by C. M. Steele
“Good for you. Let us toast to your life.” I stood up and raised my glassed vodka. They lifted theirs as well. “To Alessandro and Isabella, I pray that you are blessed with all the joy and happiness you seek. May you be fortunate to have a large brood to give you heaven and a little bit of hell.” We clinked glasses and I took my seat.
Nina entered on that note with the trays. They looked at her with wide eyes and then pretended to focus on the food. I smirked.
“Thank you, Nina. Can you tell Maria to have the desserts prepared in one hour?”
“Yes, sir.”
As soon as she left the room, Isabella blew out a breath. “I was about to have your head checked. That woman looks bitter and old enough to be your mother.”
“Nina is my housekeeper, and I think she’s only in her forties,” I told her. I’d never had an interest in her, but life hadn’t been kind to Nina, so I took her in to get her on her feet. Until recently I thought she was good. Isabella was right; there was a bitterness about her.
Isabella interrupted my thoughts and said, “And the lovely Maria is your chef. How long has she been working for you?”
“Maria started today.”
“Wow, that’s fast,” Isabella said, raising her glass to her lips to hid her smile.
“Amore, when you know, you don’t waste time for someone else to take your place.” He kissed her softly while he began to fill her plate. She smiled at him, not at all upset that he did that for her. At one point, she shook her head and covered her nose.
“Are you okay?”
“Sorry. We haven’t said anything, but I’m pregnant.”
“Wow, congratulations.”
“I’m sure the food is incredible. It certainly smells wonderful to me, but it’s making Isabella unwell.” I summoned Nina to take it back and bring out another option. Luckily Maria had been prepared for a picky boss and made extra entrees. The next one had Isabella’s mouth watering. We laughed and dug into the eggplant parmesan.
Dinner conversation focused on other things besides Maria. Still, they always went back to her, although my friends thought it wise not to mention her name since I hadn’t even claimed her yet.
My cell phone rang just as the dessert arrived. I switched to Russian as I spoke to Yuri, my second in command. There was a problem that couldn’t wait to be dealt with. Grumbling, I turned to my guests.
“So, will you stay the evening? I’ll be heading out in a couple of hours, but I plan on returning soon.” Andretti had been attacked and was in the hospital. His wife was lucky to have made it out of their house alive as it had been blown to pieces.
“Of course. My men can stay wherever you need. Unless you need their assistance.”
“No, I have enough staff for that. I prepared a room for you already.”
After learning a few other things, I knew exactly who I was looking for, and he’d pay with his life when I was done.
Chapter Five
Maria
I couldn’t believe he came back into the kitchen and told me what he wanted to do to me. My pussy tingled with every word out of his mouth. It surprised me that he used an Italian endearment with me, but then again, perhaps he was Italian. I didn’t even know his name and had been too embarrassed to ask.
He rushed out of the room so as not to be seen by the other staff members, and I couldn’t blame him. It wasn’t as if Mr. Kazakov approved of his staff getting freaky in the middle of the kitchen.
Timed perfectly, I plated the food just as Nina walked in to get the food. “This looks amazing, and it smells even better. Mr. Kazakov might just want to keep you here on a permanent basis.”
“I hope not. I have plans that don’t include living in someone else’s house without a life of my own.” My mind went back to the man who came into the room earlier. I didn’t get his name, but he had to be one of Mr. Kazakov’s hired muscle because he’d been so ripped that I could make out the shape of his biceps through his white dress shirt.
He came in the second time dressed in a suit jacket and tie, and I’m betting it had to do with being dressed for the guests. The entire staff looked like they’d changed to be presentable—except myself. I had on my Andretti work coat, but when it got hot, I slid it off. This wasn’t a restaurant, so I didn’t have to deal with a uniform. If Mr. Kazakov had a problem with it, I could leave.
Then I would never have seen the hottie with pretty blue eyes and sandy brown hair. God, my pussy ached to know what he had in mind for me. Why couldn’t I get that man out of my head? He wasn’t worth my time no matter how hot he was. I wanted a future that included a husband and a family. We couldn’t raise a family under the roof of a mob boss. You’d never know when your usefulness wore out.
