Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Caleb
T he shower door opens, and I stall the hand wrapped around my dick cursing the bitch for interrupting the fantasy playing out in my head while I was jerking off. My straining cock leaks precum, screaming for release, as Anais drapes her naked body around me from behind. “I can help with that,” she purrs in what she thinks is a seductive voice, but it has always sounded like she has a hairball stuck in her throat.
I snag her wrist as she moves her hand around my body, heading for my cock, stopping her progress. “I’ve got it covered, and you weren’t invited to shower with me.”
“Why are you being like this?” I hear the pout in her tone as I pry her arms off me and step back, creating distance between us. Overhead, water flows from my rainforest shower cascading over my shoulders and streaming down my back. “You haven’t fucked me once since I got here.”
“I’m busy,” I lie, switching off the water and grabbing a towel. I wrap it around my waist, ignoring my protesting cock as I brush past her scowling face and exit the shower.
“You’re not busy now.” She yanks the towel from behind, and it falls to the floor.
I’m struggling to rein in my anger. Truth is, I should just fuck her to shut her up, but I can’t. Her touch makes my skin crawl, and I’ve reached my breaking point. Years of tolerating her bitchy, whiny ass have taken a toll, and I’m done. Except I must continue playing the game while her dickhead husband is MIA. Anais is our best hope of finding Cruz, so I need to keep her on our side. President’s orders.
“Don’t.” I glower at her, grinding my teeth, as I grab a fresh towel and tuck it around my waist, covering my rapidly deflating erection.
“This is about her , isn’t it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, striding out of my bathroom.
“Don’t walk away from me when I’m talking to you, Caleb!” she screeches, trailing after me into my large closet.
“I’m not doing this with you now.” Or ever. I pick a black shirt, boxers, socks, and ripped jeans from my closet. I should have just showered at J’s place, but I needed clean clothes. I’ve been staying with my twin and his girl ever since Anais showed up on my doorstep, much to her chagrin. I’ve used work as the excuse, but that won’t wash for long. Case in point.
“Is she the reason you’ve been avoiding me?” she accuses, jabbing her finger in my face. Her red nails are long and sharp and can inflict pain, as I’ve learned in the past. Anais is a spoiled bitch who lashes out and throws temper tantrums whenever she doesn’t get attention or get her own way. As much as I fucking loathe Cruz DiPietro, I can’t say I blame him for cheating on the bitch. She would drive any man to the point of insanity.
I drop the towel, swatting her hand away when she reaches for me again. Rage flares from her eyes before a more calculated look washes over her face. I watch her warily as I pull on my socks, boxers, and jeans. Leaning her naked body back against the wall, she spreads her legs and pulls her pussy lips apart, fully exposing herself to me. “I know you want it,” she pants, sliding one finger inside her cunt. “I know what you like, and I’ll give it to you.” Spinning around, she thrusts her ass up and out and parts her cheeks, looking over her shoulder at me and licking her lips. “Take my ass, sexy. Fuck me hard, just how you like it.”
Pulling up the zipper on my jeans, I tuck my completely flaccid cock away. I feel nothing as I look at her naked body, offered to me on a silver platter for the taking. Years ago, this would have turned me on. The knowledge Cruz’s wife let me do whatever I wanted to her body always aroused me more than the sex itself, but not now. Now, I feel nothing but contempt for her. My cock will never touch any part of her body ever again.
“I’m going out. I’ll check when your apartment will be ready,” I add, shoving my arms into the sleeves of my shirt and grabbing my wallet, gun, keys, and watch.
“Caleb, please.”
I glance back at her as I strap my watch to my wrist, noting the fake hurt plastered on her face as she switches gear. She’s so predictable. If she can’t seduce me, she’ll turn on the waterworks.
There is so much I want to say to her, but I bite back the words, remembering my duty. Shoving my feet into black sneakers, I force my features to soften before walking over to her, trying not to flinch as I hold her face in my hands. “Anais, I explained how precarious the situation is now. I don’t have time for distractions. I promised I would protect you from Cruz, but that is all I can offer.”
Her eyes narrow. “Have you screwed her? Is this why you’re acting so fucking weird?”
I know who she’s referring to because Anais has always felt threatened by Elisa. She’s always been jealous of our close bond even though I have never laid a finger on Lili in a sexual way. My cock jerks behind my boxers, and I frown. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no, I have not screwed her. For the last time, we are friends.”
Smug pleasure glistens in her eyes, and I instantly drop my hands from her face. I need to get her out of my personal space and fast. Buttoning my shirt, I walk out of the bedroom and back into the bathroom. I apply some gel to tame my hair, brush my teeth, and slap on some cologne while the she-devil pouts from the doorway.
“I need you, Caleb. I’m so scared all the time, and you’re never here.” She doesn’t know when to quit, and it’s exhausting dealing with her.
“You’re safe here, Anais. No one is getting through security. Your new apartment is being fitted with a hi-tech alarm system and panic buttons in every room”—along with hidden cameras with audio recording ability, but I’m not mentioning that—“for your peace of mind. Cruz can’t get near you while you are living in this building.”
“I don’t understand why I can’t just live here with you.” She walks toward me, still completely naked, dragging one finger down the front of my shirt-covered chest. “Think of all the perks.”
She attempts to waggle her brows, but they are frozen stiff from all the shit she injects in her face. Anais used to be pretty, but she has ruined herself with multiple cosmetic procedures she doesn’t need. If she keeps it up, she’ll rival The Bride of Wildenstein for her crown.
“I don’t do roommates. I like living alone, and I have zero desire to live with any woman, including you.”
“You’re such a prick,” she snaps, stumbling over an errant shoe lying under a pile of dirty clothes on the floor. “And a messy pig to boot! This place is disgusting!”
