Hey guys. Sorry for the delayed update. Vote and comment. Xoxo💋
Chapter 14 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ I hate the smell of new wood. Or new shit in general—except pussy. I leaned against the bar in the half-finished club, too tired to even reach for a drink. For the last week, I’d been inhaling fresh wood, sawdust, and lingering cigar smoke so much that I made a mental note to book an appointment with the family doctor to check if my lungs were still intact. We were setting up a base here in Albany, something solid. Permanent. A place to move product, handle meetings, and make money. If I was going to be stuck in this city for the next few months, I needed an actual reason—besides the more obvious one: pussy. The place wasn’t ready yet—far from it. No neon lights, no polished floors, and it still smelled like a fucking lumberyard. Another thing to handle. “Nacho,” I called out, flicking a glance at the broad-shouldered man standing near the entrance. “Get that guy to fix the damn stench of this place.” “Boss?” Nacho was our newly recruited
Chapter 15 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ “Can you just hold still for a second, sweetie?” I cooed in a very soft voice. I moved over and knelt beside a squirming little boy, his wide eyes full of panic. “It’s just for a minute.” “I don’t want it, Sylvia!” he whined, kicking his legs in protest. I sighed, then looked up at Sister Anne, who was standing a few feet away, watching me with a knowing expression. “How do you make it look so easy with them?” She chuckled, then pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s all about distraction. Kids don’t like needles, but they love sweets.” I raised an eyebrow. “Sweets? Are you bribing them with candy now?” Sister Anne winked. “If it works, I don’t see the problem. What do you think?” The little boy gave me a frantic look, still clutching his arm tightly. “Please, no vaccine!” “Alright, alright,” I let out a breath, then reached into my pocket and pulled out a lollipop, the colorful wrapper caught the light—and the boy’s eyes, apparently. I unw
Chapter 16 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ The soft hum of the heater filled the bathroom, but the chill still clung to my skin like a second layer. I rubbed my arms, standing in front of the big mirror nailed to the wall, and gave myself a long, hard look. My gaze landed on the woman staring back at me. I blinked. She blinked. I tilted my head. She did the same. But something felt… wrong. Off. Like the person in the glass was someone I was meeting for the first time. My fingers rose, brushing my cheek, tracing the hollow beneath my eyes, the curve of my lips. “Who the hell are you?” I whispered to the reflection. Silence. The question echoed inside me, hollow and unanswered. My skin felt too tight, my body unfamiliar. It was absurd—I was me. But… who was me? I pressed my palm against the cold glass, half-expecting it to ripple like water. “How do I not know you?” I said softly. The harder I tried to remember myself—myself—the more the memories slipped like sand through my fingers. There wa
Hey everyone, I’m so sorry for the delayed updates. Unfortunately, my health didn’t improve as expected, and I’ve been advised to take some time off to rest and finish my medications. (It’s just all the stress catching up, I’ll be up in no time.) I truly appreciate your patience and understanding. The moment I’m back on my feet, I’ll be jumping straight behind my keyboard! I know, I miss Nikolai and Sylvia as well. 🥺 Thank you for sticking with me and for understanding. Take care of yourselves too. xoxo 💋
Chapter 17 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ “Teach me how to sin?” The words felt strange on my tongue, like reciting a verse that wasn’t in the Bible. “I’m a nun.” I even made the sign of the cross for good measure. But then—oh, Lord forgive me—my gaze traitorously dropped to his lips. “You’re a nun in the making.” Nikolai’s grin was pure wickedness, I could have sworn that was the same kind of smirk that got Eve into trouble. “I could show you that there are much better things in this life than depriving that sweet pu—” “You will not blaspheme in my presence, Nikolai!” I cut him off, nearly making the sign of the cross again just to be safe. He had the audacity to roll his eyes. “Alright, Sister.” The way he said it made me feel like I’d just scolded a schoolboy, but then his gaze dragged down, first to my bare shoulders, then lower, to the towel I was clutching like a lifeline. A sinful smirk touched his lips. “I could take you to the promised land in those novels you sneak under
Chapter 18 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ There’s something fundamentally wrong with this man. I started to push him away because my senses were slowly coming back and my cheeks were doing a good job betraying my embarrassment when my towel chose that exact moment to betray me—like Eve's apple, tempting and treacherous. But before it could complete its sinful descent, Nikolai's hand shot out, catching it just below my cleavage. My breath hitched when his knuckles involuntarily brushed against the very sensitive, hardened flesh of my nipples. "You're not a gentleman," I pointed out, just to distract him from the fact that his fingers made my pulse skip like a guilty altar boy. He frowned, amusement dancing in his dark eyes. "How'd you figure that out? Because I'm a Made Man?" Somehow, even through my mortification and the fact that I was one slip of cotton away from giving him an anatomy lesson that definitely wasn't in the Bible, I laughed. "You're in a shelter, snuck into a nun's room, a
