House of Payne: Ice Page 21

  What a woman.

  “Sunny, what about working with Ice again?” A woman with spiky blonde hair held up her hand. “He treated you pretty horribly a year ago. Why crawl back to him now?”

  “Goddamn it,” Ice muttered, his fists clenching.

  “Reporters are paid to stir up shit whenever they can,” Scout whispered at his shoulder, startling the crap out of him. He’d been so intent on Sunny he hadn’t even noticed Scout sneaking in beside him. “Sunny’s a pro. Don’t worry, she’s got this.”

  That seemed true enough. As he watched, Sunny gave that unruffled smile, her face as calm as still waters. “Hi, what’s your name? I’m trying to learn everyone’s name and where they work, since a major role I’ll be playing here will be dealing with who in the press gets invited to special events such as this one. I suppose you could say I’m the House’s new gatekeeper.”

  “Nice,” Scout murmured approvingly. “Look at her smile while she delivers that razor slice to the carotid. Damn, what a scary class-act she is.” She glanced at Ice. “And you were worried about her?”

  “Not her. Sunny can handle herself.”

  “Exactly. Sunny can handle herself, and anything else that rolls up on her. You get that, right?”

  Ice’s jaw locked. “You got me all wrong, Scout.”

  Do I?”

  “It’s not that I don’t trust Sunny to be strong enough to handle whatever shit that comes her way. I just don’t want to be the cause of any of that shit.”

  “Oh, I see. So you’d rather force her to bail out of a press conference now, instead of accepting responsibility for whatever might happen later on.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You sure about that?”

  Fuck. “Shut up, I’m trying to listen.”

  “Good man. I just hope you’re able to hear what you’re listening to, because your woman’s a fucking killer.”

  Like he didn’t know that.

  “Having good relations with the press and knowing exactly who I’m dealing with is vital when it comes to starting off this new job the right way,” Sunny went on, that gracious social mask still in place. “So, before we go any further, your name is…?”

  There was a beat of silence. “Zenni Greer, Chicago Pulse.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Zenni. To answer your question, a Fairfax doesn’t know how to crawl. What we do know how to do—and we do it very well—is rise above any adversity we’re confronted with, and find ways of turning a minus into a plus. Whether Ice worked at the House or not, I still would have taken the job here. House Of Payne is the best in the world of ink, so naturally I snapped up the job the moment Payne offered it to me. Though I did play hardball when it came to negotiating for a good parking space,” she added, making the room chuckle.

  “So,” the blonde woman, Zenni, decided to push her luck, “there’s no problem between you and Ice?”

  The way Sunny raised an eyebrow was a masterful piece of polite—and profound—disdain. “Oh. Did you not see the picture of us kissing under the mistletoe at the Museum of Science and Industry? Considering the photo showed up in a rival paper, I suppose it must have slipped your notice, but I can assure you that everyone else in the city seemed to see it. For what it’s worth, that picture answers your question far better than I ever could. Next question?”

  “Getting out in front of the picture in the paper and politely slamming a pest for not doing her damn homework.” Scout heaved what sounded like a heartfelt sigh. “Swear to God, I’m totally girl-crushing on your lady right now. She’s so fucking good.”

  “Yeah, she is.” And it wasn’t just now that he was noticing how calm Sunny was when it came to handling the pressure. She’d always been this way, right from the beginning—sharp-minded, with a tongue to match, and so mentally tough nothing in the world could knock her off her feet.

  Not that he’d ever allow a threat to get close to her again. But…

  It was nice to know what his woman was made of.

  Damn nice.

  “So,” Scout murmured while the press conference wrapped up. “Are you going to be okay with Sunny working here?”

  “I don’t know if I’m ever okay when she’s around.” He didn’t pay much attention to whatever came out of his mouth. He was too focused on watching Sunny work the room like the pro she was. “She’s one of those people who can walk into a room and make it feel like something epic is about to go down, just because she’s there. Her mind is a three-ring circus while the rest of the universe has their ass stuck in the stands, holding its breath while she performs the impossible with a smile on her face. You tell me if anyone can be fully all right whenever they’re around the likes of Sunny Fairfax.”

