chapter 41
Zloban
The tires screech as I cut across the finish line, smoke curling off the track. I slow the car to a crawl and pull into the pit lane. I park the car, shut off the engine, and step out.
My pulse pounds like it’s chasing the next lap.
The roar of the engines still echoes in my bones.
The world outside the track always feels too slow.
My gloves are still warm, my shoulders still tense, and my mind is relaxed yet alert at the same time.
This is the state of mind for which I race.
The first time I participated, it was just to advertise Leo’s car.
After that, it became a sport of relaxation for me.
I start walking, my men surrounding me.
Just beyond the barricade, I spot the woman whose mere sight is my highest high. I wasn’t planning to accept this race, but she had insisted on seeing the party, and not only that, she demanded to stay in the crowd. The level of security her demands required is enormous.
When she spots me, the grin that has been my source of happiness since I first knew happiness lights up her face. She comes running toward me, the unit that has been guarding her up close in civilian clothes following behind.
The noise of the crowd shouting my name is deafening. This is the first time I’ve stopped immediately after a race. I catch her in my arms, inhaling her sweet scent.
She cups my face and kisses my lips. In that moment, she silences all the noise, stripping away the pseudo-calmness and replacing it with a real one, the calmness of my soul.
I hold her in my arms as we walk through the VIP gallery, kissing her all over her face. Keeping her in my arms is the best way to keep her safe, and after having her out in the open for so long I need to tell myself she is safe and will stay safe.
I set her down once we reach the secured corridor behind the viewing arena. I take her hand and lead her toward the private lift.
San Diego’s underworld racing complex was built by Valente Corp, Uncle Alessio’s company, now Leo’s.
We have a private penthouse here and a dedicated lift for it.
My men stop outside the lift, the penthouse security unit is already in position.
The unit below will now head to the sky lounge where the New Year party takes place.
“I didn’t know you had such a crazy fan following,” she says, giving me a sidelong look.
I chuckle. “What happened?”
The lift opens.
“I almost killed a girl today,” she says, narrating with vivid anger, gritting her teeth and throwing imaginary fists in the air.
“She was claiming she’d marry you. I told her you’re my man, and she made fun of me with her bitch friends.
Your men gave her a piece of their mind or I would have beaten her to death. ”
I laugh as I open the penthouse door.
“Has she done something wrong to you?” Leo asks the moment the door opens. He’s come out of the kitchen with a water bottle in hand.
“Why are you saying this?” Avira glares at him.
“He’s laughing too much these days,” Leo says.
I sit down on the chair beside the shoe cabinet and start to take off my boots.
“That’s because I’m a good girlfriend,” she grins. The anger vanishes. That’s my little demon—angry one second, smiling the next.
“Do you attend every race that Zoan participates in?”
“Of course. Don’t you know I’m madly in love with your man? Wherever he goes, I follow,” he drawls, looking at his phone.
Avira rolls her eyes.
I take her upstairs to my room. She removes her jacket and throws it on the bed.
“Are we going to get ready for the party now?” she asks.
I pick up her jacket and place it neatly. “Yes, after a long bath.”
I walk toward the bathroom, open its door, and turn to look at her. “Come.”
She walks inside, grinning. I close the door and start removing my race suit. She begins filling the tub.
“Will you bathe with your clothes on?” I ask.
She shakes her head.
“Then remove them.”
She makes an “oh” and starts undressing. I quickly get out of my suit and approach her. “Let me help.”
I hold her around the waist and help her sit on the vanity countertop. She has removed her top, leaving only a yellow bra covering her breasts.
I unbutton her trousers. She lifts her hips slightly as I pull them down, placing them neatly on the other side of the countertop.
I take in her beautiful form, sitting in her yellow bra and thong, my own body reacting to the sight.
I unhook her bra and place it on top of her trousers. I brush her nipples lightly with my thumbs, and her breath stutters.
I suck in a deep breath and remove her thong, pulling her to the edge of the countertop. I open her legs wider, bend down, and dip my mouth to the sweetest dessert. She moans breathily as my tongue meets her clit. I lick every bit of sweetness around and inside her folds, then stand tall.
