I sat in the chair facing the desk with my legs crossed. The Beck Brothers were using my money to drill for oil in the east, and once rumors circulated that their venture was going south, I’d decided to take a visit.

Judging by the sweat on Connor’s brow, he thought he’d been clever enough to hide it from me.

No one hid shit from me. “You know why I’m here. You know what’s going to happen. So choose your words carefully—and don’t waste my time. I already took the afternoon off to fly here.” My men had hit the property hard, taking their positions like they were ready to go to war. Whenever I traveled anywhere, I had the kind of security a president envied.

Connor couldn’t touch me. He drummed his fingers against the desk as he stalled, trying to think of the right choice of words.

If he made the wrong move, I would kill him—right then and there. His brother would be next.

“We anticipated a lot more oil.”

Good. He wasn’t gonna waste my time feeding me bullshit. “That’s unfortunate. What are you going to do now?”

He kept drumming his fingers. “We have a few leads in the area. About fifty miles north.”

“And how credible is this lead?” I’d worn my three-piece black suit, and I missed my jeans and t-shirt. I missed doing work from the house because I could wear whatever I wanted—or nothing at all.

“Credible. But we won’t know until we look.”

“And when will that be?”

“Next week.”

I rose to my feet and slipped my hands into my pockets as I approached his desk. “We both know I don’t really care if you find oil or not. I only care about the five hundred million I loaned to you—with interest.”

Connor lowered his gaze, like a dog that had just chewed through my favorite pair of shoes.

“You know what will happen if that doesn’t come to pass.” I continued to stare at him, my eyes burning through his cheek. “You know what will happen not just to you and your brother, but your lovely wife Rose and your twin daughters.”

His eyes moved back to mine, the horror in his gaze. “My family—”

“Everything is collateral when you borrow from Cato Marino. I suggest you figure it out. Otherwise, I will butcher every member of your family.” I rapped the backs of my knuckles against his desk before I turned around. “Figure out how you’re going to get my money, Connor. Or start picking out coffins.”

When my plane landed, I got into the back seat of my car and was taken away from the airport. After the long day I’d had, there was only one place I wanted to go.

Siena.

We’d established a monogamous fling that was supposed to mean nothing, but my grip on her seemed to tighten. She said I didn’t own her like I owned everything else, and that was when I realized how much I hated that fact.

I did want to own her.

Ever since the beginning, her uniqueness caught my attention. Every time she pushed me away, I pulled tighter. My attraction turned to obsession. My obsession turned to possessiveness. Maybe this arrangement would burn out and my interest would die—but I’d never been this invested in a single woman in my life.

Maybe that meant something.

Bates called me. “What happened?”

“Connor was straight with me. Told me they’d found a promising spot for drilling. I’ll get an update in a few weeks.”

“You think he’ll make it happen? They’ve burned through half our money.”

I rested my elbow on the armrest while my hand kept the phone against my ear. I looked out the window and watched the sun disappear over the horizon. It was past eight in the evening, and nighttime had officially arrived. “I don’t know. But I told him what would happen if he didn’t.”

“Mention Rose and the girls?”

“Of course.” The second you took the money, you risked everyone you knew and loved. If the Marinos didn’t get their money, all hell would break loose. No one was immune to those rules. That was how we kept our clients in line. It was rare when someone took a risk they couldn’t gamble—and they always died in the same way. “I’ll send a coffin brochure just to get the message across.”

Bates turned quiet. Instead of hanging up, he let the silence linger. That meant he had more to say, but he didn’t know how to broach the subject.

“What is it?”

“Siena. Giovanni told me you slept over the other night.”

I kept tabs on people. I didn’t appreciate when people kept tabs on me, especially my brother. “Where I stick my dick is none of your concern. Mind your own fucking business, or I’ll burn my cigar on your cheek.”

Bates didn’t hesitate at the threat. “Did you tell her you know who she is?”

I didn’t see the point. She clearly had no interest in her family’s blood money. “Trust me, Bates. She wants nothing to do with that lifestyle. She despises money and power. She’s happy living in a little shack. She doesn’t want anything from me. She doesn’t even like me most of the time…”

“Then why is she still fucking you?”

I grinned. “Because I know how to fuck.” I thought about the way I’d left her that morning, powerless underneath me while I forced her to surrender. Watching a stubborn woman give in was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen.

