by Lux Miller
I blink at him, his crude words bouncing around in my head. I nod. “Yes, ugh, yes, I trust you…”
Royce nods thoughtfully. “Do you want him?”
I gasp and shake my head quickly, “God, no! He’s an arrogant jerk most of the time and when he’s not, he’s a moody ass that mopes around like he’s butthurt, and…” My eyes widen as Royce smirks. I roll my eyes with a heavy sigh. “Fine, I want him. I want him naked and on top of me as he kisses me senseless. Then I want him to use that fucking pepper grinder he keeps in his pants to make me scream his name so loud that it rattles the walls…”
Royce chuckles, a huge grin spreading over his face. “Are we talking restaurant-style or at-home grinder?”
I cut a dirty look at Royce, scoffing, “Does it matter?”
Royce shrugs, “Of course it doesn’t matter. But inquiring minds want to know…”
I shake my head at the dirty, little man. “I honestly couldn’t tell you for sure. I mean, it’s been pressed up against me and it felt like it was enormous, but I haven’t actually seen it.”
Royce claps his hands excitedly and squeals, “Oh goodie! We must make you look extravagant. We must make sure you get your ride on the Luca-Go-Round before your little arrangement comes to an end. I know just the outfit. It’ll be faaaaaaaaab-u-luss! How do you feel about… leather and lace?”
***
Three days later, I’m staring in awe at my reflection in the mirror. Royce has completely transformed me into some kind of steampunk flapper princess and it strangely works. He wasn’t kidding about the leather and lace either. Black leather encases my body in a snug fit that highlights curve I didn’t know I had. The skirt of the dress ends several inches above my knees and is covered in a delicate burgundy lace that gives the otherwise skin-tight catsuit an illusion of a nineteen twenties flapper.
I lean closer to the mirror to admire the bodice that hugs my breasts just right, giving me cleavage for the first time in my life. Everything is hand-stitched with careful precision and I decide right then and there that when I flee New Orleans, Royce is coming with me. There’s no way I can ever go back to buying my clothes off the rack when I have been dressed in his finery for weeks now.
He smirks behind and nods, “It’s absolute perfection!”
I turn around and look at him, narrowing my eyes. I motion to my legs with a sigh, “And what about these? They look so plain.”
Royce holds one hand up. “Patience, my darling. Put these on.” He hands me a pair of sheer lace thigh-high stockings and a garter belt. I find them to be a bit of trouble to get on, but once they are finally pulled up, I realize they make my legs look fantastic. He grins and hands me a pair of leather boots that reach to my knees once I’ve tugged them on. I laugh, “Royce… am I flapper or a stripper?”
He shrugs non-committedly. “Eh, a pinch of this and a touch of that. Let’s just say Luca’s eyeballs are going to fall out of his head at this outfit. If he doesn’t make a move on you with you wearing this, then I’ll make like Elsa and let...it… go.”
He pulls my hair back off my face and clips it into place, then plunks a top hat with feathers, bits of leather, and lace adorning it. It almost looks like something the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland would wear, but with a decidedly dark flair.
I smirk at Royce over my shoulder and quip, “If the outfit doesn’t get him, what I have on underneath it might…”
Royce quirks an eyebrow and motions to my skirt, “And what do you have on underneath?”
I give a quick shrug, then the smirk grows into something that belongs on the Cheshire Cat. “Nothing at all…”
Royce puts one finger over his lips as he sucks in a deep breath of air. “Yeah, that’ll do it. Girl, you’re so hot I’d almost consider tapping that ass. Get me drunk enough and I might anyway. That is, if Barresi wasn’t so hung up on you. Trust me, this is gonna work… and if it doesn’t, we have a contingency plan.”
An hour later, as I walk into the crowded party on Luca’s arm, I’m still wondering what Royce’s contingency plan is and who he’s cooked it up with. If Dante is in on this, he hasn’t dropped any hints. He showed up dressed like a pirate and disappeared into the crowd early. Luca is stoic beside me as he weaves us through the crowd.
