Tara

by Jennifer Bene

  “Why do you call me dolcezza?”

  “It was what I called you when we were first heading into the hotel, remember? Your foot was bleeding all over the floor, and you pretended to be drunk. Absolutely, positively astounded me with your quick thinking. I couldn’t believe you were coming along so willingly in the first place.” He couldn’t help but smile at the memory.

  “Right, I’d completely forgotten.” She shrugged as if her actions hadn’t meant a thing. “What did I call you?”

  “Sweetheart.” Alaric remembered the way she’d clung to him, pressing her body against his, and he’d never forgotten the way her sweet voice had called out to him through the pretend slur.

  “Hmm…” A soft kiss pressed to his lips and then she leaned back. “I’ve been thinking of you as a knight, but sweetheart will work.”

  “A knight?” He lifted an eyebrow.

  “A very foolish, mortal knight.”

  “Foolish?” Alaric laughed, feeling a little insulted.

  “How else would you describe a mortal deciding he can change the will of the gods?” Tara had already leaned forward to start browsing his laptop, hooking up the iPod like she’d done it a hundred times.

  He just sighed, because he couldn’t argue her point. “Touché. Let’s stick with sweetheart, alright, dolcezza?”

  “Deal, sweetheart.” She winked at him and then he walked into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. He’d already spent too long avoiding Luca and Claude, now he just had to decide which one he wanted to deal with first.

  Luca loved him like a son and would forgive him anything, he knew that, so that meant he got to deal with Claude’s anger first.

  Oh, joy.

  The phone was ringing as he kicked his shoes off and climbed onto the bed, propping himself up on the thin pillows near the headboard. “Well, so nice of you to call me back,” Claude’s sarcasm only sounded thicker through his French accent. Asshole.

  “What’s the status on her papers? I though you said they’d be done today, and it’s evening already.”

  “We do quality work, Alexander, that’s why you come to me. Either way, I’ll have them ready tonight. Finishing touches and all that.” Claude paused and he could hear him dragging smoke in from his cigarette, then he exhaled. “How is the pretty little dancing queen?”

  “She’s fine, but I thought you didn’t care as long as you never had to see her again.” He rubbed his temple where a headache was already forming, wondering for a moment when he’d get to sleep again.

  “I was just curious. She may be a whore, but she was well-behaved in my club. Nice to my staff.”

  “Do not call her a whore.” Alaric felt his temper climb, his hand clenching into a fist, and Claude’s low laugh on the other end of the line only made it worse.

  “Well, well, well… sounds like you’ve been enjoying yourself with more than just a kiss. Don’t you know you’re not supposed to taste what you sell? Bad for business.”

  “Says the guy who hasn’t been sober in years,” Alaric growled.

  “You wound me, Alexander, or –” he laughed, “ – you would wound me if we were friends. Which we are not. I’ll text you later with a drop point, I don’t want you or your dirty laundry in my club again.”

  “Fine.”

  “Good night!” Claude’s voice was practically chipper as he ended the call and Alaric had to take several deep breaths to calm down. Regardless of what the asshole thought of him or the situation he was in, he was making the papers. That’s what mattered.

  Alaric took a minute to calm down and then dialed Luca’s number from memory. It only rang twice before the man’s voice came over the line. “Alaric.”

  “Hey, Luca! How’s -”

  “Are we speaking privately?”

  “Laptop isn’t close by at the moment.” Alaric worried that he may need to go get the laptop from Tara based on the cold tone to Luca’s voice, but then he heard some clicking from the other end of the phone.

  “Hold, please.”

  “Sure.” The seconds dragged by slowly, and a strange feeling started to inch up his spine. It wasn’t needed though, Luca would understand. Luca would have his back. He always did.

  “Alright, Alaric, you want to tell me why the fuck you haven’t been answering my calls? You better tell me someone tried to kill you.”

  “Actually, someone did. Last night. We had to skip out of the hotel we were in.”

  “Shit. You okay? How’s the girl?” Luca was typing at breakneck speed, and Alaric finally relaxed. There was the concern he’d expected from the man.

