Chapter 2
Leonid
"Pakhan, the Donelli family's financial report."
Victor's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I sat in the darkest corner of the ballroom, where I could observe the entire room without being noticed. I adjusted my cufflinks—left and right had to align perfectly, not a millimeter off.
"Hm." My gaze swept over the phony faces swirling on the dance floor.
"Ronan Donelli's still desperately hunting for investors," Victor whispered. "But no one's willing to touch that disaster."
I raised my whiskey, the liquid hitting precisely one-third of the glass—no more, no less. Two ice cubes. Perfect.
"Let him struggle," I said. "A cornered animal always delivers the best performance."
That's when I saw her.
More accurately, I heard her first.
She stood on the terrace, her red hair gleaming copper in the moonlight. She was singing an Irish folk song, her voice laced with a strange, haunting melancholy.
She clutched a champagne bottle—drinking straight from it, no pretense of ladylike grace—her eyes dazed, yet every gesture radiated a wild, untamed vitality. Like a bird trapped in a gilded cage, wings clipped but still dreaming of flight.
Intriguing.
"Pakhan?" Victor noticed my distraction.
"Get me some water," I said. "Ice water, 7 degrees Celsius, in a highball glass."
Victor looked puzzled but hurried off. I stood, smoothed my suit, ensuring every crease was exactly where it belonged.
Before slipping on the black wolf mask, I glanced in the mirror. Perfect.
I approached the terrace, opting for the simplest opener. "Need some water?"
She turned, her green eyes sparkling like emeralds in the moonlight. The alcohol flushed her cheeks an inviting pink.
"I always ride bareback."
From her lips, it might've been mere flirtatious banter, but it struck me like a wave, stirring vivid ripples in my mind.
I could see it clearly: her astride a fiery stallion, red hair whipping like flames in the wind. Muscles taut, bodies fused in heat, every buck and surge a dangerous rush of raw freedom, pulsing with heart-pounding temptation.
I had to tame her.
Conquer that wildness utterly, bend that unruly fire to my will, let it burn only where I permit, only for me. Her boldness, her defiance—they'd be trophies I'd claim myself, ripping them from her grasp.
Her words grew bolder, more explicit, and when she yanked off my mask, the admiration and hunger in her eyes shattered my restraint.
"Victor," I pulled out my phone, my voice as calm as discussing the weather. "Cancel tonight. Something more important came up."
"But Pakhan, Ciara Donelli..."
"Tomorrow." I ended the call, eyeing the audacious little bird in my arms. "Come with me?"
Her fingers traced my jaw. "Get me out of this damn place."
She chose chaos, diving headfirst into the unknown. And I, against all reason, flung open the cage door for her.
The hotel was ready, the penthouse suite overlooking all of Boston.
"Your car's so boring—all black and cold," she complained, kicking off her heels to reveal those soft, pale feet. "You're gonna hate me."
She plopped onto the sofa, propping her feet on the coffee table. "I'm walking chaos."
"Chaos can be tamed." I stepped forward, grabbing her foot. She flinched but didn't pull away.
"Oh?" She leaned in, her breath hot against my face. "You want to tame me?"
"I want far more than that." I released her delicate foot, pulled her into my arms, and began tugging at the ties of her dress.
"You bring women here often?"
"You're the first." It was the truth. I never left traces in the same place twice.
"Liar." She scoffed. "This perfect suite, those smooth moves..."
"I'm skilled at everything." I yanked off the offending strap. "It's a gift."
"Is it?" Her hands slid up my neck. "Then show me your gift."
"Last chance. Leave now, and we'll pretend this never happened."
"You talk too much." She seized my tie, pulling me closer. "Less talking, more action."
I growled low, "As you wish," and sealed her mouth with mine, my tongue plunging in to claim her fully. She tasted of champagne and defiance, sweet and sharp, and I delved deeper, drawing her lower lip between my teeth, nipping just hard enough to draw a gasp.
But Scarlett wasn't content with my onslaught.
She resisted, refusing to surrender to the plunder.
Her nails clawed down my back, sharp and fierce, raking through my shirt as if marking her territory.
