by Amy Starling
“There's one more thing. For this to seem legit, you can't just be sitting there calmly.” His gaze moved away from mine. “You have to act scared. Terrified. Crying.”
“Sure I'll be plenty terrified after you dunk my head underwater.”
“Don't suppose you can conjure up tears on command?”
I tried, but no dice. “Sorry. Guess I'm not a good actress.”
Suddenly, he looked very uncomfortable. “I could... Well, there's one surefire way.”
“I don't like that look you're giving me.”
He cringed. “What would you say to me slapping you?”
“Slapping me?” I scooted the chair away from him. “You mean, in the face? You must be joking.”
“Not too hard,” he said quickly. “Just enough to sting a little. You know I don't want to hurt you for real.”
That I still felt attraction to this man meant something was really wrong in my head.
“But you said if it doesn't look real, they won't buy it.”
“I suppose you're right. All I know is my dad is real good at picking out frauds and liars, and if he even sniffs something funny, the game is up. He'll have someone to... replace me immediately.”
“Your dad is a huge asshole.”
We both knew what had to happen. I hated it, but believed Alec. His dad probably would send another hitman – and this one wouldn't be nearly as kind.
“Do what you have to,” I muttered.
“You should probably get some tears going before the camera rolls.” He stood, towering over me. “Don't hate me for this, okay?”
I closed my eyes, braced myself, and waited. The crack of pain on my cheek came without warning, and I yelped in surprise. He'd really done it, then. He hit me.
I knew I agreed to it. Knew it had to be done. But I wasn't prepared for the feelings that came after.
I was totally helpless, under his control and at his mercy. Right now, he owned me.
Some long-buried part of me, a part I never even knew existed, began to emerge from where it hid in my subconcious. That part of me liked it.
The tears came easily, but not necessarily because of the pain.
Alec looked down at me with concern. He put his hand on my back. The warmth of it made me cry harder.
“I'm sorry, Ceci.”
“Just get going,” I murmured. “I can't keep up the crying forever.”
He nodded. “Remember the plan. Whenever you need a breath, let me know. And whatever happens while that camera's on, it's not real, okay? I might say some horrible things – but I won't mean a word of it.”
He grabbed his gun and took a few deep, unsteady breaths. Then he flicked a button and the camera light turned green.
Instantly, Alec's calm demeanor changed. His face scrunched with anger; he bared his teeth like a wolf about to lunge for my throat. The cold barrel of the gun pressed against my head.
Even though it was unloaded, it still made me shake with fear.
“Hello, Mr. Trenton,” he growled. “I told you I had your lovely daughter here with me. You didn't believe me. I hope this is sufficient proof.”
“Let me go,” I screamed at the top of my lungs. “What have I done to deserve this? Please stop.”
Figured some theatrics couldn't hurt. Just hoped I sounded convincing enough, because I'd hate to have to do a double take.
“She's quite a fighter,” he said with a wry laugh. “And so very beautiful. It's a shame I have to hurt her because her daddy refuses to pay back what he owes.”
He heaved the bucket off the table and put it in my lap. My heart went wild. This was really about to happen.
“I think you need a bit of extra convincing. Here's what will happen to your daughter if you don't pay up.”
His eyes met mine for a fraction of a second. Then he looked away and shoved my head into the bucket without hesitation.
I took a huge gulp of air just before my face went underwater. He held me there, but gently. I flailed and kicked as if trying desperately to gasp for breath.
“You see what happens when you fuck with the Ciarellos?”
He let me up after a moment. I sputtered, spit out the water, and begged for him to stop.
“No more,” I wailed. “I'll do whatever you say, just don't hurt me.”
“Shut up, princess. You got your daddy to blame for this.”
He smacked me hard across the other cheek. Same as before, despite the pain, it excited me. I sat there, crying and stunned, while I tried fruitlessly to figure out what was wrong with me.
