by B. B. Hamel
“You want to fuck me.”
I couldn’t believe I said it out loud.
“That’s right,” he said. “I want another taste of that pussy. I’ve been thinking about you for months, ever since that night.”
“Seems like a bad reason to risk yourself,” I said.
“Maybe.” He stood up and smiled at me. “Shall we continue our little tour?”
“No,” I said. “No. I should get back to Alex.”
“Okay. Whatever your want, princess.”
I bit my lip, staring at him. “Is that really the only reason?”
He stepped toward me. “Does that excite you?”
“No,” I lied.
“It does. It makes you dripping wet. You love that I’d risk myself just to get another taste of your perfect fucking pussy. Right now you’re imagining how my thick cock can make you feel, and you want it badly.”
“Not true,” I lied again.
“Very true. You want me to make your body sweat. You want to moan my name. Admit it, Kaley. That’s the reason you’re here, too.”
“I’m here for my son,” I said.
Though I was becoming less and less sure of that.
Of course I was there to protect Alex. But I wasn’t positive that was the only reason anymore.
“Go. Run off to your baby,” he said. “I’ll see you later.”
“Asshole,” I whispered, but I turned and walked away.
My whole body was vibrating from the encounter. The way he spoke to me, the commanding and powerful tone, the intense looks, it was all so overwhelming. I’d never met someone like him, not even close.
And it did turn me on like crazy knowing that he wanted me. It made me dripping wet and stupid for him thinking that he might have risked himself just to fuck me again.
But I had to be careful. Vince was dangerous, and so were the Italians. I was still very much an outsider, maybe even an enemy.
I hurried back inside, heading toward Alexei. I had to remember that he was the reason I was in the mansion at all. I couldn’t let myself give in to what my body wanted.
I was there for my son.
And not to fuck my son’s delicious father.
Chapter 10
Vince
I slept pretty damn good that night.
I couldn’t get the girl’s looks out of my head. Kaley was fucking fiery, and I could tell she wasn’t going to just give in to me. As much as she clearly wanted to.
Which I liked. I wanted her to make me chase her a bit, make me fucking claim her. But I was going to take her, one way or the other.
The kid was an issue, of course. But only time would tell with that. We’d find out sooner or later if he was mine, and then I’d go from there.
But in the meantime, I wanted his mom. I wanted Kaley bad, so bad that I woke up the next morning with a fucking hard cock and a dream of her still lingering in my head.
I grunted, rolling out of bed.
Kaley was firmly lodged in my mind. I’d been telling her the truth when I said that the reason I let her in was to fuck her again. It wasn’t the whole reason, of course, but it was an enormous one.
She could be useful to the family. But she could also be useful to me.
As I stood up, the phone next to the bed started ringing. I grabbed it. “What?” I grunted.
“Vincent Mori?”
“Yeah.”
“This is Jefferson. Arturo wants to see you.”
“Fine,” I said. “When?”
“Now, in his study.”
I hung up the phone. Jefferson was like the house’s phone operator, and it wasn’t often that he was used to send messages like that.
Must be urgent. I quickly got dressed, throwing on what clothes I had there, and walked out into the hall.
I moved through the twisting passages, heading toward Arturo’s study. I had a feeling about what this was about. It wasn’t often I got invited into the big boss’s inner room, and it was almost never a good thing when I was.
I made it to his study and knocked on the door. “Come,” I heard him call out.
I walked inside. Lucas was already there, leaning up against a bureau. Two other captains, Ernesto and Gian, were also there. Gian was a younger guy, loyal to Lucas, while Ernesto was one of the old guard. He was loyal to Arturo, but mostly to himself.
“Sit,” Arturo said, gesturing at the last remaining chair. I sat down. “Coffee?”
“Please,” I said.
Lucas poured me a cup and handed it to me. “Thanks,” I said.
I sipped the hot black liquid.
“You know why you’re here,” Arturo said. “We heard from the Russians.”
“I take it they’re unhappy.”
“They think we kidnapped the girl.”
I nodded, not surprised. “I figured they’d play it that way. Blame us instead of admitting to their own embarrassment.”
“Yes, well, they’re threatening war.”
“More than threatening,” Ernesto cut in. “They’re pushing for it.”
Arturo held up a hand. “They say if we don’t return the girl by tonight, then they will consider our families in a state of war.”
I laughed. “By tonight? Who said this?”
“It came from Ivan himself,” Lucas said.
Shit. Ivan Ivanov was the head of the Russian mob, and one of the most feared men in the city.
“And the kid?” I asked.
“They make no mention of him,” Arturo said.
I nodded, sipping my coffee. “I assume you want my opinion.”
“You’re closest to the girl,” Gian said. “We want to hear what you think before the council decides.”
“The Russians know we aren’t going to give her back by tonight,” I said. “They either genuinely want to go to war or they’re bluffing.”
“I agree,” Lucas said.
“War,” Ernesto grumbled. “We haven’t been at war in a long time, Arturo. Are we prepared for that?”
