“Please—”
“Oh no, we are well past begging.” He walked closer to her and stared into her scared mouse-like face that was now streaked with tears. “Now you’re going to go to the media and you’re going to tell them that you were forced to testify against me. Are we clear?”
“I…”
He took her by the neck forcing her to stand on the tiptoes. “Don't be stupid here. I wanted to crack your skull open. But it’s been a busy morning for us. So take this gift and know that if you ever speak about us other than what we tell you to do, your sweet boyfriend knows all about you by now, and believe me, Daniel won’t be so gentle with you this time around.”
He said nothing else to her before he turned towards the door. However, before we left I glanced at her and tilted my head to the side as I took in her shaking frame.
“Have a nice day, Dr. Lewis. Daniel will stick around for a while just in case you have any doubts.”
We walked towards the cars and I noticed that both Monte and Fedel were drinking coffees and eating muffins whilst Kain stood there glaring at them. I smiled; Monte and Fedel didn’t take kindly to new people.
Liam opened the door on the passenger side of the truck for me and I entered without argument. However, I moved across until I was in the driver’s seat.
“I’m driving,” I said.
“Only because you were so good,” he mocked before he slid in beside me and handed me the keys.
“All that’s left is Dr. Alden and the prosecutor. I’m sure we can think of something. They won’t be too much trouble. And we still have Avian to deal with,” I whispered, as I pulled out onto the road.
I wanted Avian dead. I didn’t want him to suffer, and I didn’t want some fancy, elaborate plan. I just wanted his head separated from his neck. The end.
“The mess our ‘scandal’ has created must be keeping him busy. But I doubt that will last any longer than another week,” Liam said, as he clenched his jaw and leaned back into the truck’s seat. “You’d think he would just stop.”
“Would we?” I wouldn't. “Before this was just business, but now we’ve fought back. We’ve embarrassed him and taken out his daughter, all while looking as clean as ever. He’s Italian. Questo è l'orgoglio.”
“Pride? Well that’s comforting,” he said as understanding dawned. “I don’t want to be taken by surprise from that motherfucker ever again. We’ve been two steps behind up until now.”
“Yes, and I’m positive that we have at least one more rat in the house.” I had no clue who it was, but I would peel the skin from their flesh with salt filled nails the moment I found out.
He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course we do. I’ll have Declan go through the phone logs—”
“I did it while I was away. I couldn’t find anything suspicious, but I know there’s still a mole. I think it’s someone as close to us as Adriana was. If my mother could get to her, then I can only imagine who Avian could get to.” Thinking about Adriana only pissed me off.
He tensed as he looked at me. “On three, we say who we think it is.”
“One...” He began.
“Two…” I countered, and on three, we both spoke.
“Neal.”
“Olivia.”
We both paused.
“Why Olivia?” he asked me, and all I could do was look at him with my eyebrow raised. However, he shook his head. “She’s jealous and spoiled, but I doubt she has the skills to pull anything this elaborate off.”
That was true, but…“Maybe if it was just Olivia alone. But Avian could be protecting her.”
“But Olivia is adamantly against our lifestyle. We’re ‘evil,’ remember? Sadistic even, according to her,” he mocked as we stopped at the light.
“You know what I think is sadistic? People know who we are and what we do. But yet they still lie, cheat, and steal from us, thinking that there will be no repercussions. Somehow we’re the depraved ones in their fucked logic. Don't cross the mob and you get to live. How many more mafia movies does Robert De Niro have to be in before people get that?”
He looked at me before he broke out into a fit of laughter.
“Look, I’m not a hundred percent sure about Olivia, but my instincts tell me to not trust her. Why do you believe it’s Neal?” I asked him.
“He’s my older brother,” Liam replied as if that was reason enough. But then again that was enough. I wasn’t sure if anything could have ever cleansed the bad blood between them, but at the end of the day, Neal was still his brother.
“Do you think they’re in it together?” Though I wondered how either of them could possibly keep such a thing from each other.
Liam thought for a moment and then sighed as his phone went off. Reaching for it, he quickly read through the text and smirked.
“What is it?”
“The White House chief of staff is wondering if we had time to come to pay a visit late next week for an award ceremony and dinner dedicated to our service. It’s perfect. Let’s leave tomorrow.”
What?
“Tomorrow? Why in the hell would we do that?” I’d just gotten back.
“We’re at war, Mel. We’ve taken things slow to repair as much as possible” He smiled before sitting up. “But it’s time we stopped fighting in our own backyard and go into Avian’s. He’s been separating his criminal life from his professional, so now we’re going to collide them both and watch it burn.”
“I’m not a pyromaniac, but you just might be,” I said, as I turned into the city. “Fine. But I do want the whole family to come along as well. If only to keep an eye on them.”
“Coraline and Declan will have to stay behind. There’s a void in dealers with Roy gone. Someone else will try to push their luck and step up, I’d rather keep them all on a very short leash,” he reminded me.
“Short leashes easily lead to the master,” I paused, thinking for a moment. “Have you ever thought that maybe Declan and Coraline could be the mole?”
