by Kasey Krane
I undid his belt and pulled down the zip on his pants, pushing them down so they fell around his ankles. My hand slipped into his underwear and I gasped when I felt the full width and length of his big swinging cock.
He groaned when I stroked him harder. I felt the sticky precum on the tip of his cock. His face nuzzled between my breasts, he nibbled on my firm nipples through the thin material of my top.
I couldn’t wait.
I pulled away from him and went down on my knees in front of him. I had his cock in my hand and guided him straight into my mouth. I tasted the saltiness of him, and inch by inch I took him down my throat. He didn’t fit all the way in, he was too big for that.
Tristian stood above me with his legs parted firmly in front of me. I looked up at him, slipping him in further. His eyes were hooded and dark, he watched me firmly. I bobbed my head up and down, twirling my tongue on the tip of his cock. He groaned deeply. Almost angrily.
Then he reached for my hair, grabbing it by the fistful. And before I knew what he’d do next, he pushed me away from him.
“Stop, Elsie. Stop,” he growled.
And just like that, Tristian had managed to bring me to a point where I was sure I’d burst into tears.
As he pulled himself away from me, pulling up his pants and brushing a hand through his hair—I felt my eyes filling with tears. I had to quickly blink hard in the hopes they’d go away and he wouldn’t see them.
He was about to say something. I sensed it coming, but I didn’t want to stay and find out what.
I ran.
I was embarrassed and insulted. I couldn’t believe I’d put myself in a position where he’d reject me like that.
I went straight to the bathroom in the spare bedroom and locked the door behind me. I was ready for the floor to open up and consume me. I never wanted to face him again.
Why’d he even let it get so far if he didn’t want me?
Did he enjoy watching me make a fool of myself?
I splashed water furiously on my face. Then I rubbed my cheeks and neck with the hand towel until my skin was red and raw looking.
I gripped the edge of the sink and stared at myself in the mirror. Right now, all I saw were my flaws.
Why would he want me? It made complete sense why he’d rejected me. Tristian Doherty was hot stuff. He could have anyone he wanted. And I was the last person he should’ve slept with. And even though I knew practically nothing about the mafia world, there was one thing I’d already figured out about the Dohertys. They were loyal to their family. Nothing mattered more to them than their code. If Tristian’s family didn’t trust me, then he didn’t trust me.
It was as simple as that.
I didn’t know what I’d have to do to make him believe me.
I hadn’t lied to him about anything. It was all the truth.
And the way my body reacted to him when he touched me, when he looked at me—that was real too.
If I could help it, I wouldn’t feel that way about him. If I could stop my pussy from getting wet the moment he walked into the room—I would. But I had already shown him I had no self-control. He already knew he could do whatever he wanted, kiss me whenever he wanted to, take me exactly the way he liked.
I never wanted to leave the bathroom. I covered my face with both hands, trying to muffle the scream rising in my throat.
How had this happened to me?
How did I get myself in this mess? Would I ever get out? Would I ever make it out alive?
“Elsie?” There was a knock on the door. His voice echoed around me, sending a shiver down my spine. “You can’t stay in there forever. You need to come out now.”
I should’ve stayed in there forever.
But I knew he was right. Besides, I still had to do his bidding because I was only safe at his mercy.
I opened the bathroom door and found him standing just outside, leaning against the wall with a hand in his pocket.
“You okay?” he asked in a deep voice, with his brows furrowed.
I wanted to snap at him. Ask him why he cared. He didn’t want me. He didn’t want me the way I wanted him and I wasn’t prepared for the way that made me feel.
I thought I was stronger than this.
“I’m fine. I just needed to freshen up,” I replied, walking past him. He followed me to the kitchen.
I desperately hoped he wouldn’t bring it up. I didn’t want to relive the moments when I was at my most vulnerable and he rejected me. I didn’t want an explanation from him. I didn’t want an excuse.
He didn’t want to fuck me, and that was that.
I felt his eyes boring into my back while I filled a glass from the faucet. I had to force myself to turn and look at him. It’d have to be done sooner or later.
Tristian watched me from under his strong dark brows, following my every move.
“We have to go,” he said.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Just grateful he hadn’t up…the other thing.
“Go where?”
“To meet my family.”
“What? Why?”
“Nobody really knows you. They have no idea who you are. They need to meet you and come to their own conclusions.”
I drank the water but my throat still felt dry and scratchy. I tried to keep my hand from shaking. Just the idea of entering a mafia lair made me nervous. It made me more than nervous.
I didn’t trust anybody in that world…except Tristian. And I didn’t know why I trusted him. I shouldn’t have.
“It’ll be okay, they’re not going to hurt you,” he added.
“I’m not afraid of your family.”
“Well, you should be.”
My nostrils flared and Tristian’s eyes roamed over me. Head to toe. They settled on my heaving breasts, my belly, then down my legs. He looked at me like a man who liked what he saw, but that wasn’t the way he acted. I didn’t know what to believe.
