Page 43 of Twisted Embrace

“Yes. What do I get out of the deal by marrying you? You’ll have me as a bargaining chip to be used against whatever Bratva or other horrible crime syndicate you desire to bury. That’s more valuable than all the money you have. Correct?”

The way his lips upturned was already a fabulous answer, but I decided to force the issue.

“Answer me, Enzo Lazarro. What are my body and my presence worth to you? It would seem that you need me more than I need you.”

There was more than just venom in his dark eyes. The fire that we’d shared, the unbridled electricity of our passion was shown in the slight dilation of his pupils. “What do you want?”

“Everything. I want half your wealth. I want to be in charge of the household. Jewels. Furs. Vacations to glorious destinations. If I’m to be your wife in every aspect, then I expect to enjoy and indulge in the finer things in life. I’ll need clothes immediately so we will go shopping, using your credit card of course since it’s obvious you won’t allow me to return to my apartment.” The truth was I couldn’t care less about jewels or other expensive trinkets. I simply wanted to see how far I could push him.

And exactly what I was worth.

He wasn’t hesitant in his response, wrapping his hand around my throat. There was no pressure, just a warning. “I have no problem providing my wife with the finest that life can offer. However, not only will you produce my heirs, but you’ll also succumb to my every desire no matter when or where I make my request. Is that understood, my beautiful fiancée?”

The idea of having children created vile, disgusting thoughts but I nodded in agreement.

His smile was one of cunning, as if he believed he was coming out on the better end of the deal I’d just made with the devil himself. “Then so be it,” he whispered before capturing my mouth, immediately thrusting his tongue inside. As he ripped the towel from my body, the feel of his hard cock pressed against my stomach created another wave of butterflies.

Just like that, I’d surrendered to the man for the rest of my life, forced into a marriage of power and convenience. Had I agreed to marry the man of my dreams? Perhaps in the world of forbidden, salacious nightmares.

What he didn’t know was I was doing so not for love or money.

But for revenge.

CHAPTER 14

Enzo

“You didn’t call, boss,” Anthony said a little too gruffly for my tastes.

No, I hadn’t called my Capo on purpose, but I had contacted D’Artagnan. He knew where I was and the reason I’d remained out of sight for the entirety of the night. Together he and I needed to resume our conversation about the incident, but he hadn’t been in the right frame of mind. The baby’s condition was still of concern, enough so I heard the agony in Dar’s voice during the entire conversation.

I’d wanted to feel something. Anything. But even though he’d allowed me of all people to experience his frailty in his love for my sister, I hadn’t been able to offer a single word of compassion.

What did that ultimately make me? Evil? A monster? Or simply a man incapable of anything other than providing pain and violence?

“Need I remind you who you work for?” I asked far too sharply but didn’t care. I wasn’t the kind of man who’d coddle anyone else, especially the men who worked for me. They knew the drill, the level of respect required. Anthony was the single person in my life that could get away with questioning me. Hell, even D’Artagnan hadn’t crossed the line.

As I continuously glanced around the clothing store where I’d taken Joy, I noticed how much attention I was getting with every precious minute that ticked by. There were solid reasons I’d selected one of the few remaining malls in the area. The wide-open space and the number of people inside the acres of shopping space should prevent an attempted assassination.

“I’m sorry, boss. I don’t mean any disrespect, but without any protection you’re a sitting duck. You should tell me.”

“Should?” I snapped loudly enough several people turned their heads in my direction. “What you should be doing is keeping your goddamn mouth shut.” I thought about the times I’d beaten a man bloody for less and leaned back in the chair. The one thing I couldn’t tolerate was the lack of control. And this was a raw shit-show that I’d walked into.

His answer and concerns were valid, but I was in a piss-poor mood. The fact I’d agreed to such an egregious deal with Joy continued to rile me. I’d fucked her two additional times, using the building rage to ravage her body. She’d surrendered without hesitation, sucking my cock for a full thirty minutes as I’d kept a firm grip on her hair, barely allowing her to breathe.

Yet she hadn’t caved.

I’d wanted nothing more than to break her, but she’d refused, spreading her legs wide open, her fingernails leaving scratches down my back. Fuck. Just thinking about her now made my cock ache to the point I’d contemplated fucking her inside the dressing room more than once.

While I’d attempted to have a further discussion, she’d been too exhausted, falling asleep midsentence. I’d tucked her into bed then kept watch for the majority of the night, catching ten minutes of sleep at a time.

“What about the woman’s parents?”

“They gave some shit about the DNA test, but they eventually came around,” he snickered. “Scraped the warehouse floor for blood too.”

“Good.” At some point, the truth would come to light.

“Should have the tests in a few days.”

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