by Sam Crescent
“Antonio, I’m not taking your bullshit now.”
“I don’t want him to know how important you are to me,” he said.
“Oh, don’t worry. He got the message I’m just a girl to fuck!” she yelled at him, angry at herself for falling for all of this. For believing that for even a moment she could matter. It was crazy.
Insane.
“All of this. It’s not me. I work several different jobs because I know what it’s like to be without nothing. You think I haven’t felt how you treated me before? Believe me, I have. People coming in, staring at me as if I’m nothing more than a damn bug. Ugh!” She hated crying and now the tears were falling.
Antonio stepped up to her, but she held her hand out, placing it on his chest. “No, I don’t want you to come near me.”
“I can’t bear to see you cry.”
“Tough. I want to go home.”
“I’m not taking you home.” He pulled her into his arms and her arm pressed against the front of her body, and she hated him just a little bit more. “I’m sorry.”
“Not good enough.”
He pressed a kiss to her shoulder and she closed her eyes.
“Raphael has never known me to be with the same woman. I didn’t like the way he was looking at you. I must protect you from the likes of him.”
“A player?”
“Yes.”
He was tense.
“There are parts of your life I don’t understand. I’m not a fool. I know you’re keeping things from me, but I can’t do this. I can’t get used to being one with me when we’re alone, and then feeling nothing more than used while we’re out. I’d rather never go out.”
“You’re the only woman I want.”
She looked up at him. “I am?”
“Yes.”
He ran his hands down her back. She felt the hard press of his dick against her and she closed her eyes, loving the way he surrounded her.
Even as the pain at his rejection in front of his friends shook her to the core, this was something they both had. Something she couldn’t deny.
He lifted up her skirt, moving her back, and she touched his cock. Opening the zipper of his pants, sliding inside, and squeezing him.
Antonio spun her around to face the mirror. Her hair had escaped the bun, falling around her face. He pushed the strap of her dress down, exposing her tit, which he cupped as he found her entrance. The panties she wore, he tore from her body.
“Someone could come in.”
“They wouldn’t dare.”
He slid inside her. His growl and her cry echoed off the walls.
He gripped her neck, holding her in place as he started to rock within her. His other hand massaged her tit, which he stopped doing to touch her pussy. With his fingers teasing over her clit, she cried his name, begging for more.
Antonio pounded into her harder, forcing her to take more of him, to hold him deep, and she did, wanting him more than ever before.
Needy.
Wanton.
Not caring that he’d pushed her aside in front of his friend. All she cared about was having his hands on her body, his dick inside her, fucking her.
Antonio wasn’t slow. He wasn’t soft. This was hard fucking, and she watched him. His gaze was on her and she knew in some odd way, she was completely fucked. When this man started to talk to her, she should have run in the opposite direction, but instead, she’d talked to him. She’d opened up to him, and now he was a part of her. She couldn’t hide from him. He held all the cards.
She only hoped that whatever he had planned, she’d be able to survive it.
She came hard on his dick and Antonio followed her into release. Both of them panted from the force of their orgasm.
“You ruined another pair of panties.”
“I’ll buy you a new pair.”
“I think you’re going to have to start buying shares or something.”
“Or you can save me a job and just stop wearing them.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” She laughed and moaned as he sucked on her neck. “I don’t know if I like this date night.”
“Come on, I’m going to at least dance with you, especially as I know my cum is going to be dripping down your leg as I do.” He tilted her head back and kissed her lips, massaging her tit with his hand as he did.
Totally blown away.
****
Screams echoed around the basement.
Antonio listened to the sounds but didn’t feel sorrow or pity for the man as he grabbed his finger and pulled, breaking the fourth one on his hand.
The screams got louder and the scent of piss filled the air.
In the back of his mind, he thought about Ellie. She was supposed to be having a girls’ night at her own place tonight with Casey.
He’d caught up with Casey, threatened her, and within hours, his woman had phoned him so excited to have heard from her friend. Of course he was pissed.
It had been a couple of weeks since the bar incident with Raphael, and he knew he’d upset Ellie and made her nervous. She wasn’t as forthcoming with her smiles and would watch him a lot more.
They’d gone out a couple more times, random dates in the park, or dinner. She no longer hugged up against his side, and when he took her hand, she didn’t hold on to him. He’d shattered that trust and it fucking enraged him.
Now, just thinking about it, he snapped the guy’s wrist and dropped him to the floor. Then he drew his foot back and slammed it into his stomach.
The man curled up. He wouldn’t live for too much longer anyway.
The rat had tried to make a deal with the cops. They wanted to bring some order to the Giavanni line. For the most part, Romeo Giavanni owned the cops. The law always turned a blind eye to the Family. However, in rare circumstances, some men and women believed making their career on the destruction of Giavanni was the only way to go.
This man had worked with Romeo, dealing with the accounting for nearly thirty years. His job hadn’t been across the entire of the Giavanni network. Romeo wouldn’t trust anyone with everything. This man had a piece of the big pie.
