by Renee Rose
It’s a better idea than the one I’ve been trying—working as hard as Nico to distract myself from my thoughts of why this relationship is all wrong.
“Let’s go get the dress.”
Chapter 11
Nico
I’m an asshole because I promised to treat Sondra like a girlfriend and not a fucktoy, and then I haven’t had a goddamn minute during the waking hours to treat her right.
I pick up my phone and call Stefano, my younger brother. He and I are tight—close in age and of a similar mindset. He’s been in the old country, working with our great uncle.
“Nico, come va?” he answers.
I get right to the point. “I need you.”
Stefano swears. “What is it?”
“No, no. Nothing bad. My operation has grown too big. I can’t work enough hours in the day, and I need someone to share the load. I need you, specifically.”
Stefano’s quiet for a moment. “Tony’s not enough?”
“Tony can’t do everything. And he’s not my brother. I pay him well, but I can’t share the kingdom with him. Dad wouldn’t allow it.”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll talk to Zio. I’m sure he can let me go if you really need me.”
“I do. I need you to head up security. That way I can focus on continued growth. Call me back and let me know when you can come.”
“I will.” I’m about to hang up, when he says, “Nico?”
I put the phone back to my ear.
“What prompted this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you sick? Did something happen?”
I blow out a breath. This is why I need Stefano. He’s fucking perceptive. “It’s a woman.”
Stefano lets out a surprised bark of laughter. “No shit?”
“Yeah. And I’m working twenty hours a day and she’s gonna walk.”
“You’re serious about this woman?”
Everything in my chest tightens because I know what Stefano’s next question will be. I try to head it off by saying, “I’m not sure.”
“Bullshit. You’re serious. What about Jenna Pachino?”
“Yeah, I don’t know. I need to cancel that contract, I guess.”
“Have you talked to Dad?”
“Not yet.”
“Well, you’d better do it soon. He’s not gonna want any surprises. Does he know you’re calling me back?”
I want to put my fist through the wall. I hate being fucking bound by my family. “No.”
“Talk to him first, Nico. I don’t want to get in the middle of your shit pile.”
“I’ll fucking talk to him!” I snap. “You get on a fucking plane to Vegas.”
“Si, signore.” Stefano’s voice is dry, but I know he won’t hold a real grudge over me being a dick.
I start to hang up without a goodbye, but then I bring the phone back to my ear. “Grazie, Fratello.”
“Good to hear from you, Nico. I’m glad you found someone.” Stefano’s voice has gone soft. “And you’re still a stronzo.”
Yes, I am an asshole. “Always.”
He snorts and hangs up and I’m left smiling into the phone, which is about as uncharacteristic for me as doing a jig in a leprechaun suit.
I head out on the floor, where I have at least six fucking issues to take care of, in addition to wooing three big spender whales.
I stop short.
Sondra sits at the bar in a slinky red dress, her shapely legs punctuated with a pair of sexy black heels. She pulled her hair up into a sophisticated French twist and is drinking a martini.
As if that isn’t enough to absorb, there’s a guy sitting next to her, leaning in and making conversation.
I’m going to kill the fucker.
“Mr. Tacone, Jeff Blue has been asking to speak with you about a private game.” One of my managers is at my elbow.
Merda.
No, maybe it’s for the best. I need to calm down. I can’t go rip the guy off the barstool and smash his head in just for talking to my girl.
What is she doing?
I move swiftly toward Jeff Blue and force myself to act civil. This is a man who drops ten to fifty thousand a night when he’s in my establishment. I make time for him when he comes.
I don’t even know what I say to him, because the whole time my eye is on the sexy blonde at the bar. Before I pull away, though, the other whale joins us. He recognizes Jeff and wants in on a private game.
Fuck.
Private games are great. I make a killing. But they require a helluva lot of security and handholding. This is why I need Stefano here.
