by Penelope Sky
Victory shone in her eyes now that she was getting her way.
“But don’t try anything.” I didn’t need to finish the threat.
“I won’t.”
We arrived at the Barsetti estate, a three-story mansion with vineyards on either side of it. The black gates opened as I approached, and I circled the fountain in the center and the valet parked my car.
London stood beside me and looked up at the magnificent house with green ivy growing over the walls. The Mediterranean style windows were open, letting the fresh air enter the multiple bedrooms upstairs.
When I reached the door, it opened before I could knock.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Donoghue. I’m Lars.” An older man in a gray suit gave me a quick bow. He looked like the butler of the house, reminding me of Finley but with fancier clothes. “Mr. Barsetti and Mr. Barsetti are expecting you in the drawing room.” He turned to London, clearly not expecting her to accompany me.
“I’m sorry, Lars. This is Lady London. I should have mentioned I was bringing her today.” Even though there only would have been a thirty-minute warning.
“Lady London, it’s a pleasure to have you.” Lars ushered us inside. “I know the men prefer scotch. Can I get you the same, or would you rather have something else?”
“Scotch is fine,” she said with a smile. “Thank you, Lars.”
I stared at her in surprise.
“Let me show you the way.” Lars walked in front and led us to the drawing room on the second floor.
I eyed London, watching her every move.
She turned to me when she noticed my stare. “What?”
“You’re beautiful like a flower, but you drink like a man.”
“Your point?”
I grabbed her hand. “No point at all.” I may have to pour a bottle of scotch all over her body and lick it away when we were home. I’d lick it out of every opening on her body. Her nipples would taste even better coated in the amber liquid.
We entered the drawing room, and I walked inside first when I would normally show my manners by letting London step inside before me. The two brothers sat on different couches in front of the fire. A bottle of iced scotch sat on the table along with three glasses. The men were already drinking. I would have been disappointed if they weren’t.
“I’ll return with hors d’oeuvres.” Lars bowed before he returned to the door.
“We don’t need any food, Lars,” Crow said. “Men just want to drink.”
London cleared her throat. “I’m not gonna turn down some homemade Italian cooking.”
Lars smiled like that made him happier than he’d been in a long time. “On the way.” He walked out.
Crow and Cane both stared at her, obviously not noticing her until then.
“My apologies,” Crow said. “Didn’t realize a lady was joining us. What can I get you, sweetheart?”
I didn’t hide my glare, offended he called my woman by such an endearment. “She’ll have scotch—like the rest of us.” I took a seat and tapped the cushion next to me, telling her exactly where I wanted her.
The second her ass was on the cushion, my hand moved to her thigh and I crossed her legs. I shouldn’t care if Crow and Cane found her attractive. She didn’t mean anything to me anyway.
But I did care.
Crow smiled before he opened the bottle. “My apologies.” He poured two glasses and handed them over.
I handed London hers even though she could have reached it herself. It was an unnecessary act of possession, but Crow and Cane weren’t typical criminals. They were both handsome and wealthy. “This is London. London, this is Crow.” I held up my glass and aimed in his direction. “And that’s Cane.”
Crow nodded in acknowledgment. He was the older brother with the winery, while Cane was in charge of their arms business. They laundered their money through their clean business, just the way I did with my scotch.
“Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Cane’s eyes settled on her a little longer than I preferred.
I shouldn’t have brought her.
“Where’s Ariel?” Crow asked.
“Working.” I didn’t have to explain where my business partner was. I handled all the deals while she worked in the dark. That was how the arrangement went. Sometimes I brought her along. Sometimes I didn’t.
“I was hoping London was her replacement,” Cane said.
Cane wasn’t a fan of Ariel. Probably because she didn’t put up with his sleazy lines and sexist comments. “London is my personal property.” I wouldn’t call her my woman because that would imply she meant a great deal to me. But I wouldn’t use the word slave because London would have an outburst.
“Oh…even better.” Cane winked.
Crow glared at his brother before he turned to me. “Let’s talk business. That’s what we’re here for, right?”
I always preferred Crow. He got right to the point and didn’t ask too many questions. “Let’s.”
Cane left the room to take a call, and London walked to the large windows on the other side of the room to admire the view of the vineyards and the pool. It was just Crow and me for a brief time.
“How’s business?” I knew he would give me a rehearsed answer since we never revealed our secrets to one another.
“No complaints. You?”
I smiled. “No complaints.” I knew he had a blood feud with one of my clients, so I never mentioned his name while we were together. I considered myself to be a mutual businessman who didn’t have any emotional investment in my clients. They bought what I was selling, or they didn’t. End of story.
Crow nodded to London on the other side of the room. “Josephine is long gone, huh?”
I didn’t like to speak of that woman, but all of Western Europe knew of my engagement. I’d never been so humiliated in my life. She left me for a man with a better chance at the throne, spitting on my legacy and everything I had to offer. It probably wouldn’t have hurt so much if I’d never loved the bitch.
But I did.
