I smiled as one of the best men I knew married one of the strongest women I'd ever met. Grams stood up with Ryker and Baxter and fulfilled her best man duties with a style and panache I could only hope I still had at her age. Tali and Momma stood with Willow. All three women were radiant in the late afternoon sun. Thankfully the new digs Ryker and Willow had just bought came with a fully heated patio section off the pool area. The open scenery of their lake and the setting sun were the perfect backdrop. Turo wiggled beside me. "Ah, an actual smile today. Imagining yourself in a white dress, a young man across from you while you exchange promises?" he asked softly.I looked at him. "What are we doing, Arturo?" I asked him bluntly but quietly. He jolted. "I'm asking you a question, cricket."I ground my teeth at the nickname. "I've asked you repeatedly to stop calling me that."His smile was all teeth and potent sexuality. "Then I guess you need to simply get accustomed to
I wanted to punch myself in the face as she turned away from me. Again. How could one slim, far too young woman make me feel like a teenager? I said the wrong thing. Every. Single. Time. I'd had more cold showers and solo jack off sessions than I cared to admit. She'd made it so that none of my previous companions did anything for me. Other than turn my stomach. They were all too soft. Too...needy. But Nik. She was strong. Probably stronger than I fully knew. And she didn't need any man. Hell, I was pretty sure she didn't need anyone. And fuck if I didn't want to be needed for the first time in my life. Mas was watching me from across the small impromptu aisle. He raised a single brow. I flipped him off. He'd always told me I was going to find a woman who'd treat me like I treated women. Disposable. Toys. Nothing more than a release. He'd laugh his damn head off if he found out Nik had given me more than ample opportunity but that I choked each time. I was runni
I gritted my teeth. Tried to act like I was having fun. My body shook and jostled under the thrusting body of the guy I'd picked up at the club. He'd been pumping away for the last half hour. The only thing I was close to was being chafed raw. Stupid Arturo Amatucci's face flashing in my mind. A low curl of heat twisted through me. Suddenly, it was Turo's body that curled over mine. His skin that I dug my short nails into. I closed my eyes, sank into the -"Fuck, baby, yeah. Just like that," the guy said.I wanted to choke him as my fantasy went up in smoke. I glared at the ceiling. This was doing nothing but pissing me off even more.I dropped my legs from around his waist. Pushed at his shoulders. "Okay, we're done. You can leave now." He grunted against my neck as if he thought I was joking. "Right. I know you're having fun."I threaded my fingers through his dark hair. I wanted to snatch his scalp bald. Asshole. I yanked his head up. "No. I'm not. Not only do you suck
My adrenaline spiked as I watched her slide towards me with all the grace of an attacking lioness. Silent in her approach, had I not been watching her, I wouldn't have been able to track her movements at all. She was fucking fantastic. I slapped her first attack away. Felt my belly tighten with heat as the rage was quickly controlled on her pixie face. She spun with the deflection, went for my legs. From standing tall over her almost delicate frame to being flat on my back and wrapped up in her thighs, staring at the ceiling, in the space of a heartbeat. Once I could breathe again, I was going to -She rose up on one knee...that was planted in my crotch. She leaned down into my face, her strawberry scented wet hair trailed cold fingers over my cheek. "If you want to get out of here without permanent damage, stop trying to start shit you can't finish." She sneered at me. "On any level. You don't want me? Fine. But you will treat me with respect." She emphasized her point with so
I stared at the door for long moments as the sound of the slam finally stopped ringing in my ears. Had that really just happened? I...I was at a loss. I didn't need a vibrator. Hell, I could use about a gallon of ice cream, really. But neither would be happening. I hadn't been lying. I did have to work in the morning. Prowling Chaos every night for a hookup was getting exhausting. And none of them were any good anyways. Tonight wasn't any better. No, tonight had just been the cherry on the top of my particular shit cake. Cake. Now, I wanted some of Willow's cupcakes. I set the alarm on my security system. Reset all of my deadbolts. Setting the anti-burglar bar under the doorknob, I made sure it was secure before heading back to my bedroom. I was tempted to just grab a blanket and sleep on the couch.But that felt like failure. And I didn't do failure. Ever. I stomped into the hallway, ripped open the linen closet doors. Getting down a set of flannel sheets, I decided I was g
