Fallen Angel, Part 4 - A Mafia Romance: Fallen Angel Series

by Tracie Podger

  His fingers stroked, probed, hooked to hit that sweet spot that always had me scream out his name before withdrawing. He pulled his head away and ran his two fingers over my lips.

  “Suck,” he said.

  I opened my mouth and closed my lips around his fingers, tasting myself again. His eyes were fixed on my mouth, watching. He placed his other hand under my chin lifting my face. A thought ran through my mind. As I opened my eyes to look at him, I bit down. His grip tightened around my chin.

  “Now that wasn’t nice,” he said, his voice once again so low I strained to hear.

  As I relaxed my jaw, he slowly pulled out his fingers, teeth marks were indented across his knuckles.

  “I don’t want to be nice,” I said.

  Robert stood and pulled me to my feet by my wrists. He marched me to the bed and spun me around away from him. He pushed the top half of my body down onto the bed. He kicked at the inside of my ankles, forcing my legs apart and gripped my hips. The tip of his cock brushed against my entrance.

  “You don’t get to bite,” he said just before he pushed into me.

  My body jerked forwards but he held me firm as he fucked me from behind. I raised my arms above my head and gripped the bedclothes, dragging them towards me. With every thrust, I moaned.

  I felt his breath on my back and knew what he was about to do. The sting as he raked his teeth across my skin was welcome. The swipe of his tongue as he licked the graze was soothing. That was what I needed. The animalistic Robert, the one so passionate that just fucking wasn’t enough. He couldn’t get deeper, get faster, so he marked me, he branded me. He wanted me to feel that bite rub against my clothing the following day as a reminder of where he had been. And I loved every moment of it.

  My orgasm hit hard without the usual tell-tale signs. It took my breath away, partly in surprise and partly because of the intensity. I opened my mouth to scream, but I couldn’t make a sound. I felt his hands grip my hips harder and heard him call out my name as he came at the same time.

  He let go of my hips, placing his hands either side on the bed and rested his forehead on my back. He struggled to get his breathing under control but then chuckled.

  “I think you’re going to be pissed when you see your back tomorrow,” he said.

  I rolled over and cupped his face with my hands.

  “Not this time.”

  Robert placed one arm under my shoulders, the other under my knees and lifted me until I was fully on the bed. He pulled back the bedclothes and I shuffled to my side. As he climbed into bed and dragged the duvet over us, he pulled me to his side. I snuggled against him, not caring that I should have cleaned up a little.

  I lay beside the man that had turned my world upside down and watched him close his beautiful black eyes. I watched his breathing deepen until he drifted into sleep. There were no words to describe the depth of feelings I had for him.

  Love wasn’t enough. He owned me—body and soul.

  Chapter Seven

  I woke the following morning and stretched my arms above my head before turning on my side. Robert was awake and looking at me.

  “Good morning,” I said.

  “Did I ever tell you how beautiful you look when you’re asleep? I could watch you for hours.”

  I snuggled into his side. “What’s the plan today?” I asked.

  “The police are visiting this morning. Gary will bring you in.”

  “So I’m being interviewed?”

  “Yes, because you were in reception. Just tell them what you saw, or didn’t see, and leave the rest to me. I need to get going.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed and headed for the shower.

  “I’ll make you a coffee,” I called after him.

  Throwing on my joggers and a t-shirt, and ignoring the fact I should have showered too, I made my way upstairs. I switched on the coffee machine and made myself tea while I waited. It was as the coffee started to filter that Robert came up the stairs.

  “Perfect timing,” I said as I poured him a cup. He liked his coffee way too strong and black. “That will have your heart racing,” I told him as he drained the small cup.

  “You make my heart race.”

  “You can be so charming sometimes,” I replied with a laugh.

  “I know. Now pour me another.” He gave me a wink.