I move back and sit down in the tub. She watches me, eyes filled with both questions and heat.
“Come.”
She slides down from the countertop and steps into the tub. I guide her to sit directly on me. My length fills her tight pussy, a low groan rumbles in my chest.
Avira
It took us a really long time to bathe, but I had no complaints. I don’t think anyone could complain after coming three times in a row.
And now, this dashing, handsome, drizzling man is drying my hair, and I can’t stop ogling his naked upper body.
“Zoan,” I call his name lovingly.
He smiles. “Hmm.”
“Why don’t you participate in races outside the underworld?”
“I don’t like living in the spotlight. All the attention as director of Nexoil is more than I like.”
He kisses the top of my head, placing the hair dryer down.
“Your dress is in the closet.”
I get up from the chair and turn to him. “Did you choose it?”
He nods.
I give him a kiss, tiptoeing, then walk quickly into the walk-in closet. I find a box on the table and open it. Inside is a yellow silk dress. I lift it up. It’s a long, one-shoulder dress, so elegant and beautiful.
I peek inside another box. There’s a yellow lacy thong. I remove my robe and wear the thong, then slip into the dress. It hugs my waist and bust perfectly and flares down elegantly. Its design doesn’t require a bra, it has inbuilt thin pads. A beautiful golden rose adorns the single shoulder strap.
There’s another box with silver-colored, beautiful heels. I wear them and step out of the closet. Zoan watches me from head to toe, then nods approvingly.
He gestures with his hand for me to come sit on the chair again. I follow. He combs my hair back and ties it into a ponytail. Then he picks a box from the dressing table, opens it, and takes out a platinum clip embedded with small flowers. He attaches it at the base of my ponytail.
Then he picks small platinum earrings and puts them in my ears.
“Have you found this new hobby of getting your girlfriend ready?” I ask.
“Umm… it’s quite enjoyable,” he admits.
“Are you planning to go to the party in this towel?” I giggle.
He chuckles, then leaves for the closet room.
I turn my head in all directions to admire the hair accessory in my ponytail. I get up from the chair, take my phone from the bed, and start a photo session.
Soon after, Zoan comes out wearing a black shirt and suit. What an easy life this guy is living. He has no “what should I wear today?” problem. Everyday, the same color. And yet, every day, he looks god-tier handsome.
I grab his arm and pull him into the photo session with me. We don’t have a single photo together.
“Put your hand here,” I instruct, placing his hand over my stomach. I lean back on his shoulder and click the image. We have a big height difference, I’m not short, I’m a good 5’7”, but this guy is 6’4”. Even with my heels, the difference is glaringly visible, but I love it.
I grin, checking the image I clicked.
I meet his eyes in the mirror. “One more.”
He smiles.
And just like that, we end up taking more than fifty photos. Though most of them are similar shots, I think I’ll be able to extract at least ten good photos from them.
We reach downstairs where Leo is sitting where we left him, doing something on his phone, but his clothes have changed. Now he’s wearing an off-white shirt and a brown suit.
He gets up when he spots us. “Come out so soon? I’m surprised.”
“We are on time,” I tell him.
He walks out, acting like he doesn’t hear me. Leo is an artist, and his art is getting under people’s nerves. I want to beat him every time I meet him.
We walk towards the lift.
Leo speaks to Zoan without looking at him. “You have a few with you.”
Zoan hums in response.
We reach the place where the party is going on. Loud music and people chattering, almost shouting, welcome us.
There are a few tightly packed areas where people are dancing like it’s the last night of their lives. Some are gathering areas where small groups are sitting.
We keep walking beyond these people to an area where all the men are wearing suits and all the women are dressed elegantly.
We sit down on one of the long sofas. I look around for a while, then a waiter comes to us and gives us drinks, mocktail for me, some alcoholic drink for Zoan and Leo.
I lean towards Zoan. “Can I drink it?”
A smile instantly lights up his face. He holds my chin and kisses my lips. “Good girl.”
I blink my eyes.
He continues, “You should ask this question every time you eat or drink in public. These drinks are safe, they are prepared by our staff.”
