Kiss of Death (The Council Series Book 2)

by Nicole Banks

  Poison is addictive when it tastes good.

  The voice filtered through his head on a taunt, reminding him of what he thought about her when he first saw her. The way she pulled him in with ease, like a black widow weaving her mystical web just for him. Somewhere, where his mind functioned like a normal person, he knew this was crazy and he needed to stay far away from her. His dick and something else—something stronger—had other plans.

  Ivy stopped at apartment 6E and put the key in the bottom lock before turning around to face him. “Well, this is me,” she whispered and stood on tiptoe to place a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks for the ride,” she whispered.

  Otto turned his face, and before he could talk himself out of it, his lips quickly found hers. She gasped, letting him in to taste the honey that coated her lips, and he groaned into the kiss, pushing her back up against the door. Her hands quickly wrapped around his shoulders and he picked her up so he had better access to her mouth. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he didn’t even hesitate to swivel his hips into her, pushing his erection in between her legs.

  Ivy let her head fall back on a groan, and Otto kissed his way down her neck and back up before finding her lips again. He felt her claws in his shoulder, and she bit down on his lower lip, causing him to growl into her mouth, and his cock twitched behind his zipper. This kiss was nothing more than basic instinct and need—need to climb inside one another and leave scratch marks on each other’s souls.

  Ivy pulled back first, and Otto rested his head on hers, trying to catch his breath. He heard her start to speak, and he shook his head. He couldn’t go down this road with her, no matter how hard he wanted too. “Don’t,” he started. “Don’t invite me in, Ivy. This is like a bomb, and it can only go one way when we’re behind those closed doors.”

  He lifted his head up to look at her, and that was a mistake. He could see his own hunger reflecting in her eyes. It had been there the second they locked eyes at Tres. His younger sister would have said his instincts to claim her came from him and Ivy being lovers in a past life—that his need came from finding what he once cherished and lost.

  When they were younger, his baby sister would tell him all about the fairy tales she believed in, such as twin flames and how he had someone out there special for him. As Otto held Ivy in his arms, he realized she fit, but he thought his ex fit too and he’d been burned by her.

  Otto mentally shook himself. He was rushing at this thing with Ivy head first, and he didn’t know anything about her. Lust and attraction could only get you so far and it could cloud your judgment. He didn’t need to be blinded by a woman who wasn’t his.

  Put her down and walk away.

  Put her down and walk away.

  He recited the words over and over again in his head, hoping his mind could get his body to drop his hold on her and back away. The signals must have gotten fucked up, because he held on tighter instead.

  Ivy’s hand came around to play with his beard, and it was his turn to shutter at her touch. “What if I’m feeling this too? I want to invite you in,” she whispered, but he could see the hesitation in her eyes. She might be feeling whatever was being pumped into the air around them to make them hot and heavy for each other, but something was holding her back, whether she realized it or not.

  Otto shook his head. “Trust, I want to fuck you, but we shouldn’t do this. I’m your boss for one and two….” He didn’t have a second reason other than the part of himself that was drowning in a sea of need telling him he needed to slow down and be cautious.

  “And if I want you to fuck me?”

  Her words hit him like lighting, making him harder than he’s ever been. “Ivy,” he warned.

  “I know, I know. I just…this….” She stumbled over her words before shaking her head. “No, no you’re right. This...this was a mistake and can’t happen.”

  Otto slowly dropped her to her feet, and she dropped her hands to her side. There was an awkward silence now between them and it made Otto chuckle. He scrubbed a hand down his face. “It’s okay, Ivy.” He cupped her cheek, loving how she nuzzled his hand. “This is wild,” he murmured, more to himself than her. “Go inside and get some sleep, and make sure you lock the doors.”

  She gave a weak smile and nodded, stepping out of Otto’s hold. She turned around, unlocking the door. “Goodnight,” he heard her whisper before the door closed in his face. He didn’t leave till he heard the sound of two locks click into place.

