Paolo
I let Caitlin sleep in-breaking my promise to use and abuse her during the night and in the morning. Not that I didn’t wake up with the most painful wood ever. Not that it didn’t kill me to untangle and pull away from her lithe naked body.
My heart breaks for her.
And I didn’t even believe I had a heart.
But those tears she cried last night made me want to kill every motherfucker who’s ever hurt her. Only I can’t. I already decided I can’t avenge her father’s death, even though I’m willing to kill for her. But knowing the kind of guy her dad was, knowing the circles he ran in… well, I gotta assume he had it coming.
And I might be on the same side as whoever did it. I don’t think it was the Tacones. But it could’ve been. Or one of our allies. I would call my brothers to ask what they know, but you don’t talk about shit like that on the phone. It will have to wait until I can get Junior or Gio in person.
I shower and dress, then call Vlad to have him check on the account where she’s siphoning the money for us. It’s up to $114K.
Good. I’m still watching for her to screw me, but so far it looks like she’ll be going home relatively unscathed tonight.
I start the coffee maker and fry up a package of bacon and pull out some eggs.
I wait around for a while, but when she keeps on sleeping, I fry a couple eggs for myself and eat breakfast.
Good thing I did, because she’s still sleeping at lunch time. I go in and wake her up by snipping her zip ties.
I still want to promise to fix things. I am a fixer for the family. The guy they send in to be the heavy. To use threats, or my fists, or sometimes more permanent solutions to take care of problems. It’s why I’m the guy they sent to straighten out this situation with Caitlin.
But fixing things for women isn’t usually my gig. I mean, I’d do it. If some guy was beating on a girl, I’d step in in a heartbeat. I live and breathe violence and I would definitely use it to keep a girl safe. But I’m sure as hell not the knight in shining armor.
But this shit with Caitlin doesn’t sit right. I don’t mean my retribution. I haven’t hurt her in any way she didn’t want to be hurt. And I won’t. But she’s wounded. Bent in ways I don’t know can be straightened out. And that makes me want to pick through her past and punish every last fucker who hurt her.
She bounces out of bed like nothing happened, though. “Good morning, Mr. Tacone.” She emphasizes the Mr. Tacone part like she’s making fun of me.
I slap her ass as she limps past me on her way to the bathroom. “You can call me Paolo,” I concede.
She looks back, her eyes widening with exaggerated surprise. “Ooh, I graduated. How did I pass to the next level? Was it the bawling all over your chest?” She beams like bawling is something adorable.
And in her case, it suddenly is. Or rather, talking about it like it’s cute makes it so.
“Something like that,” I tell her.
She stops and curls her fingers between her legs, making my eyes and my dick pop. “Why am I not swollen and tender from all that pounding you promised?”
And like every time, I respond.
I’m on her in a flash, walking her backward until her ass hits the wall. “Now you’re in trouble.”
“Yeah, I should’ve waited until I peed.”
“You should’ve,” I say, but don’t let go. I’m rubbing between her legs and she gets wet by the second swipe. I thrust a couple fingers inside her and she rises up on her tiptoes, her back sliding up the wall.
I’ll make it fast, since she does have to pee. I have a constant boner for her, so I don’t need any foreplay. Just a quick application of a condom and I’m buried deep inside her, shoving her ass up that wall with each pounding thrust.
She wraps her legs around my waist, arms around my shoulders. I fuck her until she’s babbling my name, begging for release.
“Can you come on command?” I ask.
“You already know I can,” she says, which is true. I found that out at her place, which seems like a million years ago.
“Then when I say come, you’re gonna come, and you’re gonna squeeze my cock so good I’ll forget all about fucking that ass today.”
“I’m ready now. Please now.”
I watch her face as I slam in, jackhammering her into the wall, watching her need grow more and more desperate until I can’t take it anymore.
“Come, Caitlin.” I shove in deep and shoot my load and squeeze one of her nipples hard.
She screams and comes, her juicy pussy milking the cum from my cock until I get lightheaded from the release.
“Paolo,” she murmurs as I coast in and out, stroking her through the aftermath.
Turns out I fucking love hearing my name on her lips, especially in that breathy, sexy way.
I slide out and slam in. “Say it again.”
“Paolo.”
I meet her eyes and see a streak of vulnerability. Right before she covers it with sass. “Now you want me to say it.”
“You’ll say whatever the fuck I ask you to say, right, little girl?” I bump my loins against her again.
“Do you tell all your shakedowns that?” Again, the vulnerability. She’s been asking this shit a lot. She wants to know where she stands with me.