The Russians destroyed my family, and that British cunt destroyed my name. Now I needed revenge on two fronts, and I would get it one way or another. I wouldn’t let anyone step on me ever again. I wouldn’t let anyone get close to my heart again. Whoever I married would only be a match of convenience, someone who could give me children to carry on my legacy.
But that was it.
“Yeah.” I masked my discomfort by taking a drink of my scotch. I’d been working with Crow for years, but I wouldn’t consider us to be friends. Good acquaintances, perhaps. People like us didn’t really have friends. “She came by a few weeks ago and said she made a mistake. Wanted another chance.”
“That’s some nerve…”
I wouldn’t take her back. I was over her the moment she turned her back on me. Every feeling I had disappeared instantly. My heart became calloused and black, and I lost any ability to feel any form of happiness.
Now I just wanted to blood.
“I’m glad she’s miserable.” It was a cold thing to say, but I really didn’t care.
“That makes two of us.” He clinked his glass against mine. “Your new plaything seems nice. I heard one of your clients crossed you…”
Good news traveled fast. “Yeah. I took his sister as payment.”
He grinned. “You’ve gotta teach them a lesson. But I have to say…” He looked over his shoulder and glanced at her. “She doesn’t seem like much of a prisoner.”
“Meaning?” Because she was beautiful? Because she was one of the sexiest women I’d ever been with?
“If I were a prisoner, I wouldn’t smile. I wouldn’t drink scotch with a room full of men and enjoy it. She doesn’t seem like she’s being held against her will. It’s almost like she likes you.” He crossed his legs and leaned back against the couch.
I watched her figure in the corner, treasuring the sight of her beautiful curves. She had an hourglass figure, something I’d always been a sucker for. I turned
back to Crow. “I threatened to kill her brother if she doesn’t obey me. I have a transmitter in his skull. The second she displeases me, I’ll hit the button and give him a stroke.”
Crow nodded like he was impressed. “You’ve got this all figured out.”
“Let this be a lesson to you. Don’t fuck with me.”
He chuckled. “Wasn’t planning on it.” He glanced at London again. “If she up for grabs?”
It wasn’t uncommon for business partners to share women. I’d done it before myself. Since I made it clear she meant nothing to me, his question wasn’t out of line. But I didn’t want to loan her out. She was my pet, my prisoner. I didn’t want to share her with any other man. “No.”
Crow accepted my decision without argument. “Don’t be offended if Cane asks you the same question.”
“I won’t. I’m surprised he hasn’t asked already.”
He chuckled. “You know my brother as well as I do. So why did you bring her, then?”
“She wanted to come along.”
“Looking for an escape route, possibly?”
The more I thought about it, the more unlikely that seemed. “No. She knows I’m not bluffing about her brother.”
“Maybe she just wanted to get out of the house, then.”
“She doesn’t like my men. Says she doesn’t trust them.”
“And she trusts you?” he asked with interest.
I shrugged, unsure how she felt. She wanted me to protect her from my crew, and that made me feel hard in a way I couldn’t explain. Then she stuck her tongue in my mouth and chased all my logical thoughts away.
She had a magic touch.
“I think she trusts me in some aspects.”
“Well, being by your side really is the safest place she could be, relatively speaking. She’ll never be hungry, poor, or in any danger. But you aren’t going to keep her forever, right?”
“Not sure yet.”
“Well, are you gonna kill her when you’re finished?”
That’s what I should do. She would become useless to me eventually. I would meet another woman, or perhaps the woman I should marry, and then she would just be a burden. Obviously, I couldn’t just let her go because she knew too much.
So he was right. I would have to kill her. “I guess so.”
3
London
We drove back to his estate thirty minutes away. Crewe drove with one hand on the way, his eyes on the road straight ahead. His other hand rested in his lap, and dusk was slowly settling across Tuscany.
It was beautiful here. I loved the warm sun, the green vines of the vineyards, and the dusty dirt that flew into the air when we drove down the road. In some ways, it reminded me of home. In others, it didn’t remind me of anything I’d seen in my lifetime.
Crewe didn’t make small talk. He seemed to be in a bad mood, but I wasn’t sure why. I behaved myself the entire time and rarely spoke unless I was spoken to first. I could have given a lot of smartass comments, but I didn’t. I was just grateful to be with him instead of back at the house with his psychopath partner and his violent henchman.
I wasn’t trying to run.
If I did, he would kill Joey. I didn’t have any other option but to make the best of my situation. I wasn’t sure how long I would be there. Maybe I would be there forever. If I could make him fall in love with me, he may leave Joey alone and let me go.
But the more I got to know him, the more unlikely that seemed.
Crewe was heartless.
He lost his family, and I knew something serious happened with Josephine. He carried too many scars, too much hatred. But at the same time, he did have his soft moments. He told me I was beautiful and told Dunbar to keep his hands off me. If he really didn’t care, he wouldn’t intervene.
And I still suspected he changed his mind about Bones for a different reason.
But I would never really know the truth about that.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re mad?”
He kept his eyes on the road. “Because I am.”
I should have been more specific. “Why do I get the feeling you’re mad at me?”
