She’s only in an old Henley shirt of mine. Both wrists are tied to the bed frame. I think she’s comfortable. I hope she is. I hate leaving her like that, but I have to get my dog. I already picked up some food for breakfast, and some clothes for her to wear. But right now I have to talk to Pops. The Don. I tap the wheel a few times and finally get the fuck out of the car. I might as well get this over with.
He’s standing in the living room, and I see him as soon as I walk in. His eyes are on me as I toss the keys on the table and bend down to greet Rigs. My black lab is all muscle, with a long-ass tail that thumps onto walls as he wags it. He licks my face and I try to smile. But I can’t.
“You alright, son?” My father’s words wipe my pathetic attempt to smile right off my face. A thick feeling of sickness settles in my stomach.
I stand up and head to the living room. “I think everything’s going to be alright. I just have something to tell you.”
His facial expression doesn't change when he hears this. There’s a hint of worry in his eyes, but other than that, nothing.
“What’s going on, Vince?” His voice is hard, like it always is. Pops is old now, with grey in his hair, and wrinkles around his eyes. But he’s still got a hard edge. Anyone who's ever met him wouldn’t find it hard to believe he’s the boss, 'cause he looks like and acts like the boss. I’ve always looked up to him. But right now, I’m finding it hard to look him in the eyes.
“It’s basically taken care of, but I fucked up.” I take a seat on the sofa, and Rigs hops up next to me and tries to sit in my lap. He’s 6 months old or so now, not exactly the little puppy he was when I first got him. But, I really don’t mind it. He can still keep thinking he’s a tiny lapdog when he’s 80 pounds for all I care. I give Rigs a few pats, then look my father square in the eyes.
“I fucked up and because of me a broad walked in on Tommy and Anthony.” There, it’s out. My father’s expression stays flat.
“I see. That’s very disappointing.” His jaw is clenched tight and he keeps his eyes on me as he takes a seat to my left. “And it’s basically taken care of?” He cocks an eyebrow at me.
“I couldn’t let them fix it the way we normally take care of that.” Witnesses don’t exist to us, because if they see anything that could threaten the familia, they’re dead. That’s just how it works.
“What do you mean?” His eyes narrow. “What all did she see?”
“She walked in at the end of an interrogation.”
“And where is she now?” Although his words are calm, I can practically hear his heart racing and waves of anger rolling off of him.
“At the safe house. The cabin.” The look of sheer disappointment from my father crushes me. He leans forward with his head resting in his hands and his elbows on his knees. “Pops, she’s not going to remember. Tommy gave her some of the roofies we use.”
Pops looks pissed.
“What was I supposed to do? Kill her? It was my fault, I know, but I’m taking care of it.” My voice raises in anger, and I almost regret it. Almost.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” he asks with disdain.
I press my lips into a tight line and shake my head. “What were you doing, Vince? What was so important to you that you let a broad back there to see that?”
“I said I fucked up.” I’m getting more and more pissed off listening to him tear me a new one. Yeah, I know what I did was wrong. I shouldn’t have taken her back there, back at the bistro. I fucking forgot what was going on.
“And if she remembers? When she wakes up, if she remembers, are you going to kill her?” I look over his face and I have no clue what he wants me to say. My gut roils and I know I wouldn’t want to kill her. But what choice will I have?
“All this, just to get your dick wet, Vince?” He asks sarcastically. God damn, does he have to twist the knife?
“Pops, you don’t understand.”
“Explain it to me then. I’d love to know what was going on in that head of yours that you failed to do the one thing you were in charge of.”
I lay my head back against the sofa and stare at the ceiling. I run a hand over my face in exasperation. “I can’t tell you. I just felt like--” He cuts me off.
“Like what? Horny? Is that it?” He’s still pissed and I get it, I really do. I’m pissed, too. But give me a fucking break. I didn’t let it get out of hand. I’m fixing this shit.
I open my eyes and stare back at my father with daggers in my eyes. “It was more than that.”
His brows raise in disbelief. “Oh? Is that right?” He looks at me expectantly and still I don’t know what to tell him.
