Page 8 of Stealing Iris

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CONRADO

I’m in. Man, I can’t fucking believe it took this long to happen. But he showed up at my place, so he must be impressed. I grin and blast the tunes on the shitty little stock radio on the car.

Iris is my ticket to the big time. That pussy is gonna open all the doors for me. I just have to wait for the right chance. Who knows, maybe Dante will want more once he gets a taste of her. He might even be interested in putting together a stable with me. High-class bitches, not some bunch of five-dollar hood rats.

I stop at the light, rolling business ideas through my mind. Dante and me, surrounded by hot bitches. Everyone stops what they’re doing to look at us when we walk in. They want the chicks. You can see it in their faces as they watch us take over the room. They’re imagining fucking them in every way possible. Something scratches at the back of my mind. Dante, at the store, checking out Iris. Then again when we were in the motel. He wanted to fuck her. I frown, thinking back. Dante’s a player…but he didn’t want more. He walked away without thinking twice. Doesn’t make sense. Unless… What if he decided to go back for more? Iris wouldn’t let him take her virginity, would she? Damn, she just might.

I can’t afford to take the chance. I pull around the corner, tires screeching, and haul ass back the way I came. He wouldn’t double-cross me, someone he wants to work with, would he? I speed up, blasting through a light just as it turns red then cutting around other drivers. Damn people think they have all the time in the world to fuck around.

The parking lot is still packed; one car can’t even find a place to park. There’s a red Mitsubishi sitting in the spot I left and a pickup in Dante’s. There’s a bunch of small cars, some pickups, a van, and even a lowrider. But I don’t see the silver BMW he was driving or the dark SUV he was in earlier. I slouch back into the seat. Maybe I was wrong. But the light in the room on the second floor is on, and there’s two shadows. I pull up to the end of the lot, past the office, and get out of the car, still staring at the window.

“Hey.” Benny, the guy at the counter, sticks his head out the doorway. “The room’s already rented.”

“Gotcha.” Doesn’t surprise me. This place is popular on the weekends for a quick hookup. If you know how to play things right, you can get a discount for taking the room as soon as the previous customer leaves and using the other bed, as long as you pay cash. That way they don’t need to clean up before renting again. I figure Benny pockets the money for all those deals. It’s what I’d do.

“Sorry, man. Got an empty coming up in about fifteen minutes,” he offers. “But it’s full price.”

“Nah.” I brush him off with a wave. “It’s all good.”

Dropping into the car, I back up and head out to the street. Guess I worried for nothing. Dante canceled because he was headed out for an emergency. I gotta learn how to play it cool, like he does. He’s a big man, with lots of stuff going on. The kind of boss I’m gonna be now that I’m in the game with him.

Gonna go back to figuring out what to do with the piles of money I’m gonna be making. Just gotta wait for Sunday night to work out the details with my new partner.

CHAPTER FOUR

IRIS

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Dante’s wrapped around me, his arm coming down across my belly as the unasked question grows louder. He doesn’t move, may not have even taken a breath over the last few seconds. Conny didn’t tell him? Because he sounded shocked when he broke through.

Darker implications flash into my mind. If Conny offered me to Dante, he must be part of the big score in the planning stages. And I played right into his hands. Instead of offering some kind of protest, I go stupid and let him fuck me—even wanted it. Worse still, I enjoyed everything he did to me. Inside, the little girl who planned to marry in white squirms over what I just did. But then my father, who was supposed to walk me down the aisle, is nowhere to be found. My mother’s dead after a long, punishing bout with cancer. The only thing I have now is a threat that will take away my freedom if I don’t give in to whatever Conny wants. Tears spring to my eyes, tumbling onto the pillow before I can stop them. I blink rapidly, getting rid of the moisture. After the first time, I swore nobody would see me cry ever again.

What will losing my virginity mean to my future? What will Conny do now that I’ve been with a guy? Am I free? Is there more?

My stomach churns. He’d gone on and on about me being a virgin. Once, he called it his golden cherry and said I would change his life forever. I just had to keep my legs together until he got ready for me to give it up; then I’d be of no use to him. At the time, I thought he meant I’d be free, but what did he say earlier?Iris needs to practice giving head…He can’t think this will keep happening, can he? What if he plans to offer me to two guys at a time? I shudder, struggling to keep my tears in check.

Dante’s lips touch the back of my head, startling me. His arm tightens, pressing me into the planes carved into his abs. “You’re not okay.”

No, I’m not. I’m wandering, alone, across the desolate space in my mind that offers no answers and no direction. Swallowing hard, I admit, “I’m not sure what to do.” Which is as honest as I can be. I should be grateful my first time was with someone I find attractive. Someone I would have chosen to be my first.

Is Dante the one who can give Conny this new life? If so, who is he? What kind of power does he hold?

Dante rolls away, cool air taking the warmth of his skin from me. I shudder and hug myself. The loss of his touch shouldn’t affect me so deeply, but it does. Squeezing my eyes shut, I push my feelings aside and focus on my reality. I can’t let myself get comfortable with having a man around. Not that one has ever really been there for me. If my own father wasn’t there when Mom and I needed him most, why would anyone else stick around?

“Iris?” Did he say something? My mind races. I’ve been so deep into my pity party I haven’t been paying attention. Before I can figure out what to say, he’s pulling me around to face him. My heart’s beating hard enough for him to feel it. He leans down, dropping kisses along the side of my face until he reaches my lips. He’s kissing me, taking his time, making parts of me wake up and take notice. Pulling back, he looks down at me with such tenderness, tears threaten again. “I would have—should have been, more careful with you,” he says with conviction.

“Don’t,” I reply, shaking my head. “Just please, don’t.” Part of me doesn’t want to know what the deal is with him and Conny. The other part of me knows right now I can’t handle what it would mean.

He goes silent. The tenderness is gone now, if it was ever really there. “Let me go clean up, and I’ll bring you a damp towel.” Throwing back the covers, he gets out of bed without the least bit of hesitation or embarrassment. He’s heading to the bathroom, his muscles rippling with every step, sending a wave of awareness through me. I had actual sex for the first time, with a man who looks like he stepped out of a fantasy. Even from behind he’s impressive. That body’s been next to mine, bringing me alive in ways I can’t even describe in my head.

He’s thought about me needing to clean up. Heat rushes across my face as I press my thighs together. “I-I can wait,” I stutter, sitting up with the sheet held tight against my breasts. He goes on without slowing down. Oh jeez. The towel. Reaching down, I snatch up the bath towel I used earlier. The piece on top didn’t hit the floor, so I can hold it against me without getting anything from this nasty carpet on me. The rough edge on the threadbare towel scrapes across the swell of my breasts. It’s like a thousand tiny fingertips moving over my skin, tightening my nipples and sending an unexpected shock straight to my core.

My eyes widen, and my heartbeat quickens. What the heck is this? Does having sex flip some switch inside a person? Will I go from zero to horny every time I hold something to my chest?

The towel barely reaches my thighs, but I’m not as daring as he is when it comes to walking around without any clothes on. My inner muscles tighten involuntarily, making me relive the moment I moved while I was straddling him. I never imagined anything feeling like that, much less that a man would make that happen.

I know Conny’s been killing something inside me, I just didn’t realize how much damage he’s heaped on me with his blackmail. Being with Dante, having him touch me with such tenderness, brought something out in me. It’s like only he’s been able to see the real me, the me I wasn’t aware I’ve been hiding.

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