I frown when I look around. My condo isn’t exactly the way I would want it to receive a guest. However, there’s nothing that I can do about that right now. I only have thirty minutes until he’s here, or should I say before he comes back.

He stayed all night last night, and this morning was, dare I say, the best morning I’ve ever had in my entire life. I wasn’t expecting him again so soon. I’m glad that I’ve at least showered, but my house isn’t perfect.

Wearing nothing but a short, floral silk robe, I quickly straighten my bed. Then I hurry to the kitchen and put my breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. I am rinsing out a glass in the sink when I feel a hand wrap around my waist. I jump from the touch and drop the glass.

“Vanna, A rùnsearc, it’s only me,” Aidan chuckles behind me.

I place my hand on my heart for a moment, then turn the water off before turning around in his arms. He braces his hands on the sink at my hips and tilts his chin down, his blue eyes staring straight into mine.

“I didn’t hear you come in,” I breathe.

His lips form a smirk, then he lowers his head slightly and brushes them against my own. I let out a sigh as his tongue gently caresses the seam of my mouth. Parting, I open for him, and I’m rewarded when his tongue slips inside of me.

One of his hands leaves its place on the counter and tugs on the sash of my robe. It opens, exposing just the center of my body. His warm hand presses against my belly and I can’t help the shiver that rolls through me.

Without so much as a word, he leans down slightly, wrapping his fingers around my upper thighs and picks me up. I place my hands on his shoulders for stability as he turns around and deposits my ass onto the kitchen island countertop.

“Is everything okay?” I ask him. His blue eyes look me over and his hands slip my robe free from my arms. I watch as he gathers it in his hand and tosses it to the floor.

“It will be once I’m buried inside of you,” he states.

I watch as he unbuckles his suit pants, dropping them and his underwear to the floor. He doesn’t attempt to take off his shirt as he wraps his hand around his hard, thick cock and guides it toward my center. I lean back on my elbows, inhaling deeply as he pushes inside of me.

I’m not wet enough for him to ease in without resistance. I suck in a breath, feeling my center burn a little as he stretches me. I still ache from the rough sex we had a few nights ago, and not being wet enough right now would normally be uncomfortable, but right now it’s almost intolerable.

“Fuck, you feel good, Vanna. You always feel good,” he rasps.

He gently slips from me before sliding back inside and I gasp. Aidan wraps his fingers around the inside of my thighs and spreads me farther apart. I can feel myself getting wetter with each stroke of his cock. Letting my head fall back, I moan. Aidan’s lips wrap around my nipple and his teeth lightly graze the hardened bud before he bites down and sucks.

“So good,” he groans against my breast.

I arch closer to him, enjoying the way his mouth feels on my skin. In fact, his mouth feels good anywhere it touches. I can feel his lips turn into a smile as he kisses over to my other breast. He sucks as much of my breast into his mouth as he can and bites down. My thighs shake, my body shakes, and it takes every single part of me to keep my elbows from dropping out from beneath me and falling onto the countertop.

A sob rips through me as Aidan’s hips move faster, and his thrusts become harder, his pelvis grinding against my clit on every single down stroke. His teeth sink farther into the skin at my breast and I arch closer, enjoying the sweet pain he’s delivering to me. It’s almost too much, and yet at the same time, it’s not quite enough.

His fingers at my thighs grip me harder, just as he lifts his head from my breasts and his eyes survey my body. “You’ll be bruised,” he growls, his gaze connected to my tits. I can feel them bounce with each slam of his hips.

“Good,” I moan. “Give me more, Aidan,” I demand. I’ve never demanded, not ever. Most clients that like that sort of thing request a Domme, of which I am not.

Aidan doesn’t falter at my request. He gives me more. His hard thrusts turning punishing, and his head dips to take my breast back into his mouth. I feel the first wave of my climax hit as soon as his teeth clamp down around my breast. Arching, my eyes slide closed as my thighs begin to shake. I feel my pussy pulse around him, attempting to keep his dick from leaving me.

He rips his mouth from my breast and begins to chant, “Fuck, fuck, Vanna, shit.” His cock grows and then twitches inside of me as he plants himself deep and stills. I relax my elbows, gently lying my back against the countertop, and let out a sigh as I attempt to even my breathing while he slowly eases in and out of me.

“I had a tough morning,” he grunts, releasing my thighs and leaning over me.

My eyes flutter open and I look into his handsome face. He was only away from me for a few hours, and I missed him. Reaching up I cup his cheek, feeling his stubble beneath my hand. “I’m sorry, Caro,” I whisper.

He leans against my touch for a brief moment and I feel my heart burst with happiness. I’m falling for him, completely and totally falling for him. He turns his head and places a sweet kiss on the palm of my hand, which sends electric currents throughout my entire body.

“You make it better,” he murmurs against my palm.

Slowly, he eases out of me, and I watch as he tugs his pants up, adjusting himself, and his suit before he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. Sitting up, I watch as his thumb works against his screen, he frowns slightly and then he closes it down and shoves it back in his pocket again.

“I don’t know when I’ll see you again,” he states, looking and sounding distracted.

Reaching for his tie, I tug him closer to me. I let my lips graze the underside of his jaw, ignoring his cum that’s leaking out of me and onto the counter. I’ll disinfect the entire kitchen after he’s gone. Right now, it’s not what’s important.

“You’ll see me when you’ll see me. I’ll be waiting,” I smile, trailing my lips down his neck, stopping just at the collar of his shirt.

He lifts his hand, burying it in the back of my hair, then tugging my head back. His blue eyes look directly into mine, but I can’t read his expression at all. I have zero idea what he’s thinking, or what he’s going to say. His eyes search mine for a beat and then he turns and walks out of the kitchen. Without a word, I hear the door slam closed and the deadbolt lock into place.

