Distilled Duplicity

by Louise Furley

  They ate silently, Kiri brooded. Then she set her fork down, lips pursed in a slight moue. “I see. So, once we have sex, per your plans, then you will send me back home?”

  Naithon wiped his mouth again, folded his napkin and set it beside his plate. He reached to her and took her hand, thumb caressing the top of it. Dark eyes like smoldering cinders, he smiled, his rough accent thickened with emotion he said, “Kiri, I don’t know how else to say it, I’ve told you a dozen times. I took you deliberately to keep you. I told you I plan on marrying you. I want children with you. I do not, will not,” his voice lowered in unequivocal fervor, “want any other woman, ever again. The only thing I’m waiting on is for you to get on board with my train.”

  He waved at the table laden with food and candles. “Trust me, I have never done this before, Kiri. When things settle down, I’ll take you to Gariellos, and other places. I can show you the world, lamb, I want to do that. I want to experience things with you. I never have before with a woman. You’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted to spend time with, talk with.” He squeezed her hand. “I want you as my friend as well as my lover.”

  Kiri stared into his ebony orbs only partially visible under hooded lids, and shivered at the intensity he was trying, but not succeeding, to hide. Tugging her hand from his, she grabbed her tea, sucked hard on the straw, then stirred the liquid rapidly with the straw, the ice bounced and rattled in the glass.

  Seeing her sudden nervousness he said, “Talk to me, baby,” his deep voice low, hushed.

  Slanting her head she gazed at him, studied his harsh face, the roughness of his features and the scars made it so incredibly masculine. “Your mother must of have been gorgeous.”

  “Huh?”

  “If you weren’t so brutally manly you would be beautiful.”

  Face screwed up in repugnance, he said, “I’ve heard that all my life. Men do not want to be called pretty, honey.” Sitting back in his chair, he said, “You didn’t respond to what I said about us and children.”

  Long cherry brown lashes fluttered, fanning her blushing rounded cheeks. Keeping her eyes lowered, Kiri picked up her fork and fiddled with it. “Naithon-”

  “Please look at me, Kiri, when you are talking to me, stop hiding yourself,” his voice skated on demanding.

  She raised her eyes, gazed levelly at him. “You abducted me, you are keeping me against my will. I’ve said before, that’s not normal, it’s wrong. People go to jail for that.”

  Pushing his empty plate away, he twined his fingers, set his hands on the table. “Not too worried about that, lamb. We in the…organizations do not have others arrested. We settle things ourselves. Trust me, the police do not get involved with our issues. I told you, if you went to them, they would only cart you right back home.”

  “But, my father, he’s going to want me back, I’m a meal ticket to him. And Rueford he will be-”

  “Ja, ja, Ignacio has burned up our phone lines with demands of your return. And, Montoblanco has been to the compound every other fucking day declaring his claim on you.”

  Shock shot her lashes straight up. “What? I didn’t know this, why haven’t you told me?”

  He merely shrugged, lavished butter on a piece of roll and stuffed it in his mouth.

  Brows daggering down in ire, Kiri said angrily, “I have a right to know these things. They are about me! I refuse to be treated as an object!”

  “You are to be protected, I don’t want you unnecessarily worried. One reason why I don’t want you running around outside without me because if that red-haired fucker finds a way in, which he can’t, but if he could get past the gates, he would filch you right up and be gone with you in a blink. I need to ensure your safety.”

  “Naithon,” she uttered, appalled, stating for the thousandth time, “I am not a child, and you will not treat me as one. You think we’re going to have any kind of relationship when you are a dictatorial bully? I refuse to-”

  He leaned forward towards her with a grin. “So, that means we do have a relationship?”

  “Huh? What?” Shaking her head with an eye roll she said, “We are talking about how you want to control me. Keep me locked up, keep things like this from me because I’m just a weak female, I won’t have it!”

  “Damn, baby, but you are hot when you’re pissed.” Leaning on an elbow, he ogled her.

  Clenching her fist on the table, she growled, “Ooh, you are such a chauvinist.”

