by L. P. Dover
I stared right into his eyes, hoping he could see that I was in no way afraid or intimidated by him. “Maybe you should’ve thought about that before you decided to screw me over,” I spat. “Your firm would be nothing if it wasn’t for me.”
He slammed me against the wall again. “You think you’re so high and mighty now that you’re with Corsino, don’t you? You’re nothing but a whore to him.”
“And you’re nothing but a pathetic piece of shit,” I hissed.
There was no one around to help me, not unless I screamed, but I wasn’t about to be the damsel in distress. Philip thought he’d married a push over, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. He burst out laughing and pressed his body to mine, the smell of liquor on his breath sickening me. The way he stared at me and licked his lips infuriated me even more.
“You know what? You’re sexy when you’re mad. How about another round in the sheets for old time’s sake?” The man had lost his mind. Still holding my arms in his vice like grip, he tried to kiss me, but I turned my head and he ended up kissing my neck. My stomach rolled with not only disgust, but a feeling of rage I’d never felt before in my life, not even on the day at court when I found out he’d tricked me. The anger gave me all the strength I needed.
“I tried to warn you.” And with those words, I kneed him as hard as I could in the balls. He doubled over, and then I kicked him on the ass for good measure, fully enjoying the sight of him falling him to the floor. He clutched his stomach and groaned, cursing at me as he suffered. By now, we’d garnered the attention of others, and I breathed a sigh of relief. But then, I got sight of Dominic who looked like he was about to kill and headed straight for us.
Philip glared at me and slowly got to his feet, but he had yet to see Dominic charging up behind him. “What the fuck’s going on here?” Dominic demanded.
Philip jerked around, still hunched over in pain. “This is between me and my wife, cocksucker. Stay the hell out of it.”
Dominic growled. “She’s not your wife anymore. If you don’t take your sorry ass out of here right now, I’ll throw you out myself.”
Philip burst out laughing. “Go ahead and try. I’ll have you put in jail on assault charges within the hour.”
Dominic’s fists were so tight by his sides, I was afraid of what he’d do if he gave in to his anger. Philip stood between us, but I slowly moved out of the way. Dominic’s eyes met mine and I shook my head, hoping he could rein in his rage. “Let’s go,” I murmured softly. “I’m ready to get out of here.”
The muscles in his jaw clenched, but he held out his hand and I reached for it, not realizing the damage that was on my arms. They’d already started to turn purple from Philip’s rough grip.
“Dominic,” I warned.
It was no use. He charged right over to Philip and punched him so hard I heard something crack. People rushed over to see what was going on, but Dominic didn’t care. He lifted Philip up by his neck and drug him toward the door where Isaiah waited on him. Heart racing, I ran out the door after them to see Dominic toss Philip to the ground. Everyone on the street stopped and stared while some even pulled out their phones to record it.
Philip’s nose had been broken and blood dripped down his face. Dominic bent down and grabbed him by the shirt, snarling in his face. “Don’t you ever lay your hands on Faith again. If you show back up here it’ll be the last thing you ever do. Understand?”
Dominic huffed and didn’t even bother acknowledging the crowd of onlookers as he headed straight to me. Even though he radiated violence, he gently took my hand and led me inside the hotel and straight to the elevators. Once we were inside, he pulled me protectively into his arms.
“Are you all right?” he asked, his voice desperate and full of agony. He let me go and searched over my body. His eyes darkened when he got a good look at my arms. “I could’ve killed him, Faith. Holy fuck, I wanted to and still do.”
I grabbed his arms. “I’m okay, I promise. Philip doesn’t scare me. He caught me by surprise, but I let him have it.”
The elevator doors opened, and we stopped right outside his suite door. Dominic cupped my cheeks and blew out a shaky breath. “I’m just glad you’re okay. Security called and said they thought they saw Philip enter the hotel. When you weren’t in your room, I knew I had to find you.”
