26. Vi
CHAPTER 26
VI
It’s almost midnight. Caffeine pumps in my veins, each twitch of energy like another volt of electricity. My thoughts are wild. Apparently, our client didn’t want anything to do with Legendary Analysis, so Uncle Jay is making me hunt for better information.
But the office is locked, which means I’m searching in places I know don’t have any answers.
I poke through dresser drawers. Go through pockets. Open nightstands. Peek under the mattresses. Even go through his boxes of clothes and whisky. But there’s nothing, and in the back of my mind, I’m starting to wonder if Kenzo is right, that Patrick really did rape me. And if so, what does that say about Uncle Jay? The more I think about it, the better it seems to keep Golden Honor Firearms a secret. Kenzo is supposed to be in a meeting with them right now, and by withholding the information from Uncle Jay, I have control. If I decide to go against Kenzo, then maybe I’ll tell our client myself. Make an independent deal without them, so Patrick and Uncle Jay will have to ask me for help.
I adjust the phone against my ear.
“How does the financial controller of the mafia have nothing of value in his apartment?” Uncle Jay asks, his voice crackling over the speaker.
“Look,” I snap. “His office is locked. I tried lock-picking it, but it’s digital?—”
“Digital? Have Patrick look at it.”
I tap my fingers on the phone in irritation. I don’t like being with Patrick by myself; Uncle Jay knows that. And now that I’m married, I doubt my husband would like that either.
“You have to bring him,” I say.
“I’m not his babysitter?—”
“No, you’re his father!” I interrupt. “You need to?—”
The door at the front of the penthouse beeps; someone is coming inside.
“Gotta go.” I hang up as the door slams open. It’s Kenzo, but this time, there’s no singing. It’s just the clicks of his shoes and the hum of his breath. He fixes himself a drink in complete silence.
My stomach clenches. I’ve seen Kenzo’s switch to calculated silence a few times before, but I don’t know what it means right now.
What happened while Kenzo was out?
“You’re home,” I say.
“Home” is strange on my tongue, but it feels good too. Home. Even if this is only home for a few more weeks, it’s still better than being stuck in hotel rooms while Uncle Jay and Patrick are out conning “friends.”
Kenzo faces me, his dark eyes bloodshot and full of fire. Blood trails across his cheek.
My arms heat with fear. I hate being out of my comfort zone—Uncle Jay and Patrick usually only mess with gullible, lonely souls, and Kenzo does not fit that bill.
He steps closer, his eyes searing into me.
“You’re not as innocent as you seem,” he says, his voice level, like he’s been sitting on this situation for hours now, and contemplating anything for a long period of time is so unlike Kenzo. Even if I’ve only known him for a short time, I’ve never seen him as motionless as this. It’s a warning. My skin crawls with nerves.
“I already told you I’m not a virgin,” I whisper.
He invades my personal space. Ginger surrounds me as heat waves come off of his body, warming my skin. But Kenzo doesn’t touch me. It’s almost like he’s giving us distance on purpose, like he knows he can’t stop himself once he gives in to his urges.
Blood stains his gloves too. He must have hurt someone.
Did he kill someone?
“What happened?” I ask, gawking at the bloody leather.
“I’m a bad, bad man, Vi,” he says, violence penetrating each word. “But you’re a bad woman too, aren’t you?”
For a split second, I’m positive he’s going to kill me, but I push the worry down. I bite my bottom lip, nervously lifting my chin. By the time I see the fire in his eyes, he grabs me by the shoulders, swinging me around until I’m thrown up against the wall. He pushes up my shirt and grasps my breasts like he’s angry at me, but when his tongue swirls in my mouth, I moan. I’m at his mercy, and he can’t stop his desire.
He reaches down into my pajama bottoms and cups my pussy, swirling his finger between my lower lips.
“Goddamn,” he mutters. “You’re already soaked for me.”
I open my mouth, but he grabs my hair, wrenching his grip until my neck is taut. His tongue takes a slow, lazy stroll up my neck, and my flesh ripples with goosebumps, heat going straight to my pussy. His leg shoves between my thighs, and he guides my hips until there’s only fabric between us.
“Rub yourself off on me,” he commands.
A flash of heat bursts through me. I obey. I wiggle my hips, letting the fabric create a friction inside of me that vibrates all the way to my cheeks.
“That’s it,” he growls, his words dancing through me. “You’re going to come like a bitch in heat on my leg. I don’t even have to touch you, do I?”
My cheeks turn red. I can’t bring myself to admit he’s right, but my primal response says it all.