“I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at myself for allowing you to come with me.”
“Why?” I blurted. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Crow asked if he could have a go with you.” He gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles slightly turning white. “Cane did the same.”
I was grateful he didn’t share me. Crow and Cane were good-looking, but I didn’t want to be loaned out to strangers. It had been difficult enough for me to sleep with Crewe to begin with. Now sleeping with him was so natural I didn’t think twice about it. “You didn’t act like I meant anything special to you…”
Crewe clenched his jaw.
“And I don’t mean anything to you, so why do you care?”
“I just do. I shouldn’t have let you come. It was a stupid decision.”
“You’re being really unfair. I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not my fault they’re both perverts.”
“They aren’t perverts,” he said quietly. “They’re men. When men see a beautiful woman, they want to fuck her. It’s pretty fucking natural.” His jaw was still clenched as he spoke.
“Then you shouldn’t be upset.”
He turned his head my way, the anger in his eyes.
That wasn’t the smartest thing to say. “Crewe, if you’re gonna keep me around for a long time, put me to use. Let me help with your business. Give me something to do. I don’t want to be at the mercy of your employees every time you aren’t around.”
“I don’t care how you feel, London. I’m sorry if that wasn’t apparent.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and looked out the window. “Why don’t you just kill me…?” I had hope prior to this, hope that something good would happen. But now, all optimism was disappearing.
He turned his head to look at me again.
“Just kill me,” I repeated. “You’ll get your vengeance on Joey. He’ll be miserable. Win-win.”
“Why would I do that when I enjoy being between your legs so much?”
My heartbeat quickened at his words, although I wasn’t sure why. Did that simple sentence make me aroused? Was it the possessiveness? Or was it nothing at all, just a natural reaction.
I purposely kept my eyes out the window, not wanting to look at him or see his reaction to me. I didn’t respond to his flirty words, refusing to do so.
His hand grabbed my elbow, and he loosened my arm before he grabbed my hand. He rested it on my thigh then brushed his thumb along my knuckles. Like he did on the plane, he showed me affection that surprised me. It was tender and sweet, a great contradiction to everything he was.
My heart rate slowed down again, and just for a moment, I felt at peace. I felt safe, like nothing could hurt me while he consoled me. I liked this version of Crewe, when he showed compassion that derived from nowhere.
“I’m not gonna kill you, Lovely. That’s the last thing I want to do.”
“Then what do you want to do with me?” I didn’t pull my hand away because it felt nice. I wanted him to keep touching me. It made me feel alive, not hopeless and dead.
“For now, this.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. “That’s all.”
It wasn’t an answer, but at least it wasn’t a death threat. As long as I was useful to him, he would keep me around. If he liked me enough to kiss my hand, maybe I had a chance after all.
But I still doubted it.
When we entered the bedroom, it was nightfall. The stars appeared in the sky and could be seen through the open window. I hoped Crewe didn’t have plans for the night. There was a lock on the door and I doubted Dunbar would go out of his way to make me miserable, but I preferred it when Crewe was around.
He kept everyone in line.
He dropped his jacket and removed his watch, taking his time undressing in front of the closet. His tie came next then he
unbuttoned his shirt.
I tried not to stare at him.
His physique was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. I’d never seen a man so hard and strong. He had lean muscles on a tall frame, his biceps leading to tight triceps. His pecs were so sculpted they didn’t look real. He had a light tan line around his neck where his collared shirt ended, but it was so faint it was hardly noticeable. His shoulders were just as toned as the rest of him, packed with muscle but slender at the same time. The only time I’d ever seen a man look this beautiful was in porn, and that was all lighting and angles.
Crewe looked like that no matter what.
I swallowed when I realized my mouth was dry. I was a prisoner to a royal criminal and I shouldn’t feel anything but fear and disgust, but I found myself feeling so many contradicting emotions that none of it made sense.
His slacks and shoes came off next, and he stood in his black boxers.
I finally looked away, not wanting to get caught looking.
“I know you like what you see.” He slowly walked toward where I sat on the couch. He had a noticeable V in his hips, lines caused by his tight abs. There was a distinct bulge in the front of his shorts, the outline of his long cock in the fabric.
“You shouldn’t make assumptions.”
He kneeled in front of me, his muscled mass coming into perfect view. He leaned in, one arm sitting on the armrest while the other touched my thigh. He looked at me with those light brown eyes, commanding me with just a look.
Now I couldn’t turn away.
He leaned farther in until our lips were just inches apart. “Shallow breathing. Dry mouth.” His hand squeezed the area just above my knee. “Quivering thighs.” He grabbed my wrist next and felt my pulse. “Rapid heart rate.”
I swallowed the shame as best I could.
He placed my hand over his chest, right over the skin where his heart was beating. “Rapid heart rate.” He pressed his lips to my ear, his breaths falling on my earlobe. “Shallow breathing.” He moved his mouth to mine and gave me a slow kiss. “Dry mouth.” He grabbed my hand and forced my palm over his definition in his boxers. “Raging cock.”
