CaterinaHis words leave me questioning everything. Does he want just a physical connection, or is there something deeper here? I want to ask, but I’m afraid of adding more confusion to my already chaotic emotions. It feels like I’ve landed on a new, unfamiliar world.With Luciano, things were never like this—Gianni was right. As unsettling as it was to gag on him, it was also thrilling. Each compliment and thrust spurred me on to please him even more. I wanted to be the one who made him happy, who made him come.The salty tang of his cum still lingers on my tongue. Before now, I had never swallowed. It wasn’t half as bad as I expected. If anything, I feel closer to him than I ever did before. Even through the worst of it, we were in it together. He pushed my boundaries, but I wanted it.My thighs rub together, the insides slick with the juices of arousal by the time he helps me to my feet.Another first.Just having him in my mouth, listening to his grunts and the filthy things he said
“That’s right,” he mutters, wrapping the cuff around my left wrist, cinching the metal buckle until I wince from the pressure. “You need to learn, and this is the only way I can teach you.”I’m as confused as ever, even though my body’s all-in. Blood racing, skin flushed, the ache between my thighs so intense I could cry. If he doesn’t touch my pussy soon, I might die.“We need to break down those walls you’ve built around yourself,” he continues in a deceptively smooth voice, cuffing my left ankle, then my right. “You’ve spent your entire life telling yourself not to go too far. Haven’t you?”I nod, watching him test the strength of the restraints with a sharp tug. He’s efficient like he’s done this before. I guess if he has restraints lying around like this, it means he’s experienced.If I could pick anybody to introduce me to these dark delights, I’m glad it’s him. That thought eases the tension in my shoulders and back, making it easier to settle against the pile of pillows behind
GianniI’ve reached a new low: the world’s biggest asshole. I’m a total screw-up, a hopeless case. Why did I let it happen? The question haunted me as soon as I woke up before dawn to find Caterina’s head resting on my chest. Her gentle breathing, the sweet scent of her shampoo, and her hair brushing against my nose created a brief moment of pure happiness.For a fraction of a second, I was as content as I’ve ever been. Holding the world in my arms felt like everything I needed.What a fool I’ve been.By the time I step onto the treadmill in the gym, I’m seething at myself. I need a hard run to clear my mind from this mess I’ve created.I set a five-minute warm-up, starting slow to loosen my muscles before increasing the pace. Maybe I can outrun this guilt.What seemed complicated yesterday morning has spiraled into a complete mess, all because of my lack of impulse control. I’ve always had a knack for convincing myself to pursue what I want, even when I know it’s a mistake.Though I
“Mr. Rossetti, this is an extraordinarily generous donation,” Commissioner Ramsey says, staring at the sizable check I’ve just given him. “We’re truly at a loss for words.”“I didn’t expect a speech, Commissioner,” I reply with a neutral smile, extending my hand for a handshake. “Just your acknowledgment.” The real message is clear: Keep your distance from me and my associates.While I have no objection to charitable work, investing in the city is one of the most worthwhile causes I can think of. If I can achieve more than one goal with this gesture, so much the better.“You certainly have our gratitude,” he says, shaking my hand firmly while eyeing the check with evident disbelief.“The city will certainly benefit from this.”“There’s no question. This amount will address many of the city's issues.”“It’s nothing. I’m always ready to contribute.” I rise, adjust my jacket, and walk around the desk as Roger opens the office door. “If there’s anything else I can do, please let me know.
