Twenty Four
LIANA
“So, what did he tell you?” Dario asks as we enter his bedroom.
“Pretty much what you figured,” I say, lying back on his bed. “He knows the man’s name, but everything stayed anonymous between them.” Propping myself up onto my elbows, I add, “He also said something about someone receiving a call, announcing their betrayal. You know, he wanted to tell you everything. He didn’t want to follow through with it.”
He stops untying his tie and spins around to face me. “He told you that?”
“Yeah, he felt like he knew you—like he’d known you for years. He felt it was an unfair trade between friends and wanted to make it right.”
“Well, we can’t change the past, can we?” he retorts, unbuttoning his shirt. “He and his little friend down there made the wrong choice, trusted the wrong person… They got themselves locked up, not the ghost. Whatever either of them says now to save their own asses, means nothing.”
Pushing myself up all the way, I cross one leg over the other and stare at him as my blood begins to boil. “I think they’re beyond ‘saving their own asses’, don’t you? What good would it bring them now?” He opens his mouth to speak but I continue. “He only knows the man’s name; he never met him, much like what Ace said. If you just gave them a chance to change—”
“Look, Liana,” he says, inching forward until his legs are blocking me from an escape. “Your brother made a mistake, and a big one at that. He and Ace or Savio, whatever you want to call him, crossed a line and there’s no going back. Now, they can either ensure they’ve told me everything they know or they can stay down there until they die. Either way, whatever happens is up to them.”
He exhales, leaning down over me. I lay back onto the mattress, counteracting his movements and keeping distance between us; though my body yearns for his touch. “There’s something they’re leaving out, I can feel it. It’s not as simple, nor as much of a dead end, as they’re making it out to be. There’s always something they’re leaving out—they just don’t remember it yet. But they will.”
Our faces are an inch apart; his warm, minty breath caresses my skin the way I wish his fingers would.
“Tell me, Liana, you claim you’re not a liar, but I’m sure you’ve told a few lies here and there, haven’t you?” I shake my head. “They can be white lies or full-fledged ones; either way, you have to have done it in your past.”
My soft shakes become a nod. “Yes. White lies are harmless. They inflict more good than harm.”
“Exactly, little one, exactly. So I dare you to lie to me now.”
“About what? I told you everything Apollo told me. I don’t think I left anything out.”
“We’re not talking about your brother now, Liana. It’s anything but.” He repositions himself over me, his legs on either side of my torso. “Do you think less of me now that you know what I’m capable of?”
A soft hum escapes me as I process his words. “I don’t think anything’s changed for me,” I admit. “I always knew you were capable of bad things—dark things. But, I haven’t changed my mind since seeing the skeletons in your closet… Or in this case, the people in your basement. I hate that it had to be them, but I know they're somewhat safe there. They’re not at risk of danger anymore.”
“Being here doesn’t mean they’re not in danger anymore, Liana.”
“If you want anything from me, you’ll stop hurting them. You will stop. I won’t be with a man who hurts my family only because he can.”
“You can’t stop what’s already in motion, little one. This has been happening for years, and until I get results—good or bad—it’ll keep happening.”
“No,” I say, spitting venom in his face as I try to push myself out from under him. “I know you’re a good person, Dario. I know there’s good in your blackened heart, you just refuse to fucking see it. You let the bad overrun it.”
“It’s who I am, Liana, who I learned to be from a young age.” His hands grip my arms, pinning me down in place. “It’s all I’ve ever known. My father taught me everything I know. He showed me that while we don’t have to resolve everything with violence, the things that we do, should be seen through to the very end. If they aren’t, I’ll be seen as weak and easily corrupted. I can’t let go of the person I’ve made myself because you asked me to.”
“I’m your wife, Dario; that should mean something.” The words slip out, shocking me, before I can even register them. But the way he reacts has me melting beneath him.
His hands release me to hike up my dress until it’s bunched up around my waist, his knee gently pushing my thighs apart. A devilish smile appears on his face, and he leans closer, placing his lips on the tip of my nose.
“Being my wife means nothing when it comes to my job. You will always, always come second to it all.” He places another kiss in the same spot. “But only because I was married to my job long before I was you. Things can change, people can change, but this will always stay the same.”
“I know your job comes first,” I whisper. “But can it make you as breathless as I do?” The words slip free as if they have a mind of their own, but I show no weakness. If my mind wants to expose me, so be it.
Before he can speak, I continue. “I see the way your breath hitches in your chest when your eyes find me. It’s like an inexplicable force that controls you, forcing you to bite your tongue and withhold your actions until I’m gone. Like you’re afraid you’ll scare me away or something.”