  I liked Mr. Playful, but I loved all of Robert’s multiple personalities. Not that he had a split personality in the clinical sense, he could just flick between nice and nasty as quickly as a light switch.

  Heavy footsteps pounded up the stairs. I didn’t need to guess who they belonged to. I poured a second cup and set it down waiting for Travis to round the corner.

  “You’ll wake Gerry with that stomping,” I said.

  “That kid can sleep through anything,” he replied.

  He took a seat beside Robert and sipped at his coffee.

  “Franco ready?” Robert asked him.

  “Yeah, chatting with Ev when I left.”

  Evelyn would sit with Harley until it was time to get ready for school normally. She was the resident sitter and we couldn’t function without her. She didn’t do as much as she had for Robert and me, although she still cooked Travis a meal most nights. Of course he played on his inability to even toast bread knowing Evelyn would panic that Harley wasn’t having a proper home cooked meal each evening.

  “Once today’s meeting is over, can we talk about the kids schooling? I don’t want them missing much more,” I said.

  Robert checked his watch, placed his cup back on the counter and stood. He cupped my face in his hands as he walked past and leaned down to my ear.

  “We can, and you smell of me. I like it.”

  “Come on, Romeo, we need to go,” Travis said slapping Robert on the back as he walked past.

  “Jealous, bro, that’s all,” Robert replied as he gave me a brief kiss before departing.

  I cleared away the cups before heading for a shower. As I stripped, I had to agree with Robert—I could smell him on me. I smiled as I plunged my hand in the bath to release the water, having forgotten to do that the previous evening, then stepped into the cubicle.

  I was sitting on the bed wrapped in a towel when Gerry walked into the bedroom. He was still in his pyjamas and held his teddy by one arm.

  “Hi, darling. You’re up early.”

  “Am I going to school today?”

  “No. Tomorrow though, I hope.”

  He sprang onto the bed and sat beside me.

  “Why are we off school again? Is it because of the party or more teacher training?”

  “Well, I thought you might have been a little scared so wanted to keep you with me.”

  “I was at the time. I’m not now.”

  It was clear he was getting bored. Gerry disliked school—any reason not to go and he’d jump at the chance—but to be talking about it now told me he was restless.

  “How about you get dressed and we can make breakfast together?”

  He agreed without his usual enthusiasm then headed to his bedroom.

  I dressed and put on some make-up all the while worrying about him. Making breakfast was our ‘thing’, something we did together usually on a Sunday and he made as much mess as he could. He was clearly out of sorts.

  I was upstairs in the kitchen and mixing batter for pancakes when Evelyn and Harley came over. I asked Harley to go check on Gerry and let him know breakfast was nearly ready.

  “Everything okay?” Evelyn asked.

  “No, I don’t think so. I was hoping Gerry was just bored but I’m not sure.”

  “Has he said anything?”

  “No. Other than to ask if what happened at the hotel is the reason he’s off school, nothing.”

  “Oh, that’s not like him. He hates school.”

  “I know. That’s why I know something is wrong. I have to go into the office for an interview. Do you think we should take the boys to Ted’s for a couple of hours?”

  “I do
n’t know, Brooke. You should run that past Robert.”

  “I’ll ask him when I see him.”

  While Evelyn took over breakfast, I sent a text to Sam. If he was at work, I wanted to catch up for a coffee. The boys ate as I gathered my bag and shoes. Gerry seemed more himself with Harley around. I headed down to the car; Gary was already waiting in the drive.

  “Back to normality?” he asked as he opened the rear door.

  “No, just an interview with the police. I do need to get back to work though. I’m going stir crazy here.”

  ****

  “Good morning, Mrs. Stone. What a pleasure to see you,” I heard.

  Gary and I had made our way through the car park and security. Stan rose from his security desk to greet me.

  “It’s a pleasure to see you too, Stan. How have you been?”

  It hadn’t been that long since I’d last seen him, but he was such a nice old man, I always made time to chat to him.

