Take Me Higher: (A Chicago Mafia Syndicate) (Castaletta Book 1)

by Ali Parker

  "Do you believe in me?" I reached up and brushed my fingers by his chin slowly as my eyes moved down to the fullness of his lips.

  His eyes closed for a moment too long, and a lusty sigh left him that drove a spike of heat between my thighs. The electricity between us was palpable, delicious, addictive.

  After the last time he'd effectively shut me down and put me in my place beside him as nothing more than a business associate, I'd promised myself never again. I would never share my true feelings for him again. He would get nothing from me but the respect that he had earned over the years, and barely that.

  His eyes opened, and a thousand unspoken words moved between us. "I believe in you far more than you know."

  "Good. Then trust me." I leaned in and brushed my lips down his jawline toward his ear.

  "This isn't about trust." He panted softly and gripped me tighter. "It has nothing to do with trust."

  "That's all it has to do with, Demetri. Good night, boss." I nipped at his ear before slipping out of his grasp and walking to the front door. "Maybe if you weren’t such a dick, I'd have said yes."

  I tugged at the edge of the tight material of my dress just enough to let the bottom cheek of my ass accidentally show.

  The painful growl of a man on fire for something he wouldn't allow himself to have followed me, leaving my smile as wicked as my intent. Sadness could take a back seat to anger and lust. I would fuel myself through the rest of the night with those two emotions, and in the morning I would find a way to survive with my mother gone and D's denial in one of the most horrible times in my life.

  I could have one night — fuck you too.

  "Boss. How are you tonight?" Nathaniel opened the door and gave me a warm smile.

  "Don't call me that. D's your boss. I'm the smoking gun that will put you down if ever a time comes." I smiled and squared my shoulders as my eyes filled with promise.

  "Fuck. I hope that I die by your hands, Izzy. Your passions overlap far more than any other woman I've ever met." He laughed and moved back as I walked past him. "Be careful, princess."

  "It's queen, and I will." I walked to the car and got into the driver's seat of my black Porsche as the leather seat gripped me. The car felt like sex, and the only thing that was missing was Demetri.

  I pulled out and glanced toward the house in time to see D in the window, watching me. It pulled at what little softness remained inside of me. I loved him with a passion I couldn't explain if I tried. I had for the entirety of my younger years, and yet like everything else, he was just out of reach.

  I blew him a kiss and drove toward downtown as regret swirled deep inside of me.

  Chapter 10

  Izabella

  The valet rushed to open my door as I pulled up to my destination. I got out of the car and walked languidly to the front of the high-rise. I would need to take the elevator to the hundred and third floor. The Moonlight Bar was called that for good reason.

  From that high up, and standing outside on the deck of the Sears Tower in downtown, the moon almost seemed accessible, as if you could reach out and take it into your hands.

  I nodded politely to the various individuals who spoke to me, in an effort not to seem out of place. I walked toward the elevator and turned in time to see several men turn my way.

  Must be waiting on their dates... poor schmucks.

  Love didn't exist, at least not in the real world.

  I slipped the small valet ticket into my purse and lifted my head, licking my lips and walking off the elevator like I owned the place.

  It was just after ten, so whether Parker would be at the bar yet or not was anyone's guess. He was tall and looked exotic, which was ironic seeing that his name didn't fit him at all. The picture had shown caramel-colored skin and black hair, strong features and long eyelashes. His beauty was almost intimidating and yet incredibly sensual.

  I had dramatically dropped the picture on the floor of my father's office, but the image was stained on the back of my eyelids at least for the evening. He was my type for sure, but then again he looked a lot like Demetri. Any man that did would gain a second glance from me.

  I moved to the bar and leaned against the railing, smiling at the bartender as his eyes lit up. He wasn't much over thirty from what I could tell. His blond hair was a mess upon his head, and the smile on his mouth gave him away completely. He enjoyed what he was doing and loved the attention it most likely brought.

