CHAPTER EIGHT #2
My chest heated with rage and frustration. “There must be something we could barter.” Gone was my game face and cool facade. I was desperate and didn’t care if he knew. “Something that you want from me.”
“There is something I want from you,” his low drawl confirmed. “But it’s too late to get it now.”
His cool gaze swept down my body, top to bottom, his meaning clear.
Oh…
Of course. How had I not thought of that? Achilles never got over the fact we hadn’t consummated our teenage crush. Back when we were together, he was too worried about my delicate sensibilities. He’d barely touched me. I had to initiate every make-out session we ever had.
“Is this what you want?” I grabbed his wrist and placed his hand on my right breast. His rough palm pulsated heat through the fabric of my dress.
My nipple tightened immediately. My heart stuttered but no longer from panic.
I’d missed his hands on me. “Because I can give it to you, Achilles. I can make your wildest fantasies come true.”
His free hand clenched next to his body, and his eyes, usually so black they carried the blue sheen of a raven’s feathers, dimmed with yearning.
He always called me a whore, and in the end, I’d offered to become one for him. The sour taste of self-loathing exploded on my tongue.
But I didn’t have time to mourn my pride. I’d save myself today so I could destroy him tomorrow.
I’d be his Delilah. Seduce, abuse, and abolish.
“You know you want to. Go on. Claim what’s yours,” I said, coaxing, guiding his hand from my chest, down my stomach, and between my legs through my dress. I squeezed them closed. “Me. On my knees. For you to do anything you want.”
At the end of the day, it wouldn’t matter. My only way of getting in bed with someone was to completely disconnect from my body to a degree we were two pieces of flesh milking pleasure from one another. Feelings and sex were completely different entities to me.
He leaned closer, his intoxicating scent taking over my senses as his knee pried my thighs open with its sheer power.
Rugged fingers clamped around my thigh, his pinky brushing a hint of my panties as he squeezed my leg.
His lips found the shell of my ear. “What I want to know is where you’re hiding your weapon, since you’ve given us a striptease and I’ve yet to see it. ”
A smile tugged the corners of my lips. He knew me too well. I turned my head to whisper, “Give me a full-body check and find out for yourself.”
“A fuck for a throne?” he asked flippantly, sitting back, his face dripping amusement. “You give yourself too much credit, sweetheart.”
“A fulfilled fantasy for a small setback.” I dragged a fingernail along his chest. “We both know your father isn’t going to choose Luca.
He hasn’t yet, even though Luca played by the rules and married an Outfit princess to appease him.
Luca is too cool, too safe. And Enzo? He doesn’t have your bite.
Your father will be mad, but he’ll get over it. ”
I had no idea if what I was saying was true, but I always had the uncanny ability to bullshit my way out of a paper bag when needed.
“You know Don Vello so well?” Achilles sneered.
“I know human nature.” I hitched a shoulder up. “And your father is human. A very flawed one at that.”
He was quiet, which meant he was contemplating this, which meant that I really needed to drive the point home.
“You can have one night with me. To do whatever you want. All you have to do is turn this plane around.”
“The weekend.” His stance was lazy, but the devious glint in his eyes promised mayhem.
“I—what?” I wasn’t sure I heard him correctly. My proposition was a shot in the dark. I’d never expected him to take me up on it. I didn’t even know if I’d be able to move forward with such a barter if he agreed.
He drew his hand from between my thighs, collecting himself. “I’m not turning back the plane—not enough fuel. Plus, I have business in Naples until Monday. Let me fuck you through the weekend, and we’ll square it off.”
“Square it off?” I echoed numbly, proud of my steady tone. It betrayed nothing of what I was feeling inside.
“More or less. I can’t take your virginity anymore—fuck knows there’s no shred of it left—but I can still enjoy all the things I was too stupid and considerate to take back then.”
I had to let his words slide over my skin without letting them penetrate it, or I’d go mad. I was close to madness anyway—being here, with him, having this conversation.
“And you’ll let me go?” My mouth was dry, my pulse roaring between my ears. Achilles was an asshole but an honorable one. If he gave me his word, he’d keep it.
“You’re mine from the moment we enter Italian territory until we leave it.
” He cracked his neck. “When we get back, I’ll deal with my father.
As for you”—he caught the ring on his pinky, swiveling it absentmindedly—“you’ll pack a fucking bag, buy a one-way ticket out of North America, and I’ll never see or hear from you again. We clear?”
