And when Dr. Amenzo came barreling out the massive front doors, I turned my attention to other things.
“What happened?” he asked as he ripped my door open.
I quickly stepped out. “Gunshot to the side. He’s bleeding pretty badly. Thinks it’s hit an organ.”
“Ugh,” Lyle grunted.
The doctor ripped open the back door. “Come on. You need surgery. My nurses are setting up right now.”
The anger that filled my chest was more with myself than anything else. While I’d been trying to seduce Miss Pettigrew back into my good graces, someone had been plotting my demise. And as I helped Dr. Amenzo get Lyle into the makeshift operating room at the back of my house, it dawned on me.
If I’m not careful from now on, I could lose everything.
The door to the operating room closed in my face and I was left alone. The silence was almost deafening, and I needed a goddamn shower. So, I made my way into one of the first rooms on the main floor and utilized the bathroom to clean myself up.
And just as I stepped out of the steamy bathroom to check on Lyle, I found myself face to face with Dr. Amenzo.
“Are you done already?” I asked.
He nodded. “It was actually a pretty easy surgery. The bullet perforated his kidney, but didn’t go anywhere else. We removed his kidney along with the bullet, there was no shrapnel to be found, so we checked to make sure no arteries had been nicked and we sewed him up. He’ll be out of it for a few hours, then laid up for a few weeks. Should be back on his feet in about a month and a half.”
I placed my hand on his shoulder. “Thank you, Doc. I really appreciate it.”
“You know I’m always on your side, right?”
I squeezed his shoulder. “I do.”
“So, you know if there’s something I hear--even if it’s a rumor--I’m going to tell you. Right?”
I narrowed my eyes. “What is it, Doctor?”
He sighed. “I have a feeling the bullet that caught him was supposed to be for you.”
My hand fell away from his body. “You know about the hit.”
He blinked. “You know as well?”
“Not until the trip back to the house, but I know now. Yes. How the hell do you know?”
“Rumors, Mr. Emiliano. The streets have been rife with it this entire weekend. I’m surprised you haven’t heard until today.”
My eye twitched. “I’ll let that one slide for today.”
“I mean no disrespect, but--.”
My stare hardened on his face. “Your payment will drop into your account by the end of the day. Thank you, Doctor.”
He sighed. “My pleasure. Call me if you ever need anything.”
“You’re dismissed.”
“May I say one more thing before I leave?”
I licked my lips. “You’re treading on thin ice, so make it quick.”
His eyes never wavered from mine. “You’ve worked too hard to get to where you are to lose it all now. Whatever has you distracted, it needs to go.”
“Out. Now.”
I didn’t even bother ushering the doctor out, because if I followed him I wasn't sure I wouldn’t kill him myself. And not because he was wrong, but because he was right. I turned my back to him as one of my staff ushered him out and I gazed out the window, racking my mind as to whether or not Lorenzo was ballsy enough to actually put a bounty on my head. He was a piece of shit. But, I’d never known him to take such great measures with someone.
After all, Lorenzo was the kind of man who wanted to see the brutality for himself.
Dr. Amenzo was right, though. I’d been embroiled in a turf war I’d been fighting for years. I built my entire life on the idea of finally pushing the Luccheses out for good, and my only foothold on them currently were those fucking ports all around the island. If this was Lorenzo’s first step in trying to get me out of the picture, then it would be his last.
But, none of this felt like Lorenzo.
The house was eerily silent when I finally left the room. And when I did, I peeked my head into the room that Dr. Amenzo’s nurses had turned over quicker than the blink of an eye. No longer was there plastic sheeting everywhere. No disinfectant, or I.V. bags, or sharpened and sterilized surgical utensils. Instead, there was Lyle. Lying on a king-size bed with one nurse at his side tending to gauze that already had to be changed out.
I slipped out as silently as I slipped in and went to go find Miss Pettigrew.
Night was beginning to fall and the idea of leaving yet again stirred my stomach with nausea. I’d had enough excitement for one day, and all I wanted was to collapse in bed. Not alone, though. There was someone whose touch I knew would bring me back to life.
And as I stood in the darkened doorway of her bedroom, I watched her shoulders rise and fall evenly with her breathing.
I shed my towel and cast it off to the side. I closed Miss Pettigrew’s door behind me and walked over to her side of the bed. I lifted the covers and eased myself beside her, watching as she softly rolled over to create more room.
Without even waking.
As if she had been waiting for me.
I slipped into bed and covered myself up before reaching out for her. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close, but it wasn’t until I peppered kisses along her bare shoulder that she wiggled against me. With her ass pressed against my naked dick, I buried my face into the crook of her neck. Her hand slid up and down my forearm mindlessly, her hair covering my face away from the world as I sank against her as much as she’d let me.
And when her body sat tightly against my own, I let my eyes fall closed.
Before darkness carried me off as quickly as it had fallen into my lap.
