Page 26 of Ludovico's Vengeance

“We need to get this figured the fuck out and back to taking care of the people of this fucking town.” My words come out jumbled into a growl and snarl. I stand and begin to pace the length of the office weaving between the piles of paperwork that are strewn about.

I throw myself back onto my chair when something catches my eye, but before I have a chance to register what it could mean there's a loud bang on the office door, Danny Boy comes tumbling in, clearly in a panic. I cock a brow at the soldier who has been an integral part of my team since I've returned home. He's never one to burst in so it's obvious to anyone who pays attention that this is serious.

“Sorry to interrupt, boss. There's chatter on the street that Barone is claiming you've abducted Nina and are holding her captive.” He explains, rushing through his words. “He's trying to recruit more people to come in at night. One of my men heard it down at the barbershop. They didn't realize who he was.”

My blood turns molten in my veins, fury ready to explode on this motherfucker. In a heartbeat, Nina appears in the doorway. She’s dressed in a tight pair of yoga pants that show off every curve and what looks like one of my dark hoodies, which thankfully, covers her assets. The expression on her face tells me she heard exactly what was said. What her father is claiming.

“I'm not a fucking pawn!” She screams so loudly the windows practically rattle in their frames. Her feet are planted in place where she stands just inside the doorway glaring at me. She's got a book in her hand hanging by her side. I cock a brow when I see a half-naked man on the cover. A mixture of curiosity and jealousy begin to take over, but before I can make a comment, she breaks the silence. “Take me out. If we're seen in public, anyone who is concerned will be able to tell I’m not a prisoner, that I'm perfectly happy here. With you.”

Her determination and confidence is sexy as sin. I'm not sure where it's come from, but fuck me. I cross my arms against my broad chest as I keep my eyes trained on her. Nothing about her body language tells me she's afraid. She's pissed and ready to bring hell to earth. Just the thought of her ready to set fire to anyone who stands in her way has my heart pumping with pride.

“While I would love to have you on my arm, are you sure you're ready for that,Bella? If we do this I can't call in a favor to force limited seating. We'd have to go with no buffer.” I urge her to consider everything before making a decision.

“No, but I’m done being treated as his possession. Plus, you're not leaving my side this time.” The confidence and determination she's got on display has my dick stiff as stone.

I keep my mask of indifference in place and snap at the men to get out and close the door. The three of them rush out and comply, leaving the two of us alone. It's not lost on me that this is the first time I haven't asked her if I can close the door, but right now I can't share her attention.

I hook my finger and motion for her to come closer. She stalks toward me, like a lioness ready to pounce on her prey, but before she can, I wrap my arm around her waist and drag her into me. My lips crash against her soft pout. My tongue dips into her mouth savoring every soft whimper and moan. I tease her tongue the way I want to tease other parts, which has her moaning louder as she melts against my chest. Her body is pliant, ready, and willing to do anything I please. I chuckle as I pull away, knowing I need to give the power back to her. She whines in protest when I don't go back in for another kiss, her beautiful silver eyes imploring me to take it further.

“I'll do anything for you, Short Stack.” My lips twist into a grin before I press another soft kiss to her forehead.

ItextedBrittanyafewhours ago to tell her about my date. I have a date. She insisted that she come over to help me get ready. While I'm grateful, it's a little unnerving to have someone outside of Vanna and Jade care so much to be there for me when it comes to Giovanni and me. Dinner isn't for a couple of hours, so after I took her on a tour of the house, we've been huddled up in the living room enjoying silent company while we read our books. She's reading a romance involving the mafia which made me giggle when she told me about it. I worry something like that would hit too close to home for me. I'm content with the small-town virgin book she suggested for me.

A throat clearing pulls my attention from the book right when the main characters were getting close, and the interruption annoys me. I look up to find Jade watching us with a warm smile on her lips. She takes a step into the living room before she speaks.

“You may want to start getting ready, dear. Johnny asked Abel to drive you to the restaurant in an hour and a half.” She chirps before disappearing back into the enormous house.

Brittany leaps from the couch and claps her hands together like a toddler finding out they get a cookie after naptime. Her fingers lock with mine as she pulls me to my feet and drags me to my room. She all but shoves me into the shower declaring she will find an outfit for me while I'm getting cleaned up.

“Do I really need to shave –” I cut myself off embarrassed that this is a conversation, “there?”

Brittany's infectious laugh makes me feel a bit lighter.

“Yes babe, trust me. When you finally get that man to nail you to the bed, it's going to be so much better if you're bald.” She sounds giddy on my behalf, which just makes me giggle as I step under the hot stream of the water.

I make quick work of washing up and shaving everything I've been told to. A shiver runs through my body when my hand sweeps over my bare pussy as I towel myself off. Jesus, has it always been so sensitive?

When I step out onto the cool tile floor, I notice a small pile of black fabric laying on the counter. I tip toe toward it, nervous about what I'm about to find. A smile dances on my lips when I see a beautiful lace bra, which I easily pull on, but pause when I see what looks like a lace string.

“What the hell is this?” I squeak, Brittany's head pops through the cracked bathroom door with a wicked smile.

“Trust me, you'll both appreciate this.” She chuckles before she vanishes.

A groan passes my lips as I pull on the tiny underwear. As soon as I have them in place I notice an even more sensational pleasure against my clit. Seriously? What the hell am I doing? I softly whimper into the towel annoyed and frustrated with the reaction my body is having to not having a barrier of hair between my legs.

I step out into the bedroom and find that Brittany has a black dress that I chose from Tabatha pulled and ready for me. As soon as she sees me she motions for me to spin back around and go into the bathroom. She follows me inside with bags of new makeup that she picked up for me. A lone tear streaks down my cheek, I wipe it away trying to avoid the emotion this gesture is causing.

She spends an hour between my makeup and hair. By the time I have the dress and high heels on, that she insisted on despite my hesitancy, I look unrecognizable. An audible gasp escapes when I look in the floor length mirror.

“Britt, I – you did this?” I stare in awe at the woman looking back at me in the mirror.

My face still has my natural look but everything is accentuated in the best way, while the biggest difference is the red that has been painted on my lips.

“Laney Boggs wishes she looked this good,” She grins at my reflection knowing my love forShe's All That.

I turn and fling myself against my friend, with the magic she created today I feel like an entirely different person. I finally have a friend.

My eyes are locked on my fingers tangled together in my lap as I wait for the car door to be opened. Anxiousness has been crawling through my veins since I got in the car, unsure of how Giovanni is going to react to how I look. What if he doesn't like it? Before I have a chance to spiral even further into my own thoughts, the door opens, exposing me to the outside world. My first real public outing. Abel steps close to help me out, a knowing grin on his stupid face.

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