Page 6 of Double Standards
“I think you’re forgetting who you’re talking to.” I look down at her, my chest pressed against hers as her breaths grow shallow and stutter. Clearly my presence intimidates her, but that’s not what this is about. Her breath hitches when I raise my other hand, her eyes slamming shut as I reach up and pull her hair from where it’s tied up. Her cheeks stain a beautiful pink as the blonde tendrils fall over her face. I resist the urge to tangle my hand in it, yank her head back and find out what her kiss would taste like.Would it be strained? Would it be filled with lust?
“You belong to The Five now, Ms. Caruthers.” It’s pure instinct that causes me to trace her bottom lip with my thumb, wondering what it would be like to kiss those lips, to have them wrapped around me. “Do you understand what that means?”
Slowly, she nods, and I don’t miss the whimper that escapes her parted lips.
“Good girl.”
She blushes, and that’s when I know I have her. There’s noattempt to push me away, to scream out for help or run. She loves the simplest touch and she’s not even fighting it.
I pull away when the realization dawns on me that Cassidy is still an unknown entity and I need to think clearly right now, not with my dick.I need bail.So I bang the door beside her head with my fist, making her flinch. The door clicks behind her to signal it’s unlocked, and she leaves without a word. Only then do I adjust my throbbing cock.This is going to be harder than I thought.
Chapter Three
“You’re home late,” Cooper remarks from the couch as I enter our apartment. He’s too busy flicking through the channels on the TV to give me his undivided attention, so I drop my bag onto the dining table and head for the bathroom.
I have a pounding headache and my throat feels scratchy, not to mention the fact my panties are drenched and I still haven’t managed to regain a regular rhythm of my heartbeat. The entire ride back from the station was spent with my head in my hands, trying to figure out why the hell I was so turned on by Axel’s intimidation. Those techniques don’t work on me. Especially when it’s chauvinistic asses attempting to assert their dominance on me.
I’ve lived through it. I work through it on a daily basis.Why does just being near Axel make me feel like I’m about to come undone?
“Work ran late,” I rush out as I pass by him. It’s not technically a lie, but he doesn’t need to know I have to go change my underwear because I nearly came when Axel called me a good girl.
I’m still trying to process what just happened. I went to the jail with the understanding of representing Axel Bonanno, butthe man gave me nothing. He just wasted my time, and forwhat? To show he had the power to do that, to make me feel small? I’ve never let another man treat me like he just did, and I’m not about to let him do it again, even if he just staked his claim.
Axel’s words simmer in the back of my mind as I stare at my reflection in the bathroom mirror.“You belong to The Five now.”It still sends a chill down my spine, my body visibly shuddering. Though, I don’t know if it’s the words that instill fear, or something much more salacious.
Cooper steps into the doorway, locking eyes with my reflection and evidently noticing my distant expression. A frown creeps up on his face, and I know it will only be moments before I spill.
“What’s up?” he asks, approaching me carefully from behind.
I shake my head, sighing loudly.“It’s about the Mayor.” I try not to sound so morose, but I’ve just been body slammed with a bombshell of an offer and a client to boot.
“The Mayor?” he repeats.
I nod silently, catching my bottom lip under my teeth. “Axel Bonanno wants me to represent him.”
“You’re fucking kidding me!” Cooper bellows. He buries his fingers in his blonde strands, tugging at the edges.
For someone who is usually so full of words, I’m unable to come up with any that will diffuse this situation.
“You have to say no!” he exclaims, taking a step towards me.
“I can’t.”
“What do you mean, youcan’t? It’s fucking dangerous! It’s the fucking Mafia, Cass!”
If he’s trying to play the part of the protective boyfriend right now, his condescension and patronization aren’t helping. It only pushes me further away when I’m trying to wrap my head around how to handle the situation.
“You don’t say no to them, Coop,” I reply weakly, but it isn’tenough for him. Cooper storms out of the bathroom and the argument is over before it even starts.
By the time I make it to bed, I’m a bundle of nervous, horny energy. Sleep evades me as I thought it would, the events of today replaying over and over. I lay awake, facing the ceiling and wringing my fingers against the covers as I bury myself deep in my thoughts. I hate that Cooper and I are arguing over something out of my control, but he doesn’t seem to understand.
The worst part is, he’sright. Itisdangerous—dangerous for me to protect someone who may have murdered the Mayor, and dangerous to protect one of The Five. But it’s not like I have a choice in the matter. It’s done.
I eventually peel myself out of bed, unable to rest long enough to fall asleep. Taking careful steps out of the bedroom, I head towards the living room. The luminescent street lights that flicker outside light up the room like a nightclub, dousing me temporarily in a glow before snuffing out. I’m so tired, but my mind won’t quiet enough to get any sleep.
Slumping down on the couch, I switch the television on and try to distract myself, but it’s no use. I’m still reeling through everything that happened today, from Colombo’s visit, to Bonanno’s proposition, to my fight with Cooper over the whole thing.
I pull out my phone and start to scroll through the volumes of text and images, searching for Axel Bonanno. Research is my first task when it comes to my cases. It helps me form a picture of who I’m dealing with, what to expect, and, most importantly, what to avoid.