  “Dude, what I can tell you is that I’m not the only one around here who’s crushing on Sunny.” Patting his shoulder, Scout headed toward Payne. “By the way, I’ve set up a meeting tonight at eight during second shift’s break. Sunny’s going to present her subscription box idea to your fellow tattooists, which means she’s going to be looking for volunteers for exclusive artwork. Don’t let her down on that, yeah?”

  “Yeah.” Like he’d ever let Sunny down. She might believe he’d done just that in the past, and while he’d admit to making plenty of mistakes, letting her down wasn’t one of them. Not when it came to things that mattered.

  When it came to Sunny, she was everything that mattered.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “So, the final list of artists for the exclusive subscription boxes debuting next summer is… Ice, Payne, Loki, Ivy, Max, Angel, Twist, Tao and Sage.” Sunny looked up from her tablet to the people gathered in Payne’s office. Most of the House’s handpicked tattooists were familiar to her, whether from studying them during her time at Skull and Bones Ink, or because she’d already met them over the past couple weeks. Unlike most people who sat around a boardroom-sized table, the employees of House Of Payne didn’t wear suits. Jeans, sneakers or work boots, sweaters, T-shirts and hoodies were what passed for a uniform in the tattoo studio. Max, Twist and Ivy wore shirts bearing the House Of Payne logo, but for the most part there was no real conformity to be found, which was just what she’d expected. “On the ‘maybe’ list is Raider, Rocket, Styx, Becks, Talon and Tag, but only if he has the time to contribute in between his current art projects. If I missed anyone, let me know by the end of the week. If you show up next Monday wanting to be added to the list, you’d better have a half-caf, no-whip skinny vanilla latte with three sweeteners and a dash of cinnamon in hand, because that’s the only kind of bribery I respond to. Any questions before you guys can get out of here and far, far away from the boring business B.S.?”

  “Yeah, I got a question.” Loki put up a hand. He was one of the newer tattooists that Payne had recruited for his portrait artwork and cover-up abilities. For her part, Sunny didn’t yet know a lot about him other than the stuff she’d found on his résumé. He had the build of a football player and a scruffy, long-haired Brad Pitt vibe going on, with skull rings on almost every finger and a Harley Davidson tattoo peeking out from his collar. If this guy didn’t ride a hog on the daily, she’d eat her proverbial hat. “Are you and Ice legit hooked up, or is there some wiggle room I can work with? Because I’m dying to find out if you’re a natural blonde or brunette.”

  Ice surged to his feet. “Give it a shot, asshole. See what happens.”

  “And there’s your answer, thanks for playing.” Unfazed, Sunny glanced around the table and inwardly sighed. The subscription box memo she’d put at each place was now being used as a kind of place mat for the pizza that had been ordered for the meeting, but she supposed it could have been worse. Most of them had been kind enough to read it before dropping their slices on it. “Okay, folks, that’s it from my end. If you’ve got any specific ideas about what you’d like to go into those special personalized boxes to promote your brand and get your art physically into the hands of your fans, let me know. I’ll see what magic I can make
happen. Thanks for your attention.”

  “Everyone can leave except Loki,” Payne announced over the general din of people pushing out of their chairs and grabbing up whatever few slices of pizza were left. “Scout, get me the number for that sensitivity-training place. I need to send Mr. Sexual Harassment in the Workplace to fucking school on how not to treat women because he’s a goddamn knuckle-dragging Neanderthal. This should be loads of fun.”

  “Actually, that was kind of fun,” Sunny said to Ice as he walked her out through the double doors and toward her office. “I’d almost forgotten what a challenge it can be, talking to a bunch of flighty creative types. Holding their attention and getting them engaged in a project is always a win. Usually you peeps have your heads so high up in the clouds it’s almost impossible to reach you.”

