Keep: Romanian Mob Chronicles (6 page)

V
asile

W
hat I’d intended
as a warning, she took as permission. A fact that became clear when she laid her free hand on my chest and tilted her head, slightly parting her full lips. I’d half hoped she would deny me, save me from my own desires because I was powerless against them. But now that she hadn’t, I tossed aside my reservations about what this would mean for her and for me, and gave in to the need that had been building since the very first moment I laid eyes on her.

I dropped her wrist and snaked my arm around her waist and pulled her to me, her lush, soft body warm and full against me, a perfect fit. Then, breath coming in increasingly harsh exhales, I moved toward her and captured her mouth with mine. Her lips were softer than I’d imagined, warmer, and that first touch had me anxious for her, so I deepened the kiss, moving my lips over hers with increasing speed.

And she responded, kissing me back with a fervor that surprised me along with a tight grip on my arm. I’d seen and tried to ignore the little flashes of desire in her eyes, had halfway convinced myself that it was gratitude, or maybe a ploy to stay on my good side.

The way she kissed me now gave lie to that. Her pounding heart, her sharp exhales, the way she eagerly brushed her lips against mine, none of it was born out of gratitude, and proof of her desire only heightened mine.

I coaxed her lips apart with the tip of my tongue and then delved into the warmth of her mouth, the first touch of her tongue against mine making both of us moan. As I kissed her, I touched her body, moved my hands up her strong back and then down again over the full rounds of her ass and her thick thighs. I lifted, and she linked her legs around my waist, her breasts crushed against my chest, her hot core centered over my erection.

I enjoyed the feel of her weight in my arms and then moved across the room and lay on the bed, Fawn under me. I broke the kiss then and looked down at Fawn. Her kiss-swollen lips and passion-filled brown eyes stole my breath, and when she snaked her fingers under my shirt, her touch against my bare skin took what was left of my control.

I grabbed at the breasts that had become an increasingly prominent part of my obsession with her, squeezed at the full flesh that filled my hands, her tight nipples hard points against my palms.

My grip tightened when she pulled my shirt up, her fingers hot against my skin and leaving little ripples of pleasure with her touch. Desperate for more, I broke away, pulled the shirt off, and tossed it aside. I watched her eyes, looking for a response when she first glimpsed the tattoos that marked much of my skin.

But I saw nothing but desire in her eyes, felt it reflected in her soft, passionate touches. And when she looked up at me with pleading eyes, I couldn’t do anything but respond.

I kissed her again, briefly, but then broke the kiss and pulled at her shirt, taking it and her bra in one motion. And then I stared down at her, smooth brown skin, succulent dark-tipped breasts calling out for my touch.

I answered, kissing my way over her collarbone and down her chest until I caught one of those hard buds in my mouth and teased the other between my fingers. She arched against me, and I smiled around her tit at her low moans, the way she groped at my shoulders only spurring me to tease that much harder.

Thumb tormenting one nipple, I used my tongue on the other, circling the bud and then sucking hard, repeating the motion until Fawn was a writhing mass beneath me. But she still had her wits about her, for as I sucked at her nipples, alternating between one and then the other, she somehow worked at my pants, got them open and down far enough to free my cock.

When she closed her fingers around me, I released her breast and cried out, her hot hand on my hardness making my dick jump. I exhaled, my breath against her wet nipple puckering the skin. I captured the bud again and then released, sucking at the underside of her breast, licking at the crease where her breast met her chest.

We continued that way, my shaft now wet with the precum that she’d spread with each stroke, but soon, the need for more pushed me on, and I broke away from her. Much as I had her shirt and bra, I quickly rid her of her pants and panties, exposing her long legs, the full thighs that had felt so good under my hands, to my eyes. They were a feast to my sight, as were her lovely hips, and the rise of her mound between them.

Some of the pleasure dampened as she watched me, and I could see the rising worry in her eyes, the trepidation about my response. I would see it replaced.

