by ChaShiree M
“Thank you. It’s probably the tan.” I say shutting the door and taking her luggage.
“No. It’s on the inside of you, girl. That cannot be attributed to the sun.” Well, ok. We walk around the house and I show her everything, giving her a second to do her ooh’s and ah’s. She of course has a lot of questions for me about the interior decorator. She asks a lot about the art on the wall and I love having someone else as enthusiastic about this place as me. See, we both wanted to go into interior design. That was our plan for as long as I can remember, until the day I realized my parents had no intention of letting me go to college. Once I take her to her room and she gets settled, Siri, our housekeeper, has lunch set out for us.
“Wow. You have a housekeeper too?” she asks.
“Yea. It was Saxson’s idea. He said he doesn’t want me worried about cooking for him. He wants me to figure out what it is I want to do and do it. He said he will support any decision I make.”
“He sounds amazing, Lexi.” She says it a bit wistfully. She seems like herself, but not.
“What’s going on Lara? How is school? Have you heard from Ramone?” I rattle off the questions not sure when Sax is coming home.
“School is great. I love my classes and having a room to myself is nice. I miss you though. And no. No Ramone. But, that’s ok. I have decided to move on. I found a local BDSM club close to campus. I have been taking the sub intro classes. Just making sure I know what I am getting myself into.”
I am about to ask her if she tried reaching out to Ramone, when I hear the garage door open and close. Damn it. I turn to say hi to my husband and in walks Saxson and none other than Ramone. Huh. This is getting intriguing.
“Hey baby.” Sax says leaning over and kissing me. My mind stops working for a second. His touch does this to me. It shuts down everything but the ability to feel him. Smell him. See him. When he moves back and rubs my cheek, I can’t help but smile at him. Looking behind him, I see Ramone standing to the side of Lara, glaring at her.
“Ramone. Didn’t expect to see you here. To what do we owe the honor?” I ask him, not bothering with hiding the sarcasm leaving my voice.
“Hey little sis. I wasn’t expecting to be here either,” he says that last part, his eyes kicking toward Lara. “But this is what happens when people don’t do as their told.” I catch the sardonic tone of his voice. I also see the look of guilt flash across her face before it is replaced with defiance.
“I told you when you dropped me off, I didn't have to do as you tell me to. I can go wherever I like.” She stomps her foot as she says it. I cover my mouth to hide the giggle that is forcing its way out of my mouth.
“Be careful little lamb. Let’s not do this right now. There will be plenty of time for us to have this conversation again, in a more...amenable setting, later. Enjoy your visit.” He says before walking toward the back of the house. I see Lara about to say something back to him and I jump up to stop her before she gets herself into something, she is not ready for.
“Well, Lara and I were going out to shop. Will we see you guys for dinner?” I know Sax is going to be pissed that he didn’t know about this, he hates for me to take last minute trips out of the house when he has not had the time to plan for what he calls adequate security. He still won’t tell me what is going on with my parents and Jared’s dad. He just says that it isn't safe for me to be near them right now and he is working on something. When I brought up the fact that my father wanted me to marry Jared, his whole demeanor changed. He walked away from me for a bit before he came back and told me about the girls Jared and his father run. He told me how they are treated and what they are made to do. I still can't get the thought out of my head. Or the disgust. To think, my own father was going to subject me to that. I shudder when I think about it.
“You better be back here in two hours, Lexi. Is Carmina outside?” He asks, wondering if my female guard is outside. I can’t help but kiss his nose. So cute when it’s scrunched up.
“Yes, she is outside.”
“Very well. Have fun ladies.” He says hugging me to him. I wrap my arms around his neck and inhale his smell. God, I love the smell of his Cool Water cologne. His grip on me gets tighter like he is scared to let me go. For a second it scares me. My big strong mafia man is worried about something and fuck if it doesn’t give me pause. But then almost as soon as it comes, it goes. I can feel him hardening up again, the steel coming back into his spine. He grabs my face, looks me in the eyes and simply says, “I love you, Lexi. Always.” Why is it that every time he says it, I cry? It never ceases.
