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“Ooh, ooh, I’ll take this one.” Z laughed and slouched into the booth, kicking out his long legs. “Because she’s a little cocktease. Isn’t that right, sweetness?”
“Shut up,” Gio barked.
“My apologies, amico mio, but he’s correct,” Marco said, and I closed my eyes. If only I could have blocked out his voice too, but that wasn’t possible. “And I have a club full of regulars who can vouch she shakes it twice a week every week, and loves what the men dish out. Just in case you have any plans of crying rape, gattina.” His voice dipped on the Italian phrase and bile rose in my throat. “We also have more pictures. So many pictures…”
“Stripping doesn’t mean she deserves to be violated,” Gio grated out. “I’ve worked to become part of this family, but if you push me, you’ll force me to do something I might regret.”
“Threats, Costas?” The man they called Bas shook his head. “A bit beneath you, don’t you think?” He glanced at his associates. “Especially since you’re outnumbered five-to-one.”
Marco chuckled. “Bas, thank you, but I do believe our Giovanni just needs a bit more light shed on the issue.” He pivoted slightly on his expensive Italian leather loafers, ones I’d admired before. “She’s been flirting with me for weeks. She did it tonight too.” He cupped the back of my head and I fought not to shudder. “In fact, I do believe she’d let me take a turn, if you’re not interested.”
Gio knocked Marco’s hand off my head. “You’re not to touch her. Understand me?” I sensed he was glancing around at the other men. “You brought her here to me. She’s mine.”
There was no denying the jolt of excitement that went through me at his rough declaration, but I tamped it down. I still had a strong self-preservation instinct, and I didn’t know how I should react. Or even if I should.
I wasn’t my sister. I couldn’t fight my way out of here with brute force and my wiles alone. She possessed a strength I never would. I had a kinky enough heart to get off on the exhibitionism aspect of this with Gio, and even his bursts of anger in my direction didn’t cause me to fear him. He was a gentle giant, and he would never truly hurt me. But these men were a different story.
If I went along with the scenario they’d set
up, would Gio just be the opening course? Or would they all take their turns, whether he fought them or not?
Don’t think about it. One minute at a time, that’s all. Breathe in, breathe out.
“And only mine,” Gio added, “or I’ll walk out of this room and keep going.”
Marco chuckled again. “Without your little gattina? Why now, that’s not nice, leaving such a fluffy sheep to a bunch of hungry wolves like us.”
“I’ll walk,” he repeated.
My skin prickled with goosebumps everywhere at once. I didn’t believe it—I couldn’t. Not only did we have heat and a kind of history, he was friends with Fox. He would never leave me to these men.
He couldn’t.
Z stretched his arm along the back of the booth, lazy as could be. “And you think we’ll let you?”
“Oh, you’ll let me, because you want me more than you want me spreading your secrets.”
Marco examined his nails. “I never realized you wanted to die so badly, gumba. Puts a whole new spin on why you fight the way you do.”
Gio braced his hands on either side of my hips, caging me in, and leaned toward Marco while I shivered beneath him from fear or arousal, or some sick combination of both. “I fight to win. And we both know you want me on your side, rather than against you. I’m an asset.”
“You are,” he agreed begrudgingly. Then he sighed, glancing down at me. “Such a pretty little thing. A pet like this costs a lot to keep.” He raised his gaze to Gio. “If we abide by your request not to touch her, we still need proof of your loyalty. Proof you won’t run out of this room and squawk to anyone who looks your way about what we forced you to do.”
“No one’s forcing me to do anything.”
“Play it that way then.” Marco lifted his manicured hands and let them fall. “It’s your choice, but you will make it. Now, Gio, before I run out of patience.” He waited a beat. “And she will pay the price for your hesitation.”
He hauled in a deep breath, and his chest vibrated above my back. He was still draped over me, partially leaning over the table, protecting me as if I was bleeding out and he was saving me from being picked at by circling crows.
It wasn’t that far from the truth.
“You should’ve stayed away.” I could’ve sworn I felt his mouth brush my hair, the movement as light as air. “Why didn’t you just stay away?”
I squeezed my eyes shut and reached back to grasp his hand, needing that tactile link. I didn’t have words left to tell him that I was sorry, not for dancing necessarily, but for putting us in this place. It wasn’t my fault, but my being there tonight had helped the dominoes line up in the way Marco and his cronies wanted. My foolish rebellion had aided them in harming not only me, but Gio too. His restrained anger and pain were palpable, their weight against my spine as heavy as his muscular body.
They were using me against him, and I’d dropped right into their laps.
“Doleo,” I said for his ears only, hoping he knew Latin. There was no reason to expect he would. The chances that he’d taken a class in high school as I had were slim.
