“You, you idiot. He wanted you.” She shook her head. “He didn’t tell me anything specifically, but I think he just wanted to secure your place here so that you wouldn’t try to leave after you got what you wanted. Not only are you trapped with a mafia contract, but now you’re legally bound to him.”
“But…” Frustration filled me as I shook my head. “He can’t do that, can he? I…”
I signed those papers days ago. That was plenty of time to submit them to the court for a marriage license. Hope bubbled up in my chest. If he sent them to the court, surely it would trigger something if Savannah was successful in reporting me missing. But just as fast as it was created, the bubble of hope burst. I’d signed my birth name on the documents. My friends only knew me as my newly assigned name that my father gave me when he sent me away.
“Wait!” I exclaimed, snapping my fingers. “A wedding has to be done with some kind of ordained person, right?”
“A marriage officiant, yeah,” she said. “But Bennett wouldn’t say you’re married if you aren’t. If you two weren’t in the room alone, I’m pretty sure there was someone in there who’s an officiant.”
I groaned. That could’ve been Bruce, Saint, or Nyxin. Hell, it could’ve been Bennett for all I knew. Tears of frustration burned my eyes.
I was so fucked.
BENNETT
I couldn’t help but chuckle as I watched Aurora talk to Carrie across the living room. She couldn’t say I didn’t warn her to read what she was signing; had she done that, she would’ve seen the entirety of my conditions for her to have a part in killing my father.
She had to join La Fedeltà; that was a must.
And she also had to rule alongside me as the queen of the new family, as my wife.
From the looks of it, she wasn’t taking the “wife” role too well.
“She seems pissed,” Bruce said as he stood next to me. I shrugged, taking a glass of whiskey from one of the girls’ tray as they passed.
“I warned her,” I said. “That’s what happens when you think with emotions and not your head. It’s not like all of it wasn’t outlined in the shit she signed.”
Among the contract, the marriage license was in the midst of the documents. Nyxin conducted a lot of marriages that happened within the mafia, making my marriage to her convenient, as well as legal. Even though he didn’t read the pledge and it wasn’t as traditional as wedding ceremonies usually were, he signed off on it and now she was mine. I couldn’t wait to get my fucking hands on her tonight.
She looked downright sinful in her dress. Had the guys not been in my office when she walked in, her initiation would’ve taken a little longer than planned due to the desire of wanting to fuck her over my desk. I had to keep reminding myself that she wasn’t Stephanie, and that I couldn’t look at her as the “next best thing.” She was so different from Stephanie. Steph would’ve never agreed to do something like this, but she also wasn’t a killer. After Aurora spent seven days in Hell, she wasn’t the same woman she was when she went in. The woman that emerged was dark, dangerous, and out for blood. Had to admit it was pretty fucking sexy.
I knew she’d have questions. When we finally got a chance to be alone, I didn’t doubt it would turn into a fight of some sort. I’d let her blow off some steam without consequence, but despite all of that, two things would remain the same.
First, it wouldn’t change the fact that she was in the mafia and that we were married.
And second, it definitely wouldn’t change the fact that I was fucking her tonight.
“When do you plan to officially make the announcement to the other families?” Bruce asked, back to business.
Announcing my departure from the Moreno Family was a big deal. Our family was one of the biggest and most powerful among the mafia families of California. It was no secret that trouble was brewing within us, but my father and his quick, silver tongue made things seem like less of a problem than they were. By announcing our departure, it would solidify that the tension was as bad as it was rumored to be. While my father would probably be shocked that I decided to branch out on my own, he wouldn’t be surprised. At least now, any narrative that he’d probably tried to create against me would be null and void when I branched out. I couldn’t assassinate him for a spot in an organization I was no longer a part of.
“First thing in the morning,” I said, taking a long pull from my drink. “Tonight, we celebrate a new beginning. A new family.”
