Page 18 of Depths of Obsession (The Emerald Dagger Mafia #2)

CHAPTER 18

M y cell phone rings, and I know I have to answer it. I glance back at Pippa. Her eyes are wide, her body still trembling slightly. She needs space to process everything.

“Little one, have your bath. Relax. We’ll talk in a bit.” With that, I leave the room, my heart heavy. She has to accept the truth eventually, but this is definitely a setback. I don’t have time to coddle her, no matter how much I might want to.

“Rocco,” I say, heading down the stairs and into the hallway that leads to my office. I close the door behind me, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down. “Is anyone hurt?”

“Not so you’d notice,” he replies. “One of our guys, Antonio, got winged by a bullet when one of Gazzago’s guys got a little overzealous, but everyone else is fine.”

Harry enters silently, handing me a bourbon. I don’t indulge often, but sometimes it’s nice to have a drink, to pretend I’m like everyone else, that I can feel the same simple comforts. I give him a nod, and he backs out quietly.

“What did Gazzago say?” I ask, my eyes narrowing.

Rocco snorts. “What didn’t he say? He ranted and raved for a bit, and then his guy shot at us, but we remained calm. It wasn’t until Gazzago’s head of security stepped into the fray that things went south.”

“South?” I feel anxiety creeping in.

“He got mouthy, which was fine. But then he shoved me—not once, but twice. I tried to warn him it was a bad idea. I put up with his crap, but when he came at me a third time, I dropped him.”

I take a sip of my drink, savoring the burn as it makes its way to my belly, grounding me. “Is he alive, or did you kill him?” I dread the answer, but if Rocco did it, it was necessary. He’s never been one to overreact.

“He’s alive, but I broke some ribs, one arm, and his nose,” Rocco sighs. “It won’t help things with Gazzago, but honestly, boss, I didn’t have a choice. If I let him keep pushing, then Gazzago and his men would think they could push us in other ways. They might go after you, the clubs, or the family.”

“You did the right thing,” I tell him, feeling a sense of grim satisfaction. I will feel so much better when I feel the life ooze out of Gazzago at my hands. “Gazzago’s just looking to test us. I’m not sure why he thinks he’ll get away with it, but it’s good that you put him in his place. How’s Luna?”

“She’s fine. Shaken up a bit but coping. Smart thinking, crashing the car that way,” Rocco says.

“Yeah, it was. Any news on the mystery man?”

“No. I’ve got people looking and Bob is checking cameras so we’ll see what happens.” Rocco continues, “I can’t help wondering why he couldn’t escape using magick this time. How come we got so close to him at the club?”

I take a swallow of my drink. “Because I had Esme cast a spell around this club since it’s my main office. No magick can be used inside. I assume that since he couldn’t disappear inside the club, he thought something was wrong and that his magick wasn’t working all together.”

“That makes sense. I wish we had it at all the clubs.”

“So do I,” I say in agreement. “But it’s a pretty intense spell, as you know, and it would take a lot of time to cast it at all the clubs.”

Luca . Renzo is trying to open a channel with me.

I sigh softly, annoyed at the interruption. “I have to go. Renzo’s calling. No doubt he wants to talk about Gazzago. You did the right thing, Rocco. Thank the guys for doing their jobs. Give Antonio a bonus—figure out something suitable.”

Luca? Renzo presses again.

“Will do. I’ll keep you updated on our mystery man as well. I’ve got people watching for him—he won’t leave the city without us knowing.”

“Thanks,” I say, hanging up. I take a long swallow of my drink, steeling myself, and then answer my brother. What do you need?

I just had a personal visit from Gazzago. He’s not at all happy.

I bet. I frown. What are you doing in Milano? You should’ve let me know you were in the city.

I wasn’t planning on it. Mia wanted to attend a dinner with some potential investors for a new project she’s thinking of taking on.

Gone are the days when Renzo says no to Mia. If she wants it, they do it. I shrug mentally. It’s none of my business. Gazzago came to my place, and one of his guys shot Antonio.