I groaned and stretched before I rolled over. And for some reason, I expected someone to be there. After all, the sheets were warm. There was a hint of musk my nose remembered, even if my brain still wasn’t functioning yet. I reached out and readied myself to wrap my arm around Teo, because I knew he’d be there. I knew he came to bed last night instead of leaving.
But, when my arm fell against the mattress, my eyes slid open.
“Teo?” I asked groggily.
As I sat up with my hair a knotted mess, my hazy eyes danced around the room. Surely, he was still here. I mean, the mattress was still warm! The pillow still smelled like him! I reached for the pillow and brought it to my face, inhaling his scent deeply.
It was the only thing that proved to me that I hadn’t imagined last night.
He stayed with me last night.
But, why? Why come and slip in bed with me when he knew damn good and well his wife was expecting him home? It didn’t seem to make sense. I laid back down and stared at the ceiling, clutching his pillow to my chest.
Then, it dawned on me.
Did something happen last night?
The pattern became so ridiculously clear that I was angry at myself for not catching it sooner. I mean, the party he threw where he came downstairs and needed a break. The altercation before he stumbled downstairs with that knife wound he relied on me to take care of. Every time there was an issue that put him under pressure, he came to me instead of going to his wife. He came to seek out my comfort instead of hers. And while the realization made me smile, my gut still curdled.
If he started staying with me regularly like this, would his wife come back?
Would she really hurt Teo the way she said she would?
And if she came back, would I make it out alive?
What a fucking shitshow.
5
Mateo
Now that I had Miss Pettigrew back on my side again, I needed to seek out some of her services. Well, eventually. Right now, all I wanted to do was test her knowledge of certain subjects and see how she’d react in given situations. I needed to know that she would play well on my side.
And that required a test.
“Miss Pettigrew.”
I knocked on the bedroom door, but I didn’t hear her
on the other side.
“Miss Pettigrew, we need to speak.”
I heard a muffled voice waft through the door. “In the tub, what do you want?”
I grinned. “I have a key, you know.”
“Then use it.”
I slid the key to the door out of my pocket and unlocked it. I made my way into the bathroom, where the claw-footed tub I had installed was filled to the brim with bubbles. Miss Pettigrew had her hair up and some sort of green, goopy mask on her face. And as I leaned against the marble bathroom countertops I hand-picked myself, she didn’t even look my way.
“Yes?” she asked.
I chuckled. “Gonna look at me?”
“I’m trying to stay in a relaxed frame of mind. Is it something urgent?”
I folded my arms over my chest. “Well, that’s about to end. Because I need your advice on a few things.”
She finally turned her eyes up to me. “Oh? What about?”
“It has come to my attention that one of my employees has been embezzling some funds from me. I’d like to know what my legal course of action is.”
She snickered. “Since when are men like yourself using legal course of action when it comes to getting money?”
I blinked. “The basement is more than willing t--.”
She waved her hand in the air. “If you really wanted me in the basement, you would have already put me there.”
She’s getting too comfortable. “Then, maybe you’d enjoy a day out on the town. You know, so people can be reassured that you’re still on the island.”
Her jaw clenched. “Your best course of action with an embezzlement case is to get your evidence and take it straight to the person. 80% of embezzlement cases are always settled outside of court.”
“But, if they wish to take me to court?”
She sighed. “You go through the rigamarole of showing the judge your evidence before you sue for your money back.”
“What if the person didn’t want to pay--.”
Her eyes flickered up to mine. “If you test me, give me something a bit harder. Yeah?”
Astute. I’ll need that on my side. “Very well. Say a colleague comes to visit me and all of a sudden, there’s a fight. There’s shooting and blood. Maybe a few broken bones. And that person decides to take me to court over it. What do you do when you’ve witnessed something?”
“If I’ve witnessed something, I don’t perjure myself.”
“But…?”
She sank deeper into the bubbles. “But, if for some reason what I witnessed tampers with the person paying my paycheck, then I choose my words carefully.”
“Such as?”
She rolled her eyes. “Instead of saying ‘my client stuck a gun in the man’s mouth’, I’m more inclined to say ‘guns were drawn on both ends, then everything happened so quickly I’m not sure what happened after that’.”
“All right. Well, what if you were going after someone and they began threatening you?”
She froze. “Threatening me how?”
“Sending letters to your house. Possibly cornering you in public to make you feel as if you can’t react properly without people witnessing. Feeling as if you’re being watched. Stuff like that.”
Her eyes met mine. “Uh huh.”
“What do you do then?”
“Protocol Three.”
I blinked. “Protocol Three?”
“Mhm.”
“What’s that?”
She faced forward again. “A set of protocols my mother and I agreed to whenever we found ourselves in situations that threatened our lives. There’s five of them.”
“What’s Protocol Three, then?”
“There’s a little-known loophole in a couple of maritime international laws between allied countries that could technically be exploited in a non-military court. One of them is buried deep in the Geneva Convention where I could technically argue that a fatal attack on me is considered an attack on United States soil.”
“Because your mother’s done work with the White House. Correct.”
She nodded slowly. “Correct.”
I grinned. “That’s very good. I’m impressed.”
