Tied Down

by Vanessa Waltz

  “You strapped him to that car—and you burned him.”

  That pretty much makes you one.

  “He was already dead.”

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  He pins me against the wall with his eyes, which are shrouded in the darkness of his apartment. “There’s nothing wrong with a man trying to defend his family.”

  “What family?”

  “You, goddamn it!”

  My back hits the wall sharply as he starts forward, grabbing my shoulders. The emotion twisting his face stuns me into silence.

  “I’ll do anything—kill anyone to keep my family safe.”

  “That kid—”

  “—was a fucking degenerate, just like the rest of them. He knew what he was signing up for. What, I’m supposed to roll over and let them fuck me in the ass?”

  Tears build up behind my eyes, and I don’t know why. I know he’s right. There are all these feelings burgeoning inside me, and I don’t know where they’re coming from. Maybe it’s just that I’m having a fucking baby with this man—this beast of a man who can’t even tell me anything real about himself.

  “My dad told me things.”

  His hands slide up my shoulders, disappearing around my neck. “I’m sure he did.”

  The dismissive tone makes me fire back.

  “He said you killed your father to become boss!”

  I expect him to pull back in disgust.

  I expect him to deny it.

  A smile staggers across his face.

  “Yeah, I did.”

  Oh God.

  “And I’d do it again, and again—and again. That miserable prick had it coming.”

  “Oh my God.”

  He cups my face, but I worm away from him, backing into the pitch-black living room. He won’t let me go. Swift hands wind around my waist and pull me closer, right up against his chest where I can feel his heart beating.

  “Don’t look at me like that.”

  “I don’t know how to look at you anymore. You’re not the man I thought you were.”

  “I’m the same man you met in that bar, hon. I’m just—more.”

  My hands are pinned against his chest, and I can barely draw in breath. Soft eyes look down at me.

  “You won’t tell me anything about yourself.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “You killed your own father to get ahead. Why?”

  His body leaves my side as a shadow descends over him like a shroud. “That’s not exactly what happened.”

  Johnny walks away from me, looking back as though he expects me to follow, and I do. I follow him all the way into his study, where he walks behind his desk and opens a drawer, fishing out a dusty picture frame. He blows air over the glass and hands it to me.

  “That’s me and my dad.”

  An older, balding man with vague good looks throws an arm around a small boy with dark hair and eyes. The same eyes staring at me right now.

  “I told you he was in the life with me. He groomed me, you know? Raised me in the mob so that one day I could take his position after he retired.”

  “Did you get along?”

  He smiles. “Yeah. I worshipped my dad. To me, he was a goddamn hero.”

  How the fuck do you go from there to killing your dad?

  The smile disappears. “The problems came in my midtwenties, when I started making millions of dollars for the family a month. I surpassed all the captains—surpassed him. At the time, my dad was a capo and I worked under him. I was getting a lot of attention in the papers for how successful I was. Basically, I was getting too big, too fast.”

  The pain tightening his voice makes me want to reach out to him, even though I don’t even know what happened.

  “They pulled me in for a meeting and everyone was there. They asked me all kinds of questions and my dad said nothing to defend me. I think they were nervous about me. Young kid, lots of money—I could have made stupid decisions and gotten the family under fire. Anyway, I left that meeting knowing that my time was limited. Sooner or later, one of them was going to pop me.”

  Then his whole face clouds over. “I just didn’t expect it from my own father.”

  Oh my God.

  “Several of them ordered hits on me, including him.”

  “Jesus.”

  Johnny looks tired as he walks to the couch and sits down, his head in his hands. My heart clenches in my chest at the sight of him in pain. I sit down next to him and touch his thigh.

  “How did you—”

  He lifts his head and snaps at me. “I found him and blew out his fucking brains. Then I gave the boss a choice. He could resign or me and my crew would pick them off, one by one. He resigned.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  I can see Johnny still fighting to swallow down the pain of his father—his hero—betraying him. He lifts his head.