I nod and take a sip of my mocktail. Its coolness and freshness instantly hit my throat.
A guy comes towards us and greets Zoan and Leo. They start talking about something in the same way Zoan and Leo were talking in the lift. Are they talking about some kind of smuggling? Well, I guess I’m not interested in playing that guessing game.
I look around. There are people dancing to not-so-loud music, it looks appealing.
I lean towards Zoan. “I want to dance.”
He nods, then gets up. He offers me his hand, which I take, and we approach the dance floor.
“Do you know how to dance?” I ask him.
“No. I will watch you, you could dance.”
We find our place, and the music pulls me in instantly.
Zoan is standing close to me with his hands on my waist, and I’m moving my body to the rhythm.
I lock my arms around him, rubbing myself against him, and now I know how good it feels to do this.
With his darkening eyes fixed on me as I move, the pleasure intensifies.
And then, in an instant, my world spins. I don’t know when my feet left the floor and when they touched it again. Zoan is holding my waist so tight it’s almost hurting. And then screams and cries fill my ears.
Zloban
She is dancing like a temptress, and I’m being tempted very well.
That’s when I spot a sudden movement in the corner of my eye, a man who has been there the whole time. My primary focus is on my Dove, but that doesn’t mean the movements of everyone around us escape my notice. I observe every little shift in posture, every arm movement, every flick of a neck.
I hold her waist, lift her up, and move her from where she is standing to the opposite direction with one hand, while taking out my gun with the other. I shoot the man in the head while dodging the bullet he fired at us.
The bullet hits a woman, and chaos erupts around us.
In the stampede, another movement catches my eye. I shoot just in time as he raises his gun.
My men surround us. I release her waist and hold her hand. We sprint toward the emergency exit prepared for us.
I turn to look at Luka. “He is not dead. I need him alive.”
He nods. I shoot the second man below his ribs. It will do enough damage to stop him without killing him.
The door locks behind us. Leo is standing there. He scans me and Avira, then we descend the stairs.
The emergency exit opens directly outside the penthouse door. Leo opens it, and we step out.
Avira hugs me tightly the moment the door closes. I rub her back.
“Who was it?” Leo asks, walking toward the kitchen.
“We will know.”
He brings two bottles of water, giving one to me while drinking from the other.
Avira steps back, still shaking. I take her to the couch and settle her in my lap, then open the bottle and hand it to her. She takes a few gulps. I put the bottle on the table and hug her tightly.
“Who was the target?” Leo asks, sitting down in front of me.
“Me.”
He frowns.
Avira jerks up and stares at me with wide eyes.
I cup her face. “It was not that serious.”
“You could have died,” she whispers, her eyes turning red.
“It’s not easy to kill me, Dove. Don’t think about it.” I press her head on my shoulder again.
“It’s not that kidnapper,” Leo speaks, his frown deepening. He has thought it through to come to this conclusion. “My first doubt was him, but it’s not him.”
I nod. “He’s a smart man. If he wanted me dead, he could have used many opportunities. This was someone who doesn’t know how to play hidden and can’t reach me easily.”
“Some idiot,” Leo concludes, getting up. “Then I guess the threat isn’t that big for now. You take care of her, we’ll discuss this matter tomorrow.”
He walks upstairs to his room. I pick Avira up and follow him. She’s still in shock.
I put her on the bed, she watches me with a blank expression.
I remove her heels, then her accessories, and unzip her dress.
She lets me take it off, then lies down and covers herself with the quilt.
I remove my shoes, jacket, gun holster and belt, then my pants and shirt.
I climb into bed beside her and pull her into my arms, bringing her face close to mine.
I caress her cheek. “What are you thinking?”
“Your life is in danger.”
I nod. “I don’t want to sugarcoat it for you, Dove. My life is in danger, but I can’t remember a single time when it wasn’t. I have enemies, like every other man in this family, but know this, I’m well protected, and I’m capable of saving myself in most dangerous situations.”
I kiss her forehead. “I’m not going to die anytime soon.”
She buries her face in my chest. I rub her back.