“Oh, don't worry. I won't kill her – yet.” He circled me, gun in hand. “But that doesn't mean I can't have some fun with her. I've just gotten started. Who knows? Maybe next week, I'll send you a care package with a couple of her fingers in it.”
He stuffed my head into the bucket again for good measure. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, but still, adrenaline coursed through my veins.
Somehow, I had never felt so alive before.
“You know what to do, Mr. Trenton. Deliver everything you owe to Leo before the month is up. But of course, if you care for your daughter, I'd suggest not taking your time.”
He released me and went to turn off the camera. I shook the water out of my eyes as he hurried to free me from the ropes.
“Are you all right?” He pulled me out of the chair and into his arms. “I'm so very sorry. The thought of hurting a woman makes me sick.”
My head was filled with a maelstrom of emotions and confusion. I wasn't supposed to like being slapped. I shouldn't be feeling these things for Alec, things you'd feel for your lover, not for the man sent to take your life.
“Ceci?”
I leaned into him, my wet hair soaking through his shirt. He did not complain, just stroked my back as if to soothe me.
“I'm fine, I think. It's just that, well... Recording that video showed me how real all of this is. How dangerous and violent you can be.”
He hugged me tighter. “Only when I have to be. And never with you, okay? Promise.”
We sat together on the bed. I could tell from the hazy look in his eyes that I wasn't the only one changed by what had happened.
“So you're not going to kill me, then? Because let's be honest: my dad's not going to get Leo that money.”
“You don't know that. There are ways.”
“Unless his plan is to rob a few banks, I don't know what else he can do.” I rested my head on his shoulder, unsure why. “I'm scared, Alec.”
“Don't be. I won't let anything happen to you.”
“Why?”
“If you got hurt, I'd never forgive myself.”
He gently pushed tendrils of wet hair out of my face. When his hand brushed the cheek he'd slapped, I shivered.
Alec made me feel things I hadn't in years. I'd been drifting through life on autopilot, my mind laser-focused on nothing but school and my career. I had been so busy, I never noticed the world passing by.
Maybe he was a mobster, but I had to have him.
“Ceci, I...” He inhaled deeply. “There's something I gotta say. Maybe this isn't the right time for it, but –”
I flung myself into his lap and kissed him eagerly, hungrily, finally sating my desperate need to feel him and taste him again. He reacted with surprise at first, then threw his arms around me and pulled me down on the bed with him.
He was delicious in every sense of the word. The sweetness of his lips, the masculine smell of sweat mingling with his cologne...
I'd denied myself this, told myself it was wrong, that good girls didn't sleep with people like him.
Guess I wasn't as good a girl as I thought.
“Are you sure?” he asked, pulling at his shirt. “After what just happened, it seems wrong.”
“Fuck me, Alec.”
His face lit with excitement. “If you insist.”
With an animal growl, he pounced on me and tore off my clothes. Within seconds I was naked and completely vulnerable.
His hands were all over me, caressing me in places no man had touched in years. His mouth roved my body, first stopping to nibble my neck, then moving to explore lower, where he circled each nipple with a teasing lick.
“You're the most beautiful woman I've ever undressed,” he murmured, his kisses moving to my soft belly. “I'm gonna take my time with you.”
His fingers filled me, and I gasped with relief. I'd needed this so, so badly.
He was a big man, but I made room for him between my thighs. Oh God, was he really going to –
Mmm, yes! I'd forgotten how damn good this could feel. The heat of his mouth on my slit brought me close to the edge almost instantly. He tasted me, first spreading my lips and then teasingly circling my slit with the tip of his tongue.
I held onto his shoulders and breathed deep. Coming would have been so easy, but not yet. This was the sort of pleasure I'd craved for years, and I was going to savor it for as long as I could.
My self-control didn't last long. He did that thing with his fingers, curling them and massaging my walls until that blissful warmth took me over and I had no choice but to let go.