  “Karen left me right after that. She didn’t want to be with me anymore. It was too much for her.”

  Is it too much for me? Something about the way he looks at me says that he doesn’t give a fuck. His hand slides over mine, still resting on his thigh.

  “I’m sorry for what I said—”

  “Maybe I am a monster,” he says, turning around to look at me. “But I don’t give a fuck if I am.”

  I squeeze his hand. “I can handle it, Johnny.”

  “I know,” he says with a smile, sliding his arm behind my back and dragging me into his arms. “That’s why you came to me in that bar. You wanted to fuck around with a wise guy.”

  His smile intoxicates me, more powerful than booze or drugs. It slowly weakens me and an explosive spark ignites somewhere inside me when he bends his head and kisses me. I kiss back, yielding to his soft pressure. Shit, I already want him. I slide my hand around his neck, loving how warm he is. He pulls back, just hovering over my lips.

  “I’m crazy about you, Maya. I think if I don’t fuck you every single day for the rest of my life, I’ll go insane.”

  For the rest of my life.

  “You always get me so fucking hard, baby.”

  He gently nips at my collarbone as desire floods my veins like strong liquor. “If we get married, will you ease up on the MC?”

  “If? You mean, when. We’re getting married, Maya,” he ends with a rough edge in his voice.

  “I could change my mind,” I say in a dry voice, although it’s hardly a threat.

  He smiles as though I’ve said a cute joke. “You’re not going to change your mind. Like I said, you need me, and I’m not letting you go anyway.”

  A question trembles on my lips.

  A question I can’t fucking ask while I’m wearing a wedding dress.

  I always assumed I would marry for love, not for politics. Not because I got knocked up. There are so many unanswered questions between us, but I still say “I do” when our vows are read. His head bows and catches my lips, and I try to kiss him back, but the roar of the crowd distracts me. And then all of a sudden, just like that, I’m married. He grips my hand and we walk down the aisle in a shower of lavender petals. I move slowly in the dress his mother helped me pick out, my legs shaking so hard that if it weren’t for him holding my hand, I would have collapsed. We make it to the limousine waiting outside the Catholic church, and then I finally have a few moments of blessed silence.

  My husband slides into the limousine and shuts the door, giving me a mildly amused look.

  This is fucking real. We’re married. He’s my husband. That’s it. I’m bound to him for life.

  It terrifies me. Did I make a mistake?

  “Maya, you look beautiful in that dress.”

  It takes me a second to appreciate what he said, and a weak smile pulls at my lips. He looks mouthwatering himself. He wears some kind of dark-gray designer suit that I’ve never seen before, but it’s probably expensive enough to pay for a dozen of his regular suits. It fits him perfectly. The fabric glides over his lean muscles and tightens around
his legs when he sits down. A smile breaks his handsome face.

  “What, are you shy now?”

  My heart beats in my throat as I stare at him. I want to ask him. I need to ask him.

  But I’m afraid of the answer.

  “Do you love me?”

  His eyes widen slightly and he sucks in breath, looking stunned at my question. It hangs between us, making the air thin.

  “You said, in the beginning, not to expect anything, but I can’t.”

  I can’t because I’m in love with him. The thought of him not feeling the same for me twists a knife in my guts. Then I see the hesitation on his face and I know that my worst fears have come true.

  The fucking man I married doesn’t love me.

  “Maya—”

  “I love you!”

  My hands shake as a pained look crosses his face. It’s that look that absolutely kills me. Like a dagger to the heart.

  “I love being with you. I love fucking you—”

  “—but you’re not in love with me,” I finish, my throat already thick with tears.

  God, it fucking hurts. It’s not his fault. Hell, he made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t going to have feelings for me, but it still hurts.

  He touches my face. “Maya, I can’t promise you to be everything you want me to be, but you’ll have me forever. I’ll be a good father to our kids.”