“I love you too, Sax. Always.” I barely get out. He nods, wipes my tear streaked face with is thumb, kisses my head and walks toward his office with Ramone. Why do I feel like something bad is coming?
23
Saxson
Fuck! I hate letting her go anywhere without me. If it were up to me, I would wrap her in a bubble and not let her breathe without my presence. Is this what the hell my father felt when he got my mother? No wonder he built her a bakery on the grounds. So, she would never leave his sight. I am tempted to demand that she finds something to occupy her here, within these walls we have found together, and that I have been building into a fortress. But at the same time, I don’t want to stifle her. I want her to know the world is at her feet. That she can have, do, create whatever the hell she wants to. She is a Maldonado now. What I really need to do is fucking get my kid in her, so she has no choice but to sit in one spot. Believe me, I have been working on it.
“Brother have you heard a single fucking thing I have said?” Ramone says to me, looking at me like I am losing it. I ignore the asshole. He is only able to not be so fucked up because he keeps running from his destiny. He thinks he is fooling all of us by not taking Lara and actually claiming her. Like we don’t all know she is his obsession. He has set up cameras inside her dorm room, all of her classrooms, and has done a background check on every student in her school. Not to mention he has listening devices in her professors’ offices. He is more than obsessed. He thinks he is doing the right thing by not claiming her because she is safer, and he might be right, but it is turning him into a lunatic. Hell, the girl doesn’t even know he has basically hijacked her life.
“I am fine Ramone. I heard you. So, what are we going to do about it? When we left for the island, Ransom was simply a nuisance that needed to be neutralized. Now, he is a problem. Not only is he moving in on our territory, with drugs and prostitution, but he is still looking for my wife. He needs to be dealt with.” I say to my brother looking out the window over the expanse of my land.
“I know Sax. We have been looking for him. Seems he and his son, have gone underground.” Cowards.
“What about Lexi’s sorry excuse for a father? Where is he?” I turn to him, rubbing my head. It seems I keep a migraine nowadays.
“As far as we can tell he is still home. Keeping up pretense of still having money and connections, though as it seems, most of his people have long since washed their hands of him and all of his collateral has been used. I gathered that is why he needed Alexis to marry Ransom’s son.”
“Over my fucking dead body. Do you hear me!! They get within ten feet of her and they are dead. DEAD!!” Throwing everything off my desk, I yell out my frustration.
“This is why you should have stayed away from her.” He mumbles, moving over to my liquor cart.
“Oh, you mean like you keep staying away from Lara? Quite a coincidence you showing up here the same day as her, almost at the same time.” I say with as much sarcasm as I can muster catching my breath. I want him to know that I know. He ignores me as he pours himself a shot of Vodka.
Bzzz.
Looking at my phone, I see it is my mom calling. “Buenos Dias mama.”
“Buenos días hijo. How is my new daughter today?” I smile. Hearing my mom call her that and seeing their budding relationship as it grows, makes me happy.
“She is fine. She is out with Lara shopping
. Have you tried her phone?”
“Sì, hijo. But it is ok. She is having fun. Let her. I was simply calling to see if you two would like to host a brunch for the family and your other cousins who couldn’t make it to the wedding?” Shit. I forgot about this.
“Sì, mama. When were you thinking?”
“How about next weekend?”
“No problem mama. I will make sure Lexi is ok with it and get back to you.”
“Estoy muy orgulloso de ti, hijo mío.” I am so proud of you my son. She says to me. “Such a wonderful husband. That girl loves you, Saxson. Don’t betray that love.”
“Never mama. Never.” She says she loves me and hangs up. Looking at my watch, I realize it has been almost two hours since the girls have been gone and I haven’t heard from Lexi. I am about to call her when I hear the door open. My shoulders sag, relief sweeping my body when she walks in with her friend smiling and very much ok. Not able to contain myself, I walk up to her, take the bags from her hands dropping them on the floor and lift her over my shoulder.