Is he okay? As you might imagine, Gazzago failed to mention that part.

Of course he did. I take another sip. Antonio’s fine—just a flesh wound luckily. No one called the cops. His head of security, though, put his hands on Rocco. Twice. Rocco restrained himself, but when he tried a third time, Rocco dropped him. He’s got a few broken bones, but he’ll recover.

Renzo lets out a loud sigh. I heard all about it. Or at least his version. It doesn’t matter. He’s pissed and saying we need to make good for his cousin and now his man. He says we’re disrespecting him and he can’t let it stand.

He’s disrespecting you, and all of us. I grind my teeth. It’s time you shut him down. He’s only pushing to make a case for himself. The more he engages with us, the more he claims we owe him. We don’t owe him jack shit. His cousin tried to rip him off and paid the price. End of story.

But it’s not the end, Renzo says, impatience clear in his voice. I can’t replace Gazzago as the middleman in this deal I’m making. I need him to make the deal go forward. It’s important.

How is Gazzago involved? You’re making a deal for a blood supply. Gazzago doesn’t know anything about that. He’s not one of us.

Renzo’s frustration floods through the connection. He’s fronting the other deal. I don’t care about the heroin, but the guy making the heroin deal likes him. I’m trying to make a deal for the blood supply with one of the others involved in the heroin deal, but he doesn’t want to meet unless the heroin deal goes through first. If his boss trusts me, then he’ll trust me.

I grind my teeth. There must be another way to get this done, Renzo. Gazzago is out of control and pushing hard. He needs to be put in his place, or it’s going to look bad across the board. Others will think they can push back. You could lose control of the family over this. Are you willing to risk that?

Renzo’s frustration and anger are mounting. Too fucking bad—so is mine.

Brother, he tries again, we’re talking about the blood trade—our sustenance, our survival. If we secure a source, we won’t have to worry anymore. We won’t have to deal with the Americans. We’ll have freedom. Freedom , Luca. That’s a huge fucking deal. Father will also be able to negotiate with the other vampire kings. This could be the best thing to happen to us.

Or it could take us down, I think, trying to make him see the obvious.

I’m not going to fail as head of the family. I can handle Gazzago and Giordano.

Mia’s father is involved? That’s not good.

Fucking hell. He called before I reached out to you. The old guard is telling him he made a mistake choosing me. He feels like he’s losing face. He wants me to deal with Gazzago, too.

What does Father say? I fight to keep my mounting frustration from my voice.

I haven’t heard from Father. He’s off dealing with something in the magick realm, or so he said last time we spoke. Renzo pauses, then continues. Look, Luca, I need to placate Gazzago just a while longer. The meeting with the Afghans is in two weeks. After that, we can take him out. You can do the honors if you like.

Fine. Two weeks. I’ll keep Pippa here with me until then. Renzo’s silence unsettles me. What?

Gazzago wants her as collateral. He says he’s owed and will take her as payment. He won’t marry her until an acceptable mourning period has passed. I agreed.

I want to kill my brother. He must feel my rage.

Luca, he will keep her safe. He knows I’ll kill him if he hurts her.

As long as it’s after the deal , I snarl. I can’t believe you’d even consider this. Does Mia know you’re selling out her best friend?

This has nothing to do with Mia. Bring Pippa back to Milano. Gazzago wants her ASAP. We have no choice, Luca. This deal is everything.

He breaks the connection. Over my dead body, I think. I am not giving Pippa to Gazzago. He’ll marry her immediately to try to save himself. If he’s married to her, it might just buy him time to come up with some other plan to keep himself alive—maybe even organize a coup against Renzo. If he gets enough capos on his side, it could work, or so they think.

