39. Shaw
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
SHAW
Ishould have known our stolen moments couldn’t last. For three weeks, Dante and I had carved out fragments of time together through study sessions behind my locked bedroom door, hushed conversations between classes, and fingers brushing under library tables.
We were careful, but in Salvatore’s world, nothing stayed hidden for long.
On a Wednesday like any other, Trent and I exited our university building, discussing whether to grab food before heading home. I froze at the sight of the black limousine idling at the curb.
Salvatore Gennaro stood beside his car, impeccable in a charcoal three-piece suit. Two bodyguards flanked him, their jackets betraying the heavy contour of firearms. Students gave them a wide berth.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Shaw,” he greeted. His gaze shifted to my cousin. “You must be Trent.”
I stepped between them. “Leave him out of this.”
“Out of what?” Salvatore’s smile never reached his eyes. “I’m simply making conversation.”
Trent pushed past me, squaring his shoulders. “You need to leave.”
I grabbed Trent’s arm, digging my fingers into his bicep. “Trent, go home. Now.”
“I don’t think so,” Trent said, yanking free.
One of Salvatore’s men took a step forward, his hand slipping inside his jacket. Salvatore stopped him with a single gesture.
“Your cousin has quite the mouth on him,” Salvatore commented. “I wonder if that’s a family trait.”
Trent snorted. “And you’ve got quite the entourage for a casual campus visit. What’s wrong? Can’t handle your own shit without backup?”
“Shut up,” I hissed. “You don’t know who you’re talking to.”
“Oh, I know exactly who I’m talking to,” Trent said, staring down Salvatore with defiant stupidity.
“Your cousin and I have business to discuss,” Salvatore said, his voice hardening. “Private business.”
“It’s okay,” I told Trent. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
Trent grabbed my arm, pulling me a few steps away. “Are you fucking insane? That’s the Salvatore Gennaro. People who ‘have business’ with him don’t come back.”
“I know exactly who he is,” I whispered. “And if I don’t talk to him now, things will get a lot worse.”
“Worse than getting in a car with the head of the Gennaro family? What the hell have you gotten yourself into?”
“Nothing I can’t handle,” I lied. “Just go home. Please.”
Trent’s eyes narrowed. “This is about Dante, isn’t it?”
I spoke over him. “Stop. Everything’s fine. Please go.”
“Gentlemen,” Salvatore called, his patience ending. “I have other appointments today.”
“Go,” I urged Trent. “I’ll explain everything later.”
“I’m holding you to that,” Trent growled, but he backed away, pointing at me. “If you’re not back soon, I’m calling the cops.”
“Such a concerned cousin,” Salvatore remarked as Trent stalked off. “And a patron at my establishment.”
I stared at Salvatore. “How do you know that?”
“I know everything that happens in my businesses, Shaw.” Salvatore gestured to the open car door. “Including who my son spends time with outside of work hours.”
My stomach lurched.
“Get in,” he said. The command left no room for argument.
I climbed into the limousine. The interior smelled of leather and heavy cologne. Salvatore slid in beside me, closing the door and crowding my space. His thigh pressed against mine despite the spacious back seat.
Salvatore’s hand landed on my knee, fingers digging in hard enough to hurt. “Drive,” he commanded the chauffeur, and the car pulled into traffic. He turned his attention to me, his hand moving up my thigh. “You’re trembling. I like that. Fear makes you more responsive.”
I flinched away, but the door pressed against my back, leaving me nowhere to go. “What do you want from me?”
“Direct. I appreciate that.” His fingers dug into my muscle. “Dante has been distracted lately. His performance with clients has been lacking. I wonder what could possibly occupy his thoughts.”
I feigned ignorance. “I wouldn’t know.”
“No?” His hand continued its upward journey. “It’s a strange coincidence that his decline began when you two started your little study sessions, don’t you think?”
“We have a project due in economics,” I said, my voice tight as his fingers inched higher.
“Fascinating subject. Supply and demand. Value proposition. Return on investment.” He brushed dangerously close to my groin. “I’ve invested considerably in Dante’s education. I’d be happy to do the same for you.”
I swallowed hard, relying on the good manners my parents taught me. “Thank you for your generous offer, but I respectfully decline.” I tried to shift away from his touch, but I was trapped in the small space.
He moved his hand from between my thighs to my throat, pressing his thumb over my erratic pulse. “The body betrays what the mouth denies, Shaw.”
I couldn’t pull away. “Let go of me.”
His grip tightened. “You misunderstand your position. In my world, you don’t give orders. You obey.”
“I’m not in your world,” I said, fighting to keep my voice steady despite the pressure on my windpipe.
His laugh terrified me. “You entered my world the moment you walked into Gennaro Corporation and paid for my boy’s services.” His thumb traced my jawline. “You’ve been mine since you unwisely developed feelings for something that belongs to me.”
“Dante doesn’t belong to anyone,” I said heatedly, unable to stop myself.
The amusement vanished from his face. “Everything in this city is mine, Shaw. From the buildings and businesses down to the people who dare to forget their place.”
His hand released my throat, only to seize my wrist in a crushing grip. “Do you know what happens to fools who try to take what’s mine?”
“I’m not taking anything from you,” I said, wincing at the pain shooting up my arm.
“No?” He yanked me closer, his face inches from mine. “You think I don’t know you’re trying to make Dante fall in love with you?”
“I swear I’m not.”
Salvatore wrenched my arm. “Are you foolish enough to believe you can lie to me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“More lies.” He shifted his weight, and I tried to scramble back, but he held fast to my wrist. “Let’s try a different approach.”
