10. Trust & Loyalty
10
TRUST & LOYALTY
GIOVANNA
Shit . I’d done it now. Everyone except Tyler filed out of the room. He approached me with a disappointed shake of his head. I braced myself for his words, knowing I’d messed up big time.
“Why would you do that?” he asked, his voice filled with disappointment and anger.
“Go,” I sighed, feeling the significance of my mistake crushing down on me. “I can handle myself. I’m the one who fucked up.”
Clearly, he was torn between wanting to stay to help me and following orders from Mr. Knight. “Gia?—”
“Tyler,” Mr. Knight lifted his chin at the door.
Offering me a final solemn glance, he shook his head and then exited the office, closing the door on his way out.
Mr. Knight stood before me, his posture threatening and tall. I was ready to accept my fate. Whatever came at me, at least I went out getting a little revenge on my abuser. Because that was what the Penthouse L.A. people were. Bullies and abusers. I didn’t see it that way until I’d been away for some time, and now, I saw them for what they were.
I didn’t have any intention of hurting Ivan when I went into that room downstairs. But I also didn’t want to be defenseless anymore. For years, I’d been trapped and powerless under their control. Tonight, I came prepared with protection, just in case. In my mind, I’d always remained tough and resilient despite their manipulation and abuse. But deep down, I knew even if I had tried to defend myself before, it would have been futile on their turf. It was a hopeless battle that I could’ve never won, and it was suicide.
A couple of months before Luke showed up, I was just going through the routine motions, doing what was expected of me, but I knew they were shitty people by then. I just didn’t have a reason to care until Luke gave me one. He saved my life when he brought me to Boston.
Mr. Knight’s gaze raked over me like a predator evaluating its prey, methodically assessing my appearance. I stood tall and unmoved, meeting his eyes with steady confidence. After what felt like an eternity of silence so thick you could almost hear it humming, he finally spoke.
“Gia,” he murmured as he lifted a hand to stroke his chin, “you’ve put me in quite a predicament.”
I didn’t respond.
“Do you have other weapons on you?” he asked.
Flickering my gaze, I reached down, taking a second sheathed knife out of my other thigh high boot and laying it on a nearby end table. Then, I reached into my other boot, taking out a third butterfly blade, setting it on the table next to the other.
“Jesus,” he blinked rapidly.
I shrugged a shoulder. “I am my father’s daughter.”
“Clearly,” he said, tilting his head. “Anything else?”
“No,” I muttered.
“The first thing I’m going to ask you is why the hell did you stab Ivan?”
“I didn’t plan to, but he kept pushing my buttons, threatening things in my ear when he knew no one could hear him. He yanked my hair, told me he was going to rape me with knives, and scar me so no man but him would ever want me. Then he told me he’d be happy to fuck my shredded pussy, marinating his cock in my pain and blood.”
“Shit,” he replied. “But why didn’t you let Tyler take the fall for you?”
His eyes narrowed as they bore into mine, probing deep into my soul. Even I knew there were limits to deception. Lying to him now would be catastrophic. So, I chose honesty.
“Because you told me that family and loyalty were the two most important things to you, and you asked me to prove my loyalty to this club and your fam again.” Placing my hands on my hips, I looked him dead in the eyes. “That wasn’t the final reason I did what I did. It wasn’t just about finally being able to stand up for myself. He told me when he got done with me, he was going behind Ekaterina’s back and going after your ‘sexy wife’ next, and that’s when I stabbed him.”
His expression hardened like stone, the color draining from his face before turning a deep shade of red once more. His emotions were written all over his features, transforming from shock to anger in a matter of seconds.
“I can handle someone talking shit to me,” I continued, “but after brunch with Jen… Mrs. Knight, I couldn’t let that happen and honestly, I was aiming to kill. But I couldn’t let anything happen to Tyler. He’s been through enough and I’ll protect him at all costs. I like hi… I just didn’t think he deserved to go through anything else.”
His eyebrows arched slightly, and his piercing gaze fixed on me as he took a moment to process my words. A hint of admiration flickered in his eyes, and his lips curved into a small smile. “Thank you for being honest with me. That takes guts.” He cleared his throat, his hand reaching up to adjust the small earpiece attached to his ear then pressed a finger to it. Tyler and Luke, get in here.
The door opened, but I didn’t turn to see them walk in.
“I threw my earpiece,” Tyler commented as they came to a stop on either side of me.
“Of course, you did.” Mr. Knight’s posture shifted, rolling his shoulders back and addressing Tyler. “They’re coming back tomorrow night,” he replied, glimpsing me. “Take her to your house tonight, and I’ll send guards to keep watch.”
