Page 26 of Control (Dark Syndicate #1)

Remo

Daniela is in my head, like a song I can’t shake or a dream that lingers long after I wake.

It’s not just attraction. Attraction, I can handle. This is something deeper. It claws at me and drags me under, and I know it’s only a matter of time before I lose control.

Obsession. That’s the word. She’s carved into my thoughts, my skin, my goddamn soul, and I don’t know how to scrape her out. Part of me doesn’t want to. It’s sick. It’s sick wanting something so badly that it hurts and needing to claim her, to leave a mark she can’t erase.

Yet here I am, teetering on the edge, knowing I’ll fall. Maybe I already have.

I hate it. I hate how powerless I feel, how she can twist me up with a single look. But I crave it too—the fire, the chaos, the way she makes me forget the hollow inside me.

I’ve fought for control my whole life. But with her? It’s slipping. And the scariest part? I don’t think I want it back.

The car hums beneath us as the buildings pass by us in a blur. Daniela sits beside me, her copper hair catching the glow of passing streetlights. She hasn’t spoken since I told her about the surprise, but I can feel her curiosity itching beneath her calm facade.

Finally, she breaks the quiet. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

A smirk pulls at my mouth. “What would be the fun in that?”

She rolls her eyes but doesn’t argue. Smart. There’s no winning against me when I’ve made up my mind.

Then, her voice softens, sounding almost playful. “So kidnapping me wasn’t enough. Now you’re dragging me to mystery outings?”

I glance at her. Her lips are curved in a teasing smile. “If you didn’t want to come, you could’ve said no.”

“Right. Like that’s an option,” she says with a scoff.

I let out a low laugh, but the sound dies quickly. The way she looks tonight—hazel eyes daring, the curve of her dress clinging just right—makes my chest tighten. I can feel the obsession crawling under my skin, carving into me like a sickness I don’t want to cure.

“You clean up well, Volpi,” I say, my tone gruff.

“Was that…a compliment?” She feigns shock. “Did Remo Callegari just admit I look good?”

“Don’t let it go to your head,” I grunt.

“Oh, it’s already there.”

I shake my head, focusing back on the road. Every second I spend near her, I lose pieces of myself. And truth be told, I don’t hate it.

****

Daniela gives me a bewildered look as we approach the weathered glass of the erotic shop.

I still have my hands shoved in my pockets to hide my bulge, which I suspect she already knows about.

For a moment, it seems like she might bolt in the opposite direction, but then she frowns, casting a pitying glance at Marco, who flanks the door of the SUV.

“Why are we at an adult toy store?” she asks, her eyes snapping back to me.

“Window shopping,” I mutter, pulling my hand out to place it on her lower back. At first, she hesitates, but then she changes her mind and follows me inside. “I brought you here as a way of teasing you, but now I’m starting to like it myself.”

“What? You’re starting to like the erotic display of the toys?”

I shake my head, aroused by her seemingly na?ve response. “No, I think the real answer is that you can’t say ‘sex’ without blushing really fucking hard.”

“What are you talking about, Remo? I can talk about sex without blushing, see?” As if to prove my point, Daniela’s face turns crimson.

Instinctively, she cups her cheeks with both hands and ducks her head to the side to avoid my stern expression.

“You know what? It doesn’t matter. I think we can safely enjoy today either way. ”

“Good, I like the positivity.” I try to sound cold and expressionless, but my words come out rushed, revealing a deeper need beneath the surface that shows how much I’m starting to care for this woman.

She shrugs, swallows, and moves deeper into the shop.

I take in the extravagant décor—the ambient red and blue lights transforming the space—and feel a rush of power take over me.

Initially, I wanted to bring her here to tease her, but now that she’s with me, it feels like an awakening and a chance to explore things we haven’t before.

There’s a shelf of toys on the far wall, and beside it, a display of lingerie I’d definitely like to see on Daniela’s body.

She picks up a pink vibrator and twirls it in her hands.

I wrap my arms around her from behind and press a kiss on the dip of her neck.

She melts into my embrace, tilting her neck to accommodate my kisses.

“Remo,” she whispers, her voice hoarse.

“What?”

She says nothing, just sighs into my kisses as I take control of her body.

Back at the restaurant that I took her to for a date, I wanted to touch her badly, but knowing Daniela’s shy nature, I kept my hands to myself.