  “Holy shit, you think I’m out of reach?” Without breaking stride, he put an arm around her shoulders, sifted his fingers through her hair and tilted her head up to receive a quick but thorough kiss. “You must not be paying attention.”

  The flavor of him still lying on her tongue kicked off the worst craving she’d ever known. “Paying attention to you is my favorite thing to do, Ice. I thought you knew that.”

  “I do now.” His eyes darkened and drifted to her lips, looking as hungry and horny as she felt. “You’re off the clock now that the meeting’s over, yeah?”

  “You know I am. You are, too. The question is, what are we going to do about that?”

  “That new couch in your office isn’t going to break itself in, now is it?”

  Good grief. “It’s my first official day here at the House as an employee. I might not be on the clock, but having sex under this roof now that I work here…”

  “Sounds like a great idea.”

  Yeah, it did. “Or we could head to your place right now and be tearing each other’s clothes off in twenty minutes. Fifteen if you hit the lights just right.”

  “And after that you leave my ass flat so you can sleep in your own bed. That pisses me off in ways you can’t imagine.”

  She came to a stop, because apparently she couldn’t walk and be stunned all at the same time. “It does? Why?”

  “Are you kidding me?” He looked at her like she’d just sprouted a third eye. “When I have you in bed, your ass needs to stay in that bed, Sunny. Once you’re there with me, that’s it. You’re there. You don’t need to be anywhere else. I can’t believe I have to point that out.”

  “I just never expected you to say something like that.” But it was oddly beautiful to hear, and she wasn’t going to deny it. It was almost as though he missed her when she was gone.

  He made a disgruntled sound. “Yeah, well, I never expected I’d have a woman get in the habit of leaving my bed right after I’ve banged her. That forces me to get my ass out of bed too, so I can follow her home just to make sure she’s safe.”

  Now it was her turn to stare in disbelief. “You what?”

  “You heard me. You don’t think I’d let you prowl the streets at one in the morning without me there to protect you, do you?”

  Honestly, this man… “I…kind of did think that, actually.”

  “I don’t know how that’s possible since I’ve been pretty damn clear on how things are.”

  Um. “How things are?”

  “Jesus.” He looked upward, no doubt calling on a higher deity to give him strength. “You and me, we’re a thing now. End of story. Except it isn’t, because you keep ghosting me when your place is right the hell under me.”

  Wow, it was getting hot in there. Any minute now she’d have to start fanning herself. “I’m being pulled in a lot of different directions at the moment, Ice. I’m trying to spend as much time at home as I can because…well, I don’t how much time I have left with my family the way it is now.”

  “I get that whatever time you’ve got with your dad is precious, and I’m not such a dick that I’d make you choose between him and me. I’m just saying if you’ve gotta sleep, you should be doing it with me.”

  “What if I’m needed? Or something happens when I’m not there, or—”

  “Easy. Easy, baby.” Frustration smoldered in his eyes, but it didn’t show in his voice or touch, and for that she was deeply grateful. The one thing she didn’t need now was a tug-of-war between him and her family. “I’m hearing what you’re saying. You’re telling me that this is what you need, so okay. I don’t like us sleeping in separate beds, but I do like it when you’re happy, so I’m onboard a thousand percent.”

  “Are you onboard with spending Christmas Eve night at my house? I’d love to wake up with you and spend Christmas morning together with my family,” she went on while his brows quirked up. “If you’re going to be in town, that is. Do you have plans? I would understand if you have plans,” she babbled on, absurdly nervous, but she couldn’t help it. Even though it seemed like a small thing, having him share a part of her family’s holiday traditions was just about the most intimate thing she could think of. If he said no…

  “I have plans now—spending it with you and your family.” His mouth curved at her squeal of happiness before he kissed her again, and suddenly everything seemed right in the world. “Let’s get out of here. We gotta get busy tearing each other’s clothes off.”

  “Okay,” she whispered, beaming.

  “God…yes.”

