Page 9 of Cruel Bet

Mind you, I could still have some fun with her in the process. Seeing her cut that dress ripped away the thought of how she almost married another man today; like she wassevering more than just the dress. As much as I liked her in it, seeing those sinfully long, toned legs had me imagining burying my face between them, licking the soft warm mound until she writhes and orgasms for me. I’d almost thrown caution to the wind and done it right there and then. That is until Endo interrupted us. I don’t know if I’m pissed, or pleased with him for it.

I realize that Endo’s started updating me, so I force myself to focus on anything other than thoughts of the delectable Arianna.

“So, after they realized that Arianna was gone, they sent men out searching for her. Butso far, they don’t know who took her. Though I’m sure you’re high on their list of suspects. It’s probably no coincidence to them that only a week after pissing you off, his daughter has gone missing. Once we let him know that we’re the ones who have his precious daughter then we can…”

“No. We’re not going to claim the kidnap as ours,” I growl.

Confusion crosses Endo’s face, “But that’s the plan. We kidnap her, find out what information she has—torturing her if we have to. We use the information and her as leverage against De Luca and Lucchese. Then, we kill her or give her back in exchange for something from them.”

I know Endo is just saying what we’d discussed when we first decided to kidnap her. But that’s changed now. She’s changed things. The inner lion in me rages against its cage at the thought of anyone hurting Arianna. I curl my fists and try to calm myself against the red mist of rage that descends upon me. Endo might be my best friend and most trusted man, but I’ll be damned if I let him or anyone else touch her.

“Nobody touches the girl! She will come to no harm here.” I roar.

“Woah, okay, Boss. Nobody will harm a single hair on her head. But we still need her to tell us what we need to know. She didn’t seem too willing to cooperate before, even if she promised she’d tell you, now she’s making demands for more,” he points out.

“Oh, she’ll tell me everything. I’ll make sure she does.”

“As much as I believe in your sexual powers of persuasion, what if she still doesn’t, boss?”

“Let me worry about the girl, Endo. You just do your job. Manage security and keep an eye on De Luca and Lucchese, they so much as take a shit I wanna know. Got it?”

“Sure thing, Boss. Why don’t you go speak to Miss De Luca now?” he suggests, knowing that’s exactly what I want to do.

“That’s your first good idea yet, Endo. Go get some sleep, it was a long drive.”

“Sure thing, Boss. You should too,” he replies.

Although he’s right, I’m far too hyped up to sleep. I have too much to do, and I need to find out what Arianna wants, one way or another.

***

I don’t bother to knock, Arianna needs to know this is my house, she’s here because I decided to bring her. Not because she asked it of me. I need to remind myself of that too. Treating her like a guest will blur the already muddied line between us. It feels strange enough as it is allowing a woman into my innersanctum. Very few have, and never anyone I’ve been attracted to. My sex life is purely that. Sex, no commitment, no strings. Anyone I’ve dated has been purely for show or political alliances and gains. Having Arianna here feels like an intimacy, an invasion of my privacy, and it puts me on edge. The last thing I want is for her to feel too comfortable here, like it’s her home.

I stride in only to find myself encountering a sight that immediately tests my resolve. She’s evidently just come out of the shower, and all she’s wearing is a towel.

Her still-wet hair is coiled around itself on the top of her head. The towel she’s wrapped around herself rests high on her thighs, showing off her shapely legs. Beads of water still cling to her skin and I momentarily contemplate licking them off her.

“What the fuck, Nikolai?” she yelps, pulling the towel close to her chest. "Don’t you know how to knock?”

“If I’d knocked then I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of seeing you like this.”

She flushes scarlet, “That’s the point!”

I ignore her, instead asking, “I trust the room and the facilities are to your liking. Do you have everything you need? I see you already found the shower,” I add, raising an eyebrow.

“They’re fine, thank you,” she replies, clearly accustomed to having to be polite even when enraged. “The shower helped. You could use a shower yourself,” she adds, nodding at my bloodstained shirt.

“Is that an offer to join you?” I tease, stepping closer to her.

Her breath hitches and her eyes widen with surprise and desire. It would be so easy to close the small amount of space between us, drop that towel, and fuck her until she told me everything I want to know.

“No, it’s not,” she snips, adjusting her towel.

She might be saying no, but the way she flushes pink and squirms under my gaze makes me think she’s denying herself what she really wants. That she can feel the chemistry between us as much as I can.

“I don’t mean to be rude or ungrateful, but why are you here?” she asks, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“I came to check on you, to see how you are feeling after today’s… events,” I reply.

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