3
I stormed up the staircase, taking the flight to the right of the foyer, and stomped down the corridor towards the guest bedroom.I had grown unusually comfortable in this room over the past few months. To my surprise, being intimate with the boss didn’t mean that I was welcome in his bed. He had boundaries. I was still a guest; if I stayed over or needed to clean up, this was my place.I walked past the neatly made bed, heading straight into the bathroom and kicking off my shoes before switching on the shower.
As the water heated up I stared at my discarded clothes. I knew that if I asked nicely that Clive would take them to be cleaned, but that would leave me without panties all evening. Something that usually wouldn’t bother me. But usually I’d be pulling on my leggings and driving straight home, not sitting in a room full of people—half of whom I despised—wearing fuck knew what.I grabbed the scrap of black lace from the pile and examined it. No. No, I could not put them back on, they were soaked with evidence of the fun I had just been having with my boss. Dammit.Resigning myself to an evening without panties, I stepped into the shower, careful to not get my hair wet, and scrubbed myself with the lemon-scented soap as I contemplated my new evening plans. Of course, it wasn’t going to be that easy to move past my work fuck-up. I cursed myself for thinking that I could use our private relationship to my advantage like that. Of course, he wouldn’t just let it go because we’re fucking. Of course, he would have me doing something that gave me no enjoyment.He said punishment, not funishment.But this dinner. Eugh. He knew that it would be the perfect punishment for me. Bastard. Oh, and that smug, stupid grin on his face as he told me. If the consequences didn’t scare me, I’d have quite happily broken his perfect nose.As I stepped out of the shower and switched off the flow of water my stomach growled loudly. At least I no longer had to drive home, order, and wait for my food to arrive. Every cloud and all that.I secured a white fluffy towel around my body and went to perch on the edge of the bed. My boss had the most luxurious towels known to man, so I supposed that was another silver lining. I wasn’t a lover of fancy things. I had more sense than money, which was impressive, considering how much money I had. But towels like these might have actually been worth splashing out on.I pinched the edge of the fabric between my thumb and fingers and rubbed circles as I flopped back onto the bed. Dread rolling through my body in waves.A moment later there was a gentle tap on the door.“Hey Clive,” I called out, and he took my greeting as permission to enter. “I’m sorry that the boss has you running around after me. I’m sure you have other things you’d rather be doing.”He walked over to the bed and carefully laid down a slinky red dress, then placed a pair of strappy black heels on the floor.“Ah, it’s not a problem, Mallory.” He looked at me with a soft smile on his kind face. I enjoyed the brief moments that I stole with Clive, the ones where he relaxed a little and let the professionalism drop a fraction. It didn’t take long for us to develop this connection. It was painfully clear that my ‘Brothers’ didn’t see past Clive’s job title, but I refused to ever treat any of my boss’s staff the way the rest of them did.“Well, thank you. I really appreciate it.” I ran a finger over the silky fabric of the dress. “Was this…” My words trailed off, but Clive knew where my thoughts had gone.“Yes. I managed to find one that had never been worn, I hope that it fits you.”Clive had been aware of mine and Lorenzo’s relationship—if you could even stretch the term that far—since it first started, and he had always been very cautious when it came to anything related to Lorenzo’s wife. It was easy to see that Clive had liked her, that he was still missing her.
I knew her, not very well though, but I could understand how hard it must be for him. Losing someone close to you was never easy. She had been this insanely kind ray of sunshine; she shouldn’t have met her end in the awful way that she had. She deserved so much better than a bullet to the head. And then here I was, about to wear one of her dresses and sit at her table. I didn’t want Clive to ever think that I was trying to replace her, maybe that was why I had tried so much harder to win him over.“It’s beautiful. Selene would have looked amazing in it,” I said quietly, inwardly cringing at my own words.“That she would’ve, Mallory,” Clive said, smiling tightly and looking as though he wanted to say so much more. But Clive never said much out of turn. The smile dropped from his face, replaced with his usual unreadable expression. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”“If I bring my clothes down to the laundry room would it be alright if I popped them in a machine?” I asked. It was a silly question that I already knew the answer to.After Clive left the room with a bag of my clothes—he had offered to take them himself—I dropped the towel, stepped into the dress, and stood in front of a tall mirror.
Holy shit.