I stand and hurl my glass against the wall. The whole situation is extremely frustrating. Anger courses through my veins. I have worked for a long time to be able to control most things in my life, but Pippa is beyond controlling. I have a plan to protect her, but now I need to convince her to go along with it. I thought she might agree before, but now I’m not so sure. This panic attack worries me. I need her to see the benefits of my plan, but she won’t if she can’t get over me being a vampire. I take the stairs two at a time. I’ll just have to convince her.

I enter the bathroom and find Pippa drying herself off. She holds the towel in front of her body, her eyes darting nervously to mine. “I’m almost finished,” she says, her voice small.

My gaze travels down her form, and I smile. I know what she needs to help her relax. “Don’t let me stop you,” I say, folding my arms across my chest and leaning against the door frame.

“Luca, I’d like to be alone,” she stammers, her gaze shifting away.

“Well, that’s too bad,” I say, my voice lowering. “I want to watch, and then I’m going to touch.”

Her eyes widen, and she licks her lips. “I… I’m not sure that’s the best idea.”

“Why? Because I’m a vampire? Because I killed your abusive father? Or because you want me to touch you?”

She meets my gaze, her eyes uncertain. “Maybe all three,” she whispers.

“I am a monster, I won’t deny it. But I’m your monster, Pippa. I only have eyes for you. I will kill anyone who tries to touch you or hurt you. You don’t have to be afraid of me. I won’t hurt you… unless you want me to.” My smile turns wicked. “I can make it hurt so good, little one. You should trust me. I can make your body feel things you’ve never felt before. You’ll never want to leave, I promise.”

Pippa stares at me, her lips parting slightly. “I… I…” her voice falters.

“Drop the towel.” Command is evident in my tone, and her eyes darken. She’s already turned on. The scent of her fear and lust hits me, igniting a fire deep inside. She’s mine. The desire in her eyes is unmistakable. “Drop the towel,” I repeat.

Pippa swallows, her throat bobbing, and then she lets the towel fall. Her hands rest on her hips, her eyes defiant.

“There she is. There’s my tough, cocky girl. I’m glad you’re back. I’ve missed you.” My voice rumbles from my chest, deep and possessive. She shivers, and I know it has nothing to do with being cold.

“So now what?” Pippa demands, her voice steady. “Are you just going to stare at me?”

“I could. You’re beautiful, and I like looking at you,” I say, stepping closer, my gaze trailing over her bare skin. “But no, that’s not all I’m going to do. First, I want you to touch yourself.”

She frowns. “Why?”

“Isn’t that what you did before you met me? Touch yourself to get off? Did you use a vibrator?”

“I’m not talking about this,” Pippa fires back and then crosses her arms over her breasts.

“Yes, you are. I want you to squeeze your nipples for me.”

She narrows her eyes at me but doesn’t move.

“Do you want me to touch you?” I ask calmly. She cocks her head and then nods once.

“Thought so. So be a good girl and play with your nipples for me.”

“This is ridiculous?—"

“It’s not and don’t be embarrassed. Turn and face the mirror,” I say, “then squeeze those beautiful tits.”

Reluctantly she turns toward the mirror and slowly she touches her nipples. I come up behind her and run my hands over her hips and then around to her ass. I squeeze her cheeks as I lean forward and inhale her scent. Lavender. My favorite. “Squeeze your nipples like I’m squeezing your ass,” I whisper into her ear. I massage her ass, and watch as she closes her eyes and starts toying with her nipples. Her mouth opens as she plays with herself. She’s getting wet. I can smell her musky scent.

“Open your eyes,” I say. She does so immediately and meets my gaze in the mirror. “Good. Now put your hands on the counter.” My tone has changed. She looks at me, apprehension flooding her. “I said put your hands on the counter,” I repeat. She still doesn’t move. I slap her ass.

“What the hell?” she snarls.

“Do you want me to spank you? Is that why you’re disobeying me?”

She snorts. “I want to know what the hell you’re up to.”

I lean over, and still keeping my gaze locked with hers, I say, “I’m going to make you come harder than you ever have before, but you have to do what I say.”