I’m gnawing through my leash when some other asshole sits on the other side of Sondra. She rotates in her chair and sees me, but all I get is a fucking smile and a fresh crossing of her stocking-clad legs.
Oh shit.
She’s jerking me on purpose.
I blink, my mind going to white fuzz for a moment. I’m less frantic than I am pissed now.
Tony comes over to tell me about a new fucking emergency with an attempted scam in the back room.
I step away from the whales and yank him to the side. “Get Sondra out of here and in my suite now. If I see another fucking guy talking to her, I’m gonna lose my shit.”
“Got it, boss. Leo and Sal are in the back room dealing with the con. You want me to come there when I’m done?”
“No, I’ll need you on the private game as soon as I get it arranged.”
“Understood.”
I leave without looking back at Sondra again, because if I do, someone’s going to lose their teeth.
Sondra
This was a horrible idea. I thought the ploy worked for a brief moment, when I sensed Nico’s stare burning through my back, but he never came over, and when he left, he looked pissed.
And now his strong-arm is heading my way.
Tony steps up and looks at the guys sitting on either side of me. “Get lost.”
One of them sputters with anger, the other slinks away like a stray dog caught stealing food.
“Do you want me to go?” Angry man demands.
I nod. “Yeah, you’d better.”
He puffs up his chest. “Are you afraid of this guy?”
“Really. You should go. It was nice talking to you.” I make my voice polite but firm. The guy is drunk enough to do something stupid, and I definitely don’t want any kind of violence on my hands. “I’m fine.”
He frowns, but when Tony takes a menacing step forward, decides to cut his losses and leave.
“Boss wants you upstairs, in his suite.”
Oh, now that raises my hackles. “Excuse me?” He didn’t even have the fucking time to come over and talk to me himself? And now he’s sending me up to his suite? Bullshit.
Tony holds his hands up, palms out. “Hey, I don’t want to be in the middle of a lover’s spat. I have orders to get you up there. Nico has five fires burning or I’m sure he’d be over here himself.”
Hearing about Nico’s stress dampens my anger. Is it really fair of me to attempt to draw his attention away from his business?
Then again, is it fair for him to treat me like he owns me and order me around?
Tony leans an elbow on the bar beside me. “Listen. You’re making my job tough here. If I touch you, Nico will have my balls. But I also have my orders. So what’s it going to take to get you out of here and upstairs to the boss’ suite?”
I fold my arms across my chest. “Information.”
He lifts a brow. “Like what?”
What am I doing? Do I even want the answers to my questions?
“Am I…” What am I going to say? Special? His only one?
Tony cocks his head like he’s trying his best to interpret crazy female.
“Am I his usual type?”
Tony blinks, surprise flitting over his face. He loops an arm around my elbow. “Come on. Let me take you out of here and I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
Mollified
, I hop off the barstool and allow him to escort me to the private elevators. Once we’re alone, he releases my elbow and faces me. “No. You’re not his usual type. You’re pretty fucking far from his usual type.”
I’m not sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.
“You’re the only woman he’s wanted to screw—pardon my crudeness—more than once the entire time I’ve known him, which is since we were kids. So I don’t know what he’s told you, but I’d say you’re pretty damn special to him.”
Warmth seeps into my chest and my anger evaporates.
“Yeah?”
Tony nods. “Yeah. And don’t think every fucking person who works for him isn’t grateful you’re helping him sleep. He was hell on wheels to manage for a while there.”
We arrive on Nico’s floor and he escorts me to the door. “You gotta key?”
I fish the keycard out of the little evening purse I borrowed from Corey. “Yep. Thanks.”
He waits until I open the door before he leaves.
“Good night, Tony.”
“Good night, yourself, Ms. Simonson.”
Ms. Simonson. I’ve definitely moved up in the casino world.
I go inside and pace around Nico’s place. It could be hours and hours before he comes. It will probably be the usual 4:30 a.m. alarm cock wake up. That thought brings a weight crushing down on my chest. Too much feels unresolved, up in the air. I don’t see how I’ll sleep until we talk.
