by Penelope Sky
I was glad my brother told me all of that, but not because I thought she was a serious threat. Now it all made sense. She didn’t want anything to do with me because she knew what kind of lifestyle I led. She knew I was at the top of the hierarchy of the underworld. She knew I was dangerous, and being associated with me for too long would put her right back where she didn’t want to be.
Now it was no wonder she was nothing like the other women.
Because she really didn’t want me.
The more she distanced herself from me, the more interested I became.
Four days had come and gone, and I hadn’t heard from her once.
All I got was a shipment of paintings I had already approved of. She didn’t even deliver them in person. There was just a note for Giovanni and instructions where the paintings were to be hung.
Was she avoiding me?
I got her address from my security team and stopped by for a visit. She had a quaint little house just outside Florence. It was a two-bedroom Mediterranean-style home with a small garden and driveway. It wasn’t ideal for a family, but for a single person, it was the right size. I left my Bugatti out front then knocked on her door.
It took her a few minutes to answer, and when she did, she didn’t look happy to see me. “What are you doing here?” The annoyance was bright in her green eyes, like she couldn’t stand the thought of my stopping by unannounced. The signs of arousal that she showed the last time I saw her were long gone. Now I was just a nuisance to her.
My hands slid into the pockets of my jeans. I admired the way her blouse clung to her curves so snugly. Her black jeans fit her long legs perfectly, catching the perkiness of her ass and the tightness of her legs. “Came to see you.”
“Well, a phone call would have been more appropriate.” She stepped outside and shut the door behind her, as if she was trying to hide something from me. Or she was hiding me from someone else.
I glanced at her closed door before I looked at her again. “Got company?”
She kept her hand on the doorknob, like standing in my way would really stop me from getting inside if I wanted to. “I’m on a date right now.”
The last thing I should be was angry. We only had one night together, and that was the most time I extended to any woman. After that, they were just a memory. There was no attachment or interest. By the following night, I was usually with another woman anyway. But I’d never been the recipient of such indifference, of a woman so unaffected by me that she looked for someone else the second we were finished.
It reminded me of myself—which annoyed me. “Then tell him to leave.”
“Why would I do that?” She stood her ground when everyone else would crumble. “I’m not going to let you ruin a second date.”
“Do you regret how the last one went?”
Her rage slowly died away when she remembered our night together—and how she loved sucking my dick as much as she enjoyed fucking it.
“Why would you want him when you could have me?” I didn’t need to see what this guy looked like to know he was no match for me. I didn’t need to remember our last rendezvous in absolute detail to know I was a better lay than he would ever be. Never in my life had I chased a woman who couldn’t be conquered. I constantly had to remind Siena of my qualities, like they were so easy for her to forget.
“That’s a bit arrogant, isn’t it?”
“It’s a serious question.”
She rested her back against the door, giving herself extra space between the two of us. “I thought that was a one-time thing. We had fun, but it’s over. You’re my boss.”
“And as your boss, it’s smart not to piss me off.” I stepped closer to her and pressed my hands against the door, blocking her in so she had nowhere to run. I tilted my head toward her and brought my lips close to hers, remembering exactly how that mouth felt against mine—and my cock. “So get rid of your date and invite me inside.”
She showed subtle signs of melting, but she was also annoyed by my orders. “If you want to come by tomorrow, I’m free. But I’m not blowing off my date just because you don’t like it. I don’t owe you anything, and you don’t owe me anything.”
My hands moved to her hips, and I squeezed her gently, my thumbs digging into her waist. “No.”
“You really think I would march up to you in a bar when you were with someone else and demand you ignore them?” she asked incredulously. “Demand that you go home with me instead?”
“I would love it if you did.” I pressed my forehead to hers and smelled her perfume. I remembered how it smelled against my sheets after she left. I loved the way she smelled when she was coated with her sweat as well as mine. I’d never been a man obsessed with the chase, but the more she evaded me, the more I wanted her.
“Leave—”
I pressed my mouth to hers and kissed her against the door. It was quiet being so far away from the city, so I could hear her breaths as they entered my mouth. Every time our lips moved together, they made the sweetest sound. Her breath of arousal was the best noise of all, so subtle and sexy. My hand moved into her hair, and I kissed her deeper, wishing she was naked with her legs spread. I didn’t want to leave knowing she would be fucked by some other guy. I wanted to be the one to do the fucking. “You know you want me to fuck you tonight. Not him.” I kissed the corner of her mouth then her neck. “Get rid of him. Or I will.” I was the kind of man who shouldn’t have to ask more than once. People didn’t dare defy me, not if they wanted to live a long and happy life.
She tilted her chin up to look at me, her eyes a deep green like the Tuscan hillside in the height of summer. Her gaze shifted back and forth slightly as she debated her next move. Even though she wanted me, she might continue to be stubborn out of principle. Or she might drop this charade altogether and ditch the loser who would never please her the way I could. “Give me a minute.” She walked back inside and shut the door.
