EUPHORIA : SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE

"Working overtime again? Haven't you heard that's bad for your health both physically and mentally my dear handsome Amory Roman?" A deep voice drawled in the dark.

I had no weapon to protect myself as I closed the door of his apartment. I cursed at my foolish decision in the morning to leave my gun in the bedroom safe and not carry a weapon home. The damn day must be cursed since I had an intruder in my condo.

I remained still waiting for any movement, waiting for him to attack, but the man sitting at my desk by the window did not move an inch. Resigning myself to the fact that the intruder was already here, and there was nothing I could do, I walked to the corner of the condo and switched on the living room lights.

In the sudden glow of lights, the man smiled. There was no way to describe him other than he was fucking handsome. His eyes pierced through mine and his smile showed how sexy his lips were. The mole below his lips made my mouth water and catch my breath. I was instantly attracted and drawn to him so that I forgot the current predicament of him being an intruder. The intruder smirked at my apparent scrutiny, and I managed to snap "Is there a more appropriate reaction when confronting an intruder?"

The man laughed and the sound that came out of his mouth was husky, sweet, and like an aphrodisiac. He leaned back in the chair by the window, looking like he belonged there.

"Intruder?" he drawled. He then cast a sly smile and winked. "Unless your heart wants me to intrude into it. Am sure your body would" He flirtatiously stated while his eyes shamelessly raked my body from head to toe.

"Breaking into a detective's home? You sure are brave. Do you know that you can be arrested?" I threatened him.

"Detective Amory Roman," he responded with a nod ignoring the threat. "Ten commendations for excellence in the last two years, the most decorated detective in Beijing, plus three demerits for being a general bastard to his superiors. Intriguing and damn sexy"

The statement made me annoyed. Of all the things I hated people who ran a background check on me to use it as leverage. And the man had just done that. I walked towards the desk and stood towering over him without any ounce of fear.

"Who the fuck are you?" I demanded.

He smiled. Smug, settled, calculating. "You're a clever man, Amory Roman. You can guess" he stated boastfully. And then he stood up and walked towards me and stood towering over me in confidence.

"So many crimes in the city for the last two years," he looked down at me from his long lashes. "I am a fair boss. But I like to operate in a city that has low crime. The government is not ready to do anything about it or is involved. And my organization will not grow at this rate. I cannot have my members remain stagnant and businesses with slow growth or no growth a lot. We need to expand."

"Organization," I tried to rack my brain with what his statement meant. It then hit me, and I took a step back "You're with the mob." I started in shock.

He laughed and it sounded husky, warm, and cheeky. " I AM THE MOB," he drawled, and smirked at me" Milo Bastian, at your service, ready to overturn the government with me, darling?"

For a moment it was impossible to believe what I was hearing.

"Overturn?" I yelled at him in disbelief. Everyone had heard of Milo Bastian. But the guy standing in front of me was not the description the force had been given. He was young, cheeky, and beautiful. His face was no representation of a mob leader. What kind of mob leader looked like this? From the information I had, the Mob in Beijing has all the territories on the docks. They did business and had never been arrested for anything illegal.

While I was getting over the shock, Bastian waved his hand like that was of no consequence. "Only the corrupt leaders and office-bearers," he answered like he had read my mind. "It's an offer you can't refuse, Amory Roman. Not unless you want to spend the rest of your life working cold cases. Or maybe unless you want to continue dealing with crime after crime."

"If you're threatening me-, "I sneered.

He pressed fingers on my lips to silence me. "No darling," he stated, and it was the first flicker of perfect seriousness I witnessed from him. It was enough to shift his demeanor from a seducing siren to a dominant boss." I don't want any more harm brought to this city. As the Mob, we know our limits. But if the government and high-level businessmen get greedy, it will not be safe for women and children. Part of our code is to protect our women and children. That's why I need your help. I am here to seek unity with you to make the city a little bit bearable."

