3. The Omega
3
THE OMEGA
LUCIANO
L uciano didn’t stop by a woman’s home, ever . For reasons that were completely foreign to him, he had to see Simone. After landing at Dulles, he’d instructed Stuart to drive him to her house in Alexandria.
Beyond her obvious beauty, grace, and talents , he needed to know why she’d been tailing him. That’s what he kept telling himself, but that wasn’t the real reason. In a word, intrigue had him swinging by her house. She was different… and he liked that.
He found himself staring into her eyes while the energy swirled around them. “I wanted to apologize for leaving so abruptly.”
“I found someone else to finish the job.”
Of course she did.
Then, she smiled.
A shot of adrenaline surged through him. He arched an eyebrow, then walked right up to her. “I started something I have every intention of finishing.”
Her breath hitched and her lips parted. She did a quick glance at his mouth before pinning him with her bright green eyes. “What did you have in mind?”
“Have dinner with me.”
“Why would I do that?”
“We both know the answer.”
“Because I’ll be hungry?” She opened her refrigerator. “And I don’t have anything to eat?”
He glanced inside. Looked stocked to him, but he wasn’t there to inventory her food supply.
“What won’t you eat?” he asked.
“Red meat. I used to be a vegetarian, but now I eat chicken and fish.”
“Do you get seasick?”
Up went her eyebrows. “If I say yes, will that get me out of this?”
He smiled. “We’ll dine on my boat.”
“Planning to throw me overboard?”
“Come hungry.” The urge to touch her had him pressing his lips to her soft cheek. One lingering kiss, then a second to her other cheek. Her flowery aroma soothed him, and he inhaled deep.
Rather than step away, he stared into her eyes. Her pupils expanded, blanketing her irises in a sea of blackness. The intensity in her gaze kept him cemented in place, but the second she stroked his arm, he pulled her close and kissed her.
“Fuck,” she murmured as she snaked her arms around him and pressed flush against him.
It would be easy to succumb to the desire. Take her in her kitchen, or in her bed, but he was better than that. She wasn’t going to get fucked now.
She’d have to wait until later.
“One dinner, that’s it,” she said taking a step toward her front door.
“Because you’re eager to get back to spying on me?” She tried biting back a smile, but failed. He liked the effect he was having on her. “As a personal shopper,” he continued, “you can take our training programs and become a verified shopper for us.”
He was calling her bluff.
She said nothing.
Once outside, he peered down at her. “Addio bella.”
As he stepped off the porch, her moan caught his ear. She was having the same effect on him. A powerful—and dangerous—mix of emotions. He shouldn’t be engaging her. He should be cutting her off, punishing her for snooping.
But he wasn’t afraid. Fear was an emotion that never came into play.
Stuart opened the back door of the Rolls Royce. After slipping inside, Luciano glanced up at her front porch, but she was gone. As the sedan drove away, he pulled up her background check on his phone.
Who are you Simone Redding, and why can’t I find out anything about you?
His phone buzzed with an incoming text from his cousin Willie—known to fhe family as Willie Boy.
A biz associate asked for an intro. Tomorrow good?
Luciano gritted his teeth. His cousin was high maintenance, but he was family, so Luciano accepted him. It was born out of a promise to Willie Boy’s father before he went to prison.
Rather than get into it by text, he called his cousin.
“Heyo, Lulu,” Willie boy answered. “When you comin’ by?”
“Who is he and what does he want?” Luciano asked as the car gained speed on the beltway toward Great Falls.
“His name is Dante. Known the dude for years. He’s lookin’ to grow his business.”
Luciano slid his gaze out the window. “How?”
“Lulu, he asked for a meeting. Come by the restaurant. Spend ten minutes with him. Decide for yourself.”
“So, you don’t know?” Luciano shook his head in frustration.
“He didn’t get into deets.”
“Monday at six. Ten minutes.”
“Thanks, bud.” The line went dead.
Luciano called his chef.
“Yes, sir,” Louis answered.
“Dinner for two on my yacht tonight. No red meat. I’ll take the meal with me.”
“What time?”
“Six-thirty,” Luciano replied.
“It’ll be ready.”
“Thank you, Louis.”
“Of course, sir.”
