by Cora Reilly
Gianna grinned. “I want to wear something that gives guys a fucking boner from looking at me.”
***
Romero had waited outside the store while we went shopping. He’d probably checked beforehand if there was a back entrance we could use to escape. I hadn’t told him about our plan to head out to a club yet. It was better if I sprang it on him at the last moment.
Gianna whistled as I turned around so she could admire my outfit. “Holy shit. You are sex on legs. Or maybe death on legs, because Luca will probably kill every guy that looks at you the wrong way.”
I rolled my eyes. “Luca won’t kill anyone for looking.”
“Wanna bet on that?”
No, I wouldn’t. I’d never worn anything that sexy in public. The black leather pants hugged my body so tightly, they looked like a second skin. The sheer black sleeveless blouse I’d tugged into my waistband, revealed my sparkly push-up bra below.
“You don’t look too shabby either,” I said.
Gianna jumped up from my bed. “You think?” She flashed me a seductive smile. She really looked smoking hot in her black tights and black leather hot pants.
“You’re jailbait.” Good thing we didn’t have to worry about getting carded. I linked our arms and led her out of the bedroom and down the staircase. Romero was sitting on the sofa, cleaning his knife. His eyes darted up and he stilled completely. His gaze wandered over our bodies. He’d never openly stared at me.
“Are you checking us out?” I couldn’t help but tease him. He was always so controlled. This small flicker of humanness was a relief.
He stood abruptly, sheathing the knife into its holder. His eyes were again firmly focused on my face. “What’s going on?” There was a hint of strain in his voice.
I walked up to him and he actually tensed as if he thought I would jump in. That almost made me laugh. “Gianna and I want to go to Marquee.” That was one of the hottest clubs in town.
Romero shook his head. “That belongs to the Bratva.”
“Oh, what’s hottest club that belongs to the Familia then?”
Romero didn’t say anything at first. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, probably to call Luca. Something snapped in me then. I couldn’t believe he needed to ask Luca permission. I gave Gianna a look and nodded toward Romero who had started typing. She sidled up to him and actually squeezed his butt. He jumped and I used the moment to snatch his phone from him. He took a threatening step toward me, eyes blazing with anger, then he froze. “Aria,” he said. “Give it back.”
I slipped the phone into my waistband. The pants were tight enough that there wasn’t a risk of it slipping down.
Gianna stepped away from Romero, grinning. “Why don’t you shove your hand down Aria’s pants and get it. I’ll take a pic and send it to Luca.”
Romero’s eyes lingered on the shape of his phone in my pants, but I knew he wouldn’t try to get it. “This isn’t funny.”
“No it isn’t, you’re right,” I said sharply. “I’m an adult. If I tell you to take me to a club, I don’t want you to ask my husband for permission. I’m not a child, nor am I his property.”
“You are Luca’s,” Romero said calmly.
I stepped up to him, so close that I had to tilt my head back. “Gianna and I are going to a club. So unless you want to keep me at gunpoint, you’ll drive us there or let us leave alone.”
Romero’s jaw tightened. The look in his eyes made me realize why he was my bodyguard. For the first time I was reminded that Romero was a killer. “I’ll drive you. But you will go to Sphere. It’s Luca’s.”
“Is it any good?” Gianna asked.
“It’s hotter than the fucking Marquee.” Romero was really pissed.
“Take us there then.” He put on his jacket and led us to the elevator. “Luca won’t like it,” he said.
***
Gianna and I sat in the back as Romero steered the car through traffic. I pulled the phone out and checked what Romero had been writing.
A wants to hit a club. Permission?
He had managed to send it off before I’d snatched it, but Luca’s reply had come afterward.
No
My blood boiled. Gianna huffed. “I can’t fucking believe his nerve.”
Romero glanced at us through the rearview mirror. “Did Luca reply?”
“Yeah,” I said. “He said you should stay close at all times.”
Romero bought my lie and actually relaxed. Gianna winked. Luca would go through the roof, but I really couldn’t bring myself to care. Romero parked the car in a side alley and led us around the building. A long line of partygoers waited in front of the entrance but Romero ushered us past it.