I kneeled beside her, my cock so hard it almost hurt, and without pause, I put my hand between her knees, moved up the smoothness of her thigh, drawing ever closer to the heat at her center. When I reached it, I put one finger between her lips, lifting one corner of my mouth at her sharp exhale, and then traced it up her slit, the need to bury myself in the warm heat I found there making my movements shaky.

When I reached her protruding clit, I stopped, caught her gaze with mine, happy her eyes had gone heavy-lidded with passion. Then I raised my hand to my lips, Fawn’s sweet scent hitting my nose and then her even sweeter taste exploding across my tongue when I licked my wet finger. Then I pushed her legs wide, crawled between them, moving up her body until we were face-to-face, cock to pussy.

One hand on either side of her head, I kissed her, my dick resting right at the edge of her entrance. And then, mouth covering hers, I pressed inside her warm wetness, her tightness giving in to take me.

She breathed out, and I captured her exhale, returned one of my own, the feeling of her cunt stretching to accommodate me making my hands clench into tight fists, my body tense as I held back, trying to restrain myself.

But when Fawn broke the kiss, met my eyes, and then lifted her hips and pulled me deeper, that restraint snapped. In one thrust, I brought us together, her breath coming out in a rush, mine doing the same with our pelvic bones crashing together. And then, without pausing, I grasped her shoulders and moved, pulling out and then pounding in, Fawn’s hands on my arms, my back, my ass, driving me harder, faster until my body was slick with sweat, my chest heaving with my breaths.

Her gaze never strayed from mine, not even when I reached between our bodies and circled her clit, pinched and teased it until she clamped down and cried out her pleasure. She didn’t stray as she rode her climax, after as I continued to pound into her, or even after when, unable to hold back, I spilled my seed inside her.

F
awn

V
asile sat
across
the table from me, his expression almost serene but more detached than it had been less than an hour before when he’d again taken me to heights of pleasure I hadn’t dreamed of. But though he was still mysterious, I saw a softness in his face I hadn’t seen before.

“Natasha is coming today.”

I brightened, excited at the prospect of seeing her again. “Great. Any reason?”

“She’s bringing you a dress for tonight,” he said.

“What’s happening tonight?” I asked, frowning. He hadn’t mentioned anything, and save a few trips to the grocery store, usually accompanied by Oleg, I hadn’t gone out. And as strange as it may have been, I didn’t welcome the prospect of changing things. I liked being in this little cocoon, me and Vasile and the passion between us, and while I knew it couldn’t last, I didn’t welcome the outside world’s intrusion.

“We’re going to dinner. I’ll be back later to pick you up.”

He was gone before I could think of a response and a few minutes later, Natasha burst into the room carrying two heavy garment bags.

“I brought these for you,” she said, toddling over to me on her heels, face set into an almost gleeful smile. “I wasn’t sure what would fit, so I got a couple things. We’ll find something,” she said.

I tilted my head in confusion. “Do you know what this is about?” I asked.

“Vasile said dinner, so I imagine it’s business.” She glanced at me, her expression turning down. “You’ve done this sort of thing before, yes?”

I nodded, swallowing down the disappointment that rose in my throat. After my initial reluctance, I’d begun to hope this mysterious “dinner” was something else, maybe a sign he cared for me, wanted to take me out. So stupid.

“Yes, I have,” I finally said, memories of David, the countless evenings I’d spent playing the perfect hostess, the punishment for any mistake, racing through my mind.

“So you know what to do.” She shrugged. “Just sit there and laugh when you should, don’t offend anyone. It won’t be hard.”

Maybe not for her, but it was always hard for me. Always.

“Who went with him before?” I asked.

“Me, but it seems I’ve been replaced,” she said, looking away as she unzipped the garment bag and then pulled out one dress. She eyed the garment. “Too much skin. We’ll go with the other one.”