“Come on, let’s go. The sooner we get this done, the better,” he said, leading the way to the front door.
When we got there, he stopped and turned to me.
“The next time you decide to go for a walk or something, leave a note,” he groaned.
I wasn’t sure there’d be a next time. I didn’t know what would happen after the meeting tonight. Maybe they’d decide they didn’t trust me and…and do what with me?
What did the mafia do to people they thought were fucking with them?
Eight
Tristian
This was my idea—bringing Elsie to the Doherty home. After my meeting with the family, I suggested that I’d bring Elsie over so everyone could interview her and figure out next steps.
Now that Elsie was here, I wasn’t sure it was such a good idea. I saw how visibly nervous and shaken up she was. Her last experience at a mafia home hadn’t gone very well. Aldo Baron must’ve treated her unkindly, made her feel like a prisoner.
If I was to believe the story she told me—then, she had every reason to be suspicious and anxious now as she walked into my family home.
At least I’d resisted the temptation of fucking her.
It was probably one of the hardest things I had to do in my life, when all I wanted to do was fuck her. But I’d learned the hard way, everything wasn’t always what it looked like on the outside.
I couldn’t trust anybody. And as much as I wanted to make Elsie mine, I had to resist.
She walked slowly behind me as we entered the grand hallway of the house. There were armed men everywhere since security had been heightened in the past few weeks. Seeing the weapons on display must’ve made her uncomfortable too because Elsie barely trailed behind me.
Just then I saw our stepsister, Isabelle, walk out of one of the rooms.
“Hey, you!” she exclaimed jovially and came over. I was relieved to see her.
“Hey, you think you can do me a solid?”
She glanced at Elsie, and just as gracious a host as she always was, she gave her a winning smile.
If there was anyone in the family who’d put Elsie at ease, it’d be Isabelle.
The rest of my family were pretty intimidating. There was no doubt about that.
“I have to do something, can you keep Elsie company for a bit?” I said.
While Isabelle smiled at her, Elsie glared at her sheepishly.
“Sure, I was just going to the kitchen to make myself a sandwich. You want one?” Isabelle turned to Elsie who shook her head.
“I’m not hungry, thanks.”
Elsie threw me a look, almost like begging me not to leave her with a stranger.
“You should go to the kitchen with Isabelle. She’s my sister.”
Elsie didn’t move a muscle and I fought the temptation to take her in my arms. Was it possible this girl actually trusted me?
Isabelle already made her way to the kitchen while Elsie lingered behind.
“I’ll come get you in a bit, you’ll be fine,” I said.
As much as Elsie wanted me to believe she was strong and fully capable of taking care of herself, the truth was, she relied on me. She wanted me to protect her.
I didn’t know if I could. If I was ready to.
When I entered my father’s office, the others were still there.
“You brought her here?” Killian asked. It looked like none of them took me seriously when I said I would.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?”
Killian and Nolan exchanged looks and I had a feeling I knew what was coming.
“Because we figured you’d want to keep her away from us,” Nolan said with a grin.
“What the fuck are you talking about? Why wouldn’t I bring her here? I want to figure out what to do with her. Just because she’s staying at my place doesn’t make her my sole responsibility.”
Aidan nodded while our father tapped a pen on his desk. He watched us squabble, but hadn’t chipped in with his two cents yet.
“You don’t have to get all defensive of her,” Colin cut in.
“I’m not being defensive! I’m just fuckin’ trying to do my job, maybe you should do yours.”
“Boys!” Dad finally interjected. We stopped snapping at each other and turned to him. He swung his head around to stare directly at me with his dark green eyes.
“So where is she? Why haven’t you brought her in here?”
Now that I had a chance to think about it—what I had to say wasn’t going to go down well with this crowd.
“She’s in the kitchen with Isabelle. I just wanted to come in here and make sure…you guys…cut her some slack.”
There was complete silence in the room for about sixty seconds. Then Aidan cleared his throat.
“You think we should trust her?” he asked.
“When you have no proof if she’s a spy working for Aldo fuckin’ Baron, or not,” Killian continued.
“I’m not telling you to trust her, I’m just reminding you she’s a girl who doesn’t belong to this world. All this is new to her. She’s…uncomfortable. A little scared.”
Colin clenched his jaws tightly while Nolan visibly squared his shoulders. I sensed my brothers were frustrated. And the truth was—they had every right to be. In our business, we were trained to never trust anyone at face value. And right now, all I had to go on was Elsie’s version of a story.
But before anyone else spoke up, it was Dad who broke the silence.
“You don’t have to remind us how to behave, son. We, as Dohertys, always treat women with respect when they deserve it. As of now, this girl hasn’t done anything to make us believe she doesn’t deserve our respect, so that’s what she’ll get.”
I nodded at him. Now that Dad had publicly stated how the rest of them were supposed to behave with Elsie, I knew I didn't have to worry.
I glared at Killian and Colin and walked out of the room.