I gritted my teeth as I watched the man across my desk. He knew the rules and he had still decided to break them. Now I would have to teach him a lesson. Getting up from my chair, I moved around my desk as my first lieutenant eased over to cover the door. He hit the switch that would turn this office into a soundproof room. I sat on the front edge of my desk. "Martin, you disappoint me."The arrogant idiot just smirked at me. I sighed. "How long have you been in the family, Martin? Three years? Four?"He snarled. "Five, Arturo."My lieutenant growled low in his chest at the lowly soldier using my first name. I waved him off. We had bigger fish to fry than his utter lack of intelligence."And yet you still think being glib, disrespectful, and going against my wishes is the way to survive?" I curled my fingers into the desk. This stupid fuck. He was going to make me maim him. This level of insubordination wouldn't be tolerated.He slouched back in his chair. "I should be
I glared at my primary screen. How the hell had Chad found me? I'd swept through my records with a fine-toothed comb years ago. There was nothing there for anyone to find. And certainly not any information I didn't want people to find. Added to the fact that Chad was nothing but a bully with barely two brain cells to rub together, he shouldn't have been able to find me. Ever. But not only had he found me, he'd found my freaking home address. Only PennCorp and Ryker had my physical address. And I'd made Ryker promise not to let anyone besides HR and Payroll have it.I did a bot sweep on the cache sites on the server farms. Nothing. I gritted my teeth. I was the same secure ghost I'd always been. How the hell had he found me?A heavy hand thudded against my door, making me squeak like a little girl. Fuck. "What?" I snarled. The door knob turned, and one of my colleagues stuck his head in. "Nik, we've got some guy at the front desk asking for you."Shit. I licked my lips
I hung up with the bank. Rubbed a hand down over my face a couple times. A knock sounded at the door. I groaned at the cessation of my brief reprieve. "Come."Edi opened the door. His face was thunderous. "I've got news from Jimmy and Fran."The bottom of my stomach dropped out. "Bring them in here." Shit. He stepped back and let two of his soldiers come in. Jimmy and Fran were brothers who looked nothing alike. They were the same height, and that was where the familial resemblance ended. Jimmy was a lanky guy with long dark hair and piercing blue eyes. Fran Never call me Francis,' on the other hand, was stocky, built like a fucking train, and had a shaved head with light brown eyes. They were also my best tail team. Jimmy nudged his brother. Fran rolled his eyes. "Where do you want me to start in the timeline?" he asked me, his voice low and raspy. "Wherever you think is relevant."He nodded. "Jimmy was on last night. But I think you know what went down then."
I crept along the rooftop. The target was staying in the long term suites across the road. It was our first night, and it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders the farther we got from New Trenadie. The next moment, I crashed to the roof's floor. "Damn it." She snickered. "Still a sucky spy, Raphael." She slid her body over mine.I sucked in a breath. Nodded. Hell, I practically begged her for it. But without words. When she got that tone, my words were not necessary. She smiled. "I'm not going to beat you to death. Nor am I going to stuff you into a padded room." She bent down, flicked her tongue over my lips. "But I will tie you up, spank you, flog you, fuck you, and then make you do it all over again. My dick went to iron between her legs. Her laugh was husky. "I'm keeping you, Raphael. Do you understand me?"My heart settled. Skipped a beat. "Yes, Mistress."The end.
My phone dinged with a new incoming text message. Considering my phone had been going off since the wee hours of the morning with Willow and Ryker announcing the baby was finally coming, I was tempted to just shut it off. But it could be something important. And since Angelo and I were at home with the other babies, it fell to us to make sure we kept everything running as it should. I grabbed the phone. Unlocked the screen. A video message popped up. Raphael and his girl, Nia. Their heads mushed together to get into frame. "Momma, I have to leave. But I wanted to tell you I love you. And thank you for everything. I will let you know when I get back." Nia smiled. "I'll keep him safe, Momma. I swear it.""Bye, Momma," they said together before they ended the call.I smiled even as tears filled my eyes. Angelo looked up at me from his spot on the bed. He was restrained, a ball gag in his mouth. I held the crop up high. "Our last baby is finally happy, Angelo." I s
Two weeks later I glared at the woman on the table. "I still don't know why I have to be here. I barely know you."Willow snorted. "Because you're scarier than anyone else in my family. And I don't want those doctors trying to get all bitchyyyyyyyy." Another contraction hit her. She clamped down on my hand hard enough that I thought I was going to need surgery to remove the bones from each other. And this little firecracker had more strength inside her than her grip would show. Raphael had told me some of her story. She'd told me the rest of it. A ritual the Amatucci women apparently indulged in was something called Girls' Night. Really it was a bunch of drinking, talking about sex, and watching movies while we ate enough of Willow's confectionaries to give ourselves diabetes. Willow blew out a breath. "Ryker can't handle seeing me in this kind of pain, so he has to stay out in the lobby with the rest of them. You're second chair." She panted. Demanded some ice chips.
