Savage Lover: A Dark Mafia Romance (Brutal Birthright Book 3)

After a small adjustment, Vanessa had to free her wrists long enough for me to slide underneath her in the chair seat and take her dress off, I was able to accomplish her challenge.

God knows I’ve wanted her to ride my cock while sitting on my lap since the first morning I put her on it to eat breakfast. I even got to braid her hair again between rounds while we caught our breath. Tugging on it while buried deep inside of her was just as amazing as I imagined it would be.

I only used the rope to gag her the first time because while I enjoy hearing her muffled moans, I love making her scream my name even more.

When I finally release her hours later, we get a shower together then have dinner with the girls. That’s when I get the bastard’s response. Still, I hold off telling Vanessa until later, when we’re alone, watching the sun set over the city from the single chaise lounge on the bedroom balcony. It should be peaceful to have her stretched out between my legs, taking in the view of the city, but it’s anything but relaxing thanks to my growing anxiety.

Tightening my arms that are wrapped around her waist, I breathe in her clean tropical scent and press my lips to her hair before finally telling her, “Yuri’s texted back.”

“Yeah?” She twists her neck around to look at me. “When? Why didn’t you tell me? What did he say?”

“The message came in during dinner, but I wanted us to be alone when I told you. He said he wants to meet tonight and provided an address.”

Now Vanessa sits all the way up. “Shouldn’t we be getting ready?”

“We do have somewhere to be in about an hour, but it’s not to meet Yuri. I don’t trust that fucker as far as I can throw him, so I’ll be damned if I let him set the meeting up that could easily turn into an ambush in the middle of the night.” And I’m not ready to let Vanessa go just yet. I know it’s only going to be a temporary separation, but I fucking hate it. “I responded to his message with my own, telling him that I’ll give him a time and location tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” she repeats.

“Yes. During daylight hours, at a place of my choosing. I wanted one more night with you, and I wanted to remind him that he’s not in control of this situation.”

“Okay. Tomorrow then.” Vanessa’s shoulders relax, then she leans her back against my chest again. She may pretend to be all calm and brave about seeing her father, but I know she’s dreading it as much as I am.

Resting my chin on top of her head, I tell her, “You don’t have to go. We could come up with another plan.”

Covering one of my hands encircling her waist with her own, she gives it a squeeze. “This plan will work. I probably won’t even be gone but for a few days.”

That’s the thing. Days could turn into weeks. I hate the unknown, especially when it comes to her.

“You don’t know how long it will take to get your hands on a weapon, to get him to trust you enough to be alone with him, away from his guards. Then you have to figure a way out once he’s dead. And you don’t know how awful the son of a bitch will treat you until you get a chance to kill him either.”

Vanessa shrugs. “True, I don’t know any of those things. But I really do think I can take him out in less than a week. I can pretend to be an obedient daughter for seven days to get him to trust me.”

I wish it was that easy to take out the bastard, but I think she’s being a little too optimistic. He hasn’t seen her in over twenty years, so he’s not going to trust her easily. I’ll give Vanessa seven days to do this her way, but that’s it. If she’s not back in a week, then I’ll go into his compound for her if I have to. Not that I’ll tell her that now. She’ll just get pissed, tell me I don’t believe she can kill her old man or that it’s too dangerous for me.

“While I’m gone, you should try to focus on finding Madison,” Vanessa says, changing the subject on purpose no doubt.

I sigh so hard loose pieces of her braid blow around in front of my face. “I didn’t think you wanted me to find her, sort of like how you hid from your father for two decades.”

Vanessa’s fingernails drag up and down my arm gently. “You’re nothing like Yuri, Dante. And Madison doesn’t have to struggle through life alone. Now you’ve both had a chance to figure out that changes need to be made, but nothing worth keeping you apart.”

“I’ll try my best to find her,” I assure her. “But if she doesn’t want to be found yet…”

“Then she will eventually.”

I don’t respond to her assumption. There’s no way to know if Vanessa is right or not about Madison. I just have to believe that she’s somewhere safe. That she’s happy. It’s the only way I can get through the days and stay sane.

“So where do we have to be later?” Vanessa asks. She then squirms her ass against the crotch of my pants, taunting me. “I’m surprised we still have our clothes on and that you would want to leave the bedroom tonight.”

Kissing the side of her neck, I follow it up with a swipe of my tongue along her skin, making her shiver. “Trust me, butterfly, we will get plenty of quality bedroom time again before you leave tomorrow. But first, I have a surprise for you.”

Now she goes still in my arms. “A surprise? What kind of surprise?”

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?”

“And we have to leave the penthouse for it?”

“Yes.”

“How long will we be gone?”

“Not sure.”

“Okay…. What should I wear?”

“Anything you want.”

Slapping lightly at my arm, she huffs, “That’s not very helpful. I don’t want to be underdressed or overdressed. I should go start getting ready.”

When she starts to sit up, I pull her back down to my chest. “Not yet. I have something for you.”

“Another surprise?” she cranes her head around to ask.