Chapter 19 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ Eclipse was a temple of everything I despised. The bass pounded through my bones like artillery fire, adding to the list of reasons why I avoided these places. The half-dressed women were already winking their heavily painted brows at me, gesturing for me with their asses and twirling their tongues over their red lips like vampires. Fucking shameless bitches. Even after a scalding shower back at my place, I could still smell her on my skin. Still taste her. The memory of Sylvia pressed against that wall made my grip tighten on the leather-bound rail as I ascended to the VIP section. Fuck, I’d barely stopped myself from going back there, from showing her exactly what salvation could feel like when you weren’t afraid to reach for it. “You look like you’re either about to kill someone or get laid,” Luigi commented as I approached our pre-booked corner booth. “Okay, possibly both.” I shot him a look that would have made smarter men shut up. Luigi just g
Chapter 20⟿❂⟾Sylvia⟿❂⟾"Bless me Father, for I have sinned."The words tasted like ash in my mouth. I shifted on the hard wooden seat, the confessional's familiar quietness suddenly unnerving. How many times had I sat here, offering my small transgressions like pebbles? But this one felt like trying to confess a boulder."It has been one week since my last confession."One week. But barely twelve hours since Nikolai had me pressed against that wall, his hands making me forget every vow I'd ever taken. My skin burned at the memory."Go on, child."I swallowed hard. How exactly does one confess to wanting a man to commit several mortal sins? With visual aids and a PowerPoint presentation? How do I possibly tell a religious leader in agonizing details how shamelessly close I’d come to being fucked senseless in the shelter by a man who murdered people for a living? How could I tell him the terrible things he’d done to my breasts last night? "I... I've had impure thoughts, Father." T
Chapter 74⟿❂⟾Sylvia⟿❂⟾I woke to sunlight and emptiness.For a moment, disorientation gripped me as I blinked at unfamiliar surroundings. This was certainly not the same room I slept in yesterday or the night before, and it sure as hell was nothing close to my room at the convent. Then memories of the night before and my life for the last three months rushed back: I left the convent, what we did at the club, the car, Nikolai...Heat flooded my cheeks as I remembered the way I'd behaved, the wanton abandon with which I'd given myself to him. The risks we'd taken. My hand drifted unconsciously to my stomach, though I knew it was too soon for any physical manifestation of our recklessness.The bed beside me was empty, the sheets cool to the touch. How long had I been alone? I pushed myself up against the headboard, wincing at the soreness between my thighs. That was a very pleasant reminder of our sins.A glass of water sat on the nightstand, alongside two small pills and a handwritt
Chapter 73⟿❂⟾Nikolai⟿❂⟾I woke before dawn, as I always did. Years of discipline had trained my body to need only five hours of sleep, and even with Sylvia warm against me, that hadn't changed.What had changed was my reluctance to leave the bed.She was curled against me like a cat, one hand splayed across my chest, her breathing deep and even. My t-shirt had ridden up during the night, exposing the curve of her hip and the length of her legs. In sleep, her face held none of the guarded wariness that sometimes crept into her expression when she thought I wasn't looking. My fingers caressed her back until they reached her neck, where the mark there burned against her skin like a brand. A crescent moon. The only thing I was very sure of right now after filtering the whole jargon of religious bullshit Luigi gathered was the fact that it was certainly not a birthmark, but a scar—deliberately placed. I allowed myself five more minutes of this strange peace before carefully extract
Chapter 72 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ There was something surreal about watching her sleep against my shoulder. After the raw, primal sex in the back of my car, the way she'd given herself to me completely, without reservation, she now looked impossibly innocent again. Her face relaxed in slumber, she could have been a painting of a sleeping angel, if not for the purple marks blooming on her throat and the disheveled state of her hair. The contradiction she embodied continued to fascinate me. Virgin and temptress. Innocent and wanton. Sacred and profane. I'd had countless women over the years, but none had captivated me the way she did, none had made me break my own rules. Like tonight, with the condom. I ran a hand over my face, suppressing a groan. What the hell had I been thinking? I prided myself on control, on discipline, on never taking unnecessary risks. Yet one pleading look from those doe eyes, and I'd thrown caution to the wind. She stirred against me, mumbling something inco