The dress looked amazing. The deep shade of red closely matched that of my hair. The plunging neckline and low drop of the back showed off just enough of my toned, pale skin to make me feel like a fucking goddess. I turned and admired my reflection from as many angles as I could, feeling a whole new level of confidence.My stomach growled at me again, pulling me from my brief obsession with my own reflection, and I slipped on the shoes before ruffling my hair and checking my makeup one final time. A red lipstick would have looked amazing with the dress, but there was not a chance in hell that I would go snooping around to find a dead woman’s makeup, if the boss had even kept it.The satisfaction in my appearance had managed to distract me from the negative feelings I was having about my punishment, but as I closed the bedroom door behind me and headed back to the staircase, I felt them pushing forward. My mood souring with every step, until I was standing toe to toe with a pair of familiar Italian leather shoes.Cold fingers tipped my chin up to meet my lover’s hard, dark gaze “Exquisite.”A single word, whispered in the empty foyer.With a voice like silk, a jawline that could cut glass, and a flawless olive complexion, how could I not want this man?Never getting too close to Selene had turned out to be a small blessing, for wholly selfish reasons. I would never have fallen into his bed if she and I had been more than acquaintances. On occasion, I felt a twinge of guilt, but then I reminded myself that we didn’t need to deprive ourselves of physical desires. No matter the past. That was all that it was between my boss and me. We closed doors and became each other’s release. He lifted me up, and I calmed him down. When the doors opened again, it was business as usual. I was not his little treasure anymore.I tried not to overthink that fact, ignoring the sinking feeling I continued to get whenever the affectionate term was replaced with that shortened version of my name that was used by every Brother.I knew that I didn’t really want things between us to be more than they were, it wasn’t like me to get attached to anyone. Same for him. He only used those terms to create a clear distinction between our two dynamics. That’s all.“Thank you, boss.” I forced the words out, my bad mood spilling out into the air around us.“Try, amore mio,” he whispered, still holding my chin. “Try to hide how much you hate this. I might even reward you if you put on a good show in there.” He smiled and released my chin, turning to open the dining room door.
I took a moment to steady myself, inhaling slowly before following Lorenzo into the dining room. Walking behind him with my head high, I forced myself to ignore the tingling sensation between my legs. My boss, as infuriating as he was, had the most carnal effect on my body. Something that was evident by my reaction to our brief exchange just outside the dining room door.My lips curved into a forced, cold smile as I glanced around the room, taking in the blank stares from my Brothers, and the disgusted sneers from their wives. Those looks were the exact reason I hadn’t wanted to attend. I didn’t see the point in sitting through an uncomfortable meal when I could be at home in my sweats, stuffing my face with noodles. But what my boss wants, he gets. And he requested a good show, although, he wasn’t specific about how I should play my role.Perhaps I could have a little fun, maybe I didn’t have to play nice.There was an empty chair waiting for me halfway down one side of the table between Cooper and Deb. An angel, and Satan’s least favourite bitch.Well, at least one of them likes me.Cooper’s face lit up the moment I sat down, and I relaxed a fraction as he nudged me with his elbow. He was alone, as usual. Coop was in a happy relationship with a sweet girl, Samantha, and he preferred to keep her far away from all of us. Wise choice. If anyone could appreciate separation in their life it was me.Deb quietly—or so she thought—asked Grey to switch seats with her, telling him quite bluntly that she didn’t want to completely lose her appetite. I pursed my lips to avoid laughing at her discomfort, earning myself a stern look from the head of the table where Lorenzo rightfully sat.His attention was drawn away from me as Grey hesitantly relayed Deb’s request. He gave a sharp shake of his head and turned his focus to the woman sitting beside me. “Not a good start to our evening, Deb,” he said sharply, and the woman reached for her husband’s hand. Her face remained neutral though, only that one movement hinting to the fear she felt around my boss.“Sorry, boss,” she said quietly.Lorenzo stared at her, his eyes ice cold as he watched her shrink into her chair under his intimidating glare. Once satisfied, he smiled softly and turned his attention away from the woman.“Buonasera, la mia famiglia,” Lorenzo addressed the rest of the table in his native tongue. “I am thrilled that you are all here.” I don’t miss the emphasis he put on the word all. A subtle dig in my direction. Cooper noticed this too apparently, covering his snort of amusement with a loud cough.Smooth, buddy.I tried so hard to control myself, but I couldn’t resist shoving my elbow into Coop’s ribs, scoring us both another deadly glare from our boss, and the rest of the table. All eyes in the room on us, tuts and eye rolls thrown our way, like we were a pair of naughty schoolchildren.‘Are you done?’ Lorenzo said flatly with a fierce spark in his eyes.
