Padme shook her head in wonder. “How do you look so good?”
“I have a back-up. I sleep when they take over.”
Padme bugged at her. “When the hell did that happen?”
Lisa chuckled. “They’ve been with us the whole time. At least thirty on each flight.”
“And we’ve flown at least first class all the way. Jesus, how does Enver afford it? I have most of his money at the moment.”
Lisa shook her head. “No, Pad…you hardly have any of it.”
Padme was quiet after that. She knew Enver was rich, of course, a billionaire, but to say that she had not even a fraction of worth when there was nearly a billion sitting in her checking account, blew her mind.
“I need to find a way of transferring that back to him,” she said to Lisa, who shook her head.
“No, look, Pad, Enver wanted…god, how do I say this? They’ll think you’re dead – hopefully, they’ll charge Ingles with your murder, and this can all go away. But your mother…Enver wanted her to have something. Something to help protect her, you know? I assume you had a will?”
Padme couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable. “So, it’s like he bought me from her?”
“I can see how that might be a concern, or what some people think, but no. Don’t think of it as compensation, thinking of it as a necessity.”
Padme was silent then, and soon they were being boarded on their next flight. Padme almost swooned at the soft bed she was given, and Lisa chuckled as she handed over the Ambien and a glass of water. “Sleep, girl. I have a feeling this will all be over soon.”
Padme fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.
When she woke, she looked out of the window and saw land. “Hey, you, I thought I heard you get up.” Lisa poked her head around the seat. “We’re nearly landed.”
“How long have I been out?”
“Almost a day.” Lisa grinned when she saw Padme’s surprise. “Hey, you didn’t miss anything. Except for maybe a really lame in-flight movie.”
Padme rubbed her eyes. “Where are we? What’s next?”
Lisa smiled. “The last leg.”
“Really?” Padme was shocked and delighted, and Lisa laughed. “Really. We have the all-clear. Enver’s private plane is waiting for you at Hong Kong. It’ll take you to where he is.”
“You’re not coming with me?”
Lisa shook her head. “No, I’ll do a bit more traveling with your decoy, really make sure we’re home and clear.”
Padme wanted to cry she was so happy. “I can’t believe we did it. Every step I was waiting for Ingles’ men to catch up on us.”
Lisa nodded somberly. “You weren’t the only one. What I think we forget in this melee, is that he is only one man. He’s the last of the Ingles – if he’s toppled, their whole house of cards falls down and there are plenty of underworld families ready to see that day, believe me. His blind vengeance will mean his demise, Pad, I promise you that. It’s my job to make sure he doesn’t take you and Enver with him.”
Padme regarded her friend with worried eyes. “You will take care of yourself, too, right?”
“You know I will.”
Relieve, Padme grinned. “Because if I end up marrying Enver, I’m going to need a matron of honor.”
“Just don’t expect me to wear a dress.”
“Peach meringue. Eighties’ style.”
“I have a loaded weapon, Kaur.”
They both laughed, and Padme grabbed Lisa in a bear hug. The other woman squeezed her hard. “I’m happy for you, Pad. You both deserve all the happiness.”
Padme’s heart was beating almost out of her chest as the car approached the small house at the far end of the island. After all the shenanigans getting here, in a few short moments, she would finally, finally see him.
Her legs shook as she got out of the car and then, the door of the house flew open, and there was Enver, all beauty and love, and he was running to her, taking her in his arms. The moment his lips met hers, Padme felt the pain of the last few months fall away. Her cheeks were wet with tears.
“Enver, oh god, Enver.” His arms were tight around her, he gazed deep into her eyes. Time and distance had not made him any less glorious than she remembered. His bright green eyes were soft with love, his dark hair wild about his head, a dark beard on his gorgeous face.
“Il mia amore, il mia amore…” He kissed her again and again until she was breathless and laughing with joy. He swept her up in his arms and carried her inside the house. Padme saw that the silent driver had already brought their cases in and disappeared. She couldn’t stop looking at Enver’s face, touching him, not believing he was real.
