Controlled: A Dark Mafia Romance

Chapter 22

Creed

Cause and effect.

Actions and consequences.

Enemies and friends.

They were buzz words my father had drilled into his three sons, reminders that no matter how we handled an event or a person in life, we’d need to be careful.

As a master manipulator, he had also drilled the fact into our minds at an early age that we couldn’t trust anyone. Even fucking cartoon characters. It had taken me years to fully comprehend the characters on television weren’t going to break free from their glass prison, becoming my worst nightmare, creatures who chomped down on human flesh in the middle of the night.

And as we grew older, his hatred and distrust of women was a powerful push against relationships. He’d painted my mother as a whoring, lying bitch who’d never cared for her children. Of course, as I’d grown older, my brothers as well, we’d realized so much of what our father had taught us was based on his madness.

However, it had taken me until my later twenties to fully embrace that I was just as disturbed, maybe more so. That hadn’t made everyday living any easier, just less jaded.

Or so Styx had told me a couple of times over the years.

The thought of making love to a woman, not just fucking her like some animal had never entered my mind.

Until Bella.

Why her? She continued to ask the question, although we both knew the answer. Because we were the same on so many levels, our needs similar. Our wants breaching what so many typical families would call normal. But the fact she was the light to my darkness couldn’t be denied or overlooked.

As I’d held her earlier, spinning her around as she’d laughed, the feeling of freedom had been so strange, prickling my skin and my senses. But it was perhaps the best group of sensations I’d had in my life. She’d been so gentle touching my scars, fearful that she’d hurt me. She truly had no way of understanding that the pain I’d endured, alongside my brothers, meant almost nothing any longer. Other than shaping our limited views on humanity, that was.

I wanted to devour every inch of her. And I would over time.

She was kneading the window with her hands like a true kitten, shifting her hips back and forth. Damn, she was such a draw, my hunger for her spiraling out of control. The light shining on her luscious body took the last of my control. I would fuck her as the beast inside of me desired. She was mine to show off, to feast on, and to ruin.

The thought pushed my cock to full attention. I’d grabbed a small bowl of ice cubes, placing it on the nightstand. I was almost surprised she was obeying me, even though I sensed she was antsy. The scent of our sex kept me full of need, the longing to fuck every hole increasing with every minute passing.

Bella was still breathing heavily, her reflection allowing me to enjoy her expression, the way her mouth continued to twist. She was still so unsure of me. Hell, at this point, I was uncertain of myself, including my motives with her. At first, the obsession had been overwhelming, but in only a few days, it had morphed into something else entirely.

Styx would laugh, chiding me for the fact I was clearly falling in love with her. But with the number of enemies on the table, including her dangerous father, I wondered if my motives weren’t less than admirable.

While I wasn’t a good man, the way she was succumbing to her feelings about our connection caused me… anxiety. Wasn’t that unusual for a bastard like me?

Taking a single ice cube into my hand, I approached slowly, rolling the frozen delight in my fingers. She knew exactly what I was doing, every muscle tensing the closer I came. As I rolled it carefully down her spine, she took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds. I trailed my actions with my gaze, the various electric sensations chugging through my body as unusual as wanting to spend additional time with her.

The sound as she exhaled brought my eyes to hers in the reflection. Everything I did, every action I took she questioned. She was a smart girl to do so. I’d never really hated the man I’d become. I wasn’t the kind of guy to spend time thinking about right versus wrong, whether my brand of evil was heinous or just a fact of life.

But now, the way every inch of her skin prickled from the chill she was experiencing had me questioning everything. Why? After sliding the ice down one rounded side of her bottom, I pressed her legs apart with my knee, teasing her clit with the frozen liquid.

“Oh, God. You are so…” Her laugh was special, music that I’d heard only a few times in my life.

“Yes, I am,” I told her and shoved the cube into her pussy. The heat was enough that it melted almost instantly, my fingers covered in a combination of our cum and the trickle of water. Unable to help myself, I drove three fingers inside, pumping a few times as she bucked against my rough handling. “I long to fuck you in front of dozens of people. Would you like that, perfect dancer?”

She shuddered and said nothing, but her eyes reflected the same kind of filthy needs mine likely did.

Grinning, I couldn’t seem to stop tormenting her but the ache in my cock was only increasing. I grabbed another ice cube, driving it deep into her heated core without hesitation. Her whimpers continued, her body gyrating as the ice began to melt. Before it did, I pulled what was left into my fingers, easing my arm around her head. “Open your mouth, little girl.” Every time she offered a coy look, my balls tightened that much more.

When I tapped her on the bottom, she pursed her lips together. Only when I cracked my other hand down four times in rapid succession did she finally obey. I shoved the rest of the ice cube into her mouth, pinching her chin afterwards as I ground my hips back and forth. The instant friction was delicious, the building need off the charts.

My control was slipping as the desire began crazed. I wrapped my hand around the base of my cock, pressing it against her dark hole. She moaned for effect, the slight sound of ice shifting across her teeth bringing another smile to my face. For a man not known for his tenderness, I took my time sliding my cock into her asshole.

