Camouflage (Predator and Prey #1) (12 page)

Ignoring the fact that Daniello was a dangerous man had been an oversight ...until today.

I’d spent the morning working through my day at neck breaking speed, ignoring the now roaring curiosity regarding my new sexual interest. I hadn’t given a man I hardly knew permission to invade my home on his sexual whim, but in a way I’d allowed it.

I didn’t have enough information to have Cedric run a background check, but I had a feeling I wouldn’t find anything I was truly interested in knowing with that information, anyway. It was up to me to get it out of him, and even as I thought of getting inquisitive, I wasn’t sure I was brave enough.

“Taylor, line four, Daniello.” I straightened in my seat as if he’d caught me red handed in my thoughts and then rolled my eyes. I ignored the slight flutter in my abdomen.

“Taylor Ellison.”

“I find myself answering to you again, Taylor Ellison. This does not please me.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his irritation. “I’m confused.”

“I am calling to ask your permission to enter your home. It seems your security has been watching for intruders.”

I muffled my laugh, knowing the flashlight cop had probably cornered him.

“Rocco does not think this funny.” I heard it then, the dangerous situation I’d put the security guard in. I asked Daniello to hand him the phone.

“This is Taylor Ellison. The two men that are at my front door have complete access to my property. I apologize and will email the association.”

“Thank you, Ms. Ellison.” I could hear the smugness in the man’s voice and let out a breath of relief for his safety. Somehow, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that situation could have turned deadly.

Before I had a chance to speak, the line went dead. I sat back in my chair, completely baffled.

Mob, he was in the mob. He had to be. They had no patience or regard for authority. And his name Di Giovanni had mob written all over it. He paid for everything cash and that left him untraceable. He knew his guns, and had surveyed my condo to make sure his ass was covered. He commanded respect and took without asking.

He’d practically admitted it in my office.

Great, I’m involved with a mobster.

No, you’re fucking a mobster temporarily.

Either way, this wasn’t good for me, or for business. Daniello had commented he thought it interfering with my business might seem impossible. Being involved with a member of the mob could easily tarnish my business reputation. How could he not see that?

Then again, we both knew our arrangement was temporary. He apparently isn’t high profile and kept his business to himself, and told me it wouldn’t affect me personally. Actually, he’d said it was up to me.

No closer to drawing a better conclusion, I made my way home where an angry part Hispanic, part Italian, part Egyptian mutt mobster waited on me.

****

When I arrived home, my condo was empty aside from his suitcase. I looked in vain for a note, knowing that wasn’t his style. Confused and yet satisfied that the slow burn I’d held for him this week would be satisfied, I showered quickly and plucked out my favorite mannequin look. Underneath, I sheathed my skin in purple lace and scented oil. I’d just finished putting on my stilettos when I heard the door chime with his entrance.

Unsure of how to greet him and determined to not screw up this round, I kept quiet as I entered the living room. Daniello’s fiery eyes greeted me as he washed my body in his stare. He was dressed in a dark suit and silver tie, and looked absolutely fucking edible. His towering presence seemed surreal in my tasteful but understated living room. Anger emulated from his every pore. Small drops of blood splatter adorned his white shirt just below his tie line. He pulled off his jacket to reveal his gun strap fully loaded on each side with twin glocks. Dispensing the guns on top of his jacket, I remained silent as he further assessed me and noticed his hands were slightly stained pink.

Blood.

He hadn’t bothered to wash them fully before returning to me.

Fear should have taken over my senses at that moment. I should have demanded an explanation. I should have been terrified ...instead, I was turned on.

I ignored every warning that went off in my head. I shouldn’t have been thrilled by a man so dangerous. I should have demanded he leave and take his crime littered laundry with him. Instead, I waited on him.

Unclasping his cufflinks, he barked his order.

“Go take off that dress,” he whispered, moving to unbutton his shirt. “Leave the shoes on and lay face down on your bed.”

My breath hitched as he watched me for only a second before pulling off his shirt. I hesitated, but only briefly, before I walked into my bedroom and stripped down to my lace panties and heels. I waited face down, breathing heavily as I heard him in the kitchen. Anticipation for his thickness alone made me wet as I lay patient and panting. I wasn’t the best submissive in the few times I’d been to the club. I’d never met a Dom strong enough to top me. Daniello had a way of bringing me to my knees by just anticipation alone. I loved that about our arrangement. I loved his dominance, and his ability to put me in my place when the mood struck him, even if I was less cooperative. He’d waited for me to come to him the last time we were together. This time, I was the one who had to demonstrate patience.