“I told you, I fucked up. But I’m taking care of it. Tomorrow she’ll be gone.”
My father stares back at me with a look of contemplation. I wish he’d just give the okay. That’s what I need from him, but instead he pushes me further. “How are you going to know for sure that she doesn’t remember?”
I don’t. That’s the fucked up part. If she’s a really good actress, I could be fucked. But I’m not going to tell him that. I can’t. I don’t want her dead. But I know I shouldn’t be taking risks like this.
Pops looks at me like he can read my mind. “Bring her to dinner tomorrow.”
“Pops, I don’t want to hurt her.”
“Sounds like you already did, Vince.” He stands up and waits for me. I have to move Rigs to get up, and he doesn’t like it, vocalizing his displeasure with a soft whine.
“I feel like shit.”
He smirks at me. “That’s exactly how you look, too.”
I roll my eyes, but he’s probably telling the truth. “I’m going to make this right.”
He nods his head and then looks out the window. “I hope she forgets, Vince. I really do.” He gives me a quick hug, coupled with a stern pat on the back. His hand goes to my shoulder and he squeezes. “If it means anything to you, I think you made the right decision.” He releases me and breathes in deep. “It’s not her fault.” His eyes find mine again. “Let me know before dinner if she’s coming.” He purses his lips thoughtfully, but then he frowns. “If not, and you need help, you can call me if you need.”
My blood chills. I know that’s the only other option. But I fucking hate it.
I finally answer, “She’ll be at dinner.” He nods his head with a grim smile as he walks me to the door.
He watches me leave, and it's not until my house is out of sight that the true weight of the situation settles heavily against my chest.
I’ll go back and untie her ass, but I’m staying close. I just have to wait until she wakes up. Then I’ll know what I have to do.
If she remembers, I’m going to have to kill her. I don’t have a fucking choice.
Chapter 9: Elle
Oh. My. God. My head is fucking killing me. I roll over onto my side and throw my hand out to my nightstand for my water. Every night I put my glass in the same spot, right after taking melatonin to help me get some rest. When my hand falls onto nothing, my heavy eyelids open slowly. I jackknife off the bed. Oh shit, I forgot I’m at Mom’s. I rub my eyes and then look around. This is not Mom’s.
My heart races in my chest. I look down at myself and see small marks on my wrists that burn slightly to the touch. There are a few small scrapes on my knees. Most importantly, I’m wearing a very large grey Henley shirt that’s not mine. What the fuck did I do last night?
My eyes dart across the bedroom. Judging from the décor, I'd guess that this is a man’s bedroom. The walls are a dark grey. The comforter is a slightly lighter shade of grey, while the bed sheets are white. The furniture is modern; a mix of clean lines and dark, stained wood. There isn’t a single thing out of place. Nothing that really denotes any personality, either. No picture frames, nothing. There’s a gun safe in the corner. It’s taller than me.
Where the fuck am I? I pull my knees to my chest as I scan around the room some more, searching for my purse or clothes. I don’t see anything. My gut churns wit
h nausea. What the fuck happened last night?
I close my eyes and try to remember. Ugh. Mother. I’m so fucking pissed at my mother. The very thought makes my head hurt. My temples throb with pain. I remember being pissed off and leaving, but that’s it. I wanted to study.
That’s a fucking lie.
I wanted to get away. Just like I always do. Run and hide away in my books.
Shit! Thinking about work and studying reminds me that I have to study those chapters for my presentation in class. Where the hell is my stuff? I remember leaving, but I can’t think of anything else.
The sound of the door opening startles me. I watch as the most gorgeous man I’ve ever laid eyes on walks in with a silver tray in his hands. His eyes stay on the cups on the tray while he kicks a foot behind him to shut the door. He takes a few steps toward the bed and my mouth falls open as I stare at him.
He’s a fucking sex god. He’s wearing blue plaid pajama pants that are slung low on his hips, revealing how cut his body is. That sexy “V” at the hips that I've only ever seen before on porn stars or male underwear models is on full display, and right smack in the middle is a thin happy trail of hair. His broad chest is very impressive, but it's his shoulders that get me. Holy fuck. I have a thing for shoulders. His dark eyes meet mine, and he grins at me.