“Has she ever asked you about what we do?”

“Not once.”

“Has she ever asked for anything too personal?”

“No, Bates. In fact, she’s told me how much she pities me. She knows I have all the money in the world, but she sees how bored and empty I am.” I’d never admitted it to her face, but the second she said those words, I knew they were true. I knew she understood me in a way no one else did. When we met, I wasn’t looking for a connection. But I inevitably found one. Maybe that was why I wanted her so much—because she really knew me.

“You’re just in a mood.”

“Moods comes and go. I’ve been this way for a long time.”

“Whatever. Don’t let this bitch think she knows you. She doesn’t.”

The muscles in my forearms immediately tightened in retaliation. I didn’t need to defend her honor, not when she was just a fling, but my reaction was so natural, it unnerved me. “Don’t call her that. I mean it.” I told her I would hurt anyone who hurt her. That applied to my brother as well.

He laughed into the phone, but it was a sad laugh. “Jesus fucking Christ, Cato. Please don’t tell me you’re falling for her game. You’re smarter than that. At least, I thought you were…”

I was surrounded by liars and manipulators. My life revolved around staying one step ahead at every turn. The beautiful thing about Siena was there were no games. She only wanted one thing from me, and she got it. The rest of our time was simple. It was easy. We had real conversations that had nothing to do with money or power. “Good night, Bates.”

“When the time comes, I won’t be a gentleman. I’ll be the asshole who said I told you so.”

She threw a fit when I didn’t knock last time, but since she was sexy when she was pissed, I did it again. I picked the lock and let myself inside.

She stood in the entryway, the gun hanging at her side. She was livid like last time. “What did we just talk about?”

I loved the way her green eyes burned as if they were on fire. Her lips pressed tightly together like she was trying not to scream at me. Her petite frame was a direct contradiction to her enormous presence. Everything about her was sexy, including the way she held the gun like she knew how to use it. Even the scar on her shoulder was a turn-on. “Fuck, you’re hot when you’re pissed.” I grabbed my tie and loosened it as I stepped inside.

“I warned you I would shoot you.”

I grabbed her arm and placed the barrel right against my sternum. “Then do it.”

She immediately lifted her finger off the trigger, scared she might accidentally pull it. She drew it back and set it on the table beside the door. “I’m serious, Cato. Stop just walking inside at night like that. You can have a key if you really want one.”

“You want to give me a key?” I asked, shocked that she’d offered.

“It’s better than having a heart attack every time you come to the door. At least I’ll know it’s you.”

I knew she wasn’t looking for a relationship, so there was only one other reason she would offer something like that. My eyes narrowed as I looked at her pretty face. “Baby, who bothers you?”

There was a quick reaction in her eyes, but it happened so fast, at the speed of a shooting star, I wasn’t sure if I really saw it or not. She crossed her arms over her chest then moved to the door so she could close it. “No one. I live out here alone and…what the hell is that?”

I turned around and looked out the open door. The only thing I saw was the car lights from my security team. They spread out everywhere around the property, keeping a one-mile perimeter so no one could come and go without their knowledge. “My guys. They’ll be there until I leave in the morning.”

She poked her head out and took a look around, seeing the faint lights from their phones and cars. “How many are there?”

“Fifty.”

“And they’ll just stay there the entire time?”

“Yes.” I didn’t go anywhere without them following me. I didn’t even pick up a cup of coffee without them trailing behind me. “You don’t need to be uncomfortable with them.”

“Ugh, there are fifty armed men around my property. That’s pretty scary.”

“They would never hurt you.”

“Still don’t like it.” She walked back into the house.

I followed her then shut the door behind me.

“Would it be easier if we just went to your place?” She grabbed the gun on the table and returned it to its hiding spot underneath the coffee table. “Because it’s pretty obvious you have an entire squad surrounding the property.”

It would be simpler if we went to my place, but there was something about her quaint place I liked. I liked the paintings she had on the walls, the atmosphere she created with her presence. It was small, barely big enough for a man my size to get comfortable, but I still liked it. “Don’t worry about it.” I pulled my tie from around my neck and tossed it on the couch. I moved to my vest and jacket next before I could finally reach my collared shirt underneath.

