13. Dante
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
DANTE
Iwalked into Salvatore’s office, my body on autopilot while my mind calculated every outcome of our meeting. The massive mahogany desk dominated the room as an altar where sacrifices were made.
Behind it sat Salvatore, his broad frame filling the oversized leather chair. Being in his presence made my skin crawl. The pleasure I had derived from being with Renato faded into a distant dream.
I positioned myself across from him, arranging my robe to cover my body in a quiet act of defiance. Salvatore had seen every inch of me during my “training,” but denying him that small visual satisfaction was one of the few rebellions I could safely indulge.
“You two put on quite a show.” Salvatore’s voice carried the smooth cadence of a threat. “Your performance pleased me.”
I bowed my head in acknowledgment, careful to keep my face blank. One wrong word, one flicker of genuine emotion, and he’d snatch Renato away just to watch me suffer. It was Salvatore’s specialty to show me glimpses of pleasure only to replace them with pain.
“You seemed to appreciate your reward.”
I refused to give him confirmation of how Renato had made my body react in ways I hadn’t thought possible. “It was a successful interview. In my professional opinion, Renato would be a great addition to Gennaro Corporation.”
“Yes, he certainly would be an asset.” His fingers tapped on the desk, a habit I’d learned preceded his cruelest moments. “But I must confess, I’m a little disappointed you took such a passive role.”
“I thought it would be the best method to assess his full range of abilities. It’s a given that he would respond favorably if I had taken the lead.
” The truth was simpler and far more dangerous.
I’d surrendered control because for those brief moments with Renato, I’d forgotten to calculate, to strategize, to perform. My body had simply wanted.
His expression shifted to that disturbing mixture of paternal pride and something darker that always made my stomach twist. I’d seen that same look before he ordered men executed for looking at me wrong. “True. There’s not a person alive who wouldn’t succumb to your talent.”
“Thus, I allowed him to take charge, to see if he was worth hiring.”
“He knew how to make you moan.” Salvatore didn’t mask his suspicion. “It’s been some time since I last heard you be so vocal.”
I kept my face neutral despite the icy fear grabbing me by the balls. Salvatore cataloged every reaction, every sound, every breath I took with clients. He understood how unusual my response to Renato had been. “It seemed to encourage him.”
A cruel smirk spread across his face. Nothing good could come from that look. “I believe I need another demonstration.” He pushed a button on his desk phone, paging his secretary. “Send him in.”
My pulse quickened with conflicting impulses. I wanted Renato again while knowing Salvatore would twist it into something ugly. Nothing in my life remained untainted by his sadism. Every pleasure came with barbed hooks that tore flesh when removed.
Renato sauntered in with the confidence of a man who hadn’t yet learned that in Salvatore’s world, beauty was another commodity to be exploited until it broke.
He dropped into the chair beside me, legs spread wide in casual dominance.
“I’d ask how I did, but I already know the answer to that.
” His cocky arrogance would annoy me if it wasn’t so well deserved.
“You put on a remarkable performance, but I find I am not yet convinced,” Salvatore stated, causing Renato’s eyebrows to rise.
“What else can I do to convince you, Don Salvatore?” Renato’s voice dripped with innuendo, his Italian accent thickening.
I studied him through narrowed eyes. No one that gorgeous, that talented, worked in a brothel without a reason.
Men like him could have anyone they wanted without payment. What game was he playing?
“My boy has had quite the evening. I want to see if you can arouse his interests once more.”
Renato’s golden eyes locked onto mine. “That’ll be the easiest test yet.”
Salvatore pressed another button, revealing a hidden door that slid open. “Please proceed.”
That small bedroom was where I had purchased Raphael’s innocence with my corruption, one brutal sex act at a time.
Knowing I had a role to play, I mechanically rose from the chair to enter the place that housed my darkest memories. My anxiety spiked when Salvatore followed, the door locking behind us with a click that sounded like a coffin lid closing.
When he took a leather wingback chair in the corner, Renato flashed him a cocky grin. “You’re going to watch up close and personal this time?”
“I’m sure you understand this is the best way to assess the last portion of your interview.”
Salvatore expected his presence to disrupt my performance, giving him an excuse to punish me by withholding my visits with Raphael.
