by Ali Parker
Maybe I didn't need a violent night of fucking from D. Maybe just spending an hour or so losing myself in Edward would be good enough. He knew the rules, and though I knew that he wanted far more than I was willing to give him, he was a playboy and enjoyed anything that I threw his way.
I pushed the door to my bedroom open and breathed in deeply, catching subtle hints of D's cologne here and there. A groan left me, and I bent over to untie the straps on my shoes. Maybe telling Edward that we could have time together was a mistake. Exhaustion wrapped around me and pressed down hard.
"Let me do that." He walked in and gripped my hips, pulling me over to sit on my bed as he knelt beneath me.
"You're so handsome," I whispered and reached out to touch the side of his face as he winked at me and worked on the long ribbons that wound up my calves.
"You're just buttering me up." He ran his fingers down the back of my leg and squeezed my ankle softly. "Who died tonight?"
"Someone that owed Daddy money." I stood, and he did as well before gripping the bottom of my dress and pulling it over my head, leaving me in nothing but a pair of red panties that didn't leave much to the imagination.
"Damn, you're beautiful." He moved back and closed the door before reaching for me. "Am I staying all night?"
"No. Fuck me, and get out." I slid my hands over his thick shoulders and pulled him down for a long kiss. He tasted like mint gum with a hint of beer. I rolled my tongue past his and jumped to wrap my legs around his waist as he pressed on the back of my thighs, urging me to do so.
"You know I hate it when you treat me like a whore." He ran his nose down the long length of my neck and laid me back on the bed before running his strong hands up my thighs, over my hips to massage my breasts as he rocked his hips forward.
"You are a whore." I reached up and gripped his waistband, using it to pull myself to a sitting position as I worked on the buttons on his shirt.
"This is true, but what does that make you?" He brushed my hair back and cupped my face, tilting my head to force me to look up toward him.
"Your pimp?" I gripped the side of his neck and pulled him down for another hot kiss. He groaned and tightened his grip on me.
"You're such a fucking bitch. You know that?" He licked the skin beneath my ear before moving back and working his shoulders out of his shirt. It fell to the ground, and I ran my hands up the swell of his chest and leaned forward, covering him in kisses as he worked on his belt.
"I do know." I gripped his taunt sides and dipped my tongue into his waistband of his briefs as his slacks dropped down to join his shirt.
"I love you though." He gripped my hair tightly and pulled me back. "Do you know that too?"
"Hush and get naked." I popped the side of his face before turning and crawling up into the center of my bed. "You're turning me off with your lovey-dovey bullshit."
He laughed deep in his chest and slipped his hands into his underwear, giving me a look as I turned to face him. "You want the dick? You get the lovey-dovey too. You know you're the only one I want in my life."
"Whatever." I reached for him after he walked to my nightstand and worked a condom over his swollen flesh. "Lie down and no more talking."
"All right." He crawled up onto the bed and dropped down onto his back, stroking himself once, drawing my eyes down the delicious length of his body to his cock. "Get up here then."
A growl left me as I mounted him reverse cowgirl and reached behind me to press my hands into his chest muscles.
"Take it easy, Bella." He gripped my hips and pressed down, forcing me to take more than I was ready to. The moan that left us both was titillating and resurrected desire from the center of my stomach.
"Easy? Never." I pressed backward and dug my nails into his chest as I arched my back hard and worked him like I might a whore. I loved him too, but only as a close friend might. That he gave me access to his body and hoped it might force me into something more than our companionship was his problem, not mine. I'd warned him a million times, and yet he wouldn't listen to me.
His hands moved from my hips to grip my ass tightly. "Bend over. Put your hands between my legs on the bed, and take it faster. Stop fucking around."
A smile lifted my lips as I dragged my hands down his chest, scratching him hard before leaning forward and sliding my fingers along the cool blue sheets below.
