Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Undercover Lovers ❯ Playing it straight ( Chapter 41 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

CHAPTER 41: Playing it straight

“Daddeeeeeeeeee.” The voice shrieked.

Gene Caraway placed his elbows on his desk top and rested his head in his palms and groaned, “God what I have I done to be punished with such a daughter.

Rinoa skipped into her father's office and simpered, “Oh, daddy I'm glad you're here.”

Gene looked up and glared at his daughter, and wondered yet again why she couldn't be quiet and complaisant like her mother. “What do you want this time Rinoa?” He asked tallying up how much it was going to cost him.

“Well daddy it's like this. I found the man that I want to marry.” Rinoa whined. “And daddy I want him, he's perfect for me.”

Gene groaned under his breath, “What is he deaf?”

“What was that daddy?” Rinoa questioned.

“Nothing.” He replied blandly then asked, “So what's the problem?”

“He just suffers from the misconception that he's gay. Daddy I want you to make him not gay.”

Gene Caraway's fist came down on the desktop making the little things on it dance across the smooth surface and he exploded, “God damn it to hell girl. If he's gay then there's nothing I can do about it.”

“But daddy he's never even been with a girl. So how does he know?” Rinoa continued to whine and somehow managed to force a couple of tears from her eyes.

It briefly crossed his mind to be vulgar with his daughter but bit back the caustic reply and instead said calmly, “Rinoa I don't know what to tell you.”

“I know why don't we have a dinner party and I can invite him and…and…and you can talk to him and then…and then we can sat my wedding date.”

“Fine but it's going to have to wait. I have business associates that I have to meet with later this week.” Gene explained to his petulant child.

“But daddy.” Rinoa pouted.

The last thing he needed was this annoyance in his life. Especially if he was going to be meeting with a member of the Valentinius family, he knew how the Mafioso felt about mixing business with family. That was something you just didn't do. Gene dangled a very large carrot in front of his spoiled daughter and said, “Why don't I send you and your mother to Paris to go shopping.”

Her obsession with Squall Leonhart temporarily forgotten, Rinoa squealed, “Really daddy?”

“Yes really. Now why don't you go and pick up tickets for you and your mother. I call and make reservations for you.”

“Thank you! You're the best daddy in the whole wide world.” Rinoa trilled as she pranced from the room.

Arriving at the corner of Haight and Ashbury at the prearranged time Squall saw the lanky redhead was waiting for them. Pulling over he rolled down the driver's side window and said, “Get in.”

Reno opened the back door slide in behind Squall and buckled up as Squall pulled away form the curb and asked, “Where are we going?”

“First I'm going to make sure that we're not being followed, then we're going to a nice bistro that I know so we can talk.” Squall replied to his question.

“Squall I swear that I wasn't followed and like you asked I did come alone.” Reno replied.

“I trust you Reno. I just don't trust your associates.” Squall said and glanced in the rearview mirror.

Reno had respected Squall Leonhart before but the bar had just been raised considerably. He hadn't lied to Loz when he said that Squall had moxie, but that wasn't the only reason he liked him. The kid was smart and he knew instinctively that Squall didn't trust a lot of people. So when Squall had said that he trusted him, there was no way in hell that he would ever do anything to violate that trust.

Seifer was observing the events that unfolded around him and keep giving casual glances in the passenger's side window. He knew that he didn't have to tell Squall that they were being followed, since the brunet's body language had subtly changed.

“Reno, do me a favor. Call your boss and tell him to call off his hounds.” Squall said.

“Son of a bitch.” Reno swore, and yanked his cell phone out of his pocket and placed one call. He knew it wasn't Useless that was following them, but his own partner Loz. Reaching him he snarled into the phone, “God damn it Hinge if you fuck this up I'll put a bullet in your dumb ass head. Back the fuck off.” He was seething and made a mental note that he would never work with Loz again. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and started to light one up.

“Don't smoke in my car.” Squall ordered from the front seat.

Reno looked sheepish as he put the cigarette back in the pack, “Oops my bad.”

Squall looked in the rearview mirror again and saw that the car that had been following them had stopped doing so.

A short time later they pulled up in front of The Phantom Bistro. Squall indicated a corner table with a slight movement of his head and while Seifer and Reno went over and sat down he went up to the counter and placed their order.

Squall walked over to the table and slid into the chair that was beside Seifer. Before he and Seifer had left he had gotten a response to his email to Kiros. His Sergeant had understood that his and Seifer's investigation had been stalled so they could help the Feds. But that didn't necessarily mean that he was happy with the situation.

The waitress arrived with their order and gave each one of the men a longing look. In her opinion they were three of the best looking men she had ever seen. Each was totally gorgeous but in different ways. The redhead had a finely sculpted face and she knew from experience that they were dynamite in bed. The blond was so ruggedly handsome that it made her weak in the knees. Then there was the brunet, at first she had thought that he was a woman but on closer examination she realized her mistake he was androgynously perfect. Smilingly at the three men she said hopefully, “Is there anything else that I can get for you?”

“No this is fine for now.” Squall replied dismissing her.

As she walked away Reno couldn't help but smirk, “How do you do that? Be rude without being rude.”

Squall chuckled, “Good breeding.”

