with one hand.

"No, wait..."

I ended the call as I entered the long stone corridor, stopping at the black door and knocking twice. I inhaled the delicious scent of the pizza, feeling my stomach growl. Mat and I had set a time, but I only managed to sneak out after 8. I was starving.

The door opened, revealing a guy wearing a sleeveless shirt with torn sides and green sweatpants. His hair was so messy it reminded me of last night.

"Pizza." I threw the box in his direction and entered the apartment uninvited.

"Great, I was almost starving," he shot, heading to the kitchen counter.

Still at the entrance, I watched his brows furrow at the paper bag on top of the box. I took off my shoes and stepped closer, averting my gaze to his inviting skin.

"What’s this?" he asked.

I opened the box and grabbed a slice of pizza.

"I bought it for you," I replied, heading to the living room, where the TV was on and there were several books on the coffee table.

"A gift? Do you think I’m your damn boyfriend?" he shot back, irritated. I laughed as I sat on the comfortable couch.

"I can return it," I commented with my mouth full, watching him open the bag and find a book.

"Stephen King! Cool, I haven’t read this one yet," he revealed, changing moods quickly. Mat smiled, grabbing two beers from the fridge without taking his eyes off the book.

Mat grabbed the pizza box and placed it over the books before sitting beside me. I accepted the drink, watching him focus solely on the book on his lap. I took a sip of the beer, ignoring the strong taste, and looked up at his messy brown hair. He was still as handsome as yesterday.

"Why do you live alone? Don’t you have parents?" I asked, interrupting the silence.

Mat took a drink and turned the page of the book.

"I have a mom. She has her house, I have mine," he replied, shrugging.

"Interesting relationship," I murmured, easily sensing the strangeness in their relationship. Mat was my age—what kind of mother gives her son an apartment to live alone?

I looked around carefully; he was definitely wealthy.

"It’s a pretty nice apartment," I commented to myself, making Mat look at me.

"What?"

"Do you also go to Elite Red Fox?" I changed the subject, pointing to the uniform thrown on the armchair. He followed my gaze and sighed deeply, setting the book aside.

"I do," he replied, shifting his attention to the pizza. "Still got that shitty hair?" he criticized, making me smile. I leaned on his shoulder, feeling his warmth.

"You have to admit it suits me," I teased, reaching for the ripped side of his shirt, touching his skin, feeling his defined abdominal muscles.

Mat stopped chewing and gave me a glance at my hand moving under his shirt. I could feel him tense up at my touch. I smiled mischievously, but quickly sighed when he grabbed my wrist and pushed me away.

"If you want to be mistaken for the idiots of Hebi, you’re the one who’s gonna get fucked," he retorted, eating his pizza. "And I don’t like being touched while I’m eating," he said without looking at me.

I bit my lip, trying not to laugh at his beautiful irritation. I leaned over, removing the pizza box from the books, and took a look at what he was doing.

Math, and he didn’t seem very good at it.

"You know you’re wrong, right?" I asked, reading the exercises.

"Am I?" he asked, leaning toward the notebook. "I thought I got it right this time," he muttered, drinking his beer.

"It’s not that bad," I commented honestly. "While you’re eating, I can help you with this," I suggested, meeting his gaze. "Just until you’re done eating, then, I’ll eat you," I explained, feeling the heat building up in my groin.

Mat licked his lips and swallowed hard, his throat moving, and I could tell he wanted it as much as I did.

"Deal."

"Great," I murmured eagerly.

Math wasn’t his strong suit, but Mat was smart and learned quickly. When we finished dinner, we continued with the exercises. It was funny seeing him frown, and it felt really good having his attention solely on me.

"I think I’m done," Mat announced, finishing the math, but I didn’t care to review the numbers. I just grabbed his face and kissed him.

I plunged my tongue into his mouth, deepening the kiss desperately. Mat held onto my shirt and pulled me into his lap as he reclined on the couch. I buried my fingers in his hair, sucking and nibbling on his warm lips. My skin shivered when his hand slid up under my shirt, feeling, exploring my skin.

Breathing heavily, I broke the kiss, looking at him with difficulty.

"What’s this?" he started, his mouth close to mine. "We’re just kissing, and you’re already all hard," he teased, grinding his hips against me.

"I’m still really sensitive," I defended, even though I knew he was just trying to mess with me. But it wasn’t me who blushed easily during sex. "And you are too," I pointed out, making him lie down on the couch with a quick motion.

Mat looked at me in surprise, and I sent him a smile while still on top of him, feeling his bulge through his sweatpants. I didn’t protest when he pulled off my shirt effortlessly. I leaned in, kissing the curve of his neck, tasting him, inhaling his unique scent.

