“Sit.” She directs me to sit on the top step where the water is the shallowest.
Eyes still locked on mine, she pulls my legs apart and crawls between them. Her soft, slick body brushes the insides of my thighs, heating my oversensitive skin. With her knees on the step below me, she props herself up to meet my eyes. Her br**sts drip with pool water and sex appeal.
“I’ve never done this before, so don’t expect much.” Even in the dim light, I catch the red that colors her cheeks.
“Raven, you don’t have to do this.”
She places her finger against my lips, silencing further protest.
Was I just talking her out of giving me a bl*w j*b? That’s a first.
“I’ll just, um, go for it, but if I do something wrong, will you show me?” Her innocent eyes implore mine.
“No way you could do it wrong, baby. I’m almost there just listening to you talk about it.”
With a nod and a smile, she sits back on her heels. Her wet sexy body glistens in the dark, and I know I’m not going to last long. She looks down and licks her lips, then takes me into her mouth. Sucking in a breath, I dig my teeth into my lower lip to keep from groaning in pleasure. My hands fist in her damp hair, not to control her speed or caress, but in pure animal possession.
To think that I could experience this all-consuming lust, as well as the soul-shackling love that I would die to keep, is life changing. This tiny girl who works on cars, laughs at stupid jokes, and blushes at the slightest flirtation is mine. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for her. I would spend the rest of my life making her happy if she’d let me.
So this is love.
My life will never be the same.
I pull her hand from my thigh and wrap it around myself, guiding her strokes before leaving her to it. Her velvety touch striking deep in my core, my h*ps push off the step. She leans in, the silky push from her br**sts at my thighs dropping my head back. Sensations combine with hunger and love, and fuck— My stomach tightens, my release coiling in my abdomen. I’ve got seconds.
“Baby, stop.” I lose her mouth as a delirious groan falls from my lips. I unravel in her hand. Her tight little fist continues to pump and the euphoria intensifies. What the hell? I’m panting, colors swirling behind my eyelids. My legs tense as I’m rocked with aftershocks. “Oh shit.” I blink open my eyes, fascinated that Raven’s first blowjob is the most consuming sexual experience I’ve ever had.
“I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?” Her arms are wrapped around her chest, a concerned expression on her perfect face.
I fight what could very well be a goofy smile, and lose. “Hurt me?” I lean in, elbows to knees. “Does it look like that hurt me?”
Pushing off from the step, I meet her in the shallow end. I walk her back to the side of the pool and gather her in my arms. Her muscles relax against my own.
“Baby, this has been the most amazing night of my life. Everything about it is perfect, including that kick-ass bl*w j*b you just gave me.”
Her giggles erupt against my chest, and I kiss the top of her head.
“I love you, Raven,” I say into her hair.
She tilts her chin up, resting it on my chest. Her wet hair is slicked back, black eyelashes thick with water, and her lips deep red and swollen from taking me. Her stare bores into mine, and I watch something heavy working in her aquamarine eyes.
“I love you too.”
Thirteen
Raven
I’m pulling out of Jonah’s garage at exactly nine twenty-eight a.m. I’m second-guessing that third cup of coffee, my hands shake on the steering wheel, and my empty belly churns. There’s no way I can eat until this meeting with Dominick is over. Trying to calm my angry stomach, I roll down the window for some fresh air. My mind wanders back to last night in an attempt to soothe my nerves.
Lying in bed, wrapped in Jonah’s arms, I found the courage to tell him why I have to meet with Dominick. As a little girl, I’d daydream about him pulling up to our house. He’d have a big box in his hands, wrapped in pink paper. I pictured him kneeling down and telling me how much he missed me. That he’d made a huge mistake in severing himself from my life, and that he was going to make up for lost time. He would beg for forgiveness. I’d finally get the dad I needed.
It’s because of that dream that I have to meet with Dominick. Even if it’s on his terms, I’ll do it. I owe it to that little girl.
Lux, the high-rise condominium just off the strip, comes into view. I take a right into the circle driveway. A valet scurries to my door. On his heels is a tall, broad man, in a black suit. His formal attire at ten in the morning is unusual for a summer in Las Vegas. Is he a lawyer? He looks more like a hit man.
I ignore the valet’s proffered hand and step out of my car.
Suit guy steps to me, a forced-looking smile plastered across his wide face. “Good morning, Miss Morretti.”
My eyes narrow at him. How does he know me? “Um, good morning.”
“Mr. Morretti is waiting for you.” He motions for me to follow him into the building.
Pushing through the rotating door into the lobby, the smell of floor wax and fresh flowers fills my nose. The intricate-carved, dark wood reception desk and marble floor scream money. I smooth my cotton shirt in response.
We reach the elevator that has only one button with the letters ‘PH’ on it. As we ascend in silence, I take in the man in front of me. He must be a bodyguard. He isn’t as tall as Jonah, but he’s almost as wide. Every one of the light brown hairs on his head is stuck in place by a decent amount of hair product. The diamond earring in his left earlobe is far too big for a man’s ear.
