Charlotte whimpered, her fingers closing in around his tightening balls and Ariano groaned loudly, knowing he was close to blowing. But then he realized the futility of imagining himself sinking deeply into Celina’s body. Goddamn it! Get that idea out of your head! You have a willing woman here to take your mind off of that vixen, so just enjoy it.
That thought made him even angrier than before. First, there was Celina who was determined to drive him insane with wanting her just so she could manipulate him into giving her as much freedom as she wanted. And then there was this conniving bitch who knew damn well that his place was off limits to her, but she had broken in anyways.
Abruptly, he pulled himself away, his shaft quivering in protest.
“Wait a second – “Charlotte started to say but Ariano had already pushed her back, once more flipping her onto her stomach. He reached blindly into the pocket of his pants to retrieve a condom. He used his hips to hold her in place as he rolled it down his aching shaft.
He spread her full cheeks apart, positioning himself against her.
“Oh yeah, baby,” she begged. “Fuck me.”
But when he placed the head of his cock at her entrance, he vacillated between the two options. He slowly started to push into her rear, deciding this was a punishment, after all. She stiffened immediately. “Wait, what are you – “ she began, as another couple of inches entered her backside.
“This is what happens to bad girls who break and enter, cara,” he growled into her ear. “Now, are you going to take your punishment?”
She moaned and pushed her ass back towards him, letting him in all the way. Her breathing picked up as he reached around her to start fondling her breasts, squeezing the nipples in rhythm to his thrusts as he filled her ass. The stimulation caused her body to start climbing toward climax again.
Charlotte’s cries filled his ears as Ariano gripped her shoulder, holding her in place as he penetrated her with full force until he could take no more.
He came then, the orgasm causing his jaw to clench as the release ripped through him.
He barely finished before he pulled out and walked into the bathroom. He returned a moment later, a pair of sweats pulled up over his lean hips.
“Get out,” Ariano snapped, “And if you know what’s good for you, you won’t return. Ever.”
Charlotte gaped at him in shock.
“What?” she demanded. “After that, you’re just gonna throw me out?”
“You’re lucky that’s all I’m doing,” he retorted.
“Baby, why are you – “
“Charlotte, don’t make me tell you again,” he snarled, reaching for his glass. “And don’t do anything like this again. To anyone. You could get hurt.”
********
Later the following week, he came home to his apartment, even more exhausted than he had been before. His plan was to blackout drink that night, his first one off since beginning his detail with Celina. If there was ever an occasion to do such a thing, this was it.
In spite of the raw, hardcore sex he had had with Charlotte what felt like ages ago, he felt strongly unsatisfied. And the reason why just pissed him off.
How could he be so hung up on this woman? What the hell was it about her? Sure, she was beautiful, but Ari had bedded dozens of beauties before. But Celina was smart too. And tough. She tried hard to hide her softer feelings and her frustration for the type of life she was forced to live because of her father’s occupation.
But he was starting to see through her mask. They even talked once in a while. And when she wasn’t trying to entice him into sleeping with her, they had meaningful conversations. Who would have ever thought?
Only five months and change to go, he reminded himself, plopping onto the cushions, his mind whirling. With one night off a week. Your body will get used to the hours. You’ve done worse shit for longer times.
He wondered what Giovanni would say if he asked for two days off and he grinned to himself at the thought.
He would say, “You’re too weak to be caporegime. I am promoting Alex.”
In fact, that night, Alex was on Celina’s protection detail and the idea filled Ari with uneasiness.
What if he finds a way to weasel his way into her detail permanently, instead of just covering for my night off? It’s no secret that the old man likes that little snake.
Earlier in the week, Ari had overheard the other soldier begging Giovanni to reconsider him for his daughter’s detail.
“I bet that Celina isn’t even comfortable with the outsider watching her every move,” Alex whined. “You should ask her who she wants on her detail!”
“I don’t run my business based on what my daughter wants, Alex,” Giovanni snapped back. “If I did, we would have been out of the running a long time ago.”
“Still, boss, you have to admit, no one knows anything about this stronzo,” Alex pushed. “For all you know, he could be working for another family or a cop – “
“Are you questioning my decisions? You think I’m too fucking stupid to notice if I let a fox into my house?”
Alex fell silent.
“I may not know him as well as I know you, Alessandro but I know he was not the one ogling my daughter’s tits right in front of me.”
“Boss, I swear – “
“Fuck off, Alessandro. I have work to do, and so do you.”
The conversation had given Ariano a bittersweet feeling.
He knew he wasn’t easily replaced, but it showed that Alex would stop at nothing to undermine him.
But there was more than just that worrying Ari.
The idea of Alex being so close to Celina made him nervous for some other reason.
There was something about the man, something lecherous and slimy.
I wouldn’t want any woman left alone with him, Ariano tried to tell himself. It’s not just Celina.
As the bourbon began to take effect and the muscles in his shoulders relaxed, Ariano knew he was lying to himself.
He wasn’t worried about every woman.