  “She’s okay, and so am I. Listen, we need to talk about this job.” Alaric took a deep breath and continued. “I’m not turning her over.”

  “What?” The dead calm in Luca’s voice had Alaric’s pulse racing zero to sixty in a matter of seconds.

  “I’m not going to take her to Morocco tomorrow.”

  “Yes, you will. You will get the papers, you will get on a plane with that girl, and you will get your ass to Morocco to meet the client.”

  “No, Luca. We just need to return the money, tell him we couldn’t do it. We can’t do this, Luca.” He knew his voice was pleading, and he suddenly felt like he was twelve years old again, looking up at the dark hair and quiet eyes of his mentor, of the man who had saved him.

  “That is not an option, Alaric. We do not renege on contracts.”

  “But, Luca, she’s a person! We can’t -”

  “God dammit! I knew I shouldn’t have sent you on this. Why the fuck did I trust you to handle it?” Luca was typing furiously on the other side of the phone and guilt stabbed at him as disappointment reigned in the man’s voice.

  “I got her. I took out Gianni Formato. I did everything you asked, but this? We can’t do this.” Silence filled the line, and Alaric swallowed. “Luca?”

  “Listen to me very closely, Alaric. You know the rules. If you take a contract, you finish it. To the letter. We don’t break contracts at Infinity Consulting. We complete every job we take. Now, I don’t care what you think you feel for this girl, you’re going to put your cock back in your pants, and you’re going to take her to Morocco.”

  “We can’t! Break this one. For me, Luca, come on.” Alaric shoved his hand into his hair, gripping the strands as his chest tightened.

  “No one reneges on a contract, not even you. Don’t make me send someone else in to finish this. There will be consequences.” The disappointment and anger in Luca’s voice was tearing Alaric apart, and he felt the burning beginnings of tears in his eyes, which he wiped away hard. This man had been the only father he’d ever really known, the man who had taught him how to be a man.

  “You don’t mean this, Luca. I know you, you don’t want to turn this girl over to that asshole! No matter how much money he’s throwing at us. This isn’t a rescue mission, we’re not returning her to someone who cares about her, this is trafficking! She’s a fucking slave, Luca!”

  “I know exactly what this is.” Luca’s cold voice was a knife in Alaric’s gut.

  “You knew?”

  “Of course I knew, you think I’d take a contract without researching it?” Luca laughed and the knife twisted. “I should have known you couldn’t handle this. I should never have asked you to. I’m sending in Henrik.”

  “No!” Alaric clenched the phone tight, gripping it so hard he could hear the plastic creaking. Henrik was an animal. A vicious dog with no code around anything. He was for grunt work, the worst jobs. “Luca, please, just -”

  “It’s too late. You had the chance to make this as easy for her as possible. Henrik will take over when he gets there.” Luca sighed. “You won’t even have to be there, just drug her and leave her. Give me the address.”

  “I’m not going to do that, Luca.”

  “Bloody hell, she really has you twisted up. You’re not thinking, Alaric. I saw the pictures, I know she’s beautiful, and with all that experience I’m sure she’s fantastic i
n bed, but I can get you another girl. I’ll find you ten, alright? You’ll forget all about her, but now is not the time to play white knight. Not to this one.”

  Knight.

  Alaric sagged back against the headboard, and he knew his cheeks were damp and he hated the weakness. This wasn’t the Luca he knew, not the man who had been patient with him, kind to him. Not the man who had remembered every birthday, who had taught him to drive, to shoot a gun, to protect himself. He looked up at the closed door and he knew that on the other side of it, curled up on the couch with her music… was Tara. His dolcezza. His impossibly brave, impossibly strong, beautiful dolcezza.

  And he was her foolish knight.

  “You’re wrong, Luca.”

  “Alaric, don’t be stupid.”

  “Cancel the contract, Luca. Do it.”

  “I can’t do that, you’d remember that if you’d stop thinking with your dick.” Luca cursed under his breath. “Think about what you’re doing.”

