Lifting her head, she touches her mouth to mine in a soft kiss. “Okay, I like the sound of that,” she breathes.
My lips touch her jaw, moving down the column of her neck and stop at the hollow of her throat before I lift my gaze to look up at her.
She’s watching me, her pupils dilating and I know that if I wanted more from her, I could get it.
“What do you want?” I ask, my lips still touching her skin.
She inhales a shaky breath. “Always you,” she breathes.
“You want me to fuck you?” I ask.
Her teeth sink into her bottom lip and she shrugs a shoulder at my question. “Tomorrow is back to business as usual, take advantage of having full access to me all day today, passerotta.”
“I like having a bit of a break from everything,” she admits.
Shaking my head once, I touch my mouth to hers, breathing her in for a moment before I speak. “Too much of a break will allow the naysayers too much time to talk, to gather forces, to act.”
Her hands slide up my chest, then wrap around the back of my neck as her tongue sneaks out and skims the seam of my lips. “I’m ready to take control of my club,” she states.
My cock twitches at her words, at her confidence. It is her club too. The profits go to the famiglia, but Nicola is in charge of every aspect.
Clearing my throat, I roll onto my back and bring her with me. I’ve made a couple of decisions, after walking in on her covered with Taylor’s blood, decisions that she may not like. Now, I just need to tell her.
“Work is going to change a bit,” I explain.
She pushes up, her palms pressing against my chest as she straightens her arms. Her eyes are wide, then they slowly narrow as she watches me, no doubt expecting the absolute fucking worst.
“I have to deal with Taylor’s father and whatever that fallout looks like. For now, I want you running the club and only doing the books for the other entities. I want the other aspects of the business to rest on my shoulders while we navigate what is going to happen with her father and the zoning committee.”
Holding my breath, I wait for her reaction. She may not like it, but this isn’t something that is negotiable. This is what will happen.
“I get to run the entire club?” she asks. “Every aspect of it? Employees, everything?”
The glittery twinkle in her eyes cannot be denied. Maybe I shouldn’t let her do this.
She seems far more excited about running a sex club than she should be. But then how can I deny her something that she is so fucking ecstatic about? The answer is simple. I can’t.
“Yeah,” I sigh.
Her smile, it fucking lights up the room. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it so big, ever. She lets out a squeal loud enough to break glass and I can’t help but chuckle at the sound and the way she throws herself over onto her back and stares up at the ceiling.
“Don’t forget your man, yeah?”
She turns her head, her face going from happy to serious in a split second. Rolling onto her side, she reaches for me and cups my cheek, her thumb running along my bottom lip.
“Never, Benicio. Without you, I don’t know where I would be.”
“Engaged to some fucker that I’d have to kill,” I deadpan.
Her lips twitch and she shakes her head. “Doubtful, but I couldn’t forget you because I love you.”
“Fuck,” I groan. “Love you, too, Nicola. More than you could ever fucking imagine.”
There’s a moment of silence while we just stare at one another. I take in her raw beauty, all of it. It’s mine now, because she’s mine, meant to be from the moment that I saw her two years ago at her father’s party.
It hits me, immediately, like a goddamn freight train that slams through me.
“I’m not angry, not anymore,” I whisper, blurting it out without even thinking about my words.
She tilts her head, furrowing her brows. “About?”
“The past, any of it. I forgive you, Nicola. Wholeheartedly. I just want the rest of my life with you, to build it and have babies with you. I want everything.”
She licks her lips, leaning forward and touches her mouth to my own before she breaks the slight kiss. “You have it, Benny. You have everything of mine. I give it to you freely and I am ready for the past to be just that. Gone, buried—the past.”
NICOLA
Last night was spent in Benicio’s arms. We smoked, we drank, we fucked. Then we showered and we did it all over again. It was amazing. Some people may not think that the day turned to evening was perfection, but I did.
