The Syndicates: A Dark Mafia Romance Collection

by Raven Scott

  “Mmm. My parents have five kids total. I’m the second oldest. My sister, Lorraine, is on deployment somewhere in the Middle East .” If Oran was surprised, he didn’t tense, and I licked my lips heavily as he caressed under my chin. “Then there’s me, then Darren, who’s twenty-one, and Sarah, and Trent, who’s fourteen. That’s why it makes me so mad the way our parents treat her. It’s not like it’s just me and her, and they treat Trent just fine.”

  “You’ve only ever mentioned Sarah, so it did seem to me like it was just the two of you.” Even the subject, which admittedly, I brought up, couldn’t dampen my mood, and I nodded against Oran’s upper thigh absently. “I guess she is your biggest problem considering the circumstances. Your mother called you earlier, you said. What did she want?”

  “To chat. That’s it. I didn’t even tell her what was going on because she’d act like I was telling her a story about one of my friends, not her daughter. It’s really starting to piss me off.” Calloused fingertips circled down my neck and over my shoulder, and my face heated at the reminder. My mom . . . how could she just stop caring about Sarah? If it wasn’t sudden, did that mean that Mom hated Sarah, and if so, for how long? Since her diagnosis? Since puberty? When? I had no answers. I sucked in a deep, calming breath as Oran trailed his hand down my side. “If she took Sarah’s borderline diagnosis so bad, I wonder what she’d think of me.”

  “I don’t know. My dad is a sociopath, but I have very little experience with moms.” The way he said that word just sounded awkward and sluggish. I rolled onto my back to open my eyes as he cast me a frown. “My mother died a very long time ago, so long that I don’t remember her at all.”

  “Is that why you were so mad about Kara that you . . . ” Trailing off suggestively, I didn’t really know what to feel when Oran shrugged, his nostrils flaring as he exhaled a shallow breath. “Now that I’m tipsy, you know, I kinda get it. If someone betrayed me and caused the death of someone so important to me, I’d probably beat that person up too. Regardless of whether that person died, if I was rich and successful and influential and could get away with it . . . if there were no consequences legally, I’d definitely do it, too.”

  “You’re quite the firecracker, May.” His lips quirked up, his eyes shimmering as he caressed my cheek, and the hairs on his knuckles tickled my skin again. My heartbeat slowed and I reached a heavy hand to cup Oran’s sharp jaw. Turning his face into my palm, he kissed the inside of my wrist and goosebumps swept down my arm even though his eyes never wavered from mine. “I don’t want to ruin this moment. We’re having dinner tomorrow night, anyway.”

  “Me either.” Oran cast me a tender smile and blood drummed faintly in my ears as he pressed his palm flat against my sternum. “I told Sarah yesterday that I wasn’t going to be home Friday night, but that’s part of her issues— impulsiveness. It would’ve been nice if she didn’t butcher a bird in my sink until tomorrow. Maybe I’d never know about it.”

  “If you want, I can give you a number for a great cleaning service. I’ve used them before.” The offer was touching, and I nodded before turning back on my side to gaze through the TV. “Are you tired, May?”

  “I’m tipsy and full of pizza.” The answer was pretty obvious, and Oran chuckled lowly before nudging me off him. Groaning in protest, I curled up when his warmth seeped into the sofa’s leather cushions, but powerful, lean arms scooped me up. Oran held me up so easily, and his muscles flexed against me as he rounded the sofa and walked up the stairs. His place had a kitchen and living room on the ground floor, but the stairs led to a loft. The place had four rooms total, which would’ve surprised me.

  I watched too much rich people TV.

  “Here.” Gingerly laying me on his bed, Oran deftly unbuttoned my flowy, dark green work shirt, and I resisted the urge to just roll over and pass out. “Comfortable, huh? It’s a Purple mattress, and if there’s one thing you shouldn’t cut corners on, it’s a bed.”

  “I’m never leaving it.” God, this mattress was soft, the sheets were soft, the blanket was soft. My declaration slurred heavily and Oran’s smile warmed my chest as he unfastened the front clasp of my bra. Hoovering up a huge breath at the sudden release, I rolled over to arch sharply and he expertly divested me of my clothes. Taking off my straight-leg pants, he didn’t even try to get frisky. It wouldn’t have done anything, anyway. The alcohol in my blood, the atmosphere of intimacy, there was no room for anything else, so he crawled into bed behind me.