I shove my face all up in hers. “So, clean it! Let’s call it rent.” I doubt Anais has ever lifted a single finger to clean up after herself or anyone else.
“I’m not your fucking housemaid!” she screeches, her face awash with indignation.
“And I’m not your punching bag. I’m sick of listening to your shit. If you don’t want to be here, you know where the door is.”
“I don’t care about the mess!” she says, completely contradicting herself. “I love you!” she cries, clinging to my arm, turning the tables again. “I know you love me too. If you’d just give us a chance. Please, baby. I know we can be so good together, and there is nothing standing in our way now. We can make things official.”
“You’re fucking delusional.” I pin her with a hateful look. “I don’t love you, and I never will. You were a hole to fuck when I was bored, or I wanted to fuck with your husband. Now he’s gone, I’ve realized I don’t need to put up with your mood swings and manipulations. I have never cared for you. I barely tolerated you, and I’m all out of patience.” I remove her hands from my body, leaving her jaw trailing the ground as I walk out of my bedroom.
Fuck this shit.
I’m telling The Commission I’m out. I can’t do this anymore. We should be able to get the intel we need from the cameras in her new place and the tracking device I implanted in her phone. She doesn’t have a tracking chip, but the soldato I have assigned to shadow her will follow her whenever she leaves the building, and that will have to be enough because I am so done.
My cell pings in my pocket as I stride along the hallway, aiming for the stairs.
“What?” I snap as I pick up.
“Sorry to interrupt you, Don Accardi,” the new security guard downstairs says. I’ve already forgotten his name. “I, um…”
“Stop acting like a pussy and spit it out,” I bark, grabbing my jacket from the back of a kitchen stool. I must talk to Ben about staff hires at this building. I seriously have my doubts about this new guy.
Anais is shrieking demands as she stalks me to the front door, but I tune her out.
“I’m not sure what you said to her,” the man says in my ear, “but Miss Salerno was very upset leaving.” There is fire behind his words I didn’t think him capable of. “I thought you’d like to know.”
I slam to a halt with my hand curled around the door handle. Anais slams into my back with a piercing fake cry. “What are you talking about?”
There’s a momentary pause. “Miss Salerno.” Confusion threads through his tone. “She dropped by to see you. I escorted her into the private elevator myself.”
I hang up on him as it instantly clicks into place. Spinning around, I grab Anais and roughly push her against the wall, gripping her chin tight.
“Ow, Caleb. You’re hurting me,” she whines.
“What. Did. You. Do?” I clip out, through gritted teeth, glaring at her.
“I didn’t do anything!” She forces a tear from her eye.
I squeeze her chin harder, purposely digging my nails into her flesh. “What did you say to Elisa, and don’t lie because I will ask her.”
“I told her you weren’t here and to fuck off.”
“Anais,” I hiss, moving my hand to her throat and squeezing. “What. Else?”
A defiant look crosses her face, and I squeeze her throat tighter. Panic flares in her eyes as I push my face all up in hers and tighten my grip again. She bucks against me, trying to bring her leg up to knee me in the balls, but I flatten her legs against the wall with my free arm, restraining her.
“Caleb,” she croaks, grabbing my wrist. “Stop.”
I loosen my grip, only so she can speak.
“I’ll tell you,” she rasps, struggling to breathe.
I release her and step back before I accidentally kill her. She bends over, gasping while sucking air into her lungs. When she straightens up, she glares at me like she might hate me. Good. That I can work with.
“You have three seconds before I riddle your lying cunt with bullets,” I say, removing my gun and prodding her brow with it. “What did you say to Elisa?”
“I gave it to her straight,” she snaps, rubbing her neck and shooting daggers at me. “She’s such a pathetic little bitch, pining over you with her schoolgirl crush. I did her a favor. You too. I told her we were together and I was living with you now.” A smirk ghosts over her surgically enhanced lips. “She won’t bother you again.” Her grin expands. “You’re welcome.”
I curl my finger around the trigger, so fucking tempted to pull it.
“You won’t shoot me.” Her cool tone and demeanor aggravate me to no end.
“Don’t be too confident, Anais.” I drag the gun down her face, over her chin and her collarbone, poking the muzzle into the silicone encased behind her skin. “Elisa is off-limits to you. Pull a stunt like that again, and I’ll fill your body so full of bullets there will be nothing but a bloody mess left.”
Shock mixed with disbelief and anger fills her eyes. “You don’t mean that.”
“I suggest you don’t test me.” With one final glare, I walk out the door, slamming it behind me before I prove it right then and there.
I call the building manager from the elevator. “I need that apartment ready ASAP.”
“We’re working as fast as we can, Don Accardi, but?—”
“I don’t want excuses. Just get it done. Mrs. DiPietro will be moving her stuff in tomorrow.” I hang up before he can protest further. I need to get Anais into her own space where I can keep tabs on her without having to fuck her for intel.
I place a call to Elisa as I step out of the elevator on the lower-level parking lot and head toward my Lamborghini. Predictably, she doesn’t answer, and I throw my cell on the passenger seat as I climb behind the wheel, grinding my teeth.
Why did she come here? She has never visited my place before, and she’s been avoiding me for months. Is she finally ready to talk to me? Or did something happen to her? Panic swells in my chest as I start the engine and reverse out of my spot. Whatever the reason, I’m guessing she’s hurting right now, and pain stabs me through the heart knowing I am inadvertently the cause.
When I’m out on the street, I make a left and head in the direction of Lili’s apartment near NYU.
She might not want to ever speak to me again, but I’m not taking no for an answer.
We are thrashing this out tonight, and I’m going to do everything in my power to set things right.