Page 21 of Charity's Redemption

“I have a week until my deadline, and if I don’t do as he’s asked, I’m dead.”

“I’m handling—”

“Yeah, you said that. Although, here it is, the sands of time dwindling away, and we are no closer to having a solution than we were the first go-round.”

Max ran his hand up and down my naked spine, sending shivers racing across my skin. Nico leaned his shoulder on the doorjamb, watching intently when Luca released his grip on my arms, his shoulders staying taut as he blew a hiss of air through his lips. “We were just discussing this when we heard a loud bang up here. If you want to sit in, we can go downstairs and talk about it.”

I nodded with caution, wondering why he was so agreeable. “Okay,” I said, swallowing the hard lump in my throat. Luca’s tone had changed from demanding and harsh to soft and understanding faster than I change personalities, and it had me perplexed.

Nico shifted on his heels and left the closet while I followed behind him. His ass accentuated through his suit slacks made me want to squeeze him. I walked out of the bedroom door before Luca cleared his throat, halting me in my tracks.

I turned to face him. “What?”

“I think we’d get more work done if you put on a shirt.”

Max interrupted. “Hey, don’t go ruining it for the rest of us.”

I looked down at my naked torso, then marched back into the room with a smirk and grabbed the white t-shirt lying on the bed.

Butterflies fluttered in my belly as all three sets of eyes watched me pull the shirt over my head and situate it around my hips as I walked towards them.

“Careful, boys, we’re supposed to be working.”

“I think I can afford a break,bella.” Max pulled my damp hair out from the inside of my shirt and let it fall to my back, then cupped the side of my neck, his thumb caressing my cheekbone. His warm breath tickled my lips as he moved closer, our bodies touching, causing an ache to form at the apex of my thighs. His other hand snaked around my waist, gripping with a powerful need.

I closed the minuscule distance and pressed my lips to his, my tongue seeking entrance. He parted and deepened the kiss, bringing his hand from my waist to the back of my skull, pulling me into him while holding me in place.

There was no escaping his fevered touch, not that I wanted to. I inhaled through my nose. His rich cologne of Amber and Oud flooded my senses, clouding my vision with lust.

Max walked me back until my back hit the wall.

Someone cleared their throat from the door, and the new world he’d thrown me into dissolved like sugar in hot water.

“Not in my bedroom, Max. This isn’t high school.” Luca said.

We broke away, my heavy breaths cooling my wet lips. Max dipped down, nipping at my lobe. “To be continued,” he said, his voice low and cool.

“I’ll hold you to it.” My skin ached for him to touch me again as I watched him vanish through the bedroom door, past Nico and Luca, who also looked as though they wanted to ravish me. “What?”

“Didn’t get enough last night?” Luca smirked.

“You know me. I’m insatiable.”

My lips thrummed at the memory of last night and just moments ago.

I strode towards them, heading into the den where we’d have our sit down. As much as I wanted to give my attention to each of them, there was something else that I needed to do—like keeping myself alive, which seemed harder and harder to do with each passing moment.

Taking my seat on the couch beside Max, I draped my leg over his lap. He placed his hand on my thighs, his fingers caressing the inside, closer and closer until my mind blurred.

Luca took a seat behind his desk, and my stomach dropped as it threw me back to the time he was so cruel.

“Why don’t you come sit here?” I pointed to the chair across from me. My throat tightened as the memory seized me so viciously, refusing to let go.

I pulled in a deep, quiet breath. I couldn’t let him know how much this room overwhelmed me. How much I hated it in here and needed to escape its clutches. I’m sure if you looked hard enough, you’d find my beating heart buried in this room. You just have to follow the bloody trail.

Nico’s gaze dripped over my body from the chair to the left of me, his back towards the rows of bookshelves.

Luca tapped his fingers on the desk and rose, his penetrating stare never leaving my body. He took the seat across from me as I asked, causing my nerves to settle. With Max squeezing my leg and Luca sitting together with us, this meeting felt more like a get together than one of boss and subordinates.

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