Fantasy in Lingerie Read online

  I held her gaze before I turned back to Max. “What have you got?”

  “I know he’s going to be at the opera on Saturday.” Max pulled out the folder and pushed it toward me. “He’s got three men on him at all times, including one driver. They’re always armed and wear bulletproof vests. From what I can tell, he doesn’t experience too many attacks, but he’s certainly prepared for them. If you hit him during the opera, you can slip something into his drink or stab him in the crowded room.”

  “He might not know it was me.”

  “That’s the point.”

  “I don’t want anyone else to know it’s me. But I want him to look me in the eye before I kill him.”

  Max sighed. “That’s not going to happen, not unless you kidnap him. The man is never alone. My guy watched him for three days straight. This guy is accompanied at all times. Maybe you could do a drive-by and take out his men along with him, but even then, it’s not exactly what you want.”

  No, it wasn’t. This was personal, so it couldn’t be done with a simple bullet between the eyes.

  Vanessa listened to Max before she turned her gaze on me. “Doesn’t he like to kill prostitutes?”

  I couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of my voice. “Yes…that’s why we’re sitting here.”

  Her eyes flared in annoyance. “Does he still like to kill prostitutes?”

  “As far as I know,” Max said. “Why?”

  “What if you got him alone with a hooker?” she asked. “He can’t have men watching him then, right? Unless he’s into that…”

  The thought hadn’t crossed my mind, and I felt stupid for not thinking of it. I turned to Max.

  He was already looking at me. “That’s not a bad idea. We could have a woman take him to a motel. You could be there waiting for him.”

  “I’d have to get the woman out to make sure she’s not a witness. Otherwise, she could rat me out.”

  “True,” Max said. “And you’d want to get her out of harm’s way.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “She would have to get him in the room, get out, and then let me finish him. And she’d have to keep her mouth shut. But even if we pay her off, his men could hunt her down and torture the information out of her. She would be easy to find if she found work on the street.”

  “I have an idea,” Vanessa said.

  “Yeah?” Max said. “What is it, sweetheart?”

  “Call her that again, and I’ll turn you into a punching bag,” I threatened.

  Max grinned. “Someone is pussy-drunk…”

  Vanessa watched the anger on my face, watched the way I became possessive of her even with my closest friend.

  “I told you she was off-limits,” I said quietly. “I meant it.”

  Max raised both hands in the air. “Alright. Loud and clear.” He turned to Vanessa. “You’ve got him under your thumb. Make sure you use that against him if you can.”

  She was under my thumb just as much.

  “What’s your idea?” Max repeated.

  Her gaze turned to me, like she knew I wouldn’t like the idea before she even announced it. “I could be the hooker.”

  I stared at her, dumbfounded.

  Max didn’t expect the idea either.

  “I could be at the right place at the right time, and I could take him to the hotel. I would leave and let you do what you need to do. They’ll never find me again because I’m not really a prostitute. And presumably, I’d wear a wig.”

  “And he definitely wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to grab her,” Max said. “She fits his type perfectly.”

  I was still staring at Vanessa, shocked by the offer she’d just put on the table. Why would she help me? Why would she put herself in danger when she got nothing out of it? “What do you want in return?”

  She took a deep breath before she answered. “My family. I do this for you, and you leave them alone.”

  Max sat between us, eyeing us back and forth. He stayed quiet, knowing he had nothing to do with this.

  “No.” I wasn’t giving up my revenge just to fulfill a different vendetta.

  “You could use me,” Vanessa said. “I could make this work.”

  There was no doubt in mind that she could. If I put her in play, he would be just as obsessed with her as I was. “I’m not putting you in danger like that. I’ll find another way.”

  “It’s too risky to have someone else do it,” she said. “You know that.”

  “I’m not sparing your family,” I repeated.

  She crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes shifting back and forth as she considered it. “Bones—”

  “No.” I wouldn’t change my mind. I wouldn’t drop my vendetta, and I wouldn’t put her in danger. Joe would take one look at her and eye-fuck her to death. He would imagine the ways he would fuck her before he killed her. He would fantasize about leaving her in a dumpster somewhere.

  Not my woman.

  “Okay…” Vanessa said. “Then I’ll do it anyway.”

  Max looked up again and shifted his gaze to my face.

  “What?” I asked blankly.

  “I’ll lure him anyway—to help you.” She stared at me with those beautiful green eyes, those thick lashes making her feminine and beautiful. “I want you to kill him, Bones. I know this is important to you. I know you’ll never stop until you get justice for your mother. So let me help you.”

  My eyes were wide open as I stared at her, unable to believe she’d offered to put herself in a dangerous situation just to help me. She got nothing out of it, but she wanted to see me succeed. “No. I don’t want another man looking at you. I don’t want him touching you. I don’t want him anywhere near you.” The idea of Vanessa ending up in a dumpster like my mother made me sick to my stomach. If someone was going to kill her, it was going to be me—no one else. “You aren’t involved in this. End of story.”