I nodded, relief flooding me. I could do that. Moving away would be no hardship, aside from having to say goodbye to my brother, his wife, and my nephew. Nothing was keeping me in New York. “I give you my word.”
“Good. Now be quiet and make yourself scarce until I call for you.”
I slinked back to my seat and opened a Vogue magazine, burying my face in it.
My thoughts were scattered, like pieces of glass from a broken vase.
Where would I go? Ireland, probably. My ancestors’ land.
What would I do? I’d have some seed money.
Enough to open a small shop. Buy myself a lovely cottage somewhere picturesque.
Tiernan and Lila could visit me every summer with their kids. I’d be the cool auntie.
But first, I had to survive a weekend with Achilles, and I had a feeling that was no small feat.
I was determined not to blow this up. My future was waiting for me, and I was ready to finally meet it.
My freedom was worth it.
Even if the price was selling my soul to the man I hated the most.
The adrenaline crash made me doze off in the recliner. I woke up some hours later with my mouth gauzy.
Blinking my eyes back into focus, I saw Achilles and his soldiers sitting across from me. They were no longer playing cards. There was a suitcase open in front of them, and they were examining different luxury watches, no doubt stolen.
“How much time until landing?” I croaked out.
“An hour and some change.” Jeremie popped his gum. He was messing with his phone, periodically smirking at something he saw on the screen. It was weird, watching this husky tank of a man exhibiting any emotion that wasn’t annoyance.
Achilles flicked his wrist, checked the time, and stood up grimly. My heart sank all the way to my toes. “Up.”
I rose to my feet and followed him to the lavatory. All eyes were on us, and I saw the derisive grins his soldiers flashed each other when I strode past them. They knew.
He waited for me to enter the bathroom, then locked the door behind us. It wasn’t much bigger than a commercial airplane’s, but it was fancier, consisting of veiny black marble punctuated with gold, a vanity with mirror, and a small shower.
“Thought we agreed the deal takes effect when we reach Naples.” I rested my hip on the vanity.
“I said you’re mine from the moment we enter Italian territory. That happened three minutes ago.” He flashed me his phone screen, with a map of our plane traveling above a large body of water. “Want me to call air traffic control to confirm it?”
I shook my head. There was no need. He wasn’t a liar. Just a dick.
He unholstered his gun, unloading the magazine and dumping it in the sink. “I’m clean.”
“So am I.”
“I know. I check your medical records quarterly.” He tossed his phone on the vanity next. “Bend over and hold on to the sink.”
Okay. So… We were really doing this.
I curled my fingers over the round marble sink nervously, pressing my hips to the counter. I stared up at the mirror in front of me. Because of the height difference, the angle didn’t allow me to see his face. Only his torso, which was hidden by a hoodie.
He grabbed the hem of my dress and flipped it over my back, shoving it into one of my shoulder straps.
There was something so mortifying in this gesture.
My mind swam. He stared at my panties-clad ass for a moment, and I let him because I didn’t have a choice.
I gulped in a gasp as he grabbed my plain, white cotton panties from each side.
His touch on my skin felt like somebody turned up all the lights inside me.
“You know, your underwear says a lot about you as a person.”
“What do mine say?”
“That you’re a liar.”
He wasn’t wrong. The Tierney the world knew would wear a black, lacy thong.
He pushed my underwear down in one go, letting it bunch around my ankles.
“On your toes.” A rough palm patted my ass cheek. I swallowed back a groan.
I did as I was told, plastering my forehead to the cool counter. My ass and pussy were bare in front of him, up in the air.
“Spread ’em.” He kicked my feet apart, and I did, as much as I could, anyway, with my undies still bunched at my ankles.
“That’s enough,” he released a mocking huff. “But good to know you’re eager.”
The insult landed square in my chest, but before I was able to stand up and tell him to go fuck himself, he pushed his shorts down and guided the warm, velvety crown of his cock between my folds from behind.
I froze at the invasion.
He didn’t push inside. Just swirled the fat head in circles, tracing my folds, massaging them.
To my absolute horror, I was wet.
Wet because of the situation.
Wet because it was forbidden and wrong.
Wet because it was him.
Holy shit. No way. That couldn’t be. It made no sense. I’d never been this turned on by anyone before, and he didn’t even hurt me. I could usually only bring myself to climax when someone slapped or bruised me.