Three days laterWalking into my parents house when they didn't know I was alive was a risky thing. A multitude of crappy things could happen. Not the least of which was Momma killing me for real this time. Or Papa crying. Or either of them fainting."Go on," Nia said as she shoved me forward gently. "You're already here. Just go into the kitchen. Nik said she told them to wait for her in the kitchen."I nodded, felt my palms go clammy as my breath backed up in my lungs. This could go terribly wrong. So fucking horribly wrong. Man up, Si, that no longer too small voice said inside me. Since I'd been actively listening to it more, he wasn't so easy to shut up. Even when I wanted to. Thankfully, the nasty bitch who lived inside me was getting fainter. Although he could still throw a temper tantrum to beat a two year old. "I'm right here. And I'll be right here the whole time. They've waited long enough, Raphael." She nudged me again. Even as bile rushed up the back o
We all stood in the kitchen, guzzling water by the gallon. I hadn't been this dehydrated since the last time I got in trouble at Petter Manor. But at least this time it was due to happy tears and reunification. Raphael sat and watched it all. Just absorbed it. But he never got so far away I couldn't touch him. That I even needed to touch him still blew my mind. But I wasn't going to question it. He helped steady me when it felt like everything inside me and around me was bending and flexing too fast for me to catch up. "What are your plans for tomorrow?" Liam asked as he finished his third glass of water. "Tomorrow is the gala. I'm going to string Anders up-the guy who had you kidnapped again. I'm going to tell everyone the Petters have been blackmailing and abusing and paying off that the Petters are dead and gone. That they're all on watch." I studied Liam and Lilly. It blew my mind that they had gone into the government side of this dirty world. That they willingly put t
Nia came over to me while I was helping drag some bodies away. "Hey Raphael, can you come with me, please?"Foster grunted at me as we got the body up on the catering cart. "Go. I've got this." I nodded, turned back to Nia. "Sure, Nia." She took my hand and we walked from the room. Her hand was trembling in mine. It was only the slightest degree, but it might as well have registered on the seismic scale. "You good?" I asked her softly as we walked down a set of stairs. She said nothing, made no movements except to keep walking. I pulled her to a stop. Made her look at me. "Are you good?" I asked again. Her eyes were wide, as if she were trying to stave off the tears. "Amelie and Anton..." she blew out a breath. "They're t-""The only two people you love in this world." I smiled sadly. "I know, Nia."Her eyelids fluttered shut as a tear escaped down her cheek. Her breath was shaky as she exhaled. "I got them away from here. Put them in with a good woman with a hu
Day before the gala "Charlie team in position," the man's voice came through the little earbud I wore in my right ear. I kept a tight hold on my fear. My relief. My heart. All of the planning, all of the tears, all of the arguments. It all came down to this. "Delta team in position," Raphael said through my ear. "Foxtrot team in position," another voice said. I still wasn't quite sure who was who by their voice, but I'd done an okayish job of remembering names and faces. The fact that I had a team full of women with me made me like the Amatuccis even more. They didn't discriminate. If someone had the skill and the drive to join the security teams, they were given a position. "Estrogen team in position," I said. A series of clicks came through the earbud. I'd made a single joke about Echo team being full of vaginas. They called us the Estro team now. Since we were collectively badass, I didn't really care what they called us as long as it wasn't disrespectful. "A
Her babies? She had kids? I shook my head. Knew there had to be a different story, but I needed to get her back with me to learn it. I set her down on the chair. Pushed her head down between her knees. "Breathe, Nia." I made my voice hard. As hard as I dared when all I wanted to do was cuddle her up and carry her away. Nowhere was my fierce and strong Dominant. Right now, she was a broken, hurting woman. I would hold her together until she could find herself again. Ivan came rushing into the room, his gun drawn. He lifted it to the ceiling when he saw what was going on. One of his brows rose in question.I gave him a brief rundown of what I knew. Which was damn little. I shrugged when I was out of information to share. Mas came hopping in behind Ivan. He didn't have a weapon, but he did have concern etched on his face. "Who the hell are you?" a voice said from behind me. I whirled around, putting Nia behind my body as I faced the threat that shouldn't be there. A
After rushing through the shower and the delicious meal that Raphael put together for breakfast, I walked into the space Ivan and Klara had set up for me. Everything was as I left it, but that didn't mean a whole lot. Especially in a place I didn't control one hundred percent. Brushing the weird vibe away, I walked to the computer. Booted everything up. Once it was up and running, I went through my process of accessing my cloud accounts. Jasper had set some up for me that weren't the typical commercial kind. Luckily, I'd memorized the process, or I'd be up a creek with zero paddle at the moment. A ReadMe file was highlighted when I got all the way into my account. I right clicked, read through the metadata how Jasper showed me. Recognizing his signature, I opened the file. Ms. Flower~I've attached all of the information I could find re Cucumber Butt and Pretty Mean. You'll find them in the associated files.I snickered at Jasper's sense of humor. That kid was a genius and