“Come with me, baby girl. I want your sweet juices mixed with mine.”
I can feel her body tense and her walls squeeze against me and together we find our release. Our chests heave up and down from the intensity of what we just did. I’m not at all sorry for making us late for these plans. It was either take her now or sneak off in the dark and do it there, but I couldn’t wait. I kiss her on the forehead before I retrieve a warm washcloth and wipe her clean.
“I’ll be right back, I need to change.” Smirking at her, I head into her bedroom where my bag of clothes are.
“Alaric Nicholas Solace!” she yells. “We’re freaking late!”
Before we arrive at the mansion, we stop and pick up Samantha from the hospital. She finally has color back in her face and has cleaned up. Celeste had gone to the hospital to help her shower and brush through her matted hair. She brought her some new clothes and talked to the doctors about the care she would need at home. She has also offered to take her to the follow up appointments with her primary and psychiatrist.
Glancing in the rearview mirror, I notice Samantha fidgeting in the backseat full of anxiety. She’s been away from her daughter for a long time and I know she’s so excited to see her but also scared she’s forgotten her. We arrive at the mansion parking at the front by the door and sit for a few minutes to let her have a moment to calm her anxiety.
“Are you ready to see your ball of sunshine?” Celeste smiles with excitement.
“I’ve been dying for this moment but I’m so scared.” She rubs her arms up and down.
Her eyes start to water and she averts her gaze towards the house. The poor girl deserves to be happy again and her happiness is inside that house and we need to get her inside as soon as possible.
“Come on, honey. Let’s go see your little girl.” Celeste reaches her hand over the seat grabbing hers and gives her an encouraging squeeze.
We get out of the car and Celeste wraps her hands around Samantha’s shoulders and leads her inside. We’re met with the smell of fresh baked cookies and sweet sounds of laughter. Walking down the hall, we round the corner entering into the kitchen. There’s flour everywhere like something exploded and rained all over the place.
“MOMMY!!!” A sweet little voice rings through the air.
Covered in flour from head to toe, the little girl with pigtails rushes past me and crashes into Samantha’s legs. My heartstrings pull at the reunion. I hope one day, if I have children, they run to me with so much excitement. Samantha falls to the floor wrapping her arms around Gabby.
Tears stream down her face as she squeezes her tight. The love she has for her daughter is heart wrenching and I have no idea why she would think that her little girl would forget her. There’s no way with the type of bond I see they have.
Looking over at Celeste, she has her arms wrapped around her body and her eyes glisten. I move over to her and pull her close to me, comforting her. Her head rests against my chest as she watches the two of them have their moment.
“Samantha, I wanted you to know that we’ll always be here for anything you need. You’re my family and I never want you to hesitate to call me. I don’t want you working at the clubanymore, though,” Celeste speaks up as Samantha gets up from the ground with Gabby in her arms.
“W-what do you mean? I need this job, Celeste. How am I going to pay rent and take care of Gabby?” Her body goes rigid and panic fills her eyes.
Celeste breaks away from me, walking over to her purse and pulls out an envelope. Now she has my attention. Is she firing her from the club?
“You’ll be working with me at the office. With my other business, it’ll be better hours for you, stable pay, and a lot safer for you two. When you’re ready, you will start. I’ve already put you on the payroll and you’ll be paid for the time you’ve been gone and for however long you need to recover.” This woman never fails to surprise me.
“Also, you’ll no longer be going to that apartment. You officially own a house nearby. It’s paid off and furnished for the two of you. I also made sure the things you owned were moved to the house plus some. If you need anything, we’re right here and you can call me. Adelina will also come and check on the two of you.” She hugs her, kissing her on the cheek.
Samantha begins to ball even more. Celeste hands her an envelope and she takes it hesitantly and opens it. There’s cash, a lot of cash, and a set of keys. This woman describes herself as evil and damaged, but yet she did this for someone who struggled and went through hell. It’s the most kind thing I have ever seen anyone do for another. She’s not asking for anything in return and will refuse if they try.
At this moment, I realize how deeply, madly I’m in love with this woman and for those who can’t see how amazing she is, it’s their loss. This is the woman that I want to stand by, no matter the destruction she may cause if she’s crossed.
Suddenly, her world is the only one I want to be a part of.The Mafia queen and the agent fall in love. So forbidden, yet so addicting. There’s no way I can back away now.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CELESTE
“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.” - Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Aweek goes by and I’m ready to get back into full swing. There’re things that need to be done in the office and I was informed another shipment was intercepted. How the hell they know when and where our drops are going to be is beyond me but I’m ready to get to the bottom of this.
My heels click against the tile as I make my way down the office aisle with my back straight and head high. Speaking of back, it still aches and irritates me with the touch of clothes that hug my body. The pain and aches remind me how much of a strong woman I am and the lengths that I would go. I’ll destroy anyone in the wake, even if that means I’ll be in the crossfires. I use that to fuel the fire as I shape up my empire.
“Celeste! It’s so good to see you. I hope your vacation went well.” Angela beams as I approach my office.
She knows where I actually was but due tobeing out in the open, she went with the story we had come up with. We’d put up a rumor that I was on vacation so that way the office wasn’t in a panic. The only people who knew about it were our inner circle and also Deniil. We needed our biggest ally on standby in case things went terribly wrong. He would also hold everything down and give Antonio the support to take over if I didn’t make it out alive.
