“Hello.”
“It’s me. Are we all set on that delivery here tomorrow?”
“We sure are,” Louis Bronnos said.
“No problems?”
“None. It went smoothly. Drugging them helps. Listen, not sure if you heard but Sanclare assigned Hadeon, Paulo, and Andriy to head security for the new set of hotels uptown. I hear it’s top notch. We’re going to have to knock that place off as a good shopping location for the women.”
“I’d hate for that to happen.”
“It will be extra risky.”
“Louis, do me a favor and keep on top of the security there and ways to extract women if need be.”
“You’re thinking with the mind of someone seeking revenge instead of someone seeking profit and no trouble. It could blow your entire operation up if men are caught.”
“I understand. Just humor me. You never know when that information will come in handy.”
“Okay. Expect the shipment at eleven a.m.”
“Very good. Be sure to take your cut.”
“Of course.”
Miami disconnected the call and then slid the photos of the women in this shipment to the side and located the surveillance shots of Fina.
He licked his lips, taking in the sight of all her features and her beauty. She was stunning. Her eyes bold, yet soft, because of her shyness and daintiness. She would be easily controlled. Would more than likely cry and beg for mercy. Oh how he wished things hadn’t gotten fucked up the night they took Giada. Miami wanted Fina then. He told his cousin Emanuel, and Emanuel promised he would get her for him. That never happened. He clenched his teeth.
“You will be mine very soon, Fina. Very soon.”
* * * *
“What do you think?” Alda asked Fina as they got out of the cab and headed toward the VIP entrance of the club.
“It’s crowded, the lines to get in are around the corner, I’d say it’s going to be a hell of a night.”
Alda chuckled. “The best kind,” Alda said, and they headed toward the VIP entrance and the bouncers immediately said hello and let them in. It paid to be friends with made men and their girlfriends, Alda thought and then smiled.
“Oh my, there are some very attractive men here. Is it me or are there more men than women?” Alda asked Fina while they walked between the crowds of men, all checking them out and smiling or winking.
“Definitely a lot of security guys I think, because business men do not look like these men,” Fina said and widened her eyes at Alda. Alda laughed. “I think it’s going to be fun. Alessa and Donata said that we have the whole upper floor. Let’s head that way.”
On the way up, Alda immediately spotted Royce, who worked with the Coglonie family. He locked gazes with her, then definitely checked her out and she was glad she wore the sexy black dress and her high heels. As they got closer a few guys said something to Fina and to her and she looked at them a moment as they flirted and asked about having drinks.
“Maybe later, we’re meeting friends,” Fina said, and then Alda felt the hands on her hips. She lifted her head to look over her shoulder and locked onto Royce’s eyes, but he didn’t look at her, he looked at Fina and the men talking to her. For a moment, Alda was jealous, and thought maybe Royce was attracted to Fina, not her. It was instant. That jealous, unsure feeling. She was such a pushover. But then he spoke and pressed close, sliding his hand along her belly and gripping her hip bone possessively.
“Excuse me, please. Ladies, why don’t I escort you to the private party?” Royce said and Fina smiled.
“Hi Royce, how are you?” she asked.
“Good, Fina, and you?”
“Pretty good. Excited to see Rayanna,” she said.
“I bet,” he replied.
“Me, too,” Alda chimed in, her voice cracking awkwardly and Fina sealed her lips and looked ahead of them. Alda absorbed the feel of Royce’s strong, firm hand on her hip and forearm against her belly. She even felt the gun under his jacket against her back. As they walked, he started to release her, and she could have sworn he inhaled her shampoo. Then his palm slid away from her body slowly as if he was enjoying touching her and taking advantage of it. Oh, please, don’t stop touching me, Alda thought, God, that feels so good. When he released her as their friends came into view and started calling out their names, she was disappointed and tried not to show it or look effected by him. As she hugged her friends Donata and Alessa hello she looked over her shoulder. Not only was Royce looking at her in the dress, but Brew joined him until Mateus said something to them and their attention was pulled away. Alda sighed.