“Remember in the club?” He smiled and closed his eyes. “The look on your face when I fingered you under your skirt, right there in front of everyone...”
“Can't believe you'd do that.”
“But you loved it.”
It was very clear: Alec was a man who took what he wanted, whenever he liked. Right now, all I wanted him to take was me.
I'd fantasized long enough what was under those clothes. I rolled him over, gazing at his chest as I undid his belt.
Scars and other marks canvased his flesh, evidence of fights he'd been in long ago. There was the dark red spot where I'd sewn him up.
“Each of those has a story behind it,” he told me, hurrying to unzip his jeans. “And maybe I'll tell you one day.”
I had guessed he was a big man, and when his pants fell off I saw just how right I was. Holy crap, could he be eight inches, maybe nine? That thing was going to tear me apart!
Oh, I couldn't wait for it.
“Are you nervous? You look scared.”
“No, it's just... It's been so long.”
Actually, I kind of was nervous. I kept swearing I'd never trust him, that I would never give this dangerous man my body. Right now, if he wanted to hurt me, he could have.
It was a chance I'd be willing to take.
“What do we do about... uh, protection,” he asked while nipping at my ear.
I really hoped that IUD I'd gotten six years ago was still working.
“I'm covered on that front,” I told him. “You may not believe me, but...”
“Good,” he said with a throaty growl. “Because I wanna feel all of you.”
His cock teased my entrance. It wasn't fair. How could I possibly resist him anymore?
I grabbed his tight ass and forced him inside me. The pain of being filled up with something so huge got my heart racing. Finally. Oh, I needed this so freaking bad.
Alec couldn't even speak. He stammered bits and pieces of words at first, then gave up and plunged deep into me with a moan.
Maybe it was the pleasure he offered, or the way he held me, curled up in his arms as if to never let me go – but I didn't feel so scared of him anymore.
He made me feel safe. Protected. He wouldn't let any harm come to me, he'd said. And I knew he meant it.
“Turn over,” he growled in my ear. “I've been lusting after that gorgeous ass of yours.”
He thrust into me from behind and gave my backside a solid spanking. I groaned, surprised how much I liked to be the subject of his punishment.
“I think you enjoy it when I rough you up a little.”
I didn't protest as he tugged on my long, messy hair. The pain excited me, made every nerve in my body come alive.
His weight pinned me to the bed beneath him, and his big hands clamped down hard on my tiny wrists. Now I couldn't escape if I wanted to.
Somehow, knowing that was a serious turn-on.
“You're mine, Ceci. You know that? All mine.”
“I'm...” So close now. “Yours.”
His thick cock brought me to orgasm so quickly, so fast and hard, that I couldn't understand it. It was like he knew every inch of my body, as if he read my mind.
He was next, filling me with so much of his come that I felt it warming me inside. There was no going back now, but that was okay. It felt right.
After, with the veil of our lust lifted, we lay together in the quiet. Suddenly, inexplicably, I felt sad.
Of all the men in Summerset, why him? Why did he have to be so good for me and yet so terrible at the same time?
It would have been easy to say this was just about sex – if the sex hadn't been so freaking amazing.
I glanced at Alec. He was staring up at the ceiling, hardly blinking. Figuring what might be on his mind was pretty much an exercise in futility.
“That was something,” he muttered finally, but he seemed... uncomfortable?
“Yeah. It sure was.”
The phone rang in his pants pocket. I was admittedly a bit upset when he reached for it instead of me.
“Yeah?” He bolted up. “Shit. I'll be right down.”
Then he hung up and hurried to throw on his clothes. He looked me over as he slid into his shirt.
“Gotta head out. You're not going to try anything when I'm gone, are you? I'd rather not have to tie you up again after...”
“I'll be good,” I lied, but he seemed to buy it. “Is something wrong?”
“Something's always wrong. Damn guys can't keep their mouths shut, that's what.”
