✰ ✰

"𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐞"

With Wyatt's arm around my shoulder and his hand on my arm, I had no choice but to only brush off the uncomfortable chills it caused me rather than to simply just shoot his handoff.

I'm not sure why; I've done this so many times that I've lost track, but something about this guy seemed off, far more than the others.

"So, where are you from beauty?"

Licking my lips, my thigh brushes against his leg as I shift closer to him, and his grip on me tightens uncontrollably.

"Brooklyn," I reply, leaning in close to his ear and letting my lips brush against the side of his neck.

He bites his bottom lip and nods, his gaze falling on me, and I shyly glance away.

"Get my girl here another glass," He requests to one of the other males at the table.

The unknown man's eyes narrow as he looks at me before nodding to his boss. He removes himself from the booth and takes my glass, as well as the glasses of the two other girls.

"Yo Wyatt, you got any more?"

Wyatt beside me picks up another cigar and hands it to the other man who had asked for it while they start to make conversation.

I zone out completely when I see two familiar men stroll into the estate. Theo, in the centre, enters with composure, his bright blue eyes gleaming in the light and a charming smile on his lips.

Roman was the next to arrive.

His cold gaze sent shivers down my spine, his features set stone cold. Authority and power radiated off of him in waves, and the attention in the room was instantly on him, as it always was.

The two men crossed the room, emerging their way to a table in the back that was out of sight from where we were sitting.

I sat there watching him walk, his huge form towering over everyone in his path only making him that much more intimidating. Along with the muscles he flaunted beneath his shirt, I sighed internally at the man who could never stop captivating me.

Then, just as I was about to turn away, his eyes caught mine. For a split second, his sharp, intense gaze was on me. I bit the inside of my cheek nervously. And he then completely averted his eyes away from me, as if he doesn't recognise me, which to everyone here, he doesn't.

A glass was placed in front of me, drawing my attention to it. I smiled as I looked up at the man who placed it down.

"Thank you, sir,"

He smirks and nods at me once before shifting his attention to Wyatt beside me, and I caught on instantly.

The drink was spiked. Of course, it was.

"Cheers, baby," Wyatt said lifting his own glass up.

I picked up my glass as he brought his own towards me, my gaze falling on his blue ones.

"Cheers, Wyatt,"

He clanks the glasses and takes a swig of his drink, while I put mine to my lips, making sure to bring the liquid close enough but not enough to drink it.

When he turns away, I pull my champagne away and pour a small amount into one of the empty glasses on the table.

I tipped just enough to make it appear as like I had drunk enough for his liking.

✰

An hour and thirty minutes went by, Wyatt continued to ask me questions and everything I gave him was truly, false.

Looking towards the time on his watch I notice it was time for strike two.

"Wyatt?" I whisper into his ear.

He responds by rubbing his hand further down my arm and humming.

I brush my lips over his neck before speaking in his ear, "I was wondering..." I place my hand on his chest and slowly track it up towards his neck, across his throat and towards the sharp line of his jaw.

"Could we go to a room and... have some fun?" I said, moving my hand down his chest and to the hem of his pants, gliding my fingers across his belt.

I watch his Adam's apple bounce up and down as his breath catches. He digs his fingers into my skin and places his lips to my ear.

"There's a room down the hall, join me?"

I nod my head, subtly biting my lip and he smirks.

I step out of the booth and wait for Wyatt. Once he's beside me, I take his hand in mine and begin guiding him towards the room.

I scan around the room as we walk, and they stop as my eyes find exactly what I'm seeking.

Both Roman and Theo walked out of a corridor from afar, both looking the same as they entered, empty-handed and stone-cold.

Roman's gaze briefly met mine. I noticed his eyes harden while he dropped them to my hand that was locked with Wyatt's. Looking away from him, I caught a glimpse of his hands fisting tightly.

I slipped out of sight and down the corridor away from the main event. I step in with Wyatt behind me, turning towards an open bedroom.

Once I heard the door click closed, I was harshly pushed up against the wall. Although the action was rough, he appeared to be distracted as his lips were now latched on my neck.

My other hand glides up my leg as I run my hand through his dry locks, lifting my dress to the small fabric wrapped around my inner thigh, where I move my hand and slip my silver blade into my grasp.

I slide the blade open instantly and press it against his side, the blade seeping into his flesh just as he was about to shove his lips onto my lips.