Fuck his offer was too good to be true. How could I refuse it? With all the medals and accolades, crime in the city was still rising. The wealthy businessmen and the government made it difficult for me. I could make a change by getting reinforcements from the mob if they were within the law. And this was a reminder as to why I joined the force. But my sixth sense told me, there was more to the offer. Maybe the Mob leader just wanted to wipe out the competition. But what did I have to lose?

"If you dare to play me, I will drag you to the station in handcuffs and have you locked up for good," I stated firmly.

"Deal," Milo Bastian forced a breath out, then inclined his head in shock like he had not expected me to accept the proposal so quickly.

"We will have to establish a time and place for a meeting-" I said but Milo Bastian had other ideas in mind as he moved closer and pressed himself against me draping his arms around my neck "I don't plan on hiding like a rat. I have a better idea. Since everyone knows am gay, I will appear to be trying to hit on you."

My body vibrated and the reaction was instant.

"Can you sell the act; the force would see through you? "I deflected and yet all I could feel was the hardness of my body pressed together with his. Milo Bastian smelled divine and was a pure distraction.

"Act?" Bastian whispered, close enough to kiss. "Oh, Amory Roman, I have poor acting skills." His meaning was clear. He was seducing me.

It was hard to breathe. Hard to swallow, hard to think. Those eyes were too clever, I stared up into his eyes, knowing I should have objected, but-my body did not obey my thoughts. If it was someone else, I would have already arrested them. Before I could finish my thoughts Milo Bastian pressed his lips against mine and stood staring deep into his eyes.

A dare? Yes.

"I will take your silence to mean that you agree," he whispered and grabbed my chin forcing my mouth open, and kissed me deeply before he could object. Slow and soft and sweet, testing, exploring and seconds turned into minutes, I got lost in the kiss as we stood in a deep passionate embrace tasting each other, Bastian moaned into the kiss and the sound snapped me out of the haze and I pushed back, " Not this way."

Milo Bastian looked wild and ready to pounce. His eyes burned into the mine demanding and on fire. After a minute he retreated and took a step back.

" Take it easy. Am leaving. I have left my card on your desk. I will get in touch with you tomorrow with more details. Sweet dreams darling" Within seconds Bastian, he walked out of the apartment.

"What the hell just happened?" I murmured to myself.

Cursing I walked to my desk and a black card with Milo Bastian's number was placed in the center. Switching on my computer, I checked the CCTV footage. The man bastard Milo Bastian opens my house with a card and then sat at the desk for an hour before I got home. How did the damn bastard obtain a key card?

A ding on my phone interrupted my questioning mind as a message came from an unknown number. " Here is my file before you ask your team to do a background check on me. Your sweet darling Bastian."

I chucked and cursed " fucking bastard" yet I was inclined to open the document.

Milo Bastian's film was impressive. The damn bastard was a bookworm, he studied for years, and his wealth was unimaginable. He owned businesses, malls, and condominiums and the list was endless. Did he send me the file to brag or what?

I walked out of the apartment, into the management office, and requested a change in the lock. Having Milo Bastian access to my home was not good for me. Once done I went back to the apartment, had a shower then made dinner.

Hours later, I slipped into bed, and sleep eluded me. I touched my lips in awe as my thoughts were filled with Milo Bastian. My heart and body agreed that Milo Bastian was an awesome kisser. But the danger that came with the Mob could cost me my career and life. It was impossible and against all my principles. Yet I was attracted to him. I had seen detectives lose their cool over love. Especially loving someone who went against the law. It never ended well. I vowed to never be caught in such a drama. I closed my eyes and sleep took over.

Early the next morning, I walked into the precinct and found the staff all in a buzz. The minute my presence was made known, there was pin-drop silence as they all gave me weird looks. In my years of working, I was used to people judging me, but I did not care. Hence, I ignored all the stares until I saw Amani, my secretary, standing at her desk looking like she had seen a ghost.

As I approached, she hurriedly stated " Boss, you have a visitor in your office. I have been trying to reach you all morning, but your phone was off."