  One brow arched with a mocking half-grin. “Never denied it, darlin’. Raised by, and hung around with male street thugs, the females that chased after us were as tough as us and just as crass. My stepmother looked right through me like I didn’t exist, her hatred of me glowed bright though. I didn’t have the best role models for broads. You are like night and day compared to them. To me, you are like fragile crystal that needs to be kept behind a curio cabinet glass door so no one can get their filthy fingerprints on it or break it.”

  “How did you break your back?”

  Now he was the one taken aback, a dark scowl instantly shut his face down. “I don’t talk about it.”

  Kiri raised her chin haughtily and crossed her arms. “You know everything about me, my early life was no bed of roses. Certainly nowhere near the hell you lived. But, if you don’t tell me things when I ask about them, then we have no hope of anything evolving between us.”

  The scowl gone, replaced by a smile. “At least you are admitting there is something between us, that you want it too.”

  Another eye roll with a huff. “I did not say that, answer my question.”

  Lips pushed out, eyes darkened, he picked up a butter knife and absently poked the table with it. “Ah, if you must know…”

  “I must.”

  “Fine. Since you insist.” Sucking in a deep breath, he exhaled slowly, set the knife down. “I had been summoned to my father’s house. My da confronted me with the accusation that I had been embezzling funds from his companies. It was when I’d started making my way after prison and we were doing some work together. He called me into his home office, sat behind his big black cherry desk toking on a fat cigar, and had the fucking gall to accuse me,” he stabbed his thumb into his chest with emphasis, shouted, “of robbing him, when he’d done that to me twice!”

  Keeping her voice composed, she said quietly, “I’m glad he’s out of the country, I would hate to have to meet him after the abominable, despicable way he has treated you.”

  Her calm, compassionate demeanor settled Naithon down a bit. “Ja, no worries, I would never let the treacherous bastard get within ten miles of you. Anyway, I told my da that it wasn’t me that was stealing from him, it was Misolav. He didn’t believe me of course. He called him in, there was a big fracas of shouting words between them. Of course, Mislo denied it all.

  “I’m no snitch, I knew about the stealing all along and kept my nose out of it. But, when I’m accused, the gloves are off. I didn’t need to be subjected to their shit, I’d already said my piece, so I left. I was outside, lighting a smoke, when…” his eyes closed at the grievous memory.

  She waited, giving him time to come to grips with the horrific event.

  Slow, deep breaths, he opened his eyes but stared blankly into the night, as if seeing the incident all over again. “Fiereza followed me out. I wanted nothing to do with her. She begged me to go around back and talk with her. I still had things to do at the house so I thought, what the hell, and we went to the back of the mansion. It was almost winter, trees were bare, and the pool had been drained.

  “She…started hitting on me, rubbing her tits on my chest, trying to kiss me, paw my nuts, she just sickened me, I pushed her off. She said being with Mislo had been a terrible mistake and she was so sorry and she wanted me back.

  “Said some nasty things about their sex life and the lack of… strength and…robust…adventure on Mislo’s part. He was apparently quite dull under the sheets.

  “Don’t wanna brag baby,” he winked at Kiri, th
e only bright moment in his countenance. “She said I was much bigger than my brother, which of course I knew, we grew up together. I will show you later, I know now you’ll be curious to see it.” His grin lightened the mood. For a second.

  Stating, “Naithon,” she just shook her head with an amused smile and reddening cheeks.

  Tenderness, a rare cadence in his voice, he said with a delighted grin, “I forget what an innocent you are. I can’t wait teach you…everything,” his eyes dipped to her mouth. Then remembering their conversation, his expression sobered, a mask of blankness fell over his face.

  His voice an accented monotone, he went on, “Ja. So, she begged for me to take her back, kept throwing herself at me, mauling me and shit. I was trying to get away from her when, of course, Mislo comes out and catches us. He went ballistic. Said I lied to Da about the theft to get him in trouble and now I was trying to steal his girl. Huh, that’s a laugh. He cheated with her first. As it turned out, that had been a damned blessing, got her hooks outta me.” He made a face of disgust.