His warmth embraced me, and I closed my eyes, savoring the sensation of his calloused hands exploring my back. I gasped when he grabbed my ass and rubbed his hips against mine. I kissed his mouth, feeling his cock twitching every second.

"Wait," he commanded.

I frowned when I heard the low sound of his phone ringing.

"Ignore it," I pleaded, forcing him to stay lying down. I held his face, going back to his lips, but before I could react, Mat pushed me, throwing me to the floor hard.

Confused, I watched him get up from the couch, wearing an irritated look.

"When I say wait, it’s to wait," he stated firmly. Without breaking his gaze from mine, he answered the phone.

Mat began speaking in Spanish. His voice deepened, and I easily recognized the accent. I tried to push myself up, but he placed his foot on my bare abdomen, forcing me to stay on the floor.

I got lost in his gaze, feeling every fiber of my body ignite as a shadow of a mischievous smile formed at the corner of his lips. I loved his irritation and control. Mat hung up the phone and set it aside.

"I need to solve a problem for my mom," he revealed, pulling away. "Go home. I’ll call you later," he said, turning his back to me.

"What?" I asked, surprised. "You think I’m a slut who you can call whenever you want to fuck, and I’ll just pick up?" I criticized angrily, sitting on the floor.

"Okay, then don’t answer," he retorted, giving me a playful glance before leaving the room.

I bit my lip hard, annoyed with the throbbing of my hard cock under my jeans.

"Asshole," I muttered, picking up my shirt. Reluctantly, I headed for the door, hearing him move around the quiet room. "Asshole," I shouted, putting on my shoes.

"I’ve been called worse."

I rolled my eyes, leaving the apartment and the building behind. I took a deep breath, feeling the cold night wind against my still-warm face, and got in the car just as my phone vibrated in my pocket. I answered the call, reading my father’s name.

"Hi."

"Come home, it’s time to work," he ordered, and hung up before I could respond.

"Is that it?" I asked, frowning.

"Why? Did you think I was going to have you invade their territory?" my father mocked, looking at me playfully.

Tomy, his personal bodyguard and best friend, handed me a black paper bag. I didn’t need to look to know it was full of money.

"I could do that," I retorted, still irritated by what had happened earlier. I had never been dismissed. "I’ve done it once," I said, seeing him furrow his brows. "Don’t believe me? Ask him." I looked at Tomy, at his black eyes.

My father turned to his best friend, who avoided meeting his questioning gaze.

"Just deliver the money and get the phone," my father repeated seriously. "You can do that, right?" he asked, stroking the dog's head, which was resting on his knee.

"Of course. Who’s going to be on the other end?" I asked, studying the heavy bag in my hand. Whatever is on that phone must be very important for my father to pay so much, but for the Lily family to make a deal, it can’t be something that could harm them, or they simply wouldn’t understand the contents stored.

"You don’t know him, he’s Gabriela’s only son," he revealed, surprising me.

"I didn’t know the son was in the area. I thought the precious one was up North, away from all the mess," I said, remembering that the son of the great Mayor was never seen in public, not even a photo of him had been released since the beginning of her term.

That bitch was hiding him so she could do her dirty work away from the spotlight.

"Gabriela brought him to the city, and he’s an annoying little shit," he commented, still focused on the dog.

"I can play with him if you want," I suggested, eager for a distraction. "It would be fun to draw blood from the Lily heir, that would put me in a great mood," I joked, smiling as I imagined his bloodied face.

"No, just get the phone and bring him to me," he ordered, frustration invading me for the second time.

I shot a look at Tomy, who was just watching me with interest.

"Okay," I agreed, heading for the door.

"And take Artemis," he ordered, forcing me to stop. I turned toward him, filled with impatience.

"I warned you that you’d be under supervision," he reminded me with the shadow of a smile.

I clenched my jaw, remembering our meeting in the room, her long hair, soft black skin, and full lips like cotton candy, the anger that surged when I saw her wearing our kimono...

In silence, I left the office and went to meet the small group waiting for me outside. Artemis was among them, wearing a plaid mini skirt and Hebi's white leather jacket.

"Is everyone here?" I asked, handing Shin the black bag.

"Yes, we have ten minutes to get to the meeting point," he replied, checking his phone.

I diverted my gaze from Artemis and looked at the other members; they were watching me carefully and uncertainly. Since my arrival, I hadn’t spoken to anyone except Shin and Kenji. It was a bit strange to be among them again.

But this was my home, and I’m the leader.

"Shall we have some fun like the old times?" I invited, feeling excitement fill my chest. The tension quickly faded, and small smiles overtook them.

"Like the old times," Kenji repeated, revealing my jacket still untouched.

I smiled, accepting the jacket, feeling the smooth, warm leather before putting it on in front of everyone’s gaze. I took a deep breath, savoring the delicious weight of power.

"Let’s go."