In his mind’s eye, he could not shake the picture of the beauty in the gardens, the sexy, almost mischievous blonde who did her best to drive him crazy with the subtlest moves or gestures.
Even in such a short time, he was filled with the sense that the maddening woman was not the spoiled brat whom everyone believed her to be.
There was something beneath that hard, taunting exterior which was fragile and sweet, traits which he caught by accident, when she inadvertently let her guard down.
They were things that most men wouldn’t notice; a thoughtful look in her vibrant eyes or the way she gnawed on her lower lip when she was thinking. Ariano had gotten to know her quite well in the days since they had been forced together twenty-four seven.
There is something more to her than meets the eye, he thought.
Ari grunted to himself and gulped back the rest of his drink.
Just like there was something more to Lucia? You just want what you can’t have. Get your head on straight and keep your eye on the job, not on the beautiful woman that IS your job.
Yet no matter how much Ariano tried to distract himself, he couldn’t stop worrying about Celina under Alex’s watch.
Chapter Six
Celina stared at herself in the mirror, leaning forward to wipe a streak of mascara from the corner of her eye.
Not bad, she decided, eyeing herself critically. That ought to do it.
She looked lovely in a simple A-line strapless dress, the ebony of the silk accenting her fair good looks dramatically. It had been created by some outrageously expensive designer, but Celina wasn’t even sure she knew which one.
Someone currying favors from my father by trying to win my affections. If only they knew that was the wrong way about it. But I’m not going to tell anyone.
Opting for smoky make-up, her blonde hair and fair skin glowed, and even as she studied her reflection, she barely recognized herself.
Am I
trying too hard? She wondered suddenly, tearing her eyes away from the mirror. Is that why he’s blatantly refusing my advances?
It wasn’t for lack of trying, that was for certain.
She had dropped the most overt hints she could think of, trying to seduce Ariano but he was either completely oblivious or purposely ignoring her.
Both were annoying thoughts.
Over the last week Celina had developed an almost grudging respect for her new detail.
She was ashamed to admit just how much she had underestimated him, his determination to keep on her tail more steadfast than any other guard she’d ever had. And she had to admit that she had even enjoyed the time they had spent together; sometimes in companionable silence, but others in intriguing conversation. It turned out they had very similar opinions on many global issues, and even the same taste in foods, music, and art. Who would have thought that ‘the outsider’ would know anything about Antoine Watteau?
Well, he’s an intelligent ambitious idiot, she thought when she realized that Ariano was anything but stupid, a fact he proved by refusing her coy, sexual suggestions.
The chemistry between them seemed amplified by the fact that he refused to give in to the explosive chemistry that she knew he was feeling between them too.
True, she had started off trying to seduce him just so she could control him, but she soon realized that her body was demanding she let it at him.
I just need him once. Then I’ll have satisfied this demand that my traitorous body has put on me and I can turn my focus back to my business dreams. Just once!
He will give in, she assured herself. No guy can hold out on this kind of chemistry for long. Then I’ll have the ammunition I need to force him to give me my freedom, and I’ll have proven to my libido that he probably has no talent at all between the sheets. Guys that were that good looking rarely did.
This had gone on long enough.
Ariano was proving to be a distraction she did not need, not when she was supposed to be focussing on her business.
Get this done tonight, she thought grimly, stalking out of the bedroom and toward the foyer of the condo.
“I need you to zip me up,” she announced, yanking open the front door.
She expected Ariano to be standing in the hall right where he always stayed if he wasn’t actually in her penthouse.
Lately he had been opting to be in the suite with her more often than not. She tried to tell herself it was because he wanted to be close to her and he was enjoying their conversation and the sexual tension between them, but she knew it was more likely that he refused to let her escape him again.
But today, to her surprise, there was no one in the hallway.
A twinge of nervousness fluttered through her body but she couldn’t say why exactly.
He made a big mistake losing sight of me, she thought, but even as the words entered her mind, the elevator doors slid open.
Celina’s mouth parted in surprise as Alex strode toward her.
“Ah ha!” he chuckled, winking at her. “It worked.”
A confident smirk formed on her lips and she cocked her head to the side, trying to reconcile what the hell he was doing there.
His presence bothered her more than she cared to admit, even to herself.
Didn’t I go out of my way to make sure that this ass-hat wouldn’t get to sit around watching my tits all day? How is he here, and why wasn’t I consulted?
“What worked?” she demanded, whirling back toward her condo.
She stifled a loud sigh as Alex sauntered in behind her.
“Silent alarm on your door. That paesano thinks you need to be guarded twenty-four seven but I knew you better than him. I’ll always be one step ahead of you, sweetheart.”
“What are you doing here, Alex?” she asked without turning to him. “Did Ariano quit?”
Alex snickered.
“Not yet, princess, but give him time.”
Celina bristled at the endearment.
“Why are you here?” she demanded again.
“It’s Ariano’s night off. I imagine he’s off chasing hookers and snorting coke,” Alex replied. Celina was instantly defensive.