His hands slid down to my arms and I frowned as I looked at the purple marks. “Guess I can’t wear my bathing suits wherever we’re going. People will think you abuse me.”
Dominic gently lifted my chin. “Where we’re going is private. You can go naked if you want.”
That made me smile. “I just might.”
He grinned, but then it disappeared. “Before we leave, we need to get you a restraining order against Philip.”
I nodded. “I agree. I’m sure the videos of you beating the shit out of him are already circulating. Knowing Philip, he’ll say it was unprovoked and out of a jealous rage on your part.”
He scoffed. “I’m not worried about that. My concern is for you. You have the bruises on your arms. You could put him in jail for assault.”
I shook my head, even though I really wanted to make Philip’s life miserable. “He’s already going to lose his credibility at the firm. That right there is punishment enough. He’ll have nothing.”
Dominic sighed and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. “All right. If that’s what you want.”
“It is,” I murmured, kissing him again. “Now let’s get this restraining order stuff done so we can leave. I’m ready to get out of here.” I was way past ready to leave.
Chapter Fourteen
Dominic
The past three days in Aruba flew by. As soon as Faith got the restraining order against Philip, we hopped on my private jet to spend four days at a five-bedroom villa on the southern tip of the island. We had a small stretch of beach to ourselves and a swimming pool tucked away in back where none of the neighbors could see. When I’d made the comment to Faith about being able to run around naked, she fully took me up on it. The time for celebration had come. Faith had won the battle against Philip and half his money was hers, including the firm in which she had plans to sell her part.
Ever since we arrived in Aruba, she was different, more carefree. I loved seeing her like that. A part of me wondered if it was only because we were on vacation and as soon as we got back to the city, things would change. With Cadoc sniffing around her, I knew it had to scare her, even if she tried to convince me otherwise. Eventually, he’d make his move on her, and I had to be ready. A smart man would send her away to keep her safe, but I had a feeling Faith wouldn’t leave if I asked her to. I’d have to make her.
I grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator and walked over to the kitchen sink window. Faith was out there on the lounge chair wearing only her bikini bottom and her floppy straw hat, talking on the phone with Reed. The sun agreed with her. The bruises on her arms started to fade, but every time I looked at them, it pissed me off. I’d tried thinking of ways I could kill Philip without getting caught, but with the video of me throwing him out of the hotel circulating all over the internet it’d surely put me as the number one suspect. I’d never had to play by the rules, but I did now. I wanted to be a better man, but there were so many things stacked against me. I was a Corsino.
My phone rang in the living room, so I walked in there and picked it up off the coffee table. It was Marco.
“Hey,” I answered.
“How’s your vacation?” Marco asked.
“Good,” I replied cautiously. “How’s everything out there?”
He sighed. “Well … let’s just say there are some things going down I don’t like.”
I sat down on the couch. “Tell me.”
Everything had been quiet the past three days, but with more fights coming up soon, things were tense. There were three scheduled. The Cartwrights had challenged the Salvatores, the O’Briens were against the Kazakovs, and we had been challenged by the Ros
sis. I kept waiting for the Cartwrights to confront us, but they had yet to do so. With them waiting so long, I didn’t have a good feeling about it.
“I’ve been following Cadoc and I’ve noticed he’s been meeting up with a woman I’ve never seen before,” Marco explained. “You can tell she’s trying to keep her identity a secret. He’s openly cheated on his wife before, but never like this. It’s out of his character.”
That it was. Cadoc wasn’t the type to hide his infidelities. He got off on people knowing he was a douchebag. His wife didn’t care about his affairs. She had the money and that was all that mattered.
“Maybe she’s married,” I stated. “That could be why she’s hiding. It’d be good to find out who she is.”
“On it,” Marco agreed.
I stood and started toward the patio door. “Anything else?”
“There is,” he replied, his voice concerned. “Cadoc wants a meeting with you next week. He says it’s important. He wouldn’t tell me what it’s about though.”
