by Naomi West
“Knock it off.” The bigger of the two men tore his comrade away. “You know the boss doesn’t like it when we play with the merchandise.”
The pervert grumbled under his breath as he forced his erect cock back into his pants. Once he was all zipped up, he narrowed his eyes at Alice. “You are going to regret this.’
Slap!
Alice was thrown aside with the force of it.
“Slut.”
That was the last thing he said before he left. The silence that followed was absolutely deafening.
I wasn’t hungry anymore.
20
Things got done pretty quickly in the underground. No one liked to be kept waiting, and as far as hot merchandise was concerned, well, there was a reason why it was called ‘hot’. And scrubbed guns were always in high demand, especially where the mafia was concerned. No one wanted the headache of some crime lab getting a lead. If a gun happened to be left at a crime scene, then at least there was the peace of mind that nothing would be tracked back to home base. That was assuming they were smart enough to wear gloves before pulling the trigger, and that very rarely happened.
Take it from me, most mobsters were complete idiots.
I was hoping that Lorenzo Brocato was one of them. It would make my life a whole lot easier, but honestly, I didn’t bother to get my hopes up because I wasn’t the kind of guy with luck on his side. More often than not, you would think a black cat was chasing me most of the time. Yuri joked that I was cursed. I was starting to believe him, and I wasn’t even a believer of that superstitious crap.
“Turn right ahead!” My car’s navigation system shattered my thoughts.
“Here already?” I spoke aloud as I turned onto a narrow, dirty road. It was a challenge trying to avoid all the potholes, and I’d end up royally pissed if I wrecked my car on this assignment.
Thunk!
I swore and slammed my palm against the steering wheel. This is fucking ridiculous. The Lorenzo goon boasted that he had the biggest balls in town and yet he couldn’t even maintain his own property. How was anyone supposed to get down here? No wonder he was losing business. High rollers probably knew better than to bring their shiny new rides down here. And if there were anything rich people hated, it was inconveniences.
By some miracle, I arrived at the warehouse. I didn’t think it was possible, but it looked even worse than the road. This guy didn’t have much in terms of pride. If I were the leader of the mafia, I would make sure that the whole world knew it. The guy was looking like more of a slum lord.
Nevertheless, I got out of the car. Out of habit, I adjusted my bowtie in the rearview mirror and smoothed back a section of my hair that had fallen out of place.
“Ahem.” Someone cleared their throat to garner my attention.
Slowly, I straightened my posture and turned to face a man that looked like he belonged on a bodybuilder team. More than anything else, he needed a new suit because the one he wore was ready to rip at any moment. The fabric was stretched precariously over his biceps, but maybe that was the point. To most, it would be a pretty good intimidation tactic, but I wasn’t most.
“Andrei Valeri?”
“The one and only,” I answered.
“This way.”
He did not wait to see if I would follow but simply marched forward like the good little soldier that he was. We went in through the front door and through a maze of corridors until we reached a large room furnished as a luxury club. Whoever had designed the place had horrible taste, but then again, what did I know? I wasn’t an interior decorator. Even so, the place was tacky as hell.
In the corner was a partitioned area. We headed that way, and that was when I saw Lorenzo sitting on a high-backed chair enjoying a cigar. If the chair was supposed to look like a throne, then he was failing miserably at looking the part of a king.
“Please, sit down. Make yourself comfortable.” He motioned towards the leather couch directly in front of his seat. “Care for a drink or a cigar maybe?”
“Whiskey. On the rocks,” I said.
Mafia 101: never reject an offer of hospitality—it rarely went in your favor after that.
He nodded. “A man of fine taste; I like that.” He leaned forward and pitched his fingers together like a man about to enter a state of deep thinking. “I hope that your business sense is just as good.”
“Better,” I responded. Immediately, we started to discuss the matter at hand. “As you know, the Valeris have a couple of dozen weapons that I think you’d be interested in purchasing from us.”
“And why do you think that? There are plenty of men in need of guns. Why come to me specifically?”
There was suspicion in his voice, and to be honest, I wasn’t exactly surprised. Mafias didn’t consider alliances—no matter how much sense it made to do so. Oh no, it was always an all-out war over turf and other nonsense. It was more than likely that the guy had a fair few of his men watching me, guns at the ready, in case they suspected me of foul play. And should I happen to make the wrong move tonight, I wouldn’t be going home. That was just the risk one had to take as a Valeri.
I told him the stats and details about the offer, making it sound sweeter than it really was. I needed to reel this guy in—hook, line, and sinker.
“Hmm.” He took a contemplative drag on his cigar as he clearly thought it over with a nod.
By the look of things, I wasn’t doing half bad as a salesman. Then again, I had my fair share of practice. This wasn’t what you would call my first rodeo.
“I must admit you have piqued my interest. But we both know what it comes down to— price.”
And that was when he blasted me with an absurdly low offer.
