by Jade Kuzma
“I figured the money was nice but I wanted more. I started taking on as much as I could. I had enough money to start hiring people to work for me. I worked myself all the way up from some lowlife on the corner to where I am now.
“I used to struggle to find something to eat and now I can eat whatever I want.”
He stuffed the piece of chicken into his mouth. He chewed on it slowly as if savoring every bit of it. A smirk formed on his lips.
“That’s what I think of whenever I eat,” he said. “This place isn’t too fancy but just knowing that somebody prepared this just for me, knowing where I came from… That puts a smile on my face.”
I didn’t respond.
“Your father feels the same way.”
I kept my eyes locked on him.
My father…
Arthur knew what he was doing. Everything he said was calculated. Constantly mentioning my father to remind me of why I was even sitting here in the first place.
“Your father saw in me what he sees in a mirror,” he said.
“You’re nothing like my father,” I said.
“I know you resent me. But you have to look past your feelings. Getting emotional is precisely why you don’t understand the situation.”
“I understand the situation just fine. My father wants me to marry you for financial security. You want to marry me so you have the Palazzo name backing your business.”
“If that’s what you think, then you’ve misunderstood everything I’ve done.”
He cut away at another piece of food like he hadn’t eaten in weeks. He swallowed it and washed it down with another gulp of wine. Arthur had a way of trying to look as dignified as possible, even when it came to something as menial as eating.
“I’ve been alone my entire life,” he said. “The opportunity to be with someone like you isn’t something likely. True, our engagement is a business arrangement between your father and me. But… I like you, Mia. I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy.”
“You already know what would make me happy.”
“Yes,” he said with a smirk. “The biker.”
He put his silverware down and leaned back in his seat. He examined his glass of red wine while swirling it in front of him.
“I came to this town because I knew there was an opportunity,” he said. “I needed some security. Someone who knew the town well. I found some old biker in a bar. Murphy, I think his name was. Told me of a couple of guys who would be perfect for the job.”
He sipped his wine and smacked his lips.
“It turns out Rock was a little too perfect for the job.”
He set the glass back down, still resting comfortably in his seat. I didn’t move from my spot. All I did was sit there and stare at him. I was counting the seconds until this was all finally over and done with.
“You want to be with Rock,” he said. “But that’s not what’s best for you.”
“You know what’s best for me better than I know myself?”
“Yes. I do. Your father does. Rock himself knows. He knows that I have your best interests at heart. You think I’m some cold, callous man who’s only using you for your father’s name—”
“Aren’t you?”
“No. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I care about you, Mia. I mean that. And I know that, over time, eventually you’ll learn to care for me.”
I looked away from him. It was taking everything inside of me not to roll my eyes at him.
“It would never work between you two,” he continued. “You’re a young woman. I don’t care how good he makes you feel. What you have with that biker is just a fling—”
“You know nothing about what I have with him. You don’t know what kind of a man he is. You see just a man who committed a crime and got locked up for it. I see something else. I see a man with a heart. I see a man who cares about me. I see a man who’s willing to do anything for me—”
“And I’m willing to do the same.”
I shook my head. Arthur was insistent on not seeing things from my point of view. There was no way I could make him understand but I kept trying.
“I have something with Roman. It’s something special.”
“Hormones,” he scoffed.
“Roman has put his life on the line too many times for me.”
“I’ve put a lot on the line for you, too, Mia.”
“If you care so much about me, you’ll do the right thing and call the engagement off.”
He put his napkin up to his mouth. Arthur was still smiling even though I wasn’t doing anything to hide how upset I was.
He straightened up in his seat and did the same with his tie. He was calm as he stared at me from across the table.
“All right,” he said with a nod. “I’ll call the engagement off.”
“…What?”
“I’ll call the engagement off. That’s what you want, right?”
I squinted my eyes at him.
What is he getting at?
He kept smiling politely at me but I knew there was something behind it.
“The engagement is off,” he said. “We won’t be getting married. You can go be with Rock if you like.”
I sighed a deep breath through my nose.
“Good—”
“Of course,” he cut me off. “Your father won’t be too happy about it. We negotiated this engagement over quite some time. I think this would be the first deal that your father made that has ever fallen through. Ah, no matter. It happens to everybody. Especially a man his age. You just have to live with letting your father down. The man who provided for you after you lost your mother and gave you everything you’ve ever wanted. Food… Shelter… How much is an education at the university these days? I imagine it’s quite expensive…”
There it was. The one thing that Arthur could always hold over me. It didn’t matter what he did or said. All he had to do was remind me about my father.
“That’s the thing I admire about a Mafioso like your father,” he said. “Loyalty. Honor. Family. You’re your father’s daughter, Mia. You would never turn your back on him. You would never betray him by being with someone like Rock. A man who couldn’t provide for you the way I could.”
