I’ll Burn Anyone (The Challenge Night Series Book 2)

by K. L Mann

  Luca’s eyes go wide but Gio’s stay calm, still watching me. The two men whip their heads over to me, like they’re terrified for me.

  “You better hope I win,” Luca sighs under his breath.

  “What? Why?” I whisper back.

  Gio’s lip curls into a smile that sends chills down my spine. He has something devious planned. I’m not worried, he can’t do anything that bad to me. Lorenzo would kill him. Katherine might kill him first though.

  The flop hits, it’s a black Jack of clubs, a black 10 of clubs, and a red two of hearts. The turn is a black Queen of clubs. So now I have three of a kind, my bet is a bit safer, but not secure. The River is a red 8 of spades. My skin feels like it’s crawling, no one is giving away any tells, but I feel like I’ve lost already.

  “Flip,” the dealer calls out, one last time.

  Luca has pocket aces, but Gio has a black King of clubs and a black Ace of clubs. He has a fucking royal flush.

  “Damn it,” I mumble under my breath.

  The men I don’t know give me a worried look. Like they’re scared for me. Gio just smirks at me then stands up to shake the men’s hands.

  I stay frozen in my seat, nerves consume me.

  “You can bet to get it back,” Luca whispers. “But don’t do it until he tries to cash in, at least you’ll know what you’re risking. Bets are different, I can tell you about it later.”

  I nod back at him, feeling some worry wash away. Luca stands up and shakes the other men’s hands too. I follow his lead, standing trying to act normal.

  I need a drink.

  One of the men reaches for my hand. I give it to him; he shakes it lightly and leaves the room. The other man shakes my hand next.

  “You played well, but a word of advice. Don’t bet anything you aren’t willing to lose when Gio bets high. He doesn’t often overestimate his hand.”

  “I’ll remember that.” I smile at him and he leaves too.

  Luca and Gio are still standing in the room with me. No one says anything. They’re being so weird.

  “So, are we going to get dinner or what?”

  Luca looks to Gio for my answer.

  He nods and leads the way back into the dining room without saying anything. I follow him, and Luca follows behind me. I’m hungry, but part of me just wants to go home. This whole place gives me a weird vibe. Club Lucifer is cool because it’s not as high-toned, this place is fancy but feels dangerous in a weird way.

  There’s a private circular table in a dim blue corner of the room. There are three chairs. Gio lets me in behind him to sit in the back chair, Luca sits down at my right and Gio sits at my left. There are wine classes, silverware and tiny plates set at each seat.

  Before I can even think, a burlesque girl brings a bottle of red wine to the table and sets it down.

  “Good evening, Miss, Mr. Colombo, and Mr. Caruso.” She turns her attention to Gio. “Will you gentlemen be having the regular tonight?” The burlesque waitress is American, her accent sticks out obviously.

  “Yes, the same thing for her too.”

  Did he just order for me?

  The nerve…

  I can’t correct him fast enough. The woman nods and walks away swinging her hips intentionally slow and seductively.

  “What if I didn’t want the regular?” My eyes narrow on Gio.

  “You’ll like it,” he assures me with a confidence that almost makes me believe him.

  Whatever.

  Luca pours himself a half glass of wine and passes me the bottle. I examine it, it’s a good bottle, probably ridiculously expensive even though it tastes mediocre. Regardless, I give myself a heavy pour, leaving an inch from the rim and then pass it to Gio.

  He raises an eyebrow at my glass.

  “What? It’s just wine,” I justify my heavy hand and take a sip.

  He simply shakes his head.

  He’s the most judgmental, infuriating person sometimes. What is his problem and why do I still want him to want me?

  Luca sips his wine and smiles like something is funny.

  “So, what am I supposed to do with my favors? I don’t even know who those guys are, also why would I need a business favor from Luca? I’m a college student.”

  “Well, you have a favor, an economic favor and a business favor. There’s a lot you could do with them, but they don’t expire so don’t worry about it until you need something.” Luca explains.

  “You can have my three favors if I can have mine back,” I offer Gio.

  His smile scares me.