After almost being raped and kidnapped, feeling safe and forgetting the past was the only thing that I wanted and Benny delivered just that.
Being in his arms was exactly what I needed. He is where I feel safe. At his side, in his bed, him inside of me—that’s where I belong.
“Nicola, you know Valentina Ramos,” Benny announces, shaking me from my memories.
This morning, I’m dressed in my normal attire of a tight knee-length skirt, high heels, and a button-up, silk blouse that’s tucked into my skirt and also a touch too tight. Lifting my head, I look over at the girl in front of me.
She shifts from foot to foot, looking down at my shoes and refuses to look up. I can tell by the way her fingers twist in front of her that she is nervous, or maybe intimidated, I’m not sure.
She’s wearing a pair of jeans that are a size too big and a t-shirt that is at least two sizes too big.
It should look ridiculous on her slight body, but it looks the opposite. She looks super cute and I’m kind of jealous.
“Valentina, would you like some coffee before Dante arrives to take us to work?”
“Work?” she asks, her head suddenly lifting to look up at me.
Nodding, I bring my mug to my lips and take a drink. “Work,” I say. “I’m taking over a club and I need to go and finish organizing the office. Plus, my meeting with my wedding planner unfortunately was canceled the other day, so she’s going to come by later and start going over planning with me,” I explain.
Valentina shifts her gaze from me to Ermanno who is standing silently against the wall. He dips his chin, as if giving her permission and then he turns and walks out of the room.
I don’t understand it, but I don’t ask either. That is their dynamic and I don’t have to understand it, just like nobody has to understand me and Benicio.
“Dante will be here shortly, I need to head out, you good?” Benny asks, walking toward me.
I dip my chin, lifting my eyes to meet his. “I am,” I breathe.
His lips touch mine as his hand slides around my waist and he squeezes. Without another word, he releases me and I watch his ass, letting out an audible sigh, as he walks out of the kitchen. Valentina clears her throat and I shift my attention back to her.
“What kind of club?” she asks.
I smirk, focusing on her, waiting to get her reaction. “A BDSM sex club,” I say nonchalantly, shrugging a shoulder.
Her eyes widen and she lets out a gasp. “You mean, you’re going to be running one?” she breathes.
Nodding, I take another sip of my coffee. “And he’s okay with that?”
“Would your cartel not be okay with that?” I ask, knowing damn well that this is the first time the famiglia has been okay with it, but I want to get any information that I can out of her, for Benny and Gavino.
Maybe it’s wrong, considering getting information out of Benny was how we met, but I can’t help but believe that this woman knows more than she’s letting on. Even if she thinks it’s not important information, it could be.
“A woman doesn’t run a thing. Not even her mouth,” she snaps.
Turning slightly, I set my mug in the sink, then close the distance between us. Lifting my hands, I wrap them around Valentina’s biceps and squeeze gently.
“I heard a very similar speech my entire life, by my own father. These men are not our fathers. They’re not our brothers eithe
r,” I say, squeezing her arms. “This is a new famiglia. These men are different.”
“Are they?” she asks, arching a brow. “I was just given to one for marriage. I am his prisoner.”
Pressing my lips together, I tilt my head to the side and take her in. She doesn’t look abused, she doesn’t even look upset, not really. The way Ermanno looked at her, it wasn’t as a captor looks at his captive. He looked at her with desire, want, and maybe even a little pride.
“Are you really his prisoner?” I ask. “I’ve been one too, once.”
“To who?” she snorts. “You look like a princess to me.”
Releasing her arms, I let my own fall to my sides and I shake my head. “Benicio took over this famiglia. It wasn’t pretty and I was his possession. Left defenseless and his property. He could have done whatever he wanted with me and to me and I couldn’t have said a word. I was his.”
“But instead he is letting you run some club and what… you’ll be working there?” she asks, arching a brow.
