by Erin Osborne
“Let’s head inside and show you around. Imogen, I’ll show you where you’re stayin’,” Sal says, leading us all up the front steps of the house.
Tommaso grabs my bags from the back of the SUV and follows us inside. Since I’m right before him, I come to a complete stop once I’m inside the door. He runs into me and has to steady me, so I don’t fall to the floor with the impact of our collision. Turning around, I quietly apologize to him while turning my eyes back to where we’ll be staying. This place is even better than Flynn’s home because it actually feels like a home. A grand one, but a home, nonetheless.
The inside of the house does not match the appearance of what I saw outside. Everything in the lower portion of the house I can see is done in soft, muted colors such as crème and beige. They don’t look boring or anything I’ve ever seen before in my life. White and dark browns fill in the borders depending on the color of the room. Looking to my left, I see a humungous living room with a large fireplace that would be perfect to sit and read a book in front of. Leather couches sit in front of a massive TV mounted to the wall. What is it with men and overly large TVs in their home or rooms?
To the right is a closed door. I don’t even want to know what room that is. As I look straight in front of me, I see a large kitchen I’d love to work in. From the front doorway, the kitchen looks as though it was designed for a master chef. My fingers are itching to get in there and work. While I refuse to work in my father’s restaurant, I absolutely love to cook. It was something my mom and I did when I was growing up. The kitchen is where we bonded and spend a majority of our time. So, I want to carry those feelings I have from working with her in the kitchen to my life now that she’s no longer here.
Before I can inspect more of the house, Flynn walks over to my side and places his hand on my lower back once more. Again, electricity courses through my body at such a simple touch. I look up at him and see him glancing down at me. He’s got a look I can’t decipher filling his expressive eyes as he takes me in. I’m not sure what’s going on in his mind right now.
“Sal, where is Imogen going to be staying?” he asks, never moving his hand from my back.
“She’ll be at the top of the stairs, first door on the left. You’ll be directly across from her,” Sal responds to Flynn, nodding at Tommaso.
Flynn nods before turning to grab my bags from Tommaso. He only removes his hand because I have three bags. I try to take one of them from him and Flynn nudges me forward gently. Okay then. Apparently I’m not going to be allowed to carry my own bags. It’s not like it would be a new task for me to do. When I do take the time away and go on a small vacation here or there, or when I went to school, I managed to carry my own bags just fine. No one was there to help me so I did it on my own. I’ve done a lot of things on my own for that very same reason.
See, I may be twenty-one now, but I’ve never once been in a relationship in my life and I have never thought about having sex. Before I went to college, my life was spent working in the family restaurant and making sure I was getting good grades to go to college. At college, I was too busy working my ass off for my grades and being upset because my mom was sick and eventually passed away because of her illness. There was no time for dating or anything else related to the opposite sex.
I don’t feel one way or another about being a virgin at my age. It’s just something I am; it’s not what makes me who I am. That’s another reason I don’t understand this reaction to Flynn. It isn’t anything I’ve ever experienced in my entire life so I’m not sure how to process what I feel when it comes to him. Other than the hate I feel because of what he does and represents in his life. Things I don’t believe I’ll ever be on board with.
Flynn leads me up a set of carpeted stairs until we get to a long hallway. I turn to the left where the door is standing open. The doors for the rooms Flynn and I will be staying in are the only ones standing open. Every other door on the floor is closed and my curiosity is definitely piqued. Like I said, I need to know what’s going on and what we’re doing. Instead of trying to make any awkward conversation with Flynn since I know he has to go talk to Sal and Tommaso still, I simply walk in my room and check it out.
Directly across from the doorway are French doors. They’re already open allowing the curtains to billow in the breeze. The walls are all white with a dark stained cherry bedroom set filling the small space. My ‘new’ bed takes up the wall on the left of the doorway with a dresser resting directly across from it. There’s a decent size TV sitting on the dresser with a DVD player next to it. At least I’ll be able to watch something when a book can’t keep my attention.