“I think you can do better than that,” I countered. “These are premium guns we are talking about. If I were to take your offer, then I would just be giving them away. And I can assure you that they are completely scrubbed. These guns are untraceable, and there’s no denying what kind of asset that brings to the table in our profession.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Valeri, but I fear that I cannot go much higher on the price. I have a business to run, and this isn’t really a necessity right now. We’re not preparing for war, are we?”
“You can never be too prepared.”
I could tell that Brocato was the kind of man that liked to drag his way through a negotiation and make it miserable for everyone. I was better off locking myself in a used car dealership for a couple of hours.
“I can go up another grand. Think about it.”
“Is that your final offer?”
“That’s my final offer,” he said with a nod.
“Then, let me think about it, and I’ll get back to you in a timely fashion.”
I was starting to sound a bit corporate, which was a good indication that it was time for me to leave. I had exhausted my negotiation efforts for the day.
“Good, good.” Lorenzo stood so we could shake on it. “And might I suggest that you enjoy one of my girls tonight—as a gesture of goodwill.”
At these words, one of his men opened a side door. A trio of girls came marching in. All three of them were scantily dressed, leaving little to the imagination.
“I’ll leave you to pick out a favorite,” Lorenzo whispered. “If you ask me, I’d go with the curvy one—she’s a looker, and she’s fresh too.”
21
As soon as Lorenzo stepped aside, I refocused my attention on the girls and really paid attention to their faces, albeit the smoke in the room made it a tad difficult to truly see what they looked like.
I took a couple of steps forward, and that was when I recognized “chocolate eyes”. She was looking at me like a lost puppy. I wanted to choose her right then and there, but I didn’t want Lorenzo to think that I knew the girl or that I had agreed to help this girl, even though I had no idea who she was or what I would get myself into by agreeing to do so.
Her features were just as lovely as I remembered them. It w
as difficult for me to tear my gaze away from her and pretend to consider the others. And while my pulse had quickened, I made sure to keep my composure. My face was a blank slate. No one in the room had any idea what I was thinking. Things were better that way.
“Spin for me,” I directed the skinniest of the three.
If I had to guess, she had been there the longest. She had the signs of abuse all over her body, and she was quick to obey like some sort of trained circus animal. Then, I made my way over to the Mexican. She wasn’t bad looking by any mean; she just wasn’t my type.
“You,” I said at last. “Bend over.”
I really didn’t want to humiliate this girl, but I knew that I had to put on a show if I aimed to make it believable.
She glanced at the capo and then did as she was told, but she was much more hesitant than the first girl. I could tell that she didn’t trust me and I didn’t blame her. She knew nothing about me, and realistically, I was cut from the same cloth as every other guy in this joint. I wasn’t about to paint myself as the good guy because I was far from it. Like I said, I had done things that I was not proud of.
“I think we have ourselves a winner.” As I spoke, I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close. I feigned like I was sniffing her hair as I whispered the words, “Just follow my lead.”
Lorenzo clapped his hands and smiled. “You truly are a man of excellent taste. You’ll be the very first to enjoy her.”
“It’s a privilege,” I said in a rather casual tone of voice like this sort of conversation were the norm.
The sad thing was that it wasn’t all that unusual. Hookers were commonplace in my line of work, and while I wasn’t fond of partaking in their services, I had to pretend like I was or be discredited as less of a man. Shoot me for wanting a wife one day, and wives don’t typically appreciate a long checkered history. And personally, I wasn’t interested in contracting Chlamydia. Did that make me a lesser man? I guess that depended on how you defined it.
“We have plenty of private ones available at your disposal,” Lorenzo said. “Soundproof and all, so you’re free to do whatever you wish to the girl—save for any permanent damage, of course.”
“Anything else goes?” I asked.
“Anything.”
I offered him a grin. “I like the sound of that.”
“I thought you might.” Lorenzo guided us towards another part of the building. “Enjoy.”
I practically had to drag chocolate eyes to get her in the room. It was obvious that this whole thing terrified her, and who could blame her? Knowing Lorenzo, he had put her through hell and then some.
Now, it was time to see whether this girl was truly worth saving.
Once we were inside, I locked the door. I was sure that Lorenzo probably had the key, but hey, a false sense of security is better than no sense of security. From there, I sat down on the ottoman that was pushed up against the foot of the bed. It was a four poster, the kind that romance novelists fantasized about at night.
I tested the posts strength with a good ol’ shake, almost like I intended to use them. And truth be told: I would be lying if I said the thought hadn’t crossed my mind. After all, I was a guy, and guys had dirty thoughts going through their heads all the time. They just couldn’t help themselves, and neither could I.
But what was the difference between Lorenzo and me? I didn’t act on those thoughts all that often, and when I did, it was with the woman’s consent. That was what separated me from a monster like him.
Eventually, I gave it a rest and turned toward the girl. She looked like she was frozen with fear. She hadn’t moved since we’d stepped inside the room. I didn’t say a word because no words were needed as I stared into her eyes, trying to judge who she really was. The girl had soulful eyes—the kind of eyes that told you everything. She was an open book, and I bet she didn’t even know it.
“It would seem to me that fate has brought us together again,” I said without relaying any emotion to my voice.
