22. Von
W hen I exited my closet, I came out a whole ass different woman. My long hair fell in loose curls down my back, showing off the different tones of blue and purple it was dyed with. I did take the time to braid the sides back so it would stay out of my face. With the power of makeup, I’d managed to hide all traces of the wild ride the past few weeks had been.
“Oh, hell no,” Erik blurted as he jumped to his feet. “There is no way you can go out looking like that. Do you want Bear to slaughter the whole city?”
“I figured there would be a few casualties along the way, but this is all part of the plan,” I explained, setting down a pair of heels. “Buck up, buddies, I’m taking you guys to a strip club. No man I’ve ever met has turned down the offer when they realize they won’t be castrated for looking at other women’s boobs.”
“ Why would I want to waste my time looking at another woman? ” Bear questioned. “ Red is right, though, if you insist on going out looking like divine sin, my hands will be bloody tonight. ”
“Aww, you say the sweetest things,” I cooed, then grabbed the edges of his leather jacket and pulled him down to kiss me.
Bear decided a kiss wasn’t good enough, so he picked me up off my feet, and placed me on his hip while cradling my ass in the crook of his arm. His eyes flared wide as he felt my bare pussy rubbing against his skin. A growl rumbled in his chest as his free hand slid into my hair and grabbed hold before yanking my head back.
For a moment, I was confused because, at this angle, I couldn’t kiss him. Then I felt his mouth latch onto my neck and I moaned as he roughly started to suck. The bastard was leaving his mark on my skin so everyone could see I was taken. Not that it would do all that much at a strip club, but I wasn’t going to ruin his dreams. I hissed as the pain went from pleasant to wondering if he was actually trying to make me bleed.
“Okay, big guy, I get it,” I soothed, cupping the back of his neck and massaging the tightly corded muscles.
Bear released his hold but didn’t pull back until he brushed a soft kiss over the spot, as if to soothe the discomfort. He set me down, then instantly grasped my jaw, holding me still as he kissed the hell out of me. Fuck, I really can’t wear anything under this dress, but if things keep going this way I’m gonna be dealing with a flood of pussy lube. With a nip hard enough to break skin on my lower lip, Bear released me and stepped back.
I watched as he closed his eyes, balled his hands into fists, and tried to slow his breathing. This was a new side of Bear I never knew existed. Over the past month, he’d repeatedly told me how he’d held himself back from reacting the way he wanted to since it wasn’t his place to be jealous. Now I was seeing the green-eyed monster in living form, and fuck if I didn’t want to climb him like a tree and give him a reward.
An arm slid around my waist in a loose hold, ensuring I didn’t feel trapped and to prevent from triggering my fight mode. “Tell me, little siren, does this zipper go all the way up?” Erik asked as his fingers caressed my exposed hip.
“Why don’t you try it and find out?” I dared Erik, leaning against him so I could see his face.
He dipped his head and dropped a quick kiss on my lips. “I think we should save that for later, if I undress you now, we won’t leave this bedroom until morning.”
“Damn that dirty mouth of yours,” I said, arching slightly so I could rub my ass over his long hard cock. “Your idea sounds like a good time, but I have men to lull into a false sense of security before I torture them.”
Another body pressed himself to my front so I was sandwiched between the two men, but I knew I could easily get myself free if I wanted to. “Treasure, forgive me, but I’m not as selfless as your other two men.”
I felt Apollo tug on the other zipper until it reached the one at my hip. This long-sleeved mini dress was unlike any I’d seen before, it was a gift from Ivy for my twenty-first birthday. I hadn’t bothered going out or celebrating, it wasn’t like I hadn’t already been drinking for years. So I never wore the dress and stored it at home so it wouldn’t get lost. The dress was black lace with tiny glass beads sewn randomly, making the dress sparkle in the right light.
What had the guys all worked up was the fact there was no lining. You could see through the lace, but the designer had kept this in mind, and the private bits were mostly covered. However, the wearer could adjust just how much skin they wanted to show with the zipper, which started mid-thigh and curved all the way to my shoulder. There were two zippers, so if you wanted to show more legs and less boobs, you could, or vice versa. To be safe, I made sure to put on cute sparkly black skull pasties over my nipples, seeing as my brothers would be around.
“These are rather tantalizing,” Apollo murmured as he traced the shape of the pastie. “I’ve never understood the appeal, then again, I didn’t have a treasure I wanted to keep hidden from others.”
“Who knew a dress could bring out the cavemen in all of you?” I chuckled. “Now you boys better change, I told the twins to have the new bloods show up to the club at midnight.”
Erik glanced at his watch. “It’s only ten-thirty.”
Reaching up, I traced a finger along his jaw, feeling the stubble of the beard he was trying to grow out. “Yes, but it wouldn’t do for the guests of honor to arrive and not have everything ready for them.”
Because I was channeling my inner Poison Ivy, I gave in to the impulse to kiss along Erik’s jaw. I felt his body shiver as I playfully nipped his skin. Apollo, a man who refused to be outdone, lavished my exposed collarbone and breast with his mouth along with his hands. Erik’s grip on my hip loosened only to begin sneaking its way between my legs. More than willing to help the guy out, I shifted my legs wider, allowing room for his fingers to reach their goal.