“Well, I better get these out there.” I nodded and cleaned up the kitchen area. I knew without a doubt that they’d love my food. Andretti sent me here for a reason, and I made sure to prove my worth.
I stayed in the kitchen until after dessert and then stuffed all the dishes into the dishwasher, set it, and then headed to my room.
I stayed in my small bedroom off the side entrance of the house for the rest of the night. At one point, I heard footsteps and I wondered if it was my mystery man, but I pretended to be asleep and the person walked away without knocking. A part of me was afraid that I’d easily give in to a man whose name I didn’t know, or that it wasn’t him and I’d be in danger from whoever was lurking outside my door.
The next morning, I woke up at six and went to look for Nina or someone to tell me what time breakfast needed to be served.
When I entered the kitchen, I saw a handsome man and woman kissing. “Oh my, so sorry.”
“No. We’re sorry. You must be the fabulous chef. Dinner was fantastic. I was telling my wife that your food has been the best since we arrived in America.”
“Yes, Alessandro is right. You must have Maxim bring you to Italy next time he comes. You would love it, I’m sure.”
“Thank you. I’d love to travel the world, but I’m only here to assist temporarily.”
“If I were Maxim, I wouldn’t let you escape.” He tugged on his wife.
“Si, amore,” she said, clinging to her husband.
“Would you like some breakfast?” I asked, feeling like a crazy voyeur and needing to do something.
“Please. I woke up hungry. If only we had more of the dessert for breakfast.” She moaned, which caused her husband to give a little grunt.
“There should be more of it.” I opened the fridge and pulled out the cake tray. “Here you go.” Walking around the kitchen, I pulled out the plates and forks.
“You are a godsend.” Her husband cut a slice as if she were incapable of doing it for herself. Mentally I was chastising him when she smiled up and said, “Grazie, amore.” She took a bite and moaned. Seriously, I needed to get out of the kitchen before they started fucking. Damn. Talk about passion.
“We’re sorry. We are still on our honeymoon.”
“No. It’s not my business. I’m just here to cook. Although I doubt Mr. Kazakov would appreciate you two having sex in the kitchen.”
“Well, he’s no fun anyway,” the man teased.
“You are so full of it, Alessandro. So I totally think you would love Italy. You should take time off and come. Who cares what Maxim says.” She rolled her eyes.
Nina walked in while we were talking a bit about Italy. “Oh, there you are, Maria.” She looked at the cake and said, “Mr. Kazakov would like you to bring him his coffee and a slice of cake.”
The beautiful Italian woman teasingly grabbed the tray. “Mine.” She narrowed her gaze at me and pouted. “But I will share if you promise to bake me another before we go.”
“Of course.” I cut a generous slice and put it on a plate, and then Nina handed me the coffee.
“He’s in the room just behind the staircase. Don’t bother knocking.” I got as far as the staircase, but I didn’t know which was the right one.
Taking a chance, I entered the
door off the staircase on the right only to find myself face to face with my late-night crush. He opened it with a smile on his face. “What a pleasant surprise.”
“Sorry, I’m at the wrong door.” He growled and dragged me into the room. He snatched the tray and set it down on the nearest table.
“I think you’re at the right door for me,” he grunted, slamming my body against the door. His mouth crushed mine in a passionate kiss that made my knees buckle. Luckily, he held me up with his strong body. My hands slid over his bare chest. Why wasn’t he wearing a shirt? Who cared? I ran my hands over his washboard abs. They were smooth, firm, and thoroughly ripped, sweating as well. He must have been working out. His fingers slid into my hair. “Good morning, moya krasota,” he whispered.
Just then, he pulled back and I saw that it wasn’t sweat but blood. His sexy abs were those of a killer. My eyes darted up back at his and then away. “Oh my God,” I said. That was when I saw a man tied to a chair with a pillowcase over his head.