  “Not too bad. You know the old knees are a bit creaky, but nothing that won’t stop me doing my job.” The slight panic to his voice made me believe he felt he shouldn’t have said that.

  “Oh, Stan, don’t you worry about your job. You could be on crutches and you know Robert would still have you here.” I smiled, gave his arm a squeeze and walked towards the lifts.

  I nodded to people, stopped to chat to a couple more. It took ten minutes before I managed to finally get into the lift and travelled up to Robert’s office. The door slid open and a smiling Gina greeted me.

  “Brooke, it’s good to see you,” she said.

  It had taken some time for her to feel comfortable in using my Christian name, but I didn’t want to be called Mrs. Stone. Stan would never call me anything else but I wanted my colleagues to look upon me as another employee, and not the boss’s wife.

  “Thank you. Is Robert free?”

  “He’s on the phone, but I’m sure you can go straight in.”

  I looked through the window in his door before I opened it; he smiled when he saw me. I knew him so well, I would be able to tell just from his body language if he had preferred I wait until his call was over. I sat in the chair opposite, placed my bag on the floor and waited for him to finish his call. He didn’t speak much, just listened. Every now and again he made a note on a pad in front of him. When his call was finished, he closed the pad. It was the subtle things I noticed. Whatever was on the pad was not for my eyes.

  “The police are in the boardroom with Franco right now. Do you want a coffee?” he said.

  “Yes, that would be nice. Is there any news?”

  Robert called through to Gina to fetch some coffees then filled me in.

  “They don’t know much, of course. There are no CCTV images of anyone entering from the many cameras along the sidewalk, conveniently. My guess is they know this is a family matter, and they also know it will be dealt with, but they have to go through the motions of investigating two deaths.”

  “Why are there no CCTV images?”

  “Because I made sure there wasn’t. I told you, if it’s who I think it is, I’ll deal with it.”

  Our conversation was brought to an abrupt halt as Gina tapped on the door. She placed the two coffees and a jug of milk for me on the desk before leaving.

  “Surely the police think that’s odd.”

  “Probably, but they won’t have any idea why there was a malfunction that night.”

  “I don’t know if I like all this. I mean, we should have the police involved.”

  “The police will only ever be involved in my affairs as far as I let them be.”

  “But two people died, Robert. They need justice.”

  “You don’t think they won’t get justice? It’s my way, Brooke. It will always be my way.” He leaned back in his chair, a clear indication this particular strand of conversation was over.

  I picked up my coffee cup and looked over the rim at him. He was staring back at me. His look was a challenge to pursue the conversation—one I knew was a waste of time. Where Robert and his business was concerned, I had no say. I smiled in defeat.

  “So what do I say?” I asked.

  “You were in the restroom, there was an explosion, it knocked you to the ground and I helped you through the window into the service alley. You can tell them Gary met you and took you to Ted. Tell them everything except the guy following you.”

  I nodded, understanding what was required. “The kids are getting bored, and Gerry was off this morning. I want to take them to Ted’s for a couple of hours this afternoon. They can play football.”

  “What do you mean he was off?”

  “He asked if he wasn’t going to school because of what happened. It seemed an unusual thing for him to say.”

  “Mmm, okay, maybe he does need to get out the house for a bit. Let me think on that.”

  As he finished his sentence, I noticed Gina hover by the door.

  She opened it slightly. “They’re ready for you downstairs,” she said.

  Robert and I rose and made our way to the boardroom one floor below. My palms sweated a little with nerves. I’d been interviewed by the police before, but I’d been running on adrenalin and fear then. This was different. I was going to be economical with the truth. Robert took my hand in his and as we exited the lift, he raised my knuckles to his lips.

  “Deep breath,” he said as we pushed through the boardroom door.

  There were two policemen, neither were in uniform, sitting at one end of the table, Jonathan was to one side. He gave me a smile as I took a seat. Robert sat next to me and rested his elbows on the table, his fingers steepled in front of him. His stare flicked between the two policemen.

