Chapter Fourteen

Madelyn

 

A little thrill of excitement shot up through Madelyn’s chest as she stepped out of the shower. Her day had been jampacked with meetings with Morber and Barnard, phone conversations with witnesses and other attorneys, and she had barely been able to squeeze in time for a little bit of lunch. While she had considered continuing her work once she got home, she knew that her brain was about fried. She had quickly changed into a tank top, yoga pants, and sneakers, strapped her iPod on, and gone for a run.

 

While she had hoped it would clear her mind, Madelyn hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Enzo. She’d tried to tell herself that it was because this was such a big case and she was getting so much pressure from the senior partners, but as she’d zigzagged down the jogging path in the park she knew she wasn’t thinking about paperwork and meetings.

 

Instead, she had remembered the way Enzo put his hands on her body, the way he had played right along when Madelyn had reached for his fly, and the way he had eagerly taken over and taken her from behind, finding a way to make sex work even in the awkward space they had been afforded in the limo. She needed him again, and badly, but it would have to wait.

 

Or, maybe it wouldn’t. She whisked on her makeup, got dressed, and blow-dried her hair, smiling to herself as she thought about that spontaneous phone call from Enzo. He claimed he wanted to talk about the case, but there was no reason that something like that would have to happen that night or at his house. But he had sounded insistent, almost dominant, and that made Madelyn think that this was, once again, not all business. Spritzing on her favorite perfume, she headed to the massive Marino mansion out on the edge of the city.

 

An older gentleman answered the door just as she raised her finger to ring the bell. “Please come with me, Ms. Rowe.”

 

Madelyn was impressed. The last time she’d been here, there hadn’t been anyone but Enzo. She had known he had staff; he had even mentioned it. But it was different, somehow, to actually see that he had a butler, and she was reminded all over again of what a force Enzo was.

 

The butler led her into the dining room just as Enzo entered from the other side. “Ah, good. Nancy has just finished setting things out for us.” He gestured toward a chair and pulled it out for her before turning to look at the butler. “Rupert, would you tell Nancy on your way out that she can go home as well? She’s already worked very hard on this meal, and I don’t want her to overtire herself.”

 

“As you wish, sir.”

 

“And tell her I promise I’ll rinse the dishes,” he called over his shoulder. Then he turned back to Madelyn. “Sorry about that. I would have made sure everything was done and ready to go before you arrived, but it was sort of a last-minute idea.”

 

Madelyn was endeared by his modest behavior. “It’s not a problem at all. And I appreciate the invitation. If it hadn’t been for this, I would have been eating one of those frozen diet meals that tastes like the cardboard it’s packaged in.” She glanced at the spread on the table. It wasn’t as fancy as it had been the last time she had eaten at Enzo’s house, but the roast duck, fresh salad, and homemade rolls looked simply divine.

 

Enzo shot her a concerned look as he poured them each a glass of wine. “You’re not in any financial trouble because of this case, are you? I’m sure I can arrange to get you some more money.”

 

“Oh no. It’s not a matter of that at all. It’s just that I’m usually too busy to do much cooking. My mom thinks it’s crazy that I don’t spend all evening in the kitchen, but it doesn’t make much sense for just one person who works late almost every night.” She enjoyed a good meal as much as anyone else, but the truth was that she had gotten used to frozen dinners. They were wonderful if for no other reason than they were quick. But as she dished out the salad, her mouth began to water.

 

“I’m sure I would be eating the same thing if I wasn’t fortunate enough to have Nancy around. Even Rupert is a better chef than I am, although I admit I haven’t given it a very fair try.” Enzo spread his napkin on his lap and accepted the serving bowl from Madelyn.

 

“So, you said you wanted to discuss the case. On the phone, it sounded like something that couldn’t wait.” She smiled, expecting him to explain that he had lied a little, that it wasn’t about the case at all and he simply wanted to see her.

 

But his face suddenly looked more serious, his mouth and eyebrows in hard lines across his beautiful face. “I do. And it’s very important. You see, I know you’re the lawyer and you’re the one who’s in charge of how everything goes down with this case.”