  He let out a breath, willing himself to leave. He was glad he put the brakes on them tonight. It was bad enough that he kissed her. It only made him want her more.

  “My poison Ivy,” he whispered to her door. She had quickly embedded herself into his system, and kissing her only made it worse. He should be worried about the effects she would have on him—looking to get away from her—but he couldn’t think past the taste of her on his lips.

  His fingertips touched her door. “You’re going to kill me, Ivy I know it, and I fear I might actually enjoy it when that death comes at your hands.”

  Wolf was in his office, exhausted. His day was long, and it got longer when Sofia showed up with Dom and Otto in tow. She briefed him on the meeting with the families and told him to keep his eyes open. The war she was predicting to land on their doorsteps wasn’t going to be selective in who it took out. As much as Wolf wanted to steer clear of the Barbati organization, he was a part of the Council and her war would become his.

  A part of him hated that he signed on to be in her crew. He liked being neutral and doing his own thing with no one to answer too. But with Boris breathing down his neck more so now that Sofia’s father had died, it was only a matter of time before someone came in and took what he worked his ass off for. He’d rather own a piece of his legacy than see it obliterated at the hands of someone else.

  Wolf grabbed a remote and turned on his stereo system. The sounds of jazz filtered into his quiet office. He was ready to call it a night, but he still had to wait for Carter, the president of the Unhinged Brothers, to show up and schedule their next gun run. Carter’s buyers were in need of another shipment, and Wolf was all too eager to supply.

  He yawned, cracking his jaw. He took a sip of his coffee even though he knew it wasn’t going to do shit to help his exhaustion. This type of tiredness ran deeper than a good night’s sleep could fix—regrets and demons could kill you faster than any drug or bullet.

  His gaze bounced around the monitors in his office. He decided, even with the renovations, he was going to keep the smaller rooms open for business—just keep the hours shorter and the bodies in the room smaller. This way it didn’t completely stop business and his employers weren’t out of a job while they redid the main room.

  Wolf’s gaze landed on one of the monitors that watched the blackjack tables. When he had first opened, people came in trying their hardest to count cards, but he’d known what to look for early on and was able to stop all of them before he had to pay out more than he was making. It had been a long time since someone got one over on him.

  His eyes landed on a female sitting in the middle of the blackjack table, flanked by other customers. She somehow managed to stick out and blend in with her surroundings at the same time. He could see how easily she’d get lost in a crowd, but Wolf would have known her anywhere with her long dark hair she liked to wear in a slick ponytail over one shoulder. The way the light hit her lips made them appear plumper than what they were, and the scar under her right eye seemed to be the only imperfection against her flawless skin.

  Her gaze shifted toward the camera. She winked, like she knew where the cameras were and that someone was watching her. Wolf’s lips instantly pulled back into an involuntary smirk.

  She was back.

  She’d been here a few nights before Sofia’s homecoming, shuffling in and out with the rest of the customers. He didn’t pay much attention to her, because he didn’t see anything amiss. It wasn’t until Cree, one of his business partners, pointed
her out for counting cards. She was subtle about it, only doing it a handful of times when she played. It was easy to miss, and the more Wolf watched her, the more he understood her game.

  The dealer handed out the cards, and Wolf watched as her eyes stayed on the camera, but he could tell she was scanning the cards on the table. She had a four of hearts turned up, and while Wolf wasn’t sure what her face down card was, he was almost certain she was going to hold and win the hand.

  The two other customers sitting next to her busted, and the dealer only had a five of diamonds facing up. He threw down another card for him and it was a ten of spades. He flipped his bottom card—a two of spades—he busted. His little card shark smiled triumphantly when she flipped over her bottom card. It was a measly eight of spades.

