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  “Caleb, what is it?” I ask.

  He looks at me, then down at his own shoes before he speaks. “Elo says that you’re going to do a party and Aunt Devyn will be coming,” he murmurs.

  “Speak up and look me in the eyes when you talk to me.” I watch as his neck straightens, and his dark eyes meet my own when his head tilts back.

  “There will be a dinner, a catered dinner with the family, yes. What’s wrong?”

  He shifts from leg to leg. Obviously, there’s something he wishes to speak to me about. Instead of badgering him for an answer, I wait him out. It doesn’t take him long to gather his courage. “Is this something where you tell us you’re getting married again and introduce us to your new wife?” he asks.

  My eyes widen, then I blink, slowly. “New wife?” I choke out.

  He nods. “Yeah, I mean… Mom’s not coming back,” he states.

  Reaching out, I wrap my hand around his shoulder and guide him into my bedroom, over to a chair that serves no goddamn purpose in the corner of the room. I guide him to sit down, and then I crouch on my haunches in front of him. “Are you upset she isn’t coming back?” I gently ask.

  I watch as the wheels turn in his head, he thinks about it for a moment, then shakes his head. “She wasn’t really around. I don’t really miss her, you know? I guess it wouldn’t matter if you married someone else, odds are they wouldn’t be around either.” He shrugs. “All my friends say their moms and stepmoms are the same way.”

  His words are like a punch to my gut. When I was little, my mother was wonderful. She was kind and caring, always around, always home when we walked in from school. She always had something warm for us on a cold day, and she was the only person who hugged us. By the time Devyn came, she wasn’t the same woman, and then she died. My father, his abuse hardened her, hardened us, and then it deformed him. I don’t want to be that, not to my kids, not to anyone.

  “Would you like someone who was around?” I ask.

  He lifts a shoulder, his eyes quickly going to his shoes. “I don’t need hugs and shit. The little kids might though,” he lies, my boy.

  He needs hugs, and shit. All kids do. I lift my hand, wrapping it around his shoulder again and I tug him against me. I wrap him in a hug. His body is stiff for less than a minute and then his arms wrap around my body.

  “If I were ever to bring a woman into our lives again, then she would meet you and your siblings before the rest of the family,” I say against his ear.

  He takes a step back, the loss of his hug leaving me aching for more from my boy. Clearing my throat, I stand. “So, no more worries?” I ask. He shakes his head.

  Elowen appears a few minutes later and gives us a smile. “The car is here for school, Caleb. Time to go,” she calls.

  He hurries out of my room and leaves me alone with my Elowen. She does the same foot shifting thing, so I wait her out as well. “How important is this party?” she asks, biting the corner of her bottom lip.

  “It’s only family, Wen. Nothing more, nothing less. An evening with our family, that’s all,” I gently explain. She lets out a breath before she nods. Without another word, she turns and hurries away.

  I close my eyes, slowly blinking. My children obviously need more attention from me. I feel like shit because I haven’t been around as much as I should be, even if it is more than I used to be. I don’t know if I will ever be the father they need me to be for them. All I know is that I’m fucking trying. Unfortunately, I don’t think that trying is nearly enough.

  My phone rings in my pocket and I quickly pull it out, ignoring the name on the screen as I swipe to accept the call. “O’Neil,” I bark.

  “I assume that your evening was satisfactory?” an accented voice gently asks.

  I grunt as my response. “I will text you her number. If you wish to visit her again or have her accompany you anywhere. Please feel free to text her and tell her your desires. She is at your complete disposal,” he announces.

  “Complete?” I ask, arching a brow, thinking about the words she said to me last night.

  He clears his throat. “Yes, sir. Timofei has seen to it.”

  Without another word, he ends the call, then less than five seconds later my phone sounds with a new text message notification. Looking down, I see that it is from Moriz. It’s a simple phone number, nothing more, nothing less. Which seems to be an ongoing theme between this Giovanna and me.

