ProserpinaI sighed and sat back in the chair, raising my arms and stretching. It was late evening and I had been working on my notes and projects. I had enrolled for a refresher course at the university along with my Doctoral course and was thrilled to have been accepted too. Anything to dull the ache of my heart as I sat about waiting for the return of my husband I thought despondently. I longed to hold him in my arms, to feel his harsh claiming of my body…I loved him and I ached for him.Rachel was arriving the next day and I had wanted to see that my work was done before that. I longed to see her, my dearest friend.Brian had also hinted that he would stop back on his way back to Japan. I was eager to see him too. I smiled happily as I thought of them.*The sound of Beston clearing his throat politely, made me jump.I turned around and got to my feet.He stood in the doorway, and he gave a twitch of his lips to signify a smile.Ria and Piers had appeared behind him, Claude tail
Lucien.They moved slowly as they approached the house, little more than a make-shift shed. Simmons was in contact with Aiyana as she radioed back instructions, her voice not sounding as cool and collected as she watched them through the camera they had fitted.*“Watch out!’ she called and they saw a light move in one of the rooms inside the house.Suddenly, with no warning, a volley of fire came from the house and the bushes surrounding the house. Lucien and his men dived down, crawling in the undergrowth on their stomachs. They took care not to return the fire. They did not want to provide any clue to their whereabouts.Panting, Lucien rolled onto his stomach. His brass knuckle dusters were in his overcoat pocket. It had been difficult, climbing up the hill, loaded with their weapons.But this was one weapon he would not abandon for anything.*He turned his head and met the eyes of his man, Rhyme.Schwartz also nodded as Lucien gesticulated, jerking his chin coldly.The tall man
ProserpinaI stepped out of the kitchen, face glowing as I hurried to meet my friend.Rachel had arrived, flying in from one of the Scandinavian nations where she had gone to attend a lecture on environmental hazards. And she had also presented a paper before the august assembly of academicians and I was proud of her although she had played down her achievement in her usual flippant way.I threw my arms around her and she hugged me enthusiastically. Rachel was a big-boned woman with short-cropped blonde hair and a wide smile, her huge glasses balanced on her small pert nose. She still had a smattering of freckles on her nose and I squealed as she hugged me again, a bone-breaking hug.‘Girl, you look as young as ever’ she shouted, her booming voice as authoritative and strong as ever.‘Rachel!’ I cried, even as she continued,“Where is your brood?’ and then she chuckled as Ria and Piers, with Claude in tow, burst out of the morning room where they had been doing their studies, under th
ProserpinaRachel was a much-loved aunt for the kids and she soon had Claude eating out of her hand too. She and her lover, a sweet woman she had met in Peru, had finally decided to get married later in the year, a Christmas wedding, she said with a wry grimace. Mayra, her lover, had been simple and not as outspoken as Rachel during our video conversations. She was a doctor and they had decided to finally tie the knot. I was thrilled for them.“You had better be there for the wedding, girl, ‘ she warned, fixing me with a stern look.I dimpled.“I shall tell Lucien when he returns,’ I said simply. The twins turned to look at me. They were anxious about their father, no doubt and were longing to know how he was. But one look at my face and they exchanged glances and turned back to Rachel, faces subdued.Guessing the reason for their suddenly mellow expressions, she grabbed Ria’s hand and indicated that they should follow her.‘Come on, you lot!’ she urged, ‘I have something to show you
LucienThey blundered into the woods, relying on their instincts, listening alertly to the sounds coming from around them. Rhyme had joined them, and he pointed out, wordlessly, to the path where it appeared as if someone had pushed through the tangled twigs and branches in a hurry. The light snow also revealed indentures made by three pairs of boots. One was smaller than the others, noted Lucien as they moved, carefully.The sound of water could be heard as they moved away from the now burning little house and in the distance; Lucien had been listening to the noise of an approaching chopper.It had to be the one he had had stationed in a field nearby. Aiyana must have been informed and she must have radioed the chopper crew.As for Salam Khan, the gangster had been stopped at the border by the Slovakian authorities, based on the tip off provided by the Interpol agencies.Now it had zeroed down to just one man: Dmitri Rudenko who he was determined to bring down that day.Or die in the
ProserpinaWhen I returned, there was a mini celebration of sorts.The kids had persuaded Camille to help them to put up a small tent in the garden and were camping on the grounds.I sighed as I saw them; my twins looked so happy. Claude was also with them, whooping and shouting as they ran around the makeshift tent, screaming. Claude pummelled his fists on poor Paddy; I had noticed that he had a tendency to hurt poor Paddy who took it cheerfully, with a goofy grin on his face. On more than one occasion, I had had to intervene and prevent my young son from hurting the child who was autistic and who never retaliated.Of course, the twins stopped him when they saw it but being young kids themselves, they were not going to be vigilant the way I remained.Rachel had gone off to town to meet some acquaintances. She had left a message saying she would be back the next afternoon. She had called me to check if I was alright, to make sure I did not need her with me.*My army of helpers bustle
