by Jarica James
“I can’t believe you thought you could just leave again,” Killian finally said, breaking the intense silence. I swallowed hard and turned to him, trying to figure out what I wanted to say, but he wasn’t finished. “No, you listen now. I won’t fucking have this flighty shit. In case you missed the fucking signals, Baby Girl, we aren’t in this for a fucking hookup. It’s you and us. That’s it.”
“You know, my brother has a point,” Kyrell started, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. “I believe it’s time to set some rules. First, you are ours and no one else’s.” I bit back a smile at that statement, loving the possession in their eyes. My chest warmed at the thought of them loving me, even if they hadn’t admitted it out loud.
“Same goes for you,” I said. “I’m not the sharing type. Now… you listen,” I started, my bratty side coming out to play as I stared them down. “I have rules of my own. Number one, I’m no one’s toy or trophy. I could match you guys shot for shot so don’t treat me like anything less than your equal.”
“Anything else?” Keir asked, crossing his arms and biting his lip. Glad he finds me so fucking amusing.
“Just that I’ve been independent for this long, and you can’t expect to take over my life overnight. I may submit in the bedroom, but that does not mean I bow down to you in public.”
“Fair,” Killian said, the challenge only making his eyes seem hungrier, but Keir had apparently had enough.
“I’m not sure what the fuck that was last night, but I’ll kill the next man who even looks at you like we would. Keep that in mind,” he warned. I couldn’t help but laugh, knowing last night’s date was a big fucking fiasco I had no desire to repeat.
“Joke’s on you, because he didn’t even like me. Not that he would have gotten a chance in the end, but his eyes were on someone else,” I mumbled, feeling the need to say something more. From his glare, he wasn’t placated. He stood abruptly and walked toward me, his hand moving to the side of my neck as he leaned forward, licking a stripe down the opposite side of my throat and stopping at my ear.
“He was blind, then. You were way too delicious to be out without one of us. That red dress was gorgeous on you; I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so confident and sexy. Though this dress is a close second. I wanted to peel it off slowly and fuck you on that table in front of him, show the both of you who owns you, marking my territory for all to see,” he rasped out. His hand trailed over my peaked nipples, pinching one hard and pulling a gasp from me. In that moment, he kissed me roughly, his slight stubble scraping me and sending a shiver down my spine. He grabbed my hair and yanked my head roughly to the side, exposing my neck to him. Teeth bit down on the sensitive flesh, likely leaving a mark and definitely leaving my pussy dripping.
“Rule number two. You follow orders from us. When we tell you to do something, you do it,” Ky said, his voice deep and angry. His anger was more restrained than the others, though the glare never left me, even as his brother walked away and took his seat.
“No,” I said. Agreeing to an order that broad was ridiculous. “I’ll follow within reason, but I can’t promise to follow mindlessly. I’m not the type, nor do I want to be.”
“Within reason,” Keir said, the vein in his forehead getting more prominent as he fought his need to dominate. Clearly, Ky had made rule-making the number one priority, while Keir had other plans.
“That body is ours when we want it and how we want it,” Keir continued on, the challenge in his voice making me want to fight, but I swallowed it down. If I’m being honest, I’m totally okay with this one.
“Fine,” I said, “but so are those dicks.”
“Fine,” Kyrell conceded, openly laughing now.
“That about covers it, and just in time. We have a meeting coming in less than five minutes,” Keir added, glancing at the clock then back at me. I let out a long breath and nodded, turning to leave. “Where the fuck are you going?”
“Downstairs to find Dani? You said you have a meeting,” I explained, confused.
“Nope. Rule four. You’re our queen, and for that reason you will be part of whatever Family business we request,” Killian said, his arrogant smile making me want to slap him.
“Did you not get the fucking memo? I don’t want any part of this shit. I left it behind for a damn reason, Killian Adrostos!” My voice rose with each word until I was just barely under a yell. He stood and faced off with me, puffing out his chest as he stalked forward until he was mere inches away.
