CHAPTER 5
It’s been a few days since I woke up in the bed of Room Five alone and disoriented. As my eyes blinked open, thankfully not covered by a blindfold, everything came rushing back. Going to Club Sin with Fleur, being invited to a room, the triplets, and their deal.
My body had that delicious ache, the one which told me I had thoroughly enjoyed myself. What I didn’t like was the small empty feeling in the pit of my stomach at waking up alone. It wasn’t right.
At first, it made me feel small, but then the longer it set in, it started to morph into anger. It might have been worth it to keep my secret, but I’m not going to be all smiles and niceties the next time I come across the Falsini triplets. When we might cross paths again, I have no idea, but they’re on my shit list as of right now.
They didn’t even leave me a note. If it had just been Mateo, I wouldn’t have been surprised, but I thought Massimo was sweeter and more considerate than that. I should have known better.
Waking up alone also made me feel cheap, something I hadn’t experienced within the walls of Club Sin before. I had engaged in play since I became a member, but none of it made me feel like a whore until the time I spent in Room Five.
I got dressed, righted myself as best I could and then walked downstairs to the lobby floor with my head held high because I refused to do anything less. Even if inside I was breaking a little.
There were a few moments, when I was in the arms of the triplets, that I thought we had…something. I’m even more afraid of putting words to what I thought was between us with every day that passes since that night, but I don’t think I imagined it.
Or maybe I did, and it was all just endorphins and sexual chemistry.
Who the fuck knows. All I know is that they better watch out because I won’t be listening to any negotiation bullshit the next time I see them. They’ll be lucky to walk away with their balls still attached.
When I hit the lounge on the ground floor, I was thankful as fuck to see Fleur there, her hair mussed as she glowed with a look of being freshly fucked. I wrapped my arm through hers and we walked out of the club together.
She leaned into me and whispered, “Where were you? I was starting to get worried.”
I hissed, trying to keep the sadness creeping in out of my voice, “I don’t want to talk about it.” She tensed and I added, gentler, “I’m fine. It wasn’t anything bad. The club is safe, you know that.”
She nodded and then she let it go, allowing us to ride in silence. It was probably a bad idea because it allowed me to stew in my thoughts. Some of them went to a violent place involving putting three cocks in cages which the triplets would find very uncomfortable.
Days later I’m still pissed, but I don’t necessarily want to dance on their entrails with my highest stilettos. It’s an improvement.
This morning when I got up, I couldn’t force myself to follow through with the appearances of my life, the ones which paint me as some shopaholic who doesn’t care about anything but myself. Being self-centered for the public is exhausting, not that I have room to complain about anything. I know I don’t.
I’ve been watching mindless television without a hint of shame, and I don’t see my plans changing for the rest of the day. I’m not even paying attention when my phone rings, assuming it’s Fleur, I answer without really looking away from the big home décor reveal on the flat screen in front of me.
“I’m not in the mood to leave my couch today,” are the first words out of my mouth when I answer.
The male chuckle on the other end of the line has me sitting up straight and lunging for the remote to mute it. I only fumble it once, which is a win as far as I’m concerned.
“Princess,” the amused voice on the other end of the line has me narrowing my eyes in my empty living room, “I hope we can entice you to leave the couch.”
“Marco,” I hiss. I don’t even know how or why I know it’s him and not one of the other two assholes. “Fuck off,” my voice is flat.
I pull the phone away from my face to hang up, but I hear his raised voice, “Don’t hang up on me, Viola.” I put it on speaker so I can act fast if I need to and be able to hear whatever bullshit is about to come out of his mouth. He sighs, the sound filled with regret I’m not sure I believe. “I’m sorry. We’re sorry. We shouldn’t have left you the way we did. It was wrong.”
“Great. You’re forgiven,” I bite out the words, not meaning them in the least.
He chuckles again and it takes all my willpower not to chuck the phone across the room. “We’re sending a car to pick you up a block away from your place, the same place you hopped into the car the night I followed you to Club Sin.”