I gritted my teeth and looked down at the plate of food in front of me. I closed my eyes and focused as Arthur kept droning on and on.
“Do you think that the engagement should go through?” I said. “I’ll take your silence as compliance. I’m looking forward to the wedding. Weddings are always enjoyable. I never imagined I would be a part of one…”
I’m sorry, dad… I can’t… I have to be with him…
I sighed a soft, slow breath through my nose and opened my eyes. I stared across the table while Arthur kept babbling to nobody. He finally stopped when he realized I was staring at him.
“Is something wrong, Mia?” he said, his head tilted slightly like he was talking to a child.
“No,” I said, a soft smile on my lips. “Nothing is wrong.”
“You should eat before your food gets cold—”
“You said that I could still see Roman even if we got married.”
“I did say that. I wouldn’t be proud of having my wife cheat on me. But I suppose that means you won’t mind if my own needs are satisfied by someone else.”
“I want to see Roman.”
“Okay—”
“I want to see Roman right now. I need to speak to him.”
The satisfied smirk on Arthur’s lips was nowhere to be found.
“What do you think?” I said. “Do you think I’m scheming of some way to get out of this?”
“Are you not?”
“I just want to see Roman to satisfy a need I have. Hormones, as you put it.”
Arthur shrugged and shook his head.
“You were already with him earlier tonight,” he sighed. “He must be something special to make you want to satisfy your needs so quickly again. Very well, I’ll have someone take you to�
�”
Before he could finish, I jumped up out of my seat. One of Arthur’s security guards escorted me out of the restaurant. I pulled my phone out and dialed Roman as quickly as I could.
“Mia?”
“I need to see you again. I…”
“What is it?”
“I just realized something I need to tell you.”
Chapter 24
MIA
Arthur’s security detail escorted me to the apartment that Roman had called home now. It was the first time I’d ever visited him here. I wasn’t too excited about seeing the place he lived because of the circumstances. I just knew that I had to get to him as soon as I could. Even with all of Arthur’s security, I never felt as safe as I did when I was by Roman’s side.
“I’ll be spending the night.”
The driver turned around and looked at me.
“Miss Palazzo—”
“I’m spending the night here. I don’t know if you’ll listen to me. I don’t care if you only take orders from Arthur. Do whatever it is you have to do. Park outside the building all night if you want. I’m not leaving.”
The driver nodded calmly to me.
He was the last obstacle I had to get through.
Roman sent me a text and I headed up to his apartment quickly. As soon as the door opened, an overwhelming rush of relief washed over me.
“Hey,” I whispered.
He didn’t appear to be as enthusiastic as I expected him to be. If anything, he was more serious than the last time I saw him.
I walked into the apartment and he clicked the door closed. I looked around and couldn’t help but smile at how barren the place was.
“This is… nice,” I said.
“You don’t have to pretend like this isn’t a shithole. Not compared to that mansion you live in up in the big city.”
“I’ve lived in that mansion all my life. I’m bored of it. I can appreciate something like this.”
I moved closer to him. He lowered his face to mine and kissed me. I tasted his tongue. His masculine scent filled my nose and gave me a rush.
I pulled away from him just long enough to see the grin slowly forming on his face.
“It’s nice,” I said. “No longer having to hide. Letting it out in the open. Knowing that I want you and I can have you.”
“Come here…”
He took my hand in his and led me into his bedroom. It wasn’t much different from his living room. Just a bed and a dresser. I would’ve let him pounce right on me if I didn’t notice what was sitting there right in front of me.
His gun sat on his dresser, almost ominously. I stared at it and swallowed for a reason I didn’t know.
Roman put a hand on my chin and turned me toward him.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. I…”
I pulled away and turned my back to him.
“…I had dinner with Arthur. I talked to him about all of this.”
“I can’t imagine he said anything different.”
“No. It’s exactly what I expected from him. He still wants to marry me so that he could fortify his business. I would be the sole beneficiary of it all, of course.”
“It’s something for you to consider. We could still be together. I’d still be able to satisfy you like you know I can.”
“I know.”
I turned back to him and smiled.
Roman was everything I could have ever wanted in a man. Tall and tan. Muscular and tattooed. Intense blue eyes that were kind. Willing to do whatever he could to protect me. Anything to make me happy.
“Arthur knows that I can’t back out of the engagement,” I said. “I know how hard my father worked to find someone suitable for me. He wants what’s best for me.”
“Don’t you know what’s best for you?”
“I do.”
Looking into Roman’s eyes now, I’d never been more sure about anything in my life.
“That’s why I’m not going through with it. I’m not going to marry Arthur. I’m not going to try and live my life the way they tried to arrange it.”
“Are you sure about that? Are you sure about letting your father down like Burke says you will?”
I put my head down and sighed.
“It’s not an easy decision,” I said. “My father is important to me. You’re important to me, too, Roman. I hate that I have to choose between you two.”