He nodded. “Sounds like a plan then,” he said, just as Savannah waltzed over to him with a tray of drinks.
“Brucey, I made your favorite,” she purred, taking a glass off her tray and passing it to him.
“Thanks, baby doll,” he said, taking a sip from it. “Perfect.”
She smiled at him and looked at me. “Do you need another drink, sir?” she asked. I shook my head.
“I’m good,” I said and took her tray from her. “Enjoy yourself.”
Her smile faltered as she hesitated. “Are…are you sure?” she asked, looking between Bruce and me.
I smiled and nodded. “‘Brucey’ here won’t relax unless you are. So, take tonight off and enjoy the celebration,” I said.
“Thanks, boss,” Bruce said with a nod.
I clapped him on the shoulder. “No problem, Brucey,” I teased.
He chuckled. “Fuck off,” he said and led Savannah away. Giving the tray to another girl, I headed over to Aurora and Carrie. Their conversation ceased when they noticed my presence, Aurora glaring at me.
“I’m glad to see my wife making acquaintance with my sister,” I mused, hiding my smile behind my glass as I took another swallow of whiskey.
“This isn’t fair, and you know it,” Aurora ground out.
“Yeah, Bennett, that was pretty low,” Carrie said with a frown.
“Low? I told her to read it. She was the one that wanted to dive in headfirst. While I commend her eagerness to destroy Wilson, it was still rather stupid on her part to not at least look over everything.” I pointed back toward the hall. “Do you want to look at it all now? I mean it won’t matter since everything is official, but maybe it’ll give you peace of mind to see that it’s all real.”
“Yes, actually,” she snapped, pushing past me and storming toward my office.
“Did you really do that, Bennett?” Carrie asked, grabbing onto my arm when I turned to walk away.
“Marry her? Yes,” I said.
“Marrying her won’t make her love you,” she said. The words were like a slap in the face. Though I knew what she said was true, it didn’t make them hurt any less. The only thing I could hope was that my overall plan worked and would eventually lead to a real relationship.
“Love can come from the most unusual places. She’ll learn to,” I finally said, keeping my face blank of emotions.
“And what happens if she doesn’t? Then what?” she countered.
I shrugged out of her grip. “Then I’ll deal with that when the time comes. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go find my wife.”
I left her standing there shaking her head at me. It didn’t matter what she thought; what was done was done now. Aurora was understandably angry now, but it would change over time. I didn’t know what would happen between Aurora and me, but we had all the time in the world to figure all that out.
By the time I reached my office, she was pacing back and forth in front of the door. She glared at me when I approached but didn’t say anything to me. I unlocked the door and opened it, allowing her to walk in ahead of me. Turning on the light, I moved over to my safe, pulling out the papers she signed earlier in the week and tossed them onto the desk.
“Take a look,” I said.
She crossed the room and snatched the packet off the desk, quickly flipping through them. I put my hands in my pockets and waited, watching her as her eyes quickly scanned over each page. A grin pulled at my lips when she stopped flipping, her face growing pale. She looked up at me and back to the d
ocument before her.
“Nyxin is an officiant,” she mumbled, tossing the document on the desk in frustration. “Fucking hell. I didn’t agree to marrying you, Bennett.”
“Your signature on that marriage license and you taking your ring tonight says that you did,” I reminded her. “I told you to read it and you decided not to. If you want to be upset with anyone, be mad at yourself. I told you not to think with your emotions and look where those emotions got you? Married.”
“You’re fucking ridiculous,” she snapped, running her hands through her hair.
“So, I’m told,” I mused, securing the documents back in the safe.
She marched over to me, jabbing her pointed finger into my chest. “Let’s get one thing clear. I don’t care if we’re married; I will never love someone like you. Mark my fucking words.”
“Feel what you’d like, Princess. It doesn’t change your reality,” I said, moving closer to her until we were chest to chest. “Besides, hate makes the sex better.”
