by V. Domino
“Dunno. Maybe you think you can blackmail me or something.”
I cocked a brow. “Into what?”
“Doing whatever the fuck you want from me, Domenico.”
“Okay. And what do you think that is?”
She rolled her eyes at me. “Something I don’t give, especially for your kind.”
I leaned closer. My lips closed around the smear of her lipstick on my vape, my tongue savoring her lingering taste. So fucking sweet. I wondered how her lips really tasted without the lipstick. Her eyes went back and forth from my gaze to my mouth. I smirked, filling the air between us with smoke. “My kind knows how to respect, protect and take care of a woman…and above all, knows how to please one.”
“Good for you. But guess what, Casanova? If a man doesn’t respect me, I make him, and I don’t need someone like you to protect or take care of me. As for pleasure, I have a hand and a battery-operated cock. They work just fine.”
“Oh,” I laughed. “I see. But I can assure you,” I bent farther, my lips almost touching her ears, “my hand and my Dom-operated cock are much better.”
“Fuck you.”
“Gladly, signorina. Just say when.”
Her hand flew up, looking for my cheek, but I caught it before she slapped me. “Careful now. Respect goes both ways. If you don’t know how to respect a man, I’ll have to teach you.”
She tried to take her hand out of my grip, but I wouldn’t let her. “Teach me? Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“The guy you’ll be purring and hissing under in no time, little kitten. The guy you’ll be screaming his name over and over and over as he keeps you high on orgasm for the rest of your life.”
I waved my other hand, aiming for another slap, but the fucking asshole tossed his stupid vape on the recliner and caught both my hands now. Then in one swift move, he brought them behind my back, his fists tight around my wrists.
“What did I just say? If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were asking for it.” He fucking winked at me.
I jerked and squirmed, but I couldn’t free myself. Damn, he was strong.
“Stop it, little kitten. You’ll only hurt yourself,” he whispered, the warmth of his breath on my skin sending a little shiver through my body, the scent of his cologne filling my nostrils more than it should have with my rapid, agitated breathing.
“I’m not a little kitten. Let go of me, you son of a bitch.”
“Why would I do that?” His low, masculine voice, now tight, sent another shiver down my spine. “The last thing I want to do to you is let go…but I will…if you apologize.”
My head whipped toward him. “Apologize? To you?”
“Yes, little kitten, to me. To the guy you insulted, kicked in the nuts, tried to slap and kept being rude to for no reason at all.”
“No reason at all? All your blunt sexual comments and your unsubtle attempts to get into my pants—”
“While I do want to fuck you so much,” his hazel eyes twinkled with a fiery gleam, “I want more than that from you. A lot more.”
The way he crassly said he wanted to fuck me did infuriate me as always, but my body didn’t enter the usual angry defensive mode whenever I was in a similar situation. The reaction I had was so different, more primal, more responsive.
I was too focused on—and astounded by—the sudden hardening in my nipples and the throb between my thighs to register the rest of his words. Then I blinked, gaining clarity. “What the fuck are you saying, Domenico? Just let go of my arms.”
“Apologize.”
“Or what? There’s nothing you can do to me. If I just yell for Tino, you’re a dead man.”
He smirked, unfazed by my threat. “I thought you didn’t need a man to protect you.”
I clenched my teeth. “I don’t, and if you don’t let me go now, you won’t like my next move.”
“You won’t like mine either. At least, at first.”
Fuck this asshole. I leaned forward to gain enough force when I back headbutted him in the nose. But I only hurt my neck as the back of my head hit the air. Somehow he anticipated my move and dodged it. Abruptly, he twirled my arms and yanked me up out of the pool. Then his fucking hands were on my waist, lifting me up and setting me on his lap.
I gasped, my eyes so wide they hurt. He was grinning in response, grabbing hold of my wrists again and wrapping them behind his neck.
“What the fuck? Get me off.” I squirmed.
“Oh, I’d love to.”
“I didn’t mean… Get me off you!”