* * * *
Fina hummed along to the song by Coldplay, “Hymn for the Weekend.” Alessa was right next to her dancing, and Alda and Donata were talking to a few guys that worked for Mateus and Major Fiorre. It was one hell of a party at Club Magique and a celebration of sorts. Rayanna was there with Dmitri and his crew of security. Her heart hammered inside of her chest. Every time she saw Hadeon, Paulo, or Andriy she felt almost faint. She got tongue tied, nervous, and every feminine part of her body was on alert to their presence. It was crazy and it unnerved her. Especially seeing the different bimbo women who threw themselves at them. Had they screwed all those women? Shared them? God, it made her sick. So, why was she still feeling an attraction and interest? Was she stupid? They would only be trouble. She was coming to realize that all men were pigs and wanted sex. Where were all the good guys? The ones ready to defend, protect, care for, and commit to? Perhaps they were taken by her friends and she needed to look elsewhere. Hang elsewhere, and find her own path to happiness?
Was this even normal to feel so attracted to three men she really didn’t know? She was shy and put on a good act in front of her friends when they were out partying. She never hooked up except for in D.R. when she had a major make out session with Mario and Johnny. Thank God she hadn’t slept with them because they were here, too. Visiting from Florida for some business meeting with all the heads of the families, including Dmitri.
She glanced toward where she had last seen Hadeon, and he was no longer there. She felt disappointed and for some stupid reason she looked around the crowded club trying to find him in the dim flashing lights. She felt overheated and needed to use the ladies room, but the song still played and then rolled into another good one. They just couldn’t stop dancing.
Fina shouldn’t have been looking for the three men. There was nothing between them. Nothing could ever happen. Not with them living in Chicago and working the security and special operations for Dmitri. Maybe it was true and the job they worked here in New York now would be for a while. That would mean seeing them often, drooling over them and knowing what they were really after. Sex.
She tried not to think about that brunette at Club Magique who was all over Hadeon and kept whispering in his ear. Slut.
Those security guys were definitely good looking and used to snagging all the ladies. Women threw themselves at them because they were bad ass and armed.
God, even that description of their jobs aroused her. Special operations of security. That meant all the bad ass stuff, and maybe even roughing people up or worse, killing them. She gulped. She didn’t like thinking about that aspect of their job or if they were capable of such things. It was bad enough the three men all stood about six-foot-four. She was five-foot-five and maybe hit five-eight in her stilettoes. She was glad she wore this sexy red dress. It accentuated her every curve yet didn’t expose her breasts or deep cleavage. Instead it was tight against her breasts, ran high over her neck to a tiny rhinestone bead that clasped behind her neck. One slip of that bead and her top would fall down. Self-conscious about that, she kept reaching up to check it every so often.
“I’m going to go use the ladies room,” she told Alda.
“Okay, I’ll go with,” she said and smiled.
They headed off the dance floor and then through the crowds of people. She saw Jack and Harley, Mateus and Major’s main security gu
“Hey Fina, how are you, honey?” Johnny asked and bent lower to kiss her cheek. Mario placed his hand on her hip at the same time and kissed her next.
“Good. So nice to see you guys. What’s new?” she asked, being polite but totally feeling uncomfortable for having fooled around with them in the past. Except it really wasn’t too awkward. Both men were nice guys and they did have a good time together. She was still glad she hadn’t slept with them, though. It would be really uncomfortable and they could think she would automatically just do that again.
She felt Mario’s hand glide over her ass as he whispered next to her ear, pressing close against her body. The man was medium height and filled with muscles. Very good looking, too, but kind of had a player attitude.
“You look incredible, Fina. It’s been too long. We should…get together, while Johnny and I are in New York,” he said, looking over her breasts in the dress and then to her lips, and she felt her belly ache. He wanted a booty call.