He groaned loudly and lifted his hips, impaling me as I continued to work my aggression out on him. Pleasure burst through my stomach as I rode him, and I lifted my hips a little higher, giving him the show he wanted.
He palmed my ass with one hand and gripped the sheets with the other. "Faster."
I pulled off of him and moved to my hands and knees. "Get up here, and work yourself into a frenzy. I'm fucking tired. Going fast isn't going to — "
"Hush." He moved up to his knees and popped my ass hard. "Saucy little thing. Someone should teach you a lesson."
I chuckled and pressed back on him as he thrust hard, filling me again. "Please?"
His turn to laugh. "As if."
I gripped the sheets and let my head fall toward the mattress as my eyes closed. He took great care to bring me release over and over again. By the time he joined me, I was covered in a light sheen of sweat, and shaking.
He gripped my shoulders tightly and finished his high with several deep thrusts as he cried out into the silence of my room. "God, I love you."
I dropped down to the bed below and panted softly. "Get out."
"Nope." He got off the bed and cleaned up before moving back up to lie beside me. His fingers ran down my back and over the curve of my ass, scratching softly and sending me toward sleep. "I'm staying the night with you. You got your fuck. I want my cuddles."
"I hate cuddles," I murmured with my face pressed to the bed.
"I know, baby." He leaned down and kissed my shoulder. "I know."
Chapter 12
Demetri
I picked up my phone for the tenth time that next morning but sat it back down and paced the floor again. I wanted to check on her, to see if she was okay from the errand that Joe sent her on the night before, but she would take it wrong.
"Hell, she's taking every fucking thing wrong right now," I growled and let out a long sigh before buttoning my starched white shirt and walking toward the sink in the kitchen. The signs of spring were finally starting to show outside, though it was still rather chilly.
My vision glossed over as I tried to shake off the need I still had sitting on me.
She'd almost given in the night before. If I had stayed at the mansion and waited on her —
"Stop it," I barked at myself and tucked my shirt in. I was supposed to meet my older sister, Catherine, for breakfast at Tony's at ten, and thanks to turning my phone off sometime in my fitful night of sleep, I was going to be late. I hated to be late more than anything else, but Catherine was forgiving, to an extent.
She was more than tired of Freddy and his antics. All she did was bitch about the poor kid, and while I wanted to tell her to help me with him, it was far above her pay grade to do so. She was fine working as head of our shipping operation, but getting involved in the more nefarious parts of the syndicate were out. I couldn't blame her a bit.
I walked toward the door, reaching out and grabbing my phone before snagging the keys to my Jaguar off the nail I had by the entrance to the apartment.
I'd be at Tony's in ten minutes and honestly hoped that my sister had good news to share and kept her motherly nagging to a minimum. I was still raw over losing Mom and could only hope that if Catherine wasn't that she would fake it for my sake.
*
"You look like shit." Catherine glanced up from the small table near the back of the restaurant.
"Nice to see you too." I moved toward her, leaning over to kiss her cheek before taking my place across from her. She was the spitting image of our Italian mother with her olive skin and long black hair. She would have been breathtaking if the scowl on her
face wasn't permanent.
"You know what I mean." She picked up her coffee and cupped it tightly in her hands as she glanced over the top of it at me. "You okay?"
"Yeah." I ran my fingers through my hair and glanced up at the young girl who was serving our table. "I'll take a coffee please."
"Of course." The girl's smile lifted to her eyes as if I'd said something more endearing.
I turned my attention back to my sister. "I'm good. Just having to bury two women that meant the world to me this week has left me a bit numb."
"It's understandable." She took a sip of her coffee and tilted her head a little. "Where were you on Saturday? And Friday night?"
"Around." I snorted. "Why? Were you looking for me? ’Cause that was a week ago."
"Just wondering if you got to see Drake." She tapped her fingers on the table and watched me like a fucking hawk.
"You asking, or is Joe?" I leaned back and pulled my napkin into my lap.