  I’m not sure how I feel that Timofei found a prostitute for me. I should be pissed, but I’m not sure that I am. Giovanna is, perfection. She is easy and uncomplicated, which is exactly what I need. She will be useful until I decide to settle down with another wife. I shake my head. I sound like such a fucking dickhead. I sound like my father.

  Leaving my house, I decide to head to the bar. My brothers should be there, opening and collecting protection dues today since it’s the first of the month. Shoving my phone in my jacket, I try to ignore the phone number that’s burning a hole in my suit pocket. Fuck, I want to call her. I want to set up another meeting with her for tonight. I can’t get her smell, the feel of her mouth, or her cunt out of my fucking head.

  Christ, I’m screwed.

  GIOVANNA

  My house phone rings. Immediately, I pick it up. It’s not as if I were asleep at this hour, though I should be. No, I was up all night thinking, and crying. I’m a sight to be seen. “He has your phone number now. He’ll text you when he needs you.” Moriz ends the call and I am met with silence. I gently place the phone down and inhale deeply.

  Standing, I walk to the kitchen and grab a cucumber. I need to spend the day taking care of my puffy face if I’m officially on call for Aidan. I’m not sure what the future will hold with him, but if I want to keep him as a client, I need to be at my best.

  Letting out a puff of air, I gather my things, taking them into the bathroom. I draw myself a hot bath, adding Epsom salts before I slather my face with a pore reducing cream and cover my eyes with cool cucumber slices.

  Once I’m ready, I sink down into the hot bath water with a sigh. My phone is playing my relaxing playlist and I try to calm myself. I need to stop thinking about Aidan as anything more than a client. That is exactly what he is, exclusive or not, he is nothing but a client to me. If he continues to fuck me and leave me, the way he did last night, it should be easy enough for me to remember that fact.

  I’m almost asleep when my phone alerts with an incoming message. The interruption to my music causes me to jump slightly. Reaching down next to me, I wipe my wet hand on a towel and reach for my device. I slide my thumb across my screen at the unknown number.

  UNKNOWN: TOMORROW NIGHT. BE READY. TEN.

  I let out a breath. Yes, this should be easy enough to remember that he is nothing but a client.

  I will be ready. Any special requests?

  Quickly, I save his name into my phone. I don’t get many calls, well, Moriz and my father are the only names saved. My heart picks up its pace when Aidan messages me again. His name being there makes far too much of a difference.

  AIDAN: NO MAKEUP. NO CLOTHES. NATURAL.

  I shiver at his instructions. I’ve never, not ever, been asked to bare my natural face for a man. Makeup is part of my armor. My sexy lingerie is another piece of my armor. Without both, I don’t know how I’m going to feel. My fingers shake as I respond to his message.

  Yes, Aidan. See you tomorrow evening.

  I set my phone down, knowing without a doubt that he will not be messaging me again. Aidan doesn’t seem like a man of very many words, in fact, I’m surprised that he messaged me as many words as he did.

  Closing my eyes, I try not to picture him. I try, and I fail. His image comes to mind, his tall strong body, his dark hair, and his eyes, so damn light that they practically pierce through a person. Aidan is trouble, and instead of calling Moriz and begging to end this between us, I’m apparently a masochist, so I don’t.

  AIDAN: YES, GIOVANNA. TOMORROW.

  My
heart skips a beat, my fingers shake as I read the text. Shit. I’m in so much fucking trouble. I don’t respond. Afraid to open up any kind of dialogue with him. I try to put that wall back up, that wall that helps me differentiate that he is a client, and I’m nothing but a whore—especially in his eyes.

  After my bath, I spend the rest of the day relaxing. I paint my toenails, change my fingernail polish, and do a deep conditioning treatment on my hair. Then I go over the things I need to do tomorrow. I’ll clean the entire condo, again. I’ll change the bedding and freshen it up. Then, after that, I’ll do a workout before I need to get ready for Aidan. It apparently won’t take me very long because he doesn’t want me to wear any makeup or clothes.

  AIDAN

  I check my phone far too often throughout the day. Giovanna never replies to my message. I didn’t ask her anything, nor leave anything open for discussion, but I was hoping she would send me something. I frown. What the fuck is wrong with me? I’m practically pining after a prostitute, a whore.