  Oran spooned me so perfectly, working his arm under my cheek while his other hand crept to grope my bare breast. His hot, rigidly defined chest cut against my back, and he nudged his knee between my legs to grumble low in my ear.

  Things couldn’t get better than this moment.

  20

  May

  Oran was inked. There was no bare spot on his arms, and barely on his torso, his shoulders, his neck. Everywhere I looked, there was a tattoo. A gorgeous third spider sat on his shoulder, and I leaned down to trail my nose between defined pectoral muscles. The words scrawled on his side were in a language I couldn’t read, but if I had to guess, it wasn’t from the Bible.

  My mouth watered as the smell of him became musky and thick, and I kissed down Oran’s abs one at a time. His skin twitched against my lips, and I shuffled down under the sheet as his thick happy trail tickled my chin. Even under the thin sheet, I could tell his tattoos stopped at the waist, and my fingers itched with eagerness as they hooked under the waistband of his loose boxers.

  Heat flooded my veins, and desire sung in my ears while I rolled down the fabric. The head of Oran’s cock was a perfect mushroom, and I licked my lips hungrily as a wave of appreciation slammed into my abdomen. He wasn’t awake yet but he shuffled slightly, and the back of his boxers rolled down to reveal him in his entire, hard glory.

  Saliva pooled under my tongue even as it snuck out, and I licked up the length of his shaft from the base. Under me, Oran tensed, sucking in a sharp breath, and his palm flew to my crown outside the sheet. He was definitely awake now. I pumped his cock with greedy fingers before sucking the head between my lips.

  “Fucking shit.” His taste coated my tongue, dark and heady and delicious, and I took him deeper as his groan rang in my ears. My palms glided up Oran’s chest to feel the power rippling through him, and I gagged slightly when his head bumped against the roof of my mouth. Pulling the sheet off me, he wasted no time fisting my hair, and I arched sharply to take him all the way down my throat. The choked gasp he gave me sent tingles down my spine, and I opened my mouth wide, but he was big.

  Oran let me explore his cock with my tongue, and I glanced up when I pulled back to catch the lazy pleasure beaming from his eyes. Licking the length of him, the tip of my tongue followed the vein, and he tensed as his feet flexed against mine. Taking a breath, I took him down my throat slowly, savoring each inch, and I grazed my teeth just under the ridge of his head. His groan flooded me with a fog, and he pushed down on my head gently but insistently.

  “May . . . ” Whispering my name with such reverence sent a rush through my chest, and I doubled down to gulp down around his head. Oran gasped, his fists tightening against my scalp, and my abdomen clenched as I set a slow, deep pace. The smoothness of his shaft eased along my tongue and I gagged loudly when his tight curls tickled my nose.

  When I pulled back, Oran tugged on my hair, but I ignored it to lavish his shaft with my lips. Need balled in my belly, but I really just wanted him in my mouth, choking me, hearing his pleasure as it rumbled from his chest like thunder. He gave up, pushing my head down and his hips up, and tiny tears welled in my eyes when his cock curved down my throat.

  Ducking and arching as Oran tilted his hips to my savoring beat, the fine hairs on my back stood up when a saltiness swarmed my taste buds. His cock throbbed against my tongue, and I hallowed my cheeks as I glanced up to lock eyes with him. In this moment, he was so, so beautiful. He cocked his head as his abs played at the bottom edge of my vision. W
hen I blinked, the water collecting on my lashes streamed down my nose, and his pupils narrowed into slits but didn’t waver from mine.

  Pain was the ultimate pleasure, but sometimes I just wanted to do it normally. Every so often, I got the urge. Every once in a while, just the pleasure was enough for me.

  “You taste good.” The rasp in my tone made Oran tense, his cock twitching against my lips, and I panted lightly as my heart went wild. With an ease that turned me on more than it should’ve, Oran sat up to shuffle onto his knees, and I groaned softly in anticipation. Excitement flooded my veins, and he adjusted his hands buried in my hair to pull taut. Red tinged his face, his hair sticking every which way, and I braced my palms against the mattress in preparation.