Arturo looked at me. “How is your Chinese deal coming along?”
I frowned. “Stalled. I haven’t heard from Bao in a few days. But I’m still confident.”
“Good. We’ll need those weapons if we’re going to war.”
“This is foolish,” Ernesto said. “Just send the bitch back. What do we need with some Russian whore?”
I stared at Ernesto, my jaw clenched. I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up. Lucas nodded at me and then looked at Ernesto.
“She could be useful,” he said. “And her child might be Vince’s.”
“So what?” Ernesto asked. “I have a thousand bastard sons. None of them are worth going to war over.”
Arturo laughed. “So callous, Ernesto. But I am inclined to agree that she is not worth going to war over.”
“I vote she stays,” Gian said. “I think she’s useful. And fuck the Russians.”
“She can be useful,” I said. “Give her time.”
Arturo crossed his arms. “How much time?”
“Two more days. At least until we find out if the kid is really mine.”
“We must vote today, Arturo,” Ernesto said. “We can’t delay.”
“Very well,” Arturo said. “I will speak to the council and take all of this into advisement.”
I stood. “Thank you, sir.”
He nodded, dismissing me. I placed my coffee back down on the serving tray and then left. Lucas was right behind me.
“I hope you’re right,” he said. “I hope she’s worth it.”
“Me too.”
“How is she?”
“Angry and confused, mostly.”
“Take care of her, Vince.”
I nodded. “I will. Convince them to let her stay.”
He grinned. “Don’t worry. I already did.”
I laughed, shook his hand, and then turned and left.
What a shit morning. The Russians were already threatening all-out war, which was
surprising. I figured they would try to negotiate first, but apparently they were itching for combat.
Which meant my Chinese deal was that much more important. We’d need those guns and armor if it came to a war.
I headed back to the office, my mind on Kaley and war.
Chapter 11
Kaley
Like every morning, I woke up to Alexei crying in his crib.
This morning didn’t feel too overwhelming though, not like every other morning had been since I’d had Alexei.
I fed him, burped him, and changed him. I called for breakfast from room service, which was just a crazy and bizarre idea. The food arrived not too long later, and so I sat with Alexei, drinking coffee and eating.
I was worried. I was worried about everything, about Alexei and myself. I was worried Vince would get sick of me and throw me out. I was worried about Sophie and my family. I had so many reasons to worry that it was overwhelming.
Sighing, I grabbed my phone and dialed Soph’s number. It rang a few times, but she finally answered.
“Hey!” she said.
“Hey, girl. How are you?”
“I’m fine. Have you heard?”
I paused. “Heard what?”
“The family is pissed. Like, really pissed. They sent some crazy ultimatum to the Italians this morning.”
“How do you know?”
“I overheard Vasili talking about it, that dumb fat man.”
“This is scary, Soph.”
“Don’t worry. You know the family. It’s all talk.”
“Still. I’m not coming back; they have to know that.”
“They don’t care what you want to do, Kaley. They just are embarrassed that you went running to their rivals.”
I sighed. “Selfish bastards. They don’t care who they hurt.”
“No. They care more about their pride than they do about their people.”
“Are you okay? They’re not pissed at you?”
“They’re not happy, but they’re not going to do anything to me.”
“Please, Soph, stay safe.”
“Come on, you know I’m fine. Now, tell me about it.”
I told her as much as I felt comfortable with. I told her about the crazy size of the mansion, of all the amenities. I told her about Vince a little bit, and about Sonya.
She laughed when she heard about Sonya speaking Russian. “Your father would love that,” she said.
“Yeah. He’d kill to get me to speak Russian to my children.”
“Legitimate children only,” Soph said, joking.
There was a knock at my door. “Got to go,” I said.
“Call me again soon.”
“I will. Be safe.”
“Bye.”
I hung up the phone and quickly answered the door. It was Sonya, smiling at me. “Good morning,” she said.
“Morning.” I let her in. “Coffee?”
“No, thanks. I just came to see your little man.” She walked over to Alexei and picked him up.
“We were just having some breakfast.”
“Well, why don’t you take some time to yourself? I can watch him for an hour.”
I frowned. I did want to shower and explore the mansion a bit more, but I hated to keep asking her to watch him.
“Just go,” she said, smiling, before I could complain.
I smiled back. “Okay, okay.”
It felt good to have a nice, long shower. I didn’t have to worry about leaving Alexei alone. I dressed and nodded at Sonya as I walked out into the hallway.
The mansion was an enormous maze. I wandered around trying my key on random doors, though most of them stayed locked. What few opened were usually empty. One of them was a gym, which I mentally marked. I’d need to visit there soon enough.
I kept moving, trying to avoid people, although that wasn’t too hard. The place was huge. There were clearly lots of people staying there and working there, but I guessed there was just so much space that we didn’t run into each other too often.
After a little bit of wandering, I ended up in a dead-end hall. There was only one door at the very end, which I tried with no success. I turned to walk away when suddenly I heard the door open.