Although, it was clear that it wasn’t a question. Coop and I had the decency to look apologetic as we nodded our heads and dropped our gazes to the empty black plates before us.After a long, tense moment, our boss continued. “This annual dinner has become one of my favourite evenings of the year. A tradition passed down through generations of Brothers, a time to reflect and celebrate. It has been quite a year, we have had many successes.” He smiled, dark eyes twinkling with pride. “The occasional fuck up.” I didn’t need to turn my head to know that Grey”s eyes were locked on me. We all knew what our boss had meant, but no matter how badly I wanted to shoot Grey a tight-eyed glare, I chose not to. Instead I held myself tall and kept my gaze fixed on a painting across the room just above Collette’s head.“Sadly, we have experienced loss too. The tragic deaths of two people who meant such a great deal to all of us. My wonderful wife, Selene,” he paused, and my eyes reluctantly travelled to meet his. “And our loyal Brother, Jason.”
My blood turned icy in an instant, and a lump formed in my throat as a tidal wave of emotion crashed over me.Coopers hand found mine under the table, his huge palm engulfing mine as his fingers wrapped around me and he squeezed me gently. I squeezed back, thankful that I still had him. I blinked hard, pushing back the tears that were threatening to fall as I remembered what had happened to Jase.
MyJase.
My brother.
My big, brave, protective older brother. The only family that I had left. Now gone. Nine months without him. Some days I’ve been able to think about him and smile, other days I hear his name and my heart shatters all over again.Lorenzo kept his focus on me. “What happened afterwards was, well, unfortunate.” A strange emotion briefly flashed in his eyes, and it became clear that his next words were meant just for me. “But we are healing, together.”Fuck. I hated being reminded of what had happened after we lost them both. Sure, it had felt so damn good pulling that trigger, but it wasn’t enough.
I had received a call from Lorenzo, telling me that he had a ‘very special treat’ that might cheer me up. I had been sceptical as first, nothing much had been able to cheer me up in weeks, I was an empty pit without my brother, but he had been right, the information he had shared with me brought the biggest smile to my face.
The immediate location of Jason’s murderer.
I didn’t hesitate for a single second when I had turned up by the lake and saw the face of the worthless piece of shit who had stolen my everything.
The attempt to end Slash’s life hadn’t fixed how I felt, it didn’t stop the pain, the grief. But in the moment when my gunshot rang out, it changed something.I hadn’t lingered around after. Shooting the prick in broad daylight had been risky as hell. He was a Wolf, his gang were our biggest rival’s. So I knew I had to get out of there before someone realised who had just put a bullet in Slash’s head.
Strangely Shay, the leader of The Westeroak Wolves, hadn’t retaliated. I had waited for weeks for something to happen, constantly alert, living in a state of anticipation. But nothing. It turned out that there was a disappointing reason that I was in the clear. The shot I had fired had not been fatal—a first for me. Slash had survived. He was pretty messed up afterwards though. It didn’t feel like enough, but I was under strict instruction to leave it be. I wanted to finish the job; it was so much more to me than just a failed hit. It was personal. But I had to accept that it was the closest I’d get to revenge for the family taken from me. Brothers never went against the boss’s orders.The thing that I still couldn’t understand though, was that still no one came after me. Slash had seen my face. He knew exactly who had changed the course of his life, put him in a wheelchair, fucked up his face. But Shay did nothing.
Which in turn messed with my position in The Brotherhood.