He stumbles back and lets out a pained grunt. With a malicious smile on my lips, I lift my leg and point my heel towards his chest, causing him to tumble to the ground with a single short push.

"Fuck!" He moans and clutches his side.

I see him open his eyes and sneer at me as I start walking towards him and flip my blade between my fingers.

"You fucking bitch!" He shouts, and I press my lips together in irritation.

I leant down to his level while standing beside him, as I did his hand had reached for my hair, but a large hand from beside me grasped his own, restraining him from grabbing me.

The sound of a bone-cracking made my smile grow even bigger. Wyatt winces from the tight hold the hand had on his, I look up at Roman, who has an impassive expression on his face as he stares at the distressed man in front of him.

Roman lets go of his hand, appearing to have crushed it sufficiently, and drops it limply on his chest, forming Wyatt to groan in anguish.

Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he glared at me with a pained expression.

My hand comes to the open gash on his side while I press my blade against his neck, pushing my three fingers against the open wound on his side and he cries in pain once again but much louder.

He rolled to the side, his body seething as uncontrollable screams and yelps escaped him and I dragged the blade over his flesh, marking him on the crook of his throat.

"Fuck," He breathes, "Why are y-you doing this?"

I pull his face towards me, firmly grabbing the sides of his cheeks, and look him in the eyes.

"You're a coward," I whisper, "and a cheat," I trail my eyes down to his lips, letting my thumb glide over the bottom flesh.

My free hand raises and Roman hands me the gun.

"A thief," I continue, unlocking the trigger and applying the silencer to the gun using my fingers.

"And lastly," I concluded pointing the handgun at his head, "a traitor."

The trigger pulls and his body goes limp. His blue eyes were wide open, and blood was pouring out of his body.

Standing up, I return the gun to Roman and straighten my dress, patting down my hair to appear as regular as possible.

Finally, I raise my eyes onto Roman, who was leaning against the bed frame, watching me with dark eyes.

"Bastard nearly had me drugged," I mumbled to myself as I moved over to him.

He drew his bottom lip into his mouth, my attention travelled there before returning to his dark but light eyes.

I moved over to my purse, opening the lock, and took out my small packet of disinfectant wipes. I take a seat on the bed and start wiping down my blade.

"That was hot," I heard him say lowly.

A breathy giggle escaped my lips and I looked up at him smiling, "We work pretty well together,"

I felt him approach me, the side of his leg brushing against mine making my heart leap for a second.

I finish cleaning my blade, before flipping it closed and sliding it back under my dress. I could feel his eyes on me as I stood up from the bed and turned around to face him.

"Come on," I say, holding out my hand for him, where he studies it for a split second before accepting it and lacing his fingers through my own.

We exit the room and return down the hall. Just as we returned to the main event, Roman slips his hand out of mine and instead places it around the small of my back.

While we moved across the room, my gaze wandered around. Everyone was laughing, drinking, and smoking, as one would expect at a typical mob gathering. Nothing seemed out of place, while gazes followed Roman and me out the door and into the night.

We proceeded through the threshold and down to the vehicle that was waiting for us. The driver opened the door, and Roman let me in first. As I slid into the car, I adjusted my dress as it had raised, and watched Roman enter and take a seat across from me.

The driver starts the car, and as soon as I felt it move, I relaxed in my seat, simply feeling at ease. I closed my eyes and leant against the window, my hair cascading down the side of my face and the warmth of it greeting my cheek.

"Did you get the money?" I ask him, still keeping my eyes closed.

"Mhm," He hums softly, the sound memorising my mind.

I open my eyes, and they connect with his amber ones. They seem to be peering directly into my soul as they stare straight through me. We were gazing into each other's eyes for what felt like a while, neither of us recoiling until my phone rang.

I blink once, twice, and shook my head lightly, ignoring the strange sensation in my body. Pulling my hand into my bag, I take out my ringing phone and gaze down at the caller, only to see my father's name on the bright screen.

I answer the phone, sigh, and place it to my ear.

"Dad?"

"Bella, how'd it go?" He asked, brief ruffling could be heard in the background.

Glancing up at Roman, I nod, even though my dad couldn't see me, "Yeah it went good, Roman got all the money and the targets dead,"

He hums approvingly, "Good job,"

"Miss you, Bella!" I heard my brother yell in the distance and I giggled knowing the glare my father would have given him.