Enver strode straight to the bedroom, and she giggled as he laid her on the bed and covered her body with his. “No staff?”
Enver grinned. “Just us, cara mia. God, I’ve missed you.”
She smoothed his curls away from his face. “I love you, Enver Toscano. Promise me we’ll never be apart again.”
“I promise you that, with all my heart.” His hands were at the buttons of her dress, and she smiled as he bent his head to kiss her mouth, her throat, pulling down the lacy cup of her bra to take her nipple into his mouth. “And you should also know, my darling Padme, that I’m not letting you up from this bed for at least the next twenty-four hours.”
The months of longing made both of them tear at each other’s clothes, but the smile on Enver’s face faded when he saw the scars from her bullet wounds.
“Mio Dio…” He stroked each one gently and closed his eyes. Padme could see the pain on his face.
“Hey,” she stroked his cheek, “it’s okay, I’m okay. I’m here.”
She pulled his head down and pressed her lips against his, their tongues caressing the other. Enver’s fingers strummed a blissful rhythm on her clit, while she freed his diamond-hard cock from his jeans.
“Don’t wait,” she said, breathlessly, “I need you so badly.”
Smiling, he hitched her legs around his waist and thrust into her with one hard push. Padme’s head rolled back as she gasped with pleasure, Enver’s lips against her throat.
“Look at me,” he said, and she met his gaze as he pinned her hands to the bed, and Padme tightened her vaginal muscles around his huge cock. “That’s it, beautiful, let me fuck you.”
They found their rhythm as if they had never been apart, a meeting of equals, both absorbing the other’s cries and gasps for breath. “I love you,” Pad me told Enver over and over then as she came, her back arched up, her belly pressed against his.
“Mio Dio, sei così cazzo bella,” Enver panted as he neared his own peak, “you’re so fucking beautiful…”
He came with a long groan, his seed pumping deep into her belly as she clamped her thighs around him, keeping him locked inside her. Enver made no move to withdraw as they collapsed to the bed, instead holding her close to him, showering her with kisses until she started giggling uncontrollably.
His cock grew hard again inside of her, and they made love slowly, talking softly to each other, exploring the other’s bodies.
It was evening before they paused, showering together then Enver showed her around the small property. It was everything a beach villa should be, glass walls, wooden floors painted white, simple, elegant.
Padme sat in the large kitchen while Enver cooked steaks for their supper. “Can I help at all?”
Enver grinned. “No way. You’ve had a long journey, and I want you to save your energy for what I’m going to do to you tonight.”
Padme grinned. “I still can’t believe I’m here, that I’m with you again. Jesus, Enver, these last few months have been hell.”
His smile faded, and he cupped her cheek in his hand. “I know, and I’m sorry. Did Lisa tell you that I wasn’t a willing abductee?”
Padme giggled. “She did…she’s badass.”
“She is.”
Padme choked back a laugh. “You’re scared of her.”
“Very much. She calls me Lemon.”
Enver laughed. “Who said hired mercenaries don’t have a sense of humor?”
“A mercenary? Even more bad-ass. She makes me realize I was never cut out to be an F.B.I. Agent.”
Enver shook his head. “I disagree, but, selfishly, I’m glad you’re no longer an Agent. The thought of you putting yourself in danger again…I’ll never forget that day you were shot, cara mia, never. And they dragged me away from you, and I thought you were dead. Christ.”
Padme felt a wave of nausea go through her at the memory, but she shook her head. “Come back to this moment, Enver. We’re here, we’re, safe, and together.”
“Yes.” He leaned over to kiss her. “And we need to start to figure out where our lives are going. Sound like fun?”
Padme grinned. “Hell, yes.” She tangled her fingers in his dark hair, gazing up at him. “We have the time to get to know each other properly now.”
He was silent for a moment, then kissed her softly before speaking. “Padme…you have given up everything for me. I hope I prove to be worth your sacrifice.”
“I have no doubts,” she said firmly, “None. All I want is to be with you.”