The unexpected offer caught Tyler off guard, and his brow creased in confusion. “What?” he asked, clearly taken aback.
Mr. Knight turned to look at me, his expression unreadable. “You may have pissed off the Russians and possibly started another war, but you also probably saved my wife’s life. And that is most important to me.” He retrieved his phone from inside his jacket pocket and swiftly tapped on the screen before bringing it to his ear.
“What?” both Luke and Tyler asked simultaneously.
Post five outside Ty’s for tonight . Mr. Knight instructed into the phone.
Yes, that’s right and get me an update on Ivan.
He scanned the three of us with a thoughtful gaze before looking away. Tell her I’ll be right there. I need to handle something. He hung up, slipping his phone away.
“Excuse me,” he said, pushing by us and marching toward the door, snatching it open.
Unsure if we should follow or not, Tyler placed me in front of him, and the three of us followed anyway.
“Where’s Beau?!” Mr. Knight’s voice thundered through the executive lobby, filled with fury and complete disregard for anyone around him.
Beau appeared in the doorway of Jenna’s office, his expression steeling itself for whatever was about to happen. “Yes?” he responded calmly, but with caution.
Mr. Knight huffed under his breath, his anger reaching a boiling point as he marched toward Beau. Drawing his fist back, he swung with all his might, connecting it across the bodyguard’s face with a sickening thud. Blood splattered in the air like a gruesome work of art. Beau stumbled backward, grabbing at his jaw before collapsing over a nearby chair, leaving a trail of blood dripping from his mouth.
“Ian!” Jenna shrieked in shock and horror. “What the hell?!” She reached out to grab his arm in an attempt to calm him down.
Raging and fueled by adrenaline, he jerked away from her, pointing an accusatory finger at Beau. “Do not ever call Gia a little bitch again!” he bellowed with venomous hatred. “Am I clear?! I’ll shove my gun up your ass and pull the fucking trigger!”
Jenna gasped.
“Oh shit.” A hushed giggle escaped my lips as Tyler intertwined his fingers in mine with a tight grip.
Mr. Knight spun around to face us. “Take her away from here for tonight,” he commanded. “Luke and I need to work on damage control and figure out a plan for the dancers before we close for the night.”
“Um,” I exhaled, trying to stifle my smile, “thank you.”
He gave a single nod, a glint of respect in his eyes. Though he wasn’t smiling, it felt like we had an unspoken understanding now.
Tyler shifted beside me. “Keep me updated on Ivan.”
Mr. Knight shot him an ominous glare before striding toward the main doors of the executive lobby, Luke following closely behind. Chance, Declan, Ice Man, and Nico trailed after them. Jenna turned to her bodyguard and asked if he was okay, receiving a nod in response. She pursed her lips in slight annoyance before twisting back to me, grasping my hands in hers.
“Sorry about all that,” she whispered before speaking normally again. “Do you want to come stay with us tonight?”
“Jen,” Tyler said, placing a comforting hand on my back, “I got this.”
The rumble of Tyler’s car echoed through the parking garage as he pulled into the same spot as before. He cut the engine off and sat for a moment, his gaze fixed ahead, before turning to look at me. “I don’t know what the hell is going on between us, but it needs to stop right now.”
“Okay,” I replied, not putting up a fight. “I fucked up. I get it. I put you and your family in danger because I’m a hot-tempered Italian. I fight when I’m mad or hurt. It’s how I survive. I take full responsibility for my toxic personality trait.”
“No,” he scoffed with a slight smirk. “I fucking love that about you, and look at my own family. You fit right in. I just don’t want to ever put a target on your back.”
“Ty—”
“Listen to me, please.” He sighed, twisting a little more toward me, “If I don’t say this now, I’ll never say it.”
I nodded.
“I can now admit Mila and I were never compatible, but she didn’t deserve to die because of me. She might not have loved me,” he lifted a shoulder with an eye roll, “and Jade might have threatened her to stay with me, but she wasn’t a bad person. The way it affected me when she passed was a nightmare.”
“I know,” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the heavy silence that filled the car. For once, I didn’t care if he yelled at me or not. My fingers trembled as they reached out to entwine with his, our hands resting on the center console beside his gun. “I’m so sorry. Losing her must have been hell for you.”
