Wrath: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (Deadly Sin Series Book 1)

by Penelope Marshall

  I watched him walk away, his masculine physique begged for another go between the sheets.

  He winked at me before picking up the phone. "Hello."

  I turned to head for the shower, all the while listening to his side of the conversation.

  CHRISTIAN

  "You found him?" I asked.

  "Yeah, Boss. We think so," Rico said.

  "You think—or you know?" I asked sternly, not in the mood for what-ifs.

  "We think, Boss."

  "Then call me back when you know you found him," I said, hearing the shower turn on. "I gotta go."

  Hanging up the phone, I threw it on the bed and headed for the shower. After all, it would be stupid to waste water and even more foolish to waste water with a naked woman standing in it. Lexi's silhouette through the frosted shower glass was a work of art. You'd have never known she never stepped foot inside a gym.

  Reaching for the door, my dick was already starting to get hard, ready to unleash my pent up anger for Il Fantasma on her.

  Poor girl—she doesn't know what's coming.

  I walked into the steamy shower, her back to me, body drenched with water. Pressing my lips to her neck, I guided her hips toward the shower wall, pinning her against it. She turned her head to the side, her eyes closed, awaiting my touch. I lined myself up and slid in. She gasped and clenched her fists as I took her from behind—ravaging her. She was my wife—the woman I loved most in the world.

  LEXI

  My body burned from his recklessness. It was a good burn, but a burn no less. Someone must have really pissed him off on the other line.

  Could he know about Liam? No, he would say something.

  He bit my ear, which pulled me from my thoughts and back into the moment. His hands roamed over my breasts and down my stomach, trailing its way between my legs. The second his fingers touched my anticipating clit, I could already feel another climax raring to explode. His thrusts coupled with the skillful way he massaged me sent my body wild. My head tilted back, resting on the curve between his neck and shoulders. I reached back, holding onto the back of his neck for support as his short pumps stopped, suddenly replaced by a pulsating eruption inside me.

  CHRISTIAN

  My spine tingled, and my balls hardened as a sudden surge of cum erupted from me. I pressed my left hand against the shower wall for support while my right cupped her breast, gently squeezing it.

  Fuck—goddammit.

  It felt so damn good to be inside her. Nestling my cheek against hers, I thrust in one last time, flooding her tight opening.

  "You like it like that?" I whispered in her ear.

  "Always," she said, turning her head to kiss me.

  I pulled out of her then spun her around to face me. I pressed her back up against the shower wall and crashed my lips against hers. She was so fucking gorgeous, I could have probably gone another round, but I knew she would need a small break before our getaway.

  LEXI

  The glimmer in his eyes told me all I needed to know. I hadn’t seen it in years, but I remember what it meant; he wanted to fuck me again.

  Jesus…he has the stamina of a nineteen-year-old kid.

  "Christian, I—”

  He interrupted, "Don't worry. I'll get to you later."

  "Where are you getting all this energy?"

  "Let's just say I gotta new outlook on things—a change in priorities."

  "You sound like you're dying."

  He smiled and shifted some of the wet hair that fell across my cheek. "Not that I know of—unless you ordered a hit on me?"

  "I would never," I whispered.

  "I know, baby girl. I know you wouldn't. You've always had my back. Even when I was doin' dirt."

  "When?"

  "I'm not seeing her anymore," he said with a slight smile, cupping his palms to my cheeks.

  "What about the rest?" I asked, slightly annoyed he was proud of the fact he was finally being faithful.

  The smile left his face, replaced with a sudden change in demeanor. He pushed himself away from me and stepped out of the shower.

  "Where are you going?" I asked, realizing I had just ruined the moment.

  He didn’t reply. Through the frosted glass shower door, which I dared not step out of, I watched him dress and storm out of the room. A few seconds later, I heard the distinct sound of shattering glass.

  Shit. Why did I push him?