The moment I said it, his face fell and he shook his head. “Not Declan. Never Declan.”
He said it with such conviction that I didn’t push him any further on the matter. However, I had to get the thought out there.
I wasn’t sure about Declan, but I knew Coraline…But then again, I’d thought I knew Adriana as well.
“Wife. Not Declan,” Liam said to me again as if he could read my mind.
“Okay.” For everyone’s sake, I hoped it wasn’t anyone in the family.
TWELVE
“Everything in the world is about sex except sex. Sex is about power.”
—Oscar Wilde
MELODY
By the time we’d gotten back, it was almost time for the family dinner. Liam had taken a shower while I visited Ethan, so now I was running behind. The last thing I needed was for Evelyn to hate me even more for messing up her family time. I had just put in my earring when I turned to find Liam leaning against the frame of our bedroom door. He stood there, arms folded over his chest, with his green eyes focused on me as they traveled down the length of my body, from my heels, to my back, to my eyes.
“What is it, Liam?” I said as I placed my hands on my hips. Something felt off. “Do you not like the dress—?”
“No, so take it off,” he demanded as he closed our door and locked it.
“Liam, later. Dinner is—”
“Dinner has been canceled. Ethan has eaten and is now resting in Cora and Declan’s room, where he will stay for the rest of the night. Why isn’t that dress off yet?” he asked as he took his suit jacket off.
What the fuck was this?
“It wasn’t a request, Melody.” He turned to me and I couldn’t deny that I was just a little turned on. Slowly, I reached behind me and pulled down the zipper, and when it slipped from my body to the ground, he glanced up at me briefly before he returned his attention to removing his cuff links.
“Your bra and panties, I want them gone.” His voice
even sounded deeper…no, colder. He had given me no room to argue, but I didn’t want to. So I did as he said and undid my bra, allowing it, and my panties, to join my dress on the floor.
I stood there completely naked, with the exception of my heels, and once again he spared me one glance.
“Necklace, and earrings.”
Taking them both off, I dropped them onto the growing pile on the bedroom floor.
“What about my heels—?”
“Keep them on,” he cut me off as he took a seat. He had taken off his shoes, belt and coat jacket, but other than that, he was still fully dressed.
“Liam, this isn’t fair, you’re—”
“I could give a damn about being fair, wife. Keep your hands at your sides,” he replied leaning back in the chair as his eyes followed every single line on my body.
That was the second time he had bloody interrupted me.
“You’re pushing it, hus—”
“Did you really think I would be satisfied with one quick screw in the boxing ring?” He finally stood up, loosened his tie, and walked over to me. He reached up and stroked the side of my face, then he smeared the lipstick off my lips with his thumb. “I’m hungry, Mel. I was starved for five months. I need more than one quick fuck.”
His hands wandered down my neck, and I felt like it was getting harder to breathe. His presence, his dominance, everything about him made my whole body feel like liquid fire.
“You won’t bow down to me outside of this room, but I swear that tonight I will watch you tremble underneath me,” he whispered as he placed his hands on my shoulders and walked behind me. Soon I felt his hands travel down my spine as he circled back around me and stared into my eyes.
“That way we won’t be separated again, because when I’m done, you’ll need it every day for the rest of your life. I’m going to make sure you are only addicted to me in both pleasure and pain. Any questions?”
I swallowed and nodded my head, I wasn’t even sure if I still knew how to speak.
“Take my tie off, Mel.”
Reaching up I pulled it from his neck.
“Now tie it around your eyes.”
As I did, my world went dark and I felt his thumb once more as it brushed over my lips.
“These lips of yours, if you only know how sinful they make me. What I want to do to them…and to you.”
He lifted me up. Two steps. That was all it took before he dropped me on my back in the center of our bed. I could feel him above of me. His fingertips spread down the length of my arms until his hands were in mine.
“Mmm…” I moaned against his mouth when he kissed me so hard, so passionately, as his tongue explored my mouth. I couldn’t help but clench my legs together.
“Liam,” I whispered as he broke away from his embrace. It was sudden, and before I could react, he lifted my hands above my head and pressed them against the headboard. Kissing the insides of my wrists, he quickly tied and fastened them to the frame of the bed. Repeating the process with my other arm, I was soon restrained, though I longed to touch him…to kiss him again.
“How strong are these knots?” I grinned as I pulled against them to see if they would hold.
In return for speaking, he pinched my nipples, and my already sensitive body jerked in response.
“Didn’t you know, wife? I was a Boy Scout.”
If I could have seen him, I was sure he was smirking at me.
Do your worst, my mind begged.
But he left me there, and all I could feel were his light touches. He was teasing me and torturing me all at the same time. He knew how badly I wanted him. I bit my lip, and with each of his soft and gentle touches, I grew more and more excited to the point where I, Melody Giovanni-Callahan, was ready to for him to end this and just take me.
“You’re so wet, baby.”
I expected his hands, but it was his tongue that found its way between my legs, and as I felt it, I ached against it.