Lorenzo couldn’t trust me to take on any serious business, again, he had been too scared that I would fuck it up. I wasn’t just alert at that point, I was on edge, a nervous wreck. It was only when I found out that somehow the whole thing had been buried that I gained control back and was trusted to work again. I asked Lorenzo how it had just gone away, but he had refused to explain. I was desperate to push him and ask again. The thought crossed my mind daily, but I held my tongue, too worried that he might think that I was only sleeping with him to manipulate him. Tricking him into letting me in on one of the many things that he kept to himself. I wasn’t stupid enough to piss him off like that.“Together.” He scanned each face at the table. “We can get through anything.” His stare was hard, unreadable. I had always been unsure whether it was a mask to protect himself, or a mask to keep up the illusion that the man could not be broken. Maybe it was both. “In time, those responsible will pay. We are The Brotherhood, we will not give up. We will always have each other. So let us eat, drink, and enjoy each other’s company.” My stomach groaned at his words, mostly from hunger, but also a little from the churning sensation that I had been feeling since Jase had been mentioned.The double doors opened on cue, and we were presented with a huge spread of Italian delights. The sight and smell snapped me from my little emotional spiral, dragging me back to the reality of my evening, and how I might make things more enjoyable. In retaliation of my punishment, I planned on pissing off as many of the people in the room as possible. Subtly of course.Next to me, Deb was talking across the table to Collette, Franks far-too-young wife. It was blindingly obvious to anyone with eyes that he was punching above his weight, Cole was in that marriage for his status, not love.They were discussing their plans for Sunday brunch, drawing the other woman at the table, Rebecca, into their conversation. Rebecca hadn’t been around for long; Michael and Rebecca had a bit of a whirlwind romance. They met eight months ago, then eloped after a month. It was kinda cute I guess, to be that sure of someone. I think I could’ve befriended her if those witches hadn’t got their claws into her first, but now she’s one of them. Something I’d never be.I speared a piece of pasta and popped it into my mouth as I subtly eyed Collette, working out just how easily I’d be able to upset her. I reckoned it would take one carefully planned, accidental, movement.She looked pristine, perfect makeup, not a single blonde curl out of place in its intricately styled updo. And her dress… Oh Cole, was white ever going to be a good idea? Immaculate.If I lifted my left leg just a little too high, with a smidge too much force, I could probably execute the perfect mess. I could turn to Coop, start a causal conversation, all while knocking the table, and sending the full glass of Pinot Noir that was sitting just beyond my plate toppling over. It would flood over the tablecloth, and spill down into her lap. If I was lucky, it might even splash on to her husband too.“So Coop,” I started, “how’s—”
I was instantly cut off by a high-pitched shriek and the scraping noise of a chair being pushed away from the table.“My dress!” Collette’s shrill voice was almost painful to listen to. “Mallory! You fucking bitch!”
I tilted my head to meet her furious expression. At least, I think she was furious. Fuck, that woman had a lot of work done, could her eyebrows actually move?I pulled my brows—that had a fantastic range of motion, by the way—into a confused frown, and then widened my eyes in faux shock as I slowly skimmed my gaze down her dress, playing the innocent act almost a little too well.“Collette,” Lorenzo snapped before I was able to defend myself, pulling her attention away from me.“My dress,” she whined, and I had to bite down on the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing. Bloody hell, she sounded pathetic.“Go and clean yourself up. And don’t be so fucking disrespectful,” he said sternly. She didn’t argue back, just dramatically stormed out of the dining room.Deb was whispering to Grey, I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but from the look on his face, I’d guess that she was defending Collette. She was probably complaining that it was unfair that her friend had been spoken to like that when she hadn’t done anything wrong. Except she had. I may have provoked her, but in this room, I ranked a hell of a lot higher than any of those women did.The wives’ usual bitchy comments, subtle digs, and low-key shade thrown towards me would usually go ignored. But to be that blatantly rude to me was unacceptable. Cole had fucked up. That shit wouldn’t slide.I glanced at Lorenzo, and noticed that he had resumed eating, chatting away to Michael as though nothing at all had just happened. I found his ability to do that one of the scariest things about him.“That was no accident, was it, Mallory?” Cooper whispered so quietly I almost didn’t hear him.Turning back to him I smiled and raised my brows, causing a low rumble of laughter to vibrate in his chest.“How’s Samantha doing?” I made pleasant small talk with him, but I couldn’t help but notice out of the corner of my eye the embarrassed look on Frank’s face. He wasn’t speaking to anyone, just using his fork to push a single meatball around his plate.Good, now it’s time for act two.“Mikey.” I raised my voice a little to get his attention. “Your sister came into my office earlier this week.” I was going to mention it to him when I next saw him alone, but I fully intended on causing more shit right now. “Don’t worry, I didn’t let anything slip. But when are you going to tell her about Rebecca? You know she’s thinking of setting you up with some girl she went to college with, right?”Rebecca stiffened and her jaw tensed, turning herself fully in her chair to face Michael and inhaling deeply. “You said you told your family.” She ground the words out, her hands shaking as she spoke. Michael’s face paled a little before he tried to defend himself. Rebecca was having none of it though. She never raised her voice, but the venom behind each word she spat at him was enough to satisfy me.I caught Lorenzo’s eye, his expression unreadable. I mirrored him, refusing to break eye contact until Rebecca stood up and stormed out, pushing past Collette, who was coming back through the doors in her dry—but stained—dress. I guessed no one had helped her to clean up properly.
