TW: Graphic Depictions of Violence
RAVEN
Adriano had left so suddenly he had given me no time to react other than to try and call him back to me. I hated chasing after people; lord knew I had done enough of that in my life to last me until my dying breath.
I didn't know who he thought he was, walking away from me like that. Plus, who said I needed his damn protection? I had spent years standing up for myself; a talent I had picked up after years of heartbreak. What more did I have to say to get it through his thick skull I didn't need someone to save my ass?
Not that I didn't need it; I didn't want it. I liked fighting my own demons. It always felt more productive and rewarding to win my own battles, rather than to have someone fight them for me. I wasn't that type of person, and I didn't need to lean on someone. Besides, I was always one to depend on the age-old saying the only person you can really trust is yourself.
The fact 'the Serpent' had walked away from me had only pissed me off more. I couldn't believe he would sit down and try to get me to sign his stupid piece of paper while I was out having a nice lunch. Had he stalked me, or was it really just a coincidence?
Stepping into the back room with its red pleather booths and tablecloth-covered tables, I found a muscular man with short dark brown hair with his knife to some guy in a tan suit's throat. Watching him press the knife harder against his neck, I wondered if it stung or not to have the sharp edge dance against his skin.
Men sat around the table in various suits, making me wonder what exactly I had gotten myself into. Clearly, this wasn't a typical meet-up for lunch with a few friends situation. I couldn't pull my attention from what was happening at the table, too lost in the warm scent of Italian food, cologne, wine, and chaos.
Within moments, a man rushed from the other side of the table to grab me and pin my hands behind my back. Fighting against him, I shifted back and forth and thrashed around, suffocating from the scent of stale wine on his breath.
Great, just what I f*****g wanted.
He gathered my wrists into his rough, large hand and flicked open a black butterfly knife, running it down the side of my neck and placing the cool, steel tip to my throat. Swallowing hard, I shook my shoulders back and forth, trying to break free from his hold. He nicked my sensitive skin with the sharp end of the metal blade, causing a hiss to pass through my clenched teeth.
Motherfucker.
Twisting my wrists in his fist, I broke free and grabbed him instead. His steel watch caused my grip to slip, but I caught his arm above it. Pulling his arm behind his back, I took him down to the carpet. I pressed my knee against his spine and ignored everyone else gasping around me. He groaned in pain as I leaned down to whisper against his ear, “Too bad I'm into that."
“You dirty b***h," he cursed and spit the words at me like poison.
I let the words process and marinate in my mind for a moment. My whole life had been filled with enough sassy nicknames to make me immune to them. A few of my favorites were wench, slut, w***e, and b***h. They were never wrong when they granted me them, whether they came out in a fit of rage or pleasure. I adored them all and kept them displayed on a shelf within my mind, gathering dust until someone took one off to throw at me again.
What would they sound like coming out of Adriano's mouth, though? Would he call me them while he pinned me beneath him? My mind ran wild with the thought of him above me with his fingers wrapped around my throat, calling me his w***e before yanking me down to hungrily capture my mouth with his.
“Dragon, back up." I could hear Adriano trying to reason with the guy who had his knife to the other man's throat. “We came here to talk, not fight."
Huffing, I jammed my knee into the guy's back harder, making him groan loud enough to grab Adriano's attention. His dark gaze locked onto me, taking in the way I had this man, who was two times my size, pinned beneath me. Adriano licked his lips and slowly peered up and down my body. Shifting to straddle the man beneath me, I winked at Adriano, since he apparently liked what he saw.
The atmosphere thickened between us as his lashes lowered and his eyebrows narrowed. Words spilled from his lips like dark honey in a deep-rooted command, making me shiver. “Let up, honey."
Parting my lips for a moment at his order, I wanted to hear more. It was a weakness of mine, something that made my knees buckle and my heart soar. His voice took control of the situation and the room and sent my pulse racing into my ears. I had always gravitated toward dominant men, especially those who walked on the rough side. Men who knew how to handle someone like me.
Adriano sauntered over toward me with one of his hands in a pocket of his pants. My gaze never left his, as he bent over to ghost his fingers beneath my chin. With a swift movement, he tilted my head up and searched my eyes. “You going to listen like a good girl, or am I going to have to ask you again?"
Smirking at him, I let the words slip from my lips like smooth velvet. “You would like that, wouldn't you, 'Sir'?"
“You have no idea what I like." His words rumbled in his chest for a moment, as he tilted his head slightly to one side.
“Are you sure about that, 'Mister'?" I enticed him by glancing between his intoxicating lips and the dark pools of his eyes. He stared at me like I could be useful to him, and I scowled at him, “Don't even think about it."
Adriano softly chuckled and pulled away from me, making me want to beg for his touch again. His fingers were so gentle and soft, contrasting his rough exterior. Closing my eyes, I let his cologne linger a bit more before it dissipated. His scent was f*****g addicting: honey, cinnamon, smoke, bourbon, and sin.