  A thrill shoots up my chest. Kids?

  Then a wry smirk makes my heart flip. “You didn’t think I’d stop at one, did you?”

  He gathers me in his arms, almost crushing me with the force of his embrace. “I’ll be good to you, Maya.” His palm instinctively smooths over my womb as he plants a kiss on my head. “You’re my wife, now. You’re the most important person in my life.”

  Just believe him.

  I do believe him.

  Chapter Eleven

  Johnny

  My wife walks into the kitchen wearing nothing but one of my white t-shirts, which barely covers her pussy. Her nipples are like dark circles on the semitransparent fabric, and my dick gets hard as if I didn’t fuck the shit out of her last night and this morning. She yawns and I watch the t-shirt ride up her ass as she leans over the kitchen counter.

  That’s one place I haven’t fucked her.

  I stand up, hard-on blazing against my slacks as I approach her from behind. She doesn’t hear me coming and jumps a little when my arm curls around her waist. She leans into my embrace, her curves soft against my body. Maya turns around, smirking as I hook a finger in her dangling neckline and sneak a peek of her tits. Not that I can’t see them already.

  She looks down and sees my hard-on. “Again?”

  I slide my hands up the backs of her thighs and I squeeze her ass. “If you’re going to parade yourself like this in front of me, you better get used to it.”

  Her tongue wets her lips and my mouth waters at the thought of having those beautiful lips wrapped around me. She reaches out and grabs my cock, curling her fingers around it. I feel it jump in her fingers.

  Then my hands sweep around her waist, just under the hem of the t-shirt. I cup her mound and reach back with a finger, finding her nice and wet. I plunge inside her, and her eyes become round as she lets out a small gasp. Jesus Christ, she’s wet. So fucking wet.

  “Please, Johnny.”

  I remember the first time I fucked her—how easily she manipulated me by throwing her tits in my face. I reach around her back and tighten her shirt, admiring how it wraps around her. I bend my head and sink my teeth into her curves. I grab the little nipple with my teeth and bite, and then I play with my lips.

  “You signed over your pussy to me.”

  We married a week ago in a church. I saw the love in her eyes when we kissed on that altar, and I see it every time she looks at me. I feed off of it—need it just as badly as I need her body.

  A small chuckle escapes her lips even as I’m thrusting in that wet cunt. Her cheeks burn red as I stop. I want to laugh when the color drains from her face. I gather her thick hair in my hand into a ponytail and I yank her head backward.

  “You’ve got something to say?”

  “No.”

  “You laughed. You think being my wife is a joke?”

  “No,” she says in a tremulous voice, still smiling.

  All right, then.

  I lead her to the kitchen table and push her back so that she bends over. Then I flip the t-shirt over her skin, exposing her beautiful ass. Keeping a firm grip on her hair, I use my other hand to smack her. Her muscles jump as I lay my hand down on her and a slight red tinge blossoms on her cheeks. The sound cracks across the kitchen as I do it again. The red color deepens, rising to her skin as my palm cracks over her again. With my thumb, I spread her cheeks apart and look at her glistening pussy.

  For the love of God, take your pants off and sink your cock into that.

  Fuck.

  I pull on her ponytail slightly so that she arches her back and looks at me with a pained expression. My hand soothes the burn, and then she makes a moan that seems to stroke my cock. I shove my slacks down and my boner stands to attention. Then I sink into her streaming pussy and her walls swallow me, letting me into her deep heat. God, it’s fucking amazing. A long sigh shudders from my lips as I anchor myself, keeping my hand on her hip. Her tits kiss the kitchen table as I nail her from behind, and I relish the sight, reaching forward to grab a handful. Then my hands glide down her arms and I drag them behind her back, holding her wrists with one hand. I use her wrists to yank her back as I thrust my hips hard enough to make her body lurch forward, then wrench back. It’s not long before her screams echo all over my apartment.

  “Spread your legs. Wider.”

