Chapter 14
TIFFANY
Eliza is called over to a group of people, and as I search for Joseph, I’m slightly nervous he isn’t here. It’s only now I’m aware of how alone I am. There are many people here, but none of them are familiar to me, and part of me wonders if this is my chance to make a break for it.
Images of the silent guards shadowing our walk here tells me it would be a futile exercise and may antagonize Joseph.
Despite my aversion to being here, he is the lesser of two evils right now and so, with a sigh, I ask a nearby waiter to direct me to the restroom.
I follow him, and as I head inside the rather opulent room I gaze at my reflection in the ornate gold mirror, and for some reason, I smile.
I look good.
Probably the best I have ever looked, which reveals the power of a professional. I would never have the means to paint my face with such skill, and the dress, well, it’s perfect.
The diamonds glittering at my throat remind me of my birthright, and for a moment I dwell on the past.
My father. Enrico Zaferelli. A strong, powerful man with a short temper and a bad choice of mistresses. His wives were not up to the job obviously, and my heart is sad for Rose and Alice, whose mothers died before their time.
Alice is convinced her mom is still alive somewhere; Rose not so much. I know my mom is living and breathing, and I have no desire to find her.
She left me, and that still hurts.
My mind returns to the convent, and I’m surprised to discover I no longer feel the pain of separation. I was afraid to leave. I had a good reason. Not because I wanted to stay—to be a nun. But because of her. Morgan.
A dark shiver ripples through me, and I struggle to breathe. My memories are unpleasant and my fear is biting hard.
Just knowing she is out there, waiting for me, planning my downfall is the reason I opted to remain with the sisters. She couldn’t touch me in there. Now she could be outside the door right now, and there is nothing I can do about that.
Unless I take Joseph up on his offer.
Is he my knight in dark armor? Possibly, but will the darkness prove deadly to me? Because if you scratch the surface of my soul, I bleed black blood.
My eyes glitter as I face the woman I am inside and with a wry twist to my lips, I finish up and head outside.
The moment I open the door, I see him. Leaning against the wall as if he is waiting for a cab is the one man who is dominating my life right now.
“What are you doing?”
I’m snappy and frown as he shrugs off the wall, his dark eyes gleaming as he snatches my wrist in his strong grasp.
He lowers his mouth to my ear and whispers, “What is a demon without an angel to protect?”
His words send shivers through my soul as desire replaces indifference. His aftershave is heady; his words destructive. His touch burns and his presence domineering.
“Come. Our business is concluded here.”
“But won’t they think us rude?”
“I’ve already made our excuses.”
He pulls me toward the door, and as if by magic, the butler appears with my wrap. As we step outside into the moonlight, I’m surprised when Joseph turns in the opposite direction to his home.
“Where are we going?”
“Walk with me.”
I’m shocked because we are a walking advertisement of wealth. Surely there is a thief somewhere close to relieve us of our possessions.
“Isn’t it rather dangerous to parade the streets wearing diamonds?”
I remind him, and he shrugs.
“Possibly for some, but not us.”
“You’re a little too sure of yourself.”
“Perhaps I want danger.”
“But I don’t.”
“Are you sure about that, Tiffany?”
My words falter, and he whispers darkly, “You pretend to be an innocent angel, but I see behind the facade.”
“You’re full of shit.”
His low chuckle is unexpected, and as we turn the corner, I notice a slumped figure on the pavement wrapped in a sleeping bag.
My breath hitches when I detect the gleam of metal on the ground and a withered hand gripping the handle of the blade with one eye on us.
“Arthur.”
Joseph stops, and the man sits up, a broad smile on his face.
“Mr. Ravera, sir.”
He nods respectfully, and Joseph inclines his head toward the house behind him.
“Is business good tonight?”
“Why don’t you find out for yourself?”
Joseph nods, reaching inside his pocket, before dropping a wad of twenty-pound notes into the man’s outstretched hand.
“Stay safe, Arthur.”
The man chuckles. “I should say the same to you.”
Joseph grips my hand tightly.
“Come. I want to show you something.”
We head up the steps and my heart hammers inside me as he raps on the smart, polished door that opens a mere crack.
“Arthur says hi.”
Joseph merely says, and the door opens wider, the person behind it obscured behind the open door.
“What’s…” I make to speak but am silenced by Joseph’s dark glare, and as we enter the house, I’m struck by how clean it is. White walls, bright lights, and white marble floors.
“Where are we?”
My voice is low, and Joseph whispers, “Hell, angel. Let’s take a walk around the pit of hell just for the fun of it.”
He heads toward a double door, and as soon as it opens, I’m shocked by the noise. I almost want to put my hands over my ears as loud jeering, angry shouts, and the smell of sweat and danger permeate the air.
Joseph grips my hand tightly and pushes through the crowd; various grunts of annoyance quickly silenced when they see who it is.
Two men are fighting in a boxing ring, stripped to the waist and covered in blood. It’s a gruesome scene, especially as I notice the crowd cheering with every punch landed.