“And you heard the fucking rules, Baby Girl. You. Do. What. We. Say.”
“Within reason, but not this,” I practically begged, and I wasn’t the begging type. Choosing between this life and them wasn’t going to be easy. No… that was a lie. There was no choice. I knew that once I had a taste of them, I’d want them so intensely, lifestyle be damned. But there was one big problem. I didn't want to be a part of that anymore. I didn’t want to be forced into this bloody little box, and I definitely didn’t want to get that comfortable here. Time was ticking...
“We are not the Priamos Family,” he shot right back, my fight draining as the words sank in. “We don’t torture for fun or use our power as a weapon against our own.” Now that’s a statement I’ll have to see to believe.
“It’s fine. We’ll break her down, and she’ll realize it sooner rather than later.” Kyrell’s easy confidence had me wanting to protest, but I bit my tongue. This wasn’t a conversation I wanted to prolong. If word got back to Eros, we’d all be fucked. He was crazy, and his reach was far. He was a powerful man, and I’d be crazy to underestimate him.
The sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs made me quiet down, and a wicked smile split across Keir’s face like his moment to shine had finally arrived, which made me a bit nervous. He held up a hand for me to wait, and I watched quietly as one of the Adrostos guards joined us, followed by a guy I’d never seen before. From the awful tan and hair teased straight up, to the slightly unbuttoned shirt with a heavy chain and creepy smile, he looked like he belonged on The Jersey Shore. His eyebrows raised as he took me in, but he didn’t say anything.
“Have a seat, Mr. Leonidas,” Keir directed, waving at the chair facing the winding couch. He seemed comfortable as he plopped in the seat, waving off the name.
“Ah, we’re about to be good friends. Call me Angel,” he said, his booming voice making me cringe. “And who is this slice of heaven?”
“Ours.” Killian’s blunt answer telegraphed clear possession and warning all in a single word, Angel shifting slightly and swallowing hard. Bet he regrets asking that particular question
“Come here, Princess,” Keir ordered, and I moved forward, side-eyeing the shady guy as I passed. Unwisely on his part, his eyes slowly took me in as they paraded me in front of him. “Do you have panties on?”
“Excuse me?” I laughed, the question so random and off the wall I couldn’t quite process it. He didn’t even break a smile, telling me there was something more at play than some kind of joke.
“Is your pussy bare?” he said slowly, not like I was an idiot but like he was being very careful with what he said.
“No,” I answered quietly. He held out a hand but said nothing more, and I didn’t need the order out loud to know what he wanted. Sighing, I turned to face Angel and bent over, likely flashing the guys as I reached under my dress and pulled my lacy magenta panties off. Once I stepped out of them, I picked them up and stood, fixing my dress as I placed them in Keir’s outstretched hand. He looked pleased, and a sense of pride filled me until he spoke again.
“Now, fuck me while I deal with our client here,” he ordered quietly, but the ice in his tone told me this was my first test of the rules. Would I listen and obey like he wanted? A big part of me did not want to do this in front of a stranger, but the other part refused, just as staunchly, to disobey in front of someone. And I couldn’t lie, the order already had me turned on.
Keir was flexing his hold on me, but it was mo
re of a power play for his guest than anything. What I did next would set the tone for this new step back into a relationship with them. No one spoke, but all eyes were on me as I kicked off my heels and stalked forward, taking a deep breath before undoing Keir’s belt and pants and pulling out his cock. He looked at me, waiting, arms outstretched on the back of the couch like a king, expecting his subject to do as he’d ordered.
Somehow in all of this, I’d kept my glass in my hand, so I downed half and kept an ice cube in my mouth before falling to the floor in front of him. When I took his cock into my mouth, the ice pressed against him, a soft hiss escaping as he looked down at me. There was a promise for pain as his hand tightened in my hair to the point of tears, but I was too intent on dancing across the rules.