Reno tossed his head backed and laughed, “Ah I see.”

“Okay Reno let's get down to business.” Squall interjected interrupting his laughter.

“I've been undercover in Caraway's organization for the past three years. I started out as a runner and slowly rose to being his right hand man.” Reno paused and took a sip of his coffee and continued. “Even though he trust me, I haven't been able to get anything on him.”

“And you think he'll trust me why?” Squall asked.

“Because you're a Valentinius.” Reno answered.

“I am aren't I?” Squall replied.

Reno continued, “Yeah. Like I was saying I think that maybe he'll let you in on things that he's held close. I just don't know enough to put him away for a very long time. With some hotshot attorney he would get off with a slap on the wrist. I know that he's involved in some drug trafficking at some of the clubs around town, but I don't know who his supplier is. I haven't been able to get those facts yet.”

When Reno had said that Caraway was one of the suppliers for drugs at some of the clubs that had immediately quirked Squall's attention and he asked, “What clubs?”

Reno chuckled, “You wouldn't believe me if I told you. We're after the same bad guy Squall.”

Squall shook his head from side to side and said factiously, “This is just to perfect.”

“Yeah! Just a little to perfect.” Seifer interjected with a sneer.

Reno gave the blond a quizzical look and added hastily, “I'm not yanking on your chain. He is the one involved. This is one of those classic situations of you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.”

Before the conversation could continue the waitress came back over to the table and asked if they wanted refills on their coffee. Receiving a trio of yeses she started refilling the cups, leaning in and rubbed her breast against Reno's arm. The action caused Reno to move his chair in the opposite direction away from the intrusion.

Seeing that the redhead didn't want her attention she tried the same tactics on the blond sex god, she missed the icy glare from the brunet. Seifer was as offended as Reno had been, hadn't this bimbo ever heard of personal space? He didn't even try being subtle grasping the bottom of the chair he picked it up and shifted closer to Squall.

Since her approach hadn't worked on the other two she shifted her sights to the brunet going behind him she leaned in and pressed her silicone injected chest against the royal purple silk shirt he was wearing and blatantly sniffed his hair.

Squall's reaction was totally different he didn't move instead he growled, “Do not touch me.”

“Excuse me?” She stuttered out.

In a matter of seconds he went from Squall Leonhart to the Mafioso Prince that he was going to be and snarled, “Back the fuck off. I choose my whores they don't choose me.”

“What did you just say to me?” She snapped.

“You heard what I said. Now keep your hands off of me.” Squall said in icy disdain.

The waitress was shocked how dare he talk to her that way, “Who the hell do you think you are?”

Squall sneered, “Who I am is of no concern to you, but I would like to speak with the manager right now.”

Gathering the shreds of her dignity she backed away from the table and plowed into her manager who seeing the altercation had approached the table.

Stepping around her he stopped at the table and asked, “What's the problem here?” And listened silently as the brunet quickly explained what had happened. Hearing what had occurred the manager offered his apologies and tore their ticket in half. Turning he told the waitress that he wanted to see her in the office right away.

Seifer smirked and leaned and whispered to Squall, “I didn't realize that heifers were going to be sniffing around my pasture as well.” He wasn't sure how Squall was going to handle the waitress but the way he had was decimating.

Squall laughed at Seifer's response and replied softly, “Maybe I should start wearing chaps so everyone can see your brand.”

Seifer growled low, “No way. Nobody but me gets the pleasure of seeing that sweet little ass of your Sweet Cheeks.”

Reno raised an eyebrow at Squall and asked, “Does that happen to you all the time?” He had been amused at Squall's reaction to the waitress's not so subtle actions. He was intrigued by the byplay that was happening between the blond and the brunet. He hadn't been with anyone for a while and he was really starting to get horny. Especially watching the two men that were across from him, he knew they were involved. Well duh, didn't need a degree in Idiotology to realize that. He just kind of wished that Squall wasn't since he found the brunet sexy and irresistible.

“No it doesn't.” Squall answered honestly.

“I suppose that's a good thing. Look Squall I need to know something. Um how to say this without sounding like a homophobic ass.” Reno started.

“You want to know how I'm going to act when I meet with Caraway right?” Squall offered with a smile and bit back a chuckle. Reno Carson was anything but homophobic he had known upon first meeting that the redhead was same sex oriented.

“Well yeah.”

“Not to worry Reno. I can hide my sexuality as well as you can.” Squall winked at him.

Reno choked on the swallow of coffee he had just taken and said sotto voce, “How did you know?”

Squall smiled again, “Families family.”

Reno needed to know something else so he asked, “How are you going to explain Seifer?”

Squall closed his eyes in silent contemplation “He's my bodyguard.” Then ran his fingers down Seifer's denim clad leg to the blond's upper thigh, licked his upper lip and groaned, “Because baby, I love the way you guard my body.”

Reno chuckled, “I'm glad that you can play it straight Squall. I'll set up a time for you to meet with Caraway and get in contact with you.”

“Sounds good.” Squall replied and rose from the table and waited for the other two men to follow suit. Getting into the car he drove Reno back to the corner where he had picked him up. After dropping him off, he asked Seifer if he were hungry and getting a yes drove to the diner where they had first had lunch.