Chapter 20 Stone
TWENTY
STONE
The next few days drag on. I’ve been booked with appointments, and the lack of Darkness has started to wear on me.
Keeping tabs on her socials and reading her texts don’t quite compare to having her around in person. I’ve had to rely on the few minutes that pass from the time we both get home at night and then diverge into our own rooms.
By Wednesday, I grow curious as to why she hasn’t been getting home until after eleven this past week, so I track her down.
That’s how I find myself at Silvester’s, an upscale bar a few blocks from our place. It’s well past dinner rush, so I seat myself in the back booth away from what seems to be her section. Without the crowd, I’ll be easy to spot.
A peppy brunette greets me, tossing down a coaster and takes my drink order, returning moments later with my whiskey neat. As I’m sipping the liquor, a man approaches me, sliding into the opposite side of my booth.
“Can I he-”
“Hey kid.” A sly smile stretches across the man’s bearded face.
He slings his hand across the table, and I reach out to meet it.
“Shit! Tony Porcelli, the Italian Stallion.” I laugh, caught off guard.
He chuckles at the nickname, offering a friendly enough energy.
“What brings you here?”
“The whiskey.” I lift my glass. “You?”
“I own the place.”
He gestures behind him and within seconds, two glasses of amber liquor are set down on the table. As I look up to the woman holding said glasses, I’m met with a confused stare.
She doesn’t acknowledge that she knows me, just smiles blankly.
“Anything else I can get you, Mr. Porcelli?”
“Just a cigar from the back for me and my friend here.”
She nods and disappears again.
“She, uh, works here?” I ask Tony.
“Yeah. Fresh meat, that one, but good. Victoria or Venice or some shit. Fuck it, I can never remember their names.”
“Vanna Taylor.” I decide to help him remember.
“That’s the one. You know her?”
I smirk, watching the expensive liquor swirl along the crystal walls. “Marrying her.”
He sits back, shaking his head. “Well, no shit?”
“She might not know it yet, but she will.”
“Jesus, Stone. You never cease to surprise me.” He chuckles and brings his glass to his lips. “You know, she looked familiar when she came in here and that damned last name of hers.”
Vanna returns with an ash tray and two Cuban cigars along with an engraved lighter. She offers him another smile, one he returns.
“Hey, sweetheart. Where ya from?”
She clears her throat, then answers, “Chicago, sir.”
Watching Vanna in this atmosphere is like watching a lost, nervous puppy explore a dark alley. She doesn’t belong in a bar like this with a man like Tony. He’s bad news and everyone who knows him knows it. So, how did she end up here when she has a perfectly good job in an office?
Tony’s face falls for a brief moment as he shoos her away.
Slowly, he clips the end of his cigar and brings it to his lips to light it. He sucks heavily, dragging on it until a cloud of smoke fills his mouth.
“What’s up?” I press.
The corner of his mouth quirks. “What’s up? You kids and your sayings these days.”
“I just mean, why the sudden change of attitude.”
He shifts uncomfortably for minute, then gestures with his hand toward Vanna before saying, “I don’t know about this girl. She just rings too many bells.”
“What do you mean?”
He sighs, then leans his forearms on the table, flicking the ash of his cigar into the tray in front of us.
“I used to know a woman. Last name Taylor. From Chicago. A real piece of work, that one. Wouldn’t be surprised if that there girl is her daughter.”
Well, that’s... something.
“Clarice Taylor?” I offer the name I’ve scrounged up from the months of research I’ve done.
His eyes widen, then he takes another puff of his cigar. It’s a long moment before he says anything again.
“Well fuck, Stoney boy. I think I might have myself a kid.”
My mouth tightens, and I sit back, processing what Tony’s just admitted.
“Are you sure?”
He scoffs, “Fuck no. Of course I’m not sure.
That bitch was nothing but a whore. Made a living out of fucking men and stealing their money.
” He laughs bitterly. “At one point, I thought I’d make a life with her, just turns out I was one of the many fools she had hooked.
But just looking at that girl, damn it if I don’t see myself already. ”
“Sounds like you shouldn’t get your hopes up.” I mutter.
Tony shrugs, “All it takes is one DNA test to find out.”
“Let me know how that goes.” I shake my head.