I wasn’t entirely certain why, my needs the only thing I’d ever thought about before. Even with my tender actions, she moaned, her body shaking as her muscles expanded. However, the moment I sensed she was starting to relax, there was no holding back any longer. I drove the rest inside, throwing my head back as her muscles clenched and released.

Her dark hole was hotter than I’d remembered, pushing me into all kinds of sinful sadistic thoughts. I’d purchased an anal plug with her name on it but there were so many other implements I could use, including hogtying her arms and legs together, coupling it with an anal hook, taking pictures of her to keep on my phone in case the need for her should arise in the middle of a meeting.

Although I wouldn’t mind requiring her to remain between my legs, practicing her kitty cat impersonation before sucking my cock while clients sat on the other side of my desk. Yes, I enjoyed being an evil man, but my dirty thoughts were entirely different than what I was used to. I’d take the change as a win.

All because of kidnapping Bella from her life.

I pulled out, thrusting into her again, the brutality of the force I was using knocking the wind out of her. She clawed the window, her hot breath creating a ragged-edged cloud, the kind that made me want to write her name in the fog.

Or a note about the vile things I had planned for her.

Electric current jetted through me much like before, but I was pushed into my usual darkness, trying to find a way to swim up to the light. If I wasn’t careful, I could tear her apart. That’s not what I wanted, not by a long shot.

I pounded her tender flesh, alternately cracking my hand against one side of her bottom. She continued to make purring and moaning noises, which pushed my needs to the limit. I adored how she met every brutal thrust, her entire body pitching forward from the force.

As I’d experienced while fucking her before, my stamina wasn’t a match for her beauty. I thrust into her four additional times until I couldn’t take it any longer, my body coming close to spasming as I erupted into her second hole, my growls more ferocious given the way her muscles were squeezing tightly against the thick invasion.

When I was able to catch my breath after my balls were drained, I planted my hands on hers, shifting back and forth to ensure my seed was expelled deep inside.

She closed her eyes, resting her cheek against the glass. We stayed that way for a couple of minutes. When I pulled out, she whimpered.

I ran my finger down her spine. “Stay right there.” As I headed toward the suitcase, my thoughts drifted back to business. By now, Armand should have been found.

Leaving her here wasn’t what I wanted but with the shipment due to the Pentagon the next week, and Carlos refusing to take my last phone call, I was well aware I needed to control any possible complications. That meant ticking off the problems one by one.

And the list was growing.

I found the plug, grinning as I pulled it into the light. After a couple of seconds, I snagged the lubricant I’d purchased as well. My, oh, my. Everything I did with her was much gentler than my usual tactics. As soon as I walked closer, she noticed what I had in my hand, her body stiffening in anticipation.

“Relax, my sweet dancer. This won’t hurt a bit.”

“Liar.”

She could easily make me laugh. I slickened the end, twisting the thick, red rubber in my hands, enjoying every nuance and complicated facial expression she made.

“Now, shift back a foot or so, bend over, and use both hands to spread those sexy ass cheeks.”

People were fascinating creatures. She hated me one minute, was distrustful the next, longing for my touch after that and all through the various phases, she remained defiant. I’d had six-foot six-inch men break into sobs around me. How was she so courageous in the face of a man she certainly had to consider an enemy?

Perhaps Styx was right once again. All the shit I’d heard about women being the weaker sex was bullshit. They were much stronger by nature and by instinct. I kept my eyes on her as I pushed the tip into her hole, twisting and turning as I did so.

“Bastard,” she whispered but obeyed me without further hesitation.

The need to be brutal with her, as I would with anyone else, crept into the forefront of my mind. It was like a cattle prod, the rush of electricity having nothing to do with pleasure.

It had been another one of my father’s methods of inflicting pain, another way of keeping us in line. It was also something I hadn’t thought about in years. Yet here I was, conjuring up far too many thoughts and experiences from the past. I hadn’t realized I’d outwardly displayed any sign of distress until she did what she could to tip her head over her shoulder.

“Are you okay?” she asked and there was surprisingly enough concern in her voice for the both of us.

I opened my mouth to laugh it off when two things happened. Beads of sweat rolled down my face, the back of my neck and the insides of my thighs. And worse, I could hear my father’s laugh, the one he’d used when any of the three of us had begged for mercy.

“Mercy, boy? There’s no such thing as mercy in this world. The sooner the three of you learn that the better. And I’m here to help. Pain will provide the reminder you need.”

I could almost feel the brutal zap as the prod was driven into my skin. There were days he enjoyed taking shifts from one to the other of us. But the ones I hated the worst were when Easton was picked on. The single time I’d broken free of the mental tether of terror my father had over me, screaming at the bastard not to hurt my baby brother, was also the last time I’d attempted to do anything that stupid.

I’d been beaten into unconsciousness.

“Hey. Come back to me. Creed. It’s okay. You’re okay. I’m right here.”

Through a fog that I hadn’t experienced in years, I heard the lilting sound of her voice. In the strangeness of the next minute or so, the gamut of emotions I felt strongly resembled the obliterating mass of ruin, as Easton had called it seconds before we’d tossed our father into the very woods where dozens of bodies had been buried because of his sick mind and penchant for blood.

