by Rowena
His load jets into my mouth and throat.
I gag on the volume of it, pulling myself off of him and letting the rest fall to the floor.
I stand and quickly realize he’s not done with me.
He grabs me and spins, lifting me up as we turn.
He sets my ass down on the desk, and I’m amazed that his cock is still hard and ready for use.
He plants himself between my legs, forcing them wide apart, and then he thrusts into me without warning.
It’s not a slow-starting thrust, either—he drives into my core, and I cry out in surprise and momentary pain.
The pain soon fades, quickly to be replaced by pleasure as his massive cock bottoms out inside me, our pelvises coming together.
My delicate walls stretch to accommodate his massive girth and then we’re moving rhythmically, thrusting and retreating over and over.
He grunts and I moan as we work each other to new heights.
We kiss, we touch, and we fuck like tomorrow will never come, like we’re the last people on earth and this is all there is left to us.
As he penetrates me, I feel like he and I become one in this moment, saturated by pleasure and sensations that overwhelm sense and thought.
There’s nothing left but the push and pull of our warm bodies coming together and retreating.
I hold off as long as I can, but then he thrusts in deep and holds, leaning back, and once I realize what’s happening, I lose control. I’m suddenly carried away on waves of pleasure that blow away anything I’ve ever experienced before.
He holds himself deep inside me as we come together, pulsing, then as climax passes through us both with final shudders and shivers, he retreats and pulls his softening cock out.
He stands in front of me, leaning on the desk so that our bodies are still close.
I don’t think I can move. My muscles are jelly.
I sigh and then laugh, resting my head on his shoulder.
10
Donnie
I fall back into my chair, panting.
Bella moves with me, so I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight against me.
No words seem necessary or appropriate.
She runs her fingers through my hair, and I trace circles on her bare back.
As my heart rate returns to normal, my mind races.
I’m not sure I’m reading her right yet.
“What brought that on?” I ask at last.
She looks at me sharply, pursing her lips.
I can see the wheels turning behind her eyes.
I know, for certain, she’s been holding something back from me, and I’ve been betting on her coming clean eventually, and until then, deciding to trust her.
It’s stupid, and Francesca hasn’t hesitated to tell me as much more than once.
There’s something about Bella, though, that I can’t put my finger on. She makes me… feel.
She looks anywhere but at me.
I let her work it out for herself.
I’ve always found that if you give people time, you very often get the answer you seek.
Patience is a virtue I’ve spent a lifetime developing.
It’s served me well often enough; I know my crew is loyal because I create an environment that not only rewards loyalty but gives them room to say what they think.
“The kiss,” she says, pulling away and standing up.
I watch as she grabs her underwear and slides it on.
Her body is amazing, and, watching her move, I stir back to life. She’s a stunning beauty with an amazing ass that I want to spend even more time exploring, but now is not the time.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“It was… my first,” she says.
I’m shocked into silence. She can’t really mean…?
No way—she’s in her twenties, at least. There’s no way I could be her first kiss. She had the ‘friend,’ Tommy.
I’m not sure what to say.
“Don’t look so surprised,” she says, fastening her bra over her absolutely stunning breasts.
“I’m sorry, I don’t really… ” I trail off, not sure what to say. “Does that mean… ? Was I your… ?”
I can’t say it.
I had no idea she was a virgin, though she did feel pretty tight around me, and now I feel awkward.
“It’s not that big of a deal,” she says, not meeting my eyes as her cheeks flush bright red.
Damn it, I’m making a mess of this.
I had no idea and now I’m making her feel bad. I’m an idiot.
“Wait.” I touch her arm and she stops moving, staring at my hand. “Please.”
“What?”
“I just… I’m not trying to be embarrassing or awkward,” I say, doing exactly what I say I’m trying not to. “It’s just… well, I had no idea.”
“Why not?” she asks, meeting my eyes for the first time. “What’s the big surprise?”
“Well, you’re a very beautiful woman,” I say. “It’s just unexpected. A girl of your beauty and age of consent—it’s unusual, that’s all. Most girls crossed that bridge years earlier.”
“Well, most girls didn’t grow up like I did,” she says, looking away again, but not before I see the pain and hear it in her voice.
“Tell me about it,” I say.
“Why? What do you care?”
I shrug.
How do I answer that? I care because I do. She touches something inside me. I want to destroy whatever has caused her this pain. I want to find those who hurt her and make them suffer, show them the error of their ways. I want to protect her and shelter her from anything that may come.
How do I say that and not sound like a fool?
Hell, it already sounds like a fool in my own head, and I know it will sound even worse if I say it out loud.
“I don’t know,” I say instead. “Indulge me.”
She finishes dressing, and I pull on my own shorts and pants so that things are more focused.
She sits down on my desk with her head hanging down. Her hair covers her face and I wait.
“I haven’t been completely honest with you,” she says finally.
She pauses, waiting.