  “No chance.”

  “What could you possibly want from me anyways?”

  It’s clearly not a sexual desire, he wouldn’t need a favor for that. He already bosses me around without some weird bet to help him do it. So what?

  “Patience, you’ll find out soon enough,” Gio taunts in a low, quiet tone.

  My phone buzzes in my pocket.

  Katherine: You look great in that! It’s all yours if you want it, Caterina picked it out and pink isn’t really my thing. How’s it going with the guys?

  Arianna: Cool, thanks. Trust me, I want to tell you. I don’t trust Lorenzo not to snoop and see something he doesn’t like. But good I think, so far.

  Katherine: Good thinking, we’ll keep it vague. Well, we’re going out! Talk to you tomorrow.

  I heart her message.

  Luca and Gio are both watching me as I look up. “Katherine says hi.” I lie, knowing they want to know who I was talking to.

  Luca looks away, sipping his glass of wine. Gio does the same.

  They are so fucking strange sometimes. What about me having no friends do they not understand? I don’t have anyone to conspire with, other than Marco.

  The waitress returns with three plates and places them in front of all of us. We each have a filet steak, crispy baby potatoes and grilled green beans. It smells great, I’m kind of mad that the order is sufficient.

  “You guys eat too much red meat; you’re going to give yourselves heart disease.”

  “Yeah, that’s what’s going to kill us, heart disease.” Luca shakes his head with a grin on his face and starts to cut into his steak.

  Gio grins back, finding his remark funny.

  Luca, Gio and Lorenzo have always acted untouchable. They’ve always been treated that way so I guess why wouldn’t they. I don’t really know what they all do. They own like a million businesses, and people seem kind of scared of them. Mamma says it’s because they have powerful political friends. Marco and I stay out of the family business stuff. Though, papa still tries to get Marco to step up.

  Half of my plate is finished and all of my wine is gone. The kitchen gave me the same portions as Luca and Gio and there is no way I’m eating it all. I can eat a good amount, but meat and potatoes are too heavy. Gio and Luca are nearly finished with their food when I stop eating. We’ve been here for so long and I’m starting to get tired.

  “Where’s Vito anyways? Has he just been in the car this whole time?”

  “No, he’ll be back in a minute.” Gio answers, putting his fork down on his plate. He’s finished now.

  “That’s unnecessarily vague.”

  “Yep,” Gio tells me plainly.

  If he wasn’t so fucking hot, I’d want to hit him nearly every day.

  We’ve had this tension for too long and it’s eating away at me. Sometimes I wish he would actually say the words. I wish he’d tell me he doesn’t want me. If he would give me a straight answer, at least I could move on. I could have been his by now, and he could have been mine. Now I’m thinking about fucking Luca again, one of his only best friends. A man who’s never liked me, a man who I’ve never liked. This is Gio’s fault, and it’s not going to end well for any of us. Luca finishes eating too, but we haven’t gotten up yet. I take out my phone again and scroll through my private photos, keeping my screen hidden.

  Arianna: Teach me more games, King Caruso.

  Adding another lingerie picture, I took
in soft red lights, reminding me of the pool. I hit send, feeling powerful.

  He is constantly calling me princess Vitale. So, I’ll try out calling him King. Daddy doesn’t feel right for him and neither does Sir. I’m definitely not going to call him babe or something like that. Way too personal, way too… intimate.

  I open Instagram and start scrolling so when Luca gets the text, I won’t have just set mine down.

  “I’ll be right back, stay here.” Gio stands up, and leaves the table casually.

  I set down my phone as Gio walks away, waiting for Luca to open my message. My eyes are on him, when he pulls out his phone.

  He reads the message and then closes his phone, looking back at me. I feel the air get heavier. Texting is easy, feeling the way I do when he looks at me like this isn’t.

  “Tell me what you want to learn, princess,” he whispers loud enough for me to hear over the soft music.

  “Everything,” I whisper and suck in a weak breath. “Ho voglia di scoparti, qui, adesso.”

  “Così ansioso…” Luca leans closer in to whisper. “Ti insegnerò a scoparmi come si deve.”

