Tatiana trembled as Alexi licked and sucked her clit until she began to breathe normally.
“Alexi,” she said her name breathlessly, and Alexi moved over her, rubbing her clit against Tatiana’s.
Tatiana gasped as pleasure rocked her anew. Power flared again, making her drunk. Her clitoris was so sensitive, and Alexi’s felt swollen, firm, pierced.
Tatiana wrapped her arms around her. The feeling was incredible, the small piercing teasing her, reviving her arousal to full force. Alexi went to her knees and lifted one of Tatiana’s legs onto her shoulder and moved against her.
Her body seemed to sigh into Alexi’s as the bliss built anew and took her over. Alexi moved against her driving her higher.
“Oh.” Tatiana caressed Alexi’s side as she moved with her, their bodies becoming a rolling sea as their clits came together, wet kiss after kiss until the pressure exploded.
Tatiana let out a scream, her magic curling around them. The brush of sharp teeth at her neck had her coming again as Alexi came with her.
Alexi rolled onto her back, breathing hard, and Tatiana stared up at the ceiling, tired as if she’d just expended a lot of energy.
“Damn, you’re fantastic,” Alexi said between pants. “You could easily snare me.”
Tatiana rubbed her hand along the side of her neck where it stung. She expected to bring her hand away with blood but found none when she checked. She lay there listening to the breathing that sounded like a gale force wind.
She felt the same way, but could she dare allow it to go any further?
Great sex didn’t change who a person was, and she didn’t really know who Alexi was. And what if she didn’t like what she found out?
Chapter Twenty-Four
Alexi was out of bed as soon as her breathing was back under control, and Tatiana watched with hungry eyes. She wanted her again, and worse, her magic was alive, making her skin tingle.
She had no idea why. But she did know for certain walking away from Alexi wasn’t going to happen easily.
“I can’t say I’m sorry,” Alexi said. “But I won’t touch you again if you don’t want me to.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You’re not saying anything,” Alexi snapped. “That’s the problem. I thought you wanted me.”
Tatiana sat up. “I did. I’m not upset about the sex.”
“Then, what? I didn’t tell you I was crazy about you even though I am.”
“You can’t be,” Tatiana said quickly, her heart beating fast with the realization that this would be as hard for Alexi as it was for her. “You hardly know me, and I don’t know you.”
“That’s the problem?” Alexi asked, her tone quiet now, her gaze going from dark afterglow to nothing. “You doubt I’m a good person because of what I do for a living. I can’t change that.”
“Couldn’t you?”
“What do you think I would do, Tatiana?” Alexi asked softly.
“There are lots of things,” Tatiana insisted.
“Before I became the premier sex broker in three states, I was far more dangerous. I was a mercenary. If you wanted to even the odds or someone dead, you called me. The only ones I wouldn’t kill were children, abused wives, and old people.”
Her lips formed into a silent O as she stared at the other woman, shock coursing through her.
“My preferred method of killing was a gun. I wasn’t much for the up close and personal, but I didn’t mind it. I even enjoyed it when I had a worthy opponent. That gave me the money to become what I am today.”
“I—how many people have you killed?” The words almost stuck in her throat, coming out a whisper as shock devoured the lingering remnants of desire.
“I don’t know, and I really don’t give much a damn, Tia,” she snapped. “They were either criminals the system couldn’t lock up or wouldn’t for whatever reason. Most were good law- abiding citizens on the outside with a love for hurting women, kids, and anyone not like them.”
Tatiana jumped at the flash of a jaguar in Alexi’s face. It was gone so fast she almost thought she’d imagined it.
“That’s who I am, Tatiana,” she said. “Have I done time? Hell yeah. I beat the snot out of one of my foster fathers and his buddy when they tried to have a little ménage with me against my will.”
“Oh my goddess.”
“Sometimes, foster kids suffer unspeakable horror in foster-care, and no one cares because the system is overburdened. Some kids get lucky, but I wasn’t one of them. I found the streets infinitely safer where I knew what to expect from the bastard looking at me, alcohol on his breath and too bright eyes.”
“Alexi.”
“I don’t need pity, Tia,” she growled.
“That kind of life had to scar you,” she murmured, drawing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them.
“I never said it didn’t, but I walked away from that life, and I don’t visit it in any form on those who work for me,” she said softly. “Choice is everything, Tia, and I allow my workers to make theirs without retribution.”
She backed further away from the bed and jerked a bag from the floor next to the chair and headed for the bathroom.
Alexi looked at her then, “This is where you make a choice. You can be with me, get to know me, or walk away. I’ll still help you however I can, but I’ll never touch you again, not like I just did.” She vanished into the bathroom.
Tatiana leaned back against the headboard with a sigh. Alexi was right. She had to decide. It wasn’t fair to either of them for her to run to Alexi when she needed help and then walk away because Alexi wasn’t from her world.
Her world.
There were secrets and lies there she hadn’t known about until recently, and there were probably still more.
A year ago, she would have thought Alexi was beneath her, a poor girl, a street rat. Today, right now, Alexi was the woman she couldn’t stop thinking about, stop needing.