Something dangerous flickered in her gaze as she stared at me. She turned on her heels and stormed out of my office without another word. I let out a deep sighed and followed her back out. Carrie’s words echoed in my mind. Marrying her won’t make her love you.
If this interaction was any indication of her feelings about me, then I had a long road ahead of me if I wanted to convince her to feel otherwise.
Aurora avoided me for the rest of the night before finally disappearing completely. I pulled out my phone to track her chip, only to see that she was still inside the house. The party slowly tapered off, everyone either drunk or tired. It was a little after one in the morning, and I was beyond ready to turn in for the night. I signaled to Bruce to let him know I was wrapping up and when he nodded, I took the stairs two at a time and headed to my bedroom.
The shower turned off as soon as I walked in and closed the bedroom door. I shrugged out of my suit jacket and pulled off my shoes, rolling my shoulders at the fight I knew was about to happen as soon as she noticed I was in the bedroom. She walked in the bedroom wrapped in a towel, her expression hardening when her eyes fell on me.
“Still angry, Mrs. Moreno?” I teased as I loosened my tie.
“Don’t call me that,” she ground out.
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Why? That’s your married name, is it not?” I asked.
“That’s not what we agreed to and you know it,” she said.
I released a deep sigh and rolled my shoulders again, tossing my tie on the bed. “I feel like we’re going around in circles and this shit is getting boring. I’ve told you three or four times now that you were warned. You should’ve read the paperwork. Had you read it, tonight’s news wouldn’t have been a surprise.”
“You could’ve verbally said it to me, you asshole,” she snapped. “It really wouldn’t have been that hard to tell me that by signing, I’d be agreeing to marriage.”
I smiled. “What fun would that be?” I asked.
“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”
“I’ve heard that a time or two,” I said with a nod. Her hand tightened around her towel as she continued glaring at me. “What, you wanna fight me about it?”
She scoffed. “Don’t be fucking idiotic. The last time I tried to fight you, you nearly killed me,” she spat.
“Luckily for you, your status of queen changes some things,” I said, weighing my words carefully. While it was true that I couldn’t bring harm to a woman I’d deemed to be queen, telling Aurora that could cause a whole new shitstorm of problems. It took everything in my arsenal to get her to the slightly obedient state that she was currently in; I wasn’t sure how my next words would change her.
The anger and malice in her expression slowly melted away as her brows scrunched in confusion.
“Changes things how?” she asked.
“I can’t bring harm to someone crowned as queen,” I said. “Besides, you’re my wife; that makes you equal to me, not my pet.”
She frowned and folded her arms across her chest. “I hope you know that doesn’t make this bullshit arrangement any better,” she stated, her tone flat.
“I know you’re angry. Go ahead and let it out, dark princess,” I said and smiled. “And then when you’re done being angry, I can fuck my wife.”
“Stop calling me that!” she all but screamed, her earlier anger returning. Her face slowly turned red as her anger built, malice and something dark lingering in her gaze. And holy fuck, it made me hard as hell.
“What’s wrong?” I taunted, walking toward her. “What are you more upset about? The actual fact that we’re married or the fact that I’m the one that’s your husband and not your weak ex?”
“Don’t you dare talk about him,” she growled.
“Or what?” I challenged.
She closed the distance between us in a flash, slapping me across the face. I caught her wrist just as she was about to strike me again, pinning her arm behind her back. I wrapped my other arm around her pulling her closer to me as she struggled in my grasp.
“It would be so much easier if you accept that we’re married, but I’m always ready for a challenge if you decide to fight me the whole way,” I murmured in her ear before kissing her cheek. She pushed me away from her.
“Fuck you,” she stated.
“Give me what you got then, dark princess,” I said, smiling at her. Aside from being emotional, she was highly predictable. Angry tears rimmed her eyes, giving me a glimpse of her vulnerable self that was still inside of her. Despite her anger, there was a sense of helplessness that she probably couldn’t shake. I’d bet money that the helplessness was what she was more upset about. I blocked her hits and dodged any kick she threw before swiping my leg out and sweeping her feet from under her. The more she missed, the more frustrated she became.