  She won the hand and quickly declined playing another round. When she stood up to leave the table, she made sure to salute the camera before sauntering out of the casino. Most nights she was here, she’d only play a handful of games, and it was always blackjack. She’d win three out of the six hands she would play before walking away. Tonight was the first night she acknowledged the cameras, and Wolf wondered if this was some sort of a challenge issued by her.

  “Who are you, my little card shark?” he whispered into his office, debating if he should go into the casino and confront her or continue to let her play her games.

  There was a knock on the door. “Yeah?” His eyes stayed glued to the monitors watching the woman disappear amongst the small crowd.

  “It’s Carter.” The president of the Unhinged Brothers was here, and it pulled his attention from his card shark and back to his gun business. His grand opening wasn’t for a couple of weeks, and he hoped she’d be in attendance. He’d confront her then and find out exactly who she was.

  IVY SHUT THE DOOR BEHIND her, not bothering to turn on the lights yet. She wanted to stay cloaked in the darkness that surrounded her so she could still hold on to the feel of Otto pressed against her, his lips against her skin, and his smell embedded into her memory.

  Her body was buzzing, and she felt high just off a kiss alone. But this wasn’t like any kiss she ever experienced. Otto had all but consumed every inch of her with his lips. She’d feared he was already inside of her, and that kiss proved her right. Her body opened up to him with no hesitation, even with everything she’d been through and witnessed, it was like it all melted away at his touch. She didn’t have to fake anything or let her mind go somewhere else. She stayed present, wrapped up in a man who had kissed her with possession and ownership that she found she desired.

  Otto’s ownership came with a freedom she didn’t get being owned by others. In his arms she felt worshiped instead of used.

  Ivy let out a breath, hoping it would bring her back down to earth. She tried and failed to keep Otto on the other side of the door. She tried to tell herself the attraction between them was purely physical, something she could will herself to ignore, but there was something deeper here. She had boyfriends before her ex—men she thought she was in love with—and it never felt as explosive as it did with Otto. He was right, whatever was going on between them was like a bomb, and when it went off there was no stopping the detonation—there would be nothing but destruction left in its path.

  Mainly of her heart.

  Ivy flipped on her apartment lights, knowing she couldn’t stay up against the door all night thinking about a man she’d never be able to truly have. She swallowed the scream stuck in her throat when she saw Bruno sitting on her loveseat. “How’d you get in?” she whispered, wondering why he was here and thankful she didn’t invite Otto in. It would have been hard to explain why Bruno was in her apartment. Their plan would have gone up in smoke before it even got started.

  He stood up and slowly strolled over to her like a predator knowing its prey had nowhere to run. “I set you up in this apartment, Ivy. How do you think I got in?” He stopped in front of her, and she instinctively fell back into her front door.

  Bruno had been one of her gentler owners, but his mood was always unstable and unpredictable. One minute he was treating her and the other women he owned like human beings, giving them small freedoms, and within the next breath they’d be chained up in a basement with no food or water for a few days.

  She learned early on that being around someone like Bruno was its own death sentence. You never knew what to expect, and as soon as you were feeling relatively good about your situation, Bruno snatched the rug out from under you, bringing you back to the fact that you were nothing more than property.

  Ivy had been around him long enough to gauge his moods sometimes. He usually had small tells, and it was always in the way he looked at any of the women. Like right now, his gaze was filled with hatred toward her like she had somehow fucked up. His jaw was clenched, and he reeked of liquor. This wasn’t going to end well for her tonight, and it partially pissed her off.

  She still had the taste of Otto on her lips. On the other side of her apartment door, she had just been a regular woman free to do as she pleased. Now, Bruno was here to deliver the consequences of her thinking she had any true freedom in her life.

  Bruno placed his hand on her chest. His sinister smile told her he was getting off on the way her heartbeat pounded against his palm. “Your face is flushed, and you’re breathing heavy. Did you run up those six flights of stairs?”

  Ivy nodded, refusing to give him the truth. His eyes narrowed, and she wondered if he could tell that Otto had kissed her. Were her lips swollen? Did she have marks on her neck and chin from his beard?