  I didn’t come out of my office until later that night. My stomach was full of scotch and I was at the perfect level of drunkenness, so I wasn’t as angry as I usually was. Vanessa made that offer to help me, but I was ticked she’d made the gesture at all.

  She was mine.

  I wasn’t going to let my enemy think, even for a second, that he was going to fuck my woman.

  When I walked into the living room, she was sitting on the couch in one of my t-shirts and her panties. This was normal now, a habit to see her in my t-shirts on a regular basis. The shapeless cotton was somehow sexier than the lingerie I got her. Knowing it was my clothes she wanted on her back turned me on.

  She must like my smell.

  She turned her eyes away from the TV and met my gaze. “Still mad at me?”

  “I’m always mad at you.” I stood behind the other couch, my hands gripping the back.

  “Yeah…I picked up on that.”

  I gripped the furniture tightly, my knuckles turning white. I wasn’t livid with her for the comment, but livid that I found her so painfully beautiful in my clothes. I should demand her to take it off and never wear it again, but I didn’t. I didn’t because I loved the way it looked on her—so fucking perfect.

  “I’m sorry I offered. I was just trying to help you.”

  “And why the fuck would you try to help me?” I hissed.

  “You saved me just a few nights ago. I don’t consider that ancient history.”

  I looked away, not wanting to see the gratefulness in her eyes. “I didn’t save you because I care. I saved you because you’re mine. Your pussy is mine, and your life is mine too. So don’t be grateful.”

  “I am anyway. You know one of my biggest fears is to be raped…I fear that more than death.”

  I listened to her beautiful voice, the strength mixed with the vulnerability.

  “I thought you would want to use your prisoner to achieve your goals. If I die in the process, what does it matter to you?”

  “Because I want to be the one who kills you, not my enemy.” I turned back to her, seeing the stoic expression on her fa
ce. I thought a statement like that would hurt her, but she seemed to be immune to it at this point. “And I don’t want him looking at you or touching you.”

  She sighed quietly. “I agree with Max. I think this is a bad idea, and you’re going to wind up dead.”

  “Wouldn’t that make you happy?”

  “No, it wouldn’t,” she said seriously. “I want you to avenge your mother. Then I want to be the one who kills you—or my family. I guess we both feel the same way about each other’s deaths…we want them to be done the right way.”

  “But only one of us is going to survive. Who do you think it’ll be?”

  She looked so small on my couch, her long legs tucked toward her body and her dark skin so soft and beautiful. She made herself at home, like a pet that kept me company. A more beautiful woman had never been here, had never sat on that couch and looked at me like that. “Honestly, I think we’re both going to die at the end of this. Who goes first…I’m not sure.”

  I listened to her say it so pragmatically, and that made me respect her. Death was a part of life, and there was no getting around it. The best thing to do was to accept it with dignity, to greet death as an old friend. “I think you’re right.”

  “You’ll kill me first. But my family will make you suffer for it.”

  “You have so little faith in yourself?” I questioned. “You don’t think you could do it?”

  She looked away. “I’ve obviously proven that I can’t do it…”

  So did I. I could have killed her two months ago, but she was still here. She was still breathing. She was still in my bed every night, taking my dick and my come. She was the only woman I’d had by my side for this long. She was the only one who managed to keep me entertained, keep me interested. The sooner I killed her, the sooner I’d have my revenge against the Barsettis.

  But the idea hadn’t crossed my mind.

  I kept telling myself I would kill her.

  But was I lying to myself?

  “So…three whores at once?” She gave me a look full of accusation—and disappointment.

  So she had been listening. I didn’t deny it, having no shame in what I’d done. “Yes.” I held her gaze, not backing down and not making apologies.

  “I’m surprised you pay for sex. You don’t seem like a man who needs to.”

  “I don’t—but I like it.”

  Now her look changed, the anger coming through.

  “I like sex as a transaction. It’s fun—and then it’s over.”

  “After what your mother went through, I’m surprised you would resort to that.”

  “That’s exactly why I do it. I treat them well, and they have a good time.”

  She turned away, her eyes brimming with suppressed rage.

  “Jealous?”

  “No,” she spat. “I’m just afraid you’ve given me something.”

  “I’m clean.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “A hundred percent.”

  But she still looked angry, still pissed off.

  That’s how I knew I was right. “You are jealous.”

  “I’m really not.”

  I couldn’t stop myself from grinning. “Is it because they were whores? Because I’ve been with a lot of women. If that makes you jealous—”

  “It’s because there were three of them…at once.”

  I tried not to gloat, but that was nearly impossible. “And why does that bother you? Being with three women isn’t much different from one.”

  She sighed through her teeth. “Shut up.”

  I grinned wider. “This is killing you.”

  She finally got off the couch and stormed down the hallway toward the bedroom. “’Night.”

  “Baby.” I followed her, enjoying this way much more than I should. She was afraid I would kill her and her family, but she was actually jealous of me being with other women. She was jealous the way I was jealous, the way I got angry when I imagined her in a bar while men stared at her. I watched her tracker that night because I didn’t want her to go home with anyone else. If she did…I didn’t know what I was going to do.