"Be safe,"

"I will, bye!" I say and hang up, tossing my phone to the side.

When I looked up, Roman's attention had shifted to his phone, his body was sunk back against the seat, staring down at the lit up screen. I followed my gaze down to his stretched legs, licking my lips as I lowered them to his long ringed fingers.

The same throbbing in between my thighs returned, and I clenched them as I turned away and gazed out the window.

Keep your shit together, Bella.

Thirty minutes later, the car ride came to an end. As I slipped out, I had thanked the driver, and Roman followed shortly after. I start walking towards the lobby doors, tucking my purse under my arm, and they automatically open.

The warmth of the lobby greeted my exposed skin as did the presence of a few individuals sitting around and two front-desk receptionists. I proceeded towards the elevators with Roman behind me, pushing the button and eagerly waited for it to arrive.

The elevator arrived shortly after, and I entered as soon as the doors opened. I stood in the middle, watching Roman come in behind me, leaning against the wall. After he pushed our floor number, the doors closed.

Twirling a curl of my hair around my finger, I couldn't help but feel the warmth of his body behind me. Very close behind me. The heat of his body poured off of him and onto my skin, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up in response to his close proximity.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, his palm reached the lower area of my back. The burning sensation of his fingertips drawing up the silk fabric and straight through onto my skin. His hand running his fingers up the silk fabric so slowly that I thought I'd fall because of how much my legs were weakening.

When his hand travels further, all the way up to the curve of my breast, my breathing becomes heavier by the second. He brought his other hand around my waist and drew me against his body, my lips parted and my throat became dry.

My eyes hooded slightly as his head descended to my neck, the cool air of his mouth seeping into my heated flesh, and his fingertips explored the curve of my breast so carefully that it felt as if I were glass and his fingers would break me if he was too rough.

"Are you all right, Arabella?" His voice was hoarse but smooth, and the thick lace of his Italian accent made my panties dampen even more.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, his touch detracted off of my covered skin while he walked past me and out the open doors as if he hadn't just driven me into a whirlpool of sexual hunger.

I walked out, still trying to make sense of my foggy mind and ragged breathing.

I watched his retreating body, where I observed his strong back muscles flex beneath the fitted black fabric.

As I walk past him, I pull out my key card and unlock my door. He unlocks his own door and I shift slightly to meet his eyes, and before he walked in, he turned to me with a devilish, panty-dropping smirk.

"Night, Ella,"

Clenching my jaw I give him a tight-lipped smile, "Goodnight, Roman,"

His eyes had a quick sweep over me, before turning away and entering his room. I stepped into my own room, lips pursed, and closed the door behind me.

I trudged over to my duffle and took out my pyjamas, tossing my purse onto my bed.

I removed my clothes and put on the sheer white satin nightgown, which was above my mid-thigh. I went to the bathroom after changing to remove my makeup and brush my teeth.

I strolled out of the bathroom and towards my bed, flipping my loose curls over my shoulder and burying my body between the blankets, Roman's scorching touch still remaining on my skin.

I dropped my head back on the pillow, my body soaking into the cotton sheets and my eyes shutting as I exhaled a trembling breath.

With the thought of Roman in my thoughts, the pain between my thighs intensified, and his missing touch did little to relieve the discomfort.

I lay tangled in the blankets, staring angrily at the ceiling after tossing and turning for a good five minutes.

But my body had moved on its own without me having to think about it.

Fuck it.

I slid out of the bed and strolled towards the front door, unlatching it and letting it close behind me. I moved across the carpeted floor and stood in front of his door.

My knuckles moved to the wood and knocked twice, loudly. My fingers played impatiently with the ends of my hair, and as I reached to knock again, the door slammed open.

My gaze was immediately drawn to the unbelievably muscular toned abs in front of me, his golden complexion decorated with dark tattoos.

Muscles bulging from his tattooed arms and a low v-line peeking out from his grey sweatpants.

Fuck me.

I followed my gaze up to his broad shoulders and sharpened jaw, past his inviting plump red lips and the hollow's of his cheeks right to his amber piercing eyes.

He stared straight back at me and before I realised what I was doing, I filled the distance between us by raising both hands to the sides of his face and smashing his lips against mine.