I turned. Staring out at me was a beautiful girl, probably around my age. She was thin and had thick dark hair and dark eyes.
“I thought you were the damn maid,” the girl said.
“Uh, hi,” I said. “I’m Kaley.”
“Kaley.” Then she perked up. “You’re that Russian girl.”
“Uh, yeah, I am, I guess.”
She smiled like a snake and moved out of the room. She was wearing tiny little jean shorts and a tattered T-shirt.
“Where are you off to, Russian girl?”
“I was just exploring. Sorry if I bothered you.”
“No bother at all.” She smiled at me. “I’m Louisa.”
I furrowed my brow. The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it. “Nice to meet you.”
“Are you just exploring?”
I nodded. “This place is so huge.”
“Come on.” She started walking. I stared at her for a second and then sighed. I might as well stick with her since I had nothing else to do.
Besides, she didn’t seem like trouble.
“Uh, so, do you live here?” I asked her.
She ignored my question. “There’s a logic to this place; you just have to learn it,” she said. “For example.” She swiped her key and a door popped open, one that had been locked to me earlier.
It was a supply closet. “See the marking on the door?” She pointed out some small colored squares. “These mean closet. There are marks for pretty much everything. The directory is probably in that packet you got.”
“Oh,” I said. “Thanks. I didn’t realize. It’s a lot of information.”
“The Barones like to show off,” she said, and started walking again. “This place was built to show off their power. Crazy, right?”
“I guess. It makes sense.”
“Why’s that?”
“They’re in a serious business where power is important.”
She eyed me. “Pretty astute for a Russian girl.”
“What’s that have to do with anything?”
She ignored me again and kept walking. I hurried to keep up. Louisa was strange, very strange, almost like she didn’t care at all what I thought of her. I noticed a few people giving Louisa strange looks, and I assumed it was because of how beautiful she was.
“Let me show you something cool,” she said. She went down a short staircase and turned a corner. We stopped in front of a simple wooden door. “No markings, see?”
I nodded. “Why?”
“Nobody is supposed to know what this is.” She gave me a sly smile. “But I do, of course.” She swiped her key and the door unlocked. She pushed it open, and I could feel my heart pounding.
We stepped inside.
It was hot as hell, the air thick with humidity, and there were plants everywhere.
It was a shock of green: shrubs, ferns, flowers, things that looked like little trees, more plants than I had ever seen indoors. There was a thin path between the foliage, and I had to walk fast to catch up with Louisa.
It was eerily silent with only the plants. The walls were painted blue, and it almost looked like we were outside.
“What is this place?” I asked, catching up.
“Arturo Barone’s late wife used to love plants,” Louisa said. “This room is a little memorial to her.”
The path ended in front of a life-size statue of a woman. She was beautiful, even though she was just marble. Her hair was long and swept over one shoulder, and her lips were smiling. She looked gentle and lovely.
“This is her?” I asked.
“This is her,” Louisa confirmed. “Condita Barone, mother of his children. Dead for years now.”
“She was beautiful,” I said.
And suddenly it clicked. I looked from Co
ndita’s stone face to Louisa, and Louisa just smiled at me.
“What are you guys doing?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin. Vince emerged from the pathway just behind us. Louisa only smiled at him sweetly.
“Hi, Vincent Mori,” she said.
“What are you doing, Louisa?”
“Taking our guest on a little tour.”
“You know she can’t be in here.”
Louisa snaked her arm through mine. “I like her. She’s pretty.”
“Uh, thanks,” I said.
“Come on,” Vince said. “Get out.”
Louisa laughed and walked off, pushing past Vince. “See you later,” she said, and then she was gone.
I stared after her, surprised. “That girl is crazy,” I said.
“That girl is Arturo Barone’s daughter.”
“I just figured that out,” I said. “Why did she bring me in here?”
Vince stepped toward me. “I don’t know. But you’ve been a very bad girl, coming in here.”
“I was just following her. I didn’t even know who she was.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “Still. You should know not to go places you’re not welcome.”
“How did you know we were here?” I asked, screwing my face up.
He shrugged. “Security told me.”
“You’re watching me?”
He laughed. “Of course we are. When you’re wandering around, you’re under surveillance.”
I stared at him, anger welling up in me. “You’re spying on me?”
“Not when you’re in your room, we’re not. But we can’t just let a girl from the Russian mob wander around on her own, you know.”
I took a deep breath and let it out. I hated the idea that they were watching my every move, but it made sense. They didn’t know who I was or what I wanted. They had to be careful.
It still pissed me off.
“Fine. Let’s go,” I said, moving to get past him.
He grabbed my wrist. “Not so fast.”
I gasped as he pulled me against him. I stumbled and landed with my face against his chest, my arms around him. I looked up at him, surprised, and he just grinned down at me.
This delicious, incredible smile.
Then he reached around and grabbed my ass again.
“You—” I reached back my hand and went to slap him.
