“I need to find my sister,” she said, her voice resolute, assured. She might not have been sure about many things in her life, nor about how she came to be here. But this? Her sister? She was sure of that.
“Where is she?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“What’s her name?”
She touched her cheek hesitantly, a vein in her neck throbbing, making her whole face twitch. “I don’t know.” She wiped her palms on her sweater to get rid of the perspiration. “But I know she’s in trouble. And I have to find her. Please. You’ve got to help me.” She stared up at me, her eyes filling with tears.
Growing up in the mafia, you learned to see past the tears to the true, depraved soul underneath. It made death easier, knowing that everyone had their faults and that there was nothing different about one person from the next. I knew, without a doubt, that Ellie was just like anyone. Hiding wicked intentions. A devious past that would cut her down to size. Those tears? They might have been real. But I didn’t trust her.
She would do well not to trust me either.
But using her desire to make her bend the knee? That was exactly what I needed.
“I’ll help you find your sister,” I said. And in some ways, it was the truth.
“Really?” her voice perked up.
“But you have to agree to my rules.”
She lifted her chin, looking me in the eye. I put a hand around her neck, touching her there, feeling the movement of breath going in and out of her throat. She hesitated, but she wasn’t afraid. She stared at me, unmoved, and my cock swelled with heat. This was why I wasn’t a man who could have a normal life, a normal love interest; I wanted this. Control. Domination. A toy that I could use however I wanted. A strong woman I could destroy.
I dropped my hand.
“Your rules?” she asked.
“You have free rein of my property. I own this entire floor and the rooftop, but you may not leave unless I’m with you.”
“I can’t leave?”
I shook my head. “When we do leave together, you won’t speak to another man. My brothers and father? They’re the only exception. Anyone else—” I let a gleam fill my eyes. “Not a single word.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re mine, Ellie. If you want to live, you’ll obey me.”
Her eyes fell to her feet. I put an arm around her back and pulled her closer to me, the scent of decay and her musk heavy. I wanted to bathe her, to wash her from head to toe, bury my head between her legs and devour her completely. But first, she needed to fear me. To realize that I might have been a playful, mischievous god, but I was still a violent deity.
“If I want you, then you will offer yourself to me,” I said. She bit her lip. “If I say ‘kneel,’ you kneel. If I say open your mouth, then you open your mouth. And if I say to spread your ass for me, you will pull apart your cheeks. And if I say to eat my come, you better lick every last fucking drop off until my cock, the floor, untileverythingis clean.”
She sucked in a breath, her chest expanding. Her nipples hardened, forming points through her sweater. I licked my lips.
“And in exchange, I’ll help you find your sister. And you’ll be treated like a queen.” I grinned. “I don’t take any offering lightly, Ellie. Think of me as your god.” I flicked a finger across my chin. “You can choose to disobey me. You can choose to resist me. But I’ll be watching, and punishment will be delivered swiftly.” I dragged a hand along the curve of her spine, the knit fabric pressed against her warm skin. The bumpy, scarred skin, weathered, hiding a story there. “You may not like your punishment, but I will.”
She shivered, understanding what I meant. She tucked her arms around herself. I had never had a woman here overnight before. I always dismissed them or met them in the back of Jimmy’s. On occasion, I met them in hotels where I could leave as soon as it was over. I had almost let my ex stay here once, but right before I made that call, I had found her ‘gathering information’ for one of our rivals. That ended our relationship.
Ellie would be the first woman to sleep in my home. This forced us to move quickly.
“And if I say no?” she asked.
“Of course you can choose to say no,” I said calmly. “That is your choice. But if you do, that means you will go back to living with my brother. And trust me when I say that I’m a fair man,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “I’m willing to give you a chance to prove your loyalty to me. My brother? He’ll see you as taking up too much space.”
She nodded, her eyes flicking down, then back up to me. “But you’ll help me find my sister?” she repeated.
“If you agree to be mine,” I said, “with every rule obeyed.”
After a moment, she whispered, “I’ll do it then.” She looked up at me, her blue eyes vibrant. “I’m yours.”