 

Madelyn slowly nodded, her stomach sinking down into her feet despite the array of amazing food on the table. “That’s mostly true. Mr. Morber and Mr. Barnard have been working with me as well. They’re also very concerned about how the trial will go, and they’re very determined to ensure you get a fair trial. That’s actually what I’ve spent the last couple of days doing, going over everything with them.” She’d stayed up half the night after her date with Enzo, trying to make sure that even the tiniest details were in order. It wasn’t like she hadn’t worked on the case, but once she had known she would be presenting everything to them, she hadn’t wanted to embarrass herself.

 

“And what do the fat cats in fancy suits think about it all?” Enzo asked quietly as he buttered a roll.

 

“To be honest with you, they don’t feel very positively about it.” She took a sip of wine, hoping it would help the sudden dryness in her mouth. “The evidence against you is compelling, and it’s not a good sign if even they can’t see a way around it.”

 

“Then why haven’t you called and told me that? It sounds like a pretty important thing.”

 

“Because I haven’t given up yet,” Madelyn insisted, irritated that he would act like such a child over this. Just because she hadn’t had the time to pick up the phone and give him a play-by-play of everything she had done over the last forty-eight hours didn’t mean she was leaving him out of anything. “I know I can find a way to make this work. Maybe we can arrange for some character witnesses who will step forward and explain what a great guy you are.”

 

Enzo waved his fork in the air and shook his head. “None of that will be necessary.”

 

“What do you mean?” Her heart thundered in her chest.

 

“I have things taken care of,” he explained simply. “Once I have it all in place, then we’ll need to reevaluate just how much evidence the city has against me.”

 

“Enzo …” She didn’t like the way this sounded. “You said you were going to work on a few things, but you’re scaring me.”

 

“You don’t have any reason to be scared. You’re not one of the witnesses.” He grinned and stabbed a bite of duck with his fork.

 

Her throat tightened as the tines sank into the soft meat, and her fingers clenched around her own fork. She couldn’t eat, not anymore. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath, trying to make sure she didn’t get too emotional over this. After all, she didn’t know exactly what he was talking about. “I think we should discuss this—in detail—so that I’m on the same page.”

 

He raised an eyebrow as he looked up at her. “Are you sure about that?”

 

Madelyn pulled in a deep breath. She had assured Enzo during their very first meeting that she was a strong woman, that the gruesome details of a murder case didn’t disturb her, that she could handle anything thrown her way. Now, she just had to remind herself that she was strong. She wouldn’t have come this far if she wasn’t. “Yes. I’m sure. I’m your attorney, and I won’t be any help to you if I don’t know what’s going on.”

 

“All right.” His voice was hard and quiet, like stones rubbing together. It made Madelyn’s stomach tighten like a drawstring. “My men and I have arranged it all so that I can’t possibly be implicated in the murder of George Lewis. That has involved a few hits, a few threats, and a few break-ins. Not only that,” he said, holding up his hand to stop her protestations before they could start, “but we’re also setting up Benny Scarvo to take the fall. You might have heard of him. He’s another mob boss, but one with fewer scruples than I have.”

 

“You want to talk about scruples?” she whispered. Madelyn was so angry, so scared, she didn’t quite know how to handle it or what to say. Her chest hurt, her head felt tight, and she thought she might pass out if she couldn’t catch her breath, but she had to be strong. No matter what Enzo made her feel—and there were a whole lot of emotions here—she would get through this. “How can you say anything like that when you’re murdering more people to cover up for a murder? Was it even true that you killed him because of the way he beat that woman?”

 

“Had him killed,” Enzo reminded her. “I never touched him myself.”

 

“You think that makes a difference at this point?”

 

“You seemed to think it was when I initially told you what happened.”

 

Enzo had her there, and she didn’t like it. She brushed her hand through the air as though she could make previous conversations go away. “Listen, this is illegal. You’re breaking so many laws I don’t even know if I can keep track of them all, and it’s just so you can get away with something else. That doesn’t make any sense to me, and it shouldn’t to you, either.”

