Tied Down

by Vanessa Waltz

  “What took you?” She slides her sunglasses from stormy brown eyes.

  Adrián wanted a pissing contest. “Your pops had a lot to say. Mostly about you.”

  “Like what?”

  I shrug, smiling at her. “Typical dad stuff. A list of things he’d do to me if I hurt you.”

  “Now you get why I’m single,” she says in a humorless tone. “My father. The great protector. Can’t even save himself.”

  I open the car door, guiding her into the passenger seat. The leather groans as I take the driver’s side. For a minute we sit there, the silence warming the space between us. She glimpses out the windshield, toward the hospital. I graze her shoulder, snapping her from a trance. Eva meets my gaze.

  I finger a strand of her hair. “You don’t have to be single anymore. Your decision.”

  “Yeah?” she says, challenging. “What would you do if you were me?”

  “If I were you I’d take one look at the sexy man in front of me and answer yes.”

  Her cheeks go pink. “Free will is a joke. You claim it’s my choice, but there aren’t many options for myself.”

  “Take a chance at happiness.”

  “I need to find out more about you.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah,” she says.

  “I thought I was a piece of meat. You wanted my cock, that’s it.”

  She laughs at me, the bell-like sound filling the car. “Is that how I should treat you?”

  “I don’t mind being your stud horse.”

  “Jesus, Bastien. I don’t need you to get knocked up. I could’ve gotten pregnant years ago.”

  “You want a husband you’ll never fall in love with.” I tick her requirements on my fingers. “A man who supports you, gives you children, but no affection of any kind.”

  She hesitates, nodding. “I guess.”

  “That’s fucking crazy.”

  “Are you saying you can’t do it?”

  “I’m saying it’s insane. Who the hell would go for that? You want your kids to grow up in a loveless house?”

  Her cheeks flush. “It won’t be awful.”

  “Yeah, it will. Take it from someone raised by two people who should’ve been divorced a long time ago. Kids aren’t dumb. They notice shit like that.”

  It’s a total lie. My parents were high-school sweethearts. Peas in a fucking pod.

  “Fine,” she says. “What do you suggest?”

  “Don’t force it. Just let things fall into place.”

  “I might if your job didn’t have a high mortality rate.”

  She has a point. “What about your dad?”

  “He got lucky. Although he has cancer, so it depends on your definition of luck.”

  This girl makes me laugh. “You don’t sound too broken up.”

  She takes that badly. “I take care of my father, all right? You don’t understand how exhausting this disease is. I can’t be doom and gloom all the time. I’d drive myself crazy.”

  “Who’ll look after him when you’re married?”

  Eva’s hands worry her purse. “I’m not sure,” she says in a hushed voice. “He’s teetering on the edge of needing an assisted living facility. I tried suggesting that once and he blew up.”

  “He needs to find one with hot nurses to give him sponge baths.”

  “Ugh. My dad doesn’t need more mistresses.”

  “I’m not talking about that. Hell, you could hire a stripper to impersonate a nurse and pay him a visit every once in a while.”

  “I’m not hiring a damn prostitute.” She glowers at me, her stiff expression melting into a reluctant smile. “I want to talk about you. Did you go to school?”

  Yes, with a Bachelor’s in Criminology. “Dropped out when I was sixteen. When I was in the can, I read a lot of textbooks.” My fists tighten on the steering wheel. “What about you?”

  She doesn’t answer my question. “Tell me why you went to prison.”

  Vito wasn’t kidding when he said she was headstrong. “It was two years for felony assault. Stupid bar fight. Broke a bottle on his head and beat the shit out of him.”

  They put me in jail, but the charges were faked. Everything about Bastien is fabricated. His voice to the clothes on his back.

  The color fades from her cheeks as she nods. “What’d your parents say?”

  “They’re dead.” That’s a lie, too. Mom and Dad live on the outskirts of Saskatoon; they’re simple, God-fearing people who’d be horrified at what I’m doing now. The last we spoke, I told them I wouldn’t be able to talk to them for a while.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” she says quietly.

