Chapter 24

Avery’s POV

My eyes, which are supposed to be on the middle-aged men playing poker, are fixed unflinchingly at the door. I feel Cheryl’s laser gaze piercing my cheek, but I don’t care; all I want is to keep my fingers crossed and hope that Gaius isn’t going to get me into trouble. I hear their voices long before they arrive through the double doors: Ivano’s lover-boy tenor and Gaius’ smooth, sultry purr.

All I hear is blood rushing through my ears in the ten or so seconds it takes for them to barge in through the doors, and when they eventually swagger in, I nearly keel over.

The reason for my shock doesn’t actually have so much to do with the fact that he’s here but more with the sight of him dressed to excellence in a burgundy tailored suit that probably costs more than my apartment, leather boots that perfectly complement the formal get up and dark aviator shades that obscure his eyes and add a sense of mystery to his appearance.

His back-length h