“I’m surprised you’re not drooling, sweetheart.” His deep, masculine voice makes my clit throb with need, but more than that, it triggers a memory. A cocky smirk, then his handsome smile. “I’m Vince.” I hear his voice in my head.
“Vince?” I feel awkward asking, but I really don’t remember a thing.
His smile falters for a moment and it makes me feel guilty for forgetting whatever happened. Oh. God. What did happen? I clench my thighs and I don’t feel any different. I feel horny as hell. But not… sore. Another memory flashes in front of my eyes. Oh fuck. He totally ate me out. My cheeks flame with embarrassment.
“You alright, sweetheart?” He sets the tray down on the nightstand. “You’re acting a little off.”
I swallow hard and look at him, and then down at the tray. Aw. He made pancakes and cut up some fruit. There’s orange juice, plus the distinct smell of coffee. Thank fuck! My head is killing me. I could really use the caffeine. I hesitate to tell him I don’t remember last night. Instead I crawl on the bed toward him and quickly grab a cup of coffee. I make sure my ass stays under the covers, though. For all I know it's just my hormones that are making me so horny over this guy, and he doesn’t want me like that. Although the way his eyes follow my body as I move, suggests that he does.
I sit back and get settled. I have to tell him. I feel awful for practically forgetting his name. Obviously something happened between us. And that flicker of memory warms my chest, so it must be something good.
“I have a really bad headache right now.”
His eyes look over my face. “You want an aspirin?” When I shake my head gently and blow on the coffee, he sits down on the bed. “I brought up sugar and creamer too if you’d like.”
I smile into the steam rising off the cup and take a small sip. Damn, that’s good coffee. “No thanks, I like it black.”
He grins at me. “Low-maintenance, I see.”
A nervous laugh leaves my lips. It’s quiet for a moment while he grabs his cup.
“Hey Vince?” I ask. My questioning tone has his eyebrows raising in response.
“Yeah, Elle?” He sets his coffee down without taking a sip. “What’s up, sweetheart?”
God I feel like an asshole. He’s so sweet with the breakfast and the nickname. I just blurt it out. “I kinda think maybe I drank too much last night?” I’ve never been blackout drunk before, but my friend from undergrad Viv drank till she was shitfaced all the time. It scares me that I was so reckless last night. I was so pissed off. I should be smarter than that. But at least I’m still alive and I didn’t get into any trouble. I clench my thighs again. At least I don’t feel like I did, anyway.
He let out a sexy chuckle that shakes the bed. It makes me smile, then he smirks back at me. “Yeah, you were keeping up with me, and I drink a lot.” He lies across the bed, propping himself up with his elbow. “At least tell me you remember something specific about last night.”
I blush and suck down the rest of the coffee in a rush. “I mean, of course I remember some things.” I nervously set the coffee mug down on the tray again.
“Tell me baby, I wanna know what I did that was so memorable.” Oh my god, I’m practically swooning from his charm. His handsome smile makes me blush even more. I bite my lip and shake my head.
“You know what I remember,” I say as I roll my eyes at him playfully. I see the marks on my wrists again, and then my throat seems to go dry. I don’t remember how those marks got there. “How did I get hurt?”
His eyes travel to my wrists and then he looks back up at my face. “Not sure, sweetheart. I didn’t notice them until just now.” That makes me feel a bit uneasy. I wish I could remember.
“Did we...?” Have sex. I can’t even say it out loud. God, I’m such a child. I don’t know why I avoid this shit. Thank fuck I’ve been on birth control since I was 16 for acne. I try to remember if I took my pill yesterday morning, and I’m sure I did. I bite my bottom lip, knowing I need to take today’s pill sometime soon.
“Did we what, sweetheart?” He grins at me. “I wanna hear you say it.”
I roll my eyes again and pretend to blow him off. But my heart twists in my chest. Did I really have sex last night? And I don’t even remember?