A loud, angry knock on the door was like a bucket of cold water being tossed on us. Erik’s hand retreated and pulled down the zipper so less leg was showing. Apollo also made sure to fix what he’d done and stole a quick kiss before moving out of the way. I smirked as I saw him back to the door adjusting his cock so it wasn’t quite so obvious how turned on he was.
Bear stood next to my door, waiting for me to give him the okay. I spared a moment to glance in the mirror to be sure my makeup didn’t betray what we’d been doing. Normally, I wouldn’t give a flying fuck who knew they’d interrupted and become the biggest cock block known to man, but I was positive the person on the other side of the door was my father. With a look and a nod, I perched myself on the end of my bed, ready to go toe to toe with the only man who thought he had any control over me.
Father walked in, then halted in his steps when he saw me. I sat calmly as the horrified look only a father can make appeared once he’d taken in my outfit. “What the hell are you wearing?”
“Clothes, like a normal person,” I answered.
Father spluttered a moment but seemed to catch himself before starting down a path neither one of us would win. “Can we have a moment to talk in private?”
I cocked my head as if I was thinking about his request. “I suppose that depends on what you want to talk about.”
“Von, please,” Father said, a pleading tone in his words.
Letting out a sigh, I shifted my attention to the guys. “Don’t you guys need to change?”
To my surprise, Apollo was the one to dig his heels in. “The other two can change first, when they get back, I’ll do the same.”
Bear and Eric paused by the door as Father glared at Apollo, then took a menacing step toward the man. You see, Armond Zuccaro wasn’t a man who was used to people ignoring his orders. Of course, I was the exception to the rule, in fact, I felt as if I’d been put on this earth to keep my father humble.
“I asked to be polite, but I am the head of this family, and if I ask you to leave then you better damn well go,” Father snapped in a booming voice that had most people shaking like a leaf.
Apollo wasn’t the least bit bothered as he walked over to the couch, took a seat, and crossed one leg over the other. “You might be the boss of your empire, but Evonnia isn’t yours to control, even if you are her father. Your daughter has more than earned the right for you to acknowledge her status, as many others have in the criminal world. So unless your daughter, the person who holds my life in her hands, tells me to leave, then I’ll be sitting right here.”
“How dare you speak to me about respect when what you’re doing is beyond rude,” Father shot back. “Not that I have the need to explain myself to you, but I do respect my daughter and the name she’s made for herself. That being said, when she’s in this house, she isn’t The Wolf, she's my daughter.”
The mask Apollo had been wearing fell away, and I finally caught a glimpse of Coronis, the famous con artist. Seeing him level my father with a look that could kill caused my heart to flutter in a way I still wasn’t used to. There was no mistaking the threat Apollo was leveling at my father, even though his body continued to appear utterly relaxed. Or at least I thought so until I spotted how his fingers were digging into the back cushion as if he had to hold himself back from doing something.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I said in exasperation. “Dad just spit it out, will you? These men know everything about who I am, who you are, what we do, the whole shebang. There’s nothing you could ask me that I wouldn't want them to know.”
Father’s shoulders sagged in defeat. “I simply wanted a few moments alone with my daughter. Is that so much to ask?”
“Tonight, yes,” I answered honestly. “Look, I didn't come home to spend time with family and work toward mending bridges. I’m here because some bitch thought she could threaten my family and I plan to make it crystal clear how epically she fucked up.”
“Fine, have it your way. I will wait until the matter has been settled, then maybe we can talk,” Father said, rubbing his face with both hands. “Why do things have to be this way between us?”
“I’ll answer your question if you answer mine,” I offered. Father nodded a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “Why did you go against Mom’s wishes and put her in another medical trial? You know there’s no cure for what she has, the least you could do is honor the agreement you both made.”
Father’s face fell at my words as a mixture of regret and sadness took over his whole body. “I… I can’t,” Father stammered, then turned on his heel and left.
“Not the reaction I was expecting, but I’m glad to see he knows he fucked up,” I muttered as I got to my feet. “Go, all of you, there won’t be any more surprise visitors I need your protection from. When you’re ready I’ll be here plotting, planning, and pre-gaming.”
“We have to go back to the boat to get our things first,” Erik pointed out.
I leaned over the arm of the couch and hit a button on the phone. “Yes, Lady Evonnia?” a man answered.
“Send the luggage up from the boat,” I instructed.
“Of course, we already collected the luggage and will bring it up shortly,” he informed me, then hung up.
Erik let out an impressed whistle. “Damn, little siren, this is how you grew up?”
“Don’t let the privilege fool you, a cage is still a cage even if it’s made out of gold,” I countered. “I’d much rather have to do everything myself than be forced into a role that wasn’t for me.”
With that, the guys left once the luggage arrived, and I sipped on a glass of bourbon while I waited quietly. A rare moment indeed for The Wolf, but a skill the daughter of a mafia boss learned early on.