Page 25 of Corrupting Lily

That never happened. I had not found my flower amongst the thorns. At that thought, my eyes drift over to the woman opposite me. Opposite me in every way. Gentle where I was rough. Delicate where I was hard. Innocent, where I was corrupt. Good where I was bad. The yin to my yang. Everything I shouldn’t want but now crave.

I flick my hand in the air, signaling Nero to stop. I wasn’t listening anyway and trusted that if it were crucial, he would have pointed it out. Besides, he sounded distracted too.

“Have a drink and relax,” I say, gesturing toward the beautiful,scantily-clad server standing nearby—the very reason for his distraction.

Holly. Another flower. Another woman who seemed to be impacting my underboss in a way I had seen no other do. It had not been hard to figure out. They had been having blowouts since I hired her three weeks ago after Dante had asked me to. They were childhood friends, and she ran into some trouble. I didn’t know what trouble it was, and I didn’t care. He assured me it wouldn’t come to our doorstep, and I trusted him. Even if it did, for Dante we would handle it. His family was our family. His friends were our friends. His enemies were our enemies. That was what it was like to be part of thefamiglia. So here she was.

But something about her rubbed Nero the wrong way, and it was amusing to watch. They fought endlessly about everything and nothing, and she spoke to him in a way that usually attached the death penalty to it. Yet, as she approaches, you would never say. Timid. Polite. That was what she was until their paths crossed, and another side of her was unleashed. He brought out a side of her that was hidden, which I think made her angry and which made the sparks fly even more.

His gaze flicks up and narrows while she adamantly avoids looking at him. When it is his time to order, her smile fades, and her features become hard. He growls as she walks off, making me laugh. With a knowing look at me, he excuses himself. He tells me that his spot at the railing above allows him to keep an eye on the room. But I know he is standing there watching her. Torturing himself. When I asked him what was going on, he just mumbled about her being a pain in the ass, and how she was the most infuriating woman he had ever met—lots of feelings attributed to a woman he claimed not to like.

“Ahhhh, Dominico, sitting here like the King he is.” Fuck. My eyesdrift from Nero to the man approaching me. A man who stops in his tracks to look at Lily before continuing. The tall, leggy blonde on his arm scrunches her face up as she, too, eyes my flower and then looks at me, smiling seductively as her gaze lazily sweeps my body—another Camille.

“Luca, so glad you could join us.” I dip my head towards the seat Nero has vacated, hoping this encounter will be short and sweet. I pour both of us a drink, finishing the bottle, which is replenished by Holly, who has just arrived. Luca pulls out a couple of cigars, snipping the tips before handing me one and lighting it.

Lily, who has been sitting and observing her surroundings until now, is intently watching this interaction. Alison must have been loose with her tongue, as I noticed her recognition when I mentioned Luca’s name. She must have been asking about Lucille.

“So, my daughter was distraught that you sent her home. I must say I, too, am quite surprised. I thought we would be announcing a wedding soon.”

Lily looks away, her hands curling into little fists before she notices and relaxes them. She glances at me and then averts her gaze again. Fuck, she is incredibly cute. Her innocence turns me on in a surprising way.

While I'm tempted to provoke her jealousy, I don’t want Lucille's father to leave here with any false hope.

“As I have already made clear to your daughter, we are not a good match. However, I have someone else in mind who will suit her personality perfectly.” Luca’s façade falters for a second, and a flash of anger shines through.

“Your father promised this.” Rage bubbles up, and Luca, who should know better, realizes his mistake too late when my hand is already around his neck. While the woman next to him screams, Lilybarely reacts. That flash of anger I saw on Luca's face seconds before is replaced with fear. Anyone who knows me knows that when it comes to that piece of shit who is a contributor to my DNA and nothing more, nothing of what he wanted matters to me. I will uphold none of his promises.

“So-sorry, Don,” Luca grits through clenched teeth, his red face and bulging eyes pleading with me. I release his neck and sit back, picking up my drink and cigar, discarded moments before to free up my hand, before continuing as if nothing has happened. Luca splutters as he smooths down his suit and repositions his tie, then sips his drink, attempting to compose himself.

“As I was saying. I have the perfect match for her. He is one of the sons of the Marid family. Respected. Well-liked. A reputation they would like to keep that way,” I warn, giving him a look that conveys my meaning. If she fucked that up somehow, there would be a price to pay.

“Of course. I’m ecstatic, and I’m sure she will be as well,” he rasps, his voice still a little hoarse.

“We should get going.” I nod at his words, eager for him and the woman beside him, who looks like she might pass out from fear, to leave.

Eyes the color of the liquid I am sipping stare at me. I dip my gaze to the seat beside me, the demand clear. Lily gets up, and I am once again blessed with the view of her in this dress. I knew it would be perfect when I picked it—like a second skin, hugging her and highlighting all her curves.

She sits beside me, her hands smoothing her dress as she glances around.

“I see strangling people is something you do at all the clubs you go to.” Surprised at her joke, I laugh as I remember holding her neck inmy hand at the North Side Gentlemen's Club.

She is staring at me but also smiling.

“You like it when my hand is around your neck,il mio fiorellino.” She blushes, probably thinking back to our car ride earlier. We both knew how much my dominance turned her on. I felt it all over my fingers.

“So, Lucille…she no longer lives in the mansion?” Her question is casual, but I know my answer means a lot to her. I can sense it in the tightness of her shoulders.

“No. She will marry someone else. We were not a good fit.” I take a strand of her hair that has escaped her ponytail between my thumb and finger, tugging it gently to bring her closer.

She chews her lower lip, her eyes averted as she considers her next question.

“So, have you two been in a relationship before?” I smile as her little fists form. Generally, I hated jealous women, but on Lily, it was such a contradiction to her normal state that I fucking loved it. It looked like it could be fiery. As fiery as mine was in that department. There was no fucking denying that I am a very jealous and very possessive man myself.

In a swift motion, I grip Lily around the waist, her hands finding support on my shoulders as I pull her around and forward. She has no choice but to spread and then bend her legs, one on either side of my thigh, as she kneels over me. She appears surprised but not upset, the pink flush on her cheeks suggesting as much.

I run my hands up her thighs and around, squeezing her delicious rear as I pull her forward and down, grinding my cock into her core. Fuck. I have had dreams of her fucking me in this position countless times already since meeting her. The way she would slide down, impaling herself on me. The power she would have as she set the pace ontop of me. I growl as I think about it and then dip my head into her neck.

“No,il mio fiorellino. I have never been in a relationship with Lucille. Not emotionally and definitely not physically,” I answer, as I run my tongue up her neck before sucking on her earlobe.

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