  Bruno leaned in a little closer, and she held her breath, waiting to see if he would strike her for the lie that never left her lips. “I’m going to assume you made contact tonight.” Ivy nodded and still held her breath, knowing it was foolish to let her guard down with him.

  “With Gia or that shitface Otto?” His hand slowly wrapped around her neck, making her gasp for air.

  “Both,” she whispered, hating the way her voice shook. Some days, when she was feeling brave, she felt unbreakable. Her voice held steady, and she kept her head held high. She didn’t quake in the face of her captors, because she ignorantly believed that she could still hold on to parts of herself—they couldn’t take all of her.

  And then she had days like right now, where she felt as weak as a newborn. She quivered away from her captors and even wished for a quick death, believing she would never be free.

  “We’re going to need to speed this up.” His other hand came down to cup her sex, and she felt sick to her stomach. He closed the distance between them and felt suffocated by his body.

  Ivy hoped and prayed Bruno wouldn’t need her tonight. She hoped he would leave her alone once he told her exactly what he wanted her to do at Tres. She didn’t want to tarnish the taste and feel of Otto against her skin with the touch of a man she never wanted.

  Does it matter? You’re going to betray him anyway. Better you erase Otto from your memory now than think this is the start of something new.

  Ivy silenced the voice in her head. Whether it was right or not was irrelevant. It didn’t matter that she knew whatever Bruno wanted her to do would be a betrayal to Otto. She didn’t want someone else to erase a kiss that potent from her memory.

  “I’m going to need you to use this sweet little cunt of yours.” He chuckled.

  Ivy blanched. “You want me to fuck him?” she murmured as her body warmed, remembering the feel of his thick erection pressed up against her. She had wanted to fuck him—still did—but not under these circumstances.

  It wasn’t the first time she had to use sex to get what she needed for Bruno, in fact, that had been all she was ever used for. But when he first told her about this job, Bruno made it seem riskier than what she’d done in the past. There had to be more to his master plan than just finding out the codes to the doors and having to sleep with Otto, especially if Bruno was willing to trade her and her sister’s freedom for it.

  Bruno lips hovered above he
rs. She could practically taste the liquor with every breath he took. “Yes, fuck him. But I need you to break him. Use this cunt of yours to turn him inside out. Men do stupid shit when they get a taste of good pussy, and Otto is a sucker for good pussy. You’ll have him in love with you in no time.” He released his hold on her and held out his hand. “And you have about a week to do it if not sooner. Hand me your phone.”

  Ivy panicked. Her phone was the only way she could talk to her sister, her only real link to normalcy. She shook her head. “What do you need the phone for?”

  He grabbed her shirt and pulled her forward before slamming her up against the door. She yelped but quickly shut her mouth when Bruno was in her face again. “Because I fucking said so. You’ve been getting ballsier, thinking you have any say in anything you do. I. OWN. YOU. You are nothing more than a wet cunt and mouth to keep my dick warm,” he seethed. “Now give me your fucking phone.”

  Ivy’s hands balled into tight fists at her sides. She wanted to punch Bruno in his smug face and keep swinging until she took the years of abuse by him and his elk out on his body.

  She was angry.

  Angry at him for making her feel smaller and insignificant than she thought she could ever feel in her life. It had been a while since he so colorfully put what her use was for into words, and it somehow managed to hit harder this time than when she first heard it.

  She felt the rage start to boil over to the point she contemplated how quickly she could run into the kitchen to grab a knife and stab him with it. She wanted to escape, and if she killed him, she’d be home free, but this asshole still had her sister locked up somewhere Ivy couldn’t reach. She couldn’t get free of the chains Bruno had wrapped around her wrists and leave her sister behind. If Ivy was getting out, so was Eve, and they couldn’t do that until Ivy gave Bruno what he wanted.