  "Hi, beautiful. I didn't think angels were allowed to leave Heaven." He winked and leaned against his side of the bar, his teeth pulling at his thick bottom lip.

  "Then be careful because Hell puts on a good show, and trickery is our calling card." I shrugged as his eyes widened. "I'll have whiskey, two cubes of ice and a lime."

  "Quite the drink for a lady." The voice beside me was deep, rich and wrapped in confidence.

  I glanced to my left to see Parker standing there. Good luck was shining down on me once again as it always seemed to.

  "You assume I'm a lady." I gave him a smug look.

  "Are you not?" His eyes narrowed slightly as a smirk played along his lips.

  I turned toward him and reached out, running my fingertips over his forearm as I smiled seductively. "I'm a woman but nothing more. A lady would be in bed reading tonight, and yet I have the desire for more than imagining what could be from the pages of a book."

  His mouth turned up into a sensual smile. "I'm Lucas Parker. Tell me your name."

  "Karen Smith." I laughed softly as he shook his head.

  "Horrible lie. You should really work on that."

  "Too plain?"

  "You, my lady, are no Karen Smith." He nodded to the bartender. "Just give us the bottle, and put it on my tab. We'll be out on the balcony talking if the lady finds me fit to share a few drinks with."

  I moved from the bar and glanced over my shoulder, letting my gaze drag along him.

  "Bring the bottle, and leave your questions for another girl. I'm not here to make friends, but to find someone to spend the night with." I walked out into the cool night air as my stomach tightened with disgust.

  Parker was beautiful and killing him would be a pleasure, but making love to him would only hurt me. Every touch, every whisper, every moment of ecstasy was a lie. They were all renamed and repurposed to be the one man I wanted above me, underneath me, behind me...

  "I fucking hate you, Demetri DeMarco," I whispered as I stopped by the edge of the balcony.

  The moon was full and on display before me as if putting on a private performance. The wind blew and lifted my hair to dance along my exposed shoulders, tickling me.

  How long would I suffer for him? Would I wait forever, or would this last rejection finally be the thing that pushed me past my need for him? Healing would come, but when?

  I turned at the sound of the door opening and rubbed my calves together sensually.

  Parker's eyes shifted down as he subtly licked at his lips. "Please don't make me moan the name Karen tonight. I just don't think I could do it."

  He laughed, and I joined him, unable to help myself.

  He was beautiful and seemed to have a personality that I might enjoy if the circumstances weren't what they were. My father must have thought a lot of him to loan him so much money, but the questions around his situation and relationship with the Don melted away as quickly as they'd arisen.

  It wasn't my business, and investing my thoughts or emotions into something that would end that very night was useless.

  "Veronica. You just get my first name, as I don't think my husband would enjoy you knowing our last."

  He offered me a glass and moved back to put the bottle on a nearby table. "Why are you here, Veronica? Certainly a woman as beautiful as you is taken care of by this husband of yours, no?"

  "Taken care of how, Lucas?" I whispered his name before reaching out for him.

  He walked toward me and pressed himself flush against my body as the delicious aroma of his expensive co
logne washed over me.

  I needed to get into his room, as his bank account information was most likely in the safe hidden inside the closet. I would call in Marco to come finish the deal once Parker was dead, as my oldest brother was much more capable of breaking into things than I ever was.

  "Pampered. Doted on. Pleased. Loved," he whispered each word as his lips dragged across my throat.

  I lifted my chin to watch the stars as he kissed me so softly, tenderly. I sighed and slid my free hand along his waist and down his thigh, letting my fingernails dig in just a little. I looked down at him and let sadness brand my words true. It wasn't necessary to fake it — it was true that night more than most.

  "Shown off. Bragged upon. Used," I murmured before moving my gaze down to his lips. The slight upturned curve of his top lip reminded me of D's.

