Chapter 12 I Know the Boss
I KNOW THE BOSS
LUCIO
“I’m taking her home for a while,” I tell Angelo as Delilah runs into the bathroom, probably crying her eyes out.
“Take all the time you need. Delilah needs you.” He nods, tipping his head toward the mostly empty bar. “We won’t be busy tonight, and Michelle’s coming in soon.”
“Tell Ma we’ll be back for Lulu later.”
“Don’t rush,” Ma says as she comes down the stairway, holding Lulu in one arm. “I heard every bit of that nasty man. You take that girl home, and don’t let her out of the house until she’s ready. Words like that don’t leave a child’s mind, no matter how old they are.”
“I know, Ma.”
My father may not have been the best partner, but he was a great dad. He was always kind and patient, even when we probably didn’t deserve it. Raising four kids couldn’t have been easy for either of my parents, but they never made it seem like a hardship or a duty.
Never once, no matter how many times we fucked up, did they talk to us the way Delilah’s father just talked to her.
“Go make her whole again, baby.” Ma kisses my cheek as I run the back of my finger down Lulu’s soft, pudgy cheek, hating the idea of her ever hearing such hateful words. “Lulu and I are fine together. We’re about to go for a walk. Now, get moving. There’s a woman who needs you back there.”
Delilah’s sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall of the bathroom as I walk inside to make sure she’s okay.
“He’s such an asshole,” she says as soon as she sees me, but there’re no tears on her face. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”
I sit down next to her, touching her shoulder with mine. “Don’t ever be sorry.”
“I’m so mad right now, I want to punch something.”
I push against her shoulder and point at my chest. “You can hit me if it’ll make you feel better.”
She glances up at me with a small laugh. “You’re the last person I want to punch, Lucio.”
“You won’t hurt me,” I promise her and pound on my chest to prove how solid I am.
“I can’t,” she tells me.
“You’ll feel better, though.” I’m pretty sure her punch would barely make me flinch. Delilah’s so tiny, and her hands are so dainty, I’m not even sure she could hit much harder than a little girl.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Let’s get out of here, then.” I stand and hold my hand out to her, hoping she’ll take me up on my offer to help her relax a little.
She slides her hand into mine without hesitation, and I pull her to her feet. “But what about work?”
I shake my head and pull her tightly into my arms. “I know the boss. We’re good.”
She laughs a little and rests her head against my chest. “I can’t say thank you enough.”
“Hush now,” I tell her as I press my lips to the top of her head. “Don’t thank me. I haven’t done anything heroic.”
“You treat me better than my own parents.”
“Well, I want in your pants,” I joke, but my words aren’t entirely false.
I want more than that from Delilah. I can see much more than a great fuck. I see a future. I see a woman who’s fierce, kind, and willing to take a risk instead of bowing to someone else’s will for a boatload of cash.
She slaps at my chest playfully. “Don’t be a dick.”
“It’s so difficult, though. Sometimes you make it so easy to let that side of myself shine.”
She peers up at me with a soft face and kind eyes. “You’re really a good guy, Lucio.”
“Don’t tell anyone. I don’t want to ruin my reputation around here.”
She rolls her eyes and stands on her tiptoes, trying to bring her face closer to mine. I cup her cheeks in my hands and press my lips against hers. There’s nothing hungry in this kiss. I don’t rush through the action because this is about emotion, not lust.
“I’ll be by your side, Delilah. No matter what happens, I’ll never turn my back on you,” I promise her.
“Why are you so nice to me?” Delilah’s blue eyes never leave me as I carry the dishes to the sink.
“Why wouldn’t I be nice?”
Delilah shrugs and plays with the napkin in front of her. “Your family may be the only genuinely nice people I’ve ever met who weren’t looking for something in return.”
Leaning against the countertop, I stare at the woman who’s been beaten down but refuses to be broken. “Maybe it’s all a ruse, and I’m secretly going to sell you into sex slavery when you let down your guard.”
“Stop being silly. I mean it, Lucio. People aren’t nice.”
“Maybe where you come from. But down here, people tend to be kind and look out for each other. That’s why I never moved out of the neighborhood.”