“Saxson what are you…” she begins to say. I swat her ass and shush her. I need her right now. Turning to my brother; “I trust you two can find something to keep you busy for the next hour or so, Yes?” When he looks at Lara and looks back at me and nods his head I bound for the stairs. Right now, I just need to be inside of her, to reassure myself that nothing and no one can take her from me.
24
Lexi
One Week Later
I have been losing my mind all week trying to make sure this brunch goes off without a hitch. The day Saxson told me about it, which was after he fucked my brains out, I could have slapped him. How in the hell did he tell his mom yes, and not wait until I got home to confirm with me? I mean I am not equipped for this shit. I freaked out. Began crying, hyperventilating. I was a mess. He finally sent Lara up and when she told me she would stay until after the brunch to help me get it ready, I began to calm down. I asked her if she was sure. What about school? She said she was on a break for some sort of thing or another. Once again there is something she is not telling me. She swears it is nothing. Yeah. Like I believe that. I am going to get to the bottom of it as soon as this brunch is done.
“Lexi all of the flowers are done.” Julissa says. She and Manny came into town yesterday just for this. That is the other thing. Apparently, Manny’s family has some property 30 miles north of here and she decided that they needed to live on their own. So, she moved out of the family compound and away an hour and a half almost with traffic. Needless to say, no one is happy with this. I on the other hand admire her confidence and her knowledge that no matter what she decides to do, her family will always be there. I didn’t have that before Saxson and his family. Plus, I love it when she visits because I get to ask a lot of questions about their childhood. Like this time.
She, Lara, and I all went to the salon and got our hair and nails done. While Lara was in getting a wax, Julissa and I talked. I wanted to know how was it for her growing up in a mob family. She laughed. “To be honest, I didn’t know until I was 16. People in the neighborhood were too scared to tell me, and my family, extended and otherwise, kept it as hush hush as they could for as long as they could. Truthfully, Lexi, we were a normal everyday family inside our house. My mom and dad were present, loving, and supportive. My brothers and I bickered and fought and played and....I don’t know, I thought it was normal.” Even knowing what I know I can't help but envy the life she is describing. Mine was lonely, void of any affection, and I never felt important. To anyone.
“So how did you get involved in the business?” This is what I really wanted to know.
“Saxson. He realized very early on that I had a knack for all things digital and computer based. He talked to my dad when I was 16 and he decided to offer me the choice. He told me everything and gave me the opportunity to walk away and not be involved. I never thought about for a second. If my brothers could do it, so could I. This is my family. I would be nothing without them.” She shrugged her shoulders like it is the most natural thing in the world. Must be nice.
Shaking myself as I come back to the present, I turn to look at Julissa and note she too is preoccupied with something else. Walking to the backyard, I see that the tables have all been set, the caterers are all prepped and ready to go and by the sound of the opening and closing of doors, I would assume that the guests have started to arrive. Heading back toward the house to get ready, I see Sax off to the side talking to Ramone and they both look worried and pissed. My stomach begins to churn as that feeling I have had for the past week comes back.
“There you are. My beautiful daughter. How are you?” I take a moment to bask in the hug being gifted to me by his mother.
“I’m fine mama. Just need to go get ready for this thing.” I say trying to keep the not so pleased attitude at bay.
“You don’t look fine. Have you been sleeping well, my Lexi?” She rubs my face as she asks this question.
“I have been so stressed about this brunch that I have hardly slept at all. No worries. When it is over today, I plan to take a nice long nap.” It’s true. I am turning off all the lights and going the hell to sleep.
“Bueno. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Yes. As a matter of fact. I still need to get dressed. Can you greet everyone as they come until I get back downstairs?” I woke up this morning, made sure my hair and makeup were done and then continued along with Julissa and Lara to supervise the setup. Everyone else has had a moment to get ready.