What a shame.Collette returned to her seat, leaning over to ask Frank what she had missed. As Frank glared his wife into silence, Michael quickly excused himself from the table, apologising profusely to Lorenzo for the disruption.“What a show, I’m guessing you’ve saved the best for last?” Cooper asked quietly when conversation eventually started to flow around the table again.“You guessed right, my friend,” I replied, leaning back in my chair as our dinner plates were replaced with mouth-watering desserts. A different item in front of each of us. In front of me, Tiramisu, my favourite.I glanced at Deb, then at Lorenzo, who was reclined in his chair at the head of the table. My boss simply raised his brows at me. Was that a warning or an invitation? For the first time ever, I found myself questioning what he was trying to say.Oh well, I was probably already in trouble.“Coop, can I borrow the item that’s in your boot, please,” I whispered, barely moving my lips before filling my mouth with a spoon full of creamy coffee-soaked dessert. Without hesitating he leaned down, pretending to itch his ankle. Then he placed the requested item on my lap before going back to enjoying his own dessert.“Thanks.”“I’m sorry to have to do this, but I have just been informed of some important business that I need to take care of,” Lorenzo declared as he moved to stand, tucking his phone into his trouser pocket before straightening out his suit jacket. “Please, stay and finish your food and drinks. Buonanotte, amici miei.”Grey stood up as Lorenzo walked past his chair.“Sit. Your presence in here is more important. Mal, you can assist me,” Lorenzo said with his hand on Grey’s shoulder.Grey shot our boss a grateful look, and Deb beamed at her husband.
I guess that look had been a warning after all. My boss had worked out what I was doing, and no doubt thought that for my encore, I’d push things too far.I grasped the item on my lap in one hand and picked up my half-eaten Tiramisu in the other. Lorenzo paused behind my chair, and I turned to meet his questioning stare.“I’m hungry, and this is really good,” I explained, and I swear he smiled, but he turned to continue towards the door in a movement that was to fast for me to be sure.I got up to follow, but Cooper stopped me, gently grabbing my arm. Before he had a chance to speak, I pulled out of his grip and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “I might still need it.”He sighed and patted my arm, and I straightened up, heading to the place by the door where our boss was waiting with a dangerous look in his eye.“Finally, how do you all tolerate her? She reeks of desperation, the way she just came on to Cooper, and that dress, she just screams cheap whore. Jason would be disgusted by her if he was still with us.” Deb’s cruel words stopped me two steps before the place where Lorenzo stood.
My body tensed, and a raging fire lit itself inside my chest. I didn’t look up at the man in front of me. I spun on my heels, and in one swift, skilled motion, I sent Coopers blade flying across the room. Smirking with deep satisfaction as it sank deep into the dark wooden chair, narrowly missing Deb’s shoulder.She screamed and almost jumped into her husband’s lap. I turned back to see Lorenzo holding the door open.“Get in my office now,” he thundered.“That psycho could have killed me,” Deb sobbed.
I flicked my hair and looked at her over my shoulder, murmuring. “If fucking only.”“Mallory!”
Oh crap, full name, that can’t be good.I quickly glided past Lorenzo, keeping my head down, and flinched as he slammed the door behind us. I hurried along to the door of his office, but he didn’t follow. Instead he leaned against one of the dining room doors.“That was quite a show, amore,” he said darkly, then turned his back on me, walking slowly towards the staircase and pausing at the bottom step. “Well?”One word.A challenging quirk of his brow.
There was no important business to handle, not Brotherhood related anyway.He slowly ascended the steps.And I was left grasping my dessert while my jaw dropped all the way to the damn floor.