As Stuart drove him to Great Falls, Luciano worked. There was always something that needed his approval, a new clothing line to review, a virtual meeting to jump in on. In such a creative industry, the only one he was competing against was himself. What could he improve upon? How many new collections could he add in the coming year? And how could he hone his work environment so his employees loved their jobs?
He returned home, headed into the kitchen.
“I was already preparing Coq au Vin with mushrooms,” said his chef. “One of your favorites.”
“Perfect, Louis.”
“I’m pairing it with roasted baby potatoes and my kale salad.”
“Very nice,” Luciano said before trotting up the winding staircase and down the long hall to his bedroom.
The house was too large for one person, but it was a perfect place to seek refuge when his life had blown up around him. Over time, he’d hired Chef Louis, who lived there with his wife, Therese, an in-house attorney at Santini International. Luciano had the lower level redesigned into their living space. Mitus had used it for kink shows, but when Luciano moved in, sex was the last thing on his mind.
After showering, he dressed in black pants, a tailored white shirt, and a black sport coat. All his clothes were handmade by his personal tailor at Santini International.
Forty-five minutes later, he was back in the sedan, being driven toward Simone’s. This time darkness blanketed the evening sky.
As he was climbing the steps to her porch, the front door opened. She exited wearing a black, pleated jumpsuit with V-neck. An ordinary garment that hugged her like a second skin. She would look stunning in one of his jumpsuits from their newly-developed ladies’ collection.
A surge of testosterone made his heart pound faster. “You look beautiful, Ms. Redding.”
“Mr. Santini.”
“Call me Luciano.”
She stepped outside, locked her front door.
“You can call me Ms. Redding.” She arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow before dropping her gaze to check him out. Slowly. And he loved every second of her eye-fuck.
“You clean up well,” she said.
That constant pull to touch her had him stroking her back. Once. Twice. Then, he removed his hand. This wasn’t a date. This was a one-off meeting. He wanted information. He owed her physical gratification. It sounded cold, but he didn’t want to read too much into their evening. He didn’t trust her, and he knew nothing about her. Most likely, she had her own agenda.
Stuart opened the back door of the Rolls Royce. She slid in, he followed. Seconds later, the sedan pulled onto the street.
“Something smells good,” she said.
“Coq au Vin.”
“If you’re doing this to get me to talk, it’s not happening,” she said.
“At all?” he asked. “I’m not talking about myself all evening.”
“Most men love talking about themselves.”
“Not me.” After a beat, he said, “I won’t ask you why you’ve been following me if you don’t hide surveillance devices on my yacht.”
She opened her small clutch and showed him. “Beyond lip gloss, my cell phone, and my driver’s license—so they can ID my body when it washes up on shore—there’s nothing.”
He ran the back of his fingers over her soft cheek. “Only pleasure. No pain.”
“Death isn’t always painful.”
His heart squeezed. All death was painful. If not to the victims, then to the survivors.
Forcing himself to stay in the moment, he said, “Ms. Redding, I’m going to make you writhe in ecstasy until you surrender to the pleasure again and again.”
“Ohgod.” Her breathy whisper floated in the air between them.
Their undeniable connection had him peering into her eyes, the pull to kiss her impossible to ignore. It was like nothing he’d experienced, and he couldn’t tear his gaze away.
“What excites you?” he murmured.
“I’m a voyeur,” she said. “That’s why I went to Burke’s. I don’t like hookups, so I wouldn’t have had sex with a stranger.”
“Why did you have sex with me?”
“I’ve been watching you for weeks. You didn’t feel like a stranger.”
Same .
She crossed her legs and the slit in her jumpsuit revealed her toned thigh. Like a magnet, he was drawn to her shapely leg.
With a gleam in her eyes, she took his hand, pressed his palm against her thigh. In that split second, everything jumped to Mach speed. Her breathing changed, a moan shot out of him. The air turned electric. When she slicked her tongue over her lower lip and glanced at his mouth, he captured her face in his hands, leaned over, and kissed her.
“Mmm,” she purred as she pressed her tongue inside.
He kissed her slowly, relishing the way their tongues tangled, the seductive, growly sounds she made every time he caressed her bare thigh. She curled her long fingers around his biceps and squeezed, then intensified their kiss. Ignoring his trapped boner, he ran his fingers through her soft hair, letting the strands tickle his fingers. Then, he slowed the kiss, dropped a soft one on her lips before breaking away.