The last thing I wanted was to be at loggerheads with my brothers over a chick. This had never happened before and I didn’t intend on letting it fester.
Either way, I just wanted to find out the truth about Elsie so we could all move on with our lives.
When I went to the kitchen to get Elsie, I saw her sitting with Isabelle at the table. They shared a sandwich from a single plate. All of a sudden, Elsie seemed at ease with my sister. That was the power of Isabelle, and I was glad I arranged for them to spend some time together. I wanted Elsie to feel better about herself and the place she was now in.
They looked up at me when I walked in.
“You need to come with me,” I said to her in my most ‘professional’ sounding voice. Elsie tried to hide the lump in her throat she gulped down.
“Where are you taking her?” Isabelle asked, sounding a little worried.
“To meet our brothers and father,” I answered.
Elsie walked over to me quietly and Isabelle stood up.
“You’ll be fine, just be yourself. I know that’s easier said than done, but the truth is, these guys are all big softies on the inside, as much as they try to keep up their tough exterior.” Isabelle grinned at me while I glared at her.
Elsie passed her a weak smile, but Isabelle’s encouraging words wouldn’t help her now. She was already too nervous for that.
We walked out of the kitchen together and Elsie stopped in her tracks in the hallway.
“What do they want to know?”
“Your story. Tell them what you told me. Tell them everything you know. They want to figure out if they can trust you.”
“But even you haven’t figured out if you can trust me. Why should they?”
I reached for her, grabbing her elbow.
“It doesn’t matter what I think,” I said, leading her to my father’s office.
Elsie walked in and the room fell silent. All eyes were on her and I could only guess what she felt. The entire Doherty clan held her in judgement. She had nowhere to hide.
As much as I wanted to protect her from their piercing gazes and judgmental stares, there was one thing I knew about my family—and it was they’d be able to sniff out a spy.
The next half an hour could very well be the most crucial time of Elsie’s life. If she won their respect and trust, it’d mean they’d trust and respect her all their lives. She wouldn’t have to go through this again.
And maybe…it’d put my mind at ease too.
Basically, I presented a girl to my family, seeking their approval. Even though I didn’t look at it that way. Elsie was just a part of my job.
“This is Elsie Harlow. This is the girl who rescued Davey, saved our nephew’s life,” I said.
I hadn’t planned on introducing her that way, but I knew I had to. I needed to make one last-ditch attempt at protecting her before it was out of my hands.
Elsie stood in the middle of the room with her hands clasped together. I stood beside her, even though I didn’t need to. I wanted to be physically present for her as she stood under the burning glare of the rest of my family.
Dad started the questioning after making some casual introductions around the room. Elsie looked nervous, she fidgeted with her hands, tucked her hair over and over again behind her ears. Her voice faltered as she spoke to our father, answering his introductory questions.
Who was she?
Who were her parents?
What was her connection to Aldo?
What was her profession?
What did Aldo do to her family?
Where had she lived since then?
What kind of work did he make her do?
They weren’t questions I hadn’t asked her already, and she replied to each question with the answers she’d given me. She was consistent with her answers and never faltered.
Slowly, with every word that escaped her lips, I saw she’d picked up courage to meet everyone’s eye. I felt the heat coming off her body. That was how close together we stood.
I knew my brothers judged me for it. I had no reason to physically show my support of her. I had no reason to trust her. She was here in the room right n
ow because the rest of the family had to make that decision.
And as much as I denied it, I’d already made my stance pretty clear.
But the more Elsie spoke, the more apparent it became she didn’t actually need my help.
She was able to field off every query coming in her direction. It had started from Dad, but pretty soon my brothers had questions of their own. Everyone was curious about how much she knew. The kind of things she’d been involved in with the Barons. How she’d managed to make her escape with Davey in tow.
The truth was—it was pretty impressive, her ability to handle the room.
We were in there for over an hour, and by the end of it, it had become less of an interrogation and more of an informal chat. I half expected Dad to order in a six pack and offer her a cigar from his drawer.
Elsie held her head up high and answered each question. Her voice didn’t falter anymore, neither did she lean towards me anymore either.
I realized they all liked her. There was no doubt in anyone’s minds that they could trust her, she was reliable. This wasn’t a girl who tried to hide anything.
Now, all I had to do was drop my walls too.
And now that my family believed her story, what did it mean for us?
Nine
Elsie
It was pretty obvious that Tristian was surprised by the way his family reacted to me. Maybe they all were.
None of them expected me to do as well as I did—least of all, me.
I didn’t think I’d actually come out of that meeting in one piece. I was sure the Doherty family would pass a severe judgement on me. They had no reason to believe me and every reason to mistrust me.
I was a girl they didn’t know, with an almost unbelievable story.
But I had to admit—maybe it was Tristian who’d set the stage right. So maybe this was all thanks to him.
I didn’t expect it from him, but he introduced me to his family as the girl who saved their nephew’s life. Then, he stood beside me the whole time his family interrogated me.