by Rumer Raines
I wipe away the first tear and stare out the side window. It’s taking forever to get home, despite Dominic driving like a fucking madman. He finally pulls into a parking space, and I jump out and run to my door. I can hear his footsteps behind me. Before I slam the door in his face, he places his foot inside.
“Go away, Dominic! I don’t want to talk to you!” I scream.
“Too bad, baby! We are going to talk.”
“Talk to your wife!” I shout.
I hear his voice, chuckling and hearty. “I told you I am not married.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Steph… I’m not leaving until we talk. Are you going to let me in or do I have to break this fucking door down?” He speaks with cool authority.
His handsome face is severe as he stares at me. I have nothing more to say to him. The worst part is I only have myself to blame. I guess this is what happens when you commit one sin; the rest find their way to you like bees to honey. I wanted to commit murder, next came sex with a married man.
“I need you to trust me.” He rises in one fluid motion.
“Trust you?” I lean back and close my eyes. Is he really asking me to trust him?
“Have I done anything that would make you not trust me?” he questions.
I tilt my head and stare at him. “Everything you have done proves I can’t trust you, Dominic! I have half a million dollars in my closet from you. You know hitmen. You cheat on your wife!”
“I gave you that money, so you could hire a hitman. You are the one who wants to kill her boss because she doesn’t like being told what to do. And don’t judge me for knowing hitmen when your best friend keeps herself so high, she would barely recognize herself if you handed her a mirror.”
Dominic grabs my hand before it reaches his face and pulls me against him. I can feel the bulge of his arousal against my stomach, and I try to pull away, but he won’t let me.
“I need to fuck you so bad right now.” His gaze travels over my face, then moves over my body slowly.
“Go home and fuck your wife…”
His large hand takes my face and holds it gently. “I. Am. Not. Married.”
Dominic picks me up, and I instinctively wrap my legs around his waist as he carries me to my bedroom. Dropping me on the bed, he slowly crawls between my legs after tugging down my skirt. I watch as he pulls off his shirt and unbuckles his pants.
He leans over me, taking one of my breasts in his mouth. I should tell him to stop, but I can’t. The only sound coming from me is a moan that I barely recognize. He crawls up farther until he is looking into my eyes.
“Do you want me to stop?” he asks.
I shake my head.
“Say it. Do you want me to stop?”
“No,” I moan.
“Tell me what you want me to do.”
“I want you to fuck me like you’re trying to break my bed.”
He grabs his engorged cock and slams into me. I gasp as he pushes himself in and pulls back out in a punishing rhythm. My legs start to shake as he continuously impales me. The only sounds in the room are our moans and the slap of sweaty bare flesh meeting flesh.
“Spread your legs wider for me. I am going to fuck you until my dick is the only thing keeping you sane,” he moans into my ear while pinning my legs down.
It’s this moment when I realize that Dominic is going to keep that promise.
Dominic’s snoring, not his heavy limbs spread across me, is what wakes me. I softly lift his arm, so I can turn to my side. It’s late and I wonder if I should wake him, so he can go back home. I give him a soft elbow, and he wakes and pulls me closer.
“Don’t you need to get home?” I whisper.
Dominic sighs and rubs his face. “Why do I need to get home, Steph?”
“I don’t know? Aren’t you expected?” I hint.
He brushes a gentle kiss across my forehead. Dominic gets out of bed, grabbing his pants from the floor. He pulls out his wallet and hands me a photo. It’s of two young men, one of them obviously him.
I glance at the photo and back to him as he sits on the edge of the bed.
“Why are you showing me this?”
“It’s me and my best friend Diego. We were twenty-one in that picture. We were two of the biggest hotheads you could ever meet. We went into business together and got into a lot of shit.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Can I finish my fucking story?”
I nod.
“Diego got married young, and she had his nose wide open. She used to come to the bar and hang out until he left. One night, a guy was hitting on her, and Diego got pissed. He wanted to teach the guy a lesson. No one talked to his woman. Diego picked a fight, and two men went into the alley and only one came out. I should have stopped him from going out there, but I didn’t. He was going to prove who had the bigger balls, but that night, he didn’t. Diego died that night, and I killed for the first time. I couldn’t let his killer walk away. The woman in my office is Diana. She was Diego’s wife. He took his last breath in my arms, and I promised him that she would be taken care of.”
“Dominic, I’m so sorry. You have been taking care of her all this time?” I ask.
Dominic nods and I crawl into his lap.
“I should have stopped him. He wasn’t thinking because he was angry. One stupid mistake changed so many lives.”
Laying my head against his chest, I think about Ted. Dominic has been hesitant to help me, and it all makes sense now. But, despite his hesitation, another thought occurs to me. He said it was the first time he killed.
23
“WHAT ARE YOU ASKING ME, STEPHANIE?” Monique narrows her eyes. After Dominic left, I had to get answers, and I didn’t think he would give them to me. He made his confession and then closed off. He had a look in his eyes that said he was done talking.
“I want to know everything about Dominic.”
“I think you need to ask Dominic.”
“I am asking you. We are friends, aren’t we?”