The elevator comes to a stop and the doors slide open.
“After you.” He says it in a way that would be polite if his tone wasn’t so condescending. Without reason, I’d say this guy doesn’t like me. Now I’m really nervous.
“Thanks.”
Stepping through the elevator doors, I find myself in another lobby. This one is smaller, but no less extravagant. At the opposite end is an enormous double door that probably cost more than my car. As I walk towards it, I notice the etched glass doors depict a holy war with angels and demons swirling in a vicious battle. The visual puts a looming dread in the air.
Bodyguard guy knocks twice on the thick glass, making me jump. Calm down, Raven. I’m freaking myself out. The door opens, and a petite blond girl wearing a skintight tank top dress and no shoes lets us in. I try to greet her, but her gaze is locked on her feet. I’m taken to an office where I’m told to sit and that Mr. Morretti will be with me shortly.
A large desk looms in the back of the room, only one chair in front of it. Guess that’s for me. I sit and stare out the floor-to-ceiling window behind the desk. I bet the view from here at night is one of the best in the city.
Minutes pass and my knee bounces. The heel of my foot pounds a fast, rhythmic beat into the floor. It seems like I’ve been waiting an eternity. My nails are chewed to the quick before I hear the door open behind me. The air gets heavy and the room seems smaller. I don’t have to turn around to know that Dominick is walking in behind me.
I haven’t seen him in five years, and even then, it was only for the minutes it took for him to drop off a package to my mom. I expected him to look older, but he’s exactly the same. His blond hair and familiar aquamarine eyes are set off by his dark tan. A radiant smile lights his face, a charming façade that manipulates without effort.
“Raven, darling, you look exquisite,” he says like a proper gentleman.
Warning signals blare in my head, but I brush them off as nerves. “Thank you.”
He walks around his desk and sits in his chair opposite me. “You met Vince?” He nods toward the man over my shoulder.
I turn and see bodyguard guy standing in front of the closed doors, blocking any escape. My pulse races.
I should have listened to Jonah. Unease advances into fear. But why? He may not know me, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s my biological father. I’m safe. Then why do I feel like running?
I need to get to the point so that I can get the heck out of here as soon as possible. “You wanted to see me?”
“Yes.” He clears his throat. “I have a job offer for you.”
“I have a job, but thank you.” I stand to leave.
“Sit!” he barks, making me feel like a misbehaving dog.
Oh God, this is bad.
“I have a job offer for you, Raven. And you can’t say no.” His previous soft tone is now forceful.
“I don’t understand.”
Everything I know about Dominick is corrupt. What could he possibly want with me?
“You know, Raven, when I first started in this business, I was around your age. I was young, rich, and drunk with power.” He rolls a gold pen between his fingers. “I got bored easily. I knew from the moment I saw your mother she was something special. Everything about her screamed sex: the way she moved, the way she spoke. I’d never met anyone like her. It’s as if she were made for the singular purpose of pleasing men. I had to have her.” Depravity shines in his eyes.
Saliva rushes into my mouth and panic grips my insides.
“I had to have her, Raven, for two reasons. First, to capitalize on her God-given gifts for profit.” He spears me with a glare. “And second . . . to breed.” The last word he stretches out as a snake would if it could talk.
Breed? Like a dog? I know then I’m looking into the eyes of the devil himself.
“So that’s what I did. I used your mother to create another like her. The next generation, if you will, to meet the growing demands of my business.”
I don’t want to hear anymore. Tears pool in my eyes as I realize what kind of job he’s offering me.
“You want me to be a hooker for you.” This can’t be happening. He wants to sell my body for sex? My own da—no, I can’t bring myself to think of him as that.
“Hooker is such an ugly word,” he tsks. “I prefer escort. But, yes, that’s what you were created for. That’s why I made you. It’s time you fulfill your purpose.”
“No! I won’t do it. You can’t make me do it!”
Tears trail down my face, and I’m pissed he sees me weak.
“I can make you do it and I will. I’ll give you a couple weeks, say, until your twenty-first birthday. That should give you enough time to tie up any loose ends. Then you’ll be moved into one of my apartments,” he declares with a wave of his hand like a king on his throne of immorality.
“Fuck you!” I’m scared out of my mind and a little bit crazy, because as the fierce curse flies from my mouth, I can’t help but think Blake would be proud.
“Hmm, you’re feisty. You must get that from me. Your mother never argued, never fought, and never said a word really.” He thoughtfully rubs his chin. “Let me put it to you this way. You will do as you’re told, or I will slowly pick off every single person you love.”
No, no, no, no!
“You’re a monster.”
An evil smile curls his lips. “I’ll start with that sweet little friend of yours, Eve.” My hands and feet tingle and then go numb.