“What’s the matter?” Aaron leaned forward and whispered into my ear as he caressed my hair. “I’ll start to think you’ve been living in some protective bubble your whole life.”
“I’m sorry I’m not as thrilled about death as you are.” I glanced at him over my shoulder, expecting to see him carried away by the moment as the rest of the crowd, but he was just his usual icy self. I had a feeling he wasn’t fond of this either. But why hadn’t he just left this life and started over somewhere far away from his father? Or maybe he liked some aspects of it and that was why he wanted to take over, so he’d be able to do whatever he pleased and not what his father wanted. “Although, I’ll admit, if you and Marco were fighting in that ring instead, maybe I’d be more interested. No one would have to die, though.” I grinned, and his eyes widened slightly before he glanced toward Marco who had come with us and was standing behind us.
As I looked around the room, my gaze fell on a man who welcomed Roberto as he walked through the door. I recognized that face from the photos of one of my father’s meetings. Shit. My father had been hanging out with a traitorous bastard without even knowing it. Sure, the guy wasn’t in my father’s inner circle, but if my father knew Alfred was talking so sweetly to his worst enemy, he’d have shot him in the face.
“Recognize the host?” Aaron asked.
“Why do you think that?” I was glad the crowd was scattered throughout the arena or someone would’ve overheard us by now despite the cheers and the loud music in between the fights.
“You looked like you wanted to choke him to death.”
“Maybe I was just looking at your father.”
“No, you weren’t.” A smile tilted his lips. “You’ll be very happy to hear about what you have to do for me now.”
I turned around and gave him a pained look. “What did your sick mind come up with now?”
“Go to that man and tell him your master wants to speak with him. While he’s occupied, grab his phone from the right pocket of his jacket and don’t resist if he wants to touch you. Just make sure he doesn’t see you because if he does...” He whistled. “...even I won’t be able to save you from his wrath.”
“Fucking wonderful,” I mumbled. “Why don’t you do it yourself?”
“I would, but... he prefers hot girls like you.” He winked at me. That son of a bitch was enjoying this way too much, but he wouldn’t be this cheery if he actually thought he couldn’t save me from Alfred if things went wrong, right? I let out a flustered breath and rose to my feet. All eyes were on me as I approached Alfred, who almost salivated as he took me in. I offered him my sweetest smile as I lowered my eyes.
“My... master would like to speak with you, sir,” I said, the words feeling like acid on my tongue.
“My, my, aren’t you a wonderful little creature? How could I ever refuse?” Alfred put his glass on the bar and I wished I could pick it up and smash it on his head. I turned on my heel before he could reach me and he followed me. Aaron’s lips spread into such a fake wide smile when we stopped in front of him that I almost laughed out loud.
“You have a gorgeous pet,” Alfred said, and this time, he placed his hand low on my back and trailed it down, smacking me on the ass. I closed my eyes for a moment as he leaned closer, the stench of alcohol nearly choking me, and lifted a lock of my hair.
“Thanks. And this... This place is heaven,” Aaron said. “I have no words.”
“Ah, I’m glad you like it. What do you think...?” I completely tuned out Alfred’s voice and didn’t react when he fondled my breast. His side was already brushing mine, so after a few glances to make sure no one was watching me, I slipped my hand into the pocket of his suit jacket. I had no idea how Aaron had known the phone would be there, but it was, and my fingers closed around it as I pulled it out and pressed it tightly against my body.
“Enjoy the rest of the show and this beautiful piece of ass.” Alfred pinched me before he trotted away, and I still held the phone tightly against my thigh, unsure how I was supposed to give it to Aaron without someone seeing it. But Aaron snapped his fingers at Marco, who came toward me, pretending to speak to Aaron, and simply slipped the phone from my grasp and into his pocket.
“Come here.” Aaron gestured to me and nodded at Marco, who scurried away.
“What was that all about?” I asked as I was about to take a seat, but Aaron snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me toward him so I ended up sitting on his lap.