CaterinaAs I drive downtown to meet with my new boss for lunch, where I’ll finalize my contract and HR paperwork before starting my new job on Monday, I should be feeling excited. I was thrilled when they offered me the position initially. It represented my hard work paying off. While some classmates are still job-hunting, I’ve managed to secure a role right out of graduation, always the diligent student who follows the rules.I should be feeling grateful and content with how things are progressing in my life. Instead, I’m preoccupied with thoughts of Gianni, questioning whether what happened last night was wrong, and worrying about Tatiana finding out and potentially hating me. Luciano is a distant thought now, but Tatiana's possible disapproval would be a heartbreak I might never recover from. She’s like the sister I never had. Is it worth risking that for someone as extraordinary as her father?Incredible, attractive, and so adept at igniting my desires. Even hours after leaving h
The clock is ticking, so I hurry out of the car and into the building, pep-talking myself the entire time. Out of the elevator pours a group of people around my age, probably on their way to lunch at one of the cafes peppering the business district.I’ll be one of them soon.I feel nothing but boredom at the idea. No exhilaration, no eagerness to get started.Shake it off, damn it.Once I reach the tenth floor, I step up to the desk across from the elevator doors. “I’m here to see Eric Adams. We have a twelve-thirty appointment.”Once the perky girl behind the desk announces me through her headset and offers me a seat while I wait, I take a slow look around the open, sunny reception area. People walk past, carrying folders and tablets. A couple of guys discuss last night’s baseball game while they wait for the elevator.They’ll be my coworkers in a few days. I wonder if they ever question their choices. Everybody does, I guess, but we get through it. We honor our choices, and this was
GianniWhat’s taking Caterina so long to get home from work?I know it’s irrational. One physical encounter, and now I feel like she owes me an explanation for everything. I’m being ridiculous.The past few days have pushed my self-control to its limits. The constant push-and-pull, the battle between wanting her desperately and wanting what’s best for her, has created unbearable tension between us. It’s maddening to know how easily I can influence her, and I’m fighting not to give in to the urge to have her right there on the kitchen counter whenever we cross paths.Every moment I resist only makes her occupy more of my thoughts. She’s all I can think about.Today was her first day at her new job, but there’s no reason for her to stay late. It takes half an hour to get from town at this time of night, yet the beat-up Corolla she drives is still missing.And I’m ready to rip some fucking heads off.“Roger!” My bark brings him from his smaller office across the hall in record time. “How
I glance up from the names and addresses. Roger’s stone-faced, the way he should be. This isn’t the first time we’ve had this conversation. But it is the first time we’ve had it with Caterina hiding under my desk, playing with my cock. She rubs her palm over my dick, and blinding pleasure zings through me. I can hardly breathe for wanting her mouth on me.“Possibly,” I grunt. “We can decide on that later.”“Later?” His brows furrow. “We’re talking about a lot of money. Two of them, we already gave extensions. They knew what they were doing when they borrowed—”“Enough!” I growl, my voice booming. Caterina’s touch freezes while Roger’s head snaps back. “Since when do you tell me how to manage my business? Thank you for bringing me the info I requested. That is your job. It is not your job to tell me how to handle things after that point.”“Pardon me if I’m overstepping, but any other day you would usually be halfway to the car, ready to blow some brains out if they didn’t pay up.”Cate
When I try to send a text in response, it goes undelivered. The number comes up as ID Blocked. No surprise.“I'm wondering if we should have brought more men,” he grunts, swerving around a slow-moving minivan. A glimpse at the passenger side mirror reveals the car behind us, matching our speed, following Roger's every move.“Between the five of us, if we can't handle it, then we have bigger problems.”“What if this is all a way of drawing us out? Whoever is behind this would know I'd come on the run.”“Do you want to take that chance?” He glances away from the road to stare at me for a moment. “We can always call for more backup.”“By the time they get there, what point would it make?” We're already halfway there as it is. “I don't want to wait for them.”Besides, this doesn't feel like an attack is imminent. It feels more like the attack has already taken place, I'm afraid. I don’t want to think about what we might discover when we arrive. Don't let it be Caterina. Don't let it be Ta
GIANNI“You can tell summer's winding down.”I look up from the spreadsheet Roger insisted we compile—always organized, which I suppose I should be grateful for even if a Friday evening spent poring over spreadsheets isn’t my idea of a good time. “What do you mean?”“It's already starting to get dark, and it's barely past seven o'clock.”Sure enough, a look out the window confirms this. “I wonder how long the girls will be out.”“You know how it gets sometimes. Crack open a bottle of wine or two, and time melts.”“I don't think they'll be doing that tonight.” When he lifts an eyebrow, I break the news I've been waiting all week to share. “This stays between us, but Caterina is pregnant.”Now both brows lift. “Oh. I... congratulations?”I can't help but grin. “Yes, congratulations are in order.”“And she's happy about it?”“You know. Things are still complicated.” I'm trying to be kind toward Charles for her sake, but I can't pretend his bias against me isn't a real pain in the ass at
Something snaps inside my head. No, no, this isn’t happening. Not to me. Not to my baby.Every self-defense lesson Dad ever taught me comes rushing back. I can’t breathe in if I want to stay conscious, so I hold my breath while stomping a foot against his instep with all my might. He grunts in pain but doesn’t release me. In my frenzy, I reach out, sinking my nails into any flesh I can touch, then I drive an elbow into his ribs.“You bitch,” he growls before slamming me headfirst into the trunk of my car. Everything goes dark and foggy. My body slumps when I lose control of it, and I can’t help but breathe in.My baby. My baby…I don’t lose consciousness, though. Not completely. It’s more like being sedated; my brain still works. I hear everything, but I can’t make my body move. I’m floating in a dream-like state, but this is all very real. A living nightmare.“Get moving,” one of the men snarls, shoving me into the car. I can’t open my eyes. My head is pounding.Tatiana’s body slumps
