“It’s business and was a request from Don Mazzilli,” Chase quickly adds in to save him. “We have to play by their rules for now.”
He nods at Chase gratefully.
“It's also a good opportunity to retrieve any information we can,” he tells her, drawing her attention back to him. “While they’re preoccupied here, we thought we might have someone check out their place to try to find out any information we can about your debt.”
He doesn’t tell her that he has a gut feeling like Stella does, that she’s the key to saving his ass from this arrangement. Saving him in more ways than one. That’s a conversation for another time.
“Oh?” Ariana replies. The sadness from being unable to attend the party seems to be replaced by excitement now. “How can I help?”
“You said that they had no staff at the house. That you take care of everything,” he says.
“That’s right. But they do have four men on duty at all times. In shifts,” she replies.
“That’s good,” he tells her encouragingly.
“Three shifts of eight hours each. It’s not a huge estate like what you have here. Neither is the house but they always have one man roaming the halls. One at the gate and the other two are in various places. I don’t always know where though.”
“That’s great information,” he tells her again.
“Tomorrow, can you sit with Tommy and Brooks?” Stella asks. “Draw a picture of the estate and then the house itself. Tell them where the most important places are so they can prioritize their search.”
“I can do that,” she replies excitedly. “Is…is there something more that I can do?”
“Just give them as much detail as possible,”’ he urges her.
“Don Pietro very seldom kept electronic records. He didn’t trust technology but they do have security cameras. They’re not very hi-tech though. All of his business documents aren’t kept in his office either. He kept some in a safe in his bedroom but I don’t know the combination,” she adds.
“That’s great information. We’ll have Brooks handle that part. Just let him know where to look,” Stella encourages her.
“You don’t come until I say so, kitten.”
She squeaks at his command and he runs his fingers over the flat of her stomach, watching the sweat beads move under the pressure.
“You look fucking amazing,” he compliments her while appraising her magnificent body.
He holds her leg up higher over his shoulder and straddles the other one, trying to get his cock inside her as deep as he can. She moans when he hits her core and it makes him smirk satisfyingly. She bites on her bottom lip and he sees the muscles of her arms straining as they pull on the restraints.
She opens her mouth to say something.
“No begging,” he cuts her off.
There will be a time for that but not this time.
She squeezes her eyes shut and cinches her lips, trying to fight off the orgasm that he knows she needs. It’s almost too much to watch her like this. In pain and on the cusp of pleasure. It’s what sends him off into pounding her as deep and as hard as he can.
“Tell me what you want, kitten.” He grinds into her, clenching down on his molars to try to stave himself off. “Say the words!”
“Adam,” she says breathlessly. “Let me come. Please! I need to come.”
“Come where?” he asks huskily. “Speak what you want, kitten, before the moment passes.”
“I…I want to come on you. All over your fucking cock. Let me come on your cock. Please,” she pleads.
It’s a fucking symphony.
“Come, kitten. Wash away my dirt.”
It takes one more thrust for her to scream her orgasm out. It’s the loudest she’s ever been. He’ll have to thank the architects for building this house with thick walls.
With her waves washing over him, he growls out his release, then dropping her leg. His head lands on her pillowy breasts as he tries to steady his breathing. Her pulsing walls nearly set him off again.
“Wow,” she whispers.
“Indeed,” he says with a smile.
He reaches over to the nightstand, intending to grab the key. Instead, he opens the drawer and retrieves the velvet box from the inside of it.
He’d picked it up the morning when the plan to visit the Romano estate was derived. It’s by no means a consolation prize for her not being able to go to this party with him, though he would like nothing more than to show her off. But he wanted to show her that she’s special to him. She means something.
She whimpers again when he pulls out of her. Damn! He’s almost hard again watching the mixture of her juices and his seed spilling out.
Before his dick takes over again, he reaches back to the nightstand for the key to the restraints. He goes through the steps of freeing her wrists, pulling off her blindfold when she rubs her wrists to get the circulation going again.
“What’s that?” she asks when she sees him opening the velvet box.
Her brows furrow when she sees him pull out the string of pearls. He doesn’t speak a word but pulls her to a sitting position by the arm. He doesn’t breathe a word until the pearls are around her neck.
“You’re mine, Ariana. This never comes off.”
“Adam—”
“Is that understood?” he cuts her off.
She nods silently but he sees the dark red flush creeping over her already flushed body. The pearls stand out against her skin. It’s a beautiful contrast. Her fingers brush over the beads like a feather dusting something sacred.
He lies down beside her, gathering her into the crook of his arm against his side before she can see the grin forming on his face. Call him an idiot but he’s never done this before and he’s blushing like a damn teenager again. She didn’t need to see that. Not if he wants his ego to survive.
“Isabella—” she starts after a moment of silence.
He knew she hadn’t fallen asleep but didn’t think this was on her mind after their mindblowing sex.
“Inconsequential,” he cuts her off before her thoughts run away with her.
She tenses for a second and then she takes the ball and runs with it.
“No, Adam. She’s not. This is a big deal. This effects many people.”
Never has he been more proud of a woman talking back to him than at this moment. She trusts him. She’s growing, getting stronger. She’s…living.
“It’s keeping up appearances, Ariana. We have to play along until we figure a way out of this. Isabella is insignificant because she’s just a pawn. She thinks too highly of herself to realize that.”
“But…isn’t it most families’ goal to be able to get into the circle,” she asks. “It…it would be a big step for the Kings.”
He sighs.
“It’s something we’ve never strived for. We started from the bottom too, Ari. And we’ve earned our way here. I’ve shed blood and so have each of my brothers. We didn’t work this hard to have to work for someone else. Our goal is to stay answering to no one.”
“I see,” she replies. “You must be afraid of what they’ll do to you and your family. Just like I’m afraid of what Isabella will do to me when she finds out…about us.”