“Losing her wasn’t the hardest part. The guilt of taking my kids’ mother away was what tore me apart.” His eyes were shadowed with sorrow as they flickered back to mine. “But if something ever happened to you,” he continued, “I’m not sure even Ian could stop me from destroying the world in revenge. I couldn’t live with myself knowing something happened to you because I need you.” His hand moved gently, tucking a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. “And that’s the difference this time. It’s not about not wanting to be with you, it’s about protecting you so I never have to live without you in my life.” His voice softened, yet it carried an unyielding strength. “I’m not willing to ever risk that, even if it means living in pain without having you.”
“Wait,” I gasped, my heart pounding in my chest. “You want to be with me?”
“Want and need are two different things.”
A single tear escaped from my eye and trailed down my cheek, but he gently brushed it away with the soft pad of his thumb. His words echoed in my mind, stirring up a mix of emotions that I couldn’t quite name. The reality of our situation stung, but his confession made me smile despite it.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about you after I left Penthouse that night,” he sighed. “I went back to try to see you. The bouncer let me in, but when I got upstairs and asked to see you, Ivan threatened to have me killed if I ever showed back up again.”
My heart raced as I processed his words, disbelief flooding through me. “What? That’s insane,” I whispered, my lips slightly parted in shock. I blinked rapidly, trying to wrap my head around what he was saying. “I had no idea. If only I’d known.”
He shook his head, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I stayed in L.A. an extra week, watching the building in case you came out so I could talk to you.”
My stomach churned at the thought of him risking everything just to see me again. “They would’ve killed you,” I breathed out, feeling a sense of guilt wash over me. “I was always heavily guarded. All the staff were.”
“I didn’t give a shit,” he said firmly, placing a hand on my cheek and caressing my jaw with his thumb. “That one amazing night was worth any risk.”
As I peered deep into his eyes, I knew I needed to come clean with him about some things. But the fear of causing more worry and stress in his already troubled life held me back. His face was tense, lines forming on his forehead as he spoke.
“I’m sure many of your clients have been delusional enough to think you’d run away with them,” he said, his hand gently clasping mine in a reassuring gesture, “but that night, all I wanted was to take you and run.”
I snickered. “You wanted to kidnap me?”
A grin pulled at the side of his mouth. “No, but I’m into the thought now that you ask.” He became serious once again. “Now, I want what I can’t have, and I’m okay with that as long as you’re safe.”
I puffed out a huge breath. “I’m not datable, anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“Guys like the fantasy of being with someone like me,” I explained with the lazy wave of my hand, “but when it comes down to reality, they assume I would cheat on them. So, it always ends in disaster.” A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “No man has ever trusted me enough to enter into a relationship with me, so I bail before we even share our first kiss. And let’s face it, stripping is one thing, but when you’re sleeping with strangers for money, it’s a completely different story.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “If you were in a relationship, though, would you still sleep with other men?”
“Absolutely not,” I replied with zero hesitation. “I mean, something like that works for some couples, and I support their decision to do so, but when I’m with a guy, I’m only with him. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll dance and make other men think I want them but that’s as far as I’m willing to go. But at the end of the night, I’d go home with my man and play house and be the best wifey—” My voice trailed off when I realized he was staring at me. “Anyway, sorry.”
He lifted his hand again, tenderly caressing my cheek. “Please don’t make this harder than it already is.”
“Fine.” With a resigned sigh, I unbuckled my seatbelt and repositioned myself, getting on my knees in the seat.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
I swung my leg over to the driver’s side and climbed into the snug space on his lap, straddling him. Rising slightly onto my knees again, I unfastened his pants, freeing his hardening cock. “No relationship, but you can still have part of me.”
“You deserve more than to be used for sex,” he murmured, his hands firmly gripping my hips as he brushed his lips against mine before placing a gentle kiss there.
“And what if I don’t want more than that?” I whispered against his mouth with a mischievous grin. Hovering above the tip of his cock, I pulled my panties to the side, tempting him with a daring look.
“Then, I suppose we’re just using each other for sex.” His voice was a low rumble, vibrating through the small space between us.
“Do you think your enemies will want to kill me just for fucking you?” I teased, my lips curling into a playful smirk.
“No,” he murmured against my skin, his hot breath grazing my neck as he pulled my bottom lip into his mouth and released it with agonizing slowness. “But they will want to kill you for stabbing one of their own in the neck.”
I eased down a bit on his rigid shaft, letting out a whimper with a coy pout. “I told you, sir , I have a temper.”
He rolled his tongue over his bottom lip, his eyes darkening with desire. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
“No,” I replied, sinking down further and moaning softly, “I’m going to be your guilty pleasure and naughty little secret obsession.”