A dark, sinister feeling swirled around in my gut. I’d been waiting for the shoe to drop and that was my sign. Cadoc’s meetings were never good. When he wanted something, he let it be known. It was how he worked. My father was known for his surprise attacks. That was how he operated, but not the Cartwrights. They came at you when you knew they were coming. The worst part was that they targeted those you cared about most. My sister was the main target for years, but that was because there was never anyone in mine or my father’s life that we loved. Now I had Faith. With a sick bastard like Cadoc Cartwright, Faith would be his target. I had no doubt.
I stopped at the glass door and looked out at her. The time had come for me to make the one decision I’d hoped to avoid. “You know what this means, right?” I said.
Marco huffed. “Yeah, nothing good. We knew he was going to make his move soon. We just have to be prepared for anything.”
“And we will be,” I promised. “I’m pretty sure I know who he’ll go after.”
We hung up and I stared out at Faith who couldn’t stop laughing as she talked on the phone with Reed. He was her friend and I had to accept that. He wasn’t going anywhere. The man was practically my family ever since his brother married my sister. With what I had in mind for Faith, I knew I was going to need his help.
I wasn’t ready to send her away, but I had no choice, especially if Cadoc kept showing interest in her. I’d keep her in the dark for a few more days so we could enjoy the rest of our vacation, but before my meeting with Cadoc, I needed her gone. I wasn’t about to take any chances after the meeting. And once I knew it was safe, I’d bring her back.
Unfortunately, in my world no one was ever safe. The only way Faith would be was if I got rid of Cadoc. It was the only option.
When I walked outside, Faith had just hung up with Reed. I sat down beside her in the other lounge chair and handed her a bottle of water. “I take it everything’s good with Reed?” I asked. Maybe I was jealous of the relationship she had with him. She was comfortable with him and I could see that in the way they talked.
Her smile grew so big with excitement. “He helped deliver a foal this morning. I wish I could’ve seen it. Listening to him talk about it was amazing.”
That was who Reed was. We were polar opposites. It made me wonder what all Faith saw in me. I couldn’t offer her those kinds of things. I could give her all the money she could ever want, and I could give her my heart, but that didn’t come without a price. Right now, all that waited for her was danger and fear.
“Hey,” she murmured, placing a hand on my knee. “You okay?”
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. “I’m fine. I’m glad you and Reed had a good talk.”
Her lips pursed. “I’ve seen that look on your face before. Reed knows we’re together now. He respects that. Surely, you’re not worried about him sabotaging our relationship, are you? He’s not like that.”
I shrugged. “I can’t help but wonder what it is you see in me. I’m not a good guy, Faith.” I’d put her life in danger because of my selfishness. I didn’t want her to be anywhere but with me.
Faith frowned. “Nobody’s perfect,” she murmured, moving closer. “I know you have a past, and I’m sure I don’t know all of it, but that’s fine with me. I don’t have to know it all. But what I do know is that I love you. Behind that hardcore mafia boss exterior, you’re kind, respectful, and gentle with me. It’s hard to find that these days.” Her lips pulled back into a smile. “Although I do have to say that I’ve seen a side of you the past couple of days that I’ve never seen before.”
“Oh yeah? How’s that?” I asked, reaching for her hands.
She grinned wider and squeezed my hands. “You’re not as serious here. I think you’ve laughed more times in the past three days than I’ve ever seen.”
It was different being away from the city. We’d driven to some of Aruba’s best beaches and snorkeled every single day. We even rented a Jeep so we could explore the island. It’d been a long time since I enjoyed life like that.
“I have,” I agreed. “It’s been nice moving at a slower pace.” I looked out at the ocean. “I can see why you love the beach so much. Must’ve been fun growing up on the coast.”
Her eyes twinkled. “You have no idea. I’ll have to take you with me one day when I visit. I haven’t been home in over a year. With the divorce, I didn’t want my parents seeing me the way I was.”