  ‘Not God, baby. Me.” Ice was rocking her world good and hard from behind, her knees sinking into the sheets, her head half-buried in a pillow that smelled like him, her ass in the air. “I’m the one who’s got my fist in your hair, and it’s my cock in that sweet pussy of yours. Roll your hips back and ride it, Sunny. Take all of me. Don’t make me do all the work.”

  “You’re hitting me just right.” Barely aware of what she was saying, Sunny closed her eyes and did as instructed, focused on chasing down that piercing pleasure that intensified with each bed-shaking, body jolting thrust. He was hitting that sweet spot so perfectly it was deliciously excruciating. “Oh God, yes, right there, right there… Ice.”

  “Yeah, that’s right. I’m the one who makes you lose that precious control of yours. I’m the one who owns this part of you.” To make sure she knew it, the hand in her hair slid down her spine, over her hip, between her widespread, trembling thighs, and slid a finger into her soaking cleft to rub against her clit. “I’m the one filling you. I’m the one who gives it to you until you scream. Scream for me now, Sunny. Do it.”

  She did, because the blissful tension inside snapped, flooding her every cell with lush pleasure. She rode that wave of ecstasy for as long as she could, moving wildly back against him and taking his cock as deeply as she could. His breathing shallowed out until he, too, groaned loud enough to ring around the room.

  Music to her ears.

  “Heaven.” Breathing hard, his mouth brushed the nape of her neck, then slid along the slope of a shoulder, before he gently pulled out. “Every time I fuck you, you redefine my idea of what heaven is.” He kissed her neck again as she slumped onto her side, as limp as a ragdoll. “Don’t move.”

  “As if I could.” It took most of her strength to find her voice, and through sleepy eyes she watched him head toward the bathroom. Minutes later he was back beside her, running a warm washcloth between her legs, which felt amazing, before he stretched out on the bed and curled her against him. “You take such good care of me. I like.”

  “I’d take care of you all night if you’d stop being so damn stubborn.” The arm that held her to his side tightened. “How much time before you take off?”

  “I probably should’ve left five minutes ago.” She yawned and snuggled closer. “I’m in no hurry.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. My mom understands, and she has Hannah and Matt with her if she needs any help. And my father…” She trailed off with a sad little sigh. “He has his good days, but more and more lately he doesn’t seem to know who’s in the room with him.”

  “Baby.” He gave her a comfor
ting squeeze. “That’s rough.”

  “You know what’s rough? Knowing that he’d be horrified by this piece-by-piece loss of the powerful human being he used to be. He was always so meticulous, you know? So careful to never slip up and make a mistake. To never show he was human.”

  “That’s a tall order.”

  “That’s an impossible order. He never allowed himself to just be. For a long time, I thought that was how adulting was done.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that I grew up fashioning myself after my parents. They’re both huge successes, after all, so I thought that never showing who you really were or how you actually felt was the way to be. I was all locked up so that nothing showed to the outside world except a serene smile. I’m still that way, I think,” she added thoughtfully, frowning into the darkened room. “I guess that’s my lot in life. Being locked up inside is probably encoded into the Fairfax genetic makeup.”

  “That’s a load of bullshit,” Ice said, not bothering to sugarcoat it. “Believing you’ve got no choice in the matter is a total cop-out. You have a choice. You can be a prisoner in your own head, or you can push yourself to let it all hang out and live. Just fucking live.”

  If only it was that easy. “I wouldn’t know where or how to begin.”

  “Here and now seems like a good time to me.” Rolling so that she was on her back and he was over her, he pushed her hair out of her eyes so he could look straight into them. “Tell me what you’re feeling right now.”

  As if he didn’t know. “Satisfied.”

  The curve of his mouth turned wicked. “That’s great, baby, but that’s not what I’m getting at. Try again.”

  “Sleepy?”

  “Jesus.” The way he shook his head told her she wasn’t exactly knocking his socks off. “That’s how you’re feeling, not what you’re feeling. Don’t tell me you don’t know the difference.”

  “Um…” Was it weird that she didn’t? “Feeling, as in emotionally?”