“Natasha, I don’t—”

“He’s doing you a great honor, you know,” she said, looking at me sympathetically.

“What honor? I get to dress up and make nice with a bunch of madmen,” I said.

“You get to sit at the side of one of the most powerful men in the country. Do you know how many would kill for that seat?” she asked solemnly.

“They are welcome to it,” I said. I’d been in a seat like it before, a showpiece, a measure of my owner’s taste and worth, no different than a car or a house or a fancy piece of jewelry. I didn’t want to ever be in it again, not even for him.

“They may be, but you said it yourself: we don’t get to make that choice.” Her expression shifted. “Now we have to get ready. We only have a few hours.”

F
awn

“This is way
too tight, Natasha,” I said, looking at myself in the mirror and frowning at the sight of the material pulled tight across my breasts and behind.

“You’re completely covered. Classy but desirable. Vasile will be pleased,” she said, smiling like a proud mama.

I thinned my lips at her statement. At the moment, I couldn’t care less what would please him and it seemed he felt the same, but I kept my thoughts to myself. “In the technical sense, you’re right. But the long sleeves and a high neck don’t change the fact this dress is so tight you can practically see my heartbeat,” I said.

She laughed, staring at our reflections in the mirror. “You will be on the arm of Vasile Petran. No one will look above your ankles or below your chin,” she said.

And she patted me on the shoulder. I grabbed her hand, wanting to thank her for her kindness, for making this whole thing much less awful than I knew it could have been.

“I’m glad you’re going to be there.”

She shrugged. “It might be fun. Someone’s always amusing at these things, and Sorin might not be too obnoxious,” she said nonchalantly, but I didn’t miss the tightness around her mouth.

“Does he know?” I asked.

She turned her eyes toward me, a faint little smile playing at her lips. “Know what?”

“That you love him?”

She lifted the corner of her mouth again. “You think I’m in love with Vasile, that I’m jealous because you took my spot,” she said.

I shook my head. “I know you are not in love with him. But Sorin, does he know?”

Her smile dropped, and for just an instant, I saw beyond her shiny facade, saw to the woman underneath, one who felt invisible to the man she loved.

“No, but it doesn’t matter. I know what I mean to him, and he’s always been honest with me.”

“But you should—”

“Do what? Put my foot down? Tell him I won’t let him use me? Make him commit?”

I stood silent, knowing that she was right. Sorin, Vasile, none of the men would do anything unless they wanted to. “You can’t make him, but you don’t have to…”

“But I want to, Fawn. I love him. And if sex is all he has to offer, I’ll take it,” she said, a tear slipping from her eye.

“Maybe one day he’ll come to his senses,” I offered, patting her thin hand.

“You’ve met Sorin, yes?” she replied, managing to shape her mouth into a smile.

I nodded.

“Then you know why I’m not counting on that,” she said.

V
asile

I
had only just dressed
, and already I wanted to rip the suit and tie from my body. I hated this, playing dress up like children. We all knew what we were, and I never understood the need to pretend to be something else.

But I’d agreed to this, and I’d get through it. Oleg opened the limo door, and Fawn entered, folding herself into the seat with ease and grace.

My heart began to pound as I watched her, sheathed by the tight dress that both covered and revealed, making the valleys and curves of her body apparent to anyone. I had half a mind to send her back, but I wanted her with me, needed to prove this point once and for all.

“Did you pick that?” I asked flatly.

She chuckled. “Not ever. This is Natasha’s work.”

“I’ll have to talk with her.”

“She was only trying to help like you asked,” she said, but then she went quiet and stared out the window, watching as the city passed.

“I’m surprised she and Sorin aren’t with us,” she said after a while.

“He prefers his own transportation,” I said.

I continued to watch her, her hands twisted, her face set in a placid expression I now knew concealed a deep well of insight. And though she tried to hide it, I also saw fear.

“You’ve been to this type of meeting before?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yes. Don’t worry. I know how this goes. I won’t embarrass you.”