"I haven't spoken with the Don in a few months. You stand between all of us and him, remember?"
"No, I haven't seen Drake. It's been years." I took the cup of coffee from the server and nodded to my sister. "Order something."
"I already did." She smiled up at the server. "He's so bossy. All Italian men are. Do yourself a favor and steer clear of them, hmm?"
The girl blushed as I glanced up and pointed to the ham-and-veggies omelet. "I'll have this. Thanks."
"You know we have to do something about Freddy, right?" Catherine's cheeky grin slid from her face, and the scowl locked back into place. "I can't keep fixing his shit, D."
"I realize that." I took a tentative sip of my coffee and studied her face. "Tell me about the fuckups. I'm trying to decide if the guy is just an idiot or if something else is going on."
"I'm going with both." She let out an exasperated sigh and set her coffee mug down. "He's fucked up paperwork for three weeks in a row and sent two shipments to the wrong location, calling with an apology and the idea that Selma and I are going to fix it for him."
"Did you make him clean up his own mess?"
"Yeah, but he fucked it up even worse. It's a nightmare. The guy is toked all the time. He's by far the worst pick for this position, and you know it." She gave me a stern look that our mother would have been proud of.
"I didn't put him in the position. Vivian did, but I'll talk with Joe." I dropped my hands into my lap. "I'm glad to hear it's just him being an idiot and not something that would have me taking him to a back alley somewhere."
My stomach growled, and I turned to see the server bringing Catherine's breakfast. I waited until it was laid down in front of her to steal a piece of bacon.
"Hey." She glanced up and smiled. "What's going on with Izzy and Marco? Everyone okay? I didn't get to see anyone after the funeral yesterday."
"They're hanging in there. You know there is a meeting tonight, right? Marco texted me this morning reminding me about it."
The meeting had been scheduled a while back, and honestly with us losing Vivian, I would have expected it would be canceled, but it would seem that Joe wanted to keep things on track. Maybe it was another diversion to get everyone back to doing the normal day-to-day things that would save them from the pain of loss.
"Yeah. He texted me too. I'll be there." She took a few bites and laid her fork down. "I think you need to ask Freddy what he was doing with Thomas Kallup last week before Vivian died. I dropped by the warehouse, and they were having a conversation that abruptly stopped as I walked in. I'm not sure if the guy was threatening Freddy or if it were the other way around, but something was going on."
"Thomas Kallup? What in the world could that slick bastard want with Freddy?"
"No clue, but if you and Joe really think his daddy shut down their crew, you're wrong. Selma saw them at some bar near the west side of town a few weeks back." She wiped her mouth and picked up her phone.
"Why didn't you say something before today? The Kallup boys are dangerous as fuck, Catherine." I started to get up to call Freddy, but the server set my food down in front of me. I nodded at her and texted the boy to get his ass up and be ready to talk when I got to the mansion in thirty minutes or so.
"Because I was hoping that you already knew." She picked up her fork. "And by the way, if we're replacing Freddy, Selma says she knows a guy who might know a guy."
I rolled my eyes. "Now you sound like Freddy. We don't bring in random people to work for the syndicate, Cat. They have to be family or have some pretty good credentials to even be considered."
"You never know. Hell, anything is better than Freddy."
I nodded my agreement before focusing on my breakfast. Something left me feeling like it might be the only elation I had in my day.
*
"He stopped by the warehouse, all right?" Freddy pushed my hand off his shoulder as we stood in the Castaletta kitchen an hour later. "I didn't call him, and I'm sure as fuck not a rat, if that's what you're implying."
"I'm not implying anything," I growled and gripped the front of his shirt, pulling him closer. "You know damn good and well that those guys are a rivalry that we don't need. We own Chicago. The Castalettas. No one else."
"I get that." He pulled away from me and stormed out of the room. "I'm one of them, and you're not, remember?"