Minutes later, her date walked out. Tall and handsome like the last date, he seemed worthy of a beautiful woman like Siena. She certainly didn’t struggle to replace the men she used. Just like me, she could be entertained by a new man every night because she was magnetic. He got in his car and drove away.
Siena opened the door again but didn’t invite me inside. She walked back into her home and headed into the kitchen. “All I’ve got is wine. Red okay?”
I walked down the hallway and examined her cozy home. With wooden floors and historic architecture, it was clear the house could easily be a hundred years old. The windows were blurry from age, and the hallways were smaller than homes built in the modern age. “Yes.” I rounded the corner and arrived in her small kitchen. There was a dining table that could seat four people, so I took a seat. Paintings of flowers were on the walls, along with family portraits on the mantel. One that stuck out to me the most was a picture of her and her mother. At least, I assumed it was her mother—because they looked like sisters.
Siena placed the glass in front of me before she took a seat, the bottle in hand. She swirled the contents before she brought it to her lips. Lipstick was already smeared across the glass because she’d been drinking out of it with her other date.
“When did you meet him?”
“You really want to talk about the guy I just got rid of?” With her elbow resting on the table, she held the glass near her lips. She licked her lips slightly, collecting the last hint of taste before she took another drink. Her actions were so smooth it didn’t seem like she was making them on purpose. It was natural.
She was naturally sexy. “Just curious. You seem to have a new guy every time I see you.”
“I could say the same about you,” she countered. “Except, in your case, you always seemed to have several new women every time I spotted you.”
I was a magnet for beautiful women. They could feel the pull from my wallet and crotch. “When did you meet him?”
“He came by the gallery the other day. We made small talk before he asked me t
o dinner.”
“And how did you end up here?”
“I invited him.” She didn’t possess a hint of shame whatsoever. This woman wasn’t afraid to be herself at all. She couldn’t care less about my opinion. She lived a life similar to mine, and she enjoyed every second of it.
If I didn’t want her all to myself, I would actually respect it. “I’m just a phone call away.”
She set her glass down before a ghost of a smile stretched across her lips. “I never pinned you for the jealous type.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“Really?” She swirled her glass again. “You usually sabotage dates? Show up on a woman’s doorstep without an invitation? Demand for her to get rid of her date? If you aren’t jealous, then what are you?”
I didn’t have an answer. None whatsoever.
She set her glass down then shifted her gaze out her back door. The sun was setting, and the heat was slowly dissipating. A gentle glow from the sunset still filled the room and blanketed her skin in the most beautiful color. “I’m not looking for anything serious right now. I told you I’m just interested in good sex and my career. And even if I were looking to settle down, you aren’t my type.”
It took me time to process a response because her words caught me off guard. Like she threw a pitcher of cold water in my face, I was stunned. No woman had ever said anything like that to me. Even when I was just a man with a dream, women wanted me for more than the night. It made all the muscles in my torso tense in both offense and curiosity. This woman was completely unaffected by my charm, and it drove me crazy. “Then what’s your type?”
“Not a murderer, for one.”
“Then you’re going to end up with a pussy.”
She ignored the insult. “An average man with average means.”
All women wanted was a rich man who could buy them the world. They wanted nice cars, a beautiful mansion, and a necklace covered in a wealth of diamonds. They wanted to feel like a queen and be married to a king. “Bullshit.”
Her eyes moved to mine, full of hostility.
“All women want security. All women want a powerful man who can protect them.”
“Only women who can’t provide for and protect themselves.” Her fingers wrapped around the stem of her glass, and she fidgeted with it as she kept her eyes on me. “I’ve been doing it for a long time, and I’m pretty good at it. That’s not what I’m looking for in a man. And money is the root of all evil. When you have too much of it, everyone wants it. It’s impossible to tell who really likes you for you…and who wants to screw you over. People will do anything to get their hands on it…even murder innocent people.”
I had a few asshole comments in retaliation, but I didn’t say them because I understood the context of her words. Her mother had been murdered because of her father’s empire. Being associated with a life of crime had only ripped her family apart. Now she lived on her own and hadn’t spoken to her family in many years.
“So, you aren’t my type, Cato.”
I hadn’t touched my wine since I walked inside. I was far more interested in drinking her in than letting the alcohol touch my lips. Bates’s paranoia seemed like overkill now that I’d heard her confession. This woman didn’t have a trick up her sleeve at all. She really just wanted a job from me—and that was all. If anything, she was a lesser threat than anyone else I dealt with. “You aren’t wrong. But you aren’t right either.”
She placed her hand under her chin as she examined me. Her thick lashes made her eyes even more beautiful, hypnotic. They shone with ecstasy when I was deep inside her, and the effect was absolutely stunning.
“With great power comes great responsibility. If you’re a man worthy of that power, you will rule without consequence. I’m the biggest shark in the ocean, the top of the hierarchy. I control this world, down to every last detail. Men look over my shoulder for me, but my power is untouchable. I’m the most powerful man in this world—and no one can ever take that away from me. Perhaps my station makes me a target, but it also makes me untouchable. If a woman were ever by my side, she would never have to be afraid of anything—because the world serves me.” Her father had a respectable empire with plenty of men, but he was still no match for me. She thought she understood wealth and privilege, but the others were penniless compared to me. She had no idea what real luxury was like. “I can make all problems go away.”