I frowned at her implication. “He will be there,” I said.

Her eyes flew to mine, and I could see the panic spark in them.

“He cannot harm you. Won’t even dare try,” I said.

She was skeptical. Her expression said that and more. “You don’t know him. He might try anything. I never know what,” she said and then she looked away.

“Fawn.”

Head still averted, she did not meet my eyes.

“Fawn,” I repeated, voice firm. She finally turned to me.

“Do you know what happened when I took you, when you decided to stay?”

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head quickly.

“You came under my protection, under the protection of Clan Petran. No one will ever harm you. Ever.”

At her sharp inhale, I looked down and realized I had clenched my fist, didn’t doubt that my face reflected the vehemence I felt. Silence reigned as I stared at her before I finally said, “So what did I say?”

“You said that I am under your protection and the protection of Clan Petran. That no one will ever hurt me.”

I nodded approvingly. “And know this: I always keep my word. If he touches you, even looks at you wrong, he will pay with his life.”

After a few tense moments, she nodded and then looked out the window. “We’re here,” she said.

F
awn

I didn’t recognize
the huge gated house we drove up to, but I knew what awaited me inside. There were several limos gathered in the circular driveway and twice as many menacing figures milling around, some with small machine guns. It could have been a gathering of senators, business leaders. Some of them, especially David, liked to think of themselves as such. But it was a facade, beautifully crafted but fake. The danger and misery beneath that facade was not.

As we exited the limo, I tried to calm my pounding heart and prayed David wouldn’t be here, though I knew without a doubt that he would. I also tried to choke back the desire to grab Vasile and hide behind him, beg him to take me away.

Instead, I settled on admiring him. His suit fit perfectly, the jacket cut to show the breadth of his shoulders, his trim waist, the light gray color a perfect complement to the brown of his hair and iciness of his eyes.

It was so different than his usual attire, though I couldn’t say better. There was something honest about the way he usually dressed. It told me he didn’t pretend, that he knew what and who he was and didn’t need to hide behind clothes. It was impressive, a quality I had rarely seen. One I deeply admired.

A spark of desire flared in my stomach as I reflected on that, watched him move with ease and grace and comfort as if he had no question about his place in the world. As annoyed as I’d been, as nervous as I’d been, as nervous as I still was, the attraction toward him, the desire that, as insane as it was, he always stoked in my body hit me like a sledgehammer, made me wish we were anywhere but here, but not to avoid the situation. So I could be with him, feel his strong, powerful body above me again, inside me again.

He glanced at me, and I looked away quickly, feeling a deep flush of embarrassment, though I had no way of knowing if he could tell the direction of my thoughts. I faintly heard the
click
of heels and turned toward the sound and met Natasha’s gaze. Her little knowing smile told me she was well aware of what I was thinking, and I couldn’t help but grin at her.

That little interlude having relieved some of the tension that had twisted in my stomach, I sped up to stand next to Vasile, feeling almost confident.

“Welcome, Mr. Petran,” a tall, thin Hispanic man said in greeting when we reached the double front doors.

“Vargas.” Vasile gave the faintest nod but did not lift his hand. The other man didn’t seem deterred, and instead waved his extended hand to welcome us in. Fortunately, he didn’t even glance in my direction.

We entered a grand entryway with an enormous crystal chandelier and then continued to a large dining room that held a sixteen-seat table, one that was filled by women like me, each more beautiful than the last, showpieces for the array of dangerous-looking men they accompanied.

But all of them, even Vasile, Natasha, and Sorin seemed to disappear when I met David’s eyes. He smiled brightly, looking almost like the charming man that had initially won me over. But there was retribution in his gaze, a promise of payback for the embarrassment he’d experienced, though none of it was my fault. It seldom had been, but that had never insulated me from punishment and wouldn’t in the future.

