Page 23 of Pain and Possession

"I have a few things I need to take care of, please eat doll." I follow his voice into his office, just lingering in the doorway. I am hungry and I doubt he'd go through the trouble of poisoning me. He's sat in the high-backed chair at the thick wooden desk, my smear of arousal still sitting on the edge as he sorts through paperwork.

Mob bosses do paperwork?

Iturn eyeing the mini fridge in the room's corner, when I open it up, I'm greeted by a mouthwatering plate of fruit, crackers and cheese. Too uneasy to linger I head over to the small table in his office, climbing onto the tall stool as he watches me. Always watching me. I try to ignore his presence; the room is deathly silent aside from the occasional rustling of papers. I hate quiet rooms; they give me too much time to think. Think about nasty forbidden things. Silence is funny like that.

"Can I have my phone?" I ask, getting up to retrieve a bottle of water. Although I'd much rather have liquor right about now. My head is still a little fuzzy but I'm far too sober for Noè.

"No, the public isn't allowed phones inside the compound for obvious reasons." I groan, "The compound, like a prison?"

He chuckles, sitting down the papers he's been staring at. "No, doll not like a prison. Think of more like a home away from home for my family, the people that work for me. A base for operations."

I nod, imagining all the fucked up illegal shit that goes on here instead of riveting games of Shoots and Ladders with armed men.

"How long will you keep me here?" My voice is steady, too steady. I'm getting comfortable with him, which is the opposite of what I should be doing. I'm blaming my stomach.

And vagina.

He doesn't answer me so I continue, again not great with silence so word vomit it is, "I have a job, people that will worry if I don't show up."

"Relax Olive, for fucks sake."

Relax?

RELAX?

"You're fucking crazy." I mutter, staring at the plate of food that's dwindling far too quickly.

"Would it be cheesy if I said crazy about you?" He deadpans and I raise an eyebrow.

Yes, it would.

His lips pull up in an amused smile, his toned bare chest looks darker in the warm lighting of his office. Only causing the morbid scars to stand out more, peeking out from underneath his tattoos. I hate how attracted I am to him, to the darkness inside him. The mystery and danger that makes him what he is. It's everything I both long for and hate.The adrenaline that comes from being close to a monster of his caliber.

He stands from his chair walking slowly to me, "Anything you want to know doll, you need only ask me."

He reaches over me plucking an apple slice from my plate, really the only things left untouched. I've never liked apples.

"Are the scars all kinky, because you like to be hurt?" I whisper, not really understanding why I'm asking. Getting to know Noè better seems... ill advised.

"Some yes." He says as he pushes some of my long hair behind my ear, I don't bother swatting his hand away. Whatever is going to happen tonight I'll be a participant regardless of my willingness.I open my mouth to speak but he catches me by surprise when he grabs one of my hands. I clench my fist; physical touch has never been my thing, but Noè is different. I can't help but to long for his marred skin.Knowing it looks like what's inside me fills me with something… warm. An understanding I don't want between us.

He gives me a pointed look as he uncurls my fingers, adjusting them himself until my index is the only one extended. He presses it gently to a large line of raised flesh extending from his left collar bone to the middle of his right peck. "This happened when I was seventeen. I went out on my first proper missionso to speak, the guy my uncle and I grabbed got loose of his bindings. I hadn't tied them tight enough. When I opened up the trunk he grabbed the knife strapped to my forearm, cut me deep."

I let him run the soft tip of my finger along the scar, before he slowly trails to the side of it, I need no explanation for this one, it's a bullet wound.

He chuckles, "This one was the closest I've ever come to actually dying if you discount the nuclear threat. It was a raid on another families compound, I was too worried about covering the ass of one of my dumbass men to think about my own." I don't speak as he goes down the list, not until every one is explained. Every mark has a story, and he remembers them all. Even the faint hint of the ones I left on him remain, why that makes my heart flutter… I don’t even want to know. The ones along his inner biceps and on his sides are self-inflicted. There are more on his body, his arms, neck and back. I'm sure his legs are no exception. it would take all night to go over them all.

He laughed as he told me the story about the small pinprick one on his neck, he and Hock were messing around with darts apparently.

"Why do you do that… cut and burn yourself?

He smirks, "A good deal of them are sexual but the others... I don't really know. I've been this way since I was a child, fascinated by pain and the control that comes with it." I just stare at him unsure what to say so I opt for sarcasm, "So you're just an emo kid with money and henchmen?"

He laughs again, it's a deep warm sound and wraps itself around my electrified nerves before I can stop it. I smile back at him, actually smile.

Fuck me.

He lifts me from the seat, pulling me into his arms. "There's some clothes for you in the closet, get changed. I have something to show you."

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