Buttons & Hate

by Penelope Sky

  “The police didn’t seem too suspicious. But we’ll have to lay low for a while. Stay in the house until it blows over.”

  “If someone I loved was looking for me I’d have to hand myself over. I couldn’t let them keep worrying about me. But I know no one is looking for me. It was either Cane or something else.” The sadness in her voice echoed off the walls and masked the crackling flames in the fire. The loneliness and despair was enough to affect everything around her.

  Including me. “You always have me, Button. If something were to happen to you I would never stop looking for you until I found you.” Maybe she didn’t have anyone else but she had me. I didn’t have anyone either. But now I had her.

  “I know, Crow.”

  I wrapped my arm around her waist and held her close to me. “You’re never alone. I’m never alone. Because we have each other.” I pressed my lips to her forehead and let them linger, feeling her take a deep breath when she felt my touch. The affection comforted her but it also made me warm. I didn’t feel like such a monster when I was with her. I didn’t feel like a thief and a criminal. It was the first time I felt like a man.

  Just a man.

  ***

  I snuck into Cane’s house just as he snuck into mine. I climbed through a window and entered the living room. He was screwing a whore on the couch, her ass in the air while she gripped the back of the couch. “Sorry. Am I interrupting?”

  Cane stopped what he was doing and gave me a glare. “Uh, do you mind?”

  “Nope. You broke into my house and I’m gonna do the same to you.” I fell onto the opposite couch and rested my feet on the table. “You’re just lucky I’m not gonna knock her around.”

  “Like I would give a damn.” He pulled out of her and dressed himself. Then he opened his wallet and tossed the cash at her. “Get out.”

  She pulled on her dress and took the money without asking a single question. She left through the front door, grateful for getting paid even though she didn’t finish the job.

  “What the fuck?” Cane tensed with his arms by his sides, giving me a look that was beyond hateful.

  “You broke into my house and hurt my slave. I no longer have any respect for you. I will walk into your house like I own the damn place whenever I feel like it.”

  “Would you let it go already?”

  “Never.” The only retribution I would have is doing the same thing to him—whenever he found someone he actually cared about.

  He abandoned the fight and poured himself a scotch. “What is it? What do you want?”

  “I didn’t appreciate the little stunt you pulled.” It was easier to get him to talk if I acted like I already knew what happened. When he was cornered he usually caved.

  “What stunt?”

  “Don’t play stupid, Cane. I know you contacted the police about Pearl.”

  “The police?” He was about to take a drink but stopped himself. “Why the hell would I call the police?”

  “You tell me. Why would they have showed up at my house last night looking for her?”

  He set the glass down. “Whoa, hold on. The police came looking for her last night?”

  “That’s what I just said, idiot.”

  He pressed his hand into his chest, feigning innocence. “I had nothing to do with that.”

  “Cut the shit, man.”

  “What makes you think it was me?”

  “No one else knows Pearl even exists.”

  “Uh, Bones?” he snapped. “You know, our mortal enemy.”

  “He doesn’t know where I live. And even if he did, he wouldn’t get the police involved. He would ambush the property and kill everyone.”

  “You’re right. But it still wasn’t me. What would I get out of that?”

  “Payback for me beating your ass.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I let you fuck me up. That was to even the score. As far as I’m concerned you and I are square. So no, I wouldn’t have done that. We need Pearl to get what we want. What would getting rid of her accomplish?”

  Pissing me off.

  Cane watched me with heated eyes. He was a firecracker about to explode. “You still don’t believe me?”

  It was hard to trust anything he said. After he went behind my back and hurt Button I could never look at him the same way. He used to be my brother, my accomplice. But now I couldn’t tell whether he was a friend or foe. That trust was gone.

  “Wow. You don’t believe me.” He sat back in the chair, his shoulders tense. “Look, if I did something I would own up to it. When have I ever lied to you? Yeah, I broke into your house and beat your girlfriend. I never hid my hatred for that woman. I never lied about what I wanted to do to her. So stop calling me a liar when I didn’t do anything to deserve the title.” He put his feet on the table, resting near his glass.

  “I don’t know what to believe, Cane. If it wasn’t you I have no idea who it could be.”

  “Maybe one of her family members. Maybe one of her friends. Did you think of that?”

  “She doesn’t have any.”

  “Well, it wasn’t me. I swear it.”

  Cane had never lied to me in the past. When he had beef with me he always said it to my face. He never snuck around behind my back and hid his distaste. He was honest—even when I didn’t want to hear it.

  “Pull your head out of your ass and start thinking clearly.”

  “I’ll pull mine out when you pull yours.” Cane was emotional and angry. Words and actions bothered him more than they bothered me.

  “You believe me now?”

  “I believe you more than I did before.”

  He sighed and snatched his drink off the table. “Whatever, man. Instead of interrogating me we should put our heads together and find a solution.”

  “A solution to what?”

  “Who’s looking for her?”

  “How would we figure that out?” I already asked and didn’t get an answer.

  “We know people on the force. We could ask around.”

  “Might draw more attention to ourselves.” To me, specifically.

  “A bribe would keep them private.”

  “I suppose.”