I had a bad feeling about this as I increased the steps to my office and upon entering my eyes widened in disbelief. Within twenty-four hours, Milo Bastian had managed to surprise him. What was even worse, he was seated on the office couch looking like a sin itself and holding a bouquet of roses.

" Good morning, Darling"

" Shit" The words were out of my mouth.

I looked back at the precinct's open space and knew why the whole office looked at me with such eyes. I closed the office door hurriedly and turned back to Bastian, but the bastard was undeterred, standing up and walking over to hand me the flowers.

" A token of our partnership my dear detective" His eyes twinkled with mischief.

I grabbed the flowers, put them on the side desk, and walked around to sit down.

I picked up my phone desk with a direct line to my secretary "Amani, first, get me a charger to charge my phone and two cups of coffee" From the corner of my eyes I watched Milo Bastian raise himself and sit on the corner desk. I thought to himself, Bastian had stated he was not good at acting yet he had managed to render the whole precinct speechless.

Hanging up the phone, I leaned back on my chair and asked him " Are you always like this?"

Milo Bastian smiled" No. I get inspiration from you. And I just can't resist your charm. Do you like flowers?" he started raising his shoulders.

His response made me laugh so hard and Milo Bastian stare made me stop. Tension. Chemistry. Feelings. All at once rushing between us. I looked away and cleared my throat " No. I hate flowers. So, what have you got for me?

He must have seen through the deflection, and he responded. "Let's get your phone charged. I sent you files this morning on the Prime minister's son's drug ring. We need to take him out first. Plan and have an undercover operation. "

Prime minister? " Amani, get me the damn charger now". I yelled throughout the office. The news was music to my ears, but I knew the dangers that would come with such an operation.

"I read your file, Bastian. It was flashy" I said sarcastically.

He smiled and said "You can get to know me better, there is so much for you to discover. "

I was saved from Milo Bastian's seductive tone when Amani knocked on the door and walked into the office with a charger and two cups of coffee. "Here you go, detective. As ordered"

She turned around to leave and raised an eyebrow at Milo Bastian. He smiled and said, "Thank you for the coffee, dear."

I watched the change in Amani as she went from condescending to a blushing woman. The damn bastard's mouth could swindle anyone, and I cleared my throat, forcing Amani to rush out of the room in embarrassment. I shook my head and plugged in my phone to charge. I picked up one cup of coffee and sipped it as I waited for the phone to boot.

"Your secretary is sweet," Milo Bastian said.

"You can have her" The words were out of my mouth.

"You sound jealous darling" Milo Bastian's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Cut the crap." The phone came on and I accessed the file that he had sent. The information was enough for me to request an operation.

"This will suffice. I will set up a team and have a meeting with the Chief to discuss this. I prefer to keep it low, considering that this is a high-level case.

Milo Bastian nodded "It's Time to take out the trash "

MILO BASTIAN'S POV

*******************************************************

I gazed out the glass windows of my penthouse, on the top floor of a low-rise brownstone, taking in the city spread out around him. The dark apartment was illuminated only by the halogen glow of a single bare bulb. Another night waiting for Detective Amory to get his shit together and come to me. I knew it was more than the deal. I wanted this man to come to him willingly. Willing to work together and willing to his heart.

When I first inquired about him, his file impressed me. But following him and tracking him down, made me feel like possessing him. I had risked giving him the file with the findings on the prime minister's son since it involved almost all the top police chiefs. But the spread of the drugs to the schools was not something I could condone. In my plan, this the prime minister's son was the first official to be taken down.

In the distance, police sirens wailed and over the assigned dispatch radio, I heard the call that a body had been found. Another crime again!! I was tired of all the killings. Beijing was no longer safe for anyone.

The mob only dealt with art, and cars and had scaled down on the arms deals the minute I became boss. Drugs were not part of the deals we made but some mob families and members still engaged in drugs, and I had given them an ultimatum. It was an understanding that there would never be enough money and that some people were born greedy. But if I was the boss, they would not do it under my watch.