He towered over me. “You have a real knack for invading my privacy."
I peered up at him with big doe eyes, lowering my lashes, feigning innocence. “I can't help that I'm a curious kitten."
Adriano rolled his eyes and set his jaw. Watching the subtle movement of his bottom lip with each shift in his jaw, I knew I had him. I dug beneath his skin, wedged myself there, and carved my initials. Something about it fueled my confidence. How far could I push him?
Giving the man beneath me one last hard shove, I stood up and walked towards Adriano with swaying hips. Advancing one step toward him, he took two back. We danced until his back hit the back of the red pleather booth. Pressing my body against his, I ran my gaze down to his crimson tie. My hand trembled with anticipation while I reached up to run my fingers along the silk material. His attention locked onto me rather than anyone else in the room as I wrapped his tie around my fist and yanked him down to my level.
His midnight-hued eyes locked with mine, and I smirked at him before letting the same words spill from my lips in a sultry tone. “Are you going to listen like a good boy, or do I have to ask you again?"
A growl emanated from his chest as he peered down at me with an interested gaze. I could feel his hard c**k flex against my hip, and I knew I had his undivided attention. Reaching up onto my toes, I ran my other hand down his muscular pecs and abs to caress his hardened length through the thin material of his pants and whispered against his ear, “You can't resist me, can you?"
He brought his soft lips to my pulse point and parted them to bite my neck, making me gasp in pleasure at the slight ache. His hips rolled as he ground against my hand with need. Moaning against his ear, I peered over his shoulder to catch the guy in tan's attention.
“Tease," Adriano growled against my skin. He bit down harder and sucked to leave behind a mark, ripping my attention from the other man. “Eyes on me."
Pulling away and staring into his eyes, I noticed his lashes lowered with arousal. He gripped my chin, and his lips hovered over mine. His warm breath feathered along my lips, and I longed to kiss him.
Fluttering my lashes, I opened my eyes and whispered, “You wouldn't be the first asshole to call me that."
“I figured." Adriano touched my hands and pried them from his tie and d**k before throwing them aside. “I have work to do."
Crossing my arms, I watched him walk behind the guy in the tan suit. His gaze locked with mine as he pulled out his black Glock and suddenly c****d and pressed it against the guy's temple.
“Oh shit." Slamming my hands over my mouth at the shocking sight, the words spilled from my lips.
After the initial shock wore off, I relaxed again.
“I'm done playing around. Tell me why you called me here today." Adriano pressed the barrel of the gun harder against the man's temple. “Talk."
“Alright, alright, Tony 'Anaconda' is after you," the man spilled with ease.
“Is he called that because he has a big d**k or something?" I laughed because I couldn't think of why else a man would be nicknamed something like that.
Adriano smirked and peered at me with a crazed expression, removing his gun for a moment to swirl it around, “It's more because he's known for having a small dick."
Bursting out laughing harder, I realized it was the polar opposite. I had been joking, but something about it being the opposite made me die laughing. Who nicknamed someone that if they were the complete opposite?
“Will you shut up and listen!" The guy scowled. “Tony is looking to fight over the docks because he wants them to ship out his art pieces."
“I'm not looking to negotiate." Adriano jammed his cold gun against the man's temple again.
“Too bad, he's called upon you. You can at least give him the courtesy to listen to the poor bastard." The guy stared across from himself, unable to look at Adriano like he wanted by how his head twitched. He wanted to peer up or over his shoulders to look him in the eye, but Adriano wasn't letting him.
What the hell was happening around me? I had only heard about shady events happening at docks in action movies, and even then, I didn't think that was something that happened in real life. It all sounded insane to me.
The guy, who I learned was named Dragon, punched the guy in the nose. The loud crack of his bones breaking made me cringe and shiver. Adrenaline suddenly pumped through my veins from the impact of it. He looked at me with a swollen eye and a bleeding nose. The skin around his eye and across the bridge of his nose quickly turned a deep purple.
Licking his lips he stared at me for a moment before words fell from his mouth I never thought I would hear from a guy like him. “Hey, aren't you Vin's little girl?"
Hearing my dad's name on an asshole's lips made me pause for a moment. How would he know my father? He wasn't a regular at the Viper Bar. He wasn't even someone I had seen around there.
Everyone in the room's eyes was on me: accusing me, judging me, and making me feel heavily watched. Waiting to see what I would say and hanging on me like weights pulling me down into the Earth.
Who was he?
Why would he know who I was?
Why did I give a f**k?
I didn't. I didn't care.
Rearing back my fist, I punched him in the side of his jaw and knocked him out cold. Why did I care if they judged my ass? I didn't owe them anything. The pain in my knuckles from the impact only fueled my adrenaline and made me crave more.
Aksara