I walk toward the doors leading out to the balcony. That’s when I notice a door on the side of the bed standing open to show a walk-in closet. Flynn places my bags down in there before turning to me.
“Every room in here has its own bathroom,” he states. “At least that’s what Sal told me when I talked to him before we left the house. You can go out on the small balcony if you want. It looks out over the backyard. There are armed guards on the house at all times.”
I catch the warning tone as he lets me know about the guards. I’m not a dumbass and can catch subtle hints being dropped. Even though I have the aspect of freedom, there are going to be eyes on me at all times. I’m honestly fine with that. Being away from home, and not stuck in Flynn’s home, will hopefully give me a chance to look at the situation from the outside in. That’s usually how I work through situations I need to figure out for myself. This will give me the opportunity to do that without everything in my face.
“Thank you. Do I have my purse, phone, and laptop?” I finally question him, needing to know where those things are.
“Your purse is in one of your suitcases. Right now, you don’t have access to your phone or laptop. If you need to call someone, I’ll happily let you use my phone. You won’t be allowed to leave my side though,” he informs me. “I’ll come check on you in a little while. Sal is waiting for me right now.”
Before Flynn leaves the room, my stomach growls. Heat immediately creeps up and coats my skin as a blush takes over.
“I’ll send some lunch up before I go in with Sal,” he states before turning and leaving the room.
With him gone, I walk over to the doors so I can see what the backyard looks like. To my surprise, the grass is a vibrant green and looks lush. The kind of grass that’s thick and you want to walk across with bare feet. There’s also a large patio with tables sitting below the balcony. Beyond the patio is a large inground pool. The water is crystal clear as a few gentle waves lap with the wind blowing from the large trees spaced throughout the yard. I’ll definitely be spending time out here as much as possible. It honestly looks like some kind of hidden oasis placed in a backyard for someone to privately enjoy.
As I get lost in my head about everything going on in my life, there’s a soft knock on the door. Turning around, I see a short, older woman walk in carrying a tray. She looks up at me and flashes a smile, her entire face lighting up. The soft, caring smile she gives me, reminds me of a grandma when her grandchildren show up for a visit. I only had a small amount of time with my own grandma, but it’s the same look she always gave me.
She carries the tray out to the balcony and sets the plate holding a sandwich and a large glass of something clear on one of the small two-seater tables. Turning to me, she nods her head and smiles once more before heading out of my room.
“Thank you,” I call out to her as she softly closes the door behind her.
Taking a seat in the chair, I pick up half of the sandwich and take a bite. My mind wanders back to the events placing me in the states as I go over every detail from the time I walked into my father’s office to leaving with Flynn. There isn’t a damn thing I could do to ensure my own flesh and blood didn’t trade me for a sum of money. In my mind, that makes my dad worse than Flynn. I’m his damn daughter and he should be protecting me, not shipping me off to a man he knows nothing about. Wel
l, nothing personal. All anyone knows about Flynn, or any of the Mackay’s, is what we hear and see. They don’t let anyone get close to them outside of their own family or the men who work for them.
Once I finish my sandwich and glass of water, I make my way back inside. I’m exhausted from the flight and everything is finally taking its toll on me. From the disappointment of my birthday to the trip to Flynn’s home, I don’t know where to start with everything. My mind is in a constant state of turmoil over the events of the last few days. However, I don’t get in bed because I don’t want to get my days and nights mixed up. Instead, I begin to unpack my bags in the closet and use the dresser. After that’s done, I find the bathroom and take a long, hot soak in the bathtub.
The bathroom is almost three times the size of my own bathroom in the apartment I have back home. I’m in love with the tub because I don’t have one back home, so I have to take showers. I’d rather soak in a tub every now and then than just stand up and wash. While my room is done in all white and dark cherry, the bathroom is light blue with splashes of white mixed in. When I grab the towels from the cupboard sitting against the wall, they’re full, lush, and extremely soft. The kind that cost more money than I make to spend on something to dry my body off with after a shower.