“I… I don’t know what to say…” She dropped her eyes to the floor and seemed to become smaller.
I got up and crossed the room until we were standing very close to one another. Our bodies were merely inches apart. The air electrified, and my pulse quickened even further. This woman was having an effect on me that I had never felt before, and trust me, I’d been around my fair share of beautiful women, so that wasn’t it.
There was more to this girl than met the eye.
Slowly, I wound my fingers into her hair. It was silky and smooth as if she had just washed it. Her natural scent wafted forward and greeted me like a tender kiss to the senses. I breathed it in like a drug addict taking a hit.
She stiffened, and her eyes went wide. For a moment, I wondered whether they wouldn’t pop right out of her head.
“Do you still want my help?” I whispered.
“Yes, yes, yes.” She nodded violently. “Will you please help me get out of here?”
She practically had me wrapped around her little finger. Honestly, I didn’t know what it was about her, but I just couldn’t leave her behind. Maybe it was the innocence of her face or the curve of her body. Whatever it was, I had the feeling that I was about to do something very, very stupid to make her mine.
“Yes, I will help you.”
“I… I…”
“Relax.” I brushed my finger across her cheek and pinned a strand of loose hair behind her ear.
“May I be honest with you?”
“I’d prefer it that way,” I said with a nod.
“You terrify me… but somehow, I sense that you are a man of honor.”
Her words got a chuckle out of me. “We’ll see.”
22
I was getting mixed signals from the guy. He seemed different from everyone else, and yet, I could tell that he was involved in some shape or form. Perhaps he wasn’t one of Lorenzo’s goons, but he definitely wasn’t a law-abiding citizen either. I mean, there had to be a reason why he was at the auction house the night before. Did he had slaves of his own or did he just get sick thrills seeing them paraded around and tortured?
It was more than likely that he was luring me into some kind of trap—he was playing me for a fool, and yet, I almost trusted him. It was something about his eyes. I had once thought them black, but in the light, they were actually more of a gray color. I had never seen any like them. They spoke of truth and valor, and maybe I was feeding myself a load of bullshit, but I had to believe that this guy would end up being my saving grace because if I didn’t, well, things would become pretty bleak on my end.
My thoughts were interrupted by his warm breath beating against my ear. His lips were impossibly close to my skin. I feared that if he touched me, I would burn. Nonetheless, I almost wanted it. The man made me feel much more comfortable than all the others. He was scary, yes, but at the same time, I felt safe in his presence like he was capable of protecting me from all sorts of trouble—big or small.
“Lorenzo is probably watching us through hidden cameras right now.” As he spoke, his hands slid down to my ass and copped a feel.
To my utter surprise, a soft little moan escaped my lips. I hadn’t expected that. With all the fear that coursed through my veins, I didn’t even think it possible for me to reach a state of arousal, but he had sparked that feeling. Between my legs, wetness formed. I felt it threatening to trickle down my legs. Then, more than ever, I wished for a pair of panties.
“So, we’ll need to keep up the ruse that you’re a submissive sex slave. Got it?”
I was shocked. Did he mean what I thought he meant? I looked up, and he gave me a subtle nod. My blood ran cold.
Has he been lying to me this whole time? Is this all an elaborate ploy to fuck me?
This was a whole new sort of low, and in a way, it felt like a betrayal because I had been foolish enough to believe him. But then I looked into his eyes and saw that he was telling the truth. And honestly, he was probably right. What did I
expect anyway? That he was going to sweep me off my feet and carry me out of this place safe and sound? No. If I were going to escape, then I needed to play dirty just like everyone else.
You need to have sex with this guy right now to keep Lorenzo’s suspicions at bay. That is the only way you’ll manage to get out of here.
It was a difficult thing to do but, in the end, I nodded my consent. It wasn’t like I had a choice in the matter. It was either fuck this attractive guy once and be done with it or stay here and get fucked by countless men for God knew how long. And besides, if I was going to get fucked either way, then it might as well be with a guy that I found relatively sexy. That would certainly make things a little bit better.
So, with a deep breath, I nodded again.
“Good,” he murmured against my ear. Gently, his teeth nipped my lobe and tugged on it slightly.
Goosebumps rose along my skin. Without realizing it, I tilted my head back, exposing my neck for his lips to explore. And that was exactly what he did. His mouth was just as hot as I imagined it would be. It moved with such fluidity, lulling me into a state of compliance. The guy was melting my body into putty, and there was nothing I could do about it because, honestly, he wasn’t half bad. I had expected him to be crude and animalistic like the rest of them, but he was taking his time to enjoy my body like he truly cherished it or something.
I tried to remind myself that this was all just an act to appease Lorenzo, but I couldn’t stop my body from warming up. His lips reached my collarbone, where his teeth came into play. He marked me with various love bites before tearing my sweater right down the middle. Since I wasn’t wearing a bra, my tits were immediately exposed, and he took full advantage of that. He slapped them around a bit, and while it looked like he was being rough, he didn’t actually use a lot of force.