The burn arrowed straight to my cock, hardening me in an instant, but I refused to let her turn the tables.
I captured her wrists in one hand, pinning them above her head, my body caging hers against the sofa, dictating every twist and writhe.
She struggled fiercely at first, bucking and twisting, her breaths coming in heated bursts against my lips.
But gradually, her resistance softened, her body yielding, melting into the inferno building between us.
I freed her wrists, my mouth trailing down her neck, sucking hard on her throbbing pulse until it bruised red.
She moaned, arching toward me, and I grazed lower, teeth skimming her collarbone, then her shoulder, leaving a path of bites that made her shudder.
Her skin was velvet-soft, flushed, and I devoured it—sucking, licking, claiming her as my own.
Scarlett's fingers tangled in my hair, urging me closer, and then she began grinding against me, her hips undulating slowly, deliberately, rubbing over my aching cock.
The friction was electric, her heat bleeding through our clothes, and I groaned against her skin, reveling in her boldness, her pursuit of pleasure.
But her earlier words echoed— that cheeky talk of taming.
It irked me, that untamed spark thinking it could rage unchecked.
I drew back slightly, flipping her over my lap with her ass presented, and delivered a firm smack to that luscious curve—not too harsh, but enough to sting.
"You move only when I allow it," I growled, my voice thick with desire. "Got it?"
She yelped, more from shock than hurt, twisting to glare at me with blazing eyes.
"Asshole," she snapped, and before I could respond, her hand swung back, landing a retaliatory slap on my thigh.
It was light, almost teasing, but it unleashed something primal in me.
My cock jerked, blood surging hot, and I chuckled darkly, the sound laced with hunger.
"Oh, you feisty wildcat." I lifted her effortlessly, her legs wrapping around my waist as I carried her to the floor-to-ceiling window.
The city lights twinkled below, but my focus was solely on her.
I pressed her back to the cool glass, her body bowing at the sudden chill.
In one fluid motion, I ripped her dress apart, fabric tearing under my grip until she was utterly bare, every curve exposed.
She gasped, her nipples pebbling from the cold and my hungry gaze.
I spun her around, front to the glass, palms splayed against it, ass arched back toward me.
The window's iciness made her tremble, a full-body quiver that set her body shaking.
I pinned her there, one arm locked around her waist, my other hand gliding up her spine.
Leaning close, I whispered hotly in her ear, "Weren't you going to tame me? Why so afraid now?"
She panted, her breath misting the glass, but shot back defiantly, "I'm not afraid." Her voice was breathless, challenging, even as her hips twitched invitingly toward me.
I said nothing more. Gripping her hips, I aligned myself and drove in deep, no prelude, sheathing myself fully in her slick warmth.
She cried out, her inner walls gripping me tight, so drenched and eager it nearly unraveled me on the spot.
"Fuck, you're dripping," I rasped, establishing a slow rhythm, one hand snaking around to pinch her nipple, twisting it between my fingers while my mouth latched onto the other, tongue lashing fiercely.
My free hand dipped lower, fingers circling her clit in tight, tormenting swirls.
"So fucking desperate for it, aren't you?
Soaked like you need to be fucked out of your mind. "
She moaned, thrusting back to meet me, her body a conduit of raw need.
I ramped up the pace, fingers relentless on her clit, mouth ravaging her breast until she quivered on the brink, her gasps morphing into pleas.
I sensed her tightening, that giveaway pulse, and at the peak, I withdrew entirely, leaving her hollow and desperate.
"Why?" she whimpered, turning her head, eyes wild with frustration.
I smirked, cool and commanding. "Now, who's taming whom?"
Her green eyes flared. "Me, of course. Don't believe me? Let me ride you and find out."
That ignited me completely, a blaze of primal lust. I scooped her up, her legs dangling, and marched to the bed, hurling her onto the sheets like a prize.
She bounced once, and I pounced, seizing her mouth in a punishing kiss, my tongue dominating, reclaiming control.
But Scarlett battled fiercely, nails gouging my shoulders, legs thrashing to reverse us.
