Chapter 12: Chapter 12

‘So you’re staying?’ Lia asks with a hint of nervousness in her voice.

‘I can stay on the couch if you’d like.’ I don’t want to sleep on the couch, but I will. It’s not long enough to be comfortable, but I’m not here for comfort. It’s a reminder of how Barten Security started over a decade ago. Sleeping on couches, floors, and trading shifts with Armande as we worked to protect some of the most infamous people in New York City.

The soft scent of vanilla sits in the apartment. I have pictures of this house from the front and back in the classified folder on my phone. I no longer have anyone tailing Lia, but that might change if someone’s trying to scare her.

‘This place is small, too small for you, us. I’m sorry about the controlled chaos, too.’ She mumbles as she steps out of her heels.

Lia’s movements around the apartment are hesitant. I can see her eyes scanning the room, wondering what I must think of her space. In short, it’s perfectly fine.

‘There’s nothing chaotic here,’ I tell her, my eyes on the scattered bits of mail and empty wine glass on the counter of her cozy kitchen.

‘Are you hungry?’ she asks. ‘I have some leftover lasagna in the fridge if you want to eat.’

The only thing I want to eat is her pussy. Just like that. A simple word pulls me away from my focus, my reason for being here. Still, I can’t stop the grin from spreading across my face.

‘I could eat,’ I tell her.

Lia smiles, ignoring the suggestive nature behind my reply. She’s busying herself in the kitchen, hips swaying in the teal dress that hugs her curves, and it doesn’t look comfortable. I can’t have that. I push myself off the couch as she stands in front of an assortment of dishes she pulled out from her cabinets.

When she realizes I’m standing right behind her, she grips the edge of the counter. ‘What do you get out of this, Valentino?’

There’s a slight tremble to her tone.

My answer is simple. ‘You.’

‘Someone like you doesn’t just want someone like me,’ she counters, shaking her head. ‘I’m not some pawn to use against Saul. I’m in the middle of this and I’m scared that someone I love is going to get hurt. No one just decides to protect me.’

I spin her to face me, her eyes wet with tears yet to fall. ‘You’re right. I don’t just want you. I want your trust. I want you to give me a chance that you’ve obviously never given any other man.’

‘The conqueror,’ she whispers.

Yes, I am.

I lower my mouth, kissing her gently before pulling back. I tell her, ‘There was no one before me and I’m determined to make sure no one comes after me.’

To cement my stance, my hands reach around to her ass, cupping two healthy handfuls under her dress with my mouth capturing hers once again. Her delicate moans coupled with her hands gripping my waist encourage me to continue. I pull her closer to me, into my body to feel those magical tits against me.

‘Take this off.’ Her request comes with impatience as she tugs my shirt.

I step back with blood pumping straight to my cock as I undress. She wriggles out of her dress, revealing a strapless lace bra and matching lace shorts that cut across her hips just enough to have her ass cheeks hang from the bottom.

‘Fuck you’re sexy,’ I groan, moving back toward her as our kiss picks back up. Passion and hunger for her, to feel her; it turns off all logic, allowing my primitive desires to push for more.

I pull her away from the kitchen, moving through her home and into her bedroom where I push her onto the bed. I kneel at the edge of it after sliding her panties off to reveal that tender nub I’ve missed ever since I tasted it.

The moment my tongue slips between her slick folds, I feel her fingertips graze my scalp. It draws a moan out of me. I whisper, ‘Harder.’

‘What?’ she pants.

‘Use your nails, harder, Lia,’ I tell her.

She drags her nails across my scalp and forces me to push my face deeper against her pussy. I suck harder and she pulls my hair tighter. I let my teeth graze the inside of her lips before jamming my tongue inside her walls. She whimpers and grinds her hips against my face, her climax running down my mouth.

My cock is throbbing and ready. I can’t hold back anymore as I stand to take my pants and boxers off. They drop to my ankles as I pull her by her thighs to the edge of the bed. The tip of my cock nudges at her opening, pushing inside of her walls with such force, she gasps once I’m seated to the hilt.

‘Fuck.’ Lia winces with her eyes closed.

‘Slap me,’ I tell her as I begin to stroke in and out of her.

Lia stares at me with apprehension before she concedes to my request. However, it’s timid.

‘Fucking slap me, Lia, harder,’ I command her through clenching teeth.

This time, she cocks her hand back and strikes me across the face. It splits my lower lip. The salty tin taste of an open wound does something primal to me. I pump in and out of her harder, faster. She gets wetter with every stroke, getting into it. I pull her bra down, leaning over her breasts to taste her nipples.

I suck on one hard, forcing her to grab me by the hair to pull me back. ‘Fuck, Val.’

‘Too much?’ I grin, arrogant and feeling the wetness coating every inch of my cock.

‘Just a surprise,’ she relents, relaxes, but I don’t ease up.

‘Do you want me to stop?’ I ask her, stopping mid-stroke.

‘No, don’t stop.’

Every stroke after that comes with wild abandon. The tightness of her pussy wrapping around my cock, molding perfectly to me, threatens to make me come before I’m ready. I have to pull out to give myself a minute to regain control.

‘No, put it back,’ she demands.

‘Greedy,’ I mumble to myself with pride. This is what I want. This is what I need. I need her to crave me, to want me so badly she’ll accept all that I’m ready to give her. I stroke my erection for a moment before turning her over, putting Lia on her hands and knees.

The minute I slip back inside of her sweet walls, the wave of her ass bouncing back and forth against me has me getting my second wind. I can’t get enough, and I don’t think I ever will. I slap her ass, causing Lia to arch her back.

I pull her back against me, shifting one of her legs wider to let me drive in and out of her as her hair dusts against my face. She smells so sweet. Her scent tangles with the aroma of our sex. Pure lust unleashing inside of her bedroom makes me reach down to rub her clit while I fuck her from behind.