She slid his hand off her hip and smiled at him.
“I don’t think so, Mario,” she said, giving him a firm expression like she was insulted at his comment. His eyes widened and he pressed closer, pulling her against his side. She glanced behind her at Harley and Jack who watched even though Alda was talking a mile a minute. His hand was firm on her hip as she gripped onto his arm. He whispered into her ear.
“Don’t be insulted. I didn’t mean anything bad by us getting together. We had fun in D.R., just thought we could have even more fun here in New York. Johnny missed you like I did,” he said, and kissed her temple.
She pulled out of his arms and shook her head. Johnny stepped closer and whispered into her ear.
“You look amazing in this.” His hands squeezed her hips. “What do you say we have a few drinks?”
She stared up into his baby blue eyes and boy was she tempted but she knew if she had drinks with them and flirted that this time it would lead to them taking her to bed and she didn’t want that. She was attracted to them, but not that much, and now there was this fear she had when meeting men. Since she had met those two guys at Club Merchant months ago, and they harassed her and tried touching her that night in the club, she was extra careful. She got another text last night and it creeped her out.
With all the recent danger her friends had been in, she surely didn’t need any trouble or problems. She was pretty shy, kind of prim and proper like Donata would call her, and she didn’t date.
“Alda, are you ready?” she called to her as she pulled from Johnny’s hold. He licked his lips and stared at her body. She ignored him and Alda waved to Jack and Harley and they headed to the ladies room. Alda grabbed onto her arm.
“Holy shit, Johnny and Mario want you,” Alda said to her.
“Not interested.”
“Why the hell not? They are good looking, have those sexy muscular bodies, and they are staring at your ass right now,” Alda said, glancing over her shoulder.
“I’m really not interested.”
“What do you think about Harley and Jack?”
Fina chuckled. “Have a death wish?” she asked. Alda’s eyes widened and she let go of Fina’s arm as they entered the ladies room.
“Hey.”
“I’m just saying, girl, they have killer eyes, and I don’t just mean the sexy green color either.”
Alda stopped. Her jaw dropped. “Holy shit.”
Fina nodded. “Exactly. Plus, I thought I saw Brew, Royce, Logic and Train watching you earlier. You totally freaked out.” They took care of business and then rechecked their make up in the mirror.
“They intimidate me big time.”
“And Harley and Jack don’t?” Fina asked and snickered.
“I feel less control of everything around Royce and them.”
“What do you mean?” Fina asked her.
“I mean my body instantly feels hot, my tongue all tied, my belly aches, I feel like throwing up, and I shake. I’m scared of them big time. They’re so capable and huge and God, their jobs and abilities make me feel like I’m out of my league and have some sort of teen crush on them.”
Fina nodded her head. “I know what you mean.”
“Oh, so that’s what you feel when you see Hadeon, Paulo, and Andriy?” Alda asked. Fina didn’t answer. “Thought so, and here you are teasing me.”
“I wasn’t teasing you,” Fina said.
When they headed out of the bathroom and back through the crowd, Alda saw a few people she knew and said hello. She whispered to Fina, “These guys are safer to flirt with.”
Fina smiled. She knew what she meant.
“I’ll meet you back by Donata and them,” Fina told her and Alda nodded then continued to talk. Fina felt the same way. She needed to meet nice guys. Regular guys who would treat her with respect and not just want her in their beds. Where were they?
As Fina got caught in the crowd two guys stopped her.
“Hey, beautiful. Want to dance?” one guy asked, and as she shook her head and went to continue walking he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the dance floor.
“Hey, let go of me,” she said, but it was like he didn’t hear her because the music was so loud and now the dance floor crowded elbow to elbow.
She nearly tripped when he pulled her so hard. She tried to get free but couldn’t. She panicked a moment, and then didn’t want to make a scene, but the guy was drunk and his friend just slapped her ass. She swung around and smacked him, shocking him but then his buddy wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her along.