“Apologize, little kitten.”
I slapped his back as many times as I could, sliding myself off his thighs, but he was much stronger than I was, and the more I moved, the more he pulled me into him. Into his growing hardness.
I gasped again. The size of his erection was incredible, not that I was experienced enough to judge, but he was…huge by my standards. The image of him alone was enough to make me cream my panties. He stared at my lips and my heaving chest. Then his tongue darted out, licking his lip, as his mouth inched closer to mine. “God, you’re so beautiful. You’re driving me crazy, little kitten.”
He was beautiful, too, and if my life had been any different, any better, I’d have loved and welcomed the attention from a man like Domenico Lanza, but I knew better.
As terrible memories flashed by, suddenly, the hardness stiffening under me felt like a threat. My breath caught, and my body shook with rage and pain and fear.
My face must have changed, must have showed what I felt, because his expression changed from hungry with lust to dark with concern. He leaned back, and his hands left mine and landed gently on my arms. “Hey. I’d never hurt you. Not like that. Ever.”
My body felt so cold at the moment. “You know?”
He nodded reluctantly.
“Then why are you chasing me when you know I can’t give you what you want?”
“You can’t deny yourself that kind of pleasure because of one asshole, Nicky.”
The sincerity in his voice caught me by surprise, as if he genuinely cared about me, not just about getting me to fuck him. “My father didn’t just touch me. He raped me. Many times.” I didn’t know why I said that, why I opened up to him all of a sudden. I convinced myself it was only to push him away, but how much I liked the menacing fury on his face as he listened confused me.
I pushed further, for my sake before his. “For me, sex, men, are synonymous with monstrous violations, and if by some miracle I no longer feel that way, whomever I’m gonna allow myself to share that kind of intimacy with won’t be a Lanza or a Bellomo or any—”
The party noise boomed into the pool area, interrupting me, as if the French doors were opened. We both looked to the side, footsteps approaching, my heart pounding as I realized I was still sitting on Domenico’s lap.
“Nicky?” Lina stopped in her tracks, and I allowed myself to breathe. If it were Tino or any of his men, Domenico would be in serious trouble. For some wicked, inexplicable reason, I didn’t want him to get hurt. Not like that.
Her eyes darted between me and Domenico. Then she cocked a brow. “What the hell is going on here?”
“Nicky?” Lina glared at Domenico, and I felt like I was the younger sister here.
I pressed my lips, stifling a laugh as Domenico’s throat bobbed with a swallow. “Nothing, Sis.”
He shook his head at Lina. “It’s not nothing…Signora.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I told him and then I glanced at her. “Really, it’s nothing. He was just getting back inside.”
“Then can you please make way for him to do so?” she taunted.
I looked down and blinked, as if I’d just become aware of my hot, firm, scandalous seat. Seriously, what the fuck was I still doing on his lap?
Hesitantly, he took his hands off my arms, and I got off him. He grabbed his vape, shoved it in his pocket and walked toward Lina. “Signora, I’ve never hidden my intentions, and with the Bellomos’ pe
rmission I—”
“Your request was denied ten months ago. Nothing has changed since then. If something does, we’ll let you know, but if I were you, I wouldn’t keep my hopes up,” she said so seriously I wanted to crack up with laughter.
“Perdona, but I think everything has changed tonight.”
“Not that I know of, and, Domenico…you’re lucky it wasn’t my husband that walked in on you.”
He twisted his lips, glancing at me. “Mi dispiace.”
She gestured for him to get back inside, and he chanced another glance at me. I just nodded at him to leave.
When Lina and I were alone, I couldn’t hold the giggles. “Wow. You’ve become so scary, Signora Bellomo.”
She dropped the act and gaped at me, throwing her hands in the air, practically bouncing. I snorted more giggles and might have peed a little.
“Oh my God, Nicky! What the fuck have I just seen? Is it real? Please tell me it’s real.”
“It’s not real. You’ve seen nothing. It was just…some silly… It was nothing.”