I’d like to have a good book to read as I soak in the tub, but Henry never grabbed any of my paperbacks. Since I’m not allowed my phone or laptop, I know having my Kindle is out of the question as well. Maybe I’ll get a second to ask Sal or Tommaso if they have any books here. I highly doubt they would, but the answer is always going to be no if I don’t ask. So, I simply fill the tub with hot water and add a little bit of the bubble bath that’s resting on the overlarge edge of the tub. As it fills, I undress and pin my hair up so I don’t get bubbles in it. I don’t want to have to wash my hair right now if at all possible. When I’m ready, I step in and sink down up to my neck, letting the hot water wash over me and carry the grime from travelling away. The tub is large enough for me to still have plenty of room to almost lay flat if I wanted to.
I close my eyes and force all the thoughts to leave my mind as I try to unwind. When I feel myself begin to drift off to sleep, I know it’s time to get out. Pulling the plug, I wait until the water is completely drained before turning on the faucet once more. I rinse the bubbles from my body and step out to dry off and get dressed in the light lounge pants and tank top I brought in with me. Pulling the pins from my hair, I let it fall loose before shaking it out. With nothing else to do, I close the doors in my room and climb into bed. Like the mattress at Flynn’s house, I sink down into it and almost immediately fall asleep.
Chapter Seven
Flynn
AS I MAKE my way back downstairs to meet with Sal and Tommaso without Imogen around, my mind wanders to what she’s doing upstairs in her room. I watched her eyes light up when she spotted the small balcony. She hasn’t seen anything yet. I’ve been here before when I came to work with Sal and Dom. Tommaso is one of the soldiers who works under Dom, but they’ve been giving him more responsibilities lately from what I’ve been hearing across the pond.
I let my mind think of having meals out on the balcony together until my thoughts turn to having my way with her under the night sky filled with stars. Our bodies are only illuminated by the light shining down from us off the moon.
What the fuck? My mind has no business going there concerning Imogen.
Shaking my head, I knock on the first door that’s closed downstairs. The one Imogen looked at briefly before letting her gaze wander to everything else in the downstairs of the house she could see. Honestly, she only got to see about a quarter of the house when she was standing inside the door. There’s a gym, a small movie theater, a large changing room for the pool, a laundry room, dining room, and at least two bathrooms. Those are just the rooms I know of besides the office, kitchen, and living room.
“Enter,” Sal calls out.
I walk in to find him sitting behind the large oak desk with Tommaso sitting in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Walking up, I take the other chair and wait for Sal to fill me in on what’s going on while we’re here. Unfortunately, that’s not what he wants to start talking about.
“Imogen is a natural beauty. I didn’t think she’d be so gorgeous,” Sal states as a pang of jealousy hits me. “No one is as beautiful as my Bianca, but she’s stunnin’ for sure. My main question is what kind of father lets his daughter go to a man like you who chews women up and spits them out on a regular basis?”
“He got in a jam when his wife got sick. The house and restaurant he owns were already mortgaged to the hilt and he needed some money to cover the treatments they thought would save her life. That ended up not being the case as she ended up dying from her illness. Now, he owes me money and sent Imogen as collateral. She hates my fucking guts something fierce,” I answer him, not looking at Tommaso.
Yes, I’ve wanted to punch him multiple times already since they picked us up from the airport. Not only for being able to talk to Imogen, but for touching her. Yeah, he made sure she didn’t crash to the floor when he ran into her because of her coming to a halt just inside the door. If he hadn’t been paying too much attention to her ass, he wouldn’t have had an issue stopping behind her.
“I still would never give up my daughter to you. What do you have planned for her? Are you gonna make her yours?” he questions me, steepling his fingers in front of his face while his eyes bore into me.
“I won’t ever have a wife or kids. They’re a weakness I don’t want to have lingering on my conscious if my enemies were to get their hands on them,” I state, knowing my position on the subject hasn’t changed in many years.