Enver smiled, but his eyes were still wary. “Principessa…soon, you may want more. A new career, new friends…all I am saying is, please be honest if ever you should find yourself unhappy.”
“I will, I promise and in turn, I hope I prove that I’m enough for you, Enver. You had this life, this amazing, successful life and you gave it up to try and do the right thing. I can’t tell you how much I admire you.”
Enver pulled her into his arms, tumbling her to the floor of the kitchen, and she could feel his cock hard against her thigh. “You could show me,” he said with a grin as she wrapped her arms around his waist. He thrust into her again, and Padme gasped and laughed as he began to move inside her.
“God, that feels so good, so good…Enver, Enver…Enver…”
Severin’s legs gave way, and she sank to the floor. “No…no…”
Dale could barely keep his own emotions under control. “I’m so sorry, Sev, so sorry.”
Henry was holding the older woman’s hands. “There’s no need for you to identify Padme. The coroner has already matched her DNA to the body.”
Severin’s tears were pouring down her face. “How? How did she die?”
Henry looked at Dale. “Dale?”
“She was…god, I’m sorry, Sev…she was stabbed repeatedly then thrown in front of a train. The wounds on her body…it matches Frederick Ingles’ m.o. We’re bringing him in for questioning.”
“That son-of-a-bitch!” Severin was up then, looking between the men. “Let me at him. Please, for five minutes, with a baseball bat.”
“I truly wish we could allow that,” Henry said, his kind eyes sad. “Severin, when the medical examiner has finished his investigation, we think it best if you have a closed casket funeral for Padme.”
Severin stared at Henry as if she couldn’t believe a word he was saying. “I’ll decide my daughter’s funeral arrangements, thank you, Henry.”
“Of course, I apologize, I meant well.”
Severin squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t believe she’s dead.”
“We’ll make Ingles pay for this,” Henry patted her hand. “I swear we will.”
Henry spoke quietly to Dale on his way out. “Stay with her, won’t you? I think she’ll need her friends around her.”
Dale nodded. “I wanna kill Ingles, Henry. I wanna rip him to pieces with my bare hands.”
“You and me both, Dale.”
Severin was standing at the window when Dale returned with a hot cup of tea. She accepted it, murmuring her thanks. Dale waited for her to speak.
“I don’t believe it, Dale,” Severin said eventually. “I keep going through it in my mind over and over. No-one saw her being taken from the coffeehouse. She would have fought, screamed, yelled.”
“That’s what bugs me too, Sev. Unless she was drugged or…god, I don’t know. But I think I agree with you. This stinks, but I can’t put my finger on why.”
“She’s not dead,” Severin shook her head then turned to Dale. “I want to see the body.”
Dale went cold. “No, god, Sev…the body is…it’s not Padme anymore. The head is gone, the torso so badly damaged that they didn’t notice the stab wounds at first. Her limbs were pulverized. It isn’t Padme.”
“That’s what I’m saying. I’ll know. Fuck DNA, they’ve messed that up. It’s not Padme. I want to see the body.”
Dale stared at her unhappily but then nodded. “Okay…but it’ll have to be off the books. I’ll get you in, but we’ll have to do under cover of night.”
Severin nodded her face set and determined. “Let’s keep this just between us, Dale. Don’t even tell Henry.”
Dale’s face was grim. “I agree. Just you and me.”
Padme opened her eyes. The sun was warm against the bare skin of her back, and Enver was trailing a cool fingertip up and down her spine. She smiled up at him. His dark curls had grown in the month since she’d been here, wild around his head, and he looked boyish and relaxed. She realized that, in their time before the shooting, he had always appeared relaxed but he’d had a tension about him, even in their most intimate moments. Here on their small hideaway, he was completely himself.
Their love had only grown more complete, more intense as they spent all day, every day together. They learned about each other’s hopes and dreams – which, of course, were mostly based on being with each other and making a family.
“I want…twelve.” Enver nodded, sagely, only his crinkled eyes giving away that he was joking.