“Fuck, Liam!” I gasped when his tongue entered me, I tried to reach for him, forgetting for a moment that my wrists were bounded. I wanted to hold onto him, to feel him against my fingertips, and yet I was forced to endure his torture.
“Not yet.” He stopped and I cried out.
How could I be this weak already?
He kissed my inner thigh as I took a deep breath and tried to not think about how close I just was.
“You’re shaking, but baby I said tremble.”
“Liam!” I gasped in both pleasure and pain as something hot dropped onto my nipple. The pain was quick, but the sensuality of it lingered. Slowly the drops fell onto my skin, each one driving me more and more insane.
“Liam.” I moaned again when he finished with my breast and worked his way downwards. I could feel my body tremble, and when that drop fell right between my legs, I couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Ahh…Liam!” I shuddered as I came.
“Much better,” he replied.
“Fuck you.” Fuck you for torturing me so easily like this.
“Oh, love, I plan to,” he muttered, and I still trembled as he ran what felt like the cold blade of a knife, against my skin and slowly peeled off the wax. I again I bit my lip. I was used to knives in one way and this was not it. Finally he stopped, but that relief died down quickly as he placed an ice cube against my skin.
Where the fucking Christ did he get this from?
I didn’t dwell on it. Instead, I concentrated on the freezing drops of water at they dripped down my breasts. I could feel his hands on either side of me. Meaning that the ice cube was between his lips as he ran it across my body, he worked from my neck until he was hovering over my lips. The water dripped onto my tongue, and I moaned as he kissed me and allowed the ice to melt between our lips. I felt like I was melting just as fast as it was. He knew my body too well. He knew where I was sensitive, and how to keep amping me up.
Even though I hadn’t been able to break out of his ties, he freed one of my hands. But I didn’t even have time to get use to the freedom before he flipped me over onto my stomach.
“For my last trick,” he whispered, as his hands traveled down my spine and cupped my ass. “I’m going to see just how loudly you can scream my name.”
“I scream only when you earn it, baby.”
SMACK!
“Ah…” My mouth dropped open and I tried not to moan any louder, as I gripped onto the ties around my hands. I felt the sting of his slap on my ass, and the ripple effect it had through my body.
He rubbed his hand gently on the round of my ass, and just as I relaxed…
SMACK!
Fuck!
“Does it hurt, baby?” He kissed what I knew had to be his hand print.
“Not at all. It’s like feather touches,” I lied to both him and myself. It felt exotic and sexual, and I wanted more.
“Even now you must test me,” he snickered. “No more games then, right?”
“Liam—”
SMACK!
I can’t…
SMACK!
Take much…
SMACK!
More of...
SMACK!
This…
SMACK!
So…
SMACK!
Fucking…
SMACK!
Fuck…me
SMACK!
“Liam!” I finally cried out.
“Yes?”
“Fuck me…please”
Never in all of our time together had I felt like he had claimed me more than I did in that moment.
LIAM
My hand was as red as her ass….and it was beautiful.
Her body was coated in sweat, and her mouth parted as she tried to control her breathing. Her hair clung to her, but the best thing about the sight in front of me was the way her body shook from both past and present excitement. She was there, her body was begging for me, and I couldn’t take it anymore, my cock just twitched at the mere thought of being inside her.
; “Liam…please.” she pleaded…no begged. My Mel was begging me for more.
God if she only knew how sexy she looked right now.
I needed her.
As I rubbed my hard shaft against her hot, glowing ass, she moaned and pressed back against me.
“Fuck me, baby…please.”
Since you’re so polite.
“Yes!” she screamed, and threw her head back as I held her waist and slammed into her.
“Uha!” I grunted. She was so tight. I grabbed her breasts and held onto them as I thrust forward.
“J..es…u..s fu…ck..in.g Ch..ri…st, Liam!”
The bed slammed against the wall, moving with us. Every time she spoke, I went faster and harder to the point where I couldn't even see straight. I held onto her as she held onto the bounds around her hands as tightly as she could.
“Liam, I …I can’t! LIAM!”
I didn’t stop. I couldn't. Not until…
“Mel…” I moaned as I came inside of her.
She collapsed face first onto the bed, and I collapsed on top of her.
We both laid there, exhausted and breathing in the scent of each other. It took me a while before I could actually remember how to untie her bounds and free her hands. It took all my energy to do that simple task.
Now free, she rolled over to face me as she pulled off the tie around her eyes. Sitting up, she kissed me without saying a word.
This woman was trying to kill me. I thought as her tongue slipped into my mouth. Moaning into her, she broke away and rolled on top of me.
“You fucked me good, Mr. Callahan,” she smirked. “How am I going to explain not being able to sit?”
“Tell them the same thing you told me; that your husband fucked you. And the moment I catch my breath, I plan on doing it a few more times,” I told her as I ran my hand through her hair.
Her eyebrow raised. “A few more times?”
“I told you I wanted you addicted, did I not?” I said to her.
“And if I already am?”
“I’ll be the one to decide that. Right now, call for food. You’re going to need your energy for round two.”
I kissed her and she grinned as she reached over to the bedside table and innocently arched her back and flexed her body against me.