I gasp because what the fuck does he mean he followed me? He was watching me? Part of me is intrigued and wants to know more, the other part of me thinks I need to start carrying my gun again no matter where I go.
“I’m going to have to pass. Sorry,” I force the word past my lips, but I don’t sound apologetic at all.
“It’s not up for discussion, Viola,” the voice on the other end of the line is now much harder and colder. “The driver will be there in an hour.”
I roll my eyes, “Lovely to speak to you as well, Mateo. The answer is still no. Our deal is done.”
“Hardly,” Mateo fires back immediately. “You’ll want to hear what we have to offer. Unless, of course, you don’t care about the pictures getting back to your brothers or being splashed across the media.”
Every hair on my body stands on edge and a rage I’ve never felt before fills me while I end the call without a word. I sit on my couch, staring at nothing as I contemplate the words that asshole just spit at me. Pictures? Fucking great. I knew the deal seemed too good to be true.
I should have remembered I’m dealing with men intent on power who don’t care what they do to get there. Sighing, I pull myself up, which I’ve done so many times in my life before, and head to my room to get ready for war.
What better way to wage a battle where I don’t have any leverage? I pull out a dress that looks like a second skin and make sure to put expensive as hell lingerie on underneath. I don’t have a lot of time, but I make sure my make-up is flawless and like I could walk a fucking runway. They won’t see me crack, even if I’m only shards of glass on the inside.
I won’t give the Falsini triplets the satisfaction.
It’s just as easy to get out the backdoor of my place tonight as it is every time that I leave without my security detail knowing. I almost wonder if my brothers realize I can give these idiots the slip. If my brothers think I’m too smart to not go somewhere without protection, they’re obviously wrong.
The thought of walking into the lion’s den with no one knowing where I’m going makes my stomach sink. I’m not surprised when a car is idling right where I was told it would be. The driver hops out and nods at me before opening the back door, “Miss Guidice.”
I roll my eyes as I slide into the backseat and pull my phone out of my purse at the same time. I send a quick text to Fleur and make sure I’m sharing my location with her.
So, the other night at CS, the Falsini triplets saw me there (maybe us). They invited me to a room anonymously and gave me an ultimatum. They keep their mouths shut about seeing me there for one night together.
Fleur:
Holy shit. Don’t tell me you agreed to that? Fuck. You did. I don’t even have to ask.
I did. It was explosive.
I must have passed out.
I woke up alone in bed and that’s when I went down to find you and we left.
Fleur:
Triplets. You kinky bitch.
I giggle at my best friend’s message. She’s not wrong. Even though I don’t like my body’s reaction, I shiver at the memory of how Marco and Massimo moved together, taking me and claiming me. The way Mateo and I burned together was so unlike what I thought he would be considering how cold he seems.
Not the fucking point, Viola. Get back on track.
Anyway. I thought someone should know they called me and sent a driver for me.
I’m not entirely sure where I’m going, but I’m in the car now.
Fleur:
What the fuck, Viola?!? You should have told me before you left. I should be going with you as backup or something.
I’m not bringing you into my mess.
I just wanted you to know in case you have to call in the calvary.
Fleur:
Yeah, that’s all you need. Me calling your brothers.
Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
Fleur:
No kidding. Be careful. Let me know when you’re back at home. If I don’t hear anything from you in four hours, I’ll do what needs to be done. *shudder*
I smile and sit back against the plush seat of the luxury town car. This is why we’re best friends. There’s no judgement between us. We know our lives aren’t ordinary and never have been. She has her own rowdy group of overprotective men in her corner, ones who would lay their lives down for her.
When the car comes to a stop, I look up at the large, Queen Anne style home and suppress my reaction to it. It’s gorgeous, but I can’t get swept away with some dormers, a wraparound porch and intricate brackets that look original. Nope.
I step out of the car before the driver has a chance to come all the way around and glide, just like I was taught to do in polite society, toward the front door. Before I can knock, it swings open, and I’m met with the warm and apologetic eyes of Massimo.