 

He polished off his dinner as though they weren’t discussing just how much blood was being spilled in the city. “But it does, Madelyn. I don’t really expect you to understand. You’ve grown up with a cushy life, with what everyone would consider a normal family, and it’s given you opportunities that you’ve taken advantage of. Don’t look at me like that. I’m not saying you were spoiled. One look around this house shows just which one of us was really spoiled. But the point is that you didn’t grow up understanding the dark side of things, the underbelly of real life that keeps us all going. You didn’t know that Morber and Barnard had made a ton of money off of my family when you started working there. You didn’t think about the fact that it was ‘dirty’ money that helped them get that fancy office. You just accepted it, like most people do. This situation is no different. Just because you don’t know what happens behind the scenes doesn’t mean that it’s wrong.”

 

“Sometimes I don’t know why you hired an attorney at all. It seems you could argue your way out of anything.” She was so overwhelmed with it all. It didn’t help that she had allowed herself to develop feelings for this man, feelings that couldn’t just be ignored. It made her feel as though she might pass out, throw up, or just cry until dawn.

 

Of course, Enzo took her jab as a compliment. “I like to think I’m capable of much more than just shaking down local businesses for protection payments.”

 

Madelyn tossed her napkin on the table and scooted back her chair. “I’m not doing this, Enzo. I can’t. It would go against everything I’m supposed to stand for as an attorney.”

 

He stood slowly, towering over her. “You don’t have much choice.”

 

As she looked up at him, she was reminded all over again why she had been so attracted to him in the first place. That square jaw, lined with the darkest stubble she had ever seen, that broad body that could toss her around like she weighed nothing, and those deep eyes that made her understand just what he meant even when he hadn’t come right out and said it. He could easily have been giving her a hard glare to remind her of just what he was capable of doing if she didn’t cooperate, but the sable velvet of his eyes told her that he was concerned about her.

 

Still, she was determined not to give in. She stood up, consciously straightening her body and throwing her shoulders back so that she could at least pretend to be powerful. “But this is so wrong! There has to be some other way of making this all work. I believe in the justice system, and … and—”

 

“And your ability to manipulate it?” he challenged. “Look, Madelyn. I’m very serious. You don’t have a choice, or at least not much of one. What do you think is going to happen to you if I go to jail?”

 

She was shaking so badly now that even her veins were trembling. “I thought you said your family liked me; that they were happy with what I was doing?”

 

Enzo shrugged and put his hands on her waist, gently moving his thumbs in small circles. “Yes, but they’re not going to feel that way if they suddenly feel that you’ve failed me. Remember, Madelyn, that there’s very little I can do to protect you if I’m behind bars.”

 

Madelyn tried to swallow the hard lump forming in her throat. “I guess that’s true,” she choked out.

 

“It is, but it doesn’t have to be that way. I can protect you if you’re on my side. You’ll be safe with me.” He was a little closer now, the heat of his body radiating against her with a tempting warmth.

 

“Do you really think so?” She couldn’t stop thinking about the men she had met in the restaurant, Enzo’s cousins. They’d certainly seemed intimidating enough on their own, and now a rival mob boss was involved as well. This was turning into quite the tangled web, and she wasn’t sure she knew how to free herself.

 

Enzo’s arms were fully around her now, pulling her against him. “I do. If you’re mine, nobody will do anything against you. I can promise you that.”

 

As she tipped her head back to look at him, she felt her heart melt like ice against the inside of her ribs. “Yours?” she whispered.

 

“Mine.” He bent and kissed her.

 

Madelyn kissed him back, allowing all the emotions she had been tenuously holding back for all this time to come flooding forward. She splayed her fingers across his chest as their kiss deepened, their tongues lashing against each other. She had vowed that she would stay strong, but such pledges were easily undone when faced with the idea of being his. Madelyn had never thought she would want to belong to a man, but maybe that was only because she had never met one so powerful, so worth belonging to.

 

He bent her back against the dining table, continuing the kiss as he shoved the dishes aside with his arm. They clanked and clattered together, but neither Enzo or Madelyn cared. They didn’t need a meal, or to talk about the case, they only needed each other. His groin was hard against her as he pulled at the soft material of her blouse, expertly whisking it off of her and nuzzling his face into the roundness of her breasts.

