Page 67 of Hawk's Sapphire

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”Hawk clenches his fists as he comes to sit beside me, glaring daggers at Matteo, who isn’t moved in the slightest.Before he has a chance to answer Hawk, Matteo’s phone rings.He frowns down at the screen, then motions for everyone to stay silent as he answers the call.He places the phone on speaker and lays it in the center of the table.

“Hello.”

“Mr.Parisi.”A man’s voice drawls.He sounds older, his words thick with an Italian accent.“It would appear I have a debt to repay after you did me the favor of ridding my party of deceitful vermin.”

“Mr.Cusenza.There’s no need to repay anything.A rat deserves to rot in the sewer.It was my pleasure to dispose of the offensive creature,” Matteo replies.Though he sounds confident, he appears baffled.

“My reason for calling is, however, not about a debt I owe you—but one I believe youoweme,” Cusenza says, his tone conveying a filthy smirk.

“How did you come to that conclusion?You just said yourself I did you a favor, so I’m uncertain how me doing said favor leads to a debt owed toyou.” Matteo looks to Vincenzo who is listening intently, appearing as calm, yet as confused as the rest of us.

“While I appreciate your extermination of the problem, you left quite the mess behind.I had to have the cleaners come in and then there was the matter of blackmail and favors paid to keep the other patrons quiet about the incident,” Cusenza responds.The slimy fucker is up to something.“So, the way I see it.Though you did me a favor, it cost me more than it was worth, and now you owe me a debt.But don’t worry, I know what I want for my payment.”

“And what might that be?”Matteo stands with his arms crossed over his chest and his brow still furrowed as he listens.

“How is your friend?The woman you brought to the party.”

“Hung over and resting in bed.What concern is she of yours?”Sadie watches Matteo studiously.

“Has she been punished for her drunken outburst and inappropriate behavior last night?”Cusenza asks.

Matteo sighs heavily.“I just told you she’s hungover.Once she’s feeling better, I’ll see to her punishment, but there’s no point in correction now when she may not feel the full impact.I’ll wait until she’s levelheaded and will remember the impact of each strike.”Another low growl rumbles out of Hawk.Matteo cuts him a glare.

Cusenza chuckles.“Fair enough.Well, how about you bring her to me, and I’ll see to her punishment?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because I have a very interested buyer who saw your woman and has made a very generous offer for her.Sell her to me, allow me to see to her punishment, and I’ll call our debts even,” the creepy bastard proposes.

Hawk shakes his head, struggling to keep his shit together.His fists are clenched.He’s gritting his teeth.The vein in his neck is pulsing hard.I place my hand on his, ignoring the jolt of electricity that courses through me.When Hawk’s eyes meet mine, I shake my head and mouth the word, “don’t”.His brow creases, his lips are pursed.He’s not happy with any of this, but we’ve come too far to let him mess things up now.

“How much are we talking?”Matteo asks.“She’s already well trained and eager to please her Master.She’s ofgreatvalue to me, as you can imagine.”

Cusenza laughs heartily.“Of course.A good bitch is hard to find and even harder to train, but worth every second in the end, no?”He continues laughing.“My client has offered one point five million.Of course, I’ll require a finder’s fee since I’m the one coordinating the transaction.”

“And how much would that fee be exactly?”

“Thirty percent.”Cusenza deadpans.All humor now voids of the conversation.

“That’s a steep finder’s fee, Marco.Tell me, do you charge all your clients this high a price?”

“It’s a small increase to cover my expenses.I must pay the cleaners, remember?”

Asshole.

“Intriguing,” Matteo says.“The price seems too low.”

“Don’t be greedy, Matteo,” Cusenza reprimands.

“Not greedy,” Matteo rebuts.“If I sell her to you, I’ll have to find and train another to warm my bed.She’s not your common whore.She’s beautifully submissive and willingly does everything I ask of her.She’s also very young.Barely above legal age.Women like her are not easy to replace.”Matteo lays it on thick.

“I have no doubt you’ll find another to replace her quickly enough.I would imagine the same place you found her would be a good place to start.”Something in the way Cusenza says that makes my skin crawl.

Is he insinuating I’m a club whore?No.He couldn’t possibly know who I am.

“Where did you find her anyway?”Cusenza asks.Making me wonder if he knows about me, or is he fishing for a place to find more women my age?Sick fuck.

“At Bella Noche.She was looking for work, and I was looking for someone to satisfy my needs.Luckily, I learned she had a need to feel important and praise kink—a desire to be someone’s good girl—and I became that someone, easily filling both roles.”Matteo sounds so fucking smug.I want to slap him, but judging by the look on Hawk’s face, I may not have to.He may beat me to it.

---