Monique shakes her head and starts to pace. “You are not going to put me in this position. You fucked him. You deal with the consequences!”
“What consequences? Tell me, Monique!”
“You were supposed to ask them for help and move on, Stephanie. You should have never gotten involved with Dominic. He’ll hurt you. He isn’t the type of man you take home to your parents.”
“What type of man is he? Is he married?” I whisper.
“Married? Hell no… Dominic can’t commit to a car for longer than six months.”
“How will he hurt me?”
Monique sits next to me, and I can see the fear in her eyes. “My brothers are… My family…. They are Mafia.”
“Are you kidding me?” I laugh.
She can’t be serious. My heart races as I realize I am the only one laughing. She is serious. Dominic is in the Mafia? I had a gut feeling that he was doing something illegal, but the Mafia?
“You were supposed to ask for help, Stephanie. I didn’t tell you to fall into bed with him.”
“Are you in the Mafia, too?”
“No. Women aren’t allowed in the family business. I just get a monthly allowance and have a bodyguard, which comes with very good benefits.” She smirks.
“What does this mean for me? I asked him to find me a hitman. He gave me a lot of cash to hire one. Was he just playing with me?”
“He gave you cash to hire one?” Monique questions.
“Yeah.”
“I hope you didn’t spend any of it.” She warns.
I rush home to get the money that Dominic gave me. I will give It back. I can’t owe the Mafia. Sliding open my closet door, I tremble as I stare at the empty spot on the floor. The spot where the cash sat this morning.
My heart is beating so hard, I barely hear the knock on the door. Dominic’s warm lips meet mine as he walks me backwards inside. He is going to kill me. I lost the Mafia’s money.
>
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“Nothing. I’m just surprised to see you.”
His eyes narrow, and he glances toward my bedroom. “I thought I would take you out.”
“Take me out? Why?”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing is wrong with me. You’re the one who wants to take me out. I haven’t even done anything!”
“What are you talking about, Steph?” His eyebrows rise inquiringly. He steps closer and lifts his hand to cup my chin, and he looks confused when I flinch.
“I actually don’t feel very good, Dominic. Can we do this another time?”
He glances back toward my bedroom and nods. He brushes a gentle kiss across my forehead before walking away.
Locking the door behind him, I realize one thing… I am fucked.
Somehow, I manage to avoid Dominic for two weeks. He sends me text messages every twenty minutes asking why I am avoiding him. I still have a little money from the sex parties to stay at a cheap hotel. I hate spending the money, but I also hate owing money to the Mafia.
I can’t stay home because Dominic will find me. I must figure out who in the hell took that money.
I don’t know much about the Mafia, but I know you don’t fuck with their money.
Have you ever experienced hell on earth? This is exactly how my day has been going. I’ve spent most of the day arguing with Ted, and the other half ignoring my co-workers.
After shutting down my computer and still ignoring my co-workers, I make my way to the door. There is only one thought on my mind… the liquor store. I need a drink. I need to lose myself in something other than my own thoughts.
The minute I walk out, I am greeted by Dominic. He is leaning against a black Range Rover. His arms are crossed, his eyes cold. He touches his forehead slightly in a mock salute.
I cross my arms, protecting myself. Does he know the money is gone? He moves closer until he leaves me no room at all. His mouth is tight and grim. Is this the day it will all end for me?
My life flashes before my eyes. Panic riots within me. I have set this all in motion, and now, I will have to answer for it. I wanted to commit murder, I abandoned my best friend, I slept with a man I barely knew, I took his money… I did it all.
Now, sheer black fright sweeps through me.
24
DOMINIC OPENS the passenger door and gives me a look indicating this is not the time to ask questions. Taking my keys out of my hand, he passes them along to a big guy that is with him. He pulls into traffic and my heart start to race.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
His eyebrows draw downward in a frown. He gazes at me with a bland half-smile.
“Are you mad at me?” My voice sounds fragile and shaky, but he doesn’t answer right away.
“Am I mad at you? Let me think about that… I am very angry with you. Don’t you think I have a reason to be?” His voice sounds uncompromising yet oddly gentle.
“Dom…”
He holds up his hand to silence me. “I don’t want to hear it until afterward,” he says quietly.
“After what?” My voice sounds shakier than I would have liked.
“You’re going to get what you asked for. I am going to fuck you until I break the bed.”
I’m too startled by his promise to offer any objection. Who am I kidding? I don’t want to object. I want him to hit the gas, so we can get there faster.
Ten minutes later, we pull into my parking spot and Dominic grabs my hand before pulling me into my apartment. Dropping my purse on the floor, I wrap one leg around him as I reach for his belt. I only hear his breathing against my ear until there’s a soft gasp. Dominic pulls away and grabs a gun from his waist, taking aim at my stunned mother.
Surprise siphons the blood from her face as Dominic apologizes and puts his gun away.
She gives him a sidelong glance of utter disbelief. “I would like to speak to my daughter… alone.”
Dominic pulls me against him, pats me on the butt, and places a wet kiss on my mouth while my mother watches. “I’ll be back in twenty-five minutes. Don’t make me look for you.” There is a critical tone to his voice.
