Chapter Twenty-Four #2
“As long as it takes. If you want something this good—this far-fetched—you have to be patient and observe. I know you hate to hear this, but you could learn a thing or two from Elio. Study your enemies, know exactly where to hit them, and make them bend to your will. It is not time to let your emotions take over. It is time to watch and bid.”
He sighed. “Okay … I hear you.” I could almost see him running a gloved hand down his face.
“Listen, I know I’m not there, and I know I’m in a relationship with the one guy I should probably not be in a relationship with.
I know how this looks, but you know me, Vitale, you know where my priorities lie.
Stopping the trafficking ring, bringing down that organization, making sure no other Plants are created, and getting you to a high-standing position in the Society.
I haven’t forgotten. I am still with you in this, regardless of whoever I’m with, or whoever I have feelings for.
I will never forget where I come from, why I’m here, and what I left behind, okay? ”
“Okay,” he responded with a breath, one that sounded like it was from a place of relief. “Okay, Faizan.”
“Good.”
He groaned. “Fuck, my room is a mess.”
“Your seven minutes of madness is to blame. Deal with it.”
“I was going to,” he gritted out. “I didn’t say that so you could comment.”
“Whatever, I’ll call you if I have any news. Call me if something happens.”
“Yeah.”
I ended the call and immediately found Elio’s number and placed a call to him. It rang and rang and rang, with no answer, until the line disconnected. I tried again—the same thing, and then I tried a third time—it rang twice before he declined it.
“Motherfucker.”
I made my way out of the room to check on Street—upon reaching the rooms where I had been sure they’d been last night, each one was empty.
“What the fuck?”
The penthouse was too quiet. After searching for a few minutes, it registered in my head that no one was there and I was alone.
Where the hell did they go?
Fear flashed inside me, and I quickly reached for my phone and dialed Milk’s number. It rang about five times before, thankfully, she picked up, and I spoke first.
“Hey, what’s up? Where are you guys?”
“Hi!” she said cheerfully, heaving a breath; distant sounds of people chattering met my ears. “We’re at some adoption home under refurbishment, and I’m currently scrubbing toilets. There is so much black mold on the ground, and I don’t want to think about what it was before it turned into mold.”
“Hold on, wait, what are you talking about? What adoption home?”
“Oh,” she said. “He didn’t tell you?”
“Who didn’t—wait, you guys are supposed to be resting—What adoption—Who—”
“Is that Zahra?” Elio’s voice sounded from the background.
“Yup,” Milk answered.
“Give me the phone; I will talk to her.”
A little shuffling and his voice became more pronounced. “Zahra.”
“There better be a good fucking explanation for why you declined my call.”
“Yes, there is indeed one,” he started. “I did not hear it ring the first two times you called, and when I tried to answer the third time, the screen of my phone got a little too dark, and I could not see it because the sun was affecting the brightness—and by accident, I declined instead of answering.”
Knowing how possible that was, I ignored it.
“What’s going on? What are you doing with my friends? What adoption house was Milk talking about?”
“Are you well rested?”
I blinked. “Did you hear what I just asked?”
“Yes, and I apparently ignored you, if that wasn’t clear,” he said. “Are you well rested, Zahra?”
I let out a sharp sigh, my patience running thin. “Yes, I am well rested, Elio,” I gritted out.
“Wonderful. I will have your friend share the location with you so you can join us. We need more hands on this if we want this organization to open next week.”
“What organization? What are you talking abo—”
“When you arrive, I will explain in detail what I mean. Please arrive wearing something that permits you to do hard labor…” He trailed off, his voice going low. “I would not want to inconvenience the apple of my eye.”
“What the f—”
“See you soon.”
The call disconnected, leaving me standing there, my heart swelling and my cheeks growing warm at the phrase he’d used.
Always manages to leave me speechless—this man.
The location was sent shortly after, and I got to work getting ready to see what was happening.
It was chaos—okay, maybe not exactly chaos—but people were everywhere, some on ladders, some moving in furniture, some working on rooms I could only peek into to see what was happening. I almost bumped into someone carrying a bowl of black—oil?
I looked around, confused beyond belief.
A new set of furniture came in, gray couches carried by some stranger and Upper, who looked like he had been dragged from hell to do hard labor.
