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“That’s it, Cilla. My beautiful Cilla. Come for me.”
He pounds me harder, my face shoving forward into the covers, pushing me up into the headboard. “You belong to me. This is all mine. All mine.” His last words come out on the end of a grunt, and he comes, holding himself inside me, his hands gripping my hips hard, his pelvis fused to my ass.
When I’m finally aware of my senses, all I can hear is his heavy panting. Then… “Say it, love. Say it for me.”
This time, I don’t even think about it. “I belong to you. I belong to you.” Tears track down my cheeks as the words give me a sense of comfort rather than fear for the first time in my life.
30
IVAN
Kai makes an all-call text early the next day. Part of me doesn’t want to get out of bed with Cilla wrapped so sweetly and naked around the side of my body. I’ve never been much of a cuddler, but with her, it’s different. Waking up beside her in the morning is as natural as breathing. I just want to take her in and keep her the longer I look at her.
But regret rises quickly. Not for touching or being with her, but because I’m an animal, and she doesn’t deserve me. I’m one more punishment in a long line of painful punishments in her life.
She stirs when I climb out of bed. After dressing, I leave her a quick note telling her she can go to the casino later, as I’ll meet her there. Once the meeting is done at the penthouse, I need to go there and ensure things are still on track.
I make it to the command room in the penthouse before almost everyone. Only Kai sits at his usual spot with the keyboards in front of him. The screens are going, and when I walk in, he clicks off and swivels to look at me.
I don’t know how he can look like he walked out of a magazine photo shoot so early in the morning, but Adrian has the same uncanny ability.
I look like a junkie in stolen clothes this early. Especially before coffee. “What are you working on?”
Kai stands, stretches, and joins me by the coffee pot. “Just more research on chemists and drug manufacturers in the area. I set up some local alerts so that we get some information back if anyone posts something online.”
Adrian walks in, followed by Alexei, Andrea, and Michail. Once we are all seated, Adrian reaches into the pocket of his charcoal gray suit and tosses a piece of paper on the table.
I don’t even need to touch it to spot the council seal. “What the fuck do they want now?”
Adrian’s jaw tightens. He seems to almost grind his teeth. “It’s a punishment. A way for them to ensure I’m still in line. There’s a vacuum where the bitch queen and Emmanuelle left. For now, we pretend we only want peace.”
I stare around at my friends’ equally stony faces. “Am I the only one thinking less like punishment, more like a trap. At the season closing party? Really?”
Kai shifts to look at Adrian. “A trap for the council, maybe? Is this our chance to take them all out?”
Adrian stares at the table, and we all wait while he thinks. A few minutes later, he gazes around the room again. “We aren’t ready to take them all out yet. Soon. Very soon, but for now, we pretend we are team players.”
I catch his eye. “Pretend what? That we are lap dogs that can be kicked around and never bite back? That’s never been who we are.”
Adrian’s jaw tightens again. “Yes, true, but we have more to lose now.”
Kai and Michail both shift uncomfortably. They agree, but they also have their wives to protect now. It hits me. I need to protect mine too. But that doesn’t mean I want to roll over like a bitch for the council.
But this isn’t my decision. Adrian is the one who makes the calls, and we follow. There might be another opportunity later to hunt the council one by one until they are all gone.
After the meeting, Alexei pulls Adrian to the side. I can’t help but overhear. “What do we need to do for the party? Hosting here?”
Adrian leans in. “The order is that it is to be hosted here, and only here, to demonstrate our willingness to be a part of society.”
I shake my head and walk out, intending to get to the casino before Cilla. A couple of the girls are in their usual spot at the bar, looking tired. It’s early, but we like to provide entertainment at any time of the day.
The memory that Cilla used to be one of them hits me hard. I try to recall how many times I’d seen her go off with a client. It makes me want to break things, so I quickly shove the thoughts away.
