Tony: I’m not in Cleveland right now. Maybe next week. I’ll text you.
Typical Tony bullshit. Always dangling information like bait. And I always end up taking it. There’s no point in replying or even pretending I don’t need Tony’s help, which I do. Besides, Tony’s very clear on the rules; if you reach out, you’ve agreed to whatever fits Tony’s agenda.
Even if it takes weeks before we can meet and I’ve solved the problem in the meantime, I’ll still owe Tony a favor. That’s how Tony works.
I stare at the phone until the screen goes black, then I get into my car and toss the device onto the passenger seat. By now, I’m running on caffeine, burned air, and whatever adrenaline’s left in my system. Sleep isn’t a luxury, it’s a fucking necessity.
The drive home blurs past. When I reach the penthouse, the sun’s high enough to make the windows burn.
I strip down, wash the night off, and drop face-first onto the bed. When I wake, the city’s dipped back into gold. The fatigue hasn’t faded, but the intensity has softened. I grab my phone, type before I can talk myself out of it.
Me: Be ready at nine. We’re going to the Leone Room tonight.
Me: Wear something sinful.
While I lie in bed, I go over who saw me at the club last night. Only a few names come to mind, which is both a blessing and a curse. There’s no accounting for people talking, and news of me being there with Raven is bound to feed the rumor mill.
And rumors spread faster than the truth. Which means that by tonight, half the city will think she’s mine. A few will hope she’s leverage. One or two might even test that theory. Fuck… I really,reallydon’t like that thought.
She’s been seen with me, that’s enough. There’s no unringing that bell. No stopping that particular fire.
Chapter 16
Matteo
The elevator doors slide open just as the clock turns nine exactly. After straightening my tie, I stride over to her door and knock, two sharp raps that echo in the empty corridor.
There’s a moment of silence, then the shuffle of movement on the other side. When the door swings open, my brain short-circuits for exactly one-point-five seconds.
“Tadaa!” Raven exclaims, holding her arms up in a V shape.
Fuck, she looks like a fever dream made flesh. Tiny black shorts that barely qualify as clothing cling to her. Her legs seem endless, encased in knee-high black leather boots that add dangerous inches to her height.
A fitted black blazer hugs her waist, its lapels open wide to reveal a black bra. Topping it all off is a wide-brimmed black hat,her blonde hair cascading in waves around her shoulders and down her back.
“You like?” Raven purrs playfully, batting her eyelashes before doing a twirl.
Like? Is she fucking kidding me? I’m in love with this outfit.
“Well?” she asks, a knowing smile playing at her red-painted lips. “Is this sinful enough for you?”
My cock instantly hardens, pressing painfully against my zipper as blood rushes south. I keep my face carefully blank, though I know my eye betrays me by the way her smile widens.
“Turn around again,” I command, voice rougher than I intended.
Raven raises an eyebrow before executing another slow, deliberate twirl while shimmying her hips. My fingers flex involuntarily at my sides, itching to grab, to possess, to mark.
“Fuck. Raven,” I manage, my gaze traveling from the hat to the boots and back again. “You look incredible.”
She beams and pats me above my heart. “Of course I do. My ass on display is the prettiest thing you’ll ever see,” she sing-songs.
Before I can respond, she surprises me by rising on her tiptoes and pressing her mouth against mine. The kiss is hot and demanding, her tongue immediately seeking entrance. For a moment, I’m too stunned to react. Something punches low in my gut—a hit I don’t fucking see coming.
Then instinct takes over, and I’m kissing her back, one hand tangling in her hair to hold her in place while the other grabs a handful of her nearly-bare ass. She gasps into my mouth, and I swallow the sound, deepening the kiss until I feel her body melt against mine.
Her hat falls to the floor as I back her inside her apartment, not stopping until she’s against the wall. I pin her in place with my hips, letting her feel exactly what she’s done to me. Herhands clutch at my shoulders, nails digging in even through the layers of my suit.
It would be so easy to slide my hand between her legs, to feel if she’s as wet as I suspect she is, to make her come right here with her boots still on and the door wide open. The thought sends a jolt of pure lust through me, making me grind against her.
