Page 24 of Dangerous Command
“Where do you side when it comes down to enemies and allies?” I asked. I took another step closer and she opened her lips, staring up at me. “If you want me to protect you, then you have to trust that I know what I’m doing.” I leaned into her, whispering against her ear, “And that means kneeling when I say kneel.”
She exhaled quietly, the kind of sound that was laced with lust.
“I know you, Derek,” she said. “Kneeling isn’t only about loyalty.”
“Tell me what you think you know,” I said. She had been around enough to learn what my brothers and I liked. Degrading a woman, reducing her to pleasure, reminding her of her place at my feet, fulfilled the urge within me to dominate, torule. Ruling the mafia was my purpose, but ruling a woman gave me supreme pleasure. Maddie stiffened, goosebumps rippling over her skin. Our bodies were mere inches from each other, her body heat radiated to mine.
“Derek, I—”
“This is for your safety. So that I can protect you. So that I can watch you.” I wanted to make sure that she wasn’t going against me. I knew better than to trust anyone besides my brothers, which meant keeping her close. I put a hand on her neck, gently at first, then squeezed tighter. “If you ever for a second think that I’m not suspicious of you too, then you’re mistaken.”
I dragged the back of my other hand down the side of her body, enjoying the curve of her breast, then down, further still, resting on her hips.
“What are you doing to me?” she whispered, her voice heavy with need. I skimmed my fingertips along her arms and she shivered into my touch. It had been a long time since I had first laid eyes on her. There hadn’t been a day that went by that I didn’t think about her.
But that ended now. I didn’t beg, and I wasn’t going to be a victim to my own needs anymore.
“I’m going to make you beg, Maddie,” I said. “Every part of you will call for me. For my pain. For my pleasure. For everything you want.”
“Then fuck me already,” she whined.
“This isn’t just about my dick,” I said. With a hand still on her throat, I wrapped my other hand around her rounded arm, pressing her against the cold wall. “I don’t want to fuck you, Maddie. I want to own you. Every inch of you.”
“But you do want to fuck me,” she said, grabbing my cock through my pants. “I know you do.” I smiled then. Such a brave little cunt. I squeezed her throat, putting a hand on her breast.
Her pulse quickened with her breath.
“If I wanted to fuck you, my dick would be inside of you right now,” I said.
She licked her bottom lip, that agonizing gesture that made my cock twitch.
But my brain knew better. Knew that I shouldn’t trust her. Not until I knew who she was. I let go of her, letting her find her balance. I ran a hand through my hair.
“Think about it,” I said, settling back into our usual dynamic; she worked for me—nothing more. But we both knew I still expected a lot from those who worked for our family, and in return, I would do the same for them. “A bond like that means loyalty. And I expect nothing less from you.”
“You expect a lot more than that,” she muttered.
“I want your loyalty, Mads,” I said sternly. “Nothing more.”
“Isn’t helping you enough?”
And that was the messed up part. When it came to Maddie, it would never be enough. Not until I had her for myself. I studied her, trying to figure out when and if that day would come.
Muro had to die. Her stepdad had to die. And then, I would make Maddie beg for me.
In a low voice, I said, “Not until you kneel for me.”
CHAPTER 7
Maddie
The next day, Derek had family matters to attend to, but Wil asked if I could clean their place before his wife got home. I said yes—anything to keep myself busy. The distraction was welcome.
I was dusting the living areas when the doorknob turned. A woman entered; Ellie. Light brown hair settled on her wide shoulders, her blue eyes open wide as if she could see through anything. There was a flash of a tattoo on her neck of the old Midnight Miles logo, a relic from her time when she was coerced into being one of Muro’s side projects.
“Whoops,” I said. “I was supposed to be finished before you got home.”
“I came home early,” Ellie said. “Don’t mind me.” She took off her sweater and shoes, then gestured to the stairs that led to the rooftop patio.