Fortunately, it’s not too long. Nico comes in forty-five minutes later while I’m watching Saturday Night Live on the television. He still appears pissed.
I turn off the TV and stand up. He stands near the door, shoves his hands in his pockets and regards me.
The fact that he doesn’t come closer sends my stomach plummeting. Usually he’s all over me the minute he sees me.
“Sondra. You disrespected me down there.”
My breath leaves me. Disrespected. Crap. This is an alpha male with a full-on mafia ego. Respect means everything.
I try to draw on my anger from earlier. He disrespected me, too. He hasn’t made time for me, didn’t even bother to come over, and treated me like a possession. I square my shoulders and open my mouth.
He holds up a hand before I can speak. “I know I let you down this week. I’m working on a fucking solution. But if you have a problem with me, you come and talk to me about it. You don’t fucking make a fool out of me in my own club.”
My heart sinks even further. “I wasn’t making a fool—”
He holds up his hand again to silence me. “Never again.”
My pussy clenches at the steel in his voice. Wow. A full-on Nico Tacone scolding. It’s one part humiliating, two parts exciting. I’m definitely wired wrong because I find an angry mob boss thrilling.
He walks to the bar and pours himself a drink. “I have shit to do,” he mutters, his back turned. “You should go to your own room tonight. I won’t be here before daylight.” He walks out on the balcony without looking back.
My heart’s on the floor. He’s angrier than I thought. I need to fix things before I go—I’m not about to leave on this note. Not when my emotions are on edge, my hormones are raging and Nico’s still mad.
I follow him out.
He sinks into a seat and stares out at the night.
“Nico—”
“Not tonight, baby.” His voice is clipped, tight.
I stand in front of him, blocking his view. “Nico.”
In a quick, irritated move, he pulls me face down over his lap and lands nine quick hard smacks on my ass. The spanks hurt, but I’m more excited than anything else. This is a realm I’m familiar with. Him touching me, being a little too rough.
And it seems to change something in him, too. The moment the flurry of spanks stop, he’s squeezing and palming my ass in that possessive way of his. He slides his hand up inside my dress and rubs between my legs. My panties are already damp and he growls when he feels them.
“Stand up and take off your panties for your spanking, baby.” His voice is gravelly and rough. All the tightness is gone.
He helps me up and I shimmy out of my panties and lie back over his lap. This is sex, now. Nico’s anger is gone and the current of lust runs between us, as strong as always. He slides one large palm up the back of my leg, dragging the hem of Corey’s red dress with it. I’m wearing black thigh-high stockings with a seam up the back and bows at the top and Nico growls when he gets the full view of them.
Some of the anger returns to his voice, though. “Who did you wear these for?” He smacks my ass, hard.
“For you!” I yelp immediately.
He massages away the sting. “They better be for me.” Another smack and massage. “My jealousy is a dangerous thing, baby. Don’t ever play that game with me again.” He tightens his grip around my waist and starts spanking. It’s a real spanking—hard and fast. Unrelenting. My breath leaves me and rushes back in. I jerk and squirm because it’s suddenly not so sexy. It hurts. A flash of real fear runs through me. How far will he take this?
“I’m sorry!” I cry out.
He stops immediately and rubs. “Show me, baby.” His voice is low and rough again. He releases my waist.
I understand what he means and slide off his lap to the floor in front of him. He grabs the cushion from the seat beside him and nudges me up to cushion my knees. I’m eager to please. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about giving a blowjob in my life. I unbuckle his belt and open his trousers to release his thick erection.
He watches me with heavy-lidded eyes as I lick around the head. My butt still stings from the spanking, which makes this servile all the hotter. I’m paying penance with my tongue, with my lips, my mouth. I take him deep and his thighs tense, knees shooting wider. I cup his balls and massage behind them, looking for the sensitive area between the balls and the anus.