  My body tingles.

  I told him I wanted him to fuck me, here, now and I meant it. He’s going to teach me how to fuck him properly? I welcome the challenge. I want him to make me into a sex Goddess. Teach me everything, destroy me and put me back together.

  Luca backs away from my face just as Gio comes back to the table, the smoothest possible timing.

  “I’ve got to go. Vito will take you both back.” Gio moves his gaze to Luca. “Make sure she doesn’t get into trouble again. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

  My eyes roll. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

  I have to stop myself from smiling, realizing that Luca and I will be left alone for a few hours. All alone so he can fuck me properly, again.

  “Keep me in the loop,” Luca tells Gio, standing up to leave.

  Gio nods and leaves again without another word. I stand up and wait for Luca to lead the way. Instead, he holds his hand out, implying I should walk first like he always does.

  “Ora puoi farmi urlare,” I whisper, slowly walking past him and heading for the door.

  I feel him walking behind me. The cool night air hits my face as the door swings open. My hot skin stings against it in the best way.

  The car is where it was when we first arrived, hours ago. Vito holds open the back driver's side door for me. I smile at him as I climb inside. Luca makes his way around the passenger side and gets into the back with me. Vito drives us away. My phone buzzes in my pocket. A text from Luca that I didn’t even see him type comes on my screen.

  Luca: You want to scream? Then tonight’s lesson is an easy pick. Edging is the name of the game. I’ll bring you so close to coming, over and over again, until it hurts. You’ll scream and beg me to finish you off. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t.

  My pussy aches as I read it. I want to smash his lips into mine as hard as I can. The buildup is already killing me and we haven’t even started. I text back, encouraging his idea.

  Arianna: Then don't let me orgasm until you’ve covered my body in your own cum. Rub it into my skin like lotion. Do your worst, jerk.

  I have a million ideas from my years of reading and watching erotica. I mean it, I want to try everything he has to offer me. I see his breathing pick up pace as he reads my reply. My thighs feel like they are sweating, I’m getting physically hot and want to roll down a window or something. I can’t believe I’ve admitted my fantasies about him. I hadn’t even admitted them to myself fully. Something about this entire situation makes me want to spill every secret I’ve ever kept.

  Luca: Jesus fuck, little brat. Where have you been this whole time?

  Arianna: Hating you. Waiting for you to make me hate hating you. Where have you been, jerk?

  Luca: Restraining myself.

  Arianna: How boring.

  I hesitate, deciding whether or not to type out my thoughts. I decide to throw caution aside and be myself, finally.

  Arianna: I would have fucked you if you found me in the bushes, you know? I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself, my heart was beating so fast watching you. I would have dropped to my knees and sucked her off of you, so your cock could be mine instead. You would have tried to stop me, but given in once my tongue touched your flesh. I pictured you petting my hair while I choked on you, shushing me to quiet down when I moaned on it.

  Luca: God dammit, Arianna. What the hell are you doing to me?

  I need to touch him. I need the connection. I look up to see if Vito is watching us, he’s not; he’s too busy watching the road. My foot slowly makes its way to Luca’s side of the car. I move it subtly against his shin, moving up and down.

  I frown typing my next message.

  Arianna: Something we’ll both regret.

  Luca: I don’t have regrets, and you won’t regret anything about us either. I won’t let you.

  My heart races even faster, us?

  Arianna: Promise?

  Luca stares at my last text. His fingers don’t move for seconds and I’m worried that I shouldn’t have asked.

  Luca: Promise.

  I’m definitely sweating now. My body doesn’t know whether it’s terrified or exhilarated.

  Vito pulls the car to the front door of Lorenzo’s house like he always does. The parking is hidden in a cave garage that you can’t see if you don’t know where to look but passengers always get let out by the entrance.

  As soon as we step into the foyer, I’m tempted to kiss him. The idea of undressing him as we stumble up the stairs sounds ridiculously hot. But I know we’d be caught on camera, so I restrain myself. Luca takes the elevator and I take the stairs. We both know what we’re doing, we’re sneaking around and it feels naughty in the best way.