Before I could react, he forced my hand onto his prominent arousal. “Feel that? That’s power, boy. Real power.”
Revulsion flooded through me, but I couldn’t break free. “Stop!”
“No.” He rocked against my palm. “This is what control feels like, Shaw. The ability to take what you want.”
I turned my face away, but his free hand seized my jaw, directing my gaze back to his. “Do you enjoy it when Dante touches you like this?”
“It’s not like that,” I choked out, trying to pull free as he continued to move against me.
He guided my fingers in slow, deliberate strokes. “Then tell me, what is it like? Do you think he cares for you? That you’re special?” He mocked me with a harsh laugh as he fucked my hand through his clothes. “Do you imagine he moans your name when he’s alone?”
Salvatore’s breathing quickened as he increased the pressure, forcing my fingers to curl around him through the fabric. “He’s trained to make every client feel special. To whisper what they need to hear. To fake pleasure so convincingly, they believe it’s real. Just like I taught him.”
“You’re lying,” I said, though doubt began to fester.
“How many times has Dante whispered that you’re special? That his feelings for you are genuine, unlike with his other clients?” He rocked harder against my trapped hand. “Those are lines from a script I wrote, boy. Words I made him practice until they sounded sincere.”
Tears of humiliation burned behind my eyes. “He wouldn’t do that.”
Salvatore’s grip tightened as he thrust against my palm. “Dante belongs to me. Every word from his mouth, every touch of his hands, every moan when you’re inside him, all of it is mine. My creation. My property. Just like you’ll be.”
“Never,” I spat, summoning my last shred of defiance.
His movements stopped abruptly, his expression hardening. “What did you say?”
“I said never,” I repeated, staring him down, even as my wrist ached in his hold. “I’ll never belong to you. And neither does he.”
He lunged for me, slamming me on my back against the leather seat. “You think you can save him? Take him away from me?” His weight shifted, his body covering mine. “You’re nothing. A diversion. A toy he’ll discard once he’s bored.”
I couldn’t draw a full breath under his crushing weight as his erection pressed against me insistently. “Tonight, you’ll join us at Gennaro Corporation. You’ll learn exactly what Dante is. What I’ve made him.”
I struggled against his chest. “Let me go!”
My resistance only fueled his dark amusement. “There’s that fire. I understand why he’s so fixated on you.” He licked his lips as he devoured me with his eyes. “It’s always more satisfying to break someone with spirit.”
He pressed his full weight forward, pinning me to the upholstery. His arousal pressing against my hip as he ground against me. You’ll see what he really does. How he begs. How he serves. And you’ll take part.”
“No,” I gasped, writhing and failing to escape. “I won’t.”
“You will.” His hips moved with more urgency, drawing a panicked whimper from me. “Because if you don’t, I’ll take what I want from you instead. Right here. Right now.”
His hand slid between us, unbuckling my belt. “Tell me, Shaw, has an older man ever fucked you?” His fingers worked at the button of my jeans. “Or is Dante your first? Your only?”
I thrashed beneath him, panic overwhelming every instinct to stay still. “Stop! Please!”
He laughed as he slid his hand down my pants to cup my flaccid dick. “You disappoint me. It looks like you’ll require a little extra encouragement.” He stroked me, trying to coax me to hardness, but my body was too disgusted to respond.
A fractured sob escaped me as tears burned my eyes.
“Remember this feeling,” he told me, his fingers working relentlessly to inflict unwanted pleasure on me.
“How powerless you feel right now. How much I own you, despite your noble protests. How terrified you are that I’m about to begin your training.
But I suppose I should let you save your energy to learn your lesson with my boy. ”
Salvatore withdrew his hand without warning, sitting back in his seat as if nothing had happened. The abrupt absence of his weight left me shivering and gasping for air.
“Fix your clothes,” he ordered, squaring his tie knot. “We’re almost there.”
I fumbled with shaking hands to button my jeans and fasten my belt as I tried not to let the tears fall.
The car stopped in front of Gennaro Corporation’s gleaming glass tower. Through the tinted windows of the limo, the familiar entrance loomed, a stark reminder of where I had first stepped into my worst nightmare.
“Tonight,” Salvatore said, his voice returning to its businesslike tone, “you’ll witness Dante’s true nature I cultivated in him. You’ll enjoy him on his knees, bound and gagged, waiting to be used as a repository for your sexual depravity.”
“I won’t be part of this.”
“Too late. The moment you paid for his services, you became complicit. The only difference now is that you’ll discover the truth behind the fantasy you’ve been purchasing.”
I shook my head, unable to speak.
He leaned closer. “When you see what he truly is and what he’s willing to do to avoid punishment, you’ll understand that your pathetic feelings are wasted on a whore I’ve trained for almost a decade.”
The door opened beside me, revealing one of Salvatore’s men standing at attention. Fresh air rushed in, but it couldn’t cleanse the violation that clung to me like a second skin.
Salvatore got out of the car and held his hand out to me in mock chivalry.
“Dante’s been prepared for you in the place where he entertains those who pay extra to leave marks.
The ones who want to hear screams that aren’t performative.
” His voice dropped to a whisper. “He waits for us, stripped and bound, ready to learn his lesson in loyalty.”
Nausea turned my stomach, but I had no choice. I placed my hand in his and pulled myself out of the limo. I stepped onto the pavement on unsteady legs.
I stared up at the towering glass facade. I was walking into a trap, and whatever waited inside those walls was designed to break us both.
Salvatore’s hand settled on the back of my neck, his grip an inescapable collar. His lips brushed against my ear. “Remember, Shaw. Dante lives because I allow it. Dragon was born because I demanded it. Dare to love either, and you’ll belong to me.”