“We didn’t,” he says after a few seconds. Relief floods through me.
“So we didn’t have sex?” I ask, just to clarify. I clench my legs again and I’m certain I don’t feel any different. Horny as all hell, but not like I got myself fucked for the first time last night.
He pouts and it makes me wanna kiss his plump lips. “We did fool around though. I happen to enjoy that mouth of yours.” That sexy smirk is back and if I wasn’t so shy, I’d crawl forward and nip his bottom lip. In my head it’d be sexy, but in reality... Nope, not going to make a fool of myself in the first five minutes of talking with this guy.
A violent blush rushes to my cheeks. I look around the room again. I don’t see my clothes or my bag.
“Do you know where I left my stuff?” I change the subject to avoid thinking about sex some more.
“Uh, yeah. Your laptop is downstairs, and since I ruined your clothes I went out and got you some new ones.” On his last word the door pops open, and a dog comes barreling into the room.
“Rigs, down!” Vince yells in a commanding tone, but the dog hops on the bed anyway and runs straight toward me.
I let out a squeal as the puppy rushes forward and puts both of his large heavy front paws on me. He’s not quite a fully grown adult dog yet, but he's gotta be getting close, judging from his size. It’s hard to hold him back as I laugh and he slobbers all over my mouth. I have to keep my lips pressed tightly shut so he doesn’t accidentally French kiss me.
“That’s it, Rigs!” I hear Vince’s voice boom over my laughs, and suddenly the dog is gone. I watch him put Rigs outside the door and close it.
My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. And as he turns and gives me the sexiest grin I’ve ever seen, I feel a blush rise up my chest and into my cheeks.
I don’t remember last night, but this morning is looking like it’s going to be good.
Chapter 10: Vince
God damn, she’s so cute. There’s not a doubt in my mind that she’s forgotten everything. The only scars from yesterday are the small marks on her body. And fuck me, but I want to put more on her. Her sexy laugh and her rolling her eyes at me make me want to jump into bed and fuck her. I never had the chance before. I debate on getting into bed. I know I’m gonna have to leave this broad. I can’t bring her around everyone. It’s best if she just stays away.
But she did want me yesterday. And now that all this shit is done with, maybe it’s not so wr
ong.
She crawls toward me like a cat, and it makes her ass peek out slightly from the hem of my shirt. That’s the final straw. She wants me, and I want her. Nothing else matters right now. I lift her hips up with both hands and toss her onto her back. She lets out a sexy squeal that makes Rigs bark and paw at the door. But he’s gonna have to stay outside for this.
She laughs again, but then seems to remember that she doesn’t remember last night fully, and her shyness comes back to her. She tries to right herself and pull the shirt down farther. She's so damn sweet. I fucking love it.
“You don’t want me to see your pussy, sweetheart?” I tease her as my hands land on the outsides of her thighs and slip up her shirt.
Her eyes widen, and I guess she’s just now realizing that she’s not wearing any underwear.
“You weren’t worried about that last night.” Her head falls back slightly as she props herself up on her elbows with her eyes closed.
“Mmm. I remember.” Her words stop me short of slipping my hands up and onto her bare hips.
“What do you remember, sweetheart?” I ask her in a whisper, trying to keep the anxiety out of my voice. She smiles brightly, but turns her head to avoid my gaze and rolls her eyes. It eases some of my worry, but I want to hear her tell me exactly what she remembers.
“Tell me,” I command.
She bites her bottom lip and rocks her hips a little. “You.” Her eyes go down to her waist. “Doing that.”
“Eating you out?” That blush that suddenly appears on her cheeks is adorable. She nods her head, not losing any eye contact. I push the shirt up her body and she gasps as I pull her ass closer to me. “What else do you remember, baby?” Fuck, I’m so hard, remembering the taste of her on my tongue. I look down between her thighs and her lips are glistening with arousal. Fuck yes! I’m definitely getting in that pussy. My cock starts leaking and begs to be buried inside her.
His Hostage: Valetti Crime Family (A Bad Boy Mafia Romance) Page 6