Shaking my head, I let out a laugh. “Never. I’m his fiancée. What happened was we fell in love and he learned to trust me. With that trust, he discovered what I needed, and he’s giving it to me. I think that Ermanno is cut from the same cloth, if you give him a chance.”
Valentina lowers her head just as Dante walks into the room. He pauses as soon as I lift my gaze to his.
I watch as he winces. Then, without a word he rushes toward me, gathers me in his arms and picks me up, spinning me around.
I let out a bark of laughter, followed by giggles as he makes me completely dizzy before he sets me back down on my high heeled feet.
“I’m so fucking sorry,” he says.
Shaking my head, I smile. “Not your fault. Now, let’s get this sex club under control. I have a feeling it’s a bigger disaster than even I can imagine.”
Dante dips his chin. “Seriously, ma’am. It will never happen again,” he promises.
“It’s okay,” I assure. “This is Valentina, she’s going to be hanging out with us,” I introduce, changing the subject. “And, Dante?”
His gaze shifts from Valentina to me, and I can tell that he’s already been briefed on who she is by the way he’s looking at her.
“Yeah?” he asks.
“Please, call me Nicola or Nicci. No more ma’am.”
He chuckles, nodding his head as he lifts his hand and runs it through his dark hair. “Okay, Nicola,” he murmurs.
“Now, let’s get to work,” I chirp.
Together, the three of us, though Valentina is reluctant and shuffles her feet, head toward the black sedan that Dante has parked in front of the house.
Chapter Thirty-Four
BENICIO
I watch my security footage from my computer as Nicola, Dante and Valentina leave the house and slip into the black sedan. Ermanno is sitting across from me, but my focus is on Nicola and only Nicola.
Checking my phone, I do a locate on her device and breathe a sigh of relief to see that it’s tracking her the way that it should be. Maybe I shouldn’t let her go today. I’m obviously not okay with her leaving the house, yet.
I want to keep her in a goddamn bubble. I’ve eliminated the threat, or rather she eliminated it for herself. She’s stronger, more ruthless, than I give her credit for and I shouldn’t be worried about her.
I am though.
Maybe it’s because I love her, more likely, because I feel like I need her just to breathe. I want to protect her—selfishly.
“Valentia, tell me everything that I need and don’t need to know,” I demand, lifting my gaze from my phone to look up at Ermanno.
He clears his throat, sliding his palms down his thighs as he looks to the side, then shifts his gaze back to meet my own.
“Everything?”
“I need to know every fucking thing about her, about you two together until she is somewhat trusted. Though, as with every single fucking person, she will never be one hundred percent trustworthy,” I announce.
He jerks his chin and attempts to mask his surprise that I’m being so candid. He shouldn’t be. I trust nobody. I also will never turn my back to a single soul, famiglia or not.
Taylor Costa was under guard, slipped him and tried to kill my fiancée. Vinny was actually famiglia and tried to kill Nicola. Nobody is trusted, not fucking ever.
“Valentina isn’t sure about me, she’ll get there,” he says with a shrug.
Arching a brow, I wait for the rest of his story. If he isn’t fucking her, I need to know. If he is, I need to know that too. I wasn’t kidding when I said that I wanted every detail.
I. Want. It. All.
He sighs. “We aren’t fucking. I’m sleeping on the couch. She’s a virgin,” he snaps.
Blinking, I look down at my desk, then lift my gaze back up to meet his. “Yeah?”
He nods. “Yeah. She didn’t tell me why, but I have a feeling her father was using that as his bargaining chip for some kind of future deal with someone.”
“Who?” I demand.
“I don’t know yet, but I think she knows. She was shy, naturally, but also she seemed a little frightened to even discuss it.”
Leaning back in my chair, I remember how fearful she was of even talking to me about her father and his dealings.
“The man died once and came back to life thirty years later, maybe she thinks he’s not really gone. You need to earn her trust just as much as she needs to earn yours. That kind of shit takes time. Until then, just keep a close eye on her. I know that Nicola and Dante will do that as well.”