"Asshole," I mumbled and pulled out my phone. I needed to talk with Edward about additional security on the house, seeing that Joe was keen on putting up more cameras. "How about checking the fucking guns at the door?"
"What?" Edward's voice was laced with sleep.
I was almost glad I'd woken his preppy ass up. After having Izabella using him to tease me the night before, I was ready to put his head through a wall. Hopefully by the time the fucker drove over to the mansion, I would have cooled down.
"Joe wants additional security, which requires your IT expertise for us to start looking at how to implement it. Get your ass to the mansion. Now."
"Right-O, boss. Sounds like you're in a great mo — "
I dropped the call and tucked my phone into my back pocket. I hated the prick, but it was more because of his history with Izzy than anything. He was in love with her, and his schoolboy crush had grated on my last nerve. If he couldn't find a way to stop ogling my enforcer every time they were in the room together, I was —
"You called?" Edward walked into the kitchen in a pair of jeans and nothing else, his hair a mess and several bite marks on his chest.
Every muscle in my body locked into place. Did he... Was she...
He ignored me and walked to the fridge, pulling out a jug of orange juice and drinking straight from the carton as he turned. He let out a long growl as he put the cap back on.
"God, I love fruit juice." He lifted the carton toward me. "You? Too refined to not use a glass?"
"What the fuck are you doing here dressed like that?" I walked over, snatched the juice from him and put it back into the fridge.
"He's my guest." Izzy's voice wrapped around me, stabbing in ways that only she could.
"Yep. I'm a guest, boss. You want me to go upstairs and gather my clothes to make myself more presentable for you?" He smirked, and I moved across the room, ready to break a few teeth.
"Stop." Izzy moved in front of him and gave me a look that would rot me from the inside out if looks could kill. "What are you doing here so early?"
"I have to figure out the security situation, meet with your father and strangle Freddy." My eyes moved across as sickness swirled in the pit of my stomach. Obviously, she'd called in reinforcements last night when she found that I'd left her to an empty bed. "And I'm adding skinning this fucker alive now too."
"Don't be a hater, boss. You weren't here and — "
I moved around her and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off his feet and flattening him against the cabinet as I pressed my forehead to his. The fact that he was turning a light blue color left me feeling a little better. Not much but a little.
"Don't
touch her again. You know the rules of this house."
She dead-legged me, and I dropped him before losing my balance and landing on my ass. The pretty bitch had her knee against my throat and her gun pointed at my face before I could blink twice.
"Joe was right. You were trained well for this." I shoved her gun away and twisted her foot before tugging and bringing her down with me.
"What the fuck is going on in here?" Joe walked in and put his hands on his hips. "Get up. All three of you. In my office. Now."
Chapter 13
Izabella
Unbelievable. This bastard didn't hang around to finish what he'd started the night before, and now he was on the attack because his pride was hurt. Hell no.
"We have far too much going on for me to find the three of you dicking around in the kitchen." My father opened the door to his office and moved back as D walked in and I followed. "Edward, go get your ugly ass dressed, and meet with Nathaniel. I want new cameras around the edge of the property. Don't come in here until you've figured out the logistics for making that happen. Got it?"
"Of course, Don Castaletta." Edward left with a quick nod.
I walked to the couch opposite of the one D sat down on and dropped down with a huff. I refused to meet his gaze. He was a fucking idiot, and for some reason my father thought him capable of running the show in the future? I hated my thought pattern. It was off, but I couldn't stop myself from diving into the rabbit hole it provided.
"Tell me what's going on. Now." My dad's voice boomed through the room as he moved to sit in the chair to my right.
Every muscles in my body locked. It was a rarity to have him speak to me in anything but a loving tone.
"I killed Parker as you asked." I moved up to the edge of my seat and straightened my back. He was addressing his enforcer, not his daughter.
"Excellent, so why are the two of you rolling around in the kitchen like a bunch of children? Do you think I pay you to create tension in my house? Do you think any of us need this childish bullshit right now?"