I narrow my eyes at the man in front of me and breeze by him. How our bodies don’t touch while I do it is a miracle. Let’s face it, a woman only has so much resolve when being assaulted with how good it felt to have his cock fill me and the chemistry which flows between us, no matter how much I wish it weren’t so.
The memory of waking up still sticky with his cum…and his brother’s cum…is too fresh. If I weren’t on birth control, we would be having a tough conversation. I won’t be bringing that little fact up. It’s a good thing all test results must be kept on the up and up to maintain membership at Club Sin because it means I’m protected.
Do they even care? Probably not, but I do. Damn it.
Does the thought of not being on birth control and getting pregnant with their baby turn me on? Yes, it does. But—no. Stay focused Viola.
I sweep into the house and find Marco and Mateo standing in the parlor waiting for me. Marco grins at me as if we’re long-lost friends and Mateo’s face is a mask of neutrality. So, par for the course as far as I can tell. Apparently, I haven’t thrown them off their game.
“I’m here, as demanded,” my words are glacial. “What can I do for you,” I almost choke on the next word, “gentleman?”
“We owe you an apology,” Massimo’s voice is gentle from behind me and I’m damn proud of myself when I don’t flinch.
“No need,” I say dismissively with a wave of my hand. “If that’s all,” I turn to move back past the youngest brother who is between myself and the door, my intent clear.
Massimo grabs my wrist and I glare at him, imagining him bursting into flames from the lasers I’m shooting at him. No such luck. I’ll have to work on it.
“Please,” Marco coos, “we do owe you an apology.” I look at him over my shoulder and find Mateo looking at me with the same cold indifference. “We invited you here for dinner.”
My eyebrows rise in surprise, his words coming out of nowhere in such a way that I couldn’t prepare myself for them. Fuck. Now they probably think they won something. My voice is incredulous, “Dinner?”
“Let us make it up to you. We should have never left you like that. I didn’t want to,” Massimo’s voice drops to a whisper with his last sentence.
I’m sure he didn’t want to. He’s the ‘nice’ brother. As much as a man involved in organized crime can be, I suppose. I’m not under any illusion that a wolf would make a grand pet either. Yet here we are.
Yet here we are.
I look toward Mateo and curl my lip. “It sounded more like a threat than an invitation to dinner on the phone. One which would put me in another vulnerable,” the accusation is thick in my voice, “position.”
Mateo holds up his hands as his lip twitches. “There aren’t any pictures. We might not be good men, but we’re not those kind of men.”
My shoulders relax slightly and the zing of excitement which runs through my body is the only explanation for what happens next. “Fine. Dinner it is.”
Marco grins and practically bounces on the balls of his feet as Massimo turns me and leads me deeper into the house and into the dining room. I glance around and fall in love a little bit more with the house. All the original details are intact or painstakingly restored.
Mateo pulls a chair out for me and gives the nape of my neck a squeeze after I sit. The action speaks volumes even though I’m not sure how to interpret it. My gut is telling me he’s the one who I need to keep my eye on the most.
“You have a lovely home,” I tell the triplets honestly.
“Thank you, princess,” Marco’s voice is full of pride as he sets a glass of wine in front of me.
I watch as the brothers work together to get the food on the table. I’m expecting it to be awkward, but within a few minutes, that feeling melts away and leaves something else behind. Something I’m not willing to analyze.
No good can come from the feeling of warmth in the middle of my chest which seems to grow the longer I spend around the triplets. Nothing good at all.
It would be so easy to fall for them, but I need to keep in mind these men have practically declared my family to be their enemy. I’ve heard chatter from my brothers about deals they’re making to position themselves to gain more power in the city.
Not that there isn’t enough to go around, but what is their end game?
Will they find a way to use me to get it?
It’s better to keep my guard up around them, but every time one of them makes me laugh, including Mateo with his dry humor and stoic expression, I feel a little bit more of it crumble at my feet.
Nothing good at all can come of this. Why don’t I seem to care?