He stopped caring about the cold as I hollowed my cheeks, giving him what he wanted despite the sting of the quickly melting ice cube. When he started to tense and I knew he was close, I stopped abruptly and stood. Not making eye contact, I went back for my drink and emptied it quickly, unbothered by the burn. I set it on the table before straddling Keir’s lap. After lining his thick cock up at my entrance, I sank down slowly. The lack of foreplay didn’t make it easy, so I stopped trying to take him as Ky watched me out of the corner of his eye. I was a sucker for his smooth dominance, so I used it, twisting this into my own little show. Without asking Keir’s permission, I reached out and grasped Ky’s tie, dragging him to me and locking our mouths together. Of course, since we had an audience, I gave him a show, putting everything I had into the kiss. The distraction was exactly what I needed, easily sinking down with my next movement.
Glancing to the other side, I saw Killian shifting uncomfortably in his seat and smiled, beckoning him our way. He slid in closer to his brother, and I brought him to me too, staking my claim on my men as much as they were claiming me.
“Now, tell me why we should work with your team?” Keir prompted Angel as I started to move more, my hips rocking over his dick and hands settling on his shoulders to brace myself. I could feel the others’ eyes on me as I gave Keir my attention, but I didn’t look away, studying the Boss as he got into character, the slight change to his breathing the only sign he was having sex at that moment.
“Oh, uh,” Angel stuttered out, his voice strained. I couldn’t stop myself from glancing behind me to see him looking anywhere but at us. A sharp smack to my ass from Kyrell put me back on task, jumping at the prompt to give Keir my attention again. I picked up the pace, lifting my body and dropping back down, alternating my speed, pleasure rolling through me each time I rocked over him.
“I’m going to need more than that,” Keir said, urging Angel to keep going. There was the barest hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth, likely getting more out of making his associate off-balance and uncomfortable than he was from me bouncing on his cock.
“Well, we have a hold on the city itself. We’ve managed to knock out all other competition for weapons, running our stuff from out of a warehouse near the docks,” he explained, stammering over his words which only made Keir’s grin deepen. “Privately owned and gives us good cover.”
“If you don’t make yourself come all over my dick before I end this meeting...” he warned, the unsaid punishment for me to worry over. Not even bothering to hide that smug grin, he started speaking louder to Angel over my shoulder. “And what are your current relations with the Lachs?”
When Keir flashed me a warning look a moment later, his attention just as focused on me as it was on Angel, I put everything I had into fucking him, riding him shamelessly and closing my eyes, letting myself live in the moment as I used him for my own release. Pleasure wound tight in my stomach before it started to consume me, my head falling back and my mouth falling open, moans mixing with the conversation I no longer followed. I ground against him as I neared, legs shaking, and then pure bliss hit as I found my release, my pussy pulsing around him as I came undone.
“Fuck,” Keir groaned quietly, barely more than a whisper. His hands rested on my hips as he bucked into me, chasing his own end and still somehow managing to negotiate his business deal. The man is clearly a fucking psycho, but I love it.
“And you have no intention of working with them? Because we don’t take kindly to traitors. The last one was carved up and sent back home in a body bag,” Keir warned, a shiver running through him. To those who didn’t know him, they might think it was a sign of just how gruesome the “gift” had been. I, for one, knew that it was pure arousal, his cock twitching inside me as he thought back to what he’d sent the Lachs.
“No, we wouldn’t betray you,” Angel confirmed.
“Good. Then we have a deal. Our men will contact you, just leave a card,” he finished. Without warning, his hands dug into my sides, his cum filling me as he sealed the deal.
“Yes, sir,” Angel said, dropping something then hurrying off, his body tense as he disappeared down the stairs.
“Well done, Princess,” Keir praised, forcing my face back to his before kissing me gently.