  “I am. I’m cancelling the contract.”

  “Alar -” He ended the call before Luca could finish speaking, and then he dropped the phone to the bed because his chest felt like it was caving in. His breaths were coming short, and he clenched his teeth against the urge to scream, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes to stop the useless tears.

  He was alone.

  Luca wasn’t going to help him, which meant he had to help himself. He had to help Tara. And he couldn’t help Tara if he was falling apart because the man he thought loved him like a son had turned out to value a contract over him. Had turned out to be as heartless as so many of the ones who walked in their circles.

  There will be consequences.

  Those words echoed in his head, and he had a vague idea of what those consequences would be. Torture? If they ever got their hands on him, probably. Death? Maybe, maybe not. It would depend on if any shred of Luca’s care for him still lingered now that he’d broken one of the only rules at Infinity Consulting.

  None of that mattered though, because he’d promised to protect Tara, and he’d do anything to keep that promise.

  Alaric washed his face in the bathroom and waited until the red had faded before he plastered on a smile and walked back into the living room. Tara was bent forward, clicking away on his laptop, and she looked up at him and smiled brightly.

  “I’ve spent over three hundred dollars, maybe more.” She gave a little guilty look, those blue eyes meeting his through her lashes, and he knew he’d done the right thing. If Luca met her, he’d feel the same way. They would get through this, and out the other side, and they’d all be okay. Luca would understand.

  Eventually.

  “That’s probably not enough music to fill the iPod is it?” He grinned and walked over to drop down next to her on the couch.

  “Well… no.”

  “Sounds like you have more shopping to do then.” The words were barely out of his mouth when she twisted and straddled his lap, the skirt riding high up her thighs, and even though his head wasn’t quite caught up with what she was doing, his cock was well ahead. Tara kissed him hard, tangling her hands in his hair, and he lifted her by her ass to pull her forward against him. A soft sound slipped from her as she settled over the hard ridge of his erection as it strained against his pants. Immediately she was rocking, nipping at his bottom lip as she intensified the kiss, and it was sweet torture. “Fuck, Tara…”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” she murmured between kisses, her breaths increasing in pace as she rubbed herself against him.

  “What?”

  “You should fuck me.” A bright grin lit up her face and something inside him growled in agreement. He grabbed her hips to haul her off his lap so she was standing in front of him.

  “Oh, really? I should fuck you?” Reaching under her skirt he slowly lowered her underwear, and the way she chewed on her bottom lip made his cock punch against his zipper, begging to be released and buried somewhere warm and wet. “How do you want me to fuck you, dolcezza?”

  A soft moan escaped her lips as he traced his fingers up her slit. She was already soaked, and he had to take a deep breath to fight the urge to take her immediately. “I want to know what you want.”

  “I want you.” He dipped a finger inside her, and watched as her hips shifted forward. The roll of her body was so enticing he added a second, reveling in the quiet groan she released. “God, you’re beautiful.”

  “Please, Alaric, tell me what you want.” Her pleading voice was like a direct line to his balls, tightening them and sending a spiraling shock up his spine that had him growling out loud this time.

  Patience.

  “Oh no, I’m not going to tell you anything.” Alaric curled his fingers inside her and she shuddered in front of him, her thighs tightening as she tried to keep her balance. When he continued to rub that little spot inside her she gasped, one of her hands grabbing onto the fabric over his shoulder.

  “Alaric…” she moaned, her hips working with his hand, his fingers soaked with her wetness.

  “Yes?” He grinned as he brought his other hand forward to rub her clit. She almost buckled and he laughed softly. “Tell me what you want.” The command left his lips before he could think, and the strange vibration in his tone let him know what had happened before he caught sight of the glow of the bands.

  Tara’s breath caught, and he went to pull his hands back but she caught his wrist to hold him there. “I want to taste you, and then I want you to fuck me.”