I don’t react because I knew this much; I knew there was more that she wasn’t telling me, but I also knew that, given time, she’d either come clean or I’d figure it out.
She remains silent.
“It’s fine,” I say, encouraging her to continue.
She nods, which I can see only by the bob of her head.
She’s bracing herself to speak the truth.
She’s scared and I can feel it pulsing off of her, so I touch her hand, willing strength into her.
“I’m… I’m not who I said I was. The things I know, it’s not because of Tommy.”
“Then how do you know them?”
“Because Emilio Baldini is my father,” she says.
The wind is knocked out of me and I lean back in my chair.
Son-of-a-bitch. I should have seen it! How could I have been so blind?
She sits, waiting for me to say something, but now it’s my turn to be speechless. My mind races with the possibilities and the implications.
“I see,” I say, proud that my voice doesn’t sound choked.
“I should have told you, I guess. I figured… ” She shrugs. “I figured it didn’t matter. I mean, it’s not like he cares, right? And when I figured out who you were, well, I just… I was afraid you’d send me packing.”
“A reasonable fear,” I say.
“Are you going to?” she asks.
“No,” I say simply, and she meets my eyes for the first time since she started talking.
Surprise shines in her eyes and her mouth hangs open a bit.
I smile and shrug. “So tell me, how did you end up like I found you?”
“Growing up wasn’t easy,” she begins.
“I can imagine. Your father is a psychopath,” I say.
�
�He’s just different!” she says, immediately defensive, and I regret my words.
“I apologize,” I say, holding my hands up between us.
She shakes her head and her shoulder slump.
“No, it’s fine. It’s just… it was hard. He’s a hard man.”
“I know,” I say. “So you grew up and no boyfriends?”
“How? I had a bodyguard with me always. I was barely left alone in my own room in the house. They followed me through school even. You know how hard it is to make friends when you’ve got two hulking brutes following you everywhere? You know what they did to the one boy who tried to kiss me in eighth grade? They broke his nose and two ribs. He snuck a kiss at a football game. No big deal—boys will be boys, right? After they got done I had a reputation. No one wanted to be close to me and no one certainly wanted to try anything with me.”
“Damn,” I whisper.
“Yeah, tons of fun growing up Baldini,” I say.
“So how did you end up in the van, in the situation where I found you?”
“I defied him and he was sending me off to be punished for it.”
“Tommy,” I say.
“Yeah, that part was true. He was innocent and I warned him they were coming for him.”
“Your father was not pleased with that?”
“That’s putting it lightly,” she says.
“So your father put you in handcuffs and a bag over your head?” I say, struggling to keep my voice even.
“No. Well, yes. He ordered it done. Too inconvenient to do it himself,” she says.
I shake my head, trying to control the anger that grips me thinking about what kind of man would do that to his own daughter. A monster, that’s who.
It’s amazing she’s not a broken mess—a testament to her strength.
I ask the next obvious question. “What were they going to do?”
“I don’t know,” she says with despair.
Damn, a monster for sure.
Were they under orders to kill her? His own daughter? Or was he sending her away to teach her a lesson? A lesson at the hands of hard men with what lines?
“Well,” I say. “So, here we are.”
“Yeah, here we are. What are you going to do with me?”
“Nothing that you don’t want,” I say. “What do you want?”
“I don’t know,” she says, honesty and pain in her voice.
“You know my plan,” I say. “Will you betray me?”
Her lips purse and she sucks in her cheeks.
Tears well up in the corners of her eyes while I wait.
“All my life,” she says, her voice tight. “I’ve wanted to escape to a better life, something away from him.”
She swallows hard and I can only imagine what she must be feeling right now.
She knows I plan to kill her father.
Monster or no, how can she feel about that?
I wait, letting her tell her story in her own time.
She shakes her head then swipes at the tears furiously.
“I even dreamed of him getting killed. Since my mom passed, it’s been so bad. He’s a… monster.”
“Yes,” I say, touching her leg.
She jumps at my gentle touch then slowly places her hand over mine.
“No, I won’t interfere. I know more than I said as well.”
“I want to know more,” I say.
“More what?”
“More about you, what it was like growing up. I want to know everything about you.”
“I’m tired,” she says, walking quickly to the door.
I watch her go.
I could stop her, easily. There are two men on the other side of the door, but what good would that do me? I’m just starting to build a trust with her. She’s confided the truth in me.
I let her go then lean back in my chair, putting my feet up on the desk as my mode switches and my brain starts to refocus.
Everything is in place and the plan is ready.
Our ‘seller’ will be ready to go and make an offer to the Baldini family. We’ll split their forces and take them.
They have no idea how many men I’ve been able to hire. I’ve got an army now ready to go.
The only thing that could go wrong is a betrayal.
I know Francesca suspects Bella, but I don’t; I trust her. I can feel it in her—she’s trustworthy. There’s a connection between us that I felt since she slammed into me.