No one knew the whole pie.
“Now, you’re going to tell me everything you’ve told them. Not leaving out a single detail and maybe I’ll let you keep your other hand.” He dragged the man to the chair.
He was whimpering, crying, pissing himself again. “I’ve got a family.”
“I know.” Antonio had already taken care of them. A wife, two sons. They were now dead. Taking out the pictures that had been shot, he showed them to the man.
“No, no. Oh, God, no.”
“You were told the deal when you joined. Your family would pay for your sins.” He left them on the table for the man to see. “It was rather painless, apart from your oldest son. Eighteen. He wanted to be a lawyer. Smart kid as well. He wouldn’t put the gun in his mouth. Don’t worry, he’s going to go down as the crazy one who shot his family.”
The man sniffled. “I’ll … I’ll tell you everything.”
Three hours later, Antonio washed his hands as the body was left to burn in the incinerator, and the men came to clean up the mess.
“I think this is your most gruesome one yet,” Raphael said. “Is your dick not getting the ride it needs?”
He didn’t bite.
“You know, you not telling Ellie the truth is even more interesting.”
“You’ll keep her out of this,” he said. He didn’t want his life to touch her. She didn’t need to know what he did.
Raphael laughed. “Well, I’ll be damned. I never thought it was possible for you to fall, but you, haven’t you? You do know that to have her accepted as your wife, you need to bring her before Romeo.”
“She’s fun. That’s all she is.”
“Really, then tell me why you’re spending your nights at your cozy new apartment, and have even gotten cards made, and some bogus details of a company. Tell me that?”
Antonio stared at Raph
ael.
“I’m your friend.”
“Friends don’t question those kinds of decisions,” Antonio said.
“No, they don’t, but you also don’t fuck up either, or bring it into work. The men are noticing your lack of … finesse. I don’t like our enforcer being known as shoddy. You’ve got work to do, you do it. Simple as that.”
“I get the job done.”
“You get it done the right way. I’d be careful, Antonio, something bad could happen to Ellie. As you told him, a family always pays for their sins.”
He wanted to slit the bastard’s throat but he also knew Raphael, in his way, was also reminding him who he was. The warning was clear. The Giavanni Family always had to come first. If Ellie was ever considered a rat, a traitor, or a danger, it would be up to him to deal with it. He would have to kill her.
The game he was playing with her, keeping this life secret, was dangerous. If Raphael knew where he lived and Antonio hadn’t caught sight of someone watching him, it could mean others were doing the same, and he was fucked.
He didn’t have much longer before someone approached her.
Running his fingers through his hair, he left the basement, entering the night air.
It was warm and he knew Ellie’s place didn’t have any air conditioning. She’d be melting. Climbing into his car, he’d already checked to make sure he didn’t have any blood on his clothes or body.
After pulling up outside Ellie’s place, he took a few minutes to scan the area.
No one.
Leaving his parked car, he let himself into her unsecured building, pissed he hadn’t gotten her to get rid of the apartment.
He made his way up to her floor, and using the spare key he’d had made, let himself in. The apartment was dark, and he closed the door behind him.
Ellie’s scent filled the entire place, calming him.
He had to make a decision to either let her go or tell her the truth. She wasn’t used to their way of life and truly, he didn’t believe she was ready to know everything.
Tapping a finger against his lip, he contemplated what to do. He suddenly turned and caught the bat before it hit him. Ellie’s growl filled the air. “Get the fuck out before I call the cops.”
“Shit, Ellie, it’s me,” he said, holding the bat even as she tried to tug it from him again.
“Antonio?” She didn’t let go.
He flicked the light on and she blinked.
“I thought you were a burglar. Why didn’t you call me? Wait, how did you get into my apartment?”
Another little detail he’d noticed about his woman. She never referred to their apartment as home, or hers, or even theirs. It was merely a place to her.
She rubbed at her eyes, and he noticed her nightshirt.
“I thought you were having a girls’ night.”
“We were, but Casey got a call and she had to leave.” She’d let go of the bat and sat down on the sofa. It was threadbare. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it.
“Why didn’t you call me?” He sat down beside her, wanting to hold her, to breathe in her scent.
“You said you were busy with work. I don’t mind being on my own. I had to throw out some cheese and milk, though. They’d gone bad. We ordered pizza but I ate most of it because it arrived after she’d gone.”
He stroked her hair back from her face. She let out a yawn. “How was work?” she asked.
“Tiring.” He pressed his face against her head, breathing her in.
“It’s warm.”
“I know.”
“You can stay here if you want.”
“This place has no air conditioning. Come back to our place. You’ll feel more comfortable.”
“Too sleepy to move. Maybe later.” She snuggled up against his side.
He kissed her head and she went to sleep. She was the first woman to fall asleep on him. Even though he’d caused them some problems, he wondered if, deep down, she felt safe with him.