  Turning back to the water, I stood under the warm stream, contemplating my next move. I would just have to put my girl panties on and call Liam. There were no two ways about breaking it off with him. I wasn’t like Christian; I couldn’t compartmentalize our marriage from an outside relationship. Eventually, it would bleed together, and that might cost me my life, or Liam's.

  CHRISTIAN

  Who the fuck does she think she is? I'm Christian fuckin' Cerisi.

  The fury I felt filled every part of me. I was trying the best way a guy like me knew how—wasn't that enough for her? I had already sent Cheryl away, what else did she want? My fucking blood? I walked into my office and smacked a picture frame off the desk as I walked by. The glass shattered into a hundred pieces the minute it hit the ground.

  "Fuck," I yelled out in frustration.

  I had never been in a situation I couldn't muscle, pay, or shoot my way out of. But I couldn’t make her love me—not after all these years. Maybe Rico was right; maybe she did need a little slack.

  Bending over to pick up the frame, I realized it was our wedding picture I had just broken which was probably not the best thing to have done right at this moment, if ever.

  I decided to clean it up before she saw what I had done. No point in aggravating the situation further, especially before our getaway. I picked up one of the bigger pieces of glass to get it out of the way and sliced the tip of my thumb. The slit instantly turned red with blood.

  "Goddamn," I growled, dropping the glass before I stuck my thumb in my mouth.

  Nothing seemed to be going right. I'm sure if I had actually been paying attention, I would have taken it as an omen.

  GETAWAY

  The slow ringing made my stomach churn. I was standing by the pool in full view of the back door so I could see if Christian came out. I hated when people got caught in the movies because their back was turned to the door while they revealed a secret to someone over the phone. So stupid.

  "Hello," Liam's powerful voice filtered through the phone.

  "Liam, hi. It's me Lexi," I said nervously, twisting a tendril of hair around my finger.

  He chuckled. "I know, sweetheart."

  Sweetheart?

  His flirting instantly made me wet. I crossed my legs, hoping it would stop the throbbing coming from between them. Unfortunately, it wasn’t working.

  Still staring intently at the back door, I moved the phone closer to my mouth, and whispered, "I can't see you anymore."

  "What? I couldn’t hear you."

  "I can't see you anymore, Liam," I whispered a little louder.

  "Why?"

  "It's not right. I'm married. I shouldn’t have done anything in the first place."

  "But you did, and then you came back for more. Obviously, he is not doing his job, or you wouldn't have been so open to me. No pun intended," he said with a slight chuckle.

  "It doesn’t matter. I can't see you anymore. Don’t call me again," I said, annoyed he wouldn't disappear as easily as I'd hoped.

  "Yes, you will. I'll be there on Saturday for the barbecue."

  "I'll tell Christian to cancel."

  "He won't though, will he?" he asked condescendingly.

  He was right. Christian never canceled a get-together. "Just say you can't come."

  "Now how would that look? I just got hired, how can I turn down an invitation from my boss?"

  He was right again.

  Fuck!

  "Fine. Come. Just stay away from me," I yelled, hanging up the phone.

  "Stay away from who?" Christian asked as he w
alked toward me.

  In the midst of the drama I had taken my eyes away from the door, and of course, right at the moment is when he decided to come out.

  A flash of heat overtook my body as I quickly tried to formulate a plausible answer. "I, uh—I was talking to Celia. That girl is crazy," I replied, with a not so convincing, innocent smile.

  "I've told you that for years," he said, running his fingers through my hair. "I'm sorry for earlier. You have every right to be mad. I cheated for a long time, but you stuck by me. I love you, Lexi."

  I gazed into his eyes, looking for the usual signs he was lying to me, but there were none.

  "I love you too, Christian," I replied, hooking my fingers on his wrist.

  "Are you going to be ready to go?"

  "You still want to?"

  "Of course, baby girl," he said, pressing his lips to my cheek.

  My knees weakened and my heart skipped a beat. The breeze that billowed around us created a sanctuary I didn’t want to leave.

  CHRISTIAN

  I've never apologized so many times in my life. This woman is gonna be the death of me.