My mouth twists into a smirk. “Not from this position.”
She laughs. Not a crazy laugh, but a genuine, beautiful, musical laugh.
I find myself grinning back at her-which feels fucking good, because I never grin.
I pull out and set her down. “Go pee.”
“Yes, Mr. Tacone.” She tosses her hair over her shoulder and blinks rapidly at me.
I smack her ass.
Cute as fuck.
I really don’t want to let her go.
Caitlin
I didn’t know how late I slept until I come out of the shower and find out it’s already 1:40 p. m.
I sort of dash for the computer to check on the money balance. Am I even close to making the amount required by the deadline? What happens if I don’t make it? Surely he’ll cut me a break? He was just balls deep between my legs.
But I really don’t know this guy. He’s dangerous, for sure.
“Where are we?” He stands over me.
“One hundred thirty-eight.”
“Getting there.”
I look up at him. “Do I get a few hours leeway? You know, if it’s all not there by the deadline?”
“Yeah, doll. We’re good. I can see you’re putting in a good faith effort here.”
Good faith effort. The effort that’s going to get me sent to prison for ten to twenty years.
Damn.
I go into his workout gym and get on the treadmill. I stay on it until he drags me off two hours later and I can barely stand on the stable ground.
He grips my elbows to hold me up. “We’re good. Money’s close enough. You can shut it off and I’ll take you home.”
I know my crazy is in full force when my first emotion is disappointment. Like I don’t want to leave.
And that’s as cray-cray as it gets.
“And my brother? He’s off the hook now, too? You’ll pull your guys off him?”
“No one’s touched him, Caitlin. He doesn’t know any of this happened.” He brings his face up to mine. “No one will, right?”
“I won’t talk.”
“You won’t do anything that will make me come look for you again. Capiche?”
“Yeah, I capiche.”
“Get your shit together. I’ll take you home.”
I’m slightly bewildered about the sudden dismissal. I doubt we reached two hundred thousand yet, but I’m not going to complain.
Because that would be nuts.
I’m going home.
I shouldn’t feel so damn disappointed.
Abandoned, even.
Man, I really am a nut-job.
Maybe it’s just because I know that after this I’ll be going to jail. I don’t know if it will take them a week or a month or a year to trace me, but I imagine they will. Even if I spend the rest of the night trying to wipe out that bank account’s existence from all records.
I pack up my stuff and Paolo takes me to the Porsche. True to his word, he lets me ride in front this time.
“So, I told you I won’t help with your dad’s death. But is there anything else I can do for you? Anyone whose kneecaps you want broken?”
I shoot him a sidelong glance. “What?”
He shrugs. “You heard me.”
“You’re serious? Why are you offering?”
“We’re square now, with the money. But you took care of me quite a few times these last two days and I, uh, want to return the favor.”
I blink at him. Am I actually hearing this right?
“So this is like a transaction? I sucked your cock and now you’ll break someone’s kneecaps for me?”
I see that twitch of his lips. “Yeah. Something like that. Does that offend you?”
“Well, I do give good head.” I fall back on crazy-Caitlin because while I am slightly offended, I’m also way turned on.
“You do.”
I laugh. “I can think of quite a few people I’d love to sic you on. My graduate advisor for one. But no, thank you. I’m good.”
Paolo’s hands tighten on the wheel. “What’d he do?”
“Oh he’s just an ass. Let’s just say he didn’t follow through on our blowjob transaction deal.”
Paolo’s brows slam down. “You blew him? And what was he supposed to do for you?”
“He promised me the TA position and then gave it to someone else. But I mean it-I don’t need you to hurt him. I can take care of myself. Can I get a credit for one future ass-beating when needed? Or better yet-” Don’t say it. Don’t sound needy. “Use it on myself?”
He takes his eyes off the road to look at me. He’s hard to read, but I think I catch the traces of amusement in his expression. “Yeah, doll. Sure.”
I’m not certain which thing he’s saying yes to and I won’t let myself ask. He’s circling the graduate housing block where my low-rent graduate student apartment is.
“You can let me out here,” I say, throwing open the door when he stops at a stop sign.
“Nah, I can- ”
I’m already out the door. “Thanks for the fun times, Paolo. Catch you on the flip side.” I heave my satchel over my shoulder and wave after I shut the door.
He looks at me through the glass for a beat, then lifts his chin and drives away.
I try to fight the panic chewing through my gut.
It’s not because he’s leaving.
It’s because I’m going to jail very soon.
And that’s all.
I have absolutely no feelings for Paolo Tacone at all.
That would be crazy.