“Hey you stupid fucker, there’s a line,” a guy shouted. Romero stopped, a cold anger replacing his usual calm.
“Go ahead,” Romero said to us before he turned around to the guy. Gianna gripped my hand and dragged me toward the two bouncers at the front. They were as tall and muscled as Luca.
“You don’t look old enough to hit a club,” the dark-skinned man said.
“Is that a problem?” Gianna asked with a flirty smile.
The man’s eyes moved to something behind me. “Romero,” he said with a hint of confusion.
“She belongs to the boss, Jorge. This is Aria Vitiello and her sister Gianna Scuderi of the Chicago Outfit.”
Both men stared at me, then stepped back respectfully. “We didn’t know she was coming tonight. The boss didn’t say anything,” Jorge said.
Romero grimaced, but didn’t say anything. Instead he led Gianna and me inside, past the cloakroom tinged in bluish light and a bar area. Behind it the doors opened to a dark dance floor. Blue and white light flashed and hip hop beats blasted toward us. Gianna tugged at my hand, wanting to go in that direction.
“We should go to Luca first,” Romero said.
“He’s here?” I asked surprised.
Romero nodded. “The club has several backrooms and a basement where we handle some business.”
“Why don’t you go tell him I’m here while Gianna and I hit the dance floor.”
Romero gave me a look. “No chance in hell.”
“That’s your problem then. Gianna and I are going dancing.” Romero grasped my wrist. I tensed. “Let me go right this second,” I hissed and he did, his chest heaving. Gianna and I walked into the club. The beat vibrated under our feet as if the floor had come to life. The club was crowded with writhing bodies. Romero shadowed my sister and me as we squeezed through the throng of dancers toward another bar area.
“Two gin tonic,” I said. The barman frowned briefly before noticing Romero, then he prepared our drinks and handed them to us. Romero leaned over the bar and said something to the man, who nodded and walked around the bar. I knew what it meant. I took a deep gulp of my drink, then set it down and moved onto the dance floor.
I let the music claim my body and started writhing to the beat. Gianna grinned widely, throwing her head back. She looked happier than I’d seen her in a long time. She moved her hips and butt, shaking and rotating her hips. I stepped closer and mimicked her motions. Our eyes locked as we lost all sense of everything around us, as we let the beat carry away who we were. I wasn’t sure where Romero was and I didn’t care. This felt like freedom.
Men were watching us. I didn’t return their hungry gazes. It wouldn’t be fair to lead them on. Gianna didn’t share my restraint. She smiled and flirted, batted her eyelashes and ran her hands through her hair. A few men started dancing around us. Gianna pressed up to one of them, hands on his chest. Another man raised his eyebrows at me, but I shook my head. He opened his mouth then closed it and backed away.
I didn’t need to look back. I kept dancing. I knew who was behind me, knew from the looks of respect from the men around me, from the looks of admiration from the women. I rotated my hips, thrust my butt out, raised my arms. Firm hands came down on my hips. For a second I worried they belonged to some suicidal idiot, but they were
the strong big hands I knew. I arched, pressing my butt against a crotch. I smiled. I was wrenched against a muscled body and Luca’s hot breath brushed my ear. “Who are you dancing for?”
I tilted my head to stare into his blazing gray eyes. “You. Only you.”
Luca’s expression was hungry, but there was still a hint of anger too. “What are you doing here?”
“Dancing.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I told Romero ‘no’”
“I’m not your possession Luca. Don’t treat me like one.”
His fingers on my waist tightened. “You are mine Aria, and I protect what’s mine.”
“I don’t mind being protected, but I do mind being imprisoned.” I turned in Luca’s arms, catching a glimpse of Gianna in a heated argument with Matteo. “Dance with me,” I shouted.
And Luca did. I knew from photos on the internet that he’d often been to clubs in the past and it became obvious when he moved his body. A man as tall and muscled as him shouldn’t be able to move so smoothly. His eyes never left mine, his hands possessive on my waist. Luca bent his head toward me to whisper in my ear. “You look fucking hot, Aria. Every man in the club wants you and I want to kill them all.”