She hung on every word without blinking, but she still didn’t seem impressed by what I said. “You can make problems go away, but I prefer not to have problems to begin with.” She grabbed the bottle and refilled her glass. “I inherited this house from my grandmother. It’s small and quaint, but it’s perfect for me. I don’t owe anything on it, and the money I make from the gallery is enough for a comfortable life. There’s nothing else I need or want.”
I wasn’t envious of her attitude, but I respected her for it. It gave her the ultimate level of power. If there was nothing else she needed, then she didn’t need to bend over backward for anything or anyone. She was in control of her life, and she wasn’t looking for a man to make her life easier. She didn’t need anyone for anything.
She drank her wine, licking her lips in between tastes.
It was the first time in my life when I’d wanted a woman who was borderline indifferent toward me. She wanted to sleep with me, but not enough to blow up my phone with texts or to show up at one of my favorite clubs. She didn’t have an ulterior motive, a fantasy that she could become the richest woman in this country. She didn’t need anything from me—so I meant nothing to her. It was pretty sexy.
She met my gaze and didn’t blink for several heartbeats. “What?”
“You’re sexy.”
“Me?” She tilted her head sideways slightly.
“Yes. You.”
A smile formed on her lips, and this time, it was genuine. “You like an independent woman?”
“I don’t have a type.” As long as she was beautiful and subservient, I didn’t care. Her personality, religion, and beliefs were irrelevant. I’d never paid enough attention to a woman to learn anything about her. “But I was raised by a single mother. She worked as many hours as she could to provide for Bates and me. Not once did she complain or seem weak. So I do have a soft spot for a woman who takes care of herself.”
Her eyes slowly softened, and the smile on her lips faded away. Her fingers rested against the rim of her glass, and the playfulness she’d shown just seconds ago was gone. “I didn’t know that.”
“You’re not a very good stalker.”
“I guess I didn’t think your childhood mattered.”
“Every boy becomes a man. But the man never forgets who that boy was.” It didn’t matter how rich I was now. I could never forget what it meant to struggle. I could never forget the winter nights we couldn’t afford heat and the summers we couldn’t afford air conditioning. I could never forget picking up food at the homeless center when Mom got laid off from the cannery. My suits were as expensive as cars, but underneath my skin, muscle, and bone was the memory of where I came from.
“Your mother must be proud of you.”
“Yes.” It didn’t matter how old I was, my mother seemed to relish any opportunity to compliment me. “My father took off when Bates and I were young. Being a father and a provider was just too difficult for him. My mother had to be two parents and two incomes. But she made it work and always made us feel loved. She’s a badass…and there’re not many women out there like her.”
Siena’s eyes filled with emotion, like that story was as touching to her as it was to me. “That’s sweet. I’m guessing you take care of your mother now.”
“Of course.”
“That’s even sweeter.” She didn’t seem interested in her wine anymore, only focused on the conversation we were having. “I lost my mom a few years ago. We were really close, and it’s never been the same without her. She was always so strong and driven. She was a homemaker, but that didn’t stop her from
being my role model. I’ve been trying to pick up the pieces since she left, but I feel like I never make any progress. Anytime the holidays roll around, I have to start over.”
I could see the devastation in her eyes the second she mentioned her mother. Without a father and brother in the picture, she was really on her own. Bates and I didn’t exchange heart-to-hearts, but he was still a prominent figure in my life. I had him and my mother. It seemed like she had no one. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you. She’s the reason I want my own family. I want to be a mom the way she was my mom.”
I didn’t know her well, but I could easily picture her surrounded by three kids. I could picture her making dinner for an imaginary family, all living under this small roof. It would be cramped, but they would still be happy. My future didn’t involve a wife or kids. Bates and I knew we could never marry, not when it was impossible to trust anyone besides each other. So Siena was right—I could never be her type.
I grabbed the glass and took a drink, keeping my eyes on that deep brown hair. Her fair skin contrasted against the darkness of her hair, creating a captivating beauty that was impossible to ignore. The only reason I’d noticed she’d been following me was because she was the most stunning woman in the room. I’d have to be blind not to notice her.
“What brought you here tonight, Cato?” Her eyes followed my movements as I lifted the glass and returned it to the table. “What exactly do you want?”
I rested my arm on the table and felt my watch tap against the wooden surface. “You.” I could have gone out with Bates and found someone to occupy my bed for the night. I could have called up one of my regular girls for entertainment. Instead, I’d been fixated on one woman.
She held my gaze with her usual look of bravery. She must have been expecting that response because she didn’t have a perceptible reaction. This was the second time I’d shown up unannounced, tracking down her location because I had the power to do whatever I wanted. “You might own the world, but you don’t own me. I don’t appreciate being followed on my date or you showing up on my property like this. You have my number—you can always call me.”