  There was something wonderful about surrendering, and I let go of all the extra feelings— the sheets against my feet, the mattress stressing against my knees— as I opened my mouth wide. Oran let me take a shallow breath before surging down my throat, and I arched sharply as his pelvis ground against my chin. He drove deeper, harder, stayed longer, and I gulped and gagged voraciously as pleasure rippled across my face and down my neck.

  “May-y . . . fuck . . . ” His strained gasp rolled down my back, and he pulled away only to snap his hips. The head of his cock banged the roof of my mouth before curving down, and he pushed down on my head to lean over me. He thrust hard, fast, and I couldn’t do anything when he cupped under my chin to rough me up. His cock swelled against my tongue, rippling against my cheeks, the head throbbing wildly as he screwed my brains out of my ears.

  My taste buds shivered furiously, greedily, but Oran pulled back before I thought to grab his hips. My frustration cut off when he yanked my head up, and I moaned at the shock that gripped my spine in a vice. Hot, chapped lips collided with mine, and he wrapped an arm around my waist to practically throw me onto my back. Blinking hard as the world spun, I shook my head wildly and he pushed my panties to the side to bury his face between my legs.

  Oran’s sharp inhale sucked the heat from my core and I cried out when he mercilessly pinched my clit. Arching sharply, my thighs clung to his head as he licked the length of my slit to send sparks of euphoria prickling up my torso. His tongue parted my folds and he twisted and tugged my sensitive bead as the coil in my belly became dangerously taut.

  “Oh-h, fuck, it hurts . . . ” Sputtering breathlessly, I closed my eyes to keep them from popping from their sockets, and Oran slithered up my body to capture my lips in a searing kiss. Grinding against me, his cock buried between my folds, I tilted my hips eagerly as I grappled his sides. His tongue danced against mine, the taste of me and him together, mingling, beautiful, and my palms flew to his jaw to hold him closer.

  But that seemed to be just what Oran wanted, and I choked when he pinched just below my belly button hard. Holding my skin between his thumb and curled finger, he clamped down when I tensed, tearing my mouth from his to hiss. The thick ridge of his cock flicked my abused clit and my eyes rolled back as rapture sloshed against my ribs.

  Oran didn’t release me, his grip tightening even as I came, and my knees clung to his hips as I craned my neck.

  “Yeah-h-h . . . ” Growling lowly, Oran ducked to kiss and lick my pulse point, and I wheezed as shivers invaded every muscle in my body. “You’re a strange little slut.”

  “Oh, God . . . ” He smirked against my neck before kissing down the valley between my breasts, and I whimpered when his tongue laved the spot he’d pinched. “Th-that was great.”

  “The wonderful thing about women is it doesn’t stop once you come. I don’t exactly have that luxury, so I have to pace myself.” He blew on the stinging, throbbing mark and I sucked in a whistle of a breath between my teeth. “It sucks. I know.”

  Punctuating that declaration by sucking the spot, Oran anchored himself above me to kiss the corner of my mouth, and I sniffed as I tried to make my brain work.

  “Take a Viagra.” This time, he was the one who choked, and I tensed when he nibbled my jaw and up to my ear. “I’m serious.”

  “I know you are, May. I don’t think it’s fair that you’re already expecting a short performance, though.” Inhaling a staggering breath, I frowned as I forced my eyes open, but Oran was smirking when he propped himself on his arm to gaze down at me. “I don’t think taking a Viagra is a good way to start this off. Don’t want you to be disappointed without it.”

  “I wasn’t disappointed last time.” My confession earned me a chuff of a laugh, and Oran peeled my hair from my cheek to caress the spot. The fullness in my chest was slowly seeping into the mattress, and my heart and breathing started to stabilize as he pursed his lips thinly. His eyes searched my face for something, but I realized . . .

  Oran couldn’t really see me— he didn’t have his glasses on.

  “I wasn’t trying to last, last time. I’m sure if I put my mind to it, I can do anything.” His smirk widened and I smacked his arm weakly before he rolled over to sit and stretch his arms above his head. For the first time, I saw Oran’s bare back and shock jolted my heart.

