Page 165 of Sins of the Orchid

CHAPTER62

Santino

She walked away from me, down the makeshift runway where at the far end of it Lorenzo would be waiting for her.

Striding through the hallway of my nightclub, I couldn’t help but recall the first time I saw Amore dancing here. The plan was in motion and there was no turning back. Not that I wanted to turn back. There was no room for regrets in this life. Those made you weak, piling up like a rack of bones onto your makeshift grave. And I had no plans of dying. Not until I had years with my little sex monster.

I found my way to my office. If things go according to plan, Lorenzo would ensure she got here.

I left the office in the darkness and leaning back against the mantel, I rolled a cigarette between my fingers. I hadn’t had a cigarette in fucking years, but now I’d fucking kill for a shot of nicotine. Bennetti’s rejection still burned through my veins. Bitterness tasted like acid on my tongue. Amore was mine, and I’d kill anyone who tried to keep me away from her.

I guessed Bennetti had suspicions about the reasons I wanted Amore’s marriage contract. His exact words were that he would never allow Amore to be touched by someone like me.

The joke was on him after the announcement that was currently trending on social media, wasn’t it? Then why wasn’t I laughing.

The air conditioning blasted cold air, and I welcomed it because this flame inside me threatened to turn into something stupid. Like killing Amore’s father for opposing me.

The door to my office opened softly and the swishing of an emerald, flowy dress fluttering was the first thing I saw before she walked in.

“I’ll find DeAngelo and bring him here,” Lorenzo’s voice traveled over.

“Thank you.” Her voice was soft as she offered him a small smile. The door softly clicked, leaving her alone with me. She still hadn’t seen me.

She looked beautiful. The cut of her dress was low, revealing her smooth, milky skin, with only thin strings crisscrossing her back. The emerald fabric hugged her curves, leaving plenty to the imagination. Heat ran straight to my dick.

She rolled her thin shoulders and her neck, as if the tension was too much for her. She was barely twenty-one and already running an empire, the side gig with DeAngelo avenging her mother’s death, and her own business. She’d put any don of the Cosa Nostra to shame.

“Clusterfuck,” she muttered under her breath with a heavy sigh. “Everyone in this place is nuts.”

She rolled her shoulders again, and I itched to ease her tension with my hands until she melted into me.

“Already talking to yourself?” I asked, never moving from my spot.

She spun around, her dress fluttering through the air. Her silky ponytail hid her red curls from me and I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not. It made her look sophisticated heiress but I preferred my sex monster. Though when she whipped around, it hit the door behind her, and I had to tell myself not to think about grabbing it. I itched to wrap her silky hair around my fist, force her down to her knees, and then demand she suck me off with that pretty mouth of hers.

Stop fucking thinking about it!I was already rock hard, and the images of Amore on her knees in front of me wouldn’t help to ease this pent-up need.

“What are you doing here?” she questioned me. “And what the hell was that out there?” Her hand pointed to the closed door.

“This is my office,” I drawled, ignoring her other question. “Just like you ran into my bedroom.” She glared at me, and her cheeks flushed. “Or were you hoping for another show?”

“I’ve seen better.” She smiled sweetly, taunting me.

“Wrong thing to say, baby,” I purred as I moved closer to her. She remained unmoving, glaring. She could have fooled another man but not me. The shade of her green eyes changed ever so slightly with every emotion - anger, lust, sadness.

I reached out and took a strand of her ponytail, rubbing the silken strands between my fingers. Her breathing was slightly labored and her chest flushed red. It was another one of her tells.

“Answer my question, Santi,” she warned, though there was no threat in her voice. She was too soft for harsh threats. “What the hell happened out there? What is going on between you and my grandmother?”

“Regina does what Regina wants to do,” I answered. It was true enough.

I suspected admitting to her that I blackmailed Regina wouldn’t go over well.

CHAPTER63

Amore

My heartbeat drummed, making my ribs hurt from the force of it. Being alone with this man that I desired so much was risky. Especially after what just happened out there.