“What can I say, little one?” he admits, teasing. “You’re like a dessert dressed in white, begging to be tasted. Tell me, do you ache to be devoured like the need festers within me to devour you?”
I pause, taken aback by his words. I was having a little fun teasing him, but I have no comeback. I don’t know how to respond.
“Cat got your tongue?” he teases, licking his lips with a look of desire in his eyes. “You can’t be nervous forever, Liana. One of these days, you’ll yearn for me the way my body yearns for you.”
What if I already do?
The difference between feeling and saying is that one of them makes it real. If you feel something and withhold it, nothing comes of it. But if you announce it to anyone but yourself, it becomes something shared between two people—or whoever you decide to share it with. Declaring my need for him and how it’s slowly turning into something I no longer understand makes it impossible for me to stay in control.
“Nerves keep me in check,” I admit in a single halting breath, afraid that if I even flinch, he’ll try to dissect my words. “If I… If I say something you don’t like, it’ll become impossible. All of this will become too hard to handle. I’ve lost everyone in my life, and recently found my brother again. I can’t risk all of this—this life, this family… you—for my feelings. It’s selfish and I’m anything but that.”
“It’s not selfish to want something good for yourself,” he says, brushing a loose strand of hair from my forehead, and tucking it behind my ear. “As long as it’s me you want and not some other bastard, it’s not selfish, Liana. You already have me. Our relationship might’ve started off for beneficial means, but I’ve grown fond of you being around and that will never change. Not if I have anything to say about it.”
“How do I—” I cut myself off, this time thinking my words through. “How do I let impulse take over when there are so many things I don’t know about you? How could I ever forget the way you tortured my brother into believing he had no hope? How can I ever trust that you would change your ways to be a better father than you are a man?”
My words take him by surprise. His head recoils and I watch his throat work as he swallows.
Moving off me, he lays at my side, propping his head on his palm as he balances himself on his elbow. “You’re not the only person who doubts their parenting skills… But as my mother always says, ‘you’ll never know you’re good enough until you try’. Her words make me believe I will always do my best until I physically can’t. It will never be my intention to hurt my children, but I will shape them to be strong and vigilant. They’ll never make it otherwise.”
Following his lead, I turn onto my right side, my hands placed beneath my head for support.
“My parents raised me the best they could, overcoming so many obstacles that they never once judged me for becoming the man I am. Death is something we see every day, and we can’t look away from it because it’ll seem weak; the same goes for anything else others outside of our world deem as wrong.” His eyes flutter as if he hates his thought process. “I know what I’ve done to your brother and friend is wrong, but it’s what’s necessary to our cause. You have to understand that I’m doing this because I have to, not because I want to.”
Reaching my hand to his cheek, my finger caresses his skin. “Just because we’re not on the same wavelength, doesn’t mean I view you any differently. I know you’re a strong man doing what he thinks is right, but sometimes, beliefs change. Sometimes, you view the world from someone else’s eyes and realise that you could’ve handled certain situations in a different way. And sometimes, good things come from a change of heart.”
He hums, closing his eyes and exhaling. “A change of heart at my age is simply off the books. I have too much at stake—”
“I’m not saying to change yourself so much that you don’t recognise yourself when you look in the mirror; I want you to make changes about things you’ll regret. Do you…” I trail off, pushing back the lump in my throat. “Do you regret the way things transpired between the guys and yourself? Do you regret how you handled that situation?”
He squints his eyes as if debating my words. Licking his lips, he starts, “Short answer, yes. If I could change the course of how I dealt with it back then, I would… I would’ve used my head to think rationally, rather than letting anger take the wheel.”
“And the long answer?”
“They hurt my family—my mother treated them like sons the second they joined us. Remi felt betrayed and the most at fault because he brought them here. I was angry and felt like I should’ve seen it coming. I knew better than to believe a simple background check. I should’ve known that it was more probable they were spies, to get the green light so quickly. I should’ve checked them out myself, talked to previous clients or employers—anything to ensure their backgrounds were concrete.”
“You can’t change the past,” I reassure him. “The only thing you can do is ensure you do right by them now.” I inhale a deep breath, watching as his eyes fix on me, giving me his sole attention. “I noticed how you changed their living situation—the loosened chains for starters. I really appreciate that.”
“It’s not for you,” he says, his tone turning cold. “I need information and whether it was their living quarters preventing that or your appearance reassuring them… I don’t know. But what I do know is if they think I’m giving them leeway, they’ll keep talking.”
“You don’t lie as well as you think you do,” I say, throwing his words back in his face. “You have gotten soft, Dario, whether you realise it or not.”