He gives my mother a nod before he leaves, softly closing the door behind him.
“Have you lost your God-given mind?” Her lips thin with irritation.
“Mom,” I whisper.
“Don’t Mom me! You have been missing for weeks! Then you come home with that man who points a gun at me! I knew the minute you started doing those sex parties, your life would spiral out of control! Where the hell have you been, Stephanie?”
I fight to control my swirling emotions. This is my mother; I can’t lie to her. She’d know the minute the lies started flowing anyways.
“You better sit down. This won’t be an easy story to hear,” I warn.
Biting my lip, I look away as I tell her everything. I confess to my mother how I got myself into this situation by calling Ted the limp dick motherfucker, and she gives me a stern-faced expression. This face is only the tip of the iceberg as she listens to me confide about my plot to have Ted murdered, how my new friend sent me to her Mafia brothers to do the job, how they drug their feet which led me to the gun shop, followed by Dominic giving me five hundred thousand dollars to hire someone, and finally the money going missing.
A momentary look of discomfort crosses her face as she pulls a Kleenex from her purse to wipe her eyes. I have disappointed her. I can see it in her eyes.
I feel sick.
“Where did I go wrong with you?” Her expression is tight with strain.
“I’ve made a few mistakes,” I admit.
“Yes, you have. But we can fix all of it.” The look on her face changes to eagerness and tenderness.
“How?”
She takes a deep breath before putting her used Kleenex back into her purse. That is my mother… She never lets anything goes to waste.
“He’ll be back in ten minutes. We can leave now and go to the police station.”
My lips tremble with the need to smile. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No! We need to go to the police! You will tell them everything you told me. If you turn in Dominic and his family, I am sure they will go easy on you. Besides… Ted is still alive.”
I stare at her and burst out laughing. “I am not going to the cops.” I rise in one fluid motion.
“Why the hell not?”
“Mom, Dominic hasn’t done anything.”
“He hasn’t done anything yet. He is in the Mafia, so I am sure he is guilty of plenty. Why would he have that kind of money just sitting around? Not to mention what he’ll do to you when he finds out it’s missing.”
“He won’t hurt me,” I whisper.
“If you believed that, you would have told him it’s missing. It’s obviously the reason you went into hiding. The clock is ticking. Are we going or not?”
“I won’t do it. I need for you to leave before he comes back.”
She looks at me, stunned, as if she is staring at a stranger. Grabbing the doorknob, she gives me one last glance. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Stephanie. You weren’t raised to live a life of sin.” She spins and is gone.
I stand motionless in the middle of the room, a hot tear trickling down my cheek. What have I done?
What are the chances that my mother isn’t headed to the police station, with the “save my daughter” chant running through her head? I calm down, reminding myself that she won’t do that, at least not today. I don’t know what I am going to do to get out of this mess. I can move on with my plan to kill Ted, but I am missing a lot of the Mafia’s money. Dominic made it clear that I would have to pay it back, and I don’t even know how I originally thought that could happen. How many sex parties can a girl do to get that kind of money?
Dominic pointed a gun at my mother tonight. I realize he didn’t know it was her, but he still had a loaded gun on him. Will he use it on me, when I tell him
the money is gone and I won’t be able to pay it back?
What will Dominic do when he finds out?
“When I find out about what?” he questions.
I jump to my feet as I stare at him and back to the door.
Shit... I was talking out loud.
“How the hell did you get in? The door was locked!”
He holds up a key and smiles. “I have a key,” he says matter-of-factly.
“How did you get a key?”
I walk over to grab it, but he puts it in his pocket before picking me up and placing me over his shoulder.
“I think I have a promise to keep,” he announces before slapping my butt.
He isn’t gentle. After we both undress, Dominic positions his large, erect penis and slams into me. With my arms pinned above my head, he doesn’t make love to me, he fucks me. Turning my arms loose, he grabs onto the headboard, so he can thrust farther into me as my legs tremble and my vision goes black. Skin to skin, we are one. His fingers burn into my tingling skin. Every time he slams into me, my body melts against his and my world becomes filled with only him.
I gasp in sweet agony until it happens. He breaks my damn headboard. Even that doesn’t stop him from pumping himself into me. The only thing that stops him is when he finally cries out his release.
My muscles scream from the strain as I lie in his arms. He’s left a burning imprint on me. I don’t know what it is about this man, but I need him.
A cold shiver spreads over me as I remember Ted and the missing money. Dominic pulls me closer and wraps his leg over me. “What are you thinking about?” he moans.
“I have changed my mind,” I reply.
“About what?”
“I don’t want anything to happen to Ted. It’s just a job, and he isn’t worth the guilt.”
Dominic rolls over so that I am on my back and places his soft lips against mine. I am not doing this for Ted. I still hate the limp dick mother fucker. I am doing this for Dominic. I can’t let him do this for me. I don’t want him committing a crime on my behalf. I can’t deny the evidence any longer. I am in love with this man. The only fear I have is what the man I love will do to me when he finds out I lost his money?