Padme giggled. “Then you can push them out of your wang because my va-jay-jay ain’t happy with that.”
“Six sets of twins?”
He tickled her as they laughed. There was a rainstorm outside, and they lounged around on the huge white sofas, a lazy afternoon. Padme kissed the tip of his nose. “I love you, but no.”
“Okay, I’ll settle for two.”
“That’s more like it. Girls or boys.”
“One of each.”
“That’s fair but boring.”
“Sorry, cara mia.” He grinned as she slid her hands under his shirt. “Now, how about animals?”
Padme’s eyes lit up. “Dogs. Lots of dogs.”
“So, you want a lot of dogs, but only two kids?”
“I don’t have to give birth to dogs,” she nodded, in mock-seriousness and he laughed.
“Fair enough.” He studied her – Padme seemed lost in thought. “What is it?”
“Just picturing two little tykes, with your curls running around yelling in Italian, chasing our many dogs.”
“And where do you see this scene?”
“Italy,” she said firmly. “Enver, in my dreams, we can make a life in the Italian countryside, or on the coast, or even in small town. I can see it so vividly it seems real. I just know we’ll get there some day. I love it here, don’t think I don’t but our true life, our own story, won’t begin until this is all over. We can sit here in Paradise and pretend but…”
“I know, baby. But it’s too dangerous at the moment. Ingles has told you to your face he intends to kill you.”
“And you.”
“I’m more concerned about you. Pad…for me, it’ll be a bullet to the head. Over quick. When it comes to women, Ingles is a sadist. You think those bullets were painful? Look what he did to Chaley.”
“I know what he’ll do to me,” Padme said, “I’m just frustrated. Why should we let him dictate our lives? We need to confront him.”
“We tried that, remember? Until we have a strong lead on how to bring him down…I won’t risk your life.”
Padme sighed. “Fine.”
“Don’t be
sad, Pad. How can I make you happy?” But his hand was already snaking under her t-shirt, his warm fingers caressing her belly. She smiled up at him.
“Keep going…I see your other hand is free…get it busy, man.”
Enver laughed, his green eyes twinkling at her as his other hand deftly unbuttoned her denim shorts. Soon both hands were tugging them down, along with her panties and his mouth had found her clit. Padme gave a moan of pleasure as his tongue twisted and lashed around her, her hands tangling in his dark curls.
“Enver, let me taste you too.”
Not stopping his assault on her sex, he turned, and she freed his cock from his linen trousers and took it into her mouth. God, he was so big and hard already, and she traced the tip of her tongue along the long shaft, feeling it quiver under her touch. He tasted of salt and soap, the silky skin of his cock belying the rock-hard muscle beneath. They teased and sucked and licked at each other until they were both moaning, and coming. Enver’s hissed, triumphant “Yes, cara mia, yes!” was all Padme needed to hear as she came, arching her back but still working on him until he came in her mouth, hot, creamy cum spilling onto her tongue.
Breathless, Enver moved so he could kiss her mouth. “God, Padme, you’re so fucking sexy it kills me…baby, will you touch yourself for me so I can watch you?”
She nodded. “If you do the same.”
“Can I come on your belly?”
She nodded eagerly, and Enver sat on his haunches as she slid her hand between her legs and began to rub her clit, never taking her eyes from his. Enver fisted the root of his cock, already stiffening again as he watched her.
“I love the way your body moves, those beautiful breasts, your soft belly… those thighs… god…your exquisite face…”
He began to pant as he pulled and stroked himself, his eyes taking her in, the flush of her skin, her hand moving on her sex, how red and swollen her labia were, her arousal obvious. “Mio Dio, Padme…I’m going to fuck you in every way tonight…every way…”
Padme came quickly, crying out his name, again and again, her body undulating with her movements, and when a moment later, Enver came, his seed spilling onto her belly, she was so aroused that the moment his hand touched her clit, she came again, making them both laugh. They got their breath back and his cock was inside her, and they moved together in rhythm, focusing entirely on the other.
His Sweet Torment: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 9