He’s dressed in a costume meant to match mine. He’s putting off much of the same steampunk vibe that my flapper costume drips. His tailored suit is burgundy and pinstriped in black. With the fedora sitting crooked on his head and the gun readily visible in his waistband, he looks like a gangster from the nineteen-twenties who stepped off the silver screen. Except I suspect the gun he’s wearing isn’t a prop.
I’ve come to notice that Luca doesn’t go anywhere without at least one gun on his person. He’s not shy about letting everyone around him know that he’s armed, probably to the teeth. I don’t know how good his aim is, but I’m not itching to find out either.
He keeps an arm across my back and one hand digs into my hip as we swerve through the crowd. The moment we pass by a cocktail waitress, he snags a glass of something clear and bubbly off the tray and hands it to me. He gives me a slight nod and I tilt my head to the side. Taking a sip of the drink, I hold my glass out to him and ask, “Want some?”
He shakes his head quickly, holding up his free hand. “No ma’am. I haven’t touched the stuff since you found it appropriate to dump it all out.”
I narrow my eyes at him in surprise. “You can afford to replace it. Why didn’t you?”
He shrugs. “Because you were right. It turns me into an even more vile human being than I already am. I’ve no better manners than a wild beast when I’ve been drinking. It’s hard enough for people to like me sober, but I’m lucky some bastard didn’t get brave and try to shoot me with how I was acting while drinking.”
He directs me to a secluded area of the room and pushes me into the arms of Dante, who has appeared out on nowhere. Luca gives Dante a curt nod as he walks away. I shrug and turn to talk to Dante. “Business mixed with pleasure?”
Dante nods curtly, a knowing look on his face. “Yeah. I imagine the Boss wants to talk to him about the amount of attention he’s been drawing to himself lately. Namely, the flawless fakery the two of you have been parading all over town.”
He flicks his eyes nervously at one of the other guys who approaches me. The random guy brushes his finger down my arm and smirks at me. The guy’s not completely unattractive, but the look in his eyes sends shivers down my spine. And not in a good way. I back away from him as I jerk my arm free of his grasp.
Dante slips an arm around my waist and tugs me back against him, waggling a finger at the other men who are eyeing me hungrily. I can hear murmurs of complaint somewhere near the back of the group of men, but I hear the one closest to me loud and clear. “Dante, we all know this relationship is a fuckery. We all know Luca’s in there right now discussing the details of letting her go. What’s he gonna do with the pretty little thing when he’s done playing pretend? Because I can think of a few things I’d like to do…”
My stomach churns as he leans in close to me and sniffs me. I cringe as he takes a step closer to me and put my hand up in his face. “Uh, could you not… sniff me?”
The man throws his head back and hollers. “Ooh, she’s feisty. No wonder Barresi’s balls deep in the charade. When you want a man who will fill that tight little snatch of yours with more than a pencil, come find me, baby. Me and a couple of my friends would all like a turn on that ride…we’d even show the brotherly love… and share...”
Bile creeps up my throat as the men nod in agreement. Dante’s eyes flash with warning and he barks at the other men. “Back the fuck off my woman.” One of the younger men bucks up into a defensive stance. “Your woman?!? Luca ain’t promised her to nobody when he’s done with her. Mob rules state that we all get a fair shot when there ain’t no more claim to her…”
I kick the man who just spoke in the shin and he howls with pain, flinging his fist at
me in retaliation. “Little bitch,” he spits as Dante stops his fist in mid-air.
Dante’s voice lowers to a growl as he tucks me behind himself, “Sorry boys, life ain’t fair in the Empire of Barresi. I have laid claim to the woman. So back the fuck off. What Luca missed out on will be mine and I dare any of you to challenge me for her… you know that’s a fight you’ll lose and you’ll pay for your indiscretions with your life…”
The room is eerily silent for a moment before Dante pulls me back in front of him. He whispers in my ear, “Do you really want to make Luca jealous? Make him see what he’s missing?”