“You already are.” With those words, he crashed his lips into mine, his hands gripping my hips with possessive need.
My pussy throbbed and stretched around him, taking every inch of his thickness as he thrust me down onto it. His grunts mingling with my desperate moans caused my skin to prickle with goosebumps.
“Fuck, you feel unbelievable,” he growled, his eyes boring into mine with such intensity that it felt like I held his soul hostage. “So fucking perfect.”
I leaned forward, planting delicate, feather-like kisses along his rough, stubbled jawline. My nails bit into the taut muscles of his shoulders as I lifted myself off his throbbing shaft, only for him to thrust me back down with an eager force. “You’re going to make me bleed, holy shit.”
Our bodies collided in a rhythmic symphony of flesh against flesh, the sound echoing through the confined space of the car like a powerful storm. Pressing my hand against the cold glass window, I braced myself, smearing the foggy pane.
“Bleed all over my cock, baby,” he ordered, his voice thick with lust. “You know I love that. I’ll lick your blood-soaked pussy clean.”
My breasts bounced in sync with his relentless thrusts, and he seized them with fervor. He yanked my top down, allowing my tits to spill out freely. His two middle fingers slipped into my mouth. I sucked eagerly but he pulled them out just as quickly. Cupping my rear, he spread my ass cheeks apart and teased my sensitive little hole with his wet fingers. A loud moan escaped me as he pushed them inside, guiding me back and forth.
“Tyler, oh my God, I’m going to cum!” I screamed out.
His mouth latched onto my nipple, teeth biting hard around the piercing, sending electric jolts of pleasure through me.
My mind swirled in a whirlwind of passionate intensity. Despite every rational thought screaming at me not to fall for him again, I felt myself teetering on the edge. I refused to give in to the feelings I had the moment I saw him again. It was wrong. And I refused to let him grasp how much he affected me.
His eyes locked on mine, and I could see the hunger that drove him. It was a look that spoke volumes of power.
“Cum all over my cock, baby,” he commanded in a low, gravelly tone, his breath hot against my ear. “Squirt all over me, you know I love the way it feels. I know you’re about to. I can feel your pussy clamping harder on me.”
My body trembled in eagerness as he continued to pound into me, his shaft drilling deep and hitting all the right spots while his fingers expertly played with my asshole. The combination of pleasure and pain was almost too much to handle, but I couldn’t resist any longer.
Gasping for breath, I reached between us and pressed my fingers to my throbbing clit, massaging it hard. Every touch sent jolts of electricity through my body, and I could feel myself getting closer and closer to the edge.
With one final thrust, he spilled his seed deep inside me, triggering my own release. My body convulsed as I squirted all over us both, drenching us in our shared pleasure.
As we collapsed forward together, my head on his shoulder facing his neck, I sprinkled kisses on his sweaty skin. The scent of his cologne enveloped me and brought a sense of comfort to our passionate encounter. Breathing heavily, I closed my eyes and focused on the feeling of him holding me close. In that moment, nothing else mattered except for the intense connection we shared.
After a few moments of catching our breath, he gently stroked my lower back and asked, “Are you good?” And in that moment, I knew that everything was more than good. It was perfect.
“Yeah.” I exhaled a last shaky breath before sitting up, glancing at the foggy car windows with a snicker. “Wow.”
He peered around, then brought his gaze back to mine. “We should get inside and pack your bag. Ian’s going to be mad if we’re ambushed before we have protection.” He looped a strand of my hair behind my ear, peering into my eyes with a subtle smile. “You’re now a wanted woman.”
Though I knew his words had a double meaning, the truth was far darker. Silently, I slipped off his lap, feeling his cum dripping out of me as I slid back into the passenger seat, adjusting myself.
“Might want to have your car detailed,” I joked.
With a small chuckle, he fastened his pants, then slipped out of his side of the car, strode around, opening the door for me.
“Do we have time to shower?” I asked as I stepped out.
He closed the door, locked it, and then placed a hand on my lower back, guiding me to the crosswalk. “We should probably just hurry and get your things and get to my house. You can shower there.” Scanning our surroundings like he was guarding me with his life, he took a protective, tall stance next to me, steering me to the building. He didn’t relax until we were in the elevator.
Once we were inside the apartment, he grabbed my hand, twisting me around, pulling me against him. “Stay behind me.”
I tilted my head, about to ask why.
“You’re an easy target up here,” he said, “so I’m going to escort you up to your room.”
“I don’t want you to get shot either,” I scoffed.
“Well, you should’ve thought about that before you stabbed a Russian Mafia Boss’s son.”