This could end badly with her grandfather being mafia, but how do you stop the fire someone’s started in you before it consumes you?
****
Alexi showered and dressed. Then, she dragged a comb through her hair. She wasn’t one for issuing threats. Normally, she assessed a situation, and when she found a woman like Tia, she shut her out of her life before she could even blink.
With Tia, she’d realized quickly it wasn’t going to be that easy. The jaguar loved the scent of her and the taste of her kiss. The woman loved the feel of her in her arms. She was torn between just putting distance between them and sticking around to see what Tia decided.
Alexi wasn’t a runner; she was just practical.
She grabbed her bag and stepped back into the bathroom to find Tia sitting on the bed with her phone in her hand.
“Need a ride?”
“I’m going to my brother’s funeral. My mom just called to tell me it was today at eleven,” she answered and pushed her hair back from her face.
“I can get someone to follow you over or ride over with you if it would make you feel safer.” Tatiana would have a shadow whether she accepted or not, at least for now.
Tatiana got to her feet, the gown back on now. “I’d appreciate that,” she said and put her phone on the nightstand. “I know you probably have a lot of work to do—I mean, I don’t know anything about running a sex club. I just assumed.”
Alexi frowned. “Go on.”
“You’re not the kind of woman I imagined being in my life,” Tatiana said and nodded as she averted her gaze. “You’re not like the women my mother would approve of.”
“I imagine not,” she said. “Let me know when you’re ready to leave. I’ll have Corri go with you. She can get a ride back or stay.”
“I—can’t you come with me?” Tatiana met her gaze again.
“No. I’m not going to make a difficult day worse for your parents,” Alexi replied. “Your father likely already knows your grandfather thinks I killed your brother.”
; “You’re right. So, I’ll have Corri bring me back here after,” she said. “I can get my car then.”
Alexi nodded. “My condolences to your family.” She’d sent flowers out of respect for the family, not Charles or his grandson.
****
After a quick shower, Tatiana had Corri take her home to change into a black dress for the funeral. On the drive she kept thinking about Alexi and what her behavior could have meant.
She kept coming up empty and wondered what Corri could or would tell her if she dared ask.
“Are you okay?” Corri asked. “I mean, as okay as you can be.”
“Did you ever meet my brother at Alexi’s club?”
“No, I don’t work at Frolic,” she said. “I’m part of security at No Dice.”
“Have you known Alexi long?”
“What you’re asking me is, is she like TV pimps,” Corri said and laughed.
“Sort of, I guess.”
“Have you ever seen any shows where the high-priced call girl works for a madam in a whorehouse or goes out to guys?”
“Maybe, but what are you getting at?” Tatiana asked.
“Alexi doesn’t force girls to work for her. The clubs are nice, clean, and safe. They can make a living without getting killed on the streets.”
“Alexi said she made sure they were well-paid and had medical care.”
“She does. Some girls don’t have to work but a few nights a week, and they make what they need to pay the bills to get them through school,” Corri replied.
“Do you like Alexi?”
“We’re old friends,” Corri told her. “I love her like a sister. She’s fair, honorable, and kind, but don’t tell her I said that.”
“Why not?”
“She thinks she’s a hard-nosed bitch.”
Tatiana mulled the words over. “Does she have to be?”
“To survive in her world, sometimes.”
Tatiana thought that over, and part of her knew what the other part didn’t want to accept. Alexi was like her grandfather in a way. She was dangerous and a criminal.
So, why didn’t she want to get as far away from her as she could?
Damn it. She pressed a hand to her stomach. It was a tight roiling mess. Her entire life had been turned on its ass in the space of a week, leaving her in a place that frightened yet excited her. Still, all she wanted to do was run right into the danger.
They arrived at the cemetery, and Corri parked. Her mother had told her she’d opted for a simple graveside service, which hadn’t surprised Tatiana.
They made their way through the crowd, and she took a seat next to April while Corri stood next to her, seemingly oblivious to the stares.
When the service was over, Tatiana stood, and so did April.
“Are you crazy?” April hissed. “Flaunting your affair in public now, here.”
She rolled her eyes and went to hug her mother and then her father but didn’t bother with her grandfather.
“What the hell is she doing here?” Charles demanded, after talking to a few people who’d known Trevor.
“I told her it was bad form, Grandpa,” April said giving her an abrading stare which Tatiana ignored.
“This is Corri,” Tatiana said.
“I know who she is,” Charles snapped. “Why did you have the bad taste to bring her here?”
“I’m doing your job,” Corri said coldly.
“I didn’t ask you to,” he retorted. “Leave.”
“Corri is taking me back to No Dice to get my car,” Tatiana told him.
“Honey, we can get your car later,” her grandmother said. “You can ride with us.”
Tatiana shrank back when her grandmother reached for her. “I’d rather not.”
“Now, is the time to be with your family,” Charles said. “So, let’s get to the house.” He turned and stalked away, leaving everyone else to follow, and they all did except Melissa.
“What’s going on?” Melissa asked, taking Tatiana’s arm and leading her in the family’s wake.