I nod slowly, unsure of what’s about to happen, but apprehension tightens my belly. Before I can question Dante’s intent, he turns me to face him and leans down, capturing my lips in a chaste kiss that he plays up to look like he’s got his tongue down my throat.
He smirks and pushes me against the wall, caging my body against it with his. He pulls his lips from mine and gives me a smirk. “Is he watching?”
Again, my head bobs with affirmation. His lips twitch as he mutters, “Good.” Before I can protest or warn him that Luca is stomping across the room with fire in his eyes, Dante steals another kiss.
I gasp as Dante suddenly stumbles back away from me and turns around to stare Luca down. “Finders Keepers, Bro.” Dante may be taller than Luca, but Luca’s a raging bear right now and Dante just poked him.
I’m pressed up against the wall behind Dante as Luca unleashes a guttural sound and lands a fist across Dante’s face so hard that his head snaps to the side. Dante coughs and spits out a mouthful of blood. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and stomps out of the room without another sound until he pummels his own fists into the wall… twice.
The entire house shakes as Dante slams the door behind himself. Two gaping holes remain in the wall where he unleashed his fury as everyone around stands in stunned silence.
Luca is seething as he shoves the onlookers back and away from me. He presses his back up against me and growls to the gathered crowd, “If any of you so much as THINK another nasty thought about MY woman, you will pee out of your asshole for the rest of your goddamn life. Which may not be long since I will also rip your entrails from your body and hang you from the first fucking tree I find. Do I make myself clear?!?”
FOURTEEN
Luca possessively wraps his arms around my waist and tugs me through the crowd. Every man in the room scrambles out of our path as the crowd parts. Luca pauses at the front door and sighs at the evidence of Dante’s anger. He glances over his shoulder at one of the guards and spits, “We’re leaving. If my father asks, tell him I will be out of pocket tonight.” He doesn’t wait for the guard to answer before pulling me outside of the house.
The moment we’re through the door, he presses me up against the wall. Snarling, he accuses, “My brother?!? Are you shitting me? You’re fucking my brother?”
I gasp as he levels his accusation. Red flashes before my eyes, then I hear a sharp crack of flesh colliding in anger. It takes me several heartbeats to realize that the sound was my hand leaving an ugly welt on Luca’s cheek. Growling, I retort, “Fuck you, Luca!”
He chuckles maniacally as he throws his head back, then brings his gaze down to mine. His eyes are a lifeless grey as he presses his body against mine. He leans his lips down to my ear and grinds out, “Don’t you know that’s exactly what I’ve been trying to do for weeks? And you keep shutting me down. Now I know why… you’ve been fucking off with my little brother. Tell me, does his dick feel as good inside of you as my fingers did?”
I raise my hand to slap him again and he grabs it by the wrist and presses my hand over my head. I squirm against him, but he holds on tight. He reaches down and grabs my other hand and holds it hostage alongside the first. Leaning down over me, his breath puffs against my lips as he struggles to hold what little composure he has left. “I wouldn’t know, Luca…”
He chuckles and shakes his head, “Really now? I find it hard to believe that a motherfucker my brother’s size would have a cock that you would so easily forget…” He presses a noticeable erection against my belly and I moan softly at the sensation of his arousal poking me. I capture his lips in a sloppy kiss, my teeth clinking against his. He makes no attempt to pull away until I bite his bottom lip forcefully. The sound he utters is somewhere between a yelp and a moan.
Struggling to pull my hands free of his, I shift my entire body against the wall. In response, he presses into me harder and tightens his grip, taking over the kiss as he delves his tongue into my mouth. We do a dirty little dance until I finally pull my mouth away from his. Gasping for breath, I stutter, “I wouldn’t know, Luca, because I haven’t had sex with anyone in years… and certainly not with Dante.”