  “You’re deep in thought, a woman?” Rian, asks me.

  I grunt. Not wishing to give anything away, but unable to deny it as well. I haven’t been able to get Giovanna off of my mind since I woke up this morning. She’s taken up permanent residence, and I don’t think I’ll be able to get rid of her easily.

  “Who is she?” he asks, sitting down across from me.

  Lifting my gaze to his, I smirk. “Don’t you have a bar to run? People to shake down? Guns or dope to sell?”

  He snorts. “Fuck, Aid. Who is this broad?”

  I shake my head. “Literally, nobody,” I murmur. “You’re coming to family dinner, yeah?” I ask.

  He lifts his chin as he stands. Thankfully accepting my hint that I refuse to talk about my mystery woman. He knows better than anybody that there will be no way to get information out of me that I’m not willing to spill.

  “I’ll be there, Mona, too. She’s excited, hasn’t seen Devyn in far too long,” he winks.

  I give my brother a grin, lifting my chin as he leaves me alone. Picking up my phone, I decide to send Timofei a text in response to one he sent me earlier.

  TIM: How is Giovanna?

  Biting my bottom lip, I growl.

  GOOD. TOO GOOD.

  I turn my phone off. I don’t want to read, or listen, to gloating from my brother-in-law.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  GIOVANNA

  I pace, wearing nothing but a short light pink silk robe. I’m nervous. I spent the morning cleaning my entire condo. I know it was already clean, and I’ve done nothing to mess it up or make it dirty, but I really don’t have much else to do up here, locked in my tower. The rest of the afternoon I exercised. I did two hours on my treadmill, and then an hour doing yoga.

  Adrenaline is flowing through me.

  After a light dinner, I showered, lotioned, and brushed my hair. Now, I’m pacing until ten o’clock. Reaching for my iPhone, I search for my relaxing playlist and click shuffle before I set it into the speaker dock. The soft music fills the air, and instantly, I feel a little calmer.

  Looking around the room, I try and figure out exactly where to sit while I wait for him. I know that when it’s closer to ten, I’ll have to put my robe away and wait naked, but I just need to figure out where. Hopefully, I’ll get to know him a little bit better, so that the next time, I can be exactly where he wants me.

  Pursing my lips together, I frown. The chaise lounge is where he put his clothes the last time, so I can’t really sit there. I’ve already sat at the vanity, so that won’t work. I could sit in the middle of the bed, but I have a feeling he enjoyed instructing me over there. Glancing at the balcony windows, I make a decision.

  Walking over to the closet, I hang the robe on the hook, then close the door. Smoothing my hair down one last time, I make my way toward the balcony doors. The blinds aren’t completely closed, allowing for a bit of city light to enter the space. The lights in the bedroom are dimmed fairly low, so the city light helps cast a pretty shadow that I think is sexy.

  Closing my eyes, I wait. Inhaling a deep breath, I hear the front door unlock and then open. A few seconds later I hear it close, and the deadbolt locks back into place. Low footsteps become louder and then they cease when his feet touch the carpet.

  I don’t have to turn around to know that his gaze is on me. I can feel my skin prickle from the sensation. His eyes, taking me in, it’s the sexiest feeling I’ve ever encountered before. That feeling of dread, of trouble, and of excited anticipation fills me all over again.

  “Close the blinds completely,” his deep voice says.

  Without turning around, I try to suppress the shiver that runs through me as I reach for the wand and close the blinds completely. “Turn around. Let me see you,” he rasps.

  Slowly, I turn around, facing him, but I don’t look him in the eyes. I keep my chin tipped down, hearing shuffling around me. I continue to keep my gaze on the pretty plush cream carpet in front of me.

  I jump slightly when I feel a fingertip touch my shoulder. “Let me see your pretty black eyes,” he orders.

  I don’t tell him that my eyes aren’t black, or correct him on their actual color of dark blue. It doesn’t matter. He’s the client, he says whatever he wants, and I agree, never arguing with him—about anything. Looking up, I’m taken aback again by the color of his own eyes. They make me weak in the knees, they’re so damn pretty.