  I start the car to cut her next question. This is survival. I have no room for guilt, especially with everything going on. The second Vito loses his battle with cancer, I’m a dead man. Adrián is up my ass, and I have crooked cops threatening to destroy my life unless I marry this girl. My plate is fucking full.

  Which crisis do I deal with first?

  The girl. She’s the key to buying more time. I’ll take her out, convince her we’re a good match, and I’ll have one problem taken care of.

  Where should I bring her? The question haunts me as Eva sits without saying a word. We drive from the hospital, and a list of places reel through my head. I don’t know what she likes, but I’m impersonating a greaseball. Might as well drive her to a connected restaurant.

  The car rolls to a stop in front of a popular mob joint in Montreal, Le Zinc. Used to be where Johnny Cravotta made his business deals until the public caught wind and it became a tourist attraction. Now it’s millennials with smartphones.

  “Really?” she says, staring at the sign.

  “We can go somewhere else if you want.”

  “No, it’s okay. Just surprised you picked this place. Isn’t it Johnny’s territory?”

  “We’ll be fine.” Vito doesn’t scare me, but Johnny’s a different beast. He’ll be around for a long time. Can’t hate him too much. He’s the reason Les Diables MC fizzled out.

  Eva lets out a tense breath as I maneuver my car into a parking spot. We exit the car, and I fall into step beside her, resisting the urge to touch her. She needs space. If I come on too strong, she’ll bolt. Give her room to breathe, and I’ll have her eating out of my hand.

  Rows of refurbished tables replace the classy white tablecloths that used to decorate this place. It looks like Johnny made renovations and embraced hipster culture. Concrete walls bounce conversation. It’s so damn loud that it’ll be impossible for anyone to eavesdrop. Good. We don’t have a reservation, but the hostess finds a table for two near the window.

  The waiter fills our glasses with water. Eva takes a small sip and sets it down. “Why am I here, Bastien?”

  “We have to know we won’t rip each other’s heads off.”

  “It still doesn’t feel real.”

  “What?”

  “All of this.” She gestures at herself. “Me and you, sitting here in this place.”

  “Tell me what you want out of this marriage.”

  Eva swirls the water like wine. “I told you. Kids. All my friends have them, and I can’t describe it. There’s this void inside me. All I want is a baby, so it’s either find someone or go to the sperm bank.”

  Her voice stings with melancholy, and I frown at the cruel irony: A woman whose only flaw is her last name, forced to impregnate herself with a stranger’s semen. I don’t have a burning desire for children, but that must be frustrating as hell. She’s in pain, and I’d like to be the one who takes it away and knocks her up.

  You’re a cop. “Other than kids, what else would you like?”

  She gawks at me as though she’s never considered the question. “Not sure what you mean.”

  “Well, I have a grasp on the relationship you’re looking for.” Loveless. “But you said nothing about our marriage bed.”

  The snap returns to her tone. “You’re not taking this seriously.”

  “Of c
ourse I am. What if we get hitched, and I find out you hate giving head? I can’t live like that.”

  “Ass.” Her eyes roll. “I’ll be as sexually adventurous as you want. Happy?”

  “No.” Now we’re getting somewhere fun. “I’m not haggling with you for a blowjob.”

  “What about this screams perfect to you?”

  Nothing. “Men are simple creatures. We need food, sex, and shelter. That’s it.”

  Her long hair falls to the side as she cocks her head, revealing inches of creamy skin above her V-neck. She was wearing a black bra. I chose a white t-shirt to bring her because I’m a bastard. Now I’m distracted by the view of her tits.

  “What about what I need?”

  “You want kids. Say the word, and I’ll drive you to my place. Give it my best shot. We don’t have to wait ’til marriage.”

  Eva sneers through her violent blushing. “What’s to stop you from having your fill and moving on?”

  “Nothing except the wrath of your father. I’m not going to do that, Eva.”

  “One minute you’re sweet, the next you’re an asshole.” She shakes her head. “Can’t trust you.”

  I grab her arm. “Listen, Eva. I’m only kind for your benefit. Your fiancé just died. Your dad is sick.”

  She snorts. “You think the others give a fuck?”

  No. “I don’t care about them.”