“Shit,” he swore. I pushed him and rushed out of the room, forgetting that I had to take the breakfast to the boss. I’d interrupted my dream man in the middle of I don’t know what. A beating, interrogation? A murder?
Where the hell was it again? I must have gotten turned around because I’d turned down the wrong way and into a hallway. Then I heard a loud thud and a groan, so I rushed down the hall. When I did, I smacked dead into Igor, who held me roughly. He pushed me against the wall and snarled. “I told you to stay where you were told, but now you’re going to have to pay for being a nosy little bitch.”
“I swear I just got lost. I didn’t mean to be in here. I was looking for Mr. Kazakov’s room to bring him his breakfast. I swear I won’t say anything. Hell, I didn’t even see anything.” Tears streamed down my face, and he cupped my pussy through my pants. The door next to the room where the incident had been taking place, and where the man who’d stolen my entire common sense was, opened and he came out, tucking the gun into a holster under his arm. Blood covered his white shirt.
The air changed when he saw us. His eyes roamed over me just as Igor let go of his grip on my body. He raised his gun and I fainted.
Chapter Six
Maxim
“Diego, you’ve been a real sick fucker, haven’t you?” I punched him dead in the face, hoping that I didn’t knock him completely out just yet. I wanted him to know how badly he fucked up.
This wasn’t just his attack on Andretti. No. He had a nasty obsession with my queen. After my men dragged the bastard out of his bed, they pointed out the fucking shrine on his wall of my Maria. Then there was a knife right in the middle of her chest.
I scrolled through his phone and found that he’d sent her some vicious texts.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said while spitting out blood.
“No? You tried to destroy Andretti, kill him in fact.”
“No, I didn’t…”
“Don’t fucking lie to me.” I sliced his face with a small but sharp blade.
“Okay. I did, but the bastard had it coming. He’d been trying to fire me and replace me with that whore.” I popped him in the face again, breaking his jaw this time. Then I heard gentle footsteps coming.
“Boss, it’s your chef,” Yuri said, pointing to the camera. I dropped the knife on the table while Yuri tossed the pillowcase over Diego’s face. I rushed to the door just as she opened it. Seeing her, I lost control and forgot that I’d been in the middle of interrogating a motherfucker.
I should have taken her away from the room, but I’d wanted to see her all fucking night. So, I dragged her inside out of view of the cameras as I stole our first real kiss, forgetting completely about the fact I’d been splattered with blood.
The second she ran from me in fear, I lost it. Closing the door, I walked straight up to Diego and yanked out my gun. “You’re not a threat to her anymore. Maria’s mine.” With that, I pulled the trigger. I wanted to take it painfully slow, but I needed to get to Maria.
“Boss. Igor’s got her pinned outside the next room.” He showed me the phone, and I saw fucking red. Rushing through the connecting doors, I exited just feet from them. Seeing his hands on her, and even worse on her fucking cunt, sent me over the edge. I had no time for disloyalty and pure betrayal. I shot the fucker before he had a chance to react. I didn’t want him to die so easily, but he hurt my sweet woman. No one would ever get away with that.
Alessandro drew his own gun on Igor when I fired. He’d come up from the other direction but hadn’t missed a thing of what happened.
“She is yours, no?” He nodded toward Maria, who had collapsed on the floor.
“Da.”
“Then take care of her. I will deal with this.” This wouldn’t be the first time we’d disposed of a body together.
“I can’t leave this to you.”
“You must. She needs you more. We have always been there for each other. It’s the least I can do.” I nodded and yelled to Yuri, who followed in the aftermath.
“I need this place cleaned. Spotless.” Two dead bodies on my hands would be nothing, but right now that didn’t matter. My violent rage didn’t go away even with Igor dead on the ground next to Maria. He touched her, threatened her. Both of these assholes had ruined my morning plans with her.
I scooped Maria up and carried her down the hall and upstairs to my bedroom. I hated that I was covered in blood and now so was she, but once it was gone, I’d make her see that she belonged with me—forever.