In a swift glance my way, a crazed look touched his lips. “Oh, hey, Zahra, you will bloody pay for this,” he said with a pained smile that didn’t leave his face as he and the stranger disappeared around another corner.
“What the—” I blinked, my gaze drawn somewhere far off, at a ladder; Dog stood at the top of it, with a paintbrush in his grip, shirtless, with only jeans on, his body covered with gray paint, a rolled-up joint tucked in place behind his ear, with a permanent frown on his face.
I didn’t see Milk or Devil, but I knew from the phone call that Milk would be in the restroom areas, and Devil should be around here somewhere—
“Sport,” Elio’s voice had me spinning around.
He was in a typical black button-up, untucked from his pants and rolled to his elbows. His hair was a bit rough, but it still somehow looked great.
His eyes took me in swiftly, lingering on my shorts as his gaze grew darker. “Welcome; I appreciate you adhering to the dress code.”
I wore a faded black T-shirt and sweat shorts that stopped midthigh, and my hair—let’s not even go there.
“Right, what is happening?”
“Come with me; I will explain,” he said, brushing past me and around a corner. I spotted Devil conversing with three people and jotting things down on a notepad in his hand. He looked equally tired and stressed, and when our gazes locked, he frowned, shook his head, and looked away.
Okay, obviously, they’re all angry. I already knew I had some explaining to do, but first, I needed to figure out what exactly I would be explaining for and what in the fuck was happening.
Elio entered a small office, holding the door open. I shot him a wary look and walked past him into the almost empty space—save for a small table, covered with papers and a framed picture of a group of children, and two chairs.
When I heard the door close, I turned—and was immediately attacked by lips on mine, hands on my body, and my back being pressed against the table. One hand held my waist firm, and one knee separated my legs as his mouth ravaged mine in a kiss that had my heart racing.
The shock at the sudden change of situation lasted a few seconds before my mind forgot my apprehension as to what was happening around me, and I gave in to the pull of him, fisting the collar of his shirt and pulling him closer to me, parting my lips for his tongue to swiftly swirl in to taste mine.
His muscular thigh rubbed against my center purposefully, building up pressure as a small pulse began to build and build, aching for his touch.
The coldness of his rings pressed against the side of my neck as we slanted, deepening the kiss, a groan from him and a breathy moan from me.
My nipples hardened, and I pressed my body flush against his chest and felt his hardness against my belly while I tangled my fingers into his hair.
We were joined together like we hadn’t spent almost all of last night being together.
We pulled apart to catch our breaths, and his beautiful hooded eyes locked with mine as he breathed out in a ragged rasp filled with arousal. “Hi.”
I smiled, astonished. “Hi.”
His lips went to my neck, and he kissed softly down to my throat and over to the other side of my neck like he was apologizing to it for the light bruising that still showed there due to his roughness last night.
I did not hate him for it; I just hated how it made me feel. What it reminded me of.
But I’d forgiven him—his hug restored every doubt I had, and I trusted him. I trusted him, and one day, when all was said and done, I’d give him the last piece of myself.
Pressing one last kiss to my neck, he returned his face to my view. “I really want you, but here’s not the place.”
“Here’s a perfect place for me.”
“Hm,” he drawled in a deep groan, the sound vibrating from his chest as he shook his head. “The walls are thin, and I want to make you scream.”
I smiled. “You really are horny, aren’t you?”
He took my hand that was fisting his shirt and brought it down to the hard bulge in his pants, leaning in to whisper against my lips, “Very.” He took my lips in his again, kissing me softly and slowly, sucking and working my lips as I undid his fly, and his hand disappeared into the elastic band of my sweat shorts, and inside my underwear, touching me where I was wet and aching.
His lips still moved tentatively over mine, in accordance with his fingers spreading the wetness from my opening up and down my clit.
I watched him when he broke the kiss, bringing his fingers out of my shorts and removing the two rings around them before bringing the fingers to his lips, sucking swiftly, and making them wetter before he slid his hands back into my shorts and underwear, circling my swollen clit in a motion that made my hips buck and my lips part—a sweet feeling that rose as he rubbed my clit in a pattern that made my heart squeeze in pleasure, loving how he knew the right way to satisfy me.
A soft sound left my throat, and he slipped both fingers into me.
He collected my gasp by taking my lips again, his fingers pumping slowly in and out of me—it felt so good.