  I slap her ass again and she adjusts her feet. I want to feel my balls flush against her body. My cock throbs, aching for a release, and I slam my hips into her with a loud, wet slap. She moans with a guttural sound as I hammer her cunt, yanking back on her wrists. So fucking close.

  Then I let go of her hands and lean over her body, snaking my arm underneath her tits as I grab her shoulder and bury myself deep. I hold it there and a moan rips from my throat as energy runs through my groin like electricity. I pinch her clit and thrust a few more times as her pussy milks me dry. Then I feel her orgasm gripping my cock, and utter another sharp groan. I pull out of her and slide the t-shirt back down, the aftershocks still rippling down my legs.

  My chest tightens when she wraps her arms around my waist and kisses me, still slightly out of breath.

  Then I lower my mouth to her ear. “Get dressed, baby. I’ve a surprise for you.”

  “What is it?”

  “You’ll see.”

  Keep the wife happy while I’m working… Check.

  I park my car, rolling up against the side of the curb in the busy street. Maya gives me a curious look as I shut the engine off.

  “What is it?”

  I say nothing, opening the door and watching her face as she gets out. She looks around, confused, and I take her hand.

  “Where is it?”

  The excitement in her voice makes me smile. “I’m taking you to it.”

  I bought it as a sort of apology for not being able to go on a honeymoon right after the wedding. With everything going on, it would’ve been impossible. I lead her down the sidewalk until I find Sue’s Hair Salon written in fading lettering on the glass, and then I open the door. There’s a row of sinks and mirrors, a receptionist desk, everything she’d need for her own business.

  “What—”

  “It’s yours, Maya.”

  She wheels around, her face suddenly red as she stares at me. “What?”

  My laugh echoes in the room. “This place is yours.”

  “Oh my God!” She claps her hands over her mouth and screams. Then she tackles my waist and squeezes my middle.

  Happiness swells inside me to see her so ecstatic. I hold her to my chest and press my lips to her head. “It’s my wedding gift to you.
”

  In tears, she gazes up at me, shaking her head. “It’s too much.”

  “Everything that’s mine is yours. I want you to have everything you want.”

  I just can’t get over how beautiful she is—how she always looks so amazing. Her hair sits on her shoulders, featherlight. Her lips flush with color as she bites them, trying to keep herself from crying.

  “I love you.”

  And I mean it. For the first time in my life, I mean it. Like her, I don’t understand why or how—I just know that she’s the one. She gave me what I’d been wanting for so long.

  She clings to my shirt and wraps me in a hug that somehow feels different from the ones she usually gives me. Warm air gusts over my neck. “I love you, too.”

  The words give me a thrill. I wanted that, too. Someone devoted to me because they love me, not because I’m the boss. She’s the only one who stands up to me and calls me out on my bullshit. I love her for that.

  Happy tears leak from her eyes. “But what about you? I didn’t get you anything.”

  “I have everything I want. Now what do you say?”

  “Thank you, Johnny. I can’t believe this—can I change the name?”

  “You can do anything you want, baby. It’s your business.”

  She just lights up at that, and then I call out to the girls waiting in the back. “You can come on out.”

  Six girls walk out of the back room with big smiles as Maya looks at me curiously. “These girls are going to be working for you. They’ll help you get clients and get this place running.”

  She greets them enthusiastically, and I pull her aside. “I’ve got to go, but you can call Chris when you want to be picked up.”

  “Okay!” Her lips tremble as sadness overcomes her again. “Thank you so much.”

  “You’re welcome. Bye, hon.”

  I kiss her cheek, a glow filling my chest when I watch her smile as she checks out the place, and then I walk out of the hair salon and back to my car.

  I’ve been up for hours, obsessing over every detail of what we having going on later tonight. Tonight’s the night of the biggest robbery I’ve ever planned. Everybody’s ready to go on my command, but what that kid said to me still grates against my conscience.