  “Anyway, he came at me, we fought, I easily took him down. Only made him madder. He grabbed a baseball bat and started swinging it at my head. I was backing up to gain leverage so I could grab it out of his hands, and, well, took a step back and there was nothing there, down I went into the empty pool.”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose between his eyes, mumbled bitterly, “He fucking knew I was going to fall and didn’t try to stop it.”

  Folding his fingers together, he set his hands on the table and stared down at them rather than see more of her pity. “I…” his eyes twitched back and forth as he viewed the scene from long ago.

  Untwining his fingers he rubbed his thighs with his palms as if remembering how it had felt. “I couldn’t move my legs, couldn’t feel them. It was…terrifying. I don’t remember much afterwards, I had a concussion and between that and the agonizing pain I blacked out.

  “Took me almost two years to recover and learn to walk all over again. Let’s say excruciating is an understatement. I had to run my enterprises from a goddamned wheelchair. The chair made me look weak, so I had to be doubly violent and ruthless to hold my own. Anyway, you know the rest, basically.” Staring at his hands, he blinked the memory away. Looking up at her, he asked desolately, “Okay? Are you satisfied?”

  “Oh, Naithon, I’m sorry. It was a horrible thing to happen to you. I wasn’t trying to make you live through that awful night again. I just…want to get to know you.”

  Mouth turned down, eyes wretched, he said miserably, “But you did, you did make me recall it, and, well, I think I need to find a bottle of vodka, I can’t take the memories.”

  He looked so forlorn, depressed. Kiri pushed her chair back, got up and leaned over him, hugged his head. “I am so, so, sorry Naithon. You don’t need to drink, we can talk it out- eek!”

  He twisted, lifted her off the ground at the same time shoved his chair back and deposited her on his lap. Big, shit-eating grin spread across his face. “I know how you can help me feel better,” he wriggled his brows.

  She playfully slapped his shoulder, scolding, “Oh, Naithon, you were pretending, you tricked me.”

  “Ja, babe, and it worked, you are so gullible, it’s too damned sweet.” He gripped the back of her neck, slanted his head, and zoomed in on her for a long, heady, breathless kiss. While their lips were still attached, he stood up with her in his arms, trod over to one of the wide lawn chairs and laid her down on it.

  Grabbing the blanket, he sat down on the edge of her chair facing her, the back of the chair was angled up. Their eyes connected, he shuffled up the seat, leaned in to her, lowered his head, and didn’t close his eyes until he brought their lips together.

  Soft, plush, met firm, full. Naithon set a palm on the back of the lawn chair, the other caught around the side of Kiri’s face, his thumb on her throat, he felt her pulse speed up, felt her nervous yet excited swallow. When she didn’t resist him, maneuvering to lie on his left side, his left arm rolled under her neck, his right hand still cupping her face, he kissed the living hell out of her.

  Kiri, now an eager participant, and student, copied what he did to her with his tongue and mouth. Naithon slipped his palm from her face, stroking down her neck, collar bone, skimmed lightly over her breast and came to a halt just below it and stayed there. She didn’t protest, but pulled her head back to take a trembly breath.

  Moving his hand back up to caress the side of her face, he whispered in a husky baritone, “Hey, you okay?”

  Smiling so innocently, she nodded shyly, words came out breathy, “Yeah. Just, needed to catch my breath.”

  “Okay. Tell me when you’re ready for more,” he murmured with a hint of grin. “I could spend hours and hours just kissing you.” Freeing strands of her hair stuck to her lashes, Naithon brushed them back and stared in heated wonder at the woman in his arms, there of her own free will, at last.

  Kiri’s eyes misting with desire darkened the wide green moons, her tongue travelled around her lips, his gaze followed it. Clearing his throat, he murmured huskily, “You ready yet?”

  Her nod came with the shy smile.

  “Ah, good.” He captured her mouth again, his palm made the trail back down her face, neck, this time it stopped on her breast and he closed his hand over it. The only sounds in the night were a roosting dove cooing in a far tree and their heavy panting, wet noises from lusty kissing, and ardent moans.