“I don’t care what any paper says; I’m not your fucking wife,” she panted.
“My records say you are,” I taunted. She punched me in the stomach before bringing her knee toward my groin. I caught her leg, lifting her and tossing her onto the bed. Her towel loosened, exposing her naked body to me. I couldn’t help but grin. “Look at that, already naked for me.”
“In your fucking dreams, you psycho,” she hissed, scrambling to get off the bed.
I stood back, cracking my neck as she fixed her towel and scurried over to the vanity. She grabbed her hairbrush and threw it at me, the solid plastic hitting me in the chest. I was getting bored with this game. My dick practically ached in my slacks and the harder she fought, the more I was turned on. When I continued to walk closer to her, fear slowly replaced her anger. She leaned back against the vanity in an effort to get away from me, practically sitting on top of it by the time I was in front of her.
She gasped when I grabbed her by the throat. “Aurora, Aurora, Aurora,” I tsked. Her pulse raced under my touch, her wide eyes trained on me. “When will you learn that you belong to me no matter what?”
“Let me go,” she wheezed, prying at my fingers around her throat. I wasn’t even squeezing hard, just hard enough to keep her in place.
I reached between her legs, finding her clit. She whimpered and bit her lip, still trying to take my hand from her throat. “I told you in order to get what you want, you’d have to obey. This is the bed you made; fighting me won’t make a difference.”
She squirmed in my grip, her breath quickening as my fingers circled faster around her clit. Her fists pummeled my chest, but they were weaker than they’d been earlier. Her pants slowly turned into whimpers and suppressed moans as she still fought against me, determined to not look weak before me.
It was a battle she was quickly losing.
The mirror behind her broke when she drove her elbow back, the bedroom door flying open.
“Ow! Fuck!” she shrieked. I looked over my shoulder to see Bruce in the doorway, gun drawn and eyes wide. I raised an eyebrow and frowned.
“Can I help you with something?” I asked.<
br />
He assessed the situation, lowering his gun. “I thought something was wrong,” he said breathlessly.
“Nope. Just engaging in a little violent foreplay before I fuck my wife,” I said, grinning when the mention of “wife” caused Aurora to fight against me again. “That okay with you?”
“Sorry for the intrusion,” he mumbled and walked back out, closing the door.
Aurora slapped me hard across the face, the shock of it causing me to let her go. Her eyes widened with fear when I froze, staring at her. Her gaze watched my every move, her chest rising and falling quickly. She flinched when I moved closer, gasping when I grabbed her throat.
“Please,” she whispered, tears rimming her eyes. I frowned. The fear coming off of her was the complete opposite of what she’d been. She thought I was going to hurt her. This woman was the queen of my empire, my wife, and I could only be mad at myself that she’d been conditioned to fear me. I’d made her this way and now I had to figure out how the fuck I would fix this.
I brought my lips to hers and kissed her, feeling her pulse race faster. Though hesitant at first, she finally kissed me back, the tension in her body slowly ebbing away. She moaned against my lips when I squeezed her throat, my dick practically throbbing.
“I fucking hate you,” she murmured between kisses.
I chuckled as I picked her up off the vanity and carried her over to the bed. “I know you do, baby,” I said, dropping her down onto the bed.
Her towel fell loose again, and I grabbed it before she could grip it, snatching it completely off her body. She glared at me, her earlier anger slowly returning now that she realized I wasn’t a threat to her right now.
“Still angry?” I teased as I grabbed her ankle.
“I’ll never not be angry,” she fired back, shrieking in shock when I yanked her to the edge of the bed.
“Luckily, anger doesn’t bother me,” I murmured as I sank to my knees before her.
Rules of Bennett: The Complete Collection Page 42