She watched me undress. “Had a big day?”

“Something like that.” I tossed my shirt on the couch and stood in my slacks.

She was in a tank top without a bra and little white shorts. Her makeup was gone, and her hair was in a ponytail. She didn’t look as hot as she did in a backless dress and heels, but seeing her like this was somehow sexier. She didn’t need any of that stuff to be totally fuckable.

What was sexier than that?

I undid my slacks then kicked off my shoes.

She watched me strip down to my boxers. “So, you’re just gonna get naked in my living room?”

“Do you want me not to get naked?”

She pressed her lips together tightly and didn’t answer. “I have some leftover dinner. Are you hungry?”

A woman had never offered anything to me before. Maybe I never gave them a chance, but this was a first-time experience. The only home-cooking I’d ever had was my mother’s. “I’m not hungry. But thank you.”

“Wine or anything?”

“No. I just want to go to bed.”

“Oh?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You just come by whenever you want and—”

As much as it turned me on to watch her get pissed, I wasn’t in the mood for talking. I’d spent the entire day on a plane, and all I wanted was pussy and a comfortable bed for fucking. My hands dug into her hair, and I silenced her mood with a kiss.

It worked. She kissed me back right away, falling for my soft lips and the purposeful way I embraced her. She liked to be in charge of her life, but the second we were together, she gave me the reins. She acted like she didn’t care, but she liked having a man in charge, a man authoritative enough to put her in her place.

And I liked having a woman to put in place.

I scooped her into my arms and carried her upstairs to her bedroom. Just thinking about how incredible her pussy was made my cock twitch in my boxers. I’d been thinking about it all day, thinking about the moment I could sink deep inside it.

I laid her on the bed and pulled off her shorts and panties. The second those were gone, I looked at her perfect pussy, those succulent lips and that delicious nub. My boxers hit the floor, and then I pressed my face in her cunt, kissing the area I missed so much. I didn’t go down on women because foreplay wasn’t important to me. But Siena’s pussy was just too intoxicating to ignore. I didn’t do it to make her feel good. I did it because I wanted to.

Her legs widened, and she moaned as she felt me suck her clit into my mouth. She writhed slightly, tilting her hips so her pussy could get farther inside me.

I loved the way she tasted, the way she smelled. I loved feeling the inside of her slit with my tongue. Two women used to bore me, but this single woman captured all my attention, and all the others were forgotten.

I moved up her body and pinned her knees back with my arms. Missionary was boring as hell, and I preferred having a woman on her stomach. Having a beautiful ass in my face was what I wanted most. But with Siena, I liked kissing her, staring at her tits, and watching every reaction she had to me. I liked shoving myself as deep as I could go and listening to her moan in response. “Miss me?” I sank deep inside her, my cock pushing through my saliva and her wetness as I descended. I couldn’t keep the moan out of my voice as I sank deeper, finally getting the pussy I’d been thinking about all day. I’d always been a passionate man who needed sex constantly, but she elevated me to a new level.

When my cock was completely inside her, she dug her fingers into my hair. “Yes…I missed you.” She breathed a deep sigh like it was her first breath of fresh air. Her fingers yanked on my strands, and her nails dug into my skull.

I’d conquered a woman who wasn’t easily conquered. I put her stubborn attitude in check and made her surrender to me. Last time I was with her, I established the dynamics of the relationship—and put her in her place. Now she was more responsive to me, becoming the subservient woman only a man like me could create. “I’ve been thinking about this cunt all day.” I thrust into her hard, rocking her with my momentum as I took control of her headboard. Men had been where I was before, but now I wanted to erase them, to make her think of me when she took on a new lover.

I’d never been excited to be with one woman, to stare out the window from the back seat of the car and fantasize about her. A man like me could have any kind of sex he wanted. I could have women in whips and chains with the snap of a finger. But all I wanted was this woman, this small but fierce woman. “I’ve been thinking about your cock since the moment you left.”

Her bedroom had a queen-size bed, a large window right behind it that extended into a nook, a master bathroom with one sink and a tub as part of the shower. It wasn’t luxurious by any means, but it was well-decorated and reflected her personality. There was a vase of flowers sitting on her vanity, a picture frame with a photo of her and her mother beside it. There were different colored blankets at the foot of the bed and paintings of the Italian landscape on the walls. The entire room was the size of my closet.

