I fidgeted in my chair. Talked myself out of calling her. Seeing if she'd been released from all restrictions yet. I was going to demand a second opinion if Jessa told her she had to restrain from sex for another month. Hell, I might duct tape Jessa's mouth and deliver her to Nico's door. Let him keep her occupied. A soft knock on my door had me jolting. "Come." I slid my hand down my tie. Edi's knocks were usually a lot stronger than that. A smaller woman came into my office. Dark hair, dark eyes, she looked vaguely familiar. She pushed back her hair, tucked it behind her ears. "Mr. Amatucci?"I stood up, waved her over to a seat. "Yes. And you are?""I'm Eden Forester. I need some help."I waited for her to sit before I took my seat again. "What can I do to help you?"Her cheeks flushed. "I know who you are. I also know who your family is."I stayed silent. Most people who came to us for protection knew exactly who we were. It was one of the reasons they sought us out
I opened the door, smiled as I let Willow in. "Welcome to your old home." I swept a hand wide. She chuckled as she brought her bags in. "Oh, man. I've missed this place." She looked around. Her brow furrowed. "You haven't changed anything."I shook my head. "No. I told everyone I'm just squatting here until I can find a new house." Why no one believed me, I had no idea. Willow, her long light brown hair pulled up into a messy knot on top of her head, bustled to the kitchen island. She bobbed her head up and down a couple times. "Oh, please. Just make Turo propose already and move in with him. He's got more than enough room."Heat flared through my cheeks. Was the whole family trying to get us married? What if he didn't want that? I mean, I was trying to convince him to do it. But until today, I couldn't even offer sex. I was hoping to change that tonight. There was another knock on the door. I went back and opened it. Tali and Jessa stood there. I waved them in. Just as
Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt. I groaned, shoved my head under my pillow. I'd literally just gotten in bed. Another cold shower jerk off session as I waited for Nik to put me out of my misery. Jessa had already left the office by the time I called her. And I figured bothering her on her weekend was a douche move that I didn't want to have to figure out how to apologize for. Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.I groaned again, but slapped a hand to my nightstand. With a glare, I unlocked the screen. Two new messages showed up.Both from Nik. I sat up, opened my messages app. Tapping her name, I almost fell out of bed when I saw the first message. Jessa gave me the all clear -CricketThe next was a short video. I hit the play button. Her face showed up. A lazy, sexy smile pulled at her mouth. "Too bad you aren't here." The next thing I know, she's laying down in bed. The camera pans down her naked body until I can see her pretty pussy. I'd been dreaming of that. Hell, it had featured in my mind
I shook my hair back. Damn it. Glared at the man in my bed. My plan should have worked. It was flawless. But no. Mr. Stupid Asshole had done another end run around me and gotten me to beg first. I was tempted to shove him out of my bed, but he was probably prepared for that as well. Asshole. His snicker told me he wasn't actually asleep. I rolled my eyes, pushed up from the mess of sheets that smelled of hard sex and sweat. "See yourself out, Foster."I walked into the bathroom, shut the door. I did my business and stood at the sink, letting the water warm up before I thrust my hands into the stream. Staring at myself in the mirror, I tried to convince myself to just shut him out. Every single thing about him annoyed or infuriated me. From his smirks and snotty attitude to his inability to stay out of my business. About the only thing he was good for was a roll in the sheets. And that annoyed me, too. I was good at sex. But damn, he was great at it. Probably uses it as
I was out of time. She was going to go meet them alone, and she had no idea what she was getting ready to walk into. I should have told her sooner. Should have sat her down and explained everything. There was something larger at play here. But none of them would listen to me. And fuck if Talia ever thought of actually listening to me. The woman had the biggest chip on her shoulder. Granted, she'd earned it, well and truly.I pulled my phone from my pants pocket. Glared at the soldiers who were keeping me from leaving. I could escape. Pretty easily, in fact. But I didn't want to make her look bad in front of her men. That was a short road to a lonely bed.I shivered in the winter air. Glad I had that as an excuse. She was fucking fire in the sack. Hell, having her snipe and swipe at me got me harder than granite. She issued orders like I was supposed to follow them. Then, when I gave her what she actually wanted, she melted in my hands. Strong women were my kryptonite. And Tal
I gritted my teeth as the tires slipped and slid over the newest layer of ice and snow that covered the ground in pristine white. Instead of getting to watch it fall from the midnight sky, a cup of hot chocolate in my hands, a fuzzy blanket around my shoulders, in my best comfy jammies, I was rocketing across town to a meet up with a competing family. But I needed to do this. Win this. To win at least one. The roads were treacherous. Slick and slippery. I rounded the final corner. Felt the road drift away under the tires. I tried to turn into the fishtail. Why did they have to meet out in BFE anyways? There were perfectly sketchy and abandoned warehouses downtown. But nooo. Just like a man to make me have to dance to his tune to get some satisfaction. With a jerk and a shudder, the car finally straightened out. My heart fell back into my chest as the adrenaline slowly dissipated from my system. Assholes. Making me drive out this far. Your destination is ahead on your right, th
I cradled my arm against my body. Sighed. "Did you really have to shoot me?" I asked Arturo, the oldest of the Amatucci children."Yeah. I did. You should be glad that I only winged you. Now explain. In great detail." He waved me over from the kitchen island to sit in one of the chairs. "Could you at least put some damn clothes on? Interrogations with a naked dude should be listed under cruel and unusual." I sat down. Ripped a pillow case off the seemingly million throw pillows strewn around the loft. Fashioning a crude tourniquet, I staunched the blood flow in my arm while Turo got some clothes on. He was back out in the open concept living and dining area, his woman next to him. "What the fuck, Foster? You didn't get any pussy tonight, so you decided to crash everyone's parade?" Nik said as she stomped across the floor to the kitchen area. She got some kind of kettle thing down along with a bag of something else. "Talia went out to meet with the Russians," I said, looki
THWAP! My head bounced against something hard, jarring me from the void of sickly nothingness. On my back, all I could see were the low lights overhead. Bile coated the back of my throat as I tried to breathe through the nausea. The sloshing and slipping of my brain from one side to the other. "She's awake," someone called in a high voice. Unable to push it down, I made it to my side before my stomach gave a giant heave. Only to be caught by whatever they had over my mouth. Vomit rushed up into my nose, was forced down into my throat. My airways. Terror and fear swamped my mind as all my options for breathing were removed. I was going to die here. Suffocating on my own vomit. "The fuck! Get the tape off her mouth. She's going to die and then where will we be?" a man yelled as someone darted forward in the cramped space. As soon as the ripping pull of my delicate flesh was completed, I was coughing and spitting. Fire burned my nostrils as air forced its way through
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