 

Madelyn felt bolts of electricity shooting through her. What was it about this man that made every atom of her body come alive? She relished his touch, arching her back against him. She wanted him, every bit of him. “Maybe we should head to the bedroom?” she suggested.

 

“No.” His thick fingers were working at the clasp of her pants, and he had her naked with expert swiftness until she was wearing nothing but the sapphire bracelet. “I wasn’t done with my dinner yet.” Enzo’s kisses trailed down the smooth plane of her stomach, past her hips, and to the soft flesh between her legs. His tongue flicked over her softly, gently, teasingly, as his hands clutched at her hips and buttocks.

 

She gasped and then sighed, exhilarated at the way his hot tongue felt against her. It was so good, something that made the rest of the world go away, and she brought her hands up to her breasts as she bucked her hips against him, encouraging him.

 

He took the hint, plunging his tongue inside her. “You taste so good,” he moaned. “And you’re so wet.”

 

“All for you,” she replied, closing her eyes as her fingers played over her nipples. Madelyn wrapped her legs around behind his head, holding him gently in place.

 

Enzo moved back up to suck at her clit as one of his fingers slipped inside. It was soon joined by a second one, and that combined with what he was doing to her center of pleasure was almost too much to bear. “Oh my God, Enzo. You have no idea how good that feels.” She gasped again, on the verge of screaming.

 

“It’s okay. Nobody’s here. Get as loud as you want,” he dared her, stopping only long enough to say those few words before he pulled her back in his mouth again.

 

The heat and the wetness were amazing. Madelyn felt so dirty and so wanted, and she was loving every second of it. Her core began contracting, sending twitches down her legs and to her feet that she couldn’t quite control. “Enzo.”

 

“I want to hear you scream.” His strokes—both with his fingers and his tongue—became faster, determined to make her come.

 

She started to protest, but her body refused to let her. She tightened her grip with her legs, ensuring that his face stayed buried in her pussy as she moved her hips against him. Enzo gave out a moan of pleasure, one that sent vibrations through her that pushed her right over the edge. Madelyn let out a howl of desire that echoed through the vast dining room, her fists clenched in the table cloth underneath her. “Oh God! You’ve got to stop. I can’t take it anymore. I need you inside of me.”

 

Enzo pulled back and grinned. “Don’t worry. I planned to get there.”

 

He took off his pants, a job which Madelyn would have gladly done for him had Enzo not turned her entire body to jelly. Still, she admired his hard member and started to sit up. “Maybe you should let me return the favor.”

 

But Enzo pushed her back down on the table. “No, I was paying you back for what you did in the limo. It was my turn to make sure you got every ounce of satisfaction possible this time.” He rubbed the head of his cock against her, his hardness bathed in her juices as it moved against her clit.

 

Madelyn sighed again, looking at him coyly. “Don’t you think I enjoy sucking your dick?” It wasn’t the kind of thing she normally looked forward to, but it was different with Enzo. She would do anything for him, and maybe that even meant breaking the law.

 

He impaled her then, sinking his shaft slowly inside before he started moving his hips faster. “Then I’ll have to make sure you get another chance. But right now, I just want to be inside you, to have you all around me.” Enzo moved Madelyn’s hands away from her breasts and replaced them with his own. “You have a gorgeous body. I can’t get enough of it.” He bent forward to suck her nipple into his mouth, his hips still slamming against her.

 

She’d already come, but she was on the verge of yet another orgasm. That magic tongue of his, and the way his cock filled her up, were all she needed. Madelyn put her hands on his back and sank in her claws.

 

Enzo roared, but it was not a noise of rage. His hips moved rapidly, like a machine, and he came just as Madelyn’s core began its spasms once again. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the way they felt together, never wanting to let him go again.

 

Even done, Enzo hadn’t had his fill of her body. He remained inside her as he kissed and flicked her nipples. “I could just stay naked with you all day and all night,” he whispered.

 

Madelyn ran her fingers through his dark hair. “I know,” she agreed. As they lay together for a moment, she knew this was something she couldn’t pass up. Enzo had promised her that she would be safe, and if she did this for him, then he would be free to be with her as much as they wanted. So far, it hadn’t really mattered where they had sex, but she imagined that a conjugal visit wouldn’t be much fun.