“A little gift.” Reaching into my inner suit pocket, I pull out the simple rose gold band and hold it in front of her between my finger and thumb for her.

“You bought me a ring?” she says softly, frowning as she studies it. “Is that…”

“It’s a smart ring. A way for me to know that your heart is still beating, that you’re still breathing. I’ll even know when you’re asleep or awake like a demented Santa Claus.”

“Oh.” Maybe I’m mistaken, but she sounds a little disappointed when she plucks the ring from my fingers to look at it closer. I don’t bother to hide my grin.

“I got one for myself too.”

“Yeah?”

“The best part? With a full charge it should last you a week.”

“A week. Okay. So, it’s a way for you to spy on me without being obvious about it.”

“It’ll keep me from doing something rash,” I reply. Resting my chin on her shoulder, I take her right hand and slide it onto her ring finger.

“It fits,” Vanessa remarks as she spreads her fingers to examine it. “And it looks innocent enough that my father won’t notice it.”

“Probably not.”

I don’t bother telling her that if it goes dark, I’m coming for her right then and there.

Vanessa twists around placing her legs on either side of mine to straddle my lap. Her arms wind around my neck to lean in and kiss my lips. “Thank you for caring enough to stalk me,” she says against them.

“I love you, butterfly,” I tell her as my palms slide up and down her perfect, hourglass curves before pausing abruptly.

Damn, that’s the first time either of us have ever said those words to each other. How is that possible? I don’t have any more time to worry if she feels the same because Vanessa kisses me again and says, “I love you too. I should’ve told you that before now.”

“I’m so fucking glad to hear that because once this is all over, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, however long or short that may be.”

“You do?” she asks, flashing me a smile.

“Yes. Do you think you could endure forever in this fucked-up world with me?”

Tilting her head to the side, she holds my gaze as she considers my question for a brief moment. “Yes, I do.”

Her words seem like a good omen for what I planned later.

“As long as you stay honest and faithful to me.”

“I will,” I assure her as I tuck a loose strand of her light blond hair behind her ear. “Now, do you remember the phone number I gave you earlier?”

She rolls her eyes. “Yes. I’m not that old.”

“It’s nothing to do with your age. I know you have a lot on your mind, so I want to make sure you can reach me if you need to. Repeat it back to me.” She does, three times in a row, so I can make sure she’s memorized it. “Good. That’s an untraceable burner phone. I’ll have it on me at all times.”

“At all times, huh?” she asks, pressing her breasts to my chest when she leans in to kiss my lips. “Even in the shower?”

Grabbing a handful of her ass cheeks in each hand I give them a squeeze. “Yes. The phone will be waiting on top of my towel.”

“I’m going to be fine.”

“I know you’re going to be fine,” I agree. To think otherwise would have me locking her in the penthouse and swallowing the key. “And I’ll have confirmation of that now, thanks to your ring.”

“Right.” She looks down at her hand that’s resting on my shoulder. “Is it waterproof?”

“Yes?”

“Really? Should we shower together again and test it out?”

Groaning, I remove my hands from her ass to rest them on her waist. “If we get naked and wet, we won’t make it downstairs tonight.”

“Downstairs for…”

“The lounge. We’re just going to the lounge,” I confess.

“Oh.” Again, she sounds disappointed. “Then, I can just wear whatever.”

“That’s exactly what I told you.”

“Why the lounge?”

“You ask a lot of questions,” I mutter. “Don’t you want to see your friends? Co-workers before you leave?”

“Sure, I guess.”

“If not, I could close it to the public and we could have it to ourselves. I could fuck you in the booth where you constantly cock-teased me.”

“If that’s what we’re going down to do then we should just stay up here.”

“What if I didn’t close it to the public, and I fucked you in the booth? Would that be more appealing?”

Vanessa sinks her teeth into her bottom lip. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“You would have to pretend like you don’t want it, you know, in case your father found out about it from someone.”

“I could do that,” she easily agrees. “Yes, I want to do that. This morning was…well, you know I’m an exhibitionist now. I only want you, but I like when we’re being watched.”

It’s risky, but if the guards confiscated phones from onlookers, it might be worth it. Vanessa sounds excited by the idea, which excites me. I decide to agree but give her my one and only caveat.

“Okay, naughty girl, I’ll give you what you want, but only if you give me what I want.”

“And what do you want, naughty boy?” Vanessa asks, grinding her pussy down on my bulge. Yes, I want sex, but that’s not all.

With a grin, I grab the back of her neck to pull her forward, whispering the words in her ear.

“Dante!” Vanessa exclaims when she pulls back to examine my face as if to see if I’m serious.

“Oh, and I also want to hear you scream my name when I’m fucking you in front of a room full of people.”

“You’re serious?” she asks, and I know she doesn’t mean about the screaming. That is definitely going to happen.

“It’s not if but when, butterfly. All you have to do is say the word.”

With an enormous smile on her face, she answers like there was not a single doubt in her mind.

“When.”