  She yanks out of my grip and stands, heading outside.

  Goddamn it. I went too far.

  I push past a bewildered waiter and chase her through the crowded restaurant, heart thudding against my chest. She’s almost at the door. People shout as I shove them aside, running after the leggy brunette who gives me a cold glare before leaving.

  She wants an asshole? I’ll give her one.

  I grab her arm and waist, leading her to the wall. Eva squeaks as her back hits the bricks, but it dims to a whimper when my mouth hovers above hers.

  “You can’t fucking walk the streets alone.” Her terrified gasps blow over my lips. “You don’t know me. I’ve done things that would make a soft heart like yours bleed. So don’t assume I’m a nice guy because I murmur the occasional sweet nothing in your ear. I’ll eat you alive.” The hand wrapped around her slides up her spine, my mouth still teasing hers. “And I always get what I want.”

  Eva inhales sharply. “Take me home.”

  The bourbon floods my senses with toxic warmth. It’s like throwing gasoline on a fire I’m trying to quell. It’s been too long since I’ve had a woman. Eight months in prison and six more when I joined the Romanos. There were opportunities. Many of them.

  I had to act the part. Flirt with women I’d no interest in. Take them home and leave them at the door. Come up with an excuse. Felt like an asshole every time.

  I didn’t want them. I wanted Eva, and she was with another man. I’m a cop. She’s Mafia. I decided she’d never know me. She was just a pretty face—a woman I saw in my dreams. And then her fiancé died, and suddenly she was up for grabs.

  I made my decision. I’ll live with it the rest of my life.

  Ice hitting the glass rips me to the present. I lift the bottle of bourbon, pouring an inch for myself. On the couch, Eva sips the drink I poured to calm her nerves. Her eyes flit above the cup to glare. I toast the air, grinning. Her frown deepens.

  Eva lounges, her hair sprawled over the armrest, her small t-shirt hiked up. That little sliver of skin—her black bra visible against the fabric—is enough to drain the blood from my head. She spills her drink. Wipes at the transparent spot between her tits. “Damn it!”

  My cock throbs when she brings her fingers to her full lips and sucks the juice. “Now you have to make the whole shirt wet. I guess you could take it off, too.”

  “You’d love that, wouldn’t you?”

  “I’d love it even more with your mouth wrapped around me.”

  Darkness pools in my heart, throbbing like a fever. I step into Bastien’s shadow, shoving aside the man I want to be. We’re alone. No distractions.

  Leather squeaks as I sit beside her. Her cheeks go pink. “What’s the matter, hon? Did the image of my cock in your mouth make you forget how to speak?”

  Her face burns brighter than the sun. Liquid slips over the sides. “Let’s get one thing straight. I’m not a fucking pushover.”

  My drink joins hers on the table. “I noticed.”

  “I’m not scared of you.”

  “I don’t want you to be. Where’s the fun in that? I’d rather you feel a tingle in your pussy when you see me.”

  She ignores my filth. Pretends she can’t hear it. “My father is the boss, remember? All it takes is one word from me.”

  “And when Daddy is gone, who will you call then?”

  She goes still. “I don’t know you. You might fly off the handle and hurt me if I don’t straighten the hand towels in the bathroom or something.”

  I laugh. “Like the guy in Sleeping with the Enemy, right? No, hon. I’m not like that.”

  “You say that but I need to know I’ll be safe with you.”

  “Same here. For what it’s worth, I’d never lay a hand on a woman.” My gaze wanders down her graceful neck to that spot, giving me a free show. “Unless you beg me for a spanking.”

  “Is everything about sex?”

  “It’s been on my mind a lot.” Especially now, while she’s hinting through those fuck-me eyes, the subtle brushes against my knee, her finger twirling a strand of hair. Eva wants me. Won’t admit it. Can’t hide it, either.

  “You’re the one who mentioned fucking without a condom. Do you have any idea how long it’s been for me? How much I want this?”

  Eva bites her lip. Looks at my lap. A smile curves her lips. “Yes, I think I do.”