“I don’t care if you’re impressed. All I care about is enjoying the rest of my bath.”
I pushed off the bathroom counter. “And what if I wanted to join you for the rest of your bath.”
She looked up at me and my fingertips brushed away a strand of wet hair away from her forehead. Her eyes danced around my face as my fingers slid down her cheek, making their way for her shoulder. I caressed her softly, wanting her to cave to me. To create a space for me in that tub so we could enjoy the relaxation and the nakedness together.
But, the longer she stared at me, the more I wondered if I’d always have to force her into intimacy.
The longer she stared, the more I wondered if I was really accomplishing what I thought I was.
I figured playing his little game would be an opportunity for me to earn my freedom, and possibly separate myself from this man. But, the more he touched me, the more I felt myself caving to him. At first, his fingertips were gentle. They grazed against my skin and brushed hair away from my sweating forehead. The softness of his touch contrasted with the darkness of his eyes sent a shockwave of need through my system that made me clench my thighs together underneath the dwindling bubbles.
It wasn’t long before he fisted my hair, though.
And when he tugged me out of the bathtub, I knew my relaxation time was over.
“Oh!” I exclaimed.
“Let’s play a little game, shall we?” Teo asked.
I stumbled behind him. “I already thought we played a game.”
He picked me up over his shoulder, causing me to squeal. “I’ve got another one to play. And this time, you finally get to see my bedroom.”
He spanked my ass and the moan that fell from my lips made me angry. I hated how I reacted to this man. I hated the kind of control his touch had over me. Those eyes, staring deeply into my soul and accepting what was there. Treating me with kindness one minute before throwing me over the edge of pleasure another minute later.
It didn’t shock me that his bedroom had the color scheme of red, gold, and black. It didn’t shock me that he had a locked chest of fun little toys off in the corner. What did shock me, though, was when he chained me to a corner. With my hands above my head and my ankles attached to the floor.
With my legs spread wide enough for my pussy to get cold.
Teo’s eyes raked over my body. “What a vision.”
I started shivering. “It’s freezing in your room.”
He grinned deviously. “Don’t worry. I’ll warm you up soon enough.”
“So, what’s this game that requires me to be tied up? Again?”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Would you rather be in a cage and only get out at my leisure.”
My eyes widened. “Uh, no thanks.”
He walked over and patted my cheek hard. “Then, stop complaining.”
I resisted the urge to try and bite him. “All right. So, this game.”
He chuckled. “It’s called, ‘Negotiation’. And the rules are simple: you negotiate your way out of your bonds. If you’re successful, you get yours. But, if you’re not successful…”
“Let me guess: you want another blowjob.”
His smile darkened his face even more. “I guess we are getting to know one another, then.”
I hated how warm my body was growing. “So, who’s going to start?”
He stalked around me like a wild animal. “You. Tell me why I should release you.”
“Because I can’t get on my knees to give you a blowjob if I’m tied up like this.”
He spanked my ass so hard that the crack echoed across the room.
“Holy shit!” I exclaimed.
He fisted my hair. “Take this seriously, or I’ll leave you here. I’ll tease you until you’re on the verge of a heart attack, and then I’ll tease y
ou into unconsciousness. Understood?”
I nodded quickly. “Yes, yes. I do. I’m sorry.”
He shoved my head forward. “Wonderful. Now, try again and lose the attitude. Why should I release you?”
I racked my brain for a suitable answer. “Because if I’m going to trust you, you’re going to have to show that you trust me.”
“And that means releasing you? I’m pretty sure you already trust me. You haven’t been chained up for almost a week now, and not once have you escaped.”
“Because you have armed guards everywhere. Trust me, I’ve considered it.”
He stood in front of me, his face hardened with anger. “I’m starting to lose confidence in your negotiation abilities.”
I leaned forward. “You want to know why you should let me go?”
I felt his breath pulsing against my lips. “Yes. I would.”
My eyes held his. “Because if you don't let me go, I’m of no use to you. Yeah, you can come in and have sex whenever you want. But, something tells me you wouldn’t struggle getting another woman to fuck if you needed it. In order to work with me, though? In order to have access to what’s in my mind that you need so badly? You’d have to let me go. Because I’m the only one that dictates when you get your information and when you receive my legal help.”
He shrugged. “I could simply kill you.”
“And you’d still be back at square one, except with a body to bury in the process.”
“I would simply sink you in the ocean. Why do you think I live on the coastline?”
My stomach dropped to my toes. “What?”
His hand slid into my hair, gripping it tightly. “You lose.”
I blinked rapidly. “Wait, what? The ocean, what did you just say?”
He reached up and seemingly flicked his fingers before my hands fell to my side.
“On your knees. Now,” he growled.
“What did you just say!?” I exclaimed.
And as he shoved me to my knees, a rapid knock came at the bedroom door. Stalling us out enough for Teo to release me and backtrack toward the sound.
Liar : An Enemies to Lovers Mafia Romance (Sold to The Don Book 2) Page 3