She smiled and linked arms with me. “Nicky…it’s okay if it’s something.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is,” she urged. “Domenico is actually one of the good guys.”
“Good guys? In the Mafia? What, he only killed five instead of a hundred or he kills ever so gently without torturing them first?”
She rolled her eyes. “You know he looks like this actor you—”
“Don’t say it,” I hissed.
“—masturbate to his Mafia movie every night.”
“I so hate you right now.”
“No, you don’t. You love me.”
I grumbled.
“Listen, I know it’s against the rules, but I think Tino can make an exception for you two dating if Domenico makes it official.”
“Wow, wow, wow, hold on. What in the actual fuck?”
“I know, I know! Believe me, I’m not telling you to marry Dom. I’m just saying to give him a chance, date him, go slow, as slowly as you want, but for that to happen, I don’t think you can keep it a secret, sneaking around. With how Tino can get protective of you, Dom can get in trouble. I mean, I don’t even think Tino would agree to you casually dating, but he’d allow him to be your boyfriend if Dom showed genuine interest in…you know. But there will be no actual commitment here, Nicky. If you don’t like Dom or wanna stop seeing him for any reason, you can just break it off. It’s okay when you do it. Tino won’t suspect anything.”
My eyes tightened at her. “So what, you want Domenico to propose and be my fake fiancé while I keep him in the dark so Daddy Tino approves of us dating? And then I just break off the engagement when I’m done using the guy?”
“Uh… It sounds mean when you put it that way, but kinda…yeah.”
“Why the fuck would I do that? Not that I’d ever date that huge…I mean tall, arrogant Mafioso, or any Mafioso whatsoever, but if I want to date Domenico, I’ll date Domenico. Those fucking rules don’t apply to me. I’m not a Mafia princess.”
“Hate to break it to you, Sis, but you most certainly are. You’re Tino’s sister—”
“In-law, and not by choice.”
She shook her head, ignoring me. “And no matter what you think, you’re like a daughter to him, and that my dear sister makes you a Mafia princess whether you like it or not.”
I couldn’t speak to Nicky all night. Her sister hovered around her like a vulture, and Nicky…became Nicky again.
In that moment we had, I’d barely gotten into that ice wall she’d built around herself. She opened up to me. She didn’t fight me as hard as I knew she could have. She stayed, and she would have stayed longer, but the moment was interrupted and now gone.
If I just had more time, if I kissed her, if I threw her over my shoulder and ran away…
I stayed up all night, coming up with a plan to salvage what I could while jerking off like I’d never gotten my dick wet before. Her sweet fragrance that lingered on me, the softness of her skin, the taste of her lipstick, the image of her succulent lips puckering up, blowing out smoke, the feeling of her body on mine, her gasp when she felt my erection, the heat coming out of her as she stayed on my lap…
The next morning, I fucked my fist again in the shower, picturing her with me, her lips wrapping around my cock, and then I’d be pounding her against the shower wall, filling her with my thick cum while she begged for more.
Fuck. I couldn’t get her out of mind. I couldn’t just let her slip away. I couldn’t chance someone else coming, snatching her away.
The idea alone of someone else touching her… I banged my fists against the tiles, gritting my teeth.
Nicky Baldi had to be mine.
I’d stop at nothing to make her mine.
I skipped breakfast and waited for Tino. I had to talk to him, and I had to talk to Nicky.
The families streamed out of the dining room. The first face I caught a glimpse of, the face I’d been dying to see, was Nicky’s. She looked good in a navy blue dress that showed perfect, but too much cleavage. As much as I loved the dress on her incredible body, I hated that everybody could see it. Her hot beauty was for my eyes only.
She barely looked at me, and it enraged me even more. I stepped toward her. “Buongiorno. We didn’t get a chance to finish our—”
“There’s nothing to finish. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to go pack.”
I scowled. “Pack? Where are you going?”
“Not that’s any of your business, but I’m going back to my place. Christmas is over.”