“You’re a feisty one for such a petite thing,” he said to her and inhaled deeply against her hair. She shoved at his arm that was tight around her waist.
“Let go of me,” she demanded and she elbowed him in the stomach causing him to release her. The guy she slapped looked pissed and teetered a moment as she tried getting away from them, when a strong arm wrapped around her waist, lifted her up, then set her down. She gasped seeing Hadeon who placed himself in front of her and reprimanded the guys. Hadeon was so wide with muscles, and super tall that she couldn’t even see the guys as he threatened them, his thick Russian accent overpowering the sound of the bass drum in the music that played. The two guys looked scared shitless. When a second set of hands landed on her hips, she gasped, only for Andriy to press close and whisper into her ear.
“You’re safe, little one,” he said in that Russian accent, thick, hard, and shocking her system, making her body instantly overheat and then shiver. His palm was warm over her belly, then firm against her hip bone. She could feel his hard erection against her ass and the gun at her ribs. Holy crap.
Hadeon turned around to face her, looking down at her and then over her body.
“Come. Now,” he said, and then he and Andriy brought her toward her friends but instead of joining them they brought her to the bar were Paulo stood watching, eyes narrowed and then sweeping over her body. She was in serious trouble with these three men. What was with them coming to her aid again? They would think she couldn’t take care of herself. Could she? Why had she even worried about causing a scene when she should have been worried about what those two strange guys did to her? She felt upset with herself and thought about Jonah and Bader, then about Brian. It all stemmed back to Brian, his abusive, controlling ways and how he almost succeeded in breaking down her self-confidence. She needed to get her shit together. These men were Russian gangsters. She was coming across as some teenage teeny bopper who needed body guards. Shit.
She shivered from the incident and now from being this close to the three men she fantasized about. Hadeon was dressed more casually in designer black pants and a burgundy polo shirt. Paulo was six feet three, thick and solid like an ox, with a constant serious expression on his face and tattoos that peaked out on his shirt sleeve by his wrist. She wondered if they went up his arm completely or maybe over his chest, which was surely filled with muscles. She gulped. Andriy, stood an identical height to Hadeon, but he wore a dress shirt in dark green, black dress pants, a black blazer and she knew he was carrying a gun. She swallowed hard, standing in front of him.
“Are you okay?” Andriy asked, his thick accent intimidating her.
She glanced at Hadeon and Paulo, who were both behind her. Paulo pressed his hand to the bar, half caging her in next to Andriy, and Hadeon pressed up behind her.
“I’m fine,” she said, her voice cracking. She licked her lower lip and had to look away from Andriy especially. He was fierce. Her stomach ached, she was shaking and it was more so from these men then the incident on the dance floor. These men were big in every aspect, from body type to personalities. Their sizes, capabilities and the feel of their warm, hard hands keeping her close to them, between them, made her feel feminine, safe, and protected. It half excited her and half annoyed her. This could be their MO, the reason why women threw themselves at them. She wouldn’t be another notch in their belts, though she was beyond curious as to what they might look like naked.
She shook her head and exhaled.
“Have a drink,” Paulo said to her and handed over a shot of something clear.
“What is it?” she asked holding it.
“Vodka. Drink, now,” Hadeon ordered, staring down into her eyes and then they each took a shot glass from the bartender who laid them down following hers and they raised their glasses to her.
Hadeon said something in Russian that made Paulo smirk slightly. She didn’t know what but she would be damned if she would let them see how much they affected her. She held Paulo’s gaze as she downed the shot, the burning didn’t ease the sensations running rampant through her blood, but at east she showed a backbone.
When she felt the hand on her hip and Hadeon press up close to whisper to her, she tightened up. Her eyes locked onto Andriy’s as Hadeon spoke and slid his palm up and down her hip and upper thigh.
“You can’t seem to stay out of trouble, net?” he asked her.
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