  “Erm, thank you for speaking with us, Mrs. Stone,” one said, clearly uncomfortable.

  I smiled at him. “I wonder if you can tell us, in your own words, what happened on the night of July twenty-eight,” he said.

  I recounted my evening, how I’d taken Gerry to the toilet, the explosion and then climbing out the window.

  “Gerry?” the policeman asked.

  “My son,” I replied.

  “Can we…?”

  “No,” Robert replied.

  I looked between the two.

  I guessed they wanted to speak to Gerry, and that was something I wouldn’t allow.

  “My son is underage and still shaken by the incident. So, as my husband said, absolutely not.”

  “Okay, it’s just sometimes kids see things we may have missed.”

  “That may well be the case, but the answer is still no.”

  “Do you have any theories as to who would want to do this?” he asked.

  It was obviously a question that startled Robert. Not that anyone would have noticed, but I saw the stiffening in his back and heard the sharp intake of breath.

  “No, I don’t. I’m sorry, but I can’t think of anyone.”

  I’d always thought I couldn’t lie. That was before I met Robert, of course. I kept my gaze firmly on the policeman speaking and my shaking hands under the table. I made an effort not to shift in my seat or show any sign of nerves.

  The policeman closed his notebook before he spoke.

  “Mr. Stone, I think you have an idea of what happened, and I need to remind you that taking the law into your own hands is a criminal offence.”

  Robert smirked and raised one eyebrow. “I’m well aware of the law, no need to remind me of it. Now, are we done?”

  Without waiting for an answer, he stood and held out his hand for me. I took it, standing at the same time and we left the room. Just before we exited, I saw him glance to the corner of the room where I knew a concealed camera was installed. Mack would have been monitoring all the conversations.

  Once in the lift, I exhaled.

  “You okay, baby?” he asked.

  “Sure, it wasn’t that scary, just leaves me a little upset thinking about it.”

  “I know, but it’s done now. Of all the people at the hotel, you and a cou
ple of security are the only ones who could have seen anything.”

  As we walked across the reception on Robert’s floor, Mack left the security room. He held a file in his hand, which he handed to Robert. There was no explanation as to what it contained.

  “How are you doing, Brooke?” he asked.

  “Need to get out of the house. Me and the kids are going crazy being cooped up.”

  He laughed. “Taylor is complaining too.”

  “Can I at least grab a coffee with Sam? I texted him earlier and he’s at work.”

  “I’ll have someone fetch some coffee for you,” Robert replied. “You’re not walking to the deli with him.”

  I sighed. “It’s not the same.”

  “I know. How about you take him back home for an hour or so? He can see the boys, you can chat.”

  “Great idea. Thank you.”

  I collected my bag, gave Robert a peck on the cheek and headed to marketing.

  Sam was sat at his desk on the opposite side of the room to my office. I passed Jennifer, my assistant, who stood to greet me. We had a brief chat and I explained that I would be back to work in a few days. Anything important was being emailed already. Sam saw me and stood. He waved with one hand while holding a phone to his ear with the other. I greeted colleagues as I made my way over.

  “Yeah, yeah, okay. Now I really must go. I’m late for an important meeting,” I heard him say as I approached.

  “Jesus, that woman can talk,” he said as he replaced the handset.

  “Who was it?”

  “Mum. She’s been on the phone for nearly an hour. I love her to bits but I don’t want to know about the next doors cat or Sally down the roads rose bush!”

  I laughed. Elsie was the mother I never had. She’d taken me in when times were tough at home. Sam’s comment about his mum caused a ripple of sadness to roll over me. I hadn’t spoken to my parents in four years. I’d written, although not recently, but never received a reply. Elsie kept me up to date on what was going on in their lives and it seemed nothing had changed. They kept themselves to themselves and were still mourning the death of my brother. He had died years ago.