  I followed her into the bedroom and saw her pull down the sheets.

  She ignored me, pretending I wasn’t there.

  I leaned against the doorframe and crossed my arms over my chest. “Baby.”

  “Just shut up, Bones. I’m going to sleep.” She turned off the bedside lamp.

  I walked around the bed until I was standing over her. “I’m not going to lie…I’m really enjoying this.”

  “Yeah, I can tell.” She turned over and faced the other way.

  I leaned over her and pressed kisses to the shell of her ear. I breathed into her canal before I spoke. “I’m a very jealous man when it comes to you…and I’ve never been that way before.”

  I could feel her relax underneath me, those words meaning something to her.

  I waited for her to turn back to me, to give me her full gaze.

  “They were before you.”

  “And has there been anyone after me…?” She hated herself for asking the question. I could feel it.

  I kissed her ear again. “You know the answer to that, baby.”

  “I want to hear you say it.”

  I kissed her neck and her jawline. “Only you.” I grabbed her chin and turned her gaze on me. “Alright?”

  “Alright,” she whispered.

  “I was staring at your tracker that night because I was worried you would go home with some other guy. And if you did…I was probably going to kill him.”

  Her fingers wrapped around my wrist as I held on to her chin. “There’s no one I wanted to go home with…”

  “I know. I know you only want me.”

  Shame flooded her gaze.

  “And I only want you,” I whispered. I’d never said that to a woman before. I’d never been monogamous my entire life. I hadn’t even been with one woman for more than a few days. But I’d been fucking Vanessa for a couple months, and I felt like we were just getting started.

  “Then it’s just you and me?” she whispered. “Until this is over…?” Her hands moved underneath my shirt and felt the muscles of my body.

  We didn’t have a lot of time together, and I didn’t want to spend that time in between another woman’s legs. I only wanted to be with her, and I certainly didn’t want to share her. “Yes. Until this is over.”

  3

  Vanessa

  Sapphire texted me. Let’s have dinner tonight.

  Does Conway know about this? When it came to living with Sapphire, he didn’t want me around much. When I stayed with him for a few weeks, he couldn’t wait until the day I left.

  Yes. He hasn’t seen you since Christmas, and he misses you.

  I laughed out loud because that was bullshit. Nice try, Sapphire.

  Conway and I are in Milan working at the studio. It’s going to be a late night so we thought we would grab dinner afterward. Are you free?

  My whole life revolved around painting and Bones, so I was free all the time. Yeah. When?

  How about an hour?

  Alright.

  We’ll pick you up.

  I was staying at Bones’s place, and by the time I got ready and headed over there, I might not make it in time. I’ll just meet you there.

  You know how Conway is. He’d rather pick you up.

  My brother’s protective bullshit wouldn’t work right now. I didn’t want him to be aggressive when this monster watched every little move I made. Conway would be caught off guard and be powerless. He had a little one on the way, and the last thing I wanted was for him to get hurt. Well, I’m not home, so I’ll just meet you there.

  Where are you?

  I really hated the nosiness of my family sometimes. I’m out with some friends. I’ll just meet you there, alright?

  I did not need their suspicion right now. If Conway figured out Bones was involved in my life, the blood war would start, I’d be dead, and everything would go down
hill from there.

  I went to my closet in the bedroom and pulled out an outfit to wear. It was freezing outside, so I decided on jeans, boots, and a nice sweater, and my thick jacket and scarf.

  Bones walked inside, dressed in his running shorts and t-shirt. There was a line of sweat around his neckline and his armpits because he’d just worked out on the third floor. His forehead was dotted with perspiration, and his arms were a little thicker than they usually were because the blood was pumping. “Where are you going?”

  “To dinner with my family.”

  He pulled off his clothes and tossed them into the hamper, stripping down until he was just in his hard and sweaty skin.

  I tried not to stare, tried not to think about running my tongue over that hot body.

  “Tonight?” he asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Where?”

  “This café a few blocks away.”

  He stared at me, his soft dick still impressively big even though the rest of his blood had been supplied to his muscles. His displeasure was obvious in the hard lines of his face. “Why?”

  “Why what? Are we going to that café? It’s good.”

  “Why are you going out to dinner with them?”

  “Because they’re my family…”

  That obviously wasn’t the right answer because he stared at me with more anger. “And who’s included in this?”

  I felt the anger rise in my blood, felt it slowly start to boil. “I don’t appreciate this interrogation. I go where I want to go—and I see who I want to see.”

  “You should look up the definition of prisoner because you obviously don’t know what it means.”

  “Fuck off.”

  “How about I fuck you instead?” he countered as he cornered me against the closet, over six feet of pure man. When he was sweaty and hot, it reminded me of the way he looked after he screwed me for a long time. Sweat collected all over his physique, and his skin became slippery over his big muscles. My nails struggled to get a hold because they kept streaking down his wet skin.

  “I’m going to dinner with Conway and Sapphire, alright? They worked late in Milan and wanted to see me.”

  He cocked his head slightly, seeming to not like that answer. “Conway is arrogant like his father. Probably because he looks just like his father.”