Page 14 of Zade (Den of Sin)

He doesn’t respond because I’m cutting off his air, “Let me be abundantly fucking clear you piece of shit. You will stay away from Amira. There will be zero contact and I will know if there is. Will I beat you to within an inch of your life? Will I kill you? Worse. If you even speak to her, I will have you arrested for murder. I will make certain that you rot in prison for the rest of your worthless life.”

I let go of his throat and he coughs and sputters as he attempts to catch his breath.

“Do we understand each other?”

He stares at me with confusion, “I didn’t murder anyone.”

I grin, “Ever heard of Bloody Valentine?”

His eyes widen telling me he is well aware of the violent gang that was founded with their first kills on Valentine’s Day, hence the name.

His fear is palpable and I’m enjoying it immensely, “They will do whatever I ask. Tread carefully. In three days you’ll send her a text message telling her it’s over and then disappear from her life. Stay away from Amira. You won’t get another warning.”

I smile as I walk out of the bathroom and head back to Amira. He has no idea the dirty connections I have. It would be as easy as a phone call to destroy his life effortlessly. I wouldn’t have to get my hands bloody. It would never touch me. The only consequence might be some free work for Bloody Valentine. I’m a resource they value. I’ve kept every one of those fucking madmen out of prison for five years now. Every time the cops think they have them nailed to the goddamn wall I find a way out of it for them. Six trials in five years and they’ve never done more than a day of time. Not one conviction. They’re untouchable. I’ve made sure of it. Sure I could have them kill little Joe but I’ve always believed death is far too easy an out. A life in prison, living day to day knowing you’ll never get out for more than an hour a day, that’s a fate worse than death. He betrayed my Amira. He deserves to pay for that but I’ll let him off the hook as long as he leaves her alone. Joe isn’t good enough for her. I already knew that because no man will ever be good enough for her, but catching him fucking that girl's mouth solidified it.

I sit back down beside Amira. She glances at me, “Where did you go?”

Leaning forward I kissed her on the forehead, “Restroom.”

I glance at her plate and I notice it’s mostly untouched, “Amira, you need to eat.”

She pushes her food around, “I can’t. I’m not hungry.”

Sighing, I say, “I won’t push it if you promise to eat something later, hungry or not.”

Her lashes flutter and she raises those bright green eyes to mine, “I promise.”

Amira’s friend sits there staring at us, her eyes bouncing between Amira and myself with curiosity. Can she see it? Everything I’ve managed to keep hidden from my former step-daughter? Nothing has happened and nothing will. If it kills me, I’ll keep my filthy hands off her. And it just might kill me to keep trying to ignore the curves of that sweet little body.

“Can we go now?”

I nod as she rises and says goodbye to her friends. There were very few people at this funeral. I don’t know what happened to the large circle of friends her mother had. I imagine she pushed many of them away but were none left? I shrug off the thought as I walk out to my truck with Amira.

As I begin to drive I ask her, “Is there anything you want to do for the rest of the day?”

She takes in a deep breath almost as if she’s breathing in all the stress and letting it go on an exhale. I hope she is. I want nothing more than for her to wash all the pain away. Of course, it’s not that simple.

“I want to go swimming. Is that okay?”

I nod, “Of course. Whatever you want.”

She glances at me with a devious grin, “I want you to swim with me.”

I shake my head as I pull out of the parking lot, “I don’t think that’s appropriate, Amira.”

With a shrug she says, “It’s not a big deal Zade. You used to take me swimming when I was a kid. It’s just swimming.”

It’s not the act of swimming that concerns me. It’s her gorgeous little body in a bathing suit that bothers me. I want her. I’ll admit it. The closer to her birthday that it gets the more I have to remind myself that I can’t have her. Initially, I told myself I couldn’t touch her because she’s not eighteen. Now, I know it’d still be wrong. The age isn’t the biggest factor, it’s the fact that I raised her until she was twelve. I was married to her mother, fucked her mother. I’m a disgusting piece of shit for the amount of times I’ve imagined fucking her. That’s where it’ll stay, in my mind. Only in my fantasies do I get to have Amira. It doesn’t matter how fucking beautiful she is inside and out, she’s not for me. I’m not for her. She will always be close enough to smell, touch, want, but too far away to taste. With any other woman I’d give in just once. But not her. I already know if I taste her once I’ll destroy both of us to taste her again. I know better. I have to protect her from me. She deserves better. A man that’s not me. A sexual deviant. Not her stepfather. I’m used to getting everything I want except her.

Once we are home we get out of the truck and Amira silently walks to her room, I assume to put her bathing suit on so I do the same. Walking out to my pool, it’s cold, but the pool is heated to a balmy ninety degrees. I stop, standing and staring at Amira’s back-side in a tiny red bikini, I imagine burying my face into her plump ass. Fuck. She turns slowly to me with a smirk on her face, the red in her bikini makes her eyes pop even more so than normal. Her eyes trail my body with hunger. I clear my throat as I walk over and step into the water.

ChapterNine

AMIRA

Two Weeks Later…

Zade circles my clit with his thumb, causing me to whimper his name. “You like it when Daddy touches you like this, don’t you?”

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