  Moving his body to cover more of Kiri, Naithon moaned into her mouth, “Kiri, baby,” and halfway sat up, pulled the blanket up to cover them just to the thighs. The air was crisp but not yet cold. His fingers went to the buttons on her pale yellow blouse while his heated gaze burned into her intoxicating eyes. “You are so beautiful, Kiri, so fucking beautiful.”

  The blush rolling up her cheeks brought his soft smile to wicked. The buttons were tiny in his thick fingers, he looked down at his task.

  All the buttons undone, Naithon pushed the sides of her blouse apart and drank in the sight of her luxurious body. The girl was made for sin. His sin. Only his. She was eating better now that the strain of being under Ignacio’s thumb had lifted, filling out those spectacular curves even more. Still slender, she was womanly rounded, and he was so hard his dick ached. With the way she gazed up at him in the dark with those large, luminous emeralds had him fearing he was going to explode all over the patio.

  He trickled his fingertips across the top swell of her breasts, down her cleavage, then he stroked the full flesh of her breast. Kiri’s back arched to his palm with a keening gasp that slid to an imploring whimper, it was so hot, supercharging Naithon into a burning, all encompassing, ravaging hunger for her.

  He pulled the cups of the lacy bra down exposing her nipples. Lightly, he dusted his fingers over one nipple then the other and grinned at the goose bumps that rose on her arms, and the pebbling of her nipples, a shiver shook her breasts.

  Bending his head, he webbed his big fingers under a plump globe, squeezing it up and sucked the nipple into his mouth. Kiri’s chest rose with a small cry of what he hoped was pleasure. Kneading both breasts, he pinched, twisted and tugged one nipple while sucking and biting the other, and he thought she was going to arch right off the chair.

  She was gorgeous in her maturing innocence, a soft wanton warmth brushed in her eyes, lids lowered leaving only a bit of green sparkle showing. Her lips bowed up, she moaned his name, “Naithon.”

  For so long he’d wanted to hear his name moaned on her lips, right now he could die a happy man. If he didn’t come soon he would die of the agony bursting in his swollen shaft that wanted at her. It was time for her to become familiar with his body. Next lesson.

  He caught one of her hands and tugged it down, lacing her palm over his jeans to cup his bulging manhood. Rubbing her hand up and down the hard length of it, he made her fingers squeeze the heaviness that she was causing.

  “Naithon?” she sounded unsure, apprehensive.

&nbs
p; “No worries, baby, I’m not gonna do anything here.” No, he had to keep his head, couldn’t allow anyone to sneak up on them. Besides, he didn’t want her to find the gun at his back. Her da and brothers were mobsters, they all carried, all the time. He didn’t want to have anything remind her that he was a gangster too.

  Squeezing her hand harder over his erection, he moved her palm up the thick length, and down, and groaned. The best thing was, she wasn’t balking. Encouraged, Naithon moved his hand off hers, and was thrilled when she kept her palm clenched over his throbbing shaft.

  He unbuckled his belt, undid the button on his jeans, and watched her watching what he was doing. Her curiosity excited the fever in him, raising his desire to such a high peak it was going to take a long time coming down from it.

  Lowering the zipper, he pushed his jeans and underwear down just enough to pull his manhood out. His fist encircled it, and he pumped it up, squeezed the head, then stroked it down. The intent look on her face as she watched him almost made him laugh. But he felt too goddamned good to jolt the moment. Her wonder and naïveté were a million times more engaging than the other women he’d been with.

  He lifted her hand and wrapped it around his erection and moved it up and down. Only a few strokes, then he let go, and she kept going. “It’s kind of soft on top, but under is really hard, like iron, Naithon,” she murmured, raptly studying his penis.

  “Yeah,” he croaked, “hard,” he could barely conjure a thought. Naithon was drowning in her aroused eyes while her soft little hand caressed his member, the shaft pulsing with the torment of holding himself back from jumping on her and taking her.

  Her tongue poked out the side of her lush mouth mesmerized as she watched her hand move up to the tip, then she squeezed like he had done, and he grunted. The only other penis she had really seen in person was Duce’s when she was a child. He had enjoyed exposing it to her and telling her what he was going to do to her with it. “Are all men this big, Naithon?” her voice interested yet edged with concern. She was a small woman.