  I pulled away from her and turned to head back to the room to pack. I was going to make this thing work if it killed me. Throwing a few things into a small bag, I headed out to the car, passing her in the hall. The smell of the perfume wafting from her neck made me frantic.

  "Hurry up and pack—or don't. You won't be dressed for most of this trip anyway," I said, glancing over my shoulder.

  She stopped at the bedroom door, shooting me a smile before disappearing. I unlocked the trunk and threw my bag in just as my phone rang.

  "Hello."

  "Boss, Il Fantasma has—has a hold on the west side," Rico stammered.

  I leaned against the trunk, clenching my fists to pacify my anger. "What the fuck do you mean 'has a hold'?"

  "He got to most of the store owners, and now they are paying him for protection."

  "Protection from who?"

  "From you, Boss."

  My vision turned red, and my body instantly turned to fire. "From me?" I echoed through gritted teeth.

  "Make one of them tell you who it is."

  "I did, Boss. They are more afraid of him than you."

  "Are you fuckin' kiddin' me? I'm Christian fuckin' Cerisi. How many times do I have to say that?"

  "I know, Boss. I know. But if I kill one of the store owners to get the information it's just gonna make the others even more scared and run to Il Fantasma."

  "Stop showing that fuck respect by calling him that. His name is 'Asshole' from now on. Do you hear me?" I shouted.

  "Yeah, Boss. Asshole. Got it."

  "Figure it out, Rico. It's what the fuck I pay you for," I said, hanging up the phone.

  The front door creaked open, and out walked Lexi with the huge rolling luggage we used for vacations.

  "What are you bringing?" I asked, watching as she struggled through the front door. "It's an overnight trip," I said, already annoyed from the phone call.

  "A girl can never be too prepared," she said, finally making it out of the door.

  I shook my head, hoping this trip would be worth taking my attention away from that asshole Il Fantasma.

  Fuck I said his name.

  It was just one night though. Rico could handle this shit for one more night. I just wanted to get things right with Lexi, and then I could really focus on the business. I took her bag and threw it in the trunk along with mine, then opened the door for her.

  "Mrs. Cerisi," I said, motioning her to get in.

  "Why, thank you, sir," she said with a wink.

  I closed her door and rounded the car, taking a deep breath before getting in. I needed to get that asshole out of my head and focus on Lexi, which was easier said than done when my whole life was about the family business.

  LEXI

  The drive to the hotel was a short one, but it felt like a cross-country trip with how uncomfortable I was. The silence was palpable, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was on his mind. My guilty conscious was getting the better of me, and I needed to turn it off. I wondered if this was how he felt around me all the time, or if cheating was as easy as reading the morning paper? If it was, I supposed it would explain a lot about his crass behavior all these years.

  Pulling up to the hotel, the valet opened my door and tipped his hat to me. "Mrs. Cerisi?" he asked awkwardly.

  My heart sunk. I knew he was worried he had misspoken. "Yes. I am Mrs. Cerisi. The one and only," I said, glaring back at Christian, who was shooting daggers with his eyes at the valet.

  I shook my head.

  How dare he bring me somewhere where he'd brought his bitches. I was hurt, and I wanted to get back in the car and drive home. What was the point of this charade? He wasn't going to stop cheating on me. Maybe I shouldn’t either. After all, Liam did make me feel special, and I wanted so bad to feel special.

  I proceeded into the hotel, leaving Christian to deal with the luggage on his own. I could have waited, but why? That would have been the kind, wifely thing to do, but I wasn't in the mood to be kind or wifely.

  Fuck him.

  Every chair I saw on my way to the counter, I wondered if she sat in it; every elevator I passed, I wondered if she rode in it with him. I couldn’t get the thought of him with another woman out of my head, and it was making me ridiculously irrational.

  Arriving at the counter, I was greeted by a beautiful brunette, wearing a navy blue blazer and a gold nametag which had the name Beth etched across it.

