Tales of Darkness & Sin - Pepper Winters Page 0,39

engagement dinner tonight as the Amato representative,” I offered. “Scout the eligible Vitali women for prospects.”

Don Amato’s wet black eyes pinned me to a stop, searching me for weakness. I held fast, chin tipped the way Lily did, lips crooked in my habitual cocky smirk.

Finally, he nodded. “Stay away from the spoiled Vitali girl. Your job there is finished.”

But it wasn’t.

I’d do anything in my power to make sure Lily at least had a chance of making it out of this alive.

The restaurant was empty of civilians and packed to the rafters with mafia families. A cacophony of voices raised in passionate tones was made even more aggressive by the amount of wine imbued, people calling to each other from across the room, and the swell of Umberto Tozzi singing over the sound system.

It was after dinner and its requisite formalities. Everyone was distracted by their own drunkenness and what late night revelries they might indulge in.

I’d bid my time, tucked away at a table in the back with lesser made men than myself. The grunts and wannabes who reeked of eagerness and greed.

To make matters worse, Lily had been out of my reach the entire night, sequestered at the head of the long table in the middle of the room with Paolo and Tommaso. The latter was all over her.

My poisonous Lily delivered only reluctant politeness and a barely acceptable level of impudence in return.

I wanted to touch her.

My cock had been half hard in my trousers all night as I watched the way her thick black hair shone blue in the low light. How her chest flushed that delicious wine red when we caught eyes across the crowded room.

I wanted to sit her on my cock and watch her squirm again.

Tom said something to her. She turned her head away, pretending not to hear, only for her father to chastise her. My Lily furrowed her brows and lifted her wine to her lips. Her future husband clucked his tongue and forcibly unwrapped her fingers from her glass.

I wanted to steal her away from those assholes and break their spines so they’d never bother her again.

Heathen. She was making me heathen.

A man ruled by his base needs, incapable of higher thinking.

And I didn’t care.

I needed to see her one more time.

The opportunity came when she made her way to the restroom as people started to say their goodbyes and drifted drunkenly home. I took advantage of the chaos and followed her into the room.

Her startled gaze snapped to mine in the reflection of the mirror, tiny fingers clutching her pink lipstick.

“Don’t pretend to be surprised,” I scolded her, locked the door behind me, and stalked forward until my front was flush to her back. “You knew I’d come for you.”

“You’re a fool for taking such a risk,” she countered, but she was already melting back against me, rubbing her sweet ass on my groin.

“A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool,” I quoted, skimming my nose down her neck and breathing in her floral scent.

“Shakespeare. How erudite you are for a common foot soldier.” But she was breathing heavy, probably soaked for me.

“Your homeschooling must really be top notch,” I teased, reminding her of how we’d met before sinking my teeth into her neck just to hear her gasp. “Come away with me tonight.”

“With such a good education, you think I’d do something so stupid?”

“I think you played the good girl all night, and you’re bored out of your fucking skull.” Before she could protest, I wrapped a hand around the front of her body and raised the skirt of her dress to expose her underwear. We both watched as I edged my thumb under the elastic and played it over the edge of her wet pussy. “Come play with the devil for a while.”

Picking the lock was child’s play, but the alarm system took a little more work. I’d always been good with tech. It was the primary way I’d helped the family business in the past, hacking and circumnavigating security systems.

The jewelry store in downtown Gerosa was laughably easy.

“What are you doing?” Lily hissed from behind me.

I tugged her into the store, closed the door behind us, and grinned. “Do you want to see the ring your husband had made specially for you?”

“Not especially,” she said dryly as I let go of her hand to let her explore the glass cases and shelves filled with precious jewels. “Definitely