“Come on, Kitten. Let’s go back to our place,” Kyrell ordered, and I was more than happy to oblige, sliding off of Keir, who held up my panties and tucked them in his pocket. I tried to lunge for them, but he stepped back, looking smug as he swatted away my second attempt.
“No. I want you to feel us dripping out of you the whole way back,” he said, standing and leading us down the stairs, me sandwiched between the psychos I’d just agreed to let own me.
“Can we change the hours yet? It’s been weeks, and I’m no more of a morning person despite how hard you’re trying to make me into one,” Dani whined as we walked to work, but I only gave an amused chuckle. Even I was getting tired of the early mornings now that the guys kept me busy late into the night. We’d fallen into some form of a routine, which I didn’t entirely mind, but it did mess with my old one.
The worst part was that I was falling into their lives so easily. I felt more complete around them, and they still didn’t know the time limit I had. They’d be livid when they found out, but I didn’t want to ruin what we had right now. Priamos had always been known for being stubborn, and I was quickly finding out it was a trait I shared.
“Maybe,” I finally conceded, the closest I’d given her to changing anything about the store. She had really good ideas for it, but I just couldn’t see investing time and money into something that wasn’t permanent.
“Fuck, look out!” Dani yelled, tackling me to the ground just as a gunshot cracked in the early morning air. We were both up and running within a second, pulling out our guns and trying to find coverage.
“Alley on the left. It cuts into another, so run halfway and hang another left,” I hissed. I couldn’t afford to stop or look over to see if she’d understood; that split second could cost me my life, and I wasn’t willing to part with it just yet.
We’d just turned down the alley when another shot ricocheted off of the bricks to our right, barely missing Dani. Just as we dove down the alley, we both stopped and turned, guns raised and ready.
As each second passed, the tension rose. The shooter should have reached us by now. Dani spun on her heel to watch my back as I scanned the roofs and fire escapes overhead. Nothing. Not a sound or a hint that he was still following us.
“What the fuck?” I bit out, getting angry now that they’d fucked up our morning. “How did you spot them?” What the fuck is wrong with me? I should have spotted them!
“He wasn’t very subtle, and despite being a complete psycho, Eros taught us well,” she explained.
The sound of sirens filled the streets, and Dani and I tentatively put our weapons into our jackets and continued down the alley. We came out just across the street from the shop, which also happened to be where the cops were stopping. My alarm system was blaring, and the front window was completely shattered. “Son of a bitch. That wasn’t Eros.”
“You don’t think he’d do this?” she asked, letting out a skeptical laugh. But I was entir
ely confident. The assassins he sent were here to taunt me and “keep me sharp.” Vandalizing my business wasn’t the same.
Fuck, the guns!
With a quick glance at the empty streets, I sprinted over, the cops already stepping out to keep us back. They were saying something, but I couldn’t make it out over the blaring of the alarm.
“It’s my shop! I can turn that off,” I yelled out, and that was enough for them to wave me on. I headed to the door, relieved to find it was still locked. Once I got it opened, the cops following me in, I hurried to the wall panel and entered the code. Everyone visibly relaxed when the high-pitched sound finally silenced.
“We got a call from the security company, notifying us of a potential situation. Someone was tampering with the door, so they were sending one of their security crews out to check. While on the way here, they called back to notify us of a break-in and gun shots,” one of the cops said, my security system sensors likely having tipped them off.
“It’s clear,” another called from the back hall, coming back out and tucking his gun away. “There aren’t any signs of looting or anything back here, just one door that’s luckily still locked.”
“My office. Since it has client information and new merchandise I haven’t inventoried yet, I have a separate lock on it,” I said absently as I stepped toward the knocked over displays and shattered glass. “Was it gunshots?”
“A single gunshot wouldn’t have taken out the entire front window,” the cop said, scanning the debris with me. “They may have had bats. Do you have security cameras?”
“No, just the alarm system,” I said, trying to bite back my increasing anger. How fucking dare someone attack my store?