  A burst of air exploded from my lips as I tossed my glass off the balcony behind us and reached to pull him down toward me. My fingers slid through his dark silky hair as I pressed my lips to his and enjoyed the burn of the liquor from his tongue. I sucked on it as a moan left me and my body woke up, demanding more than I wanted to take from him.

  His strong hands slid down my sides, around my lower back and over the top curve of my ass, leaving my heart racing, my nipples budded.

  With my eyes shut tightly, he was Demetri. They all were.

  I pressed forward, sliding myself along his front as he groaned and kissed me more fervently.

  He broke the kiss only to slide his fingers into my long hair, gripping a large handful and pulling a little to tilt my face up toward him.

  "Come with me to my room. Use me tonight as you need to. Take whatever you want from me. Just leave me stained in your scent." He struck like a viper, his teeth nipping, tongue lapping as I opened myself up to the passion that rolled all over the large man before me.

  He pulled away and grabbed my hand before moving fast toward the door.

  I reached for the bottle of liquor and jogged carefully beside him in an effort to keep up. We walked in aggressive silence to the elevator, both of us panting softly. I wish I could have said that it was a show of sorts, but neediness trapped me in a place that might allow any man to take full advantage of me for the night. I wanted release from my pain more than anything else. If it was offered, I was in.

  Parker pulled me against him when the doors closed and reached up to cup one of my breasts in his hand as the other tugged at the edge of my dress.

  I groaned loudly as his fingers raced up the side of my thigh, the contact feeling divine. I shivered and rolled my hips as Parker whispered “Yes” softly against my mouth.

  The door opened, and I moved out, pulling him down the hall as he fumbled with the key.

  "Room number?" I asked, my voice thick, my body betraying my desires to remain unsated by him.

  "Ten fifteen. Two more doors down on the right, baby."

  I paused in front of the room and moved back as he shifted to stand in front of me. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I pressed my teeth into the meat of his shoulder and tugged hard as he hissed in pain.

  I smiled and released him as we walked into the room, pushing him back as he moved toward me with hunger in his eyes. I stopped in front of the windows and closed the curtains before turning to face him and pointing at the ground in front of me.

  "Come here, and get on your knees. Now." I licked my lips and tossed my hair over my shoulder.

  His smile faded as he walked toward me. The lusty look on his face was almost endearing. I might have kept him if it wasn't his time to go. "All yours, beautiful. Anything you want."

  He gracefully got onto his knees and slid his large hands up my thighs, leaving my dress in place as he looped two fingers into the strings of my panties and pulled them down. I shimmied out of them and ran my fingers through his hair as he lifted my dress slowly, the need on his face shadowed only by confusion at the Glock that sat between my thighs.

  I reached down quickly and pulled it up, pressing the gun to his forehead and watching him as peace settled over me. Sex would be beautiful, but death was even better.

  "Never steal two million dollars from a Mafia boss. He'll send his only daughter after you."

  Parker started to respond, but the open hole just above his eyes stopped him. Pity really.

  He dropped to the ground, his brains and blood painting the room behind him.

  I stood there for a minute and listened to the sound of my own breathing before putting the gun in my purse and pulling my dress back down. I picked up my panties and walked toward the door, stopping only to call Marco.

  The silencer on the gun did the trick every time. Too bad rage like I hadn't felt in a long time screamed louder than any gunshot might. The peace I'd experienced was gone, and desire consumed me to the point of weakening my knees. I needed to be loved for the night. I demanded it desperately. I called my brother and pressed the phone to my ear, speaking when he picked up.

  "Marco, it's done. Come get what you need from the safe."

  "Did you fuck him?" D's voice filled the line.

  "Where is my brother, D? I don't have time for this shit."

  "He's in the kitchen. I'll send him when you answer me. Did you fuck him?"

  "I did, and he would be sad to know that my eyes were closed so that he could be the one man I needed between my thighs. The one that leaves me breathless and wet without effort."

  "And who is that?" Demetri barked out, anger burning through the phone.