“Then you and Tommaso won’t have a problem between you?” he asks, hitting the nail on the head.
Sal is not a stupid man. He sees more than you want him to and doesn’t hold back when he wants to find out information. So, it looks as though I’m in the hot seat right now when we should be discussing business.
“Tommaso doesn’t need to be near Imogen. Period,” I state emphatically, finally looking at the man in question. “She’ll be going back home with me and doesn’t need to get attached to him here where nothing can ever come from it. I promised she wouldn’t get hurt on my watch, and that includes her heart.”
“So, you do care about her. More than you’re willin’ to admit. This is gonna be a wild ride,” Sal states, leaning back in his chair. “Tommaso will talk to her if she wants to, but nothin’ more. She needs a friend while she’s here if you’re not goin’ to man up and let her in. Or spend any time with her. Now, enough about our beautiful houseguest and on to business. We have a few crews tryin’ to take over our gun trade and a few other aspects of our businesses. You’ll be workin’ mainly with Tommaso. Together you’ll be out scoutin’, takin’ notes on what you see, and jackin’ up anyone we’ve decided is in our way.”
“You got weapons for me? I wasn’t going to bring any on the plane with me. Not when the cops are already asking questions about where Imogen is and what happened to her father,” I ask him.
“Tommaso will take you to the armory at my home tomorrow mornin’ before you head out,” he assures me. “For now, get some rest and be ready to head out by eight tomorrow mornin’. Tommaso will know where you’re goin’ and what’s goin’ on. Before you leave, Tommaso, you’ll brief him so he’s not walkin’ in blind.”
We each nod our heads in response before standing up. After shaking Sal and Tommaso’s hands and showing them out, I walk through the house and make sure the doors and windows are locked. I hate being away from home without my guns by my side. I know I can take any intruder who dares to break into one of the Rossi family safehouses, but the odds aren’t in my favor if that person has a gun. Knowing they have crews out there trying to take over their business and turf, I want to be on my game to protect Imogen. I’d die to protect her because I gave her my word. Without my word, I’m not the man I thought I was, so I’l
l go down to ensure her safety. It’s more than I can say about her father.
Once I know the house is secure and Rosa, the maid who lives in the house, is set for the night, I make my way upstairs. Instead of going to my own room for the night, I head to Imogen’s door. There are no sounds coming from behind it, and I want to make sure she’s okay. Slowly and silently, I open the door to find the room blanketed in the darkness of the night with the bear minimum moonlight filtering into the room through the sheer curtains. The only reason I know she’s in bed is because the small amount of moonlight just illuminates her body covered by the blankets on the bed.
Walking over to her, I look down to see her hair covering her face. I don’t stop myself from reaching out and pulling her hair away from her pale, smooth face. Once it’s not blocking my view, I take in her lush, full lips parted slightly while her lashes rest against her pale skin making them look darker than during the day. When she begins to stir in her sleep, I yank my hand back and step away from her bed. I’ve been in here too long already and need to leave her alone to rest.
Leaving her room after one last look in her direction, I softly close her door and cross the hall. Shutting my own door, I make my way to the bathroom so I can wash of the day before going to bed. I need to be up bright and early to meet with Tommaso. Plus, I want to make sure Imogen has whatever she’ll need for the day while I’m gone. She’s going to go out of her mind if she has nothing to do here except for watching TV. Or swimming. I’m not even sure if she knows how to swim or if it’s something she’d want to do while we’re here.
Stripping down after turning on the shower, I get under the hot water and let it run down my body. Images of the woman sleeping across the hall fill my head as my cock stirs to life. Using the body wash already in the shower, I squirt some on my hand before taking my cock in hand. In my mind, Imogen is standing before me completely naked with her hair covering most of her tits. Just her nipples are poking through the silky strands of hair as she steps up on her toes, bringing her lips to my own. I take her mouth with mine, tangling our tongues together while running my hand down her body until I come to the juncture between her legs.