Ermanno nods his head slowly, then lets out a puff of air. “If I didn’t think that she was worth it, I would just try and find someone else,” he admits.
“Do you think that she is, truly?”
I’m curious. I knew instantly that Nicola was the one, which was the reason I was so fucking pissed off and hurt that she used me the way that she did. I was nursing the sting of betrayal for far fucking longer than I should have. Completely blind to her situation, and her struggles.
“I know that she is.”
Smiling, I lift my chin. “Good. Now, let’s get the famiglia under somewhat of a semblance of order,” I murmur.
He chuckles. “Looks like we have to figure out what we’re going to do with Costa’s men.”
“And appoint Capos. We need five total since we fucking have none.”
He whistles and leans back in his chair. “This shit, who decided to do this?”
“Gavino,” I grunt.
Ermanno chuckles, “quello stronzo.”
“No fuckin’ shit.”
We spend the rest of the afternoon combing through files of higher-ranking soldiers. I can’t just randomly pick men, I have to look at them on paper.
But it doesn’t end there. Some men look fucking perfect on paper, but in real life, there is no goddamn hope of them being a Capo or even moving from their current position.
Once I have about fifteen that look like they could potentially be decent candidates, I call them into my office for a meet.
All the while, I continue to check Nicola’s GPS and demand that Dante send me updates on her status. I’m sure he’s annoyed with me, but he’ll never say anything. I’m his fucking boss, I’m the boss.
Once interviews are finished, I frown at the time. It’s well after ten in the evening. Leaning back in my chair, I look across the room at Ermanno who is wearing a frown that matches mine. “It’s late,” I needlessly point out.
He nods his head as he opens his mouth, but before he can say a word, my office door swings open. Both of us twist our necks and look over at the women who fill the doorway.
Both Valentina and Nicola are standing side-by-side, wearing matching smiles as they each stare at us. Nicola at me and Valentina, shyly, at Ermanno.
Without skipping a beat, Ermanno stands to his feet and quickly makes his way over to Valentina.
He doesn’t even say goodbye as he slips his hand i
n hers and forces her to step backward until he’s through the doorway and then I assume that he drags her away. I don’t know for sure, because I stay seated, my eyes still focused nowhere but at my Nicola.
NICOLA
Benicio doesn’t move. His eyes stay connected to mine as he watches me make my way into his office. I don’t know why I love this space as much as I do, no that’s not true.
I do know why.
What better way to send the ultimate fuck you to my father than to continually fuck the only man I have loved in his workspace. This was the place that he brokered deals for grown men to sexually abuse me as a child.
This is also the place where I told him that I would no longer be party to those agreements. The place where I finally found my very weak backbone when it came to him. Though I’m not quite sure he acquiesced to my refusal in his exploitation of me.
Maybe it had to do with the fact that his pervert friends didn’t want me anymore now that I had become a legal adult. Maybe it was because he was sick.
I don’t know, but I’m grateful that it stopped. Thankful that he only used me as a cover for his property acquisitions and money laundering.
I’d take that over some stranger and asshole touching me any damn day, and I did.
“You’re thinking about the past, passerotta,” Benicio says, his tone nothing short of a warning.
Nodding, I clear my throat as I round his desk and walk straight toward him. He spreads his thighs and I take that opportunity, and invitation, to sink down on his lap.
Immediately, he wraps his arms around me, one around my waist the other slides up my spine and tangles in my hair.
“You’re home late,” he murmurs as his eyes stay glued to mine.
Nodding, I lick my lips and let out a breath. “Valentina and I organized the entire office, it was a disaster. I don’t think Vinny filed a single piece of paper the entire time that he was in charge,” I whisper.
He grins, his fingers gripping my hair. “And Valentina helped?” he asks.
Becoming his Possession: A Zanetti Famiglia Novel Page 26