“Shh,” he said. “Pretend we’re enjoying ourselves.”
He slid the strap of my dress down my shoulder as he leaned forward and pressed his hot mouth against my collarbone. I threw my head back, a gasp escaping my throat as Aaron’s hand caressed my thigh. The temperature in the room was rising, or maybe it was just the heat of Aaron’s kisses along my neck and shoulder. My fingers entangled in his hair and I drew him toward me, intending to fake a kiss, but instead of pulling away, my lips crashed against his. He didn’t move for a moment, as if time had stopped, but then he was kissing me back, his tongue parting my lips.
“We need to get up,” he said breathlessly when we separated. His eyes were a swirling blue and I no longer had any idea if we’d been acting or not. I got up onto my unsteady legs, and Aaron loosened his tie and tugged at his shirt, popping a few buttons. I felt various gazes on us, and wondered if we’d become more interesting than the fight. Aaron kissed me again, his hands roaming up and down my body, then settling on my ass.
“Let’s go,” he whispered into my ear, and licked my earlobe, sending a shiver down my spine. God, I didn’t want him to stop kissing me. My hands fisted into his shirt, but before I could pull him to me, he wrapped his arm around me and we stumbled toward the exit where Marco was waiting. Once we were outside, Aaron let go of my waist and grabbed my hand instead.
“Run!” he yelled, and we sprinted toward the car. My pulse was racing in excitement and I didn’t even know why. I opened my mouth to ask what the hell was going on, but not so far in the distance, I could hear the sirens of police cars. How had he known...? We jumped into the car, and as Marco stepped on the gas and we raced out of there, he and Aaron were grinning like kids on Christmas day. This had been their plan all along.
Chapter 11
Aaron and I were sitting on the bed in his room and eating burgers and fries that he had picked up on our way home. I wanted to talk to him about what had happened, but he chose to ignore me and watch some boring show on the TV. Just as I swallowed the last fry from my plastic plate, the door shook with the force of someone banging on it. Aaron’s shoulders stiffened as he quickly took in the mess we’d made on the bed.
“Get on the floor. Keep your head down and don’t say anything,” he said, quickly collecting the plates and wrappers, and stuffing them into the trash can. The banging on the door became louder. I knelt down on the floor, my hands in my lap, my head slightly bowed so I could still see Aaron as he went to open the door.
“What...?” he started to say, but his words were cut off when his father stormed into the room like a fury. Roberto shoved his son against the wall, his face red, his nostrils flaring.
“Did you have something to do with what happened tonight? Answer me!” Roberto wrapped his hand around Aaron’s throat, keeping him in place. Aaron’s face was completely emotionless as his whole body went still.
“Let go of me, Father,” Aaron hissed. “Now! Or I won’t be responsible for my actions.”
Roberto pulled back, his jaw tight. “You left just before the cops came. Are you saying that’s just a coincidence?”
Aaron pushed himself off the wall as Roberto paced up and down the room. “The cops came?”
“Yes!” Roberto snapped. “Just after you left with your pet and your guard, the cops stormed in, and they weren’t even the friendly ones. I barely got out of there! But Alfred was arrested and his slaves freed! Can you believe that? I’ve already taken the necessary steps to ensure he doesn’t get chatty, but if there’s
a traitor in our midst...”
“And your first thought was to come in here and blame me?” Aaron let out a quick, disgusted snort. “Unbelievable. You know Alfred was dealing with a lot of people, including the Ferraras. He couldn’t be trusted, but for some reason you decided to confide in him.”
“He was my friend and loyal to me. I sent him to spy on the Ferraras.”
“Then they might have figured it out, especially with all the rumors out there. We should be more careful.”
His father nodded. “They won’t get what they want. We’ll obliterate them from this world.” A smile twisted his lips, and I ground my teeth together. Roberto headed for the door, his eyes barely flitting over me, but he wasn’t paying too much attention and didn’t seem to mind I’d witnessed his outburst. I was sure he didn’t consider me a threat at all.