I woke up the following morning with her sound asleep beside me. Her arm was hooked around my waist, and her leg was tucked between my knees. She snuggled with me like I was her favorite stuffed animal.

Women slept over all the time, but they didn’t hang all over me like this. I needed my space, but with Siena, it never felt like she invaded too much of my domain. She seemed to fit beside me perfectly well, like a lock and key.

Her ponytail had come loose at some point, and now her hair spread across my chest. Dark like the wood of an oak tree, it was the most beautiful color. She had classic Italian features but with skin that was pale like a glass of milk. Some freckles dotted her cheeks and her shoulders, but the spots only added to her appeal. She was gorgeous but real. I watched her while I planned my day. I would head to the office in Florence and take care of business. Hopefully, I would be done before the late afternoon.

Siena was the only woman whose house I stayed at. I always had women come to my place because it was more convenient, but the second I visited Siena, I felt right at home. It was nice not to be waited on hand and foot by Giovanni, or to see armed men on my property on a regular basis. It was my home, but it was still a place of business. This house was a lot simpler. Made me forget about all the tedious aspects of my life.

When I couldn’t lie around any longer, I lightly shifted her away from me then got out of bed.

Her quiet sigh announced her annoyance. “Sneaking out?”

“Didn’t want to wake you.”

“You never mind waking me up.” She propped her head on her open palm and stared at me as the sheets were pulled over her chest.

“If I didn’t have somewhere to be, you know I would.” I went into her bathroom and brushed my teeth with her toothbrush before I put on the suit I’d arrived in. It was slightly wrinkled because I’d left it on the floor all night long, but I was too rich to care about my appearance.

I grabbed my watch from her vanity and slipped it over my wrist.

She stayed in bed, sleepy and sexy under the sheets. “I have to go to work too. But I could also stay here forever…” She pulled the sheets to her shoulder and closed her eyes. “It’s nice and warm because of you.”

I sat at the foot of the bed and pulled on my shoes. “That could save you money in the wintertime.”

“My heater is so old that it doesn’t really work. It’s impossible to get heat up here. I usually use the fireplace, but then I have to buy the firewood and then carry it up here… I’m pretty lazy.”

Sometimes I forgot what it was like not to have everything I needed at my fingertips. There was always someone there to fix my problems. “With me, you don’t need a fire.” Once my outfit was complete, I stood up.

She finally got out of bed and pulled on her purple robe. She ran her fingers through her hair and kept it out of her face as she came to my side. “I’ll walk you out.”

“That’s awfully polite of you. Normally, you don’t give a damn.” I slid my hands into my pockets as I looked down at her, seeing those plump lips that I spent all night kissing. She was gorgeous, so gorgeous it was actually painful to look at.

“I don’t.” She smiled at me, the playfulness reaching her eyes. “But I need coffee.” She turned away and walked out of the room, her bare feet hitting the hardwood floor lightly. Her hair shifted back and forth with her movements, the long strands reaching the middle of her back.

I stayed behind even when she was gone from sight, understanding just how transfixed I was by this incredible woman. It was lust combined with respect, and I’d never respected a woman before. I didn’t just like fucking her. I liked talking to her, I liked dropping all the bullshit and being myself. I didn’t have to be the coldhearted killer Cato Marino. With her, I could just be Cato.

I joined her downstairs and met her in the entryway. “Meet me for dinner tonight.”

“Aren’t you sick of me?” She crossed her arms over her chest while the corner of her mouth was raised in a smile.

I kept my hands in my pockets even though I wanted to grab her. I wanted to hold on to the back of her hair like a leash. Sometimes I wanted to be soft with her, but most of the time I wanted to be the dictator lover she’d turned me into. “Are you sick of me?”

Her smile slowly faded away, the seriousness entering her gaze. Something about my question struck her, chased away all the playfulness she had a moment ago. Her chest rose with the deep breath she took. “No…”

My fingers moved under her chin, and I lifted her mouth to mine. I planted a soft kiss there, an embrace that was gentler than any other. I kept my eyes open as I looked into hers, watching the emotion enter her gaze as the kiss continued. When I pulled away, it didn’t seem like she wanted the kiss to end. “Me neither.”