In my world I ruled, commanded attention, and ran an empire. I controlled all things. In his world, I was his to rule, to control, to command, and I happily handed over the burden. That’s what attracted me to the submissive lifestyle, but I was quickly realizing I’d been barking up the wrong tree with that club.

I couldn’t hand the power over to just
any
man. I’d been waiting on
this
man.

Fingertips brushed over the base of my spine, trailing down to the skin my panties didn’t cover. I let out a long breath of appreciation.

“You are selfish and almost cost a man his life today playing silly games.” His voice was so rough, his accent thick, his anger obvious.

“I didn’t know Rocco would go all Rambo,” I said, slightly breathless as my breathing escalated and his fingertips drifted over my entrance, my panties soaked.

“He has no patience, Taylor, and now you have angered him.”

On edge and needy for his fingers to keep their pace, I replied with caution. “The guard was doing his job, keeping the bad guys out.”

“You are a smart woman, Taylor.” It was a scolding I wasn’t in the mood for.

So I’d asked security to look over my condo. It wasn’t my fault he couldn’t keep his dog on a leash. I moved to turn over and face him when I felt the sting of his first slap. I inhaled deeply with the pain and before I could recover, a burn coursed through my scalp as he twisted my hair in his fist. His hair tickled my shoulder as his weight covered me and his breath hit my ear.

“Do
not
fucking move.”

I shivered in response, no longer able to keep my breathing inaudible. I felt his full cock harden as it teased the valley of my lace covered ass.

I lay perfectly still as his fingers stroked and probed and his fist slowly let go of its hold on my thick hair. I was aware of everything in those moments I waited for him. The ticking of my wall clock, the sound of the fridge clicking on, the scent of him, the thickness in the air between us all filled my senses before the second slap shattered my attention to detail.

Burning coursed through me as I gripped the sheets tight and arousal leaked from me.

In that moment, I surrendered all.

Another soft stroke over the top of my panties strummed my clit and then I received another hard slap just below my ass. I buckled slightly at the bite and was rewarded with a harder slap.

I’d moved.

My clit throbbed, need going unanswered. I fought the urge to writhe and beg. I lay motionless as he went on with this for a small eternity, never touching my clit, only feathering my skin with the slightest touch before each punishing strike.

After another agonizing amount of time had passed, I was lifted onto my knees as his tongue found the most heated parts of my flesh and soothed them with long tongue strokes. I moaned in thank you as he soothed each burn thoroughly before landing another hard series of slaps and tearing the lace off of me in the process. I screamed in both desperation and relief as he shoved his huge cock inside me in one quick thrust. Unable to maintain my position, I fell flat on my stomach and was rewarded with strong hands gripping my hips and leading me back to my knees. His thrusts punished me as my raw ass screamed while he grunted above me and pulled at my hips mercilessly. I felt the tremble in my abdomen as Daniello remained eerily silent, voicing his anger only by the fury of his hips and the punishing of his strokes.

Still on all fours, he lifted my leg, anchoring over his forearm and dove deeper as I shrieked in surprise.

Full.

There was no other way to describe it as his cock filled me repeatedly, rubbing every surface inside of me. Unprepared for my orgasm, I shifted under its weight and sudden arrival. I was rewarded with a powerful slap and bucked my ass up, grinding into the bed as Daniello continued to fuck me.

I let out a yelp, once again, as he tilted me to go deeper and I choked slightly on the pain. Lace panties interrupted my next moan as they entered my mouth.

Rocked to the core by his cruelty, I stilled slightly.

As if sensing my hesitation, Daniello pulled his punishing cock out of me and turned me over to face him. His eyes were soulless, empty, void of any emotion, and I quickly understood.

This
was the touch I was used to. The use of my body as a vessel for a greedy offender. This I understood. This I craved.

There was an instant recognition in his eyes, an unspoken agreement of submission on my part. I kept the damp panties in my mouth, tasting my arousal and moaned again, my hands drifting from the bed to clutch at his broad chest. He lifted my legs, anchoring me to him. This time, he entered me harder than the first. Every muscle in his form rippled in effect with his effort. The sparse hair on his chest led down to a perfectly toned stomach and defined abs. My eyes drifted to where we met and I watched his hardness furiously fuck me while coated with my arousal.

Powerful thrusts encompassed my every limb as I held onto him tightly and crumbled a second time. He ripped the lace from my mouth as the orgasm hit and replaced it with his smooth tongue. I clung to him, desperate for relief in my burning muscles. I got none as he continued my punishment without words, only action.