She heaved in a breath. “Nice.”
“Wait until I put my mouth on your pussy,” he murmured.
“And your brother barges in with another emergency.”
He chuckled. “No interruptions tonight.”
Her throaty moan sent a jolt to his cock, now straining to escape the confines of his pants. While he ran his fingertips over her thigh, she stared into his eyes.
“What’re your fetishes?” she asked.
“Feet,” he replied.
“Legs too?”
“Yours.”
“I did see a few women going into the mansion. They were all tall.”
“Next time you’re outside my home, let my guard know. We’ll make sure you get better pics.”
Her smile sent another wave of excitement traversing through him. This was becoming addictive… and annoying. She had too much control over his emotions.
“Why feet?” she asked.
“They can be very erotic, especially with a toe ring or ankle bracelet. I like rubbing them. I like them on my cock. Blood red or black toenail polish is key.”
“I like it rough sometimes,” she confessed. “I also like consent non-consent, but I haven’t done that in a long time.”
“Do you like to be tied up?” he asked his cock now throbbing.
“As part of the CNC, I do. And I like it from behind.”
He pulled her to him, his mouth against hers while she pushed out of the seat and straddled him. Her fingers dove into his hair as she ground against him. He grabbed her ass with one hand, wrapped his other around her neck. Despite her being on top of him, he was controlling her movement… or trying to, but she was grinding on him pretty good.
“Fuck,” she bit out. “I’m out of control around you.” She kissed him hard, then backed away, but she didn’t climb off him.
The car stopped, Stuart exited the vehicle, and opened the back door.
Simone smirked at Luciano. “Busted.” Pushing off him, she collected her clutch and got out.
Luciano raked his hands through his mussed hair and followed.
“Thank you, Stuart,” Luciano said. “Take the night off. I’ll call for an Uber.”
“I’ll wait,” Stuart replied. “If I fall asleep and don’t hear your text, call me. I’ll be parked in your spot, sir.” With the insulated travel bag of food in hand, Stuart headed down a pier.
Luciano clasped Simone’s hand and led her toward his vessel. He liked touching her, liked how the warmth from her hand traveled up his arm.
“I’m not a hand holder,” she said, “but I’m making an exception, just this once.”
He squeezed her hand in acknowledgment.
“Which one is yours?” she asked.
“The last on the right. This is my cousin Carrera’s marina. He runs Carrera Cruises, but I dock here.”
“That’s a lot of boat.”
“It’s a sixty-foot Princess Skybridge,” he said.
“She’s a beauty.”
After Luciano helped her aboard the Omega, she removed her shoes, and waited on the sofa in the stern while he flipped on the blower, checked the engine compartment for bilge water, and disconnected the shore power. Once he’d fired up the engines, he and Stuart untied the ropes securing the yacht to the slip.
“Enjoy your evening, ma’am, Mr. Santini,” Stuart said before walking back down the pier.
Luciano opened the door to the interior and Simone stepped inside.
“This is fancy.”
He led her to the bridge, waited for her to climb into the plush leather co-captain’s chair before he sat in his. “Time for fun, Ms. Redding.”
He steered the yacht out of the marina, then through the No Wake zone. Once on the Potomac River, he increased the speed and the yacht glided effortlessly over the water. If there was anything that helped calm his tormented soul, it was boating. As he glanced over at his dinner companion, guilt slithered around his soul. He shouldn’t be having fun, ever. He should be hunting down the monster who shredded his life.
As if sensing his struggles, she appeared by his side. “Call me Simone,” she murmured, plucking him from his maddening thoughts.
In the darkness, his gaze found hers. She looked so much more relaxed on the water. Like she could leave her own demons on shore and drift happily downstream.
“I didn’t learn anything about you,” she whispered. “Not one damn thing.”
“That’s because there’s nothing to learn,” he lied.
She smiled. “I know who your friends are, so I’m sure you’re up to something evil. I gotta say, though, you wear it very, very well.”
“No one wears evil like I do,” he said with a smile.