Chapter 71 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ His hands slid up my thighs, pushing my dress higher until it bunched around my waist. His fingers traced the edges of my panties—new ones he'd insisted I put on before leaving the club. He’d produced them from his jacket pocket and stuffed the one I had before in there, almost like he'd planned for everything. "Here?" he asked, though I could tell from the roughness in his voice that he was already convinced. "Here," I confirmed, reaching between us to fumble with his buttons. "Right now." He reached into his pocket and frowned when he came up empty. "I don't have another condom." I continued working on his buttons, undeterred. "We don't need one." His hands caught mine, stilling them. "Yes, we do." "But you promised," I reminded him. "After our first time, you said we won’t need a condom the next time." "Someday," he emphasized. "Not tonight, not in the back of a car." I pouted, knowing it was childish but unable to help myself. "Why not? I'm not
Chapter 70 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai's arm was a steady presence around my waist as he guarded me outside the club. The stars above seemed to swim in my vision, not from intoxication but from the lingering high of what I'd just experienced. Behind us, Manuel and another of Nikolai’s men followed at a respectful distance. I couldn't meet their eyes. Did they know where we'd been? What we'd done? Of course they did. The thought sent a rush of embarrassment through me. "Are you alright?" Nikolai enquired. I nodded, then reconsidered. "I don't know." He studied my face, concern etching lines around his eyes. "Regrets?" "No," I answered quickly, surprising myself with my conviction. "Not regrets. Just...thinking." Our ride waited at the curb, Nikolai went round to open the door for me. As we slid into the back seat, the privacy partition was already raised—a small mercy I was grateful for. Once the door closed, sealing us into our private cocoon, I felt the first tremors begin in m
Chapter 69 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ Without a word, he took my hand and pulled me to my feet, his grip firm but not painful. "Fix your dress," he ordered quietly. I did as he commanded, sliding the zipper back up just enough to keep the fabric in place, though it remained looser than before. The warmth of his hand radiated through the small of my back as he guided me away from the main dance floor. We moved past the VIP section, deeper into the club through a corridor I hadn't noticed before. Two of his security men fell in behind us, maintaining a respectful distance. Nikolai nodded to a bouncer stationed before an unmarked black door, who immediately stepped aside. "Are you feeling tipsy?" Nikolai asked, his voice was etched with concern. I turned to look at him, holding his gaze. "I'm not high, I’m horny." Something dangerous flickered in his eyes. "God damn it, Sylvia. You’ve really fallen from grace.” Nikolai nodded once to his security team, probably telling them to
Chapter 68 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ "What are you thinking about?" Nikolai asked, noticing my distant gaze as we drove through the country side. "St. Catherine's," I admitted. "You miss it?" "Parts of it," I said honestly. His expression turned serious. "I suspected.” “It’s just funny how everything’s suddenly changed.” “I don’t feel guilty and I want you to never feel bad.” He said. “The sisters at St. Catherine's were given specific instructions about your care. I've been trying to figure out why." "Do you think it has something to do with who I might be?" Nikolai considered his words carefully. "I think it's connected, yes. But I don't want to burden you with theories today. Today is about..." he paused, searching for the right words. "Normal life?" I suggested with a small smile. "As normal as possible," he agreed. "Speaking of which, if you want to talk to Maeve, I can arrange it." My heart leapt. "Really? You would do that?" "Of course. She's been worried about you. I spok
Chapter 67 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ "Yes, a complete makeover. Mr. Gianni's instructions." The woman entered, wheeling in a trolley loaded with beauty supplies. "I'm Marcella, by the way. I handle styling for all of Mr. Gianni's special guests." I eyed the intimidating array of products and tools. "I've never had a makeover before." Marcella's eyes lit up. "Never? Then this will be extra special." She gestured to the bathroom. "Let's start with your hair, shall we?" I followed her reluctantly. At the convent, beauty routines were simple affairs; minimal soap, cold water, and Sister Margaret’s occasional trims. In the spacious bathroom, Marcella directed me to sit on a cushioned chair she'd positioned by the sink. "Lean back, let me wash your hair properly." As she worked the shampoo into my scalp with practiced fingers, I closed my eyes, surprised by how soothing it felt. The warm water and gentle massage were nothing like Sister Margaret’s efficient ministrations. "Your hai
Chapter 66 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ I must have fallen asleep eventually, because I woke to sunlight streaming through the windows and the sound of activity in the house below. I sat up, disoriented for a moment before the events of the night before came rushing back. Nikolai. The interrupted 'therapy'. The conversation we had. The figure I thought I'd seen in the trees. The conversation at dinner. A knock at the door made me jump. "Miss Sylvia?" a woman's voice called. "Mr. Gianni asked me to bring you breakfast and some fresh clothes." I wrapped myself in the robe I was still wearing from last night and opened the door to find one of the household staff with a tray of food and a garment bag draped over her arm. "Thank you," I said, stepping aside to let her in. "Is Nikolai—Mr. Gianni—around?" "He had to step out early this morning," she explained, setting the tray on a small table by the window. "He asked me to tell you he'll be back by noon and that you're to stay in the