I needed to quickly arrest the current situation. Last week, two of the mob lady members who worked in a late-night cafe were killed. I had been losing members weekly and knew very soon a fight between the Mob, the Mafia, and the police would break out of this continued.

Hence, I summoned the mob leaders and wanted to ensure that Detective Roman would get all the support. And whoever resisted or leaked out any information had the right to leave the mob or be shot. Leaving the penthouse in a hurry, the cars sped along the highway, headed towards the office, and found that Sasha, my assistant, had already set everything up.

Sasha has been with me since childhood. Being five years older than me, she had been assigned my bodyguard until I was initiated as the mob leader. Being my confidant, I had made her my assistant and the mob's council secretary. I wanted someone to watch over the mob who was my confidant and was loyal.

There were eight families in the mob, each with their territory within Beijing, each with their motive duties, and desires. There wasn't a single man here who wouldn't love to be in my position, lording it over all the others. There were only two reasons it hadn't happened yet. One, neither of them would ever be likely to agree with one of the others being in charge, and two, I had shown repeatedly that I was not to be crossed. Being ruthless and cold was required of being a Mob leader.

There had been a lot of blood spilled in the beginning. More than even the police could keep up with. But then everything settled, and I used his hard-won position to make the streets safer for the children and women. Innocents didn't need to be caught up in the mob's world.

"Gentlemen," he greeted them as I walked into the vast boardroom. I didn't sit right away, and he could feel the tension increasing in the room. "I'm sure you are all aware of why I called you here. I made a deal with Detective Amory Roman, and I hope that everyone will cooperate and support me on this" I sat down, reclining in a very practiced manner. The simple motion brought everyone's attention back to him. "Anyone objective to this needs to leave the Mob family immediately. We can't keep losing our family members to crime. "

There was pin-drop silence in the room. I watched everyone, one of them, and waited. I knew that they were cowards, and none would object. They all nodded, and I acknowledged their response. "Sasha, you oversee this. Get everyone on board. I plan to have the city clear of safe in the next six months. "With that, I stood and left the boardroom headed to my office.

My stride slowed down when a familiar scent hit my nose. My eyes widened in surprise as I looked around for confirmation. There was no way Detective Roman had come to my office. I rushed to the office and there standing by the bookshelf, perusing through the books was Detective Roman. Happiness radiated through me.

Finally, Detective Roman has come to me.

Closing the door, I rushed to Detective Roman, and he turned around. "You have managed to surprise me. Took you long enough to come" I said.

We stood in silence admiring each other. I could not resist and moved closer engulfing him in a hug. We enjoyed each other's comfort before Detective Roman took a step back and this made me frustrated.

" I came to inform you that there is an operation tonight. We are going to catch Tian Tian. The unit has prepared everything, and I will come to you after" He explained to him the plan. The police force thought it would be better to catch him at the docks where the new shipment of drugs would be landing tonight. Hence, they had set up a trap for him.

"So, you deliberately kept us out of this operation. Yet I supplied you with information. How could you not consider our contribution? I'm going with you. And in any case, Tian Tian would never trust the police. The only way to draw him out would be the Mob wanting to buy the shipment of drugs" I seethed in anger.

"We already have this covered. You don't need to worry" Detective Roman affirmed.

"It seems the police are naive. Do you know that Tian Tian will do a background check on the buyer? And since he has spies in the police you are bound to be exposed. But if the mob handles the buy, we are good to go. We have the money and channels to supply the drugs. Your plan is full of flaws."

Detective Roman looked like he wanted to argue for a moment, then signed "You do make a point. He would be less suspicious if it was the mob. If you are coming along, bring only two of your bodyguards. You must promise to act according to the plan. You know very well; I don't trust the mob. And if you get hurt or die, I'm going to be extremely pissed at you. If that happens, our deal is off."