I flinched ever so slightly when Vasile touched my arm, and for a millisecond, his face turned down in a frown. But he recovered quickly and led me down the long table and sat directly across from David, his eyes never leaving the other man. I sat next to him, trying to remember what Vasile had said, trying to remember David had no power over me anymore.

A warm hand grasped mine, and I looked at Natasha, saw her faint smile of encouragement. It didn’t stop my pounding heart, the almost disembodied feeling that my light head created, but I appreciated the effort.

The next hour was excruciating. I didn’t meet David’s gaze, but I could feel his eyes on me, and the fear that he’d instilled came back automatically. I wasn’t close enough for David to touch, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t unnerved.

And Vasile wasn’t helping. He hadn’t looked at me, seemed completely disinterested in me, in everyone around him, save Vargas and David. I followed his lead as Sorin and Natasha did, not eating or drinking or speaking, a silent island in the sea of joviality.

The other guests laughed and drank, all acting as if everything was well, but the undercurrent of tension in the room was unmistakable, and it soon reached the breaking point.

“My food not good enough for you, Mr. Petran?” Vargas finally said.

He sounded friendly, like this was jocular teasing, but the lowering volume in the room, the sudden ratcheting of the tension made the seriousness of the question undeniable.

“We aren’t hungry,” Vasile said.

Which wasn’t a complete lie, at least not for me. I couldn’t have eaten a thing, even if forced.

“Fair enough. But you, your brother, your guests,” he let his eyes linger on me momentarily before looking at the bar at the opposite side of the room, “drink with me.”

“That’s a great idea, Vargas,” David said, his eyes glued to me. And with each word he spoke a fresh dose of ice and terror raced through my veins. “Offer Mr. Vargas’s guests a drink, bitch,” he said, mirroring the words that had started this all.

I went to stand, instinct telling me to comply or face the consequences.

Vasile’s hand clamped on my wrist, strong but not punishing, and held me in place.

“Apologize.”

The lethal tone of his voice froze me and everyone else in the room. After a moment, still halfway between sitting and standing, I shifted to look at Vasile, saw the rage on his face, the tight set of his jaw, his glacial gaze leaving no question of his anger.

“Your English has gotten a lot better,” David said, practically sneering.

“Apologize.”

“For what? For calling my—”

Something dangerous flitted across Vasile’s face, and David cut off short. I’d never seen that before, David heeding a warning and some small part of me wished he hadn’t, wanted him to give Vasile a reason to mete out the damage I’d never have a chance to. But the other, saner part of me wanted peace, wanted out of this whole situation.

The room was tense, heavy with the weight of the brewing confrontation, and all I wanted to do was run.

“Gentlemen, we’re here as friends and business associates. Let’s not ruin the evening,” Vargas said. “I’m sure David meant no offense, Mr. Petran. So he’d be happy to apologize. Wouldn’t you, David?”

David looked like he wanted to spit, but he choked out the words, “I apologize, Mr. Petran.”

“You didn’t insult me,” Vasile said evenly. “Apologize.”

Vargas’s face showed surprise, and David turned an alarming shade of red as disgust tugged at his features. “You’re out of your fucking mind. I’m not apologizing to that—”

“You should watch you’re fucking mouth,” Sorin interjected, voice equally lethal. “Or better yet, don’t. Go ahead, say it. See how Clan Petran handles those who disrespect what’s ours.”

Sorin put extra emphasis on “ours” and the implication was not missed by David. He exhaled hard, his hands clenched into tight fists on the cream-colored tablecloth. I focused on his meaty fingers, remembered the pain they could inflict. He exhaled again, every eye in the room on him, watching.

“I apologize, Fawn,” he said.

Vasile didn’t look the least bit placated, and it probably wasn’t lost on him that David may as well have insulted me again with the venom and scorn in that “apology.” I worried what would happen next.

But after a beat, Vasile stood smoothly, then pulled me the rest of the way up. Natasha and Sorin behind, we left the grand home.