Here’s a long chapter for you. Xoxo. 💋
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 21 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ "My name is Luigi. And I work with Nikolai." I remained frozen, Maeve's half-braided hair still between my fingers. "Obviously, I work with Nikolai," he continued, gesturing vaguely at his outfit with a smirk. "I don't mean to scare you, cutie," he told Maeve. The little girl immediately ducked her head so low I thought she might burrow into the floor. Her cheeks flamed red as communion wine as she tried to disappear behind me. Sister Margaret, who'd been monitoring the playground, sprinted toward the main building like her habit was on fire, presumably to get Mother Beatrice. Her sandals slapped against the concrete with a desperate rhythm that matched my heartbeat. In the thirty seconds it took for Mother Beatrice to appear—a record time that suggested she'd either sprouted wings or violated several laws of physics, the entire courtyard had descended into panic-stricken whispers. "Why is he here?" "Does he have a gun?" "Is he going to kill us a
Chapter 22 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ “What the fuck is she doing here?” I barely got out the words before Luigi stepped forward, hands raised like he already knew I was about to rip him apart. “Relax,” he said, though his own voice was tight. “I had to bring her.” My hands curled into fists only to recoil at the feel of blood seeping through my right fingers. “You had to?” I repeated, eyes locked on Sylvia, who stood a few steps behind him, head bowed and her hands crossed in front of her. Luigi exhaled sharply. “You’re bleeding out, Nikolai. If nothing is done, you’ll be dead in an hour.” His voice dropped. “I can’t watch that happen.” I dragged my tongue over my teeth, tasting iron. “And so you brought her?” Luigi clenched his jaw. “I couldn’t think of a better option.” I turned my glare on Sylvia. She raised her head at the same time, and when I met her gaze, she arched a single brow. “You didn’t send for me.” A statement, not a question. Luigi stepped in before I could speak. “
Chapter 23 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ I crossed my arms over my chest. "Absolutely not." Nikolai’s brows lifted slightly, like he couldn’t believe I was actually telling him no, then he sank back against the pillows. My hands were still stained with his blood, and now he was asking me to help him sit up, and judging by that look on his face, whatever he had in mind wouldn’t glorify God. "You're going to stay lying down," I stated, "or everything I just did will be for nothing." His lips curled into an infuriating smirk. "Look at you. Giving orders like you're talking to one of those kids at the shelter." "In this moment, I believe I am." The words came out before I gave it a thorough thought. At theraise of one of his brows, I tried to salvage my comment by adding, “Doctor's orders." "You're not a doctor." "And you're not in a position to argue." We stared at each other, locked in a silent battle of wills. His eyes -I’d thought they were just dark before - but now that I was staring di
Chapter 24 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ Three nights since opening Lussuria Nera, and the place was already packed wall-to-wall downstairs. Success by any standard. So why the fuck was I in such a foul mood? I flexed my right hand, the stitches pulling tight under the bandage. Sylvia had done good work with the stitches. Clean. The wound still hurt like a bitch, but I could use my hand now, which was all that mattered. "You gonna sit there brooding all night?" Luigi asked from the doorway, not bothering to knock. As usual, he looked like he'd stepped out of a fashion magazine, his suit perfectly tailored, not a dark hair out of place. The picture of sophistication—until you noticed the brass knuckles tucked into his pocket and the knife scar running across his left eyebrow. "I'm thinking, not brooding," I corrected, taking a sip of whiskey. "About the nun or about Morelli?" Luigi smirked, helping himself to my liquor cabinet. I shot him a warning glare. "The business." "Right." He didn'
Chapter 25 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia stood in the center of my room, looking as out of place as a prayer in a whorehouse. Her eyes kept darting around, taking in the sleek furniture, the expensive art, the obvious displays of wealth. Judging, probably. But there was curiosity there too. "Nice place," she said, wrapping her arms tighter around herself nervously. "Very... minimalist." I snorted, pouring myself a whiskey. "Funny way of saying 'cold and soulless.'" "I didn't say that." "You didn't have to." I offered her a glass, which she predictably declined. I dragged a chair closer and straddled it in front of her with my whiskey still in hand. “So, tell me about this nun who’s into drugs and sneaking around with old men.” “Sixteen,” she said, oblivious to my spiraling thoughts. “Latina. Short, brown hair, bright green eyes. She’s got a little scar on her eyebrow from when she was a kid.” I texted that to Luigi who was already checking the security footage we’d installed around
Chapter 26 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ I'd imagined hell many times during my years in the convent. Fire and brimstone. Demons with pitchforks. Souls in eternal torment. I never imagined hell would look like the backseat of a luxury SUV with tinted windows, a massive dog's head in my lap, and a literal dangerous handsome man driving ninety miles an hour through Brooklyn while making calls that sounded suspiciously like he was organizing a small army. "I need four people at Kent Avenue. Now." Nikolai's voice was different when he spoke to his men tonight, harsher, colder. More like the man I first met than the one who'd laughed about his dog cockblocking a nun. "Tell Manuel to bring the heavy hardware. We're crashing a party." I stroked Fur's head, taking comfort in the warmth of him as my stomach twisted with fear. Not for myself. I'd made peace with my own mortality long ago. It was for Maria. Sweet, damaged Maria with her too-old eyes and fierce determination to prove she didn't need anyon
Chapter 27 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ The door crashed open. A figure staggered out, silhouetted against the dim light from inside. Nikolai. And in his arms, a small, limp form. Maria. I was out of the car before I could think, ignoring his orders to stay put. Fur bounded after me, his massive paws hitting the pavement with dull thuds. "Is she—?" I couldn't finish the question. "Alive," Nikolai confirmed, his face streaked with what looked like blood. Not his own, I realized with a chill. "Drugged, but alive." Relief made my knees weak. "Thank God." "Thank me," he growled, moving toward the car with Maria cradled against his chest. "God didn’t put three bullets in each of those bastards. I did." I should have been horrified. I should have condemned the violence. But I didn’t. Luigi appeared beside Nikolai. "We should go. Chen's people are three minutes out." Nikolai nodded. "Take the girl to the penthouse. Dr. Laney will handle her." He transferred Maria carefully
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