Page 86 of Don't Lie To Me

One by one, I undo my shirt buttons till my lace bra is on full display for him. I move my hand inside my shirt, playing with my nipple.

It earns me a grin. “I failed my papa. I wasn’t the man he needed me to be at twelve like my brother was,” he admits, his voice heavy.

I stop moving, shocked. “He left you in a foreign country to fend for yourself?” I ask, disgusted.

He motions for me to keep dancing, twirling his finger for me to spin around. I do as he says, wanting him to go on. Lowering my ass to his lap like I have seen the girls do, I spread my legs out wide and thank myself for selecting this short skirt today and not one of the many pencil skirts hanging in my closet. I grind over his cock, still moving to the beat of the music.

“My papa saw me astoo disobedient and independent to inherit the family business,” he goes on. “I couldn’t accept and follow the rules like my brother, I didn’t want to turn into my papa. Everything he stood for disgusted me. Instead of killing me for my disobedience, he sent me away to be fixed—to make me stronger, colder, and more loyal to the family. More like him.” Our bodies are so close that I feel the way he shudders. He really dislikes his papa and so he should. What a fucked-up thing to do to your kid.

I keep moving, hoping the constant motion will distract him enough that he'll keep opening up to me. “I thought you met Onyx and Reef at a group home, the one Reef went to because his mom died and he was orphaned?”

He brushes my hair over my shoulder, and I feel him inhale a deep breath like he’s trying to control himself. “I guess on the outside that’swhat it would have looked like. But the facility we were all placed in together wasn’t some happy family type of arrangement. The institution was designed to systematically strip us of our individuality, molding us into their ideal. Our training was rigorous, encompassing hand-to-hand combat, wilderness survival techniques, and unwavering obedience drills. To get food, you had to fight; brutality was not only tolerated but actively encouraged. To earn respect among the other boys, you had to fight for it, a brutal, physical struggle. To survive, you did whatever was necessary, even if it meant compromising your morals. Not everyone we knew made it.”

“For fuck’s sake.” A shiver runs down my spine imagining the fucked-up situation they were all placed in at such a young age. Especially Reef. He would have been so little, and he had just lost his mom. How the hell did he end up in a place like that? When Romeo’s hand moves up my thigh and under the hem of my skirt, I realize I have stopped moving again. His other hand comes to my waist, and he spins me back to face him, my legs out wide, straddling his lap. “How did Reef end up a cop?” I ask, confused.

His hand moves to my ass, encouraging me to grind over his ever-so-fucking-hard cock. The small movement feels divine against my clit. “Because they wanted him to. It’s handy to have a man on the other side of the law. The same way Onyx ended up working for your family and I was brought back into the Moretti family business.”

My eyes find his, sadness sweeping over me for him. “You were all controlled and molded into whatever they wanted you to be. That’s seriously fucked up.” And it explains so much about all of them. This is the most satisfying conversation I have had with Romeo since we first met. Worth the lap dance. My hand finds his cock, and I stroke him through his suit pants, needing more of him, wanting more of him. “When did you get out of there?”

He unbuckles his belt and unzips his pants. I slip my hand inside, wrapping my fingers around his cock. “Reef and I both aged out at eighteen. He went into the cops, and I started working for the American subsidiary of one of my papa’s more legitimate companies. He had let it run into the ground, thought I would fail. I took over the place, and in the first twelve months, turned it around then sold it. I did the same with every other business he owned until I was wealthier than he could ever have hoped to be.”

I feel my heart swell with pride for him. “You showed your papa he was wrong about you.”

He watches me stroking him, sucking in a ragged breath as he tries to control himself. “If anything, I showed him he was right about me. I was never going to be his prodigy for the fucked-up shit he was dealing in. I had bigger plans for my life.”

I get a strange flutter run through me, and I’m not sure if it’s because I know I’m about to fuck him right here in the middle of my club or if it’s because I know I was part of his plans. “Like taking over my club? Am I just another business on a long list?” I stroke over the tip of his cock, feeling the slippery pre-cum, licking my lips as I do. He knows I want to taste him.

His hand runs up my thigh, edging on the sides of my lace thong. “This arrangement wasn’t about proving something to my papa. I’m here for you.” He sinks two thick fingers inside of me, and I can’t help the moan that escapes my lips.

My head is starting to swirl with desire, and I can’t think straight anymore, but I’m not done with this conversation. I need to know more. “Because I was supposed to marry your twin brother?” I get out.

His eyes meet mine again, and I see he’s not even surprised I know that secret he’s been keeping from me. “No.” He pumps his fingers in and out of me before his hands come to my ass and he drags me overhis cock, the tip sliding through my juices, teasing me in the best way possible.

“Why don’t you hate Onyx for what he did to your brother?”

“My brother was a psychopath, much like my papa. Onyx did this world a favor.” He pushes inside of me, and I know he’s gone. That’s all I’m getting out of him today. His lips come to mine, and he kisses me desperately as I rock my hips over him. His hand moves into my hair, holding me so damn tight it’s painful. His other hand bites into my hip, giving him all control to up the pace.

The motion rubs against my clit in a way I have never experienced. It sends shivers over my body, and before I know it, I’m a boneless mess. Giving Romeo exactly what he needed, after he gave me what I wanted. I guess this business relationship isn’t so bad after all. A little give and take and we both get what we want in the end.

Chapter 33

Theboysforcedmeout of the club earlier than I would have liked, leaving Asher in charge and staying to look after the night shift. Reluctantly, they dragged me back to the safe apartment on the docks. Reef was already here when we got in, after a day working at the station. He was quiet, not his playful self, and I wonder what he had to deal with today. His job must be so intense at times.

After finishing dinner, Romeo offered to clean up, and Onyx joined him in the kitchen. I got the impression they were disappearing to discuss something they didn’t want me to be privy to, probably more orders from my brother. I was okay with it, the space from them giving me the chance to find out what’s going on with Reef.

“Busy day at the office?” I ask, taking a slow sip of my rich, red wine. I have to hand it to him; Romeo has exceptional taste in wine, and food for that matter. Apparently, he was the one who prepared our meal last night, and tonight he did the same, whipping up a creamy mushroom risotto while I was in the shower.

Reef’s hand laces into mine, his attention moving to me even though I can see he’s still deep in thought. “Interesting day. What about you? I hear Romeo showed you his latest idea.” His lips twitch up at the sides in amusement, and I know he’s now here with me. This is the Reef I have been getting to know. He’s playful and sexy as hell when he’s not all business.

“Did you now. Romeo has a big mouth.”

He tugs me from my chair and onto his lap with him. Something about the gesture feels so normal, I let him. His fingers thread through my hair, pulling me close as he inhales my scent. “I missed you today,” he says softly.

I can’t help the laugh that rumbles through me. “You hardly even know me, Reef.” But as our eyes meet and his gaze holds mine, I know that doesn’t matter to him for a second.

“I know everything about you, wildcat. I spent six months watching you, and you’ve become so deeply ingrained in my life that the thought of a day without you is unbearable.”

I raise my brow and stare him down, our bodies still crazy close to each other. “You know how creepy that is, don’t you.”

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