ProserpinaThe darkness of the night surrounded me. I sat on the seat near the window, my knees drawn up, resting my chin on them, arms wound around my legs, staring into the darkness of the lawn below. From somewhere in the distance, I hear the sound of an owl, lonely and sombre, breaking the silence of the night. It must be around 2 a.m, I thought wearily, running my hand through my hair, undoing my heavy braid and untangling the knots absently.On the music system beside me, I was playing my favourite music by David Lanz, the composer and pianist. Sometimes when I was upset, I would play it and doze off on the recliner here by the window, a sense of peace washing over me, lulling me to rest.But tonight, my mind was working overtime.Peace was elusive. All I could think of was Lucien. And somehow, I knew, being as attuned to him as I was, I knew he was in trouble.*I had come awake a while ago, not long after I had drifted off into a tired sleep, my children beside me. Despite hav
LucienThe snow was falling heavily now, it was on the way to becoming a blizzard. The only sound was the howling of the wind in the trees, apart, of course, from the sound of Lucien and Dmitri grunting and gasping as they fought to the last.They rolled in the snow, totally oblivious to the extreme, bitter cold, the driving wind, harsh against their cheeks, and the storm pelting them with shards of ice. Lucien felt his hands slipping, wet with snow and blood…his blood and that of the man beneath him, who was struggling to stay alive. He punched the man again, relishing the screams the man was stifling as his cheekbone shattered.And then suddenly, as though from a great distance, he heard Schwartz bellowing frantically.“DELANO!!! Watch out, BOSS!!!”Lucien turned, and saw the boy bearing down on them, the one who had been with Dmitri. He had managed to rear up on his feet and now stood, swaying, clutching a massive rock in his hands. Schwartz was a little way off, his sniper arm use
Piers's loud shout made the hall fall silent. For a minute, every head in the room swivelled to stomp in the doorway.Even Lucien Delano and Proserpina, absorbed as they were in their burning need to lose themselves in their desperate need for each other, stopped. Proserpina blinked as she turned to look, safe as she was, nestled in her lover’s strong embrace. And the Mafia Don scowled in annoyance, muttering,“What is with that fool boy?’Piers whipped his head to face his parents across the room, an arm around Hila, holding her to his chest as he cried, "Mumma! Pappa!’And when he was hurrying to them, his eyes were wild with excitement as he cried in joy, dragging his lover beside him,‘I…you… I mean… Mumma, I’m going to be a dad!”Proserpina was out of her husband’s protective arms as her son whooped and threw his arms around her, laughing with him. Lucien watched drily as Claude and Ria immediately crossed to him, pulling him into a huddle. Tara joined them, and after a pause, so
LucienHe began to make his way slowly through the milling throng of his guests to where his Woman was standing, in a daringly backless gown, her beautiful body making his staff harden with desire. Ria and Tara had chosen the slinky gown for her. When Proserpina had protested in embarrassment, her hands on her pink cheeks, the girls had declared,‘Mumma! Even after eight kids, you still look WOW!’It had been one of those rare weekends when Tara had come home. Ria had little Jamie on her lap, jiggling the fat little girl who was cooing at her Pappa, for the Mafia Don was hands down, her favourite person. Jamie was the apple of the Don’s eye, as Ria often teased her father.Lucien, who had been in the bedroom working on his phones and tablet, had been watching them in amusement.After the heart attack, mild though it had been, he had taken to spending time at home, working from his office or sometimes, his spacious bedroom.‘Please…but it’s BACKLESS!” Proserpina had gone on, her eyes m
A love like the kind her parents shared was almost like a fairytale…She sighed and touched her small belly. Big Philippe placed his large warm hand over hers and whispered concernedly in her ear,“Princess?”She looked up into his dark eyes and felt the rush of affection, of love that kept them bound to each other. Philippe, the Capo would bring the Moon and place it at her feet if she asked for it, she thought and unmindful of the crowds milling around her, the sound of glasses clinking, the chatter of people as, Ria reached up and pulled his head down. Murmuring against his lips,‘Philippe Diaz, I love you,” as she kissed him.***Piers Delano was staring at his phone. His mind was on other matters, although he had turned up for the party after his twin’s wedding ceremony. It had been a brief ceremony; Philippe had been born a Catholic, so there had been a small wedding service at Church. Old man Diaz had passed away a few years ago, and Philippe’s brothers, both of whom had been a