“Your cousin said you’re a little slut,” he says. “But you know what I think? I think you’re a demon. I don’t know what kind of power you have over me, but I have never been so fucking obsessed that I killed a man for something he did in the past.”
Fear worms its way into my brain. Patrick. He hurt Patrick. For me. Because Patrick raped me.
He just said he killed someone! my mind screams. Run! Run now! Before he kills Uncle Jay too!
But Kenzo’s hands roam my body, and desire burns brighter, hotter, faster. My mind melts into nothingness, my heart winning control over me.
He killed Patrick to protect me.
Kenzo grips my hips, bringing me down harder on his leg. His muscles tense against my pussy, and his bulge thickens in his pants.
“You drive me crazy, you know that?” he says. My mouth drops open, and a deep growl rips through his body. Chills cover my skin. “Don’t you dare stop,” he groans. “Get yourself off.”
I ride his thigh, my pants and underwear chafing against my sensitive skin, but the more I do it, the better it feels. He rubs his length through his trousers, his eyes set on mine, and a heaviness stirs between us. His mouth stays open, his deep brown eyes locked on mine, and he grabs my throat, giving me enough pressure that my hips drive forward, going harder and faster, until a climax surges through me, and I convulse.
He laughs, and before I can do anything, he’s pulled off my clothes, and he’s naked too, shoving me against the open window of his penthouse. With his belt in his hand, he spins me around, then smacks it against my ass and my back in such quick succession, I lose my breath. The pain shoots through me.
“Imagine how many people are going to see you from this view,” he murmurs. “A whore in the window. Getting off on being whipped with a belt.”
The leather smacks against my ass, and I moan. I moan. His thick, curved cock hangs down by his thigh, bouncing each time he lashes me. Adrenaline pumps through my veins. I’m not supposed to like this, but I’m so turned on right now I can’t think straight.
“Do you think they’ll want a taste?” he whispers. “Or will they be disgusted by what a slut you are?”
He spins me, making me face him. I open my mouth to retort, but my brain can’t function when Kenzo degrades me like this.
“Spread your legs,” he instructs, and I do as I’m told, barely keeping my feet shoulder length apart. The leather belt smacks against my pussy. Heat courses through me, and I yelp. His dick twitches. Then my eyes are glued to his thick, curved cock, and I salivate. Need drips down my legs, but my body is so electric that I don’t care anymore. I just need Kenzo to fuck me.
“Please,” I whine. I can’t even say a full sentence. A smile graces Kenzo’s lips, and I melt, hoping it means he’ll touch me soon.
“You want my dick, baby?” he asks. I nod like a bobble-head. “You want my dick so deep inside of you that you can’t breathe?”
“Yes,” I whimper.
“What a filthy slut.”
Kenzo doesn’t move. My stomach stiffens as he stares; his eyes are a spotlight casting down on me like we’re on a stage in a full house, and it’s up to me. Heat mounts between my legs, a tenderness spreading across my pussy lips. Desperation dominates me, and I grab myself, humping my hand. I’m slippery; my slit slides back and forth on my palm.
“You’re so pathetic,” he says. “You need to get off so badly you’re fucking your own hand. What a greedy little cunt.”
He steps closer, then leans down until his mouth is against my ear.
“I bet it’s a conditioned response,” he whispers coarsely. “Any time I walk past, you smell my dick, and you get wet for me, don’t you? Gushing like a fucking geyser. My hungry little slut has an empty brain when it comes to getting fucked by me.”
Kenzo licks his lips, and he’s right. My head is empty. All I want is him.
“Hands by your sides,” he commands. “Spread your legs.”
I widen my stance, my hands clutching my upper thighs. I brace myself for the belt and close my eyes. But nothing happens. I open one eye cautiously. He licks his smooth lips.
“Look at me when I beat your pussy,” he says.
I whimper. It’s so dirty to know he wants me to watch as he defiles me. I open both eyes and grit my teeth. The leather immediately smacks my slit, the impact rolling through my body in a blinding pain, and I cry. Instantly, he yanks me to the couch and pulls me into his lap, positioning my entrance over his cock. But any time I try to bring my hips down, he digs his nails deeper into my skin.
He won’t let me fuck him.
“Please,” I whisper, pleading with my eyes.
“Make me a promise,” he says. “Never fuck another man again.”
I blink at him. Those words hang between us like a bomb ready to go off. Droplets of sweat trail down his tattooed neck. His body heat is overwhelming, consuming me, and we’re barely even touching. He’s physically close, but his mind is far away, and the anger in his eyes tells me he means every word.