She twisted and shoved, refusing submission.
"My turn," she hissed between clashes of lips, and damn, her ferocity only made me harder.
I could have overpowered her easily, but I yielded this time, rolling so she straddled me, my cock nudging her entrance.
She grinned victoriously, but I wasn't surrendering.
My hands clamped her waist, fingers biting in, guiding her down onto me inch by torturous inch until she engulfed me fully, a moan spilling from her lips.
She began to move, but I dictated the tempo—slow, agonizing rises and falls, denying her haste.
"That's it," I murmured, eyes fixed on her bouncing breasts, her wild red hair.
"Ride me, but on my terms." She tried accelerating, grinding desperately, but I held steady, surging up only when I chose, prolonging the torment until sweat glossed our skin.
At last, she faltered, breaths ragged, body sagging slightly. "Tired already?" I taunted, smirking. "Seems I've tamed you after all."
She parted her lips to retort, fire reigniting, but I cut her off.
I'd indulged her long enough—tolerated her defiance, her illusions of control.
No longer. In one swift flip, I pinned her beneath me on the bed, spreading her legs wide.
"Enough," I snarled, slamming back into her with brutal force, no restraint.
She cried out, back arching as I unleashed a savage rhythm, deep and unyielding, the bed shuddering with each impact.
"Think you can tame me? Feel this—I'm the one breaking you.
" I leaned in, biting her neck, one hand twisting her nipple while the other assaulted her clit with rough strokes.
"So tight, so wet for my cock. Beg for it, wildcat. Admit you crave it."
She gasped, moans escalating to screams, nails carving furrows down my back, but I didn't relent.
"Harder," she demanded, her body trembling.
I complied, pounding deeper, the wet slap of skin resounding, sweat streaming, the air heavy with our mingled scents.
"Fuck, you're clenching like a vise—gonna come all over me, aren't you?
Take every fucking inch." The tension coiled in me too, but I endured, driving her to madness, murmuring filth in her ear—how I'd fuck her until she couldn't stand, how her chaos belonged to me now.
At last, she shattered, her walls spasming around me, screaming in ecstasy—it wasn't my name yet, but the sound was bliss.
It propelled me over, and with a final, guttural thrust, I released deep inside her, flooding her completely.
We collapsed, chests heaving, but she stirred first, her green eyes gleaming. "Again," she demanded, voice husky. "I'm not finished."
I chuckled, already stiffening at the prospect. "Perfect. Neither am I."
I rolled her onto her stomach, nudging her legs apart with my knee, and eased back in from behind, starting slow to savor the tease.
But she shoved back, demanding more, and I delivered—hard and fast, one hand fisting her hair to arch her neck, the other dipping beneath to circle her clit.
"Feel that?" I growled, plunging deep. "This is me claiming you.
" She moaned, rocking in sync, and I surrendered to the cadence, building her higher.
Her ass pressed against me, flawless and rounded, and I smacked it lightly, watching it ripple, which only soaked her more.
"Greedy little minx, aren't you? Can't get enough of my cock filling you.
" I mixed the rhythm—lazy grinds that drew whimpers, then abrupt, powerful slams that elicited gasps.
Sweat drenched us, sheets twisting, and I reached around, pinching her nipples, rolling them until her pleas turned incoherent.
But I craved her eyes, needed to witness her unravel.
I flipped her onto her back, draping her legs over my shoulders, bending her nearly in half as I drove deeper than ever.
"Look at me," I ordered, our gazes locking.
"Watch me fuck you senseless." She did, lips parted, breaths aligning with my thrusts.
My fingers rediscovered her clit, rubbing in firm, insistent circles, and she came apart swiftly, clenching like iron, dragging my climax thundering after.
I groaned, emptying into her again, the force leaving us both shattered.
Yet she persisted, "More!"
We continued like that—positions shifting, bodies slick and voracious.
By the fourth round, fatigue edged in, but the spark endured.
We lay entwined, breathless, the city lights filtering through. I'd subdued her chaos—for tonight, anyway. But instinct told me this wild birdie would keep resisting. And damn, I anticipated it.