In this place, however, I can’t help myself.

I slowly ride up her dress, pushing my hands steadily between her thighs.

Daniela stiffens in my arms, trying to turn around to look at me, but I don’t let her.

“Remo…we can’t do this…”

“Huh? Do what, exactly?” I wrap one hand around her neck from behind to keep her in place and then guide the other hand to the insides of her thigh, where I can tell she’s hot and bothered.

She sucks in a deep breath. “You know what.”

“No, I don’t. Tell me what you think I’m actually trying to do to you, princess.” I shift my hands between her thighs, skimming upward until I touch the lacy outline of her panties. Then, I press a thumb against her opening. “Fucking tell me, Daniela.”

“Oh,” she murmurs, shivering in my arms. “You’re trying to finger fuck me in public, Remo.”

The shop isn’t exactly busy. It’s a late Thursday afternoon, the sun falling limply against the mirrored glass and shiny countertops.

That’s precisely why I chose this place.

There are two exits in the building, with the back one leading to an alley guarded by a few of my men.

The front door, the one we came in from, is subtly guarded to avoid spooking anyone.

I counted a total of eleven people, including staff, when we walked in, and with the size of the establishment, it didn’t feel crowded—or very public, either.

“Shhh, relax.” I press a knuckle against her folds through her panties, and I’m rewarded with a little, breathy moan from her. “Back at the restaurant, I was wondering what panties you had on and how much I wanted to tear them away and fuck your little pussy raw.”

“Remo…” Her shiver is now more pronounced, her words dripping with need, but I don’t peel back her panties or push my fingers into her.

“You have to tell me what you want, Daniela.”

“What?” she says breathily.

I pull my hand away and step back from her. Just then, a woman with a nose ring and tattoos approaches us. She wears a uniform, and her name tag spells “Nyla.” Two of her buttons are undone, revealing enough cleavage as she points to the line of toys. “What can I help you both with?”

I watch as Daniela reddens like she’s been caught doing something wrong, but then she squares her shoulders, stepping up like she’s heading into a war zone. Damn, this woman keeps surprising me. “My fiancé and I are looking for something to spice up our sex life. What would you recommend…uh…Nyla?”

Nyla glances from Daniela to me and back to Daniela before speaking in the most rehearsed voice I’ve ever heard. “Please come with me. We’ve got an assortment you can both try out.”

We follow her to the next shelf, where a man is fingering an artificial vagina with the ease of someone who has been in one of these places before.

He gives me a quick, embarrassed smile before his attention snaps to Daniela.

I watch his eyes do a double-take because, let’s face it, Daniela has that kind of power.

The dress she’s wearing practically begs for her to be fucked hard. And with that pretty face of hers?

Ugh, calling my obsession with her an understatement would be generous.

Leaning into her, I nibble her earlobe. “You were jealous, weren’t you?”

I think she’s about to argue with me, but then she gives me a hard glare. “Of course I was. She was all over you.”

“She wasn’t.” Or maybe I just hadn’t noticed.

Daniela sighs and rolls her eyes. “She’s the classic ‘pick me’ girl, and…she was going after my man. What did you want me to do?”

Hearing her refer to me as “my man” sends a rush of heat through my body. I can feel my cock respond as I reach forward to cup her butt. “Fuck, that’s it, princess. I like it when you get possessive and say what you want.”

Nyla turns to us, smiling brightly. “Do you both have any particular kinks or fetishes?”

I take the reins on this one. “Yeah, we need something that offers both pleasure and pain.”

“Yes, we do have one that I think will meet your standards.” She steps into a room and returns a minute later with what she calls a Clamp Painsure. “I know most people hear the name and think I made it up, but I assure you, I didn’t. It’s literally the best around here.”

Daniela covers her mouth and whispers, “I’m pretty sure she made the name up.”

The Clamp Painsure—an awful name, to be fair—looks intriguing.

It has shackles designed to bind a person’s hands and feet, keeping them at a distance so you can inflict both pain and pleasure.

There’s a certain power in handing control over to another person that I find incredibly appealing.

Or maybe that’s just me. Either way, it’s all the persuasion I need to get it, along with a few others, including the panty vibrator.

Nyla shows us a little pink vibrator that, to my surprise, feels surprisingly sturdy.