He bolted upstairs and left before I could even get dressed myself. Several locks clicked into place, followed by the roar of his car speeding down the hill.
I put my clothes on and raced upstairs. Now that I was finally alone, I had a chance of escape.
But of course, the front door was solidly locked from the outside. Next, I checked the windows. Each one had metal rods welded across it. No way could I squeeze through.
Slowly, it dawned on me that Alec hadn't been lying. Barring a miracle, escaping from this place was next to impossible.
I was trapped.
Chapter 10 - Alec
“Well, boys, I hate to say it. Looks like we got a traitor among us.”
Dad's office fell silent. The meaning of his words was quite obvious.
“You serious?” Sam jumped out of his seat. “Who is it? I'll break his face with a baseball bat. See how much talking he does then.”
“Easy, buddy.” Jerry patted his back. “Leave the beatings to Alec. Lord knows he's better at it than anyone.”
Dad's icy stare crossed the room. He'd asked over a dozen of us to the meeting: the family's closest friends and his most trusted men. He and I were probably wondering the same thing.
Could this traitor be in the room with us right now?
Man, I really didn't want to think about this. Much rather be snuggling up with Ceci for round two. I shouldn't be thinking about her that way – she was my prisoner, and it wasn't gonna end well – but how could I help it?
“What happened, dad? This is the first I've heard anything about it.”
“Same as I.” He lit a cigar and puffed until big clouds of smoke wafted out the window. “Now, I ain't got nothing concrete to go on. Only thing is, the Giseppi family's been talking. I hear them whispering about a man – a very specific man who happens to owe the Ciarellos a tidy sum of money.”
“Roger,” I muttered, and dad nodded.
“They could have heard about that moron anywhere,” Lucas said, donut crumbs falling to the carpet in a pile beneath his seat. “The guy's been moving in lots of shady circles lately. And you know the Giseppis own the racetrack.”
“That's why I gave Mr. Trenton as much money as I did,” dad said. “The very thought of bleeding Tommy Giseppi dry on a race was too good to resist. I'
m getting tired of them stealing away our best customers, besides. They got cheaper drugs, sluttier girls... Disgusting.”
“Now I get it.” I marched up to his desk. “If Roger won, you'd get your money back plus hit Tommy where it hurts. But if he lost, you'd simply make him pay it back anyway.”
“Of course, son. You have to be crafty if you wanna survive in this business. Remember that when you're sitting in my chair one day.”
“Can we get back on topic?” Jerry scowled. “Where do you get the idea a traitor's involved?”
“Shut your damn mouths and maybe I would get to that part.” Dad fixed us all with a glare. “These Giseppi boys seem to know things they couldn't otherwise. They know to the penny how much Roger owes us. They know about the fixed horse race. And perhaps most worrisome, they're aware Alec has his daughter.”
My head pounded. Oh, not good. Them knowing about Ceci put her in harm's way. If those fuckers harmed a hair on her beautiful head, I would skin them all alive, I swore it!
“Hmm. Them knowing about the debt could be explained,” Sam murmured. “But if they realize Alec has his girl, that's not good. They could find some way to use it against us.”
“They can find ways to use all of it against us.” Dad bore his teeth like a vicious pit bull. “Now maybe it's already too late, but I wanna figure out who's talking before he spills all our secrets to these bastards.”
I raised my hand, already knowing the answer – but I had to hear him say it, because it was just too hard to believe.
“Yeah, son?”
“Who do you think it could be? Any leads?”
“Not at the moment, but given what they know and which of our guys knows it...” He shook his head.
“You're saying it's one of us?” Jerry cried.
“No way; we're family!”
I'd trusted in these guys for years. Known most of them since I was a kid. To think one would betray us, it was hardly conceivable.
“Just keep your eyes and ears open. The minute any one of you hears something suspicious, come to me.”
We all eyed each other warily. If one of us was the guy, would we have the balls to turn him in? Because there was only one good way you dealt with traitors.