Stroking her hair, he wanted to hold her. After lifting her in his arms, he carried her through to the bedroom and slowly placed her on the bed. She let out a little moan. He quickly stripped out of his clothes and returned to the bed.
Pulling her against him, he kissed her shoulder, breathed her in, and held her. He’d never taken the time to just hold her like this. After sex, she curled up against him, but not like this.
He’d never needed anything like this before in his life.
Raphael’s warning went through his mind.
Antonio had killed that man’s family tonight because it was his job. He had to keep the message that if you fucked up, your family paid the price as well. It was their way, Romeo’s way to keep people in line to know they were responsible for the safety of their family.
Up until tonight, he hadn’t cared about the rules. Only now, he wondered if Ellie would be in the line of fire for any of his mistakes. Once she learned the truth of who he was, she wouldn’t get the pleasure of walking away. She’d have to be kept within the fold or killed.
Chapter Six
Two months later
“I’m not getting rid of my apartment.”
“You don’t need it.”
“No, you think I don’t need it, but I don’t know, it’s important to me.” Ellie tried to find her clothes. They’d been together for nearly three months now and she didn’t know why it was so important to her to keep her apartment. There were many nights when Antonio didn’t return and if he did, which was in the early hours of the morning, he was dressed differently. New clothes and no reason as to how they got on his body. It was as if they magically appeared, which she knew was bullshit.
He was quiet about all aspects of his life, always using the excuse that he needed privacy in his line of work. Complete and utter crap. She wasn’t going to go and tell anyone. Casey avoided her like the damn plague, and she didn’t have any other friends.
“Where are you going?”
“To make myself something to eat because then I won’t have to deal with you.” She tried to pull on her panties but gasped as Antonio grabbed her around the waist and hauled her back against him, as if she weighed nothing.
The fight didn’t leave her. She tried to wriggle her way out of his hold, but again, Antonio was the one with all the strength while she was useless against him. He pressed her hands above her head, and she glared at him.
“Anyone ever tell you how sexy you look when you’re angry?”
“No, but they like for me to be far away from them so I don’t explode with it.” She tried to wriggle away, he was the one in control, like always. “This isn’t funny.”
Antonio straddled her waist and raised a brow. “I’m not laughing.”
“Then get off me.”
“Nope.”
She gave up fighting after a couple of minutes, at least giving him the impression she’d given up, which she hadn’t.
Antonio clearly saw it. She had nowhere else to go and he simply raised his brow.
“Stop that.”
“What?”
“Thinking you’ve won.”
“I have won.”
“No, you … ugh… I’m not giving up my apartment.”
“Why not? It’s a shithole.”
“That shithole is my home and I happen to like it there.” She was lying. Yes, it gave her the independence she sought, but it was also a horrible place with damp, mold, and some unsavory people living there. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was right. Antonio thought he was right at the best of times.
“You know I could take care of you. I’ve given you enough money. You can live in this place and you don’t even have to work.”
“I’m not a fool, Antonio. What happens when you get bored of me?” The thought alone made her feel sick and scared. She’d never given any man any kind of power over her and yet, here she was, letting Antonio break beneath her surface.
“You really think that’s possible?”
> “Am I the only woman you’ve ever been with?” she asked.
He rolled his eyes. “That doesn’t mean anything.”
“No? What it means is you’re used to variety and what I want is exclusive, Antonio. I don’t want you to be fucking around on me.”
“So you’re really wanting to take our relationship to the next level?”
She laughed and looked up at him. The truth was she didn’t know what she wanted. Her life had gotten so confusing since being in his company that she didn’t know what to do or say, or how to feel.
Was it just fun between them?
Did they have something more?
What was so important between them?
What did he want in the future?
“I don’t know anything about you,” she said. Tears filled her vision. Each day she spent with him and the nights filled with his dick, they were great, but she was starting to feel like she wanted more. Like the other month when her period came. She’d expected not to see Antonio for a week. It was how long she told him her period would last. He’d come to her every single night, snuggled up, watched a movie with her, and stroked her stomach. It had been really sweet, tender, caring, everything she could have ever wanted.
“What do you want to know? I’m an open book.” He sat back on his haunches and folded his arms.
He was completely naked. His cock was long and thick, but he didn’t make a move to touch her. His gaze locked on her.
She burst out laughing. “You’re an open book? Please. I don’t even know anything about your job.”
“My job is top-secret. I can’t risk a compromise.”
“Who will I compromise with?”
“I offer a level of security which also means no girlfriend will know the inner workings of my company. Is that so hard to believe?”
“Girlfriend?”
“What else did you want me to call you? Do you want a different title?”
“You’ve never called me your girlfriend before.”
“Do you want me to call you a lot of other things as well?” he asked. “I can do that, but it doesn’t make them true. I know we fuck a lot, but that doesn’t make you my fuck buddy. I haven’t been with another woman since I’ve been with you. I figured it already made us exclusive. What else would you like me to include?”