“Have you told them about us yet?”
I already knew she hadn’t, but I was curious to hear her reasoning. Little did she know, I’d already talked to her parents and explained everything. Late tomorrow morning we’d be arriving in Virginia to see them. It took an extra twenty minutes to get off the phone with her mother. I’d met her parents a couple years ago when they came to New York for a visit. They loved my sister so I had to use that to my advantage. They were happy when I told them what we’d done to Philip.
Sheepishly, Faith bit her lip. “I have not. With everything being so new, I didn’t want to jinx anything. I’ll call them as soon as we get back to New York.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “No worries. They liked me before. I’m sure they’ll like me now.”
Her gaze narrowed. “Why do I get the feeling you’re hiding something from me?”
I grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her over to my lounge chair. “Maybe that’s because I am,” I said, kissing her neck. Her skin was hot from the sun. She settled between my legs and rested her back against my chest. I traced my fingers up and down her arms and breathed in the sweet scent of her hair. “Are you ready for your big surprise tomorrow?”
She giggled and waved her hand out toward the clear blue ocean. “Don’t know how anything’s going top this.”
“You’ll see,” I said, holding her tight. We sat there in silence for a few moments longer, and I enjoyed every single second of it. I wanted to be honest with her and tell her about the Cartwright meeting but I couldn’t. I wasn’t positive that Cadoc was going to try to go after Faith somehow, but I had a pretty strong suspicion. I didn’t want to take any chances. “What are you going to do now that you have all your money?” I asked.
She blew out a relieved sigh. “For starters, I’m going to give you back the fifty grand you snuck into my account.”
She smacked my leg and I chuckled. “Fine.”
“And then,” she began, “I’m going to look into opening that restaurant I’ve always wanted.”
“I could help you find a location,” I offered. If she was going to be successful in a place like New York City, she had to be in the perfect spot.
She sat up and straddled my waist, taking my hands and putting them on her waist. My dick jumped in response. It didn’t help that her bare breasts were right near my face. “I appreciate that more than you could know, but this is something I want to do on my own. I need to know I can.”
I slid my hands up her sides and around her back, making her shiver. “I k
now you can, Faith. I just want you to know that I’m here.”
She leaned forward, her hips rubbing against my dick and making it harder. “And that’s another reason why I love you. You’ve done so much for me and never asked for anything in return. It’s hard because I don’t know how to show my appreciation. You already have everything.”
I pushed my hips against hers. “I’m sure we can think of something.”
A mischievous grin spread across her face. “Actually, I have an idea.” She sat back and stretched her arms in the air, her breasts inviting me to taste them. “Meet me in the bedroom in ten minutes. I’ll be ready for you.”
She rubbed a hand over my cock and winked before disappearing inside the house. If I’d had my way, I would’ve just ripped off her bikini bottoms and fucked her on the patio. Over the years, I’d been with countless women, but never more than once. Faith was the only one. Every time I was with her, it made me want her even more.
I glanced down at my phone and it’d only been two minutes since she left. Time was going to fucking kill me. There was no way in hell I could wait any longer. I went straight inside to the bedroom. The bathroom door was closed and the shower was running. Maybe that was her plan … to torture me.
“Faith if you don’t hurry, I’m going to come in there and fuck you in the shower. You have one minute,” I called out. She giggled and that was all it took. “All right, you asked for it.” I rushed straight into the bathroom. The shower doors were fogged up, but I could still see the outline of Faith giving me a show by rubbing her breasts.
“It’s about time you got in here,” she said, opening the doors. “You lasted all of three minutes.” With hooded eyes, she took her soap and started rubbing it over her breasts and then down to in between her legs.
“Trust me. It was agony,” I groaned, not being able to take my eyes away. I think I might need to stay out here and stare at you a little longer. I could sit here and watch you touch yourself all day.” It was so fucking sexy. I took off my shorts and she stepped back so I could join her in the shower.