  "Hello. How may I help you?" Beth asked.

  "I'm checking in."

  "Name?"

  "Cerisi," I said, staring at her perfectly manicured French-tipped nails.

  "Cerisi," she echoed as she typed the letters into the computer. "Ahh, Cerisi. Welcome back." She smiled.

  Welcome back. I've never fuckin' been here.

  The look on my face told her everything she needed to know. I guess Christian wasn’t the only cheating husband she's run across.

  She handed me the keycards, and said, "Will you need anything else, Mrs. Cerisi? Fresh coffee in your room perhaps?"

  "No. Do you happen to have any non-cheating husbands lying around?" I asked sternly.

  She pulled her hand back and quickly looked down at her keyboard. I rolled my eyes and walked away with a knot in my stomach. I shouldn’t have been mean to her, after all, she wasn't one of his whores—or was she?

  Fuck, I hate feeling like this. She could be any fuckin' body.

  I made it to the elevator just in time for Christian to catch up.

  "Hey, hold the elevator," he said from a few feet away.

  I thought about it for a moment, then realized it was going to cause even more drama than it was worth not to hold the door for him. I pressed the door open button, holding it until he made his way into the elevator car.

  His breathing was labored as he turned and stood next to me, adjusting his hair. "Don't you ever leave me like that, Lexi. Do you hear me?" he asked in a taut voice, staring straight ahead.

  I knew I was in trouble. I had pushed him, and now he was going to push back.

  "Do you hear me?" he asked again.

  I nodded. "Yes, Christian," I whispered as the elevator door dinged open to the fifteenth floor. "This is us," I said, stepping out of the car.

  He picked up our bags and followed two steps behind me all the way to the room. My stomach was in knots, wondering what kind of punishment was in store for me once we got there. Would he be so mad that I would hate him tomorrow?

  I shoved the keycard into the lock, the green light flickered as I turned the knob. The room smelled like fresh roses against freshly laundered linens.

  I threw my purse onto the smooth white comforter, edged with gold embroidery, and plopped down on the gold velvet armchair that matched the chairs in the lobby. The headboard also featured a tufted gold velvet version of the arm chair, tying the whole look together.

 
; Leaning over the bed, he unzipped the bags and began to rifle through them.

  "What are you looking for?" I asked.

  "I'm gonna shower before dinner; unless you have something to say about that?"

  I shook my head.

  He pulled a pair of jeans and a shirt from his bag and disappeared into the bathroom where the sound of running water cut through the silence in the room. I stood up and moved toward the bed to pull an outfit from my oversized luggage.

  I searched through the pile of sexy dresses and lace panties, deciding not to wear what I originally planned on. He wasn’t going to get anything from me tonight but attitude, and maybe someone to sit across the table from.

  Every time I thought we started to finally make progress, there was always some setback, and it usually had something to do with his cheating; his goddam cheating.

  This shit is never gonna end.

  I threw on a pair of black leggings with a tight black tank top. This outfit was going to make him mad and, secretly, I was sort of excited. He hated when I went out with him not dressed to the nines.

  My resentment forced my mind to think about Liam and the sweet way he longed for me. My fingertips grazed the edge of my bottom lip as I reminisced about the last time he kissed me.

  Twenty minutes.

  I could use another twenty minutes with him right about now.

  CHRISTIAN

  The warm water ran over my tense shoulders, loosening them up a bit, but not enough to actually feel relaxed.

  How dare she come at me like that? She has no fuckin' right. I'm her fuckin' husband.

  My fists clenched, and my jaw tightened, thinking about what I had given up for her. Cheryl. Sweet fucking Cheryl. My dick hardened at the thought of her soft lips wrapped around my hard cock. She knew just how I liked it and wasn’t afraid to give it when I asked. But I turned her away. And for what? Not the submissive wife I thought I was getting in exchange.

  I don’t even want to think about all the other women who stood at the ready, just waiting for my phone call.

  Damn, I shouldn't have gotten rid of their numbers. Fuck.