The cruel bastard never tired of his games, especially ones where I lost no matter what I did. If I performed too well, Salvatore would suspect my feelings. If I resisted too much, he’d deny me Renato and my brother. I needed to walk the razor’s edge between desire and detachment.
“I never mind an audience.” Renato shifted his attention to me. The vacant expression on my face caused him to frown. It did weird things to my heart, which wasn’t used to people caring about me. I trembled as he caressed my cheek. “Or the chance to be with someone as sexy as you.”
My thoughts fractured like glass until Renato’s lips brushed against mine.
It pulled my focus back to the gorgeous man kissing me with an intensity that burned away everything else.
His scent wrapped around me, the sandalwood, spice, and something uniquely him that made my body respond on instinct.
I forced myself to concentrate on my job, despite the nausea churning in my stomach, knowing Salvatore was watching every move.
Already hard and ready to go, Renato didn’t hide his surprise that I wasn’t. He slipped his hand under my robe to stroke my flaccid cock. “Did I wear you out earlier?”
“It’s been a long night.” That was only half of it. The biggest issue was I couldn’t stop noticing Salvatore shifting in the chair as he watched us with his beady eyes.
Renato continued working my dick, encouraging it back to hardness. “What do I have to do to make you pound me into that mattress?”
If I didn’t get my head in the game, I’d be in serious trouble.
Curiosity about my reaction to him in the Viewing Room drove me forward.
I laced my fingers through his hair and tipped his head back, exposing the column of his throat.
I trailed my tongue along his neck, stealing another sinful taste of him.
What was it about that unique scent that filled me with an insatiable need to fuck him against the nearest flat surface?
Despite my distraction, kissing my way up his throat while breathing him in finally revived my flagging arousal.
I was desperate to lose myself in Renato and forget Salvatore was watching us. “Are you prepared for me?”
“Slicked and ready.”
“Get on the bed.” I pulled a condom from my robe pocket. Dropping the silk to the floor, I bared myself. I did my best to ignore Salvatore’s eyes roaming over me, his breathing already growing heavier.
Renato performed another seductive striptease, removing each piece of clothing to reveal his body inch by tantalizing inch.
I stroked myself to the show, my cock hardening as he continued.
Once naked, he got on the bed, lying on his back and spreading his legs wide.
When he beckoned me closer, I moved without conscious thought.
Pinning him beneath me, I tossed the condom aside on the sheets for later. When he guided me down for another kiss, I surrendered completely. The contact of our bare cocks flooded my system with arousal. As long as I focused on the taste and feel of Renato, I could survive the experience.
Having missed the chance before, I explored the defined muscles of his impressive physique.
The man had a body sculpted from marble, again making me question why someone so perfect would waste his time in a brothel.
But everyone who worked at Gennaro Corporation had their reasons. It wasn’t my place to judge.
The longer I worshipped him, the harder I grew. The taste of him was downright addictive, his breathy moans a symphony that made me want to skip the foreplay. I couldn’t shake the suspicion there was a trap hidden within the pleasure, but I was determined to take what I could while it lasted.
Before I could continue, Salvatore interrupted. “Show him how sinfully divine that mouth of yours is.”
Knowing better than to disobey an order I actually wanted to follow, I shifted down the enormous bed to get comfortable.
Wanting to build Renato’s pleasure slowly, I started by taking one of his balls into my mouth, applying gentle suction before teasing it with my tongue.
He scrambled for purchase on the sheets as I switched to the other.
My ego swelled when he gripped the base of his cock to prevent himself from coming too soon.
Satisfied I had him at my mercy, my competitive nature took full control. I pushed his hand away, replacing it with my own as I teased his stiff length. Precum dripped from the head, which I spread with my thumb. His hips jerked at the action, sending a rush of power through me. “Somebody’s eager.”
“Damn right I am.” He moaned as he thrust into my fist.
I took his impressive cock into my mouth, teasing the sensitive ridge beneath the head with my tongue. When I flicked it across the slit to taste the salt-sweet precum that had gathered there, Renato’s thighs tensed under my palms.
Circling my tongue around the crown, I let him see the hunger in my eyes. “Tell me how it feels,” I commanded before taking him back in deeper.
“Like you were born to suck my cock.”