“Promise me you’ll never fuck another man again,” he repeats. “In this life. In the next. I want you all to myself.” His teeth grind. A breath catches in my throat, and he curls his fingers deeper into my flesh. “I don’t care if we divorce. If you run away. If you take on a new identity to escape me. Promise me you will never fuck another man.”
“What are you talking about?” I whisper.
Flames flicker in his eyes, and he impales me with his cock. His thick length spreads my pussy lips, his curve scratching the itch buzzing inside of me, edging me closer to the abyss all over again. I cry out, and his jaw ticks. I’m so close. I’ve never had multiple orgasms before, but Kenzo makes me do it, forces each tendril of pleasure out of me like he owns it. And I hate how much I love it, but I do. I swear I do.
“Goddamn it,” he murmurs. His cock digs inside of me. “If anyone touches you again—if anyone hurts you, I—” he stops. His nostrils flare; he’s barely keeping balance. “If I find out that someone touched you? That they got this close to potentially hurting you? I won’t stop when I kill them. I don’t know when I’ll stop.” His fingers flex, and pain shoots to my ribs. “I’m always in control. Always aware of my actions. But with you? It’s like I’ve lost that purpose, and you don’t want that to happen with someone like me, Vi. I’m a bad, bad fucking man.”
Before this, he told me if I ran, he wouldn’t follow me, but this is different. This changes everything. This is about my life beyond him, and he won’t give anyone else a chance with me.
“The longer you stay, the harder it is for me to think. And I swear to god, if another man touches you and I’m not there to stop it, I won’t eat. I won’t sleep. I won’t stop until I have his head on a spike. And if I have to, I will strangle your uncle until he tells me the name of every man who has ever laid a hand on you, and I will gut them all like pigs, just to make sure you’re safe.”
My jaw hangs open, and he licks my lips, then puts a hand around my throat. I don’t want to gush all over him again but god, it feels so good, and I can’t help it with a cock molded like that. He shoves me down until I’m splitting apart, then he rubs my clit with his thumb, his other hand wrapped around my throat. He squeezes just enough to make my breathing hitch. Pain throbs in my ears.
“You can’t—” I stammer, “You can’t just kill everyone. It’s?—”
Both of his hands brace my neck, and my clit rubs against his groin, the hair above his dick teasing me closer to the dark oblivion.
“Kenzo—”
“Promise me!” he demands. “If you don’t, I will go find your uncle right fucking now!”
He fucks me, each thrust ruthless and unforgiving, and his grip is so tight around my neck I can’t breathe. Explosions flash before my eyes, heat boiling in my toes and neck, and I’m so close, my heart already knows what I’m going to do.
Everything in my life is about helping my family get to our dream house, our slice of paradise. But this is different. It’s like Kenzo is demanding my safety, and if I can’t use my body when Uncle Jay and Patrick have another “friend” who wants to meet me after one too many drinks, then maybe that means I won’t have any choice, but to settle down. To truly be Kenzo’s, even if he’s not around. Maybe we’ll retire like Uncle Jay keeps promising. We’re so close—what does it matter if I seal my sexual fate now?
Possession like this is crazy, but deep inside, it makes me feel safe. Kenzo won’t let anyone hurt me ever again.
I try to speak, but Kenzo’s hands stop me from making any sounds. I can barely mouth the words: I promise.
He lets go of my neck, and his dick slams into me. I gasp, letting that delicious air fill my lungs, my head light and airy. Kenzo’s gaze burns straight inside of my soul.
“Again,” he growls.
“I promise,” I cry.
“Again!”
“I promise, Kenzo! I promise you’re the only person who will touch me for the rest of my life!”
The orgasm takes hold of him, ripping through his body. He pounds into me, making every inch hurt as he howls like a madman, and his curved dick rides against my tender spot. He doesn’t stop; he’s already come inside of me, but he fucks me like he needs me to endure every ounce of pain he has to give, to make sure I never forget it. Stars float in my vision as his come fills me, his grip around my neck constricts, and that oblivion takes over my body, forcing me into the pleasurable abyss. I convulse on top of him until, finally, we stop. My skin tingles; everything is on edge.
Even though we aren’t screwing anymore, Kenzo’s eyes are still completely focused on me, finally back to his relaxed state, like another classic rock song is on the tip of his tongue. These two sides of him are always so close to each other: uncontrolled rage and an easygoing confidence. It’s impossible to tell when he’s going to switch from one side to the other.
As I catch my breath, I lose myself in his brown eyes. I think of all the stupid things I’ve done. The mistakes I’ve made. The promises I’ve broken.
But promising my loyalty to a yakuza gangster may be the biggest mistake of my life.