She sighs. “I wonder what it would’ve been like to grow up like you. Loving parents, siblings, and nice people. I bet it was the best ever.”
“Don’t get me wrong. There’re some real assholes around here too, but I don’t ever regret where I come from. I’m proud to be a South Sider.”
She stands and rounds the island, coming to a stop in front of me. “Do you like me, Lucio?” she asks point-blank.
“I do,” I answer honestly as she steps between my legs. “I thought I made it pretty clear.”
“Do you like me as a friend or…”
I place my finger under her chin, forcing her eyes back to mine when she glances down. “I want to be more than your friend, Delilah. I don’t make a habit of kissing my friends.”
“Thank you for this,” she says, pressing her body to mine and pushing against my cock.
Sliding my palm along her cheek, I run my thumb across the bottom edge of her lip. “For what?”
“This,” she states and leans forward, taking a play right out of my book.
The air’s knocked out of me, just like the first time I planted my lips on hers. I said I’d ruin her, but in reality, she devastated me. Changed me forever. There was no turning back. No other kiss in the history of kisses could compare to kissing Delilah Miles.
Grabbing her by the waist, I lift her into the air and place her on the countertop before pushing her legs apart. “I want you,” I murmur against her lips, not wanting to miss a moment of her sweet taste.
Her fingers find their way under my T-shirt, and her nails scrape the tender flesh of my ribs. “I need you,” she moans as I gently pull at her bottom lip with my teeth.
My eyes search hers, looking for any signs of hesitation, but her blue eyes burn for me.
My thumbs slip under the hem of her T-shirt, sliding across the soft skin near the waistband of her jeans, and she shudders.
I deepen the kiss, needing something to focus on before I tear her shirt over her head and move too fast. I want to savor every inch of her body and enjoy every dip and curve, reveling in the taste of her flesh and the softness of her skin.
But when she moves her hands down the front of my stomach, slipping them into the waistband of my shorts, I just about lose control. Her fingers are met by the tip of my cock, begging for more than a little attention.
“Oh my God,” she whispers and pulls away, glancing down. “Is that…”
“Pierced, baby.”
“I’ve never…”
“I’m about to blow your mind.”
“I gotta see,” she says and slides off the counter, yanking on my shorts on the way. Her head’s against the cabinets, and she’s staring at my package, which is currently waving at her, hoping she’s going to do more than look. “Can I touch it?”
I’m like a proud peacock, showing off my goods and hoping like hell she digs the fuck out of the piercing. “As much as you want,” I say with a smile, stroking her hair and stopping myself from pulling her lips toward my mouth.
Using the tip of her finger, she traces the metal piercing, scraping my super-sensitive skin with her fingernail. I suck in a breath and close my eyes, rocking forward toward her touch.
“It’s amazing,” she whispers, and her warm breath glides across the tip of my cock, turning the throb into a full-on ache. “Can you feel it?”
“My cock?” I ask, tangling my fingers in her hair and praying for a little mouth action.
“No, the piercing. Does it feel different?”
“It’ll pull a little when I’m in you, but you’ll feel more than I will because of it.”
She glances up, lips parted. “I’ll feel it?”
“Wanna find out?” I waggle my eyebrows, hoping the show-and-tell portion of the evening is over.
She licks her lips, and my knees go weak. She grabs on to my ass with one hand, digging her fingernails in, and steadies me like she knew I was about to go down. “It’s so…” She moves closer, and I can feel the heat of her skin. “So shiny.”
I don’t care if she thinks it’s blazing like the Statue of Liberty on the Fourth of July, as long as it makes her happy and doesn’t scare her away. Between the size of my cock and the piercing, I’ve had more than one woman walk out the door practically in tears.
“Touch it again,” I tell her. “Explore all you want.” I’m being an asshole, but God, I’m so horny I’m on the verge of pulling her off the floor, tearing off her jeans, and ramming my dick into her warm, wet pussy.
She leans forward, and I hold my breath and squeeze my eyes shut. I can’t watch. I can’t move. I’m too turned on to do anything but stand here, waiting for the moment her…
Fuck. Her tongue tugs at the piercing, and shock waves radiate through my system.
Every muscle in my body tightens, and for a second, I can’t breathe.