“Don’t choose between us. Make your own decision for yourself.”
“I could never see myself with a man like Arthur. I don’t care what my father thinks. I don’t care what my mother would say. This is the right choice. You’re the right choice.”
Roman walked up to me and put his hands on my arms.
“That’s the choice you’re making?” he said.
“It is?”
“You understand there’s no turning back if you do make that decision.”
No turning back…
I narrowed my gaze at Roman. Something was wrong. I didn’t know what it was but I could feel it in my stomach. The butterflies I normally felt around him started to flutter uncontrollably.
“Why are you saying something like that?” I said. “Do you think I should accept Arthur’s deal? Do you think I should just marry him and see you on the side?”
“No,” he said.
A comforting smile formed on his lips. My heart started to slow just from the way he looked at me.
“I would never make you do anything,” he said. “Even if I wanted it so bad, I would never tell you what to do. Marrying Burke was your decision. It was always your decision. I had to let you come to that conclusion for yourself.”
“It would be wrong for me to go through with it. Not when my heart is in another place.”
He pulled me closer to him. His embrace was so strong… so warm… so comforting. I closed my eyes and pressed my cheek to his muscled chest.
“Rest easy, Mia. I’ll take it from here.”
I moved away and quickly jerked my head up.
“You’re up to something,” I said. “You’re up to—”
“I’ll take it from here. I promise.”
“I…”
“Do you trust me, Mia?”
“You know I do.”
“Then let me handle this.”
He put his hand back to my chin and raised my face up. I closed my eyes and let his tongue find its way into my mouth. Our lips echoed off the walls in his empty bedroom.
Everything was gone. I wasn’t thinking about Arthur or my father or what Roman was planning. There was just the man I cared about standing in front of me, kissing me like he was trying to make all that troubled me go away.
“Please…” I whispered into his mouth.
I pressed a hand to his chest and pushed him away.
“Let me…”
Roman didn’t resist as I sat him down on the edge of his bed. I stood in front of him, our eyes locked on one another. I fumbled with his belt buckle and undid it. The top button on his jeans and his zipper followed. He raised his ass just enough to let his jeans fall down to his ankles.
“Now what?” he said.
His stare was so intense. I swallowed to dry my throat.
“Now let me take it from here,” I said.
I lowered myself to my knees before him. His cock was already stretching out his underwear. I peeled the fabric back and unveiled the dick that was throbbing hard right before me. Even though it was so dark in the room, with only the moonlight from the window, I saw just how painfully swollen he was just for me.
I locked my eyes on his and stuck my tongue out. A quick lick against his tip made his cock twitch before me. A drop of the cum that was already beginning to leak out of him hit my tongue. I gulped it down and my mouth started to water.
I couldn’t hold back. No woman could. When a man like Roman had his dick ready and waiting for you, you had to enjoy it.
I shut my eyes and sealed my lips around his tip. He exh
aled a deep, masculine sigh through his nose.
My mouth lowered down on his shaft, covering him with my spit. He quickly became slick enough for me to slide all the way into my mouth.
It took a bit of effort to take all of him. Every bob was deeper than the last. I kept moving my face on him until his cock hit the back of my throat. I gagged but held him inside of me.
“Fuck…”
Hearing his grunt was more pleasurable than anything else he could’ve done to me. A rugged biker who was so much bigger than me… And I had him at my mercy.
“Mia…”
I sucked his dick slowly, licking the underside of his shaft. I wanted to tease every inch of him. I reached a hand out and felt underneath his shirt. His hard abs contracted whenever I lowered my face down on him. My other hand gripped the sheets on the bed as I tried to brace myself.
His smooth hilt pressed against my lips when I took all of him. It was easy to tell that he was having trouble holding back.
Roman’s hands tangled in my hair. Two fistfuls forced my head to stay in place. His hips started to move slowly. He stroked himself into me. Up and down… Up and down… Up and down…
Fuck my mouth… Fuck my mouth, Roman…
I tried to say it but all that came out were muffled gags and choked breaths. It didn’t matter. Roman and I both knew what we needed right now.
He kept fucking my throat until my eyes started to water. Spit dripped down uncontrollably. The sloppy slurping sound of wet flesh grew louder and louder with every one of his hard thrusts.
“Mia… Fuck, babe… I’m gonna come…”
He pulled out of me. I gasped a deep breath, not realizing that I had been choking this whole time. I blinked my eyes to clear my vision. I found Roman staring down at me, his hands still on the side of my face, forcing me to look up at him.
“I’m gonna come,” he grunted.
“Come in my mouth… Give it to me… Give it to me…”
A mouthful of his dick stopped me from saying anything more. He gripped my hair so tight that I lost a few strands. But I didn’t care. It felt so good for him to have his way with me.
His body started to tighten up. His abs contracted, making them even harder than they did before.