Exhausted and spent, I watched him tax his anger, my drenched and pulsing pussy gripping him. A low growl erupted as he stiffened and gripped my head, pulled out, and coated my chest with his hot release. I gripped him hard as he spent the rest of himself, covering my bare breasts and neck. I collapsed back as the last of him pulsed onto me.

Thick air clouded the room as he left it, and the sound of the shower echoed through my bedroom.

I stood in front of my mirror and noted the long line of smeared mascara that marred my face. My body was covered in marks from angry fingertips, my backside a deep red. I ran my hand through the glistening on my chest and neck, opting to shower in my guest room.

Freshly showered and eager for sleep, I walked into the kitchen and noted a freshly corked whiskey bottle with a drained glass of ice next to it. I picked up the glass, slipping a piece of flavored ice into my mouth, knowing it was pointless to check my bedroom.

He was gone.

“You ever been kissed, Red?”

“No,” I snapped quickly at Laz, who was skipping stones across our pond.

I looked at him closely. In the last three years, he’d become my very best friend. We took turns mastering our own self-made bike trails and sneaking turnips off of the Jameson farm. We spent our nights fishing and swimming in the pond between our two houses. There hadn’t been one day in the last couple of years that we weren’t side-by-side, aside from the time he had to head to Memphis for his aunt’s funeral.

We often went to Laz’s best friend Cedric’s house to practice shooting. Cedric liked to hunt and would fire off round after round with his rifle, while I used my father’s gun and was careful with my only box of bullets. Both boys seemed impressed with my ability to shoot, but Cedric was always quiet when I was around and looked at me as if I were interfering. It took a while for him to grow warm to me but once he did, he would spend some of his summer with us.

“You can’t miss,” Cedric would note as he studied the target closely then study me. “You’re a marksmen.”

I felt a huge sense of pride when both boys agreed and smiled at me.

Cedric and I would lay on the grass, listening to crickets when Laz had to go home early. He would tell me about how he would be a soldier one day. How his father had been one and his grandfather too. I would simply listen to him talk, dreading the inevitable trip home. Cedric would always give me an odd look when we parted with a quick “night.” I would run home and shake from head to tail at the horror of being caught and sigh in relief when I made it to bed, my latest adventure unnoticed.

Amber would start to ask questions when I got home, asking where I’d been and ‘promise not to tell.’ I felt guilty for leaving her a prisoner in that house, but was thankful she now had school as an escape.

I had Laz as mine. Today was the last day of summer before we started at separate schools and Laz had been quiet all
day. It was if he knew everything was about to change. He was going to be a freshman, and I was still stuck in middle school. I’d watched his body change and wasn’t immune to the heavy looks he got when we went into town together. Laz had somehow charmed my mother into letting me out of the house. I didn’t ask questions and took my freedom without hesitation. As I stared at Laz now in long cutoff jean shorts and nothing else, I felt a slight twinge of something I’d never felt. When he’d asked me the question, I’d immediately crossed my arms over my budding chest and stood awkwardly in my too small bathing suit.

Laz laughed at my posture and shook his head slowly. “Uncross your arms, Red. It’s just a kiss.”

“Maybe I don’t want a kiss.”

“Sure you do. I see the way you look at me.” I huffed and rolled my eyes. I’d never wanted to kiss him. I’d never even thought about it until he’d asked me. Well, maybe once. I picked up a few rocks, tossing them beside him. Laz kept his eyes on me for only a second before he dropped the rest of his rocks and wiped his hands on his jeans.

“See you later,” he said, pulling his t-shirt over his head. I stood with my handful of rocks, stunned. The sun was still high in the sky. I was sure I had a whole day of freedom left. I panicked as he began to walk off in the direction of his house.

“Wait!” I shrieked as I followed him.

He turned and gave me a bored look.

“Why are you leaving when we have the whole day?”

“To do what, Red, skip rocks? My friends are down at the river getting high while I’m playing patty cake out here with you.”

I wrinkled my nose at the thought and he rolled his eyes. I spoke without thinking. “I could go with you. I could get ...high.” The only thing that occurred to me was smoking meth and I knew in that moment there was no way I was doing that. I shrugged as I took the last step to face him. He’d grown a good foot since I’d met him.

“Not that kind of high, Red.” He must have seen the relief in my features as breath rushed out of me.