She’d woken up from being jostled around, but she didn’t say anything. I sat her on the toilet and made sure she was steady before I let go. I hadn’t realized how small she was compared to me until I held her close. Anger boiled in me that anyone could hurt her.
“Don’t move,” I growled, giving her a warning as I turned on the shower. “And don’t fucking faint on me again.” She stiffened up and sat still, looking down at the floor.
Yelling at her didn’t make me feel good at all. I felt like a total bastard, but I couldn’t handle her crumbling in front of me again. And I sure as hell couldn’t deal with her running away. I stripped out of my bloody clothes and then turned to my dazed woman and lifted her to stand.
“Arms up.” She followed my directions out of fear. As much as I hated that she feared me, it was better than her fighting me. I’d prove to her that I’d always protect her.
“Oh my God. There’s blood all over me,” Maria gasped. I was used to it by now, but not to seeing it on her. She was too precious and innocent for my world. I should clean her and send her away, but my heart knew that was out of the question. There was no way in hell that I could ever let her go. She belonged with me. I was her dark and dangerous knight willing to slay anyone and anything that came between us.
“Yes, there is. That’s why we’re going to shower.” I carried her inside, ignoring the raging hard-on I sported. Sliding her down onto her feet, I grabbed the soap and began to scrub myself first and then moved to her body. I tried to scrub her without fondling her tits, but touching her made that difficult.
Unpinning her hair, I soaked it in the water and she still didn’t speak.
“Are you Maxim?” she asked. She’d finally put it all together.
“I am, krasota. I am.”
“I promise I won’t tell anyone what happened here. I promise. I can just go and pretend that I was never here.”
“That, my sweet, I can’t allow to happen,” I said through clenched teeth. I wanted to lift her up and impale her on my cock, coming deep inside so she couldn’t leave.
“Oh my God. You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?” She looked up at me with terror in those blue eyes that I never wanted to witness again. She should only feel happiness and love around me, but my world was far from that.
I cupped her cheek, ran my thumb over her chin, and tipped her head up so she understood every word I said. “No. Never. Don’t be afraid of me, Maria. I’d never do anything to
hurt you.”
My mouth dropped down onto hers for the slightest kiss. I shouldn’t have done that, but what could I do? Her lips were tempting, begging me to taste them.
“Let me wash you properly,” I whispered against her lips. My body ached to fuck her, but I had some bodies to deal with first. Well, they could wait until I wiped his touch away from her pussy.
Dropping to my knees, I parted her legs, running the soap up and down each side and then focusing my attention on the middle. Her light blonde curls covered my sweet treasure. “Soon,” I whispered to her mound.
Rinsing her off with the side jets of the shower, I raised her leg over my shoulder. “I’m going to make it all better.” I pressed my face into her heat, causing a gasp and then a moan to come from her lips. “I knew you’d be so sweet for me. Hold on because I’m going to make you come on my face.” Growling, I dipped one finger into her tight slit while I lapped at her entrance.
Coaxing her little bud out, I sucked on it, causing her to slam her back against the wall and arch her hips. The taste of her spurred me on for more. I’d never get enough of Maria. She moaned over and over as I stretched her pussy with my fingers.
“Good girl. Come for me.” She pressed her hand on the tiled surface to keep herself steady, but I’d never let her fall. Pumping into her cunt, I pulled her juices to my mouth, thirstier than I’d ever been before.
She threaded her fingers into my hair, gripping it as I tongue-fucked her pussy, destroying her for anyone else. She fucked up because after having her, I was never going to let her go.
With a loud scream, she came hard. “Maxim,” she shouted. Her body writhed with pleasure as she clenched up and rocked her cooch all over my beard. As she slumped down, I turned off the water and carried her out of the shower. Setting her on her feet, I wrapped her with a towel.
“What about you?” Maria responded softly, staring at my engorged dick.
I wrapped a towel around the painfully hard reminder that I hadn’t made her mine yet. “I have a bunch of things to do, but trust me when I say that I’m going to bury my cock in your pussy very soon.”