“I was attacked last night,” Tatiana explained. “And I went to the club, No Dice, where Corri works.”
“She’s the woman you’re seeing?” Melissa asked with a frown and threw a look to Corri.
“No. Corri’s boss,” she said. “Alexi.”
“Alexandra Russo?” Melissa frowned. “Are you sleeping with her?”
The curiosity in her mother’s eyes was mixed with caution.
Tatiana nodded. “Why? What’s wrong with her?”
“I’ve heard a few things about her, but she’s one of the biggest contributors to the women and children’s shelter. She always donates to the children’s hospital and the women’s abuse clinic.”
That wasn’t bad.
“I’ve heard rumors that she’s a madam, and she’s a damn rough one,” Melissa said. “But I don’t know if that’s true. You should be careful.”
“She’s not trying to prostitute me, Mom.” Tatiana rolled her eyes.
“I just meant you could get hurt,” Melissa said. “I’m sure she’s nice, but she can’t be the woman she seems on the surface if she runs a sex business.”
“I will be fine.” She kissed her mother’s cheek. “I’m not coming back to the house. I don’t feel like getting into an argument with Grandfather or April.”
Melissa patted her arm. “I’m only going because it’s proper,” she said. “I’ll see you Sunday for brunch, and we’ll talk more then.”
She nodded, and she and her mother parted ways.
“Someone’s following us,” Corri told her as she led her to the car. “I’m not sure if it’s your grandfather’s man yet.”
“Why would he have someone following me?”
“He can’t get retribution if he doesn’t know who’s behind it,” Corri said and opened the door to the car for her.
“Is that why Alexi has you protecting me?”
Corri held her gaze for a heartbeat and then shrugged. “You’ll have to ask her.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Is that the guys?” Alexi asked after climbing into the car with Galli.
“Yeah,” she said.
Alexi took the camera on the seat of the truck next to Gallow. They were parked beneath a tree on a quiet street. The school buses had come and gone along with the trashman. The idiots were standing in the living room with the curtains open. A woman sat on the couch, watching TV, while two men stood some distance behind her talking.
“Do you want to do anything with the woman inside?” Gallow asked. “As far as we know, she’s not involved in last night, but according to intel, she’s Five by Five, as are they.”
“No. I want you to continue to keep an eye on these two until you get some relief later,” she said. “If there’s a chance to get one of them alone, take it, and find out why Five by Five ordered the attack.”
“Okay.”
Alexi waited with her for another hour, and when she was about to get out of the truck the woman and one of the men left. She set the camera down and climbed out. She headed down the street to the house and rang the bell.
While she waited for him to answer, she checked the holster at her back for her gun. It was a small piece of cobalt blue with a jaguar on it. However, it would be plenty effective.
The door was jerked open, and a tall tanned man looked down at her, but not by much.
“What do you want?” he asked coldly, a hand on his hip.
“I’m doing a survey on assholes who beat up women,” she said sweetly.
He glared at her and started to slam the door, but she put her hand on it and shoved hard. Caught off guard, he stumbled, and she moved inside, allowing her cat to take over.
The jaguar growled, and she back-handed him and closed the door behind her.
He hit the floor and rolled. She jerked her gun free and shot him in the back of the leg. He cried out, and she leaned to one side as he came up with a gun from beneath a bench in the entry.
He fired off another shot, and she jumped. The heel of her boot connected with the metal at just the right angle, sending the projectile into a nearby wall.
He growled. “You bitch.”
He shot at her again, and Alexi executed a deft flip and landed right in front of him. As he prepared to pull the trigger, she kicked the gun out of his hand.
“I just wanted to talk, but now I’m going to have to kill you,” she said and pressed her gun to his throat. “You attacked my girl last night. Why and under whose orders?”
His eyes flashed with anger, and she rested the toe of her foot against his crotch.
“Judas,” he gritted out. “It’s not his real name, but that’s what he calls himself.”
“How’d you meet this traitor?”
He laughed. “Funny you should say that. The boy is a traitor, and he wanted that bitch of yours killed. First, he just wanted a beat-down put on her to teach her a lesson, but we couldn’t get to her that night on the road. Someone picked her up first.”
“That was you?” she asked with a frown.
“And he was pissed we missed that chance. Now, he wants her dead to send a message.”
“To who?”
“You and Rayne. He’s planned another strike to show him who’s boss, and the girl is part of the game until she’s dead.”
“Who’s his next target?”
“Rayne’s wife,” he said. “Then, we double back for your girl. He wants us to take our time with her, make her really hurt before she dies.”
“But not the grandmother?”
“Naw. He wants that quick and clean. We’ll keep going until everyone of Rayne’s family is gone, but not all at once. We’ll let him stew for months and then come back.”
“Under whose orders?” she asked. “Judas can’t be the only one making this call.”
“He’s not. The move was okayed because it serves a purpose.”
“Why did Judas want her beat up?” Alexi demanded, as she tried to work out who would want to hurt Tia and why.
He shrugged. “He said he had his reasons, and he was willing to pay for it. He told us we could do whatever we wanted to her as long as we roughed her up.”
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