  I take her hand and let her feel how hard I am. A pleasant shudder runs through me when she grips my cock, her thumb nudging the sensitive underside. Even through my slacks, it’s amazing. She opens her mouth in a wicked gasp. Goddamn it, I need her.

  “When are you going to give me an answer?”

  Heat pours off her in waves. “When I want to. Maybe I’m limiting myself. There are others.”

  Tease. “Yeah,” I agree, though my teeth grind. “Like Adrián. What a fucking catch.”

  “My father isn’t crazy about him either. I get that, but why throw him under the bus?”

  “He wants what I want.”

  She clears her throat, flustered as I slide my arm around her back. Eva holds my cock, moving up and down. She’s working me into a fucking frenzy. I look at the hand groping me. It’s soft. Untouched. What about the rest of her?

  “There’s no loyalty in you, is there?”

  “Only for those who deserve it. Be my wife, Eva.”

  She squeezes me, hard enough to make my length jump. Then I rake my finger under that too-small shirt. I touch her bare stomach, riding up her ribs to grope her perky tits. They roll under my palms, and I plant a kiss. Her gasp makes me tear the blouse off her back. Then I unclasp her bra. Her breasts bounce free, and I could spend hours playing with them, but she’s still touching my cock. Can’t think straight. The sigh of a zipper hits the air. I’m already at work on her skintight fucking jeans. I peel them off her curvy hips and slender thighs, running my hands down her soft calves. My mouth waters at the sight of blue lace on her pussy. The semi-transparent thong rides her hips. I lower to them. My tongue gives her the first tease as I snap the string against her leg. She stares at me with a heated look.

  I roll the fabric, making a trail with my lips. She’s smooth everywhere, as if she knew what would happen. I tongue her inner thigh as I slide her panties down. She lets out a gasp as I part her legs. My hands grip her thighs, spreading them apart. She wants to close them.

  “Oh my God,” she says, her voice hardly a whisper. “What are you doing?”

  Claiming you.

  I strike with my tongue, lazily at first. So wet already. I kiss her clit, glance up for her reaction. Her hand
splays over her heart. Her eyes go wide, and a moan threatens to tremble from her lips. I turn my attention to her pussy, reaching all the way back, drinking her. Spreading my heat around her nub. Her thighs tighten on my head as she lets out a gasp.

  Her groan is like a stroke to my cock. It takes everything to master myself and not drop the pants off my waist. Take her hips. Thrust into her. Raw.

  I kiss her thigh and my fingers glide down her clit. For a few seconds, I tease. I hook my fingers, playing with her. Her face contorts when they slide to my knuckles. Damn, she’s tight. Her wet heat grips me. Doesn’t want to let go.

  “You’re ready for me, aren’t you?”

  Eva’s eyes flash at the taunt and then smolder with a silent plea. I won’t be able to control myself if she opens those perfect lips and says, Fuck me. I’ll flip her over. Sink my cock inside, like it’s begging me to now, and screw her until my legs stop working.

  Instead, I fuck her with one hand. Touch myself with the other. I slide out, listening to her whine. I spread her juices over her pussy.

  “Please!”

  Fuck. I should gag her. A deep chuckle rumbles from my throat as I sink inside. “You will be so fun to fuck. I can imagine how you’ll moan when all of me is buried here.”

  My thumb brushes her clit. I bend to taste her again, flicking her nub as I fuck her. Her breath hitches into a loud, keening cry. I close my mouth on her, sucking hard. A third finger slips through. Eva’s heels dig into my back, a furious lust consuming her.

  Her walls grip me. She bites her arm to stifle her groan, but her orgasm clenches my fingers. Calm blossoms over her face. I don’t stop. I’m near the edge.

  Eva shakes her head as if to throw off her desire. “Do it!”

  My slacks fall to my knees before a scrap of sanity tells me to wait. That it’ll be so much better on our wedding night. After this, she won’t be able to say no.

  My cock juts out of my hand, pre-cum sloping down the head. I release it and climb over her body. Her nakedness glides under my skin. I grab her neck and kiss her. I possess her, sucking her bottom lip. She clings to my face. Dives her fingers in my hair and yanks. Her lips crush mine just as hard, her tongue eager to play.