  I know I’ll make it to my door first, my hearts racing in my chest and my palms are sweaty. I have no idea how to act casual when he comes to my door. I shut my door behind me and take off only my shoes. I want him to undress me, I want to feel his hands glide down my skin as my dress falls to the floor. I don’t know what to do with myself, he’s probably only seconds behind me. I just sit on the edge of my bed casually, waiting. The anticipation is flowing through my body like fire and ice.

  Luca doesn’t knock, he lets himself in. He closes my door behind him, and I hear the lock click. Luca leans up against the door. We’re so far apart, it’s killing me. I stand up, but don’t walk toward him. I want to so badly. I want to run to him and let him take me over. My confidence has grown but something about him intimidates me.

  Luca doesn’t move and I don’t move.

  “If this is another game, I tap out. I can’t take the waiting anymore, it’s killing me,” I admit breathlessly.

  “Princess Vitale showing her true colors…” Luca tsks, leaning off against the door, taking a step toward me. “Who knew, daddy's uptight little girl was so hungry for cock?”

  “I knew,” I whisper loud enough for him to hear.

  “Yes, you did.” Luca closes the gap between us, our bodies are so close to touching but not quite there. “What should I do about you keeping that secret from me, beautiful?”

  “Please don’t make me wait anymore–” my plight is cut off by Luca’s lips.

  Bliss washes over me as his tongue slips into my mouth and his hands wrap around the back of my neck. I feel flushed and wasted by his touch, like he could set me on fire with it. His teeth sink into my bottom lip hard enough to make me whimper but not bleed. My tongue scrapes his lips and sucks his kiss back into mine. He can’t kiss me fast enough. I’m fighting his lips back with my life.

  One of his hands leaves my neck and slides down to my ass. He grabs it roughly and pulls my hips into him. I feel the hardness of him against the lower half of my stomach. My hands gravitate to it like a magnet, stroking him through his soft suit pants. Luca doesn’t let the low groan in his throat escape, but I feel it on my lips. His hand leaves my
ass, sliding up my back and grabbing my dress zipper.

  Except he doesn’t gracefully unzip it, he rips the dress completely. Fabric tearing loudly makes me gasp into his mouth. The rip goes all of the way down my back, the cold air in Katherine’s room bites at my skin. Luca takes his mouth away from mine and pulls the front of my dress down. It falls effortlessly and I’m left standing in front of him in lingerie. It’s white, lacy, and soft to the touch; one of my favorite sets.

  Luca stops, pulling his eyes over me.

  “Of course you’re wearing white,” he hums, playfully shaking his head. “You’ve been playing innocent for so long now, princess.” His fingers lightly pull one of my bra straps down to the side of my arm.

  Even the lightest touch of his skin makes me flush harder. He pulls down my other strap just as carefully, watching my eyes widen as he does. His hand moves around my back and unclasps my bras hooks, making the fabric fall off my skin and onto the floor between us. Butterflies hit me deep, fluttering inside me.

  As if he can read every dirty thought in my mind, he smiles. “Lay down for me, brat.”

  I’m still standing at the edge of the bed. It’s easy for me to step back up onto it, and gracefully lay down. My head hits a cool pillow and my hair falls around my chest. Luca pulls off his tie, slowly like he’s putting on a show for me.

  His fingers start to undo each button of his shirt. I’m watching him carefully, loving every move he makes. When his shirt finally drops to the floor beside him, my brain pleads with my hand to touch myself. He’s too fit, like every muscle in his body has been perfected to its peak. He kicks off his socks and shoes, I can’t see it but I hear it.

  I can’t help myself as my fingers dance down my stomach, lust consuming my very being. I slide them down to my panties, rubbing lightly on top of them. The wetness has seeped through the thin fabric, so I use it to slip up and down my pussy softly. Luca watches me with hot eyes, pulling his belt off skillfully. When the metal buckle hits the floor, shivers flow through me.

  “How often do you touch yourself like that, gorgeous?” Luca asks, unbuttoning his pants.