He takes a step back from me, keeping my hands above my head as he searches my face for any indication that I’m lying. He glances toward the door that leads back inside the house, then back at me. “Then what the fuck was THAT in there?”
Sighing, I tug at my arms more. “Let me go and I’ll tell you. I have nowhere to run, so you have nothing to lose.”
He contemplates my request as he studies my face. He lets go of my hands with a grunt and crosses his arms over his chest. “Fine. Now spill…”
I look around at the relative privacy of the porch, but I still feel way more exposed than I’d like to be. I motion to his car. “Not here, not out in the open. I’ll tell you, but not with your associates staring at us through the windows.” Luca narrows his eyes and jerks his head up to the window where I saw more than one man watching him kiss me. He grumbles and motions with his head to his vehicle.
I nod and he tugs me over to it, unlocking it with key fob so we can climb inside. I sit in the rear passenger seat, drumming my fingers against the window until Luca breaks the silence. “Why were you kissing my brother if you’re not involved with him?”
I shrug and sigh heavily. “You wouldn’t understand, Luca.”
Luca leans over me and slides his hand under my chin, turning me to look at him. “Try me.”
I slide my hand onto his thigh and he visibly tenses at the intimate touch. Swallowing, I bring my gaze to meet his. “It was fake, Luca. The kiss was fake.”
He narrows his eyes at me. He’s not buying it and I can’t say I really blame him. It’s a hard pill to swallow.
Patting his thigh, I nod fervently. “Really, Luca. I’m sure it’s no surprise to you, but your men are disgusting. They were making crude comments about who would take their turn with me when you were done. That’s why he was being so overprotective of me and the kiss… well, he knew you were watching. He wanted to get a rise out of you…”
Luca growls deep in his throat, but I diffuse the situation quickly, sliding my hand onto his crotch. He gasps in surprise, “Emily, please...don’t do that. It just makes me think you want me…”
I squeeze gently as I feel him start to harden. “I do, Luca! For fuck’s sake, I do! That’s why Dante kissed me. Sure, it was a boneheaded way of doing it, but he was trying to make you see that you want me too. Since you’re too damn dense to admit it otherwise…”
I push myself up onto my knees in the seat beside him. His eyes widen as I grab his wrist and shove his hand under my skirt. The moment he realizes that there’s no barrier between his hand and my womanhood, he closes his eyes and lets loose a deep rumble of a moan. “Fucking hell, Emily… you’re soaked…”
Nodding, I lean my mouth down to his and whispers against his lips, “I know. I don’t want to mess around with you, Luca. I don’t want stolen glances in the hallway and late night masturbation… not anymore.”
I swing my legs over his and pull myself onto his lap, straddling his thighs as he groans and leans his head back. My hands are shaking as I grab hold of his belt and begin to unbuckle it. I shiver as he rubs his middle finger against my clit roughly. I close the distance between our mouths and he instantly thrusts his tongue inside my mouth and a finger inside m
y channel that’s already slick with want.
Groaning against him, I quickly finish undoing his belt, then unbutton his pants. Reaching inside his underwear, I wrap my hand around his shaft and pull him free of the constricting garment. He shudders underneath me as I stroke him gently. I gasp as I realize that my fingertips barely meet as I grasp his erection in my hand. Luca pulls his hand from between my legs and brings his fingertips to his mouth, licking my juices off his hand. The sight makes me moan with anticipation.
“Luca… I will explode if all you do is touch me again. I want… no, I need you to…”
He places his damp fingers over my mouth and nods. “Shhh.” He lifts his hips off the seat slightly and I’m not sure what he’s doing until I hear the unmistakable rip of a foil packet. My heart skips a beat, then begins to thud wildly against my chest as both of his hands disappear to where I can no longer see them. Moments later, he’s assaulting my clit once again with the fingertips of one hand.