Chuckling, he stubs out his lit cigar and tosses back the rest of his whiskey before sliding out of the booth. With a light nudge he shoves my shoulder.
“Let Vanna know your drinks are on me. Least I can do for a son-in-law.”
I’m about to object, but he leaves me there with information I wish I didn’t have. It weighs on me like an anvil. I meant to tell him not to say anything to Vanna because she’s dealing with enough already, but a part of me knows I don’t have to. A man like him won’t disrupt a life unless he has to.
When Vanna notices her boss is gone, she storms over to my table. Lifting my gaze, I smile up at her, flashing my teeth.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I should ask you the same question.” I tease, fingering the tight grey mini dress they have her stuffed into.
I chuckle as she slaps my hand away. “Working! Do you think I just like hanging around a bar with their uniform on serving people for fun?”
“But why? Why are you working here?”
She crosses her arms and pinches her lips as she contemplates telling me.
“I need the money.”
“Obviously, but what for? You have a day job.”
Dropping her arms at her side, she huffs. “Not anymore. I was laid off, and I need a job while I wait for interviews.”
“Shit. Why didn’t you tell me? You do know I can afford the rent on my own.”
“I don’t want you to pay my rent.” She glowers. “And why were you talking to my boss?”
I toss back the last of my whiskey and hand her the glass.
“Just an old acquaintance. Small world, huh?”
Really small...
Rolling her eyes, she turns on her heels but before she can walk away, she looks back over her shoulder.
“You should leave.”
I check the time on my phone.
“When are you off?”
“In a half hour.”
“Then I think I’ll have another drink.” I wink at her, and she leaves without another word.
I never do get that last glass, but it doesn’t keep me from staying put and watching her flit around the bar. She looks like a shell of herself as she takes orders from strange men who never stop staring at her.
When she’s finishes the last of her tables, she glances in my direction before taking off toward the door forcing me to chase after her.
Together, we begin our walk down the block back home.
“Why a bar?” I ask, slipping an arm over her shoulder.
She sighs, “Hunter said it could be easy money.”
“Hunter knows you lost your job?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I just think it’s a little odd that you would tell your ex, but not the person you’re living with.”
She shrugs out from beneath my arm and distances herself.
“When you first moved in, we set rules and for some reason, they’re getting impossibly harder to keep up with.”
“Yeah, they are, aren’t they?”
“Whatever, Loverboy.” She checks me in the side and nearly loses her footing.
Her small stature doesn’t quite have the strength to catch me off guard, so it backfires on her. She scowls as I let out an amused laugh.
Arriving at our door, I unlock it and let her through, following after.
In the dark, quiet kitchen, we stand staring at each other.
It’s so silent that I almost hear the whispers of my own mind, begging me to kiss her.
To take her. To make her mine right this very moment, but as I take that step forward, she retreats.
Her back meets the edge of the island. Leaning forward, I cage her between my arms as I grip the edge of the concrete.
“Stone.” My name is a breathy whisper on her lips.
“I love when you say my name.”
My mouth lowers to hers, brushing together ever so slightly. I can hear the pace of her heart pick up speed as it thuds between us.
She places a palm along my chest and presses me back to create distance. I allow it, but just the smallest bit.
“Speaking of rules.”
“Fuck the rules, Darkness.” My fingers trail up her bare thigh, teasing the hem of her dress.
“I’m on my period anyway.”
My heart lurches inside my chest, and it takes a second to realize why. I already knew the chances of her getting pregnant were slim, but there was a small sense of hope I clung on to.
Shaking away the disappointment, I thread my hands through her hair and tilt her face upward.
“You think a little blood will stop me?”
“You’re so eager to lose, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, kind of.” I admit, and a small, victorious smile graces her face.
“How about this?” Her fingers reach for my belt. “Since you’ve been so generous, why don’t I return the favor?”
“Mmm, I think I like that idea.” I murmur.
She tears the belt through the loops of my jeans and urges me to turn around. She wraps the leather around my wrists and binds them behind me. I sneak a peek over my shoulder and watch as she fights a smug grin.
When she secures it nice and tight, she wrangles my pants and boxers down my legs, then balls them up and shoves half of it into my mouth. A warm panic floods my spine, birthing little beads of sweat along my hairline as she starts rummaging through drawers.