“I’m only yours,” I said fiercely, and God help me it was the truth, not just because of the ring on my finger that marked me as his. Luca’s lips crashed down on mine, fierce and demanding and possessive, and I opened up for him, letting him claim me in front of everyone.
“I’m so fucking hard,” Luca growled against my lips and I could feel his erection against my stomach. “Fuck. I have a call set up with one of our distributors in five minutes.” I didn’t ask what they were distributing. I didn’t want to know.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Come back when you have time. I’m going to grab a drink.”
“Go to the VIP area.”
I shook my head. “I want to pretend I’m an ordinary girl tonight.”
“Nobody who looks at you will think you are ordinary.” His eyes travelled the length of my body and I shivered. Then he took a step back, regret obvious on his face. “Cesare and Romero will keep an eye on you.” I was about to nod when I noticed a familiar face in the VIP area, watching me. Grace.
My breath caught. She sat on another man’s lap so she wasn’t here for Luca but the look in her eyes said it all. She wasn’t over him. Luca followed my gaze and cursed. “She’s not here because of me.”
“Yes, she is.”
“I can’t throw her out. She comes here all the time to party. I haven’t seen her since that night. I usually stay in the back.”
I nodded, a lump forming in my throat. Luca took my chin between his thumb and index finger, forcing me to meet his eyes. “There’s only you, Aria.” He glanced at his watch, then pulled back. “I really need to go now. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He turned and strode through the crowd that parted for him. Matteo followed after him and Gianna stepped up beside me. “That asshole.”
“Who?” I said distractedly. Grace had disappeared from the VIP area.
“Matteo. The guy has the nerve to tell me not to dance with other men. What is he? My owner. Fuck him.” She paused. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I whispered. “Let’s go to the bar.” Romero and Cesare fell into step behind us but I turned around to them, feeling on edge. “Can you watch us from afar? You’re driving me crazy.” Without a word they separated and took positions in corners of the club. I released a breath and settled on a barstool.
I ordered two new Gin & Tonics and took a deep gulp from the cool liquid, trying to relax. Gianna jiggled her leg. “You can go dancing,” I told her, but she shook her head and bobbed her head to the music. “In a few minutes. You look pale.”
“I’m okay,” I said, my eyes searching the club for a sign of Grace, but she seemed to have vanished into thin air. There were too many people on the dance floor to find her anyway.
“I really need to go to the restroom,” Gianna said after a while. Her Gin & Tonic was almost gone.
“I need to sit for a few more minutes.”
Gianna gave me a worried look but then she slipped away and Cesare followed at a safe distance.
I put my head in my palm, taking a deep breath. An arm bumped against mine, startling me. I drew back as a man with long blond hair leaned against the counter beside me. He reached past me for a straw. His jacket brushed my breast and I leaned even further back, and glanced away, uncomfortable with the look he was giving me.
“What’s your name?” he shouted.
I tried to ignore him. Something about him was seriously giving me the creeps. I took a sip from my drink and tried to pretend I was busy searching for someone. The man kept leering at me with an ugly smile on his unshaven face. “Are you waiting for someone?”
I turned away, really trying to ignore him and not make a big deal out of this. If I started freaking out, Romero would come over and make a scene. Maybe he was already on his way. My vision started to blur and my stomach gave a lurch. I took another sip from my drink but it didn’t help. I slid off the stool but my legs were shaky and I felt dizzy. I grabbed the counter behind me. Suddenly, the man’s mouth was at my ear, his stale-cigarette breath on my face. “I’m going to fuck your tight ass. I’ll make you scream, bitch.” His grip on my arm was crushing as he tried to drag me away from the bar. My eyes found Romero who was steering toward me, hand under his jacket where his gun and knife were. Impatient by our slow progress, my attacker wrapped an arm around me like a loving boyfriend ready to help his drunk girlfriend out of the club. “I’ll fuck you like an animal. I’ll fuck you bloody, cunt,” he rasped into my ear. I stared at him, my limbs feeling heavy, my mouth like it was filled with cotton. I’d heard those exact words not too long ago.
I forced my lips into a smile. “You are a dead man.”