They passed a Carrera Cruise ship and then another. This part of the Potomac was a hot spot for evening boating, especially in the fall when the nights turned crisp. He captained the yacht until he found his favorite spot on the river. An alcove tucked out of the way. And he dropped anchor.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
She slipped her hand under his sport coat and caressed his back, then dropped her hand to his ass and squeezed. “I’m starving. Absolutely starving.”
The sultry look in her eyes was his green light. Then, she reached over and ran her hand over his crotch. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes,” he replied. “I’m fucking famished.”
SIMONE
Simone could not regulate her breathing. Desire thrummed through her at a frenetic pace. From the intensity in Luciano’s eyes to the way his designer duds hugged his perfectly sculpted body, she was primed for a release. It would take very little effort to push her over the edge.
But it was more than a physical attraction. He was the epitome of power. There was a strength in the way he carried himself, the way he spoke, and how he commanded the space. He demanded respect simply by existing. She’d never been around anyone like him. It was a heady combination that left her hungry for more.
He wrapped his hand around her arm, guided her from the bridge to the cabin. She admired the exquisite sofas, chairs, and artwork. She was floating, like she was having an out of body experience. Being on his private yacht didn’t feel real. Was this a trap? Did he bring her here to force her to tell him who’d hired her?
Her insides were throbbing, and she shoved out any thoughts about her job, about her being a watcher, about his alleged white-collar crimes. In this moment, all that mattered was his mouth on hers, his body on hers, his cock inside her. That was it. She didn’t care about anything else except this Adonis of a man standing inches away.
With a strong hand around her waist, he guided her down the stairs and into his private quarters at the end of the hallway, furnished with a beautifully appointed king-sized bed.
“My stateroom,” was all he had to say.
She could tell him no, but that was the last thing she wanted to utter. Alone with Luciano Santini seemed like a bad decision she’d regret later. Now, it was absolutely necessary, like breathing. She had to have him. For her, there was no other option.
Standing behind her, he slowly unzipped her jumpsuit. When he pressed his lips to her skin and kissed her shoulder, a shiver of excitement raced down her back.
“Yes,” she whispered dropping the clothes off her shoulders.
Once again, she’d skipped the bra and panties.
As if he governed time, he slowly circled around to face her. His attention dropped to her chest, her tits, then back into her eyes. Desire poured from them and she trembled with anticipation. Never before had she felt this kind of raw power. He removed her belt, the jumpsuit dropped to the floor. He stepped back, his ravenous gaze devouring her with an intensity that left her breathless.
His eyes turned black as coal. But it was the groan that ripped from his soul that made her knees weak.
She slipped off her sandals while he draped her outfit over a chair. With a grace that held her complete attention, he removed his sport coat and unbuttoned his shirt enough to tug it over his head in one smooth move. The desire to touch him had her moving close, but she didn’t kiss him. She wanted him to kiss her.
With her attention pinned on him, she unbuckled and loosened his pants. Before they dropped, he pulled out a packet of condoms, tossed it on the bed. His pants hit the floor, his rock-hard erection rivaling the hard slab of his abdomen.
All man. All muscle. All hers.
Her pulse clamored in her ears, her pussy swollen with anticipation.
“I need you inside me,” she murmured.
“Not until I make you come with my mouth, Simone .”
She loved the way he said her name, the way his wicked-hot mouth formed the word, Seemone . Never before had it sounded so exotic. Never before had she needed a man to utter it over and over, again and again.
If he was evil, she was being romanced by the devil himself.
And she was all-in.
Flinging back the comforter and sheet, she crawled in and laid on her back. She was done waiting. It was time and she was ready.
“I love the way you taste,” he murmured as he stalked over to her, then placed a pillow under her head. “Watch me ravage you.”
“Ohmygod,” she bleated.
How could one man undo her so easily? Was it his power? His wealth? His looks? Was it that he was the most secretive man she’d ever met?
Whatever the answer, she was mesmerized by his every move.
Planking over her, he stared into her eyes. His mouth found hers and she groaned into him while her arms and legs wrapped him like a blanket. The kiss was wild and intense. Their tongues pulsed against each other while she raked her fingernails down his back. Their sounds reminded her of animals in the wild, the rawness of their embrace making her squirm and undulate beneath him.
He broke the kiss, his breath now coming faster, his eyes wild with need. He found her nipple, sucked it hard while pinching and teasing the other. Mini explosions of euphoria shot through her. But, when his slipped two fingers inside her, she rose off the bed, crying out from the pleasure.