  His entire back was covered, from the nape of his neck to his tail bone, in a massive, expertly designed centipede. The thing glistened, its legs stretching to the curve of his ribs. When he moved, it moved, and I sat up to touch the incredible, 3-D artwork. Just like the spider on his shoulder, this armored centipede was so real-looking, so life-like, like it could just jump off him. The bright yellow and fierce red made it look exotic and dangerous, and it’s body wiggled against his spine when he twisted to glance at me.

  “What is this?” Oran rolled his shoulders and the centipede looked like it was crawling, skittering away from my question.

  “I saw King Kong and was inspired by that scene when the chick is hiding from the dinosaurs inside the log.” The flatness in his tone told me he was lying, and he didn’t even try to hide it before throwing his legs over the side of the bed and standing up. “Let’s go shower. I can drop you off at home to get changed before you have to head to work.”

  21

  Oran

  “May, call me when you get a chance. I have a proposal for you.” Hanging up the call, I sat back in my chair before Malory cracked open my office door and poked her head in. “What?”

  “Your two o’clock is here.” Meetings. I was stuck in a never-ending loop of useless, boring meetings. Gesturing her to let her in, I took off my glasses to rub the lenses with my shirt cuff and ground my teeth to hold back my sigh. Friday had come and gone, and I hadn’t heard from May. Saturday was the same. On Sunday, a peculiar gut rot started to chew through me. Usually, she’d text me if she couldn’t answer the phone, but it’d been three days of nada.

  Of course, I knew Thursday night hadn’t exactly been relaxing. May had drank herself into complacency. And Friday morning had been interesting, but . . .

  “Mr. Santino.” Pursing my lips to hide my frown, I put my glasses back on and stood up, and surprise rose my brows. “Wonderful to see you.”

  “Frank, what a surprise.” My eyes narrowed on Frank with his ugly moustache and beady eyes, and I extended my hand to shake his. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  Frank and I sat down on opposite sides of my desk and I leaned back to stare him down. There was absolutely no reason for us to be meeting so soon, and Candice was supposed to handle him, regardless. He managed my docks, shipping my more illicit materials, and he should’ve known better than to come to me.

  “I guess it’s not surprising. We only have these meetings once a year. I have a few things I wanted to discuss with you, personally.” Now, I didn’t bother to hide my frown, and Frank waved a meaty hand dismissively. “It’s nothing bad. I—”

  Whatever Frank was going to say was cut off by my cell phone ringing insistently, and I held up a finger as I snatched the device off my desk. May’s name and number flashed on the screen, and I pushed myself up to walk to the window where Frank couldn’t hear me. Relief surged through my veins, and I gazed down at the bu
stling city below as I swiped the screen.

  “May, hey. I’ve been trying to reach you all weekend.” The line cracked loudly, like she had the phone on speaker and the microphone up against something. “Hello?”

  “I’m here. I’m here. Don’t hang up. Just a sec.” There was a strange sound in the background, and I leaned on the window frame as expectation quickly replaced the tension in my shoulders. She must’ve been moving something pretty heavy because it crashed loudly down what sounded like a flight of stairs, and my brows furrowed in confusion. “I give up! Fuck! Sarah! Get your ass out here and clean this up!”

  May was clearly pissed as she shouted at her sister, and when she spoke up again, her voice was crisp, giving me a great earful of how upset she was.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t called. Sarah tried to use the garbage disposal on the bird and my whole apartment flooded while I was at work on Friday. We got kicked out. I’m sending her back to our parents. I can’t do this anymore.” May’s tone trembled and lowered with apoplexy, and surprise struck my chest as I sucked in a sharp, shallow breath. “I’m done. I’m going to fucking get sued for the damage, I have nowhere to live, and, damnit, Sarah! I said pick this shit up!”

  “Where are you right now?”

  “Right now I’m about half a second from whooping your ass. I can’t believe you. You’re fucking sixteen years old, Sarah. You know better than to bring home a dead bird, let alone stuff it’s bones into the garbage disposal!” Not the answer I need. Covering my mouth to hide my scowl as May screamed at her sister, I held the phone a little ways away from my ear to avoid going deaf as well as being blind. “Because I didn’t tell you not to do it? This is my fault because I didn’t tell you not to do it!”