  When he looked up at her, her blue eyes caught his and he knew she wasn’t upset over the command. It was a slip, but it also meant he had no doubt about her answer. Fuck, I don’t deserve you. He grinned then and curled his fingers again, listening to her moan a little longer before he gave her what they both wanted. “You want to taste me, dolcezza?”

  “By the gods, yes!” Her exasperated response had him laughing, and so he slid his fingers from her and brought them to his lips, enjoying the shock on her face as he licked them clean of the sweet tang of her wetness. She tasted even better than the first time he’d been between her thighs.

  “Delicious.”

  “Tease. My turn.” Tara slid to her knees and tugged at his belt, undoing it all until he had to lift himself from the couch so she could shift his pants and boxers down and out of the way. The devious look she gave him as she leaned forward should have been warning enough, but it wasn’t near enough as her warm mouth closed over him. The flat of her tongue ran over the head of his cock and a chill ran up his spine as he clenched his hands into the cushions of the couch. When she dipped down, drawing him into her mouth, he bit down on a curse just as his hips kicked up.

  If I don’t do something I’m going to come faster than a schoolboy.

  She seemed determined to make that happen as one of her hands came forward to grip the base of his shaft, rubbing and pulling in time with her mouth. This hadn’t been the warm, wet place he had been thinking of before, but fuck if it wasn’t perfection. The fact that she had wanted it, wanted to taste him like this, made it all the more intense. Her tongue ran along him and he tried to fight the urge to thrust up into her mouth, his hips twitching with each up and down that drew a steady set of groans from him.

  It was the kind of torture he’d sign up for any day, where his only enemy was holding out so he could enjoy it even longer, which he was pretty sure he could do for now, as long as he didn’t glance down too often to catch her blue eyes looking at him through her lashes. Of course, she had different plans. She cupped his balls in her hand, applying just the right pressure before she slid all the way down and eased his cock into her throat. “Tara!” he shouted her name, his hand tangling in her hair despite all his best efforts to control himself.

  Her hummed response practically sent him over the edge, and he growled as he tightened his fist in her hair.

  “Tara, I want to fuck you.” He bit down on the urge to tell her to stop, swallowing the command as she continu
ed for a moment, drawing him almost all the way out of her mouth. She traced her tongue across the head of his cock, before delving forward again until he was caught in the tight confines of her throat. “Dolcezza, please.”

  This time when she drew up, torturously slowly, she sat back. Her lips were swollen from her efforts, her cheeks pink, and when he looked down to see her hand wrapped around the base of his shaft he felt the growl in his chest, and she smiled up at him like she knew exactly what he was thinking – and wanted it. “Delicious,” she whispered and that snapped the last of his self-control.

  He pulled her up by her hair as gently as he could in the moment, and as soon as she was standing he bent down and threw her over his shoulder, marching towards the bedroom. The soft squeak she’d released as she’d settled on his shoulder dissolved into a sultry laugh, and he brought his hand down on her ass when she wiggled.

  Her clit was pounding as she bounced on Alaric’s shoulder, and all she wanted was to feel him inside her again. Having the opportunity to taste him, to feel him as he struggled to hold back, had only amped up her own urgency. If her hands hadn’t been busy with him, she would have slid her fingers between her thighs to join him, but it was clear he had his own plans for how this was going to end – and she couldn’t wait to see what they were.

  The world flipped as he pulled her off his shoulder and she landed with a bounce on the bed. He reached for her shirt, but she beat him to it, ripping it over her head. Alaric caught on and pulled his own shirt off, breaking several of the buttons in his haste to join her. The bra came next, and he was already stroking his cock. Soft skin over hard steel. Grabbing her hips he hauled her to the edge of the bed, and then bent her knees towards her chest.

  “Fuck!” She practically screamed the curse as he thrust inside her in one, deep stroke. With her knees bent towards her chest and spread wide she had a clear view of his hard abs working, and the sight of his cock pistoning in and out of her. It was too perfect, and she couldn’t imagine not being completely present for something this amazing. Heat coiled up her spine like sparks rising into the sky from a bonfire. Her head was spinning, and the low moans and growls coming out of him were only adding fuel to the fire.