  “I’ll see what I can dig up.”

  His enthusiasm increased my suspicion.

  Cane caught onto my thoughts even though I didn’t voice my paranoia. “The sooner I clear my name, the sooner we get to move on.”

  I poured myself a glass of scotch and eyed the black TV. The room still smelled like sex but I ignored her. My bedroom started to smell that way since Button and I were always at it.

  “So, have you married her yet?”

  I ignored the jab.

  “Seriously, what is it with her? Maybe if I fucked her I’d understand. Both you and Bones seemed to have fallen under her spell.”

  I didn’t like picturing her with anyone, but especially with him. “Don’t say that shit ever again.”

  “What?”

  “You know what.” I downed the liquid and felt the fire in my belly.

  “Crow, I’m being serious right now.”

  “You’re always being serious.” The guy couldn’t take a joke if his life depended on it.

  “What is this thing you have with her? When I was over there last month I saw you together. She’s not there against her will. She wants to be there. She’s just as obsessed with you are you with her.”

  “Because I make my women come.”

  Cane didn’t absorb the jab. “Don’t ignore the question. Talk to me.”

  “Why do you care?”

  “Because if you’re in love with her then I really am a dick. I shouldn’t have hurt her. I never would have broken into your house and beat her bloody if there was something more between you. Come on, I would never do that to a woman you love.”

  “I don’t love her.” Love wasn’t possible for me. Every time I felt something for someone they ended up dead. Cane was the only person I had left, and I suspected he would disappear like al
l the others. It was only a matter of time. That was the last blow I could handle. There was no room in my heart to accept someone else.

  “Are you sure about that? Because I can tell you haven’t been fucking anyone else in six months.”

  “What I do with my cock is none of your business.”

  “Jasmine told me you turned her down.”

  Why the hell was he talking to her? “How did that come up?”

  “I came by the winery to talk to you but she said you took Pearl on a tour. And then she told me the whole story.”

  That woman needed to get over it. “When she left I forgot about her. Any man would.”

  “But no man would turn down an easy lay—with a woman who likes the whip.”

  “Button satisfies me. That’s all.”

  He shook his head, his lips pressed tightly together. “I don’t believe that. There’s something more. There has to be. I’ve never seen you with the same woman for more than a few months. And you’ve never invited one to live with you every second of the day.”

  I was sick of being analyzed like a patient. “What does it matter? Just drop it, Cane.”

  “It does matter.”

  “Shut. Up.”

  “If you’re in love with her I’ll look her in the eye and apologize—and mean it. I just wish you told me sooner.”

  “Cane.” I held up my hand, needing him to shut his mouth right this second. “I don’t do that pussy shit, alright? I’m not capable of love or romance. I’m alone and I will die alone. You and I are exactly the same in that regard. There’s no room for a wife or kids.”

  “Well, she obviously doesn’t agree with you.”

  I lowered my hand, my gaze blackening.

  “I can tell just by looking at her.”

  “You can tell what?”

  “Crow, she’s in love with you. She’s picturing you as her husband. She’s picturing giving birth to your babies. It’s obvious.”

  “You’re wrong about that.” She even told me she never wanted to get married or have children. She didn’t trust anyone and never would. Cane was wrong more than he realized.

  “I’ve survived this long because I know how to read people. You tell me one thing, but everything else you do contradicts it.”

  “I’ve had enough of this conversation.” The smell of sex was giving me a headache and it was getting late. I left the couch and abandoned my glass on the counter. “Think what you want. I really don’t give a damn.”

  “I can prove I’m right.”

  I stopped in my tracks and turned around. His lingering words wormed into my brain and ignited my curiosity.

  He interlocked his fingers together behind his head with a victorious smile on his face. “When the police came, did she leave with them?”

  I narrowed my eyes.

  “Her ticket to freedom was right outside her door. But she didn’t go. She stayed, Crow. Why would a woman who’s been away from home for nine months stay? Why would a woman stay with a man who held her against her will? There’s only one answer—and we both know it.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Pearl

  “Stay.” I pushed him on the bed and straddled his hips. He wore his crisp suit and tie but I didn’t care about wrinkling it. My knees rested on either side of his hips, and I felt his hard cock form in his trousers.

  His hands moved to my thighs while his gaze darkened. He just shaved that morning and his face was absent of any hair. The fine lines of his jaw were more prominent, and he looked even more handsome. “Button, I have work.”

  “Then take me with you.” I pressed my hands into his chest, feeling the hard muscle underneath his collared shirt.

  “You know I can’t. You need you to stay out of sight.” He propped himself up on his elbows, his cock still defined in his slacks.

  “Then work from home.” He would be gone for eight hours. Eight hours was too long for us to be apart. I wanted his cock inside me around the clock. I wanted to have lunch with him in the dining room. My life would stop the moment he walked out of that door.

  “I can’t do that either.”

  I pouted my lips and grinded against his cock slowly.

  He moaned quietly, his eyes becoming hooded. “All that’s going to happen is, I’m going to fuck you—and then leave.”

  “It’s better than not being fucked at all.” I unzipped his trousers so his long cock could pop out.