I switch my hand, jacking him in a tight fist and moving my mouth lower to teabag him.
“Oh fuck!” Nico’s hand tangles in my hair, knocking down my French twist. “Madonna. Cristo. Dio. What are you doing to me?”
I love the heady power that surges through me, knowing how much pleasure I’m giving him. I suck the other ball, lick the seam of his scrotum.
When I return to engulf his cock in my mouth, he surges forward in the chair, shoving it down my throat as he holds the back of my head captive. I choke, but don’t stop sucking. I move up and down over his cock, taking him into the pocket of my cheek, then to the back of my throat. I’ve never been good at deepthroating, but for Nico I want to try. I slow down and relax my muscles.
He tightens his fist in my hair and groans. The string of Italian curses fuels my desire. I pick up my speed, bobbing over his cock, using my fist, too, so it feels like I’m taking his full length.
“Sondra. Fuck! Sondra.” He comes down my throat.
I swallow. It’s my first time not gagging, and I’m pretty damn proud of myself. It doesn’t hurt that Nico’s roar still echoes off the building. I continue to roll my tongue along the underside of his cock, sucking him dry. My clit pulses in time with my heartbeat. My ass is still hot and twitchy.
I need sex, desperately.
Nico
Sondra’s surrender leaves me utterly transformed. Maybe it’s this quality in her all along that entranced me. The way she yields, makes herself vulnerable. To me— Nico Tacone—the guy most everyone cowers from.
Even when I bark, she stays soft.
She fucking stood up and took off her panties for my punishment. After I inexcusably lost my temper and smacked her ass in anger.
I’m humbled by her. Humbled and grotesquely empowered at the same time. Because I’m not about to give up the control she handed over to me. I’m taking this all the way.
“Come here, bambi.” I lift her off her knees and sit her on my lap, facing away. “Open for me.” I pull her thighs open and drape them over mine, so she’s spread wide.
She leans back agai
nst me, her head falling onto my shoulder. Her breath rises and falls quickly and her skin is warm and soft. I slide my hands up her inner thighs, dragging the red dress with them. I palm her pussy.
She lets out a breathy sigh.
“I’ll bet this pussy needs some attention,” I murmur in her ear, giving her clit a light slap.
She shivers. “Yes, please.”
Have I mentioned how much I fucking love it when she says please?
I slap her pussy again. It’s wet, swollen. I dip my middle finger into her and she squirms against it, trying to work me in deeper.
I pump my digit in and out of her a few times, then stop. “I’m not sure I’m going to let you get off, though.”
She whimpers.
“Do you think you deserve to come, angel?”
She goes still and I fear I’ve gone too far. But then she uses the most adorable pleading voice. “Please, Nico?”
I pump again. “Fuck. It’s damn near impossible for me to deny you anything when you beg me in that sexy little voice, bambi.”
“Please fuck me.”
Oh Christ. My cock is already getting hard again. I’m going to lose this battle. But I play hardball with her. “Oh, I’m going to fuck you, angel.” I slap her pussy. “I’m going to fuck you good. I’m going to fuck that tight little virgin ass of yours.”
She goes still again, and I know she’s scared. I nip her ear. “Don’t worry,” I murmur. “I’ll make it good. I promise, baby.”
I wait until she exhales and the tension in her muscles ease and then I lift her from my lap and stand up. “Go take off your dress and lie face down on my bed.”
It’s a test. If she doesn’t do it, I’m not gonna push. I’m not that much of an asshole. But I do think I can make her like it. She cuts her eyes to me, then toddles toward the bedroom on unstable legs.
Victory makes my cock punch out hard again. I follow her to the bedroom and find a bottle of lube. I haven’t had to use it with her—she seems to be constantly wet for me—but I’m glad I have it.
She obeys me, stripping off her dress and lying down on the bed, wearing only a black lace bra and the pair of sexy black stockings with a seam up the back.