When her lips close around the head, colors explode behind my eyelids, making me think I found heaven on earth.
I’m so turned on, I know I won’t last long, and I don’t want this to end before we have a chance to really get going.
I grab her shoulders, hauling her up from the floor, and instantly, I miss the warmth of her mouth as her lips slide off the tip. “I need to taste you,” I tell her and lift her shirt upward.
She raises her arms as the material easily slides over her head, exposing a white lace bra and a perfect set of tits. My mouth waters. My hands itch to feel their weight in my palms, but I want to explore her with my mouth and have her begging for my cock.
I slide her bra straps down her arms as she stares at me, barely breathing. She moves her hands in front of her stomach and grimaces.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, seeing nothing but perfection.
“I have stretch marks.” She closes her eyes, and I cradle her face, wanting her to know how I feel.
“Baby, look at me,” I say, waiting for her to open her eyes. “I see nothing but a playground built for me. Don’t hide what I’m dying to explore.”
I fall to my knees and push her hands out of the way, exposing the tiny lines across her belly.
The very lines that once held Lulu deep inside her.
They’re not scars, but a badge of honor…
a reminder she gave someone life. “They’re beautiful,” I say as I lean forward and kiss the edge of the largest line.
She tangles her fingers in the top of my hair and sighs. “You don’t hate them?”
My lips glide across her stomach, following the lines as I moan my appreciation for the softness of her skin.
She’s perfection no matter what’s on her skin.
“They’re like my tattoos,” I tell her, my head level with her stomach, but looking up into her blue eyes.
“They’re a reminder of a life experience.
They mean something. They’re not scars. They’re life. ”
She doesn’t move to cover them again as I run my tongue across her skin this time, tasting the saltiness of her skin and smelling her need. Unable to wait any longer, I unbutton her pants, and she lifts up as I pull them downward along with her panties before tossing them both across the room.
She’s nervous. I can see it in her eyes. ”Say you want me,” I tell her, needing to hear the words from her lips once more.
“I want you, Lucio,” she says, clear as day.
I pull her forward, sitting her ass on the edge of the counter and giving me the perfect view of her beautiful, glistening pussy. She leans back, resting her palms on the countertop, readying herself.
Reaching up, I palm her breast, wishing I had more time, but I know what she needs and how to make her feel good. My thumb brushes against her nipple, and she pushes her chest into my touch.
My mouth waters, and I lick my lips. There’s nothing more beautiful than a naked and needy Delilah. I lean forward, placing my head between her legs, close enough that she can feel my warm breath moving across her skin.
She rocks forward, silently pleading for my mouth. I give her what she wants, dragging my tongue through her lips, capturing her wetness on the tip. “So fucking sweet,” I say, causing her to moan.
My fingers tug on her nipple as I bury my face between her legs, sucking her clit into my mouth. The salty sweetness of her explodes across my tongue and makes my cock even harder than it was before. The way she moans my name as the tip of my tongue flicks against her spurs me on.
I devour her skin, lavishing her most needy part with every bit of my mouth until her fingers curl around the edge of the counter and she grinds her cunt against my face. She’s moaning, screaming, as her body quakes in pleasure.
“Fuck!” she shouts and throws her head backward, jutting her tits out more.
I don’t let up. Don’t stop sucking until she’s limp and gasping for air.
“Jesus.” She licks her lips with her eyes still closed.
I give her pussy another kiss before making my way up her body, positioning my cock between her legs.
“Condom,” she says as her eyes fly open.
“Of course,” I tell her, fishing one out of the drawer next to us. She looks at me funny but doesn’t ask me why on God’s green earth I keep condoms in the kitchen.
I rip open the package with my teeth before cautiously pushing it over the tip of my cock, careful not to catch the latex on my piercing.
She grabs my face, crashing her lips to mine, ending all conversation.
When she spreads her legs and presses her ankles into my ass, I know I have permission to bury myself deep inside of her.
Her legs tighten as I slip the tip of my cock along with the piercing inside her. She moans into my mouth, and I swear my eyes almost roll backward. I take it slow, moving a little deeper with each thrust until she’s pushing me forward and grinding into me.
Then I’m buried deep inside her, and I know I’ll never be the same again.