After his father was gone, Aaron closed his eyes for a moment, a shudder running through his body. There were still red marks around his neck. It looked like he was about to sag down to the floor, but then he opened his eyes and met my gaze, and the emotionless mask slipped back onto his face. I sat on the bed as he settled on the other side, his eyes fixed on the TV.
“Are you okay?” I asked, and his eyes flew to me, startled.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” he said, his tone indifferent.
“Your father is...”
“Don’t talk about him.” He raised his hand to shush me.
“Okay, then let’s talk about how you got a bunch of men freed.” I flashed him a smile.
“Alfred was getting too full of himself and he needed to be dealt with. Besides, he was too close to my father, and if I want to take over, I have to get rid of my father’s trusted associates. Got it? Why do you think I need you to steal my father’s files if not to get the info about the partners he doesn’t want to tell me about?”
“Of course, you did it for your own gain, but I still like how the thing went down.” Maybe he was telling the truth, but judging by his father’s reaction, Aaron wasn’t completely on board with what was going on and his father knew it. Besides, Alfred hadn’t even been in the drug business. A bunch of other illegal stuff, yeah, but he could’ve been more useful to Aaron rather than a threat. The guy also changed loyalties very easily, so I was sure Aaron could’ve used him for something and then gotten rid of him. Or maybe I was trying to turn the beast into a human because then it was easier to accept that the kiss we’d shared wasn’t repulsive in the least, and the way he’d looked at me...
“You seem awfully concerned about slaves and people getting hurt. Why didn’t you stop your family then? I’m sure plenty of people die because of them, directly or indirectly.” His eyes searched mine.
“Why didn’t you stop your father already?” I was never overly fond of my family’s business, but at least I knew my family didn’t force anyone to do anything, not even to buy our product, and they didn’t kill anyone who didn’t deserve it or didn’t attack first. I didn’t think we were entirely the good guys, either, but I loved my family to bits, and they weren’t anything like the Viteris. I grew up oblivious to all the drug drama until I started asking a lot of questions about why I had to be hidden and couldn’t go out with my brothers in the open, so maybe I had a strange point of view about the whole thing because of that. I was sure that to an outsider, we were all villains, responsible for deaths, poverty, and ruining people’s lives.
The corners of his mouth lifted up, and a hint of sadness filled his eyes. “Your father loves you. He might leave the business if you ask him to... or give him an ultimatum.”
I blinked. “Why? So your family can take over and enslave the whole city? I don’t think so. How do you even know any of this? How did you find out about me anyway?”
He was quiet for a moment and I didn’t think he’d respond. “I heard rumors that Vincenzo Ferrara had a daughter, but no one knew anything about her. I studied your father and I knew he’d keep you close because he’s very ferocious when it comes to his family. Marco and I concluded he’d be keeping you somewhere he can visit, but since all the places he’d been to didn’t give us any clues, we figured you could be the one visiting him. So we went to inspect the neighborhood, and narrowed it down to a few houses where girls around your age lived. A few times around the block with a body heat detector, and we noticed you disappeared from your house for hours. We figured out how you were able to get to your father’s mansion. It took a lot of digging to find your real name, but I got it.”
Well, shit. Who’d expect someone would be so damn persistent? It must have taken him months to figure that out. “So you were spying on me for months?” I grimaced, wondering why he hadn’t used that information against my family already, but I assumed he could be waiting for the right time.
He shrugged. “I wouldn’t exactly call it spying because we only saw you once, but we followed your body heat. And we couldn’t come too often or my father would realize we were up to something. Don’t tell me your family didn’t watch my every move.”
I made a face and stuck my tongue out at him. “You’re Viteri’s only son. Of course they were watching your every move.”
“What did they show you?” he asked, curiosity sparkling in his eyes.
“Not much. Just that you’re a killer who doesn’t know how to have fun.”
“I’d say my feelings are hurt, but that’s the truth, so...”