  Aidan lifts his hand, cupping my cheek with his palm. I hold my breath, unable to take my gaze off of his. He drags his thumb across my bottom lip, his eyes following its path. Then they lift back to mine. “Much better without all the shit on your face and body,” he mutters. “You’re beautiful, Giovanna.”

  My belly should not dip at his praise. I should not blush at his words. Yet, both things happen simultaneously. “Thank you, Aidan,” I breathe. He’s still completely dressed, so I lift my palms and press them against his chest. “Won’t you join me?” I ask with a tip to my lips.

  He grunts, his lips twitching slightly. “Yeah, A rùnsearc.” I want to ask him what it means, but I don’t.

  Instead, I take a step back and I watch him undress. It’s something he does every single day, and yet, it’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen before. I’ve watched many men undress, or I’ve undressed them. However, watching Aidan’s muscles flex with each move he makes, the graceful and effortless way he moves. It’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.

  Aidan throws his things on the chaise, just as I had expected. I quickly walk over to them and fold them, not wishing his pretty gray suit or crisp black shirt to get wrinkled. Less than a minute later, I feel his hand on my hip and his warm chest against my back. “Thank you,” he mutters against my shoulder, his lips grazing my skin.

  His fingertips dance along my belly and stop just above my pussy. Pinching my eyes closed, I wait. This man is hard to read. Usually, I can tell what they want, what they’re thinking. Madam Carmella taught me everything she knew. However, with Aidan, I cannot read him at all—not in the slightest.

  “Spread,” he orders.

  I let out a breath and step my legs farther apart. Without delay, his fingers slip between my thighs. I’m embarrassingly wet. I shouldn’t be yet. However, the anticipation of him just walking through my door, and then actually watching him undress, it’s been too much for me. His finger swirls my clit before he drags it through my wet center.

  “Aidan,” I exhale, lifting one of my arms and reaching behind me.

  I wrap my hand around the back of his neck, careful not to muss up his hair. Some men do not want you to touch their hair, especially if they have a wife to go home to. I always tread lightly in that area. He groans against my shoulder, his mouth opening and his teeth sinking into my flesh. When he bites down, my thighs shake. I let out a moan of my own, enjoying the way his teeth feel marking me.

  Two of Aidan’s fingers fill me, and I gasp at the intrusion, tilting my ass back a little more. He pumps in and o
ut a few times, then makes a come-hither motion inside of me. A groan escapes my lips as my eyes roll in the back of my head. I’m not used to letting go, but right now, I can’t stop myself from relaxing against his chest as his fingers move inside of me.

  “Don’t come, A rùnsearc. Hold it back,” he mutters, his voice soft, his breath warm and washing over my skin.

  I shiver against his hold. Pinching my eyes closed, I clench my jaw as I try not to let go, my body inching closer and closer with each shift of his fingers. “What does it mean?” I whisper, in an attempt to distract myself.

  “My treasure,” he grumbles.

  My entire body freezes, locks up, and without warning, I come. My pussy clenches around his fingers and I gasp as the climax rolls through me. Aidan’s hard cock is nestled between my ass cheeks, and his body stiffens as well, his muscles draw taut all around me.

  My treasure.

  I’ve been baby, more times than I can count. I’ve been honey. And more often than I would prefer, I’ve been whore. But I have never, not ever, been someone’s treasure. I’m aware that it is probably a throwaway term he uses, much like someone else’s baby. However, my stupid heart doesn’t know that, especially when it starts rapidly beating at the thought of being his treasure.

  “On the bed, down on all fours,” he snaps.

  He sounds angry. I scramble away from him, mad at myself for ruining this between us tonight. I should have stuck with my natural, gut instinct and not asked him what it meant. I shouldn’t have said anything. I should have closed my eyes and held off my orgasm without verbalizing a fucking thing.

  Quickly, I crawl onto the bed, my ass facing him as I lower the front of my body down and spread my thighs apart. I stay quiet, unwilling to say another word in order to avoid completely ruining the entire evening.