My heart stills when I note the blades in the hands of the fighters.
“What the hell?” I gasp as one lunges forward and slashes a huge gash in the side of his opponent, and the blood spills like an open faucet onto the ground below.
Screams of pain mix with cheers as he staggers over to the ropes, his opponent close behind him, preparing to slice another pound of flesh.
“Joseph.”
I grip his arm, tears falling down my face as he turns to me with a cold smile. “Watch.”
He grips my face and forces my attention back to the ring.
The opponent on the ropes sidesteps and turns, stabbing his opponent in the gut.
The surprise on the face of the man as he stares at the blade sticking in his organs causes me to sob, and as he falls to his knees, two men step inside with a syringe and proceed to help him.
The man who stabbed him parades around the ring with his arms held high in victory as money rains down on him as his reward.
I stare in horror as the scene quickly changes as one man exits in triumph and the other is on a stretcher.
A loud voice booms from a hidden microphone.
“Place your bets for the next one. You have five minutes. Announcing Harry Bennigan and Christoff Bulgari.”
Pandemonium breaks out as the audience scrambles to place their bets, with four men positioned in the corners of the room and Joseph says above the noise.
“This is the survival of the fittest, angel. No rules, just reward or possibly death.”
“But it’s illegal, surely.”
He shrugs. “You are really using that as a reason why it shouldn’t be allowed. Wake up, princess, life is cruel, and it’s kill or be killed.”
He pulls me from the room, and as the door closes behind us, the noise falls to silence, and only my beating heart disturbs the peace.
“Come.”
Rather than heading to the front door, he pulls me toward the grand staircase. Much the same as the one in his house and Malik’s.
“What next?” I’m almost fearful to ask, and he chuckles softly.
“You’ll see.”
We turn right at the top of the stairs that split in two directions, and as he turns the handle of the first door we come to, I note a darkened room with wood paneling.
There’s a tense atmosphere inside as four men sit at a table, huge amounts of money piled on the table in front of them, security guarding them from behind.
They don’t even look up as we peer over their shoulders as they puff on cigars, whiskey glinting in the glasses beside them.
Their concentration isn’t broken as they play their hand, and as the last card is revealed, I notice the sweat drip down one man’s face as he groans before pushing his huge stack of notes into the center.
He pushes back from the table and loosens his collar, desolation rolling off him as he stumbles from the room.
The remaining three men merely deal another hand as one slides the huge tower of cash toward him.
Joseph pulls me outside and says, almost in conversation. “Gambling is a profitable business if you know your trade.”
“Do you gamble, Joseph?”
“Of course.”
He grins, and for some reason, it lights up his face, and the hard lines soften into a mask of exquisite beauty.
I can’t look away, and he holds my gaze and leaning forward, takes me by surprise as his mouth lands on mine in a sudden attack.
He grips my head hard, his fingers tangled in my hair, holding me tightly, almost painfully as he plunders my mouth.
His tongue entangles mine, his teeth gently nipping on my lip, his body hard against me, and his kiss is so hot it tastes like ash in my mouth.
My entire body lights up like a beacon as he commands the kiss, demonstrating his power, controlling every part of me.
Heat floods my core; any principles I ever had crushed under the weight of desire.
I am intoxicated by him, bewitched even, and then he pushes me away, almost angrily, and hisses, “This is our world, princess. This is where the demons play.”
“You’re a freaking monster.”
I hate how much I desire him, and his wicked smile reveals he can read me like a book.
Without another word, he pulls me into another room, and I stifle a scream with my hand when I notice a naked woman apparently nailed to a cross as a man fucks her against the wall. They don’t even look up, the sound of slapping flesh and animalistic grunts all around me.
I make to leave, and Joseph forces me back, imprisoning me in a wall of steel as he wraps his arms around me from behind.
He hisses, “Look at them, princess. They are caught in the moment. They are strangers lost in deprivation with no regard for morality.”
Tears run down my face as I witness a scene that shocks me, not because of the nature but because it increases desire inside me. I am so alive right now, my pussy throbbing, my heart racing, and the sweat sliding down my body in anticipation.
Images of the blood, the blades, and the cheers mingle with the pain of losing, the desolation even, but this gentle thump of carnal activity is clouding my mind, ironing out the creases, making it appear almost normal.
Joseph’s hands slide down my body, one hand finding the slit on my thigh, creeping inside and reaching my panties, pushing them aside as he caresses my clit, rubbing it as I watch the couple, his fingers sliding inside my pussy, moving in and out in time with the man fucking the woman.
His breath dusting my ear as he bites down hard on my neck.
So many senses invade me at once. Horror, desire, disbelief, pain, and euphoria. It’s as if my entire body is alive, throbbing as it experiences a life I never expected to find.
As the woman’s screams echo around the room, the man roars his release, and I come apart on Joseph’s fingers.
My orgasm so intense I lose all use of my muscles and as he holds me firmly upright, my entire body throbs, powering through to my soul, blinding me to morality, reality and any desire to leave.