Pippa cocks her head as she considers this. I can smell the adrenaline and fear coursing through her veins, and it intoxicates me. Pippa thought she was in control. She knows so little. I smile at her audacity and courage, but now it's time for her to learn the truth. And I intend for this to be an unforgettable experience for both of us.

I watch her reflection in the mirror as she swallows hard. "Hands on the counter and lean over. I won’t tell you again,” I say as I grab her breast and pinch her nipple.

"Luca," she starts, but stops when she meets my gaze. She knows I'm not playing around. Without hesitation, she puts her hands on the counter, our gaze locks in the mirror. Her fear and nervousness only heighten my desire for her. I want Pippa more than any other woman. Ever.

I take off my pants and underwear. "Bend more and spread your legs," I command. She does as I say and I kiss her neck. I run my hands over her ass and slap it. Then I rub her clit and run my fingers over her slick folds. She’s already drenched. “You’re so fucking wet. Tell me what you want, little one.”

Pippa stares at me in the mirror.

“Tell me,” I say again as I slap her ass.

She lets out a little moan. “I want you to fuck me. I want you to spank me and then I want you to fuck me.” She says it defiantly and I know in that moment I couldn’t love her more.

I smack her ass and then I put three fingers inside her and curl them so I can rub against her g-spot. She moans, “Yes, Luca. Fucking hell, yessss.” Her hips start to buck. I reach over and open a drawer in the vanity.

“What are you doing?” she asks breathlessly but I move my fingers faster and she moans again.

I pull out a butt plug and close the drawer. I hold up the little silver plug. “I’m going to put this in your ass and you’re going to keep it there.” I kiss her shoulder and then I smack her ass once more. She bites her lip. I pull out lube and put it all around the plug. I can smell her fear and apprehension. “It’s okay, honey. It will only hurt a little bit, but I guarantee you’ll enjoy it.”

“Luca,” she says uncertainly lacing her voice.

“Trust me, little one.” I put my hand on her back and bend her over a bit more. Then I rub her clit. She arches her back and widens her stance. I lick my fingers and then dip them inside her ass. God, she is tight there. I bend and kiss each cheek, then dribble lube in her crack and use a fingertip to smear some inside her.

“Luca. fuck me,” she demands.

“I will, honey.” I put the plug at her entrance and then slowly push it in.

“Ooh, I don’t think that is …that hurts.” She bites her lip.

I rub her clit and then push my fingers inside her slick folds. Her hips buck and she throws her head back. I push the plug in some more.

“Oh God, Luca.”

“Do you want me to stop?” I ask.

“It hurts…but I…it’s not bad.” There is genuine surprise in her voice.

I push the plug in the rest of the way. “There. It’s in. Now I want you to think about me fucking you. That’s me in your ass. Squeeze your nipples and touch your clit.” I take off the rest of my clothes and drop them on the bathroom floor. Pippa does what she’s told and closes her eyes.

“Open your eyes, baby. Lean over and put your hands back on the counter.”

Pippa meets my gaze in the mirror and places her hands as I directed. “I’m so fucking wet for you, Luca. Fuck me hard.”

I pull her hips back, so she’s bent over more, and I put the tip of my cock at her entrance. She pushes back, and I slam into her, burying myself to the hilt. She lets out a little yelp and then pushes back against me some more. I withdraw and slam into her again. She bends over more. “Faster,” she says. She bends her knees and lifts her ass, pulling me deeper into the warm heaven of her pussy.

I oblige and I keep pounding into her. She watches me in the mirror and opens her mouth. I reach around and put my fingers in there and she sucks hard. The sensation goes right to my cock, and I know I’m going to come. She keeps sucking and I speed up. Pippa teeters on the brink and then slides over, her body milking my cock as she sucks my fingers as hard as she can. I come with a roar.

“Oh my God, Luca,” she says. “That was incredible.”

I smile. “That’s just the beginning.”

She reaches around to pull out the butt plug, but I stop her. “No. You have to keep it in.”

