Page 36 of Rise of Temptation

Of course, they suspect that I’m responsible for my father’s death, but they can’t prove it. The only people who know the truth are Sal, Frankie, and Joey, and I trust them to take that secret to their graves.

Thinking about the level of trust I share with those three brings my thoughts back to Elise. Everything always goes back to her. It’s unhealthy, but I can’t help it. If I could forget about her and get her out of our lives, I would. She’s a weakness and a liability.

And she’s sleeping right down the hall.

Before I know what I’m doing, my feet are on the floor and I’m moving towards her room. I pause outside to press my ear against the door and make sure she’s sleeping, but it’s the middle of the night, so I’m not surprised to be greeted with silence.

There have been plenty of nights where I woke her up becauseI needed to fuck her. Tonight, I want to let her sleep. But I still need her. Just being near Elise helps me relax. And based on the way she found me in my office this morning and offered herself up to me on a fucking silver platter, she knows that.

Is it concerning that she knows that she’s exactly what I need? Of course. But for right now, there’s nothing I can do about it.

I push the door open as softly as I can. She’s sleeping on her side and facing the window. I walk all the way up to the side of her bed before I pause and study the way her hair falls over the pillow, illuminated by the moonlight. The curve of her hip under the blanket draws me in, but I stop myself from touching her.Let her sleep, I remind myself. Just being in her presence is sufficient to help me calm down from the nightmare that woke me up and all of the tumultuous thoughts that followed.

Knowing that I won’t be able to stop myself from touching her if I stay too close, I move to the chair in the corner of her room. This is better anyway; I can see her face, peaceful with sleep and what I hope are pleasant dreams. The curves of her body draw my attention again, and my cock stirs in my boxers.

Subconsciously, I slip my hand under my waistband and give my shaft a slow pump, but it’s not enough. I lift out of the chair enough to slip my boxers down to my thighs and recline in the seat, watching the rise and fall of her chest while my hand moves in time with her breaths. In my mind, I can see her on her knees in front of me, teasing me with gentle licks. Even in my imagination, she’s too enticing for her own good.

I move my hand faster, and my fantasy shifts to one that’s more familiar. It reminds me of the night I chose her at the club. My hands are on either side of her head, holding her in place while I fuck her mouth. There are tears running down her cheeks, which are quickly becoming streaked with mascara. The look on her face suggests she almost isn’t enjoying herself. Almost.

I know her well enough by now to see right through the facade. She would never admit it—at least not to me—but she loves it rough.

A reel of all the times I’ve taken her roughly since she moved in plays in my mind, and, before I know it, my hand is covered in cum. I start to wipe it off on my boxers but then I have a better idea.

She’s still sound asleep when I stand up and make my way over to her bed. With my pinky, I smear a little bit of my release on her lips, silently claiming them as mine. But it’s not enough.

As gently as I can, I write M-I-N-E on her chest where it’s peeking out over her blanket. I have no idea if she’ll notice it when she wakes up, but I’ll know it’s there when I’m back in my bed tonight. I’ll know that she belongs to me, even if no one else does.

Chapter 29

Frankie

“Why not just kill him?” Sal asks.

We’re sitting with Enzo in the office at the club. Joey is back at the house with Elise. Somehow, he keeps snagging babysitting duty. The worst part about it is he still hasn’t taken advantage of the alone time with her. I don’t think he’s even tried. If I could spend some time with her, I’d have her wrapped around me like a fucking boa constrictor. Within Enzo’s parameters, of course; I don’t have a death wish.

But we’ve been working our asses off every night, and tonight is no exception. We still haven’t figured out what to do about Emilio, which brings me back to the conversation.

Enzo takes a sip of his whiskey and answers Sal. “He’s too important. Or he has too many important friends, I should say.” It’s an important clarification. Emilio himself is relatively unremarkable, but he somehow managed to weasel himself into the most influential circles in this city. “It would draw unnecessary attention and be too hard to explain. We don’t need that kind of publicity right now. Especially while we’re the most likely suspects in regards to this trafficking bullshit.”

I watch his hand clench around his glass, a subtle sign that it’s bothering him more than he lets on. We should’ve been able to figure this out by now and put an end to it. My gaze shifts to the window behind Enzo, which overlooks the lounge area of the club. The front door is on the opposite end of the large room, and we can see everyone who comes and goes.

“Things have been calm since the incident with Emilio happened,” I point out. “But I still don’t think we should just let him come back without any repercussions. He needs to know that his influence doesn’t buy him shit within these walls. Which also means we can’t let him buy his way out. People like him don’t care about spending money to get away with all their fucked up activities.”

“His influence bought him his life,” Sal mutters. “Anyone else would’ve been dragged out of here in pieces.”

“We can always install more cameras,” Enzo suggests. “If it happens again, with him or with someone else, we’d be in a prime position to blackmail him. I don’t think all of his fancy friends would care for him if they found out about his depraved desires.”

“You and your cameras.” Sal rolls his eyes.

“We can’t install cameras where the girls are working,” I point out.

“But if it protects them, they might not care,” Enzo argues.

He doesn’t understand how unusual his obsession with cameras is, especially in our line of work. In his home, he views them as a line of defense against anyone who would dare try and come after him. It’s hard to get him to see that most of the people we interact with don’t want anything they do to be recorded.

I try to put it in a way that will make him see reason. “If any footage from this building was leaked, our whole organization would crumble. The Family wouldn’t exist anymore. With all thesophisticated hackers out there, it’s not worth the risk.”

Enzo spins his chair to look out over the lounge. “Well, we need to decide right now what we’re doing about Emilio. That shithead just walked through our front door.”

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