Page 40 of Brutal Queen

I reach up, grabbing the back of my neck to stretch out the kink that’s formed while I’ve been sitting going through Sinclair’s latest reports. It’s been weeks since we dealt with Manny and the fallout from his death has been more or less what we expected.

Max didn’t take kindly to us getting our hands on Manny.

He tried to go after a few of our weapons shipments. He only managed to get one of them thanks to Luc’s quick thinking and his close collaboration with Leandro. I’m impressed with how quickly the capos have stopped working in silos and have adopted a far more cooperative approach. By the second shipment, they’d bolstered their security enough to take out the lackeys Max had sent after them. While he may have more bodies on the street, most are novices and simply don’t have the skills to match us one-on-one.

According to the files, although we’ve suffered some financial losses, it’s nothing we can’t easily absorb. Having a healthy catalogue of legitimate business helps keep us consistently cash rich.

I pick up the file on top of the pile on my desk and flip through it. It’s everything we have on The Knights. We haven’t found any answers as to why Max started collaborating with them, and Sinclair hasn’t been able to find out how they’re communicating. I think it’s time I call Gabriella and get her team investigating.

Max is keeping their involvement with him as low key as possible, and that means they’re vital to him in some way.

As I put the file down, a barefooted Aurora appears in the doorway and leans against the frame, crossing her legs at theankle. I let my gaze wander up her body, tracing along the outer seam of her skintight jeans so I can admire how her slender calves give way to the curves of her thighs. Her hips flare out only for her waist to be cinched by one of the corsets that have become part of her daily uniform.

I let out a quiet rumbling moan and bite my bottom lip when I reach the swell of her breasts. While she’s had many of her corsets customised and reinforced to be resistant to knife attacks, that doesn’t alter the spectacular effect the boning has on her cleavage.

She even has a Kevlar one.

“Morning, babe,” she says, over emphasising the term of endearment and making a soft popping as her lips press together.

“Babe?” I reply, my tone betraying me while a judgemental eyebrow is somewhere up around my hairline.

“Felt right in the moment, so I went with it,” she says with a giggle. “I’m guessing from the look on your face you’re not keen?”

“You would be correct.” I smirk, reaching out for her to come closer. She pushes off the door frame and walks into my arms. She entwines herself around me like ivy around crumbling ruins and I drop my head to kiss the top of her forehead. There’s nothing on this earth that feels more right than when we’re together. I take a long, deep breath, immersing myself in her presence as she shudders beneath me.

With an incredulous chuckle, she asks, “Are you sniffing me?”

“I would never,” I reply, shaking my head.

Rolling her eyes, Aurora takes a perch on my desk and taps the rather large pile of folders. “So what did you think about the latest intel?”

“We need to bring Gabriella in and get her workingexclusively on The Knights. There’s too much we don’t know about them and Max wouldn’t be keeping their involvement with him so quiet if they weren’t important to him in some way,” I say and she nods along with me.

“My thoughts exactly. They’re a problem, and we need to know how big. I’ll call in Stefano and Gabriella this afternoon for a meeting,” she says, taking my hand and drawing me towards her. She shuffles herself back and spreads her legs so I can stand between them. Slowly, teasingly, she walks her fingers up the buttons of my shirt.

“I don’t suppose you want to try something with me before the kids wake up?” Her fingers hook into my collar and ensnare me, sending a shot of pleasure straight to my dick.

“What do you have in mind, sweetheart?” I reply, and the term of endearment causes her to scrunch her nose. “You’re notbabe, and I’m notsweetheart.” She punctuates each word with a spiky nail into my good shoulder.

“Yes, ma’am.” I straighten my spine, like a soldier standing to attention, and can’t help but give her a mock salute.

“That’s more like it,” she says before pushing me a step back and hopping off the desk and running out the door. She’s gone for a few minutes and I’m beginning to wonder if I was meant to follow her when she reappears, cocks her hip and starts swinging the length of what looks like jute rope.

“So… Enzo. I was wondering if you wanted to take your shoulder out for a test drive now that you’ve been given the all clear to ‘resume more strenuous activities’? Sinclair’s been teaching me some things I thought you might enjoy.”

My eyes drift along the length of the rope as she twirls it in the air. My pulse is hammering hard. I can feel it from the tips of my fingers to the side of my neck. I swallow when the saliva pools in the back of my throat before biting down hard on my bottom lip. There’s a low hum rumbling in my chest,my body muttering its consent before my brain has caught up.

“You know better than that, Enzo. I need your words. I’ll take your moans too, but first I need a yes or a no,” she purrs. Her tone washes over me like the water from a hot shower, soothing my soul instead of my aching muscles.

“Yes, Don Bianchi.” The moment her title tumbles out of my mouth, I instinctively fall to my knees and bow my head.

I don’t know when we developed this dynamic. It’s been building so gradually, it’s become a part of the way we exist in each other's company. That first night I came home, and she placed her delicate hand around my throat, something shifted inside me. Whether it’s the way she strokes my hair to lull me back to sleep after a nightmare, or how she straddles me and holds my throat firmly to settle me when I jolt awake in terror—I know I’m safe with her.

When she’s in control, nothing else can touch me.

She traces the edge of her nails along my jawline, and it sends a shiver rolling down my spine. I lean into her touch, desperate for more, but she pulls away, leaving me feeling empty at the loss of her proximity.

“Hmmm. You’re so tempting, Enzo. Serving yourself up on a platter for me. I don’t know where to start.”

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