I fisted my hand, lifting my arm and the moment she flinched, the not-so-subtle reminder I was a fucking animal rushed into my mind. I backed away instantly, coming close to spinning out of control. I hadn’t done that in years. Fucking years. What in the hell was wrong with me?

The moment I turned around rigidly, I heard a rustle and almost screamed at her. “Don’t Just… don’t.” Get fucking control. Get out. Walk. Breathe.

All the mantras I’d used when suffering all those years ago weren’t working. I was a fucking madman like she’d accused me of being. I took lumbering strides to the door, snatching my clothes and shoes along the way. I was infuriated at myself when I heard the sound of her fright in every breath she took.

Jesus Christ. She had every right to be afraid of me. I could hurt her. Fuck me. Fuck… I took a series of ragged breaths, the sound of my father’s laughter finally abating.

“Just get… some rest.” I was shocked how ridiculous my voice sounded.

“What are you doing?”

“Business. Air. I’ll be back. Do not leave this room. Do not push me, Bella. I can’t handle it right now.”

With that, I walked out the bedroom door, closing it behind me with a hard thud.

And another small part of my mind and my soul disappeared into the black hole he had created. He’d always told us he was omnipotent, always the top dog.

I’d laughed then.

Now?

After throwing on my clothes, I headed downstairs for the suite’s entrance, tossing the door open with enough force Kane jumped.

“What the fuck, boss?” He pressed his hand over his heart, narrowing his eyes from the sight of me. “You don’t look so hot. Did something happen?”

I finally palmed my face, wiping sweat away, the clammy feeling remaining. “A memory.”

“Ah, shit. What can I do?”

“Tell me you fucking found Armand Marcello. I need to spill some blood.”

“I think someone beat you to it, boss.”

“What the hell does that mean? I’m not in the mood for goddamn riddles.” Shit. I didn’t have my other crutch here, my fucking punching bag.

Kane threw his hand out as if I was going to punch him. “Sorry, boss. I just meant the man isn’t there, at least not in the quick sweep Mark and Christen did. Both were too fucking nervous the cops were going to arrive at any minute.”

“Why?” My throat was tight, as if I was that young man before, doing anything I could not to issue a single sound for fear of being beaten for a second or third time.

“The place was tore up bad. Plus, a fuck load of blood too.”

I snorted. “Maybe he went out to celebrate a recent kill.”

“That ain’t like him, at least not from what I learned about the man. He was called Mr. Clean because of the way he’d killed in the past. I don’t see it changing.”

“Yeah, well, prison can change a man.” So could nightmares.

“Not to contradict you, boss, but I have a sense something happened to the man, maybe an old enemy settling a score. Rumors on the street speak to the fact the Irish mob, the Bratva, and hell, the Mexicans aren’t too happy he’s back in town. I heard he made waves.”

More beads of sweat rolled down the back of my neck and I swatted at them like a fly. “Fuck. This shit is getting out of hand. Put out word to the informants I want information. Stat. Do you get me?”

“I heard you, boss.”

He continued staring at me and I was ready to snap his neck. “What?”

“I mean no disrespect, boss, but you’re as close to the edge as I’ve seen you in a long time.”

“Yeah, well, I need to fucking hunt.”

“Maybe but you can’t do that right now. Maybe go find a guy or talk to your brother. He used to be able to pull you from the rafters. You need to stay in control.”

I was as unhinged as my Capo thought I was. I had my hand wrapped around his throat in seconds, the thickness of the adrenaline running through my veins so powerful, I managed to lift him off his feet.

Kane had seen me this bad twice before, the first time resulting in needing to redecorate my home. The second had only been squelched by a hunt. But that had been years before. Maybe my conscience was working overtime, the worry about what I could do to the woman I already adored weighing heavily on my mind. I squeezed until I heard him wheeze, dropping like a rock seconds later.

I wasn’t the kind of man to feel bad or apologize to anyone. But at that moment, I felt like shit. I turned around facing the door just as I’d done with Bella. I raked my hand through my hair before fisting both. “I’m going out, Kane. By myself. I need you to protect Bella with your life if necessary. She’s very special to me. I don’t think she’ll try and escape but make sure she doesn’t. Understand?”

His strangled sound was just another reminder I wasn’t always good at being in control of the demons. “Absolutely, boss.”

I headed back into the suite, listening for any signs Bella had even left the room. I heard nothing but the rapid thudding of my pulse in my ears. I buttoned my shirt, trying to make myself presentable, snatching my jacket off the arm of the couch. I checked to ensure my weapon, phone, and key card were inside before heading out.

Kane was right.

Control was vital at this point.

If I couldn’t achieve it, more people would die.

As I walked down the hallway, I centered my thoughts on my sweet Bella. She deserved better. She deserved the world. Maybe that’s what I would give her.

Before disappearing from her life.

I could hear my father’s laughter all over again. He was close to winning as he always had. And I hated myself because of it.