Confusion flickered across the man’s face a second before it contorted in agony. He released me and my legs gave away, but Cesare caught me, his arm replacing that of the man. My eyes darted around for Gianna. She hovered beside Cesare, face drawn in worry. Romero was close behind my attacker, his knife buried in the man’s upper thigh. “You will follow us. If you try to run, you’ll die.”
“Take her drink,” Cesare said to Gianna. “But don’t drink.”
Cesare half carried me toward the back of the club and down a flight of stairs. He shouldered open a door and we walked into a sort of office. Matteo rose from his chair. “What’s going on?”
“Probably roofies,” Romero said, giving the man he was holding a good shake.
“I’ll get Luca,” Matteo said with a twisted smile. He walked through another door and a moment later Luca stalked into the room, as tall and impressive as ever. I hung in Cesare’s grasp, my face half pressed against his chest. Luca’s eyes narrowed, then flitted between me and my attacker.
“What happened?” he snarled.
Suddenly he was in front of me, lifting me into his arm. My head lolled against his chest as I gazed up at him. He put me down on the couch. Gianna knelt beside me, gripping my hand. “What’s happening to her?” she cried.
“Roofies,” Romero said again. “This sick fuck was trying to drag her outside.”
Luca drew himself up before my attacker. “You put Roofies in my wife’s drink, Rick?”
Luca knew that man? Confusion flickered in my hazy mind.
“Wife! I didn’t know she was yours. I didn’t. I swear!” The man’s lower lip was trembling.
Luca pushed away Romero’s hand and curled his fingers around the handle of the knife still buried in Rick’s leg. He twisted and the man screamed. Romero held him upright by the arms. “What did you plan to do to her once you had her outside?”
“Nothing!” the man cried.
“Nothing? So if my men hadn’t stopped you, you would have just dropped her off at a hospital?” Luca’s voice was pleasant, calm, his face devoid of emotion.
Gianna’s grip on my hand was painful. I swallowe
d and cleared my throat. “I’ll fuck your tight ass,” I whispered.
Luca’s head whirled around, then he was at my side, his face so close to mine, I could have kissed him. Maybe it was the Roofies but I really wanted to kiss him senseless in that moment, wanted to rip his shirt off, wanted to...
“What did you say, Aria?”
“I’ll fuck your tight ass. I’ll make you scream, bitch. I’ll fuck you bloody, cunt. That’s what he said to me.” Luca stared into my eyes, a muscle in his jaw working. Before he could move, Gianna had leaped to her feet and flew at Rick. She hit his face and kicked his groin, and struggled ferociously against Matteo’s grip as he dragged her away from Rick.
“You will die!” she screamed.
Luca straightened and she stopped moving.
“Let me go,” she hissed.
“You promise to behave?” Matteo asked with an amused smile.
She nodded, her stare fixed on Rick. Matteo dropped his arms and she straightened her clothes. “They will make you bleed,” she said coldly. “And I hope they will rape your ugly ass with that broomstick over there.”
“Gianna,” I rasped. She came over to me and sank down on the edge of the couch, taking my hand again.
Matteo didn’t take his eyes off her. “I’ll make him pay, Gianna.”
“No,” Luca said firmly. Rick looked ready to burst from relief. “He’s my responsibility.” Matteo and Luca exchanged a long look, then Matteo nodded.
Luca brought his face close to Rick’s. “You wanted to fuck my wife? Wanted to make her scream?” His voice tore through my growing dizziness and sent a shiver down my back. I was glad it wasn’t directed at me. I’d been scared of Luca before, but never had he sounded anything like this. Rick shook his head frantically. “No, please.”
Luca wrapped his hand around Rick’s throat and lifted him until he stood on his tiptoes and his face was turning red. Then he tossed him away and Rick collided with the wall and crumpled to the floor.
“I hope you’re hungry,” Luca snarled. “Because I’m going to feed you your cock.”
“Take the girls to the car, Romero,” Matteo ordered as Luca unsheathed his knife. Romero lifted me into his arms and walked out the backdoor, Gianna close behind. Dizziness cloaked my brain and I pressed my face into Romero’s jacket. He stiffened.