  "Edward of course. Who else would it be?" I hung up and dropped my phone into my purse before walking from the room. The only way to move past love was to destroy it.

  I killed everything else I was set out to extinguish.

  This would be no different.

  Please don't let him still be at the house when I get there. Neither of us would survive the type of night I needed from him.

  Chapter 11

  Izabella

  I'd almost made it home when my phone buzzed in the seat next to me. Marco, or perhaps it was still D using my brother's phone.

  "What's up?" I stilled my racing heart. My thoughts had been all over the board with ideas of where the night have might led with Demetri drunk and me filled with far too many emotions from the long day.

  "I'm headed to the hotel. What's the room number, and tell me what you touched so I can clean up while I'm there." Marco sounded tired, weary.

  "Room ten fifteen, and I only touched Parker and a bottle of whiskey that he brought into the room with us. I assume the safe is in the closet with his billfold, or perhaps it's still on him." I turned down the last long road that would lead me back home. Sadness stung me, but I pushed it away.

  "Nothing else, Izzy? Think, and be sure, please." He let out a soft sigh that would normally set me off into a long rant about me being careful, but his question was legitimate. We'd been through a lot, and none of us were guaranteed to be at the top of our games this night.

  "The curtains," I mumbled as I mentally moved back through the night with him.

  "Did you go into the restroom? Lie on the bed?"

  "No." I rolled my eyes and pulled up to the circle drive in front of the house. D's motorcycle sat in its usual place, and a thrill of excitement raced through me. "I walked into the bedroom, closed the curtain, told him to get on his knees and put a bullet in his skull."

  "Really?" My brother's voice lifted as if something were comical.

  "Yes, really." I parked the car and got out as one of the guards on security detail walked toward me. I waved them off and moved into the house with my eyes peeled for the man I planned to take upstairs with me.

  "Demetri said you slept with the guy. You'll be happy to hear that he was rather pissy about it." Marco chuckled.

  "I told him that to kick him in the nuts. I'm glad it worked." I craned my neck and leaned into the kitchen to find it empty. "Where is he?"

  "He's at his place."

  I turned back toward the front door.
"But his car is outside."

  "He was drunk. Nathaniel wouldn't let him drive home, so he took D himself."

  "Burn Parker's body. Wrap him in the curtains, and burn all of it." I ran my hand through my hair and walked languidly to my bedroom as the high I was riding began to wane.

  "Of course. I'll see you in the morning, Sis. Get some rest. You need it."

  "We all do." I dropped the call and paused at the sound of the front door opening and closing. "D?"

  Turning, I jogged to the edge of the long cream-colored stairs and reached into my dress to lift my breasts a little.

  "Izabella?" The voice that called out wasn't Demetri’s, but Edward's. He was our real estate and IT guy all wrapped up into one, and my best friend from childhood. "You here?"

  "Yeah." I walked down the stairs and moved into his arms as he opened them to me.

  "I'm sorry about missing the funeral." He kissed the top of my head and ran his hands down my back, pressing in firmly. "You're dressed up. Why?"

  He'd been out of the country and under my father's orders. The Don had forced Edward to stay in London to wrap up a few business items for us. I knew without a doubt that he would have been there beside me that morning otherwise.

  "I had a hit tonight." I moved back and glanced up into his handsome face. His short brown hair and vibrant blue eyes could steal almost anyone's breath but mine. I was far too used to him to feel much more than a sense of relief that he was there.

  His pouty lips turned into a cocky grin. "And that made you feel a little bit better?"

  "No, it made me feel worse." I brushed something off the front of his slate-gray button-up shirt and moved out of his arms. "I'm headed to bed. You coming?"

  "You need me tonight?" He reached out and gripped my hand tightly.

  "Yeah. If you're up for it." I slid my fingers out of his grasp and started back up the stairs.

  "I'm always up for you. Let me grab a bottle of water from the fridge, and I'll be right there." His voice ushered in the serenity I was looking for.