“Look, I’ll see you later, okay? I’ll come to your window tomorrow.” My heart was sinking as I watched him start to walk away and the words stumbled out. “I want you to kiss me.”

Laz stopped and looked back at me. “No you don’t.”

“Don’t tell me what I want, Lazarus Walker Hunt. I said I want you to kiss me.”

I stopped my moving mouth as he approached, pushing my shoulders out, and looked up without flinching when he again stood before me.

“And I never said I wanted to kiss you,” he taunted as he studied my face.

“Well, you brought it up, you ass, so sumthin’s got to be done about it.” I put my hands on my hips and raised a brow in challenge.

“You look like a circus clown, why would I want to kiss you?” He smiled, his blue eyes shining the way they always did when he knew he was aggravating me.

“You are all talk,” I huffed. “You’ve probably never kissed a girl a day in your life.”

“Sure I have, kissed Lucy last week.” I felt the burn in my face as I confronted him.

“Well, now I hate you, Laz, so good going,” I mouthed, kicking the dirt up in front of him. He’d beat the snot out of Johnny Reid for announcing the arrival of my period because of Lucy Harden’s big mouth. Lucy had been responsible for the most embarrassing moment of my life, aside from Laz seeing my mother for the first time.

“Don’t go all halfcocked, Red. ‘Sides, you ain’t my girlfriend,” he snapped after gripping my wrist.

“Nope, I ain’t and I won’t ever be.” I felt my heart break in that moment and lashed out further. “But one day you’ll wish I was, and you won’t get your way. To hell with you, Lazarus!”

I made my way through my window, bypassing my mother, and sat at the ledge, wiping the wet streaks trailing down my face with annoyance. That night, hearing my mother pace up and down the halls, I imagined for once her feet would make their way down the hall and out the door, but she wouldn’t stop there. I prayed for the day she would just keep going. I hoped that my daddy would be glad about it and that Amber and I could finally have some peace. I must have drifted off because I woke to a light tap on my window. I thought about ignoring him out of spite, but the truth was that Laz was the only thing I had to look forward to.

He was all I had.

I opened the window part way and poked my head out.

“What do you want?”

He smiled and shrugged. “You still mad at me?”

“Did you really kiss Lucy?”

He nodded in reply.

“Then I’m still mad at you. Get.”

Laz gripped my head as I began to retreat and leaned in and placed a hard kiss on my lips. I pulled away slightly and when he wouldn’t let go, I let his lips linger on mine a beat longer. He pulled away with a grin.

“I’m your first kiss, Red. Nothing will ever change that and you can’t do a thing about it.”

I wiped my pulsing lips as I lashed out. “Wasn’t nuthun’.”

He ignored me and kept walking as I got into my bed, wide eyed, my heart beating out of my chest.

I jumped when I felt little hands touch my arm.

“Aylor, I did it.”

I pushed out an impatient breath as my little sister interrupted my moment of reflection.

“Amber, we’re going to get caught one day,” I scolded as I grabbed a clean sheet I hid underneath my mattress.

“Onwe wittle bit,” she promised as I stood to see she had already pulled the urine stained sheet from the mattress. I studied it, noting it was just a small amount. I grabbed her wet panties and the sheet then crept down the hall to rid them of the smell. I sprayed a little starch on it for good measure and hung it out the bedroom window along with her panties to dry.

“I sorry,” she said as she climbed back into bed and looked at me. She was almost six years old and was afraid of her own shadow. Her speech hadn’t improved since she’d started school so I did my best to help her. “It’s I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry.”

She was so small, and on a daily basis, I was forced to watch her endure horrible cruelty. Where I had air and sunshine, she was kept a prisoner, covered in bleach that burned and irritated her skin on occasion. What my mother did to me never mattered. I could bear it with thoughts of soaking in the pond with my best friend.

My mother seemed to spare me most days in lieu of hurting her, but in the end, I knew she did it because it hurt me more. There were days I would practically beg her to get in on me, but I gave up when she only punished my little sister harder. Watching Amber sleep that night, I made a promise to myself that I would get us out of there.

And for the next year, I did nothing but think of a way to do it. Laz and Cedric got caught with drugs their first week of high school and were sent to juvie for a year.

It was the worst year of my life. And when they came back, everything had changed, including Laz. Cedric had seemed just as determined as me to get out of Dyer and swore on everything the day he was of age he was signing up for the Army. I secretly and selfishly hoped Laz wouldn’t follow, though he considered it.

It wasn’t until a much later that I realized I should have used my wish more wisely.