  He released another moan before he pulled my thong aside and inserted himself within me in one swift move. My pussy was wet for him like always, and when he understood just how aroused I was it gave him even more pleasure. He loved making me wet. And he loved getting wet himself. “Fuck.”

  I gripped his shoulders as an anchor and arched my back, slowly riding his cock over and over. I intended to make this last as long as possible. If he were late enough, perhaps he wouldn’t go to work at all. “I love your cock...so big.”

  He dug his fingers into my thighs, clenching his jaw tightly. “I know what you’re doing.”

  “Oh really?” I said with a sexy voice.

  “You’re trying to keep me here.”

  “So?” I rode his cock harder, pushing his head through my tight entrance over and over.

  He thrust his hips up, moving with me. “And it’s working.”

  ***

  My plan only partially worked. He left for work an hour later than he normally did. And that meant he would probably be home an hour later than usual.

  Maybe I sabotaged myself.

  I read in bed while I waited for him to come home. I tried not to think about him because the longing consumed me. The mansion was bigger and emptier without his darkness filling every corner.

  Lars knocked on the door. He wasn’t bringing my lunch tray because I finished eating over an hour ago.

  I got out of bed and answered the door. “Hey, Lars. Did you need something?”

  “Mr. Barsetti here to see you.”

  “Crow?” Both of my eyebrows rose. If he wanted to see me he would just walk into the bedroom.

  “Cane, actually.” He grabbed my tray from the floor beside the door. “He’s waiting in the entryway.” There wasn’t fear in his eyes after the way Cane hurt both of us. He was calm as ever.

  And that was strange. “What does he want?”

  “A conversation,” he said. “He didn’t give me the specifics.”

  I wasn’t one to run and hide, but I wasn’t one to be stupid either. “I’ll be right there.” I shut the door and opened Crow’s nightstand drawer. Inside was a loaded pistol. I snatched it and turned off the safety before I walked out.

  I was prepared this time.

  If he made any move, I’d shoot him in the head. Crow wouldn’t hold a grudge. If he were here he’d do it himself.

  I walked down the flights of stairs until I reached the entryway to the mansion. Cane stood there in a suit and tie, looking like an upstanding citizen despite his less than honorable work ethic.

  He eyed the gun in my hand, and a smile stretched his lips. “I guess I’m not surprised.”

  “You shouldn’t be.” I closed the distance between us, holding the gun at my side with my finger over the trigger. I didn’t aim it just yet. But I was prepared for the slightest move.

  “I come in peace.” He raised both hands in the form of surrender.

  “Like I believe what a snake tells me as he slithers through the garden.”

  He chuckled. “I’m not the snake—not this time.” He put his hands in his pockets and came closer to me. “I was hoping we would talk. Five minutes of your time is all I need.”

  “You’ll get none of my time. I’ll deal with you when Crow is around. But if he’s not here, I don’t want to see you.”

  “You have a gun.” He nodded to the pistol. “That’s all the security you need.”

  “You’re a criminal. You probably have a gun and a knife hidden somewhere.”

  He shrugged. “Okay...maybe I do. But I�
��m not going to use it.”

  “How reassuring...”

  “Come on, Pearl. If I were going to hurt you, I would have done it already.”

  That was the only part of his argument I couldn’t argue with. If he wanted to tear me apart he would have broken in and shot everyone. Perhaps his intentions were pure.

  “Can we sit?” He nodded toward the waiting area. There were two couches one either side of a glass table. It was a lobby for the mansion, where Crow’s guests waited comfortably to be seen.

  “Sure.” I sat on the couch across from him, resting my gun on my thigh. My finger was still on the trigger and the barrel was pointed right at his knee.

  He eyed it, uneasy. “Are you familiar with guns?”

  “I know how to shoot them.”

  “How about you point it somewhere else—for now?”

  I leaned back against the couch and shifted the gun so it was pointed to the wall. Italian frescoes marked the beige wall, showing different views of that estate against the green background of the vineyards and hills beyond. “Spill it.”

  “Busy?” A ghost of a smile stretched his lips.

  “Very.”

  “I don’t think waiting around for a man to come home is equivalent to busy.”

  I let the comment slide because he wasn’t worth my anger. “Any day now, Cane.”

  “Alright.” He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “I came here to apologize.”

  “For...?” For not killing me when he had the chance?

  “I’m sorry for what I did to you. I’m sorry I broke into the house and touched you. I’m sorry I hurt you.” He held my gaze and spoke with sincerity. “If I could go back in time I wouldn’t have done such a horrible thing. I just wanted you to know I was sorry.”

  My jaw dropped as I stared at him in shock. “You’re apologizing...to me?” He didn’t hide his disdain the last time he was over here. He practically snarled at me from across the table.

  “Yes.”

  “Where is this coming from?” Did Crow make him do this? I never talked about Cane when we were together. I didn’t even care to get an apology from him.

  “Crow and I talked last night and...I realized I made a mistake.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “There’s an unspoken code between us. All women are free for interception. We’ve even shared a few before. And that applies to brutality. There’s no one we’re particularly loyal to, so they’re fair game. Unless one of us is in love.”