I pound into her to the point where I have to pull out again. We change positions once more. Lia returns to her back but this time I move directly above her, sliding in and out of her walls as she reaches around to grab my hair with one hand and rake her nails down my back with the other.

‘Fuck yeah, harder,’ I whisper.

She digs her nails into my back to the point it feels like she’s breaking skin. My eyes roll to the back of my head. I have to keep them closed to hide the beast she’s letting out of the cage. I like to be hurt. Even better, I love seeing the look of shock on her face. The confusion and revelation that she’s enjoying this as much as I am.

Lia doesn’t hesitate to slap me again before yanking my head back as I begin pummeling her pussy like I’m never going to fuck her again. Our moans, groans, and sounds mix with every gasp and yelp of pain she draws out of me. The pounding of my cock inside of her pussy, wetness growing between us and I can feel myself ready to erupt.

‘Fuck, I need to come, Lia.’

‘What are you waiting for?’ she asks, pulling my hair tight as she pulls me closer until I release every ounce of myself inside of her walls.

‘Shit,’ I stammer as my release brings a wave of relief. Every jut and jerk of my body emptying into her knocks a bit of logic back inside of me. ‘Fuck. I’m sorry.’

My words come with delicate kisses on her lips as I pull out of her. I’m not able to move for a while, a few moments where I simply hold Lia against me. She’s quiet and I know I can’t let the silence linger between us.

‘I’m sorry. That’s not how I wanted you to learn that about me.’ I tell her with my voice seeming louder in the confines of her bedroom. ‘I should have worn a condom. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.’

I roll over, kissing the side of her head before I get out of bed. The bathroom door is open, and I move inside to clean myself off. The linen closet has a few washcloths and towels inside. I take one, wet it and bring it back to the bed with a towel.

Lia covers her tits with an arm and drops a hand over her pussy. ‘It’s okay. I’m on birth control. I can do that.’

She motions toward the towel.

‘Let me do this for you.’ I tell her and move between her legs. Immediately, I regret it because I’m getting hard as I wipe her down. After taking a deep inhale, I blow a breath out that draws a moan out of her.

‘You’re going to get me hard all over again if you keep moaning like that.’ I warn her.

‘Don’t threaten me with a good time,’ she giggles as I finish up. She grabs the towel, laying it on the bed as I climb back in beside her. ‘Is that what that guy meant by getting you a stage scene?’

‘Dimitri?’

‘Is that his name? The guy who dresses like an extra from Miami Vice?’

That makes me laugh. ‘Yeah, but don’t let Dimitri’s wardrobe fool you. He’s lethal. He’s the owner and he said ‘stage’ because there was a time I liked being watched.’

‘You like people watching you have sex?’

‘Not really. I liked people watching women take their frustrations out on me. Nothing crazy. A busted lip here and there, but my life now requires far more discretion. A scene is what we just did. Are you okay with what happened? Was it too much?’

‘No,’ she lays her head against my chest. ‘It was good to let off some steam. To have some control and take my frustrations out. Do you, um, do you like to be hit harder than that?’

‘Yes.’

I can feel her swallow. Apprehension, I’m sure for whatever she’s about to ask me next. ‘How bad does it get?’

‘I’ve never trusted anyone enough to push the envelope too far. Dimitri says he can hire someone⁠—’

‘No! Don’t do that with anyone. Teach me. I, I don’t want to share that side of you with anyone else.’

‘I don’t want to share any parts of you with anyone else. I’m sorry again. I should have never done that before setting some boundaries.’ I tell her.

‘We can work on it, teach me. How does your back feel?’ she asks.

‘It stings from the scratches, but they’ll heal. It’s not bad, but my lip might bruise. I’d hate to see you pissed.’ I laugh.

‘Yeah, I think the last time I hit somebody was in eighth grade. Frankie was being bullied, and the kid called him a fairy or something. I hit the boy first, balled my fist up and broke my thumb after I cracked him in the face.’

‘Damn, how hard did you hit the kid?’ I chuckle.

She shrugs. ‘Don’t know, I think I broke his nose. But you don’t get to talk shit to my cousin or about my cousin. Doesn’t matter who he likes. He’s family.’

‘I know.” I gingerly touch my swelling lip, remembering the way her cousin threw himself at me. “He can defend himself and you just as hard as you fought for him.’

‘Frankie is like a brother to me. He was sent over from Italy after his folks died. He was like five or six? Our Nonna took him in. My parents would have taken him, but everything with the Bonetti Brothers was too much to manage. Now that I think about it, I spent more time with Frankie and Nonna than I did with them.’

‘Your parents built that company from the ground up?’ I ask her.

‘Yeah. My mother’s idea was to go by the name Eddie instead of Edith when they first started. She got a lot done because people thought Eddie Bonetti was one-half of the brothers. Still, it was hard for them. That’s why I let them talk me into this shit with Caputo.’

‘I get it. You want to protect what they’ve worked so hard to build—’ I lower my voice when I hear something. The creak of the wooden floor outside her front door sounds like someone’s making their way toward her apartment. It’s amazing what I can hear in the silence of this quiet neighborhood.

I get up slowly, pulling on my pants and moving into the living room for my bag. I come back with my gun in hand and Lia’s eyes widen. With a finger up to my lips, I motion for her to go inside the bathroom to hide.

The sound of someone picking the lock in her front door gets my adrenaline pumping as I fish my phone out of my pants pocket. I text Armande, but knowing that he’s having a night at Kings doesn’t give me much hope for help at this hour. I send out another message to some soldiers for the family and hope they get here in time.

Still, I ready myself for a fight. I made a promise to Lia, and I fully intend to keep it.