“But the holidays aren’t. I thought you were staying until New Year’s as well, like the rest of us.”
“I really wish you would,” Angel joined the conversation.
I cleared my throat. “Buongiorno, Signora.”
“Buongiorna, Dom.” She glanced back at her sister. “Nicky? Would you please stay? For me? For Nicco?”
“I…” Nicky shook her head and narrowed her eyes at me. “I don’t think it’s such a good idea.”
Before I could say anything to object, a heavy hand landed on my shoulder and squeezed. Tino’s hand. “Dom, we missed you at breakfast. Where have you been?”
“Upstairs. Wasn’t hungry. Do you have a minute? I need to tell you something important.”
“No, you don’t,” Nicky said in warning.
Angel sighed and turned to her husband. “Uh…why don’t we take this to your office?”
Tino stared at her for a second, and then he glared at me. “Va bene. Go get Enzio, too. He needs to hear this.”
“What’s Enzio got to do with this?” I asked.
“You’ll see.” He gave me another rough squeeze before he wrapped an arm around each of the sisters and started for his office.
Merda. This seemed iffy at best. Had I ruined my chances before I even started?
I went to find my cousin, wondering why the fuck Tino wanted him to be a part of the conversation. Tino was no idiot. Of course, he knew I was going to ask him to date Nicky, but my cousin, even though he was my family’s boss, had nothing to do with my love life.
Unless…
A terrible thought crossed my mind, but I shook it off. No, Tino couldn’t possibly think I’d do that.
“Is this some sort of payback?” Tino’s palms slammed against the top of his desk, and the thought I’d dismissed earlier turned out to be exactly what he was thinking.
“Che cazzo? Calma. What fucking payback?” Enzio asked, uncrossing his legs.
“Don’t play dumb. You know what I’m talking about. Leo and Claudia. Now, you send your cousin to do the same to my sister.”
I mumbled a curse. “Tino, c’mon. Are you serious?”
Nicky narrowed her eyes at me. “Is this true?”
“No! Fuck no! Nicky, I’d never…” I glanced at my cousin. “Enzio, say something.”
“Tino,” Enzio started, “there hasn’t been a day that we’re not thankful that
your son didn’t marry my Claudia. Yes, he broke off the engagement after she’d been betrothed to him for years, and we were angry at first, but you and I sorted this out a long time ago. Then the family found out how unwell he was, and we’re grateful till today that he and Claudia didn’t end up together. Besides, she’s happily married now. What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Your cousin has had his eyes on Nicole since my wedding. She didn’t like it. I told him to back off. But Dom continues to make passes at her. Aggressive passes in my own house.”
Enzio shifted his gaze toward me. “What the fuck did you do?”
“Nothing! I fucking like the girl. Is it a crime that I wanna date her?” I leveled my gaze with Nicky’s. “I really like you. I’m saying it in front of everyone. I’m not hiding anything.”
“Well…” Her lips twisted, but then she lifted her chin. “I don’t like you.”
“Yes, you do.”
“I don’t!”
“Even if that’s true, it doesn’t matter. It’s enough that I like you.”
“What the hell? Enough for what?”
“For making you mine.”
“You’re crazy. Tino?”
“Don’t go looking for help in that department from Il Lupo or Il Tagliatore. Do you think either would have gotten their wives if they’d taken no for an answer?” I passed a daring stare between the two bosses who just stared back at me.
Even though I respected them and would forever remain loyal to the family, no one had a say in my love life, and no one had the right to object or stop me from having Nicky, especially these two.
A smile twitched on Angel’s lips. She might have ratted me out to Tino, but she might be the only one on my side here. “Nicky…remember what we talked about last night?”
“Yes,” Nicky hissed. “And I’m not gonna do it. Listen, all of you, I’m not—”
The doors burst open, and one of Tino’s bodyguards rushed in to his side. Then he whispered something in Tino’s ear that, by the look on Tino’s face, couldn’t be good.
What the fuck just happened?