Within an instant, his hand snakes around my waist, yanking me into him. “Tell me, darling, does this feel like I’ve gotten soft?” Seduction laces his words. His slacks restrict his cock, but I can feel it against my stomach like it’s a part of me.
“Does it?” he asks again, his voice pleading for an answer.
“N-no,” I stutter my answer as a hot flash runs through me.
“Take off your dress, Liana.” His words, while they seem like a request, come across more like a demand.
Without hesitation, I lift myself up onto my knees and let the straps fall from my shoulders. He sits up, moving his hands to the back of my dress to unzip it, and that action alone is enough for the dress to drop completely, bunching up at my hips.
“On my lap, little one,” he says, another demand.
I move swiftly, straddling his lap. His hands fall to my dress and, instinctively, my arms raise, allowing him to relieve my body from the material’s restriction.
With my body on display for him, his eyes don’t even wander; they’re glued to mine, almost as if he refuses to look.
“I don’t think this is a fair transaction,” I whisper, pushing aside my nerves.
“Then take it all off,” he counters, tugging at the waistband of my underwear.
“Not me,” I say with a breathy laugh. “You.”
“Even trade?” he says, raising an eyebrow. “You take these off and I’ll follow your lead.”
I nod, my chest heaving as I climb off him. With my feet back on the floor, I slip out of my underwear and watch as he removes each item of clothing in slow motion, almost as if he’s teasing me.
When he’s completely bare, I slide back beside him. “I don’t think that’s where you were sitting, Liana.”
I gulp, sizing up his hard length. “I’m comfortable here,” I quip.
“Then let’s make you comfortable here instead,” he says with mischief in his tone.
A squeal escapes me as his hands grip my waist and he lifts me, placing me on his lap. Our warmth collides and for a split second, he throbs beneath me.
With his hand at the back of my neck, he brings my face down to his until we’re an inch apart, but he does nothing, his lips lingering below mine.
This time, I take the leap and kiss him, and he’s just as eager to taste me as I am him. Our lips merge as one, and I’m at peace. Everything that was running through my mind is gone; only he and I are in this moment. The deeper the kiss gets, the more my core pulsates.
“Liana—”
“I-I’m scared,” I admit breathlessly, speaking into his lips.
“It’s okay to be scared,” he soothes, pulling my head back. “Like I said before, I’ll be gentle, Lia.”
“It’s all so… new. I don’t know—”
“We can stop. This doesn’t have to happen until you’re ready.”
“I’m ready,” I admit quietly. “But I don’t know what to do.”
“Let me show you.” I say nothing, nodding along to his words.
With his hands on my hips, he rocks me back and forth, gliding me over his cock as it lays on his stomach. The motion sends a foreign sensation through me, something that tells me to move faster.
Moving on their own accord with one mission in mind, my hips grind into him, pushing my pussy into his veiny cock.
He releases a deep, breathy moan, pushing me into him with a specific kind of force that sends goosebumps through me.
With a soft touch, I stroke his tip. It’s wet, already covered in pre-come begging to be tasted.
Moving closer, I remove my hand and let his cock run through my already slick slit, pushing against my clit.
“You’re killing me, little one,” he breathes, his chest heaving beneath me.
Pushing back, I sit on his thighs and run my hand down his length. It jumps, startling me, causing a deep rumble of laughter to erupt from his chest.
I look up at him, his eyes are already glaring at me.
“Can I—” His nod cuts me off and I lower my head, sizing up his length again.
Taking it in one hand, I use my other to move my hair over my opposite shoulder, giving me a clear view of his dick in my hand. I drag my tongue down his length, the taste of his pre-release lingering.
“Can you fit it in your mouth for me?” he questions, his voice gruff with need.
Without moving my head, my eyes flick up to him, startled by his question. “I don’t know.”
“Can you try for me, baby?”
I nod, swallowing the sharp pain in my throat. Opening my mouth, I guide his cock with my hand, allowing the saltiness to spread and my lips close around it.
His hands find their way back to my head, fisting my hair, and bobbing my head up and down with slow pressure.
As it reaches halfway into my mouth, I gag, another laugh erupting from him. “Take your time, Lia. I’m here to guide you to your breaking point.”
I hum my response. A few more breathy moans escape him before he yanks my head back. I try to move back to my previous position, but it’s useless; his hand is frozen in place, refusing me what I crave.
“As much as I love your lips wrapped around my cock,” he says quietly, “I need to take this slow. I can’t finish before you.”
Sitting up, he grabs my waist and places me beside him, near the head of the bed this time. His knee finds its way back between my thighs and spreads them.
“You’ve had a turn; now it’s mine.”