“Is it?” I arched an eyebrow at him. “You know, if you really wanted to take over your father’s business and stop some of his practices like having slaves and killing people for fun, my family, including me, would probably help you with that. Just saying. Enemy of my enemy and all that crap.”
He laughed. “Yeah, right. The Viteris and Ferraras will never trust each other. We’ve been each other’s competition for decades. That’s not just going to go away once my father’s out of the picture.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Some healthy competition is good for business.”
“Your father will want my head just for kidnapping you.”
I opened my mouth to say that my father would at least hear him out before declaring war, but I wasn’t so sure. Aaron had kidnapped me and forced me to pretend to be his slave. My family had to be mad with worry by now. If he knew Aaron was responsible, my father would kill him without a second thought. A part of me could understand it too because I wanted anyone who laid a finger on my cousin dead. “Yeah, probably,” I admitted.
Aaron focused on his hands in his lap and intertwined his fingers. “Just do what I need you to and I’ll let you go. I promise. And what happens after that... I can’t make any promises about that.”
“I know,” I said quietly, and this time I believed he was telling me the truth.
Chapter 12
I was lying in bed and staring at the ceiling. Sighing, I wondered how long Aaron would be gone. Whatever business he had to do, he didn’t need me around, so I was stuck in here being bored out of my mind. There wasn’t anything even remotely interesting on the TV and I didn’t feel like reading any of Aaron’s books. I grabbed the pillows, including Aaron’s, and settled them so I could rest my back against them and still see the door. The pillow smelled faintly of Aaron’s cologne, which was a surprise because he’d barely been here. I had no idea if he was afraid I’d choke him in his sleep or what, but he was spending most of the nights away and never slept in here.
He had a lot of residencies, including that damn apartment where he’d caught me, so he could sleep anywhere he wanted, but sometimes I wondered what would happen if my family came after him to figure out my whereabouts. Pushing the dark thoughts away before I drove myself mad with worry, I closed my eyes and pictured Aaron as he knelt in front of me to buckle my shoes. That look in his eyes... I bit down on my lip, hard.
There was something incredibly thrilling about picturing him on his knees in front of me, ready to serve me, and him as my enemy... any kind of intimacy with him was supposed to be forbidden, which made it all the
more interesting. Desire spread through my body like fire, and I let my hand roam down my body as I imagined him placing the softest of kisses on my ankle.
I buried my fingers into his hair, forcing him up my body and guiding his mouth toward my core. Those blue eyes gave me a wicked look before his tongue traced my inner thigh and finally slid inside me. I lifted my hips off the bed, my fingers imitating what I wanted Aaron to do, and just as a moan escaped my throat, the door swung open with a whoosh. My eyes flew open, and Aaron was frozen as he stared at me from across the room, his gaze flitting around the room as if he wasn’t sure if he should just walk out and pretend he hadn’t seen anything or say something.
I tilted my head at him, my hand still in my panties. “Want to help a girl in need?” I teased, amused by the confused expression on his face. He locked the door, strode toward me with a speed I didn’t expect, and climbed on the bed on all fours. I instinctively closed my legs together. I supposed I’d expected him to be shocked or to refuse, but that hungry look in his eyes as he inched toward me...
“What? Did you change your mind?” He grinned.
“Nope.” I spread my legs wide open, my skin tingling. He ran his hands slowly up and down my legs, as if he was trying to get familiar with every curve. His eyes remained on mine as he pressed his lips to my knee and slowly made his way up. His fingers circled the waistband of my panties.
“Can I take these off?” he asked, and I nodded, unable to form words. A muffled, incoherent sound came from me as he gently pulled my panties down my legs, the fabric teasingly grazing my skin in all the right places. A shudder shook my body as his tongue traced a path across my slit. I pushed my legs wider apart, wanting him inside me, but he only flicked his tongue, not quite entering. He caressed the inside of my thigh, rubbing his nose across my entrance. I couldn’t take more of his teasing, so I entangled my fingers into his hair and tugged, hard.
Hers to Take Page 7