Ariano isn’t like that, she scoffed in her mind. She almost said it aloud, but she managed to silence herself before she did. There was no point. It’s not like her father would have kept Ari around if he did that stuff, and there was also no way Alex would stop trying to malign him.
“Need me to zip you up?” Alex continued. “Where are you going tonight?”
“No, I’ve got it,” she replied quickly, disappearing into the bedroom, her pulse quickening.
She had not accounted for Ari taking a night off, but of course he needed time off too.
Shit! I had this night planned perfectly, and now I’ve got to change everything.
In her plot, she was going to start with a simple tease, having Ariano zip up her slinky dress, making sure he was drawn in by her scent and her upswept hair. She would have had him aroused before she flittered out on her Tinder date, a guy named Ron who was guaranteed to be an absolute yuppy tool.
After a few drinks and listening to Ron discuss the fall of the American empire due to blah, blah, blah, she was going to cut the night short and return to her car in tears.
Ari, in turn, would be forced to ask her what was wrong and she would turn on the waterworks.
Men loved a damsel in distress, she thought. And since outright seduction isn’t doing shit, this has to work!
From there, nature would take its course; Celina would throw herself in Ariano’s arms for “comfort” and he would be overcome by the magnetism between them. If she could just get him to kiss her, she was sure the passion would explode and overtake him too.
We both know we’ve wanted to see each other naked for a long time.
But now, with the changing of the guards, she had only committed herself to an insufferable evening of drinks with a fanatical Texan named Ron.
Fuck my life. I should just call and cancel this date, she thought, biting on her lower lip as she debated her next move. She glanced at her watch to see if she had time to bow out gracefully.
“Where are you going?” Alex demanded again, appearing in the doorway of her bedroom.
“You are not welcome in my room, Alex. Now leave.”
Her voice was like a thousand ice pellets aimed directly for his face.
“I just came to check on you, princess. No need to get nasty with me,” he replied defensively, crossing his arms over his wide chest, his dark eyes flashing.
Celina eyed him in the mirror, her hands slipping behind her back to fasten the dress properly.
“This is my bedroom; therefore, it is strictly off limits to you,” she retorted, but she softened her tone at the last moment, detecting a malevolence in the soldier’s inky irises.
It was no secret that Alex was a killer at heart.
She had been told stories of the business he had set aflame and the beatings he had administered on rival families.
There had been rumors of half a dozen murders but who could say what was fantasy and what was fact in that circle.
All she knew was that she didn’t like what she saw when she looked into Alex’s eyes; she never had.
“But Ariano can come in your bedroom?” he hissed, sliding toward her, his hands spinning her roughly and reaching for the zipper. “He’s good enough for you, but I’m not?”
Celina’s spine stiffened, but she maintained the stoic expression on her face, as he moved even closer to her, his hips brushing her buttocks while he raised the zipper higher up her smooth back. His tone sent shivers of trepidation through her body.
Suddenly, she decided she was honoring the date with Ron after all, political backbencher, or not. The thought of being alone with Alex nearby sent chills of apprehension through her body.
Alex had always been a horny puppy in her mind, following her around too close, as if hoping for a chance to mark her.
Celina had never taken him seriously because there had been no need.
Of course, he has never been tasked with your detail nor has he had access to your bedroom in the past.
Something told her that the rules of the game had changed in a way she hadn’t accounted for.
“Ariano hasn’t even been in my condo,” she lied evenly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you better watch yourself before you start spreading rumors. Papa wouldn’t like that, Alex.”
Suddenly, he pushed the zipper into her, causing it to catch on the edge of her flesh. He continued to tear upward, causing Celina to gasp in pain.
“Are you gonna tell Papa everything?” he jeered, his hand closing against her shoulder in a vice-grip. “Or just what suits you?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” she demanded, trying to keep the unsteadiness from her voice. “You’re not making any sense.”
“You’re fucking him, aren’t you? That’s why you walked into the hallway half-dressed. You were looking for him.”
She felt a trickle of blood spill from the cut and she whirled to glare at him.
“How could I be looking for him if tonight is his night off?” she spat back, losing her temper with the pain in her back. “You should stick to running drugs, Alex, and leave the detective work to the cops who will eventually bust you for being so damned stupid.”
Fury colored his face and Celina was afraid she had gone too far.
He won’t touch you, a voice in her head called out sanely. You’re on his watch right now. If anything happens to you, it’s on his head.
Alex seemed to realize the same thing at the same time.
“You are such a spitfire,” he chuckled but there was no humor in his tone. “I don’t envy Ariano for having to deal with your shit.”
But even as he said the words, his eyes trailed maliciously down her body, as if he wanted to throw her to the ground right then and there.
He wouldn’t dare. He wouldn’t…
For the first time since Celina could remember, she was truly, truly afraid.
This one is going to be a much bigger problem than Ariano. Maybe there needs to be a new plan, she thought, her pulse racing as she brushed past him, leaving him to stand alone in the bedroom.
MAFIA BOSSES - The Box Set: An Enemies to Lovers Trilogy Page 6