Athena
I sat behind my desk, rubbing my thumbs together as I considered what to do concerning Giorgia. I had made a damned mistake. How the hell hadn’t I noticed that she was tailing me? How had Cole not noticed it either?
That sucked really. What the hell had I been focused on that I hadn’t seen Luciano’s bitch sniff around me? Who else aside from Luciano, my mind countered and I sighed.
What the hell do I do now? Whether she succeeded or not, the doubt had already been planted in Luciano’s mind. He hadn’t said a word afterward, but whatever naughtiness had remained before Giorgia burst into the office was gone when she left.
I had to give it to her, the bitch was persistent. Damn, I had never met anyone so damn irritating as she was! Who the hell did she think she was? Fucking Cleopatra?!
Whatever the hell she was, I had to find a way to mislead her. Chances are she would still have me followed. The best thing I could do to catch her in her own game was to make her believe she was right. I had to fool her.
If she was determined to keep sticking her nose in my business then by all means, she deserved whatever came her way. I already had enough of Luciano to deal with, I didn’t need another rat on my tail.
I had to use what she was good at, spying on me like a damned mole. I had to execute the plan as flawlessly as possible. “As fucking flawlessly as possible!” I whispered urgently to myself.
Today was a close shave and it was best if it didn’t happen again. Oh, but I knew it would. It surely would.
I had come too far to let someone like Giorgia jeopardize my mission. Luciano was already in a lot of shit, especially with the mole thingy going on within the mafia. I had to make sure Luciano didn’t suspect me. If this keeps up, then he would think I was the mole.
But, I couldn’t help but doubt the depth of Luciano’s trust in me.
How the hell does he trust me so much? It felt so fucking unreal! It felt both strange and exhilarating that he would place such faith in someone like me, given the circumstances we were in.
Was it because I was supposedly sweet and demure? That made me guffaw. The last thing I was was sweet and demure. I was brash as hell. Fuck, I knew just how many times I had come close to ripping his head off. Like when he went bat shit possessive on me like a squirrel gripping his nuts.
I remembered the way he had beat the crap out of Marcus while yelling and while I had been repulsed at that moment, the thought that he could lose his calmness because of me was so fucking exhilarating.
Oh, sue me. I was being a crazy woman. But how could any woman resist such a display of manliness? Not even Giorgia could let someone like him go just like that.
I squirmed in my seat, trying to calm the raging nerves. I needed to breathe. I needed to think shit through or I’d be six feet under. Whatever Luciano felt for me would disappear the minute he found out who I really was.
Yet how could anyone not want him? I did. I really did. My lips pulled in a pout as I recalled the way he had touched me minutes before. He was so skillful, so damned demanding and I wanted more.
‘Yeah more that’ll send you to your grave most likely,’ my head taunted and I winced.
True. As enticing as Luciano’s possessiveness was, I couldn’t forget the reason I was here. The reason he would hate me if he discovered that Giorgia was actually right. Mahn, my life would suck without his kisses. Or his touch.
Sometimes, especially the times we were alone together, things had felt unreal. It was easy to get lost and lose my head in the thought that things between us would be fine. That things between us was normal. That he was just a man, not connected to the evil underworld, and I was not an undercover agent. We were just two bodies lost in pleasure. But we weren’t.
And the sooner I did my best to recognize this, the easier it would be to focus on my goal. I could manage that, right?
I looked back through the glass to see him standing by his desk, staring at me with a rather heated gaze. I could enjoy his attention and still keep my eyes on my revenge. Right, I could do that. This was like one of those historical dances. Tango and whatnot.
And man I loved this dance between us.
Luciano tipped his head, beckoning me to come over to him. I wasn’t in the mood for games, so I rose with a sigh, pushed the door that separated his office from mine, and walked towards him with slow measured steps.
He growled when I walked round his desk, stopped in front of him, molten eyes, burning every inch of my skin, and yanked me onto his lap. His hands caressed my face, dark eyes searching mine for something, answers if I could assume.
“She’s wrong, right?” He muttered, his voice thick and husky with need. “Not a word Giorgia says is true? Tell me, Raven,”
Ah fuck. Of course, Giorgia’s claim that I couldn’t be trusted lingered in the air. My chest squeezed in guilt and I resisted the urge to wince. It felt a bit awful to be lying to him. Especially after seeing all that vulnerability in his eyes.
‘Keep thinking that way and you won’t have much longer to live,’ my mind chastened and I stiffened. I had to keep my head in the fucking game.
Determined to convince Luciano of my loyalty, I gave him a small smile and reached out to play with his hair. With as much sincerity as I could muster, I spoke.
“Yes,” I replied reaching up to cradle his face in my hands. If he could lie to me straight in the face, I could do the same. I wanted him to believe in me, to trust me completely. “She’s wrong.”
He watched me, his silence unnerving and he stared. Feeling the itch to get rid of the suspicion that hung between us, I closed the space between us and pressed my lips against his in a tender kiss. I wanted to make him forget the seeds of doubt that had been planted. To forget everything.
He remained still for a while and I could hear my heart thumping wildly in my ears. I had begun to fear when he groaned gently in response. His arms weaved around me, a hand cupped my neck, his tongue slipping through my mouth, demanding, pressing for more.
“Cara,” he groaned against my lips, holding me tighter.
I allowed myself to get lost in his arms. You can trust me, I wanted to tell him. Trust me, Luciano.
Liar!
As our lips parted, I held his gaze, hoping I had fooled him enough. Had my actions succeeded in dissolving his doubts or not, I couldn’t say. But hell who cared? As long as I kept up this facade and made sure to dig up all his dirty secrets, I was good.
Closing my eyes, I leaned forward again, kissing him fervently, eager to silence the ringing voice in my head that kept calling me a liar.
His hands found my dress again, dragging the zip down until my breasts were out in the open. I moaned when his lips pulled away from mine, trailing down my neck over to my breasts. His mouth captured my nipple and everything turned fucking white.
I forgot everything else. My doubts, my fears, Giorgia’s craziness, all that mattered was him and how he made me feel. I was safe, for now, and that was all that mattered.