A few years later.The years have been kind to him, thinks the Don fondly as he surveys the guests at his daughter’s wedding party.Lucien Delano has aged but in his predictably indomitable manner, he looks and of course, his wife is testimony to the fact, that he still behaves in the same manner as he used to.His still-muscular physique belies his years and he continues to practice in his gym and has a friendly bout of boxing in the Ring, off and on. His son Claude is now an established name in the world of boxing, simultaneously running the underground fight clubs he has set up, and partnered with Paddy. The two of them work in tandem, Paddy with his enviable skills on the computers, has managed to make the Fight Clubs very lucrative indeed! thinks the Don.The Mafia Don is still actively handling the matters of his mob, which has branched out to become a powerful organisation, but one that is totally against human trafficking. He has made his millions through his arms dealings, a
LucienHe looked at his Woman fondly. She was on the bed, her head lowered to the baby at her nipple, the little child whose brown curls were bobbing as she sucked hard at her mother’s swollen teat.Proserpina wore a look of divine bliss, and Lucien moved over to her, taking her chin in his hard grip and kissing her.It was all he could do, for she had been spending almost a month at the hospital now. A month during which the Mafia Don had practically lived in the hospital too, his only concern being his Woman.And of course, the littlest child of his, who had charmed him already, though she was too small, too tiny to utter a word. Yet she could be ear-splittingly loud, too!He found himself staring in wonder as the baby yawned, exposing her small toothless gums, pink in colour, as he watched her face adoringly. And when Proserpina laughed at him, at the way he fawned over his youngest daughter, the Mafia Don growled at her, his eyes hungrily wandering over her.“Woman, I want to bree
RiaShe was running down a corridor that stretched out endlessly. The sound of the man’s footsteps thundering after her made her pant in fear. He was after her. She stumbled and fell, picked herself up, and kept running, her hands reaching out in the dark for some door, some way out of this place. And then, suddenly, out of the blue, she grabbed a shirt sleeve.The face of the man looked up in front of her.She screamed as Dusak’s face appeared out of the gloom, grinning maniacally.He had blood pouring down his forehead and a large hole in his cheek where he had been shot. But he opened his mouth and spoke in a guttural voice she knew she had heard before.“LOVELY Ria, my Ria, I am going to be with you forever now...'He reached out a long skeletal hand with talons, and that was when Ria screamed.Dusak Rudenko began shaking her throat ungently, and she felt a gurgle of panic erupt within her. A deep fear, unnamed and unknown.And then Philippe’s voice came into her consciousness, be
Lucien stood, staring in shock as a beaming Camille reached out to hand over the little baby to him. He stared in confusion for he had never held any of his newborn kids; it was a first for him.But even as he hesitated, the little child, its skin pink and puckered, a thatch of dark hair on its tiny head, opened one eye and looked at him quizzically an eyebrow raised questioningly, weighing him up critically so to speak, before shutting her eye firmly and ignoring the people around her, her mouth blowing a red raspberry pout.Ria and the other children began to laugh as Lou cried, with a shout of laughter,“Pappa, Sir, she is not impressed by you!’But it was Ria who declared, wonderingly, as she leaned against Lucien, who was holding the precious bundle cupped to his chest fiercely,“Pappa, I think she has Mumma’s colouring!”***ProserpinaI opened my eyes slowly. It felt as though there were weights holding my lids down. It had been a dream that seemed to go on forever, tumultuous
Lucien looked around at his family who were in the large waiting room. The younger boys, Dom and Lou, were piled on a sofa, their mouths open as they snored softly; Tara was curled up in an armchair with Aiyana beside her, an arm draped protectively around the child. The ex-FBI woman sat, her legs folded elegantly even in sleep.James Schwartz was sitting in another chair while the Capo dozed uncomfortably, Ria’s golden head on his lap, Rudy nestled beside her. Lucien’s face softened slightly as he looked at James. As though his thoughts had touched his second in command, the Scotsman stirred and stretched, sitting up, alert in an instant.He looked around himself and met Lucien’s eyes, an unspoken look passing between them.Snoring loudly, Claude was sprawled in abandon, sleeping on a mattress someone had thoughtfully provided, which was spread on the floor, his arms thrown wide, while Paddy had chosen to settle in an armchair close to the corridor leading to the theatre door, positi
She mumbled,"Yes Sir...' and her molten brown eyes, clouded with desire and want, with pain and pleasure, misted over as she looked at him, beseeching him to release her from her need.Her absolute submission aroused him tenfold, and the big man growled shakily, for the sight of her large breasts with the evil clamps fastened to her tender nipples was too much for him.“I shall f*ck your t*ts today, wh*re,’ he said hoarsely, "to punish you. Pain, wh*re, and pleasure."She made a sound, her breasts wobbling as she tried not to shift too much, but he lowered his head to sink his teeth into the fleshy mounds savagely, and she cried out.He tugged lightly at the clamps with his teeth, and she met his eyes, her own filled with tears of pain but she dimpled slightly as she said breathlessly,'Master... I am yours, Lucien Delano..."He grunted.F*ck, but he could never have enough of this delectable offering laid before him: this lush body, the thighs wet with her want, her shining pink c*n