I’ll roll the dice. I’ll stay alert, pay attention, be ready to react, but until something changes, the plan is solid.
Now I wait.
Which leaves her.
What is it about her that pulls my thoughts to her constantly?
She’s defiant, bold, brash, and beautiful, and I can’t keep her out of my mind.
Am I making a mistake?
Only time will tell.
11
Isabella
I’m an idiot.
Stupid, stupid, stupid! What was I thinking?
My thoughts spin in a circle of repeating admonishments against myself.
I slept with him. A stranger.
I don’t know him, don’t know why I did it. The feelings he awakens in me took control of my thoughts and then there we were.
I’m an idiot.
There’s a pleasing ache where he entered me and filled me in ways I’ve never experienced before.
It was wonderful, amazing, painful, and perfect, while also being so wrong.
I slept with the enemy. Literally.
I’ve betrayed my family and all that I was raised to believe in.
Guilt washes over me in a torrent that sweeps away all other thoughts.
I betrayed my family. My broken, unloving family, but betrayal is something else, isn’t it? They’re going to kill my father! The man who raised me, who cared for me. The man who provided for me, no matter what. Donnie is going to kill him.
I can’t let him do that. I can’t—it’s too much to ask. He’s my father. Bastard he may be, but he’s still my family.
Donnie is a stranger. A stranger with stunning eyes and an amazing, mouth-watering body, but a stranger.
Blood is thicker than water. How many times has my father drilled that into me? More than I can count. Blood over all, nothing is stronger.
I have to warn him.
Nausea grips my stomach like a vice and cold sweat beads across my skin. It makes me stumble, and I reach out my hand, finding a wall that helps me stay upright.
I’m breathing in ragged gasps so I focus on taking deep, soothing breaths. The nausea passes slowly—too damn slowly—but it’s finally gone and I’m left with what feels like a high volume of acid in my belly, burning its way through my esophagus.
I wipe my brow and push off the wall.
I glance over my shoulder at the closed office door.
The window blinds are still pulled and Donnie is inside.
He’s nice. Too nice; it has to be a lie. No one is that nice. Every man wants something, and odds are, he probably got what he wanted from me a few moments ago. Men are driven by greed—my father has always said as much, and nothing in my life has led me to believe any different.
Greed. Greed for money, for sex, for more of whatever their particular vice happens to be. It’s never enough. They’re never satisfied.
The only reason I was still a virgin isn’t just because of the bodyguards but because of the fear my father instills in his men. Some of them have tried to make a move on me. Those that did, regretted it, or so I assume—they were never seen again, I know that for sure. Like the boy who stole a kiss in eighth grade. Lessons learned.
Well, I’ve learned my lessons well. My father is a hard man, yes, but he didn’t raise me to betray him. Family first.
My chest and heart ache—an empty, pulsing feeling that seems like it’s trying to consume me.
Donnie knows the truth now too. What will he do with that? Will he turn me over? Use me as leverage?
&n
bsp; Would my father care?
Of course, he will—he’d trade for me. Right?
Shaking my head, I walk toward the stairs then bump into someone.
I blink away the moisture of threatening tears and look up.
Francesca is in front of me.
“The hell?” she asks.
“Sorry,” I say.
Her eyes narrow and she grabs my chin roughly, pushing my head back and looking me over closely.
“What’s wrong with you?” she asks, her thin lips pursed tightly.
“Nothing,” I say, jerking myself out of her grip.
“Don’t lie to me,” she says.
“I said, nothing. Let me go to my room,” I bark, pushing her hands away and trying to walk past her.
She grabs my shoulder and spins me around to face her.
She leans in close and sniffs my neck. Her eyes widen and her mouth falls open a bit.
She knows! Oh my god, she knows!
Embarrassment floods me and my cheeks burn hot.
Judgment is in her eyes, and I feel like an ant about to be squashed beneath her.
“You’re kidding me,” she mutters.
“I said, leave me alone!” I yell, stepping backward.
“What’s your game?” she asks suspiciously. “What are you doing here? Why are you with us?”
“I’m not with anyone—I’m here because you won’t let me leave!”
“No one is making you stay,” she says calmly.
“Like I have a choice. If I leave, they’ll kill me. If I don’t play along with you, then you’ll kill me.”
“No one here is going to kill you,” she says, her voice still even.
“Whatever,” I say as I push my way past her.
She lets me pass, and I take the steps two at a time.
I’m out of breath as I reach the top, so I slow down and go to the end.
I enter my room and sit on my bed, holding my head in my hands.
I don’t know what to do.
I care about Donnie, but does he feel the same? Did I really just give him what he wanted all along? It’s what drives men, isn’t it? Sex or money. The latter usually for the former in some shape or form.
Donnie’s going to kill my father for one of those things, and he took the other from me.
Except he didn’t take it; I gave it to him. It was my choice.