“Luciano, oh, fuck, yessssss.”
“You’re soaked for me, Simone.”
In and out her finger-fucked her, teasing her, taking her to the edge, but not over. Her senses were on fire, every part of her coiled for a release.
“If this is my punishment for spying on you, I accept.”
He stopped. “Are you ready?”
His voice was deep, dark, even a little scary. To her, however, it was filled with so much promise. So much desire.
“Yes,” she gasped. “I’m dying for you.”
He put his gloriously handsome face between her legs and breathed deep. “So good.” Then, he licked her opening, ran his tongue over her clit.
Shocks of pleasure charged through her. She sank her fingers into his thick, luscious hair while he massaged her pearl with his talented tongue. An assault of the absolute best kind. When he slipped three fingers inside her, she roared with pleasure.
“Harder, more, faster,” she cried out. “Give me everything.”
But he did just the opposite. He slowed down his licking, slowed his fingers too.
“You’re killing me,” she protested, her body shaking with anticipation.
“You want the pleasure to last, so let it build.”
He moved away from her pussy altogether and collected her foot in his large hand. And he placed her big toe into his mouth and sucked. Tingles flew up her leg to her aching clit. He caressed the arch of her foot, sucked her second toe.
“I can’t wait to fuck you,” he said.
She bent her knees, spread her legs wide.
The fire in his eyes burned into her soul as he returned his face to her swollen pussy. With his hands positioned on the inside of her thighs, he tongued her with a ferocity that had her mewling. Over and over and over.
She started thrashing on the bed, then bucking. When he slid his fingers back inside her, the orgasm shot out of her so hard, she felt it in the back of her throat.
“Ohmygod,” she blathered while she shook and convulsed through the orgasm. “Luciano, ohhhhh.”
Streams of ecstasy washed over her while she stared down at him. When she grew still, he lifted his face. Her wetness covered his mustache, his mouth, his stubbled chin, but it was the smile on his face that sent her flying to the moon.
Simone Redding was a naughty, naughty girl… and she couldn’t be happier.
LUCIANO
Feasting on Simone had turned him into a savage beast. Desperate to thrust inside her, he wanted to fuck her until she screamed his name in ecstasy again and again. He wanted her boneless, sated, and curled in his arms.
She pulled him onto her, kissed him with a ferocity that had him growling like a cornered animal. Her ravenous sounds made him want to fuck her so hard, she wouldn’t remember her own name.
She tore open the condom packet, handed it to him.
After covering himself, he planked over her. “First, we fuck my way. Then, we fuck yours.”
“What is mine?” she asked, her breath coming fast.
“From behind with you trapped.”
“Get in me,” she commanded.
He leaned against the propped pillows. “Sit on me.”
She straddled him, collected his shaft in her hand, and sunk down on him. One effortless glide and he was rooted inside her. So fucking deep. So fucking good.
She kissed him, he fondled her tits, ran his tongue over her big areolas and engorged nipples. So fucking erotic. The more he sucked, the bigger they plumped. She glided off, then sank down, taking him all the way in. Again and again while streams of pleasure pounded him.
“Lay down,” she said.
Still rooted inside her, he slid them down on the bed. Now sitting on him, she started riding him, hard. Up and down over his cock. Pleasure turned to euphoria. None of it he deserved, but all of it he needed. So fucking badly.
Fucking helped. Fucking Simone helped more.
He was captivated by her beauty, by her guttural sounds, by the aggressive way she rode him.
“I’m gonna come again.” Gliding faster, she raised her arms over her head, her moans turning to cries.
He squeezed her nipples, teased them with his thumbs.
He liked the way she fucked.
He liked it a lot.
He ran his thumb over her clit and she cried out as her core clamped down on his steely shaft. But it was the way she pinned him with her half-hooded eyes, the look of ecstasy washing over her face that pushed him over. And he unloaded into her, shooting his come so hard, he almost blacked out.
“Fanculo a mi,” he said when he stilled.
She collapsed on him, breathing hard. “What does that mean?”
“Fuck me,” he said on a growl.
Lifting her face to his, a smile tugged on her lips. “That was some serious fucking.”
It sure as hell was.