“Of course. You go on.” I kiss her cheek and walk to my bedroom. As soon as I reach the room, my eyes go to the bed. My comfortable, warm bed is calling my name right now. I am more than tempted to lay down and take a quick nap. I mean really this is for their family. No one will even know I am missing. Right?
“Wrong, my wife.” Shit. Busted. I can’t believe I said that out loud. He wraps his arms around me from behind and kisses my neck. I lean back onto him and close my eyes, the feeling of safety taking over me. “Why didn’t you tell me this was causing you worry, Lexi? I would have fixed it for you.”
“You can’t fix everything, Saxson. If I am going to be your wife and…” he spins me around so fast my head spins.
“What the hell do you mean ‘if’? You are my wife. There is no…if. And the only thing you have to learn is how to talk to your husband. My job is to make sure you are happy and healthy. To make sure you have everything you need and want. To carry the burdens of your head and heart. How can I do that if you don’t tell me?” The damn tears again.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. I just...I don’t know. I just…” I stop and take a breath, making myself calm down for a moment while he rubs my back. “You are right. I promise no more secrets. I just wanted you to know I could do this. Be your wife. I know I am so young, and I have a lot to learn and…”
“Lexi stop it. I don’t know what has gotten into you, but I want my confident, smartass back. I fucking love you, baby. YOU! Just like this. You are going to grow and mature and develop into whoever you are going to be. I am going to love that Lexi too. Now calm down. You know what?” His mouth connects with mine and everything in my world is better. He lifts me off the ground, my legs wrap around his waist as we continue to play tongue wrestling. I can feel every anxiety I was harboring slipping away into the daytime sun.
“Spread your legs, baby.” He says to me between kisses as he lays me on the bed. God, I want to. I want to open them so he can assist me with the ache that I carry around all day, smelling his scent and hearing his voice around the house. I want him to shove his cock into me so hard I forget everything but the way he makes me feel.
“We can’t Sax. Your family is downstairs waiting on us.” I whine as the reality of it comes front and center.
“Do you want me to tell them to leave? If I can’t fucking have my pussy whenever the hell I want because there are people in my god damn house, I will tell them all to leave.” I can
see the truth of his words in his eyes. I lean up and kiss him. His fierce devotion to me leaves me speechless. I simply open my legs and let him have what is rightfully his. All of me. “Good girl.” he says before he sticks his nose in my pussy, moving it around.
“Sax!” I keen, trying to keep it down so we aren’t heard.
“Smell so good baby. I never knew sugar had a scent until I met you.” His tongue takes a long swipe and I feel like I am coming alive. I can feel my back arching off the bed, but it is like I have no control. He licks and sucks over and over, always sucking my clit into his mouth with each pass. My body begins to shake, as my hands find traction in his hair. Rocking my head back and forth on the pillow, I beg him to stop, finish, more...anything. “Fuck!! Did you get sweeter.” He asks as he bites my thigh giving me a slight reprieve. Before I can catch my breath, his tongue enters my hole and I see stars in my eyelids.
“Oh shit, Sax. Oh God.”
“Don’t ever call me by another man’s name.” He says with a growl before smacking my pussy with his hand. The action sends a lightning bolt of electricity and flashes within my body, tingling, traveling from my toes to my head. I begin to shout as my body loses control. Not worried about my inability to come back, he shoves what has to be two fingers inside of my kitty, hooking it across my pleasure button, and I am dying. His mouth joins the crusade and I’m a goner.
“SAXON!!!” I shout not caring who can hear. My legs come together, never mind the fact that I am squeezing his head. He doesn’t stop licking, taunting, and moaning as he sends me into a second release. “Sax, please. I can’t...I can’t.” I whisper shaking from the impact. He kisses his way up toward my mouth. Stopping mere inches from my lips he says, “Never doubt what you mean to me, baby. Do you understand? You tell me everything. Let me do my job. Protect you. From everything.” His mouth slowly takes mine, a message that everything he is and has belongs to me. Received loud and clear.