CATERINA“Hey, what are you looking at?”My heart just about jumps out of my chest as I quickly close my browser before turning in my chair to find Stephanie standing at the entrance of my cubicle. The way she lifts an eyebrow while folding her arms reminds me too much of my best friend—it hurts, since we haven’t spoken all week.I touch a hand to my chest, laughing. “You're like a ghost, I swear. How are you so quiet?”“Maybe you were too busy looking at naughty things to notice me coming up behind you.”“Naughty things?” The idea makes me giggle, because she couldn't be further from the truth. It was dirty things that got me pregnant in the first place. Now, I am reading advice columns and googling baby names when I should be working.“Nobody closes their browser that fast if they aren’t looking at something they shouldn't be.”“Sorry to disappoint you, but I was reading junk on Reddit.” At least it's a believable lie. “I don't want to get caught screwing around.”“Who cares?” she s
The look of heartbreak on Caterina’s face makes me want to order a hit on Amalia at this very moment. “That you’d want me to get an abortion if you found out because you didn’t want any more children. That the last thing you wanted was to be tied down again.” The anguish in her voice slices me down to the bone.I’ll kill her. It’s as simple as that.How long have I told myself I must spare her pathetic life because she’s Tatiana’s mother? She’s never been a mother to her, anyway. I could have done Tatiana and the world a favor by getting rid of her, but I didn’t. Now it doesn’t seem to matter if she’s alive or dead.“For one thing,” I speak carefully so I don’t spook her, “Amalia does not have the first clue on how I would feel about anything. She doesn’t know me. You should know by now that she wants me to be miserable, which means making everyone around me miserable by association. Plus, she’s herself, so I’m sure it must make her jealous, knowing you’re going to have my child—a chi
GIANNI“Patience,” Roger advises, his eyes constantly moving as he scans the area around us while we stand beneath the covered stoop in front of his cottage. “Just because I haven't found anything yet doesn't mean I won't.”“It isn't you I'm frustrated with,” I grunt, trying not to appear suspicious. There are no fewer than five guards within my line of sight, and I can't help but wonder if it's one of them.The traitor.“It's barely been two days since I installed the software,” he reminds me. “Give it some time.”“I get it, but until then, I have to pretend I trust everyone equally, and that’s frustrating as hell when you know one of your men is sharing information he shouldn’t be.”“There is another solution. It’s faster, if that’s what you’re looking for. You could just fire everybody and start over.”He recoils under the sharp glare I shoot at him. I know he wasn’t serious, but I’m not in a joking mood. “I can't afford to lose my entire team at a time like this. Not with a new de
“Not really.” Tatiana looks me up and down. “Are you feeling okay? You look a little green.”Once we move closer to the register, the feeling gets worse. Only once the girl behind the counter reaches for Tatiana’s clothes do I realize it’s Tatiana’s perfume that sets me off. The stronger the smell, the sweatier and more nauseated I get.“I’ll meet you outside.” Nothing in the world matters more than getting out of this store. The glass doors are my sole goal, and I walk toward them as calmly as possible, even as my insides start churning. Stupid me, thinking if I never got sick like this before now, I’d be one of the lucky ones who never had to go through it.I burst through the double doors to the outside, sucking deep breaths into my lungs. The sunshine is so bright, glaring off the concrete, but there’s an awning over the wide front window, and I take shelter beneath it. A few minutes pass, and the nausea seems to pass with every breath I take. Shit. Suddenly it occurs to me that I
CATERINA“How come you're not trying on any clothes?”Damn it. I was hoping I’d get away with it.We’ve been shopping for the past half hour, and only now has she thought to ask why I haven’t picked out anything. I was kind of hoping she wouldn't pay attention. She's having a good time trying on skirts and dresses and jeans. Now she’s frowning at me from the three-way mirror outside her dressing room stall. “Why aren’t you shopping, too?”I’m sure the response: I don't know how much longer I'll fit into anything. It would be a waste of money to buy anything in my size when I don’t have the first idea of how pregnancy will affect my body... wouldn’t go over well.“I feel bloated,” I groan, rubbing my stomach. “It's just not a good day.”“I'm sorry. Would you prefer we go back home?”I like that she thinks of it as home for both of us. “No, I’m fine. I just know I would hate myself in everything I tried on.”“You always look great, if that helps.”“Thanks. And you look hot in that dress
“There he is, going around with all these suspicions without solid proof. I'm finally starting to understand how he must feel.” That, and how Caterina seems determined to look after me—the way she does with him.“Speaking of which, have you reviewed the list of names I compiled?”If my head doesn't fucking explode, it will be a miracle. I walked into this room feeling good, energized, confident. All it takes is a catch-up session to remember how overwhelming the past few weeks have been. Caterina or no Caterina, I've got enough on my plate to make any man want to throw in the towel.I made her a promise. I’m going to find out who killed her mother. I only hope she isn’t in a hurry, since at least a dozen possible culprits could’ve had reason to send a message to Charles.“I scanned the names,” I confirm. “And I'd like to set up meetings. Only this is touchy, so we can't make too much noise, or word might spread that I'm digging.”“You realize one of those names was Salvatore Costello.