Her eyes get wide. “For how long?”

I just smile at her and then head to the bedroom. She follows me, walking a bit oddly as she gets used to the plug. “I’m not sure how I feel about this.” She walks naked around my room, testing it out. Then she turns and sits down gingerly on the bed. “I can’t keep it in,” she announces.

I cock an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Because it makes me too fucking horny. I’m totally wet right now. If I keep it in, I need you to fuck me again.”

This is the Pippa I knew was there. The one that takes her power back. The one that knows what she wants. I give her a wicked smile. “Then by all means, let me fuck you again. Your wish is my command.” I walk over to her and pull her to her feet. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her hard. My tongue moves against hers, coaxing a response. She slowly kisses me back. I deepen the kiss as I run my hands over her breasts and down over her hips. I pull her against my cock. She kisses me back wrapping her arms around my neck and pressing herself to me.

I break off the kiss and push her backward, so she falls on the bed. I lower myself on top of her. I kiss her and then I whisper, “I’m going to fuck you from behind. You like that, don’t you, baby.”

She lets out a moan as I suck one of her nipples and squeeze the other one. “Yes,” she breathes, and I know she’s already wet thinking about it.

“I’m going to smack your ass and then I’m going to stick my cock inside you. Is that what you want?” I ask and then suck her nipple again. I run my tongue down over her belly and push her legs apart. I slid off the bed and open her legs wider. I blow on her clit and tap the plug a few times, pulsing it in a bit, and then I use my tongue, swirling it around the knot of nerves. She’s already drenched. I enter her with my fingers and start rubbing her g-spot.

She grinds against my face. “Yes,” she moans. I suck harder and go faster with my fingers. “Yes,” she calls again. She’s on the brink of coming. Then I scoop my arms under her and flip her onto her belly. She lets out a yelp.

I laugh. “I told you what I was going to do. You aren’t going to come until I say so.”

“Luca.” Her whimper is breathless.

“Up on your hands and knees.”

She looks over her shoulder at me but there’s a bit of fear in her eyes.

“Baby, I won’t hurt you anymore than you want me to, okay? You can tell me to stop whenever you want. Snowman, yeah? Still our safe word.”

She bites her lip but then nods.

“You want to be spanked, don’t you? It makes you wet.”

“Yes. God, yes.”

Without hesitation, I slap her ass hard, relishing the sound echoing throughout the room, the sting reverberating up my arm. "Do you like that, baby? Do you want me to spank you?"

Pippa bites down on her lip but I can see the desire in her eyes. I smack her again and she bites down harder on her lip, determined not to cry out. I stick my fingers inside her and she’s drenched. I move them over her g-spot and she pushes back against me. I slap her ass with my other hand, and she pushes back more.

“Fuck, that hurts,” Pippa says as she grinds against my fingers, spreading her legs even wider.

I lean down over her and run my hand on her nipple, squeezing it as I trail my tongue along her neck. The temptation to take a bite and taste my little one is almost too much to bear. "Do you want me to stop? Does it hurt too much? Or do you like being spanked?”

I run my hand over her ass, making her wince, before moving over her hip and down between her legs. Without hesitation, she spreads them again for me; she's already dripping wet. I rub my fingers through her slick folds. “Tell me what you want, Pippa. Tell me what you like.”

She stays silent.

“Where’s my tough, wild cat? The woman who knows what she wants. Tell me, Pippa.”

With one hand gripping her neck and forcing her head back, I use my other hand to penetrate her with my fingers, curling them inside of her and finding her g-spot again.

"Luca," she moans and pushes against my hand. "I want you to spank me and then I want you to fuck me," she demands.

My lips trail down her neck, leaving a mark as I suck on her skin. "I'm going to fuck you hard, baby. And it’s going to hurt so good," I whisper in her ear before picking up the pace and feeling her wetness increase.

"I'm close," she moans.

Immediately, I stop and Pippa scowls at me.

"You can't come until I say so."