She tears a large strip of duct tape from the roll she finds and struts toward me. I have no choice but to retreat as I try to push the fabric in my mouth out with my tongue, but she’s on me before I can.
She wraps the tape around my face, ensuring that I’m thoroughly gagged, then drags me over to the couch.
Vanna shoves me down and I drop onto the cushions. My cock bounces angrily against my stomach, eager and aching for her, even in this slightly terrifying moment.
My breath hitches as she falls to her knees, staring up at me with a naughty glint in her eyes. She swipes her tongue from the base of my shaft up to the tip, sucking it into her mouth.
I groan into my boxers, throwing my head back against the couch. When my cock slips out from between her lips, I look down. Except, she’s not kneeling between my thighs anymore. Instead, she’s tiptoeing up the stairs to her room.
When she finds that I’ve caught her, she squeals and runs the rest of the way.
I’d laugh if I weren’t so pissed that I’m tied up. Wrangling my arms, I twist and tug until I can feel one of my hands slipping free. It takes a solid five minutes to struggle out of the belt she tied around my wrists.
Then I rip the tape from my mouth, tearing the boxers free.
As I storm up the steps, I strip my shirt off and toss it to the floor. Barging through her door, I find her bed empty but hear the sound of the shower coming from her bathroom.
I peek my head in and see her reflection in the mirror. Her back is turned toward the glass as she faces the tile. Slowly, I creep over and tug the door open. With wide, round eyes, she spins to find me crowding her.
“You are so done for, Darkness.” I taunt. “Now, hands on the wall and ass out.”
“What? No!”
A slow smile crawls across my face.
“Oh yes, I’m ready to lose, now give me what’s mine.”
“Stone!” She barks, shoving at me.
My eyes rove down her body, her full breasts - perfectly untouched by ink. I cup one of them in the palm of my hand, rolling her nipple between my fingers.
“You owe me. Not for all the times I’ve gotten you off. You owe me for being so cruel.”
She frowns. “Cruel?”
I step into her, breathing in the lavender scent of her shampoo.
“Yes. Cruel. I’m desperate for you, Vanna. So, fucking desperate and you just left me hanging for a second time. I could’ve taken no for an answer, but you didn’t say no, did you?” She shakes her head and swallows. “Then be a good girl and make it up to me.”
“You’re not fucking me.”
“Fine.” I grab her hand and lower it between her thighs. “Then let me watch you take care of yourself.”
Her fingers hesitate before moving in slow circles. My gaze gradually lowers from hers to her hand while I continue to pinch and tug her nipple. A soft mewl slips past her lips, and I catch it with my own.
I leave her with just one kiss, then turn her around and press her face against the cold tile.
“That’s it. Keep touching yourself.” I order as I kick her legs further apart.
Grabbing the baby oil off the ledge, I squeeze some into my palm and wrap it around my cock. I run my free hand down the length of her spine and cup her naked ass as she starts to work herself faster.
I match her pace, imagining that I’m inside of her. I could be... right this moment. All it would take is just another step forward and I could slip myself inside of her cunt, but there’s something victorious about forcing her to fuck herself after leaving me aching and alone on the couch.
Using more oil, I caress the curves of her ass, loving the way my hand can span the entire length of it.
She’s so small compared to me and a part of me hopes I nearly break her to pieces when I finally get to tear my way inside of her.
I want her to hurt, to ache the way I do. To feel me even when I’m gone.
Unable to help myself, I slip a finger into her ass, and she yelps.
“Fuck! Stone!” She pants.
If she’s mad at me, there’s no way to tell because she emits a low groan as I begin to pump my finger inside her tight hole.
As she starts to gasp and quiver, I feel my own orgasm threatening to break lose. Finally, she heaves a breath, then drops to her knees. With a fist full of hair, I yank her head back and her face up.
She squeezes her eyes shut as water pelts her followed by my cum. I coat her lips, her nose, her chin. She coughs as she swallows some of it, then I realize she probably can’t breathe very well with the stream raining down on her, so I lift her back up to her feet.
“I came in here to tell you to fuck yourself but jokes on me because you do it so beautifully, Darkness.” I sigh, gifting her a bruising kiss to the lips before stepping out.