"Get over yourself,” she retorts, cheeks flushed, and eyes dilated with anger and arousal. “I can come when I want.”

I love the fire in her. I love her. God help me I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself. I spank her once more, causing her to bite her lip to stifle a cry. “You will come when I tell you,” I say and then I smack her ass again, harder this time. She lets out a moan and pushes back against me.

"Now, I'm going to fuck you like you've never been fucked before, and it's going to hurt so much. You have to tell me when you reach your limit, Pippa. When it stops being pleasurable because I can literally fuck you to death and tonight, that's what I want to do. Never forget I’m a monster."

Pippa cocks an eyebrow at me. “That’s a lot of big talk but I’m not seeing much action.”

I grab her ass and spread her cheeks apart, teasing my cock along the seam of her backside, pushing on the butt plug. "I'm going to fuck your ass. You'll feel me deep inside you while you scream my name."

As I rub her clit with one hand and squeeze her neck lightly with the other, making her hips buck and push against me, I say, "You're already so wet for me, baby. Let's make you even wetter." I tweak her nipples and continue rubbing my cock between her butt cheeks.

"I want you to squeeze your nipples," I command.

She moves her hands to her breasts and starts playing with her nipples. She watches me over her shoulder as I apply lube to my cock and her ass seam, I can smell her fear. The sweet scent envelopes me, tempting me to taste my woman’s blood, but I fight against the urge.

"Squeeze harder," I encourage as I add my fingers to the mix, rubbing against her clit before sliding them inside her and curling them to hit her g-spot.

Pippa moans and bucks against me. "Luca,” she breathes.

"Yes, baby. That's it, keep squeezing your nipples hard." As I spread her ass cheeks and continue rubbing up and down along the seam of her backside, I pull out the butt plug and then dribble more lube on her butt hole, rubbing it all around. I add a bit more and using the top third of my finger rub some inside, planning to ease my way into what is sure to be tighter than a champagne bottle around a cork. God, I’m looking forward to this, but I need to make it good for her too. And I will.

She moans as I slowly press the tip of my cock against her entrance. Her eyes widen in anticipation or maybe a bit of fear. "It might hurt, but you'll love it." With a little more pressure, she leans forward and braces herself. "That's it, baby, open up for me."

"It hurts, Luca," she groans as I dip my fingers in her wetness again.

"Do you want me to stop?" I ask, but she shakes her head and quickly finds a rhythm with her hips.

I pull out and then go over to the bedside table. I pull out a vibrator and then come back behind her. “Get up on your hands and knees again, baby.”

She glances back at me and then at the vibrator. “What are you going to do?”

“Whatever I want and you’re going to enjoy me fucking you.” I turn the vibrator on, rub it on her backside. "Spread your legs wide for me, my little bitch," I growl.

Pippa hesitates but obeys, arching her back so I can slide the vibrator inside her. "Fuck, Luca," she moans as her hips jerk with pleasure. "I'm going to come."

"Not yet, baby. Not until I say so." I push the head of my cock into her asshole, waiting for the tight sphincter to stretch enough to take me. "That's it, baby."

"It hurts...but it feels so fucking good," she gasps. “I feel so fucking full.”

I push in further and start moving back and forth, feeling her tight ass clamping around me. It takes every ounce of self-control not to come right then. But I turn up the vibrator to full power. "I'm going to fuck you hard, baby." I leave the vibrator inside her and grasp her neck firmly. With deep thrusts, I pound into her ass and pull out, causing her eyes to widen and a yell to escape her lips. But I don't slow down; instead, I go faster and harder.

"Luca!" she cries out, "fuck me harder!"

And that's exactly what I do. Her body tenses as she reaches her climax, and I follow soon after, slamming into her two more times before coming hard in her ass. As an added rush of pleasure courses through me, I slap her ass and sink my teeth into the soft flesh of her neck like a primal animal. This is my woman, mine to claim as I please. Mine to have. Mine to love. Mine.