I sit in my spot, unmoving, and stare at the path he used to walk away from me. Something settles deep in my belly, something ugly and twisted, something full of dread. He’s gone and I’m not sure if, or when, he’ll be back.

Leaving Giovanna hurts far more than it should. Seeing her spread out on that counter, her tits marked from my teeth, her body loose and sated from my cock. Something snapped inside of me. I cannot have her. Fucking her, marking her, giving her an endearment.

I’m making a big fucking mistake.

My brothers think they are giving me sound advice when they say to take a chance with her, but they don’t know the truth. They don’t know what she is. Timofei’s words about her being a fallen princess ring in my head again, but I shake them off. It doesn’t matter what else she is, first and foremost, she’s a fucking hooker.

Driving back to the bar, I decide that I can no longer accept this distraction that is Giovanna. I need to focus on the trouble within my crews, and also on my children. What I don’t need to focus on is getting my dick wet day in and day out.

Once I’m parked in front of the bar, I grab my phone and pull up Moriz’s number. “Mr. O’Neil,” he murmurs.

Clearing my throat, I speak, and with every single word my stomach twists more and more. “I’ve decided to end my relations with Ms. Giovanna. I have the condo key, where would you like me to deliver it?”

“Was she unsatisfactory, sir? If you wouldn’t mind telling me what exactly you would like, I can find a better match for you,” he offers.

My stomach doesn’t just twist, it drops. Giovanna being unsatisfactory, never. She took everything I gave her, even when I hurt her, and never once complained. Today, she actually demanded more. She’s perfect, in every way that a woman could be perfect, that is Giovanna.

“It isn’t her, Moriz. It’s me. The arrangement is just not going to work out.”

He hums but doesn’t say anything else. “Keep the key, sir. I’ll have to change the locks when I move Ms. Giovanna out of the condo, anyway,” he announces.

“Move her?” I bark, far too loudly.

He coughs once before he speaks. “Yes, sir. She was kept there for your benefit. Seeing how you no longer desire her, she’ll be moved into the brothel with the other women. Have a good day. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need something,” he says, hurrying off the phone.

The call ends and I let my phone fall through my fingers onto my lap.

Staring out through my windshield, I wonder what exactly have I done?

There was something final about the way he walked out of my condo this afternoon. I felt it deep in my gut. I haven’t heard from him since, so it looks like yet again, my gut is right. I knew he was nothing but a client, and I would only end up hurt. I thought that I had more time, though. I’ve only spent mere hours with the man, and know next to nothing about him, and yet, it hurts to think that he won’t be back.

It’s for the best—a lie I tell myself. A lie I’ve told myself my entire life.

My phone rings and I jump, reaching for it. Unfortunately, it isn’t Aidan. It’s another man who so does enjoy hurting me, and often. Sliding my thumb across the screen, I answer the call, knowing that if I don’t, destruction will follow.

“Hello, Mr. Rossi,” I whisper, greeting my father.

I decide to place the call on speakerphone, not wishing to hold it too close to my ear, not wishing to keep him too close to me. A silly thing, I know, but when dealing with Antonio Rossi, it is an important thing not to let him too close.

He grunts. “Things are going well? The Russians are giving you the right clients?” he asks. I close my eyes, thinking of Aidan, then I shake my head.

“Yes, everything is good,” I lie.

He hums. “I have a special client who has taken it very hard that you’ve left us. You remember Mr. Blackburn, don’t you?” he asks, his voice soothing.

His words make me shiver. I do remember Mr. Blackburn. He is a politician, married, handsome, and an asshole. A man who dehumanizes for kicks, and since he certainly can’t do that to his wife, he enjoyed doing it to me. I hate him.

“Have you talked to Moriz?” I ask.

My father clucks his tongue. “Moriz would want a cut, Giovanna. This is a favor to a friend,” he explains in his soothing tone.

I think about what he’s asking. This isn’t a favor to a friend, as much as it’s a favor to a politician. He wants something from Blackburn, and he knows that if he keeps him happy, he’ll get whatever it is that he wants. Moriz would want money, or at least a favor for Timofei, too. Blackburn probably wouldn’t agree to have two favors owed, not for just a night with me.

“I don’t think…” I begin.

My father’s patience snaps. “You are not supposed to think. You are supposed to spread your legs. It doesn’t matter who it is for, Giovanna. You are a whore, nothing more, nothing less.”

I press my lips together, grabbing ahold of the kitchen counter, gripping it with all of my strength. Opening my mouth, I start to say okay when I feel something behind me. My phone is plucked from the counter and I spin around with my mouth hanging open.

“Excuse me, and who is this?” Aidan asks.

I reach for the phone shaking my head. Holy fuck. My father is going to have him killed, and me killed, everybody will be dead. A complete bloodbath.

I hear my father’s rumble of a laugh, and I know it’s bad. He only laughs when he’s pissed off or killing someone. “I am Antonio Rossi, boy. Who are you and why do you have my daughter’s phone?” he asks.

Aidan’s eyes snap to mine and I watch as something akin to shock passes over them. I am shocked, too. Never has my father admitted aloud that I am indeed his daughter.

“I am Aidan O’Neil,” he states.

It’s my turn to look shocked. I stumble backward, my lower back slamming against the counter. A counter that was covered in Aidan’s cum just a few hours ago. A counter that has now been disinfected. Aidan reaches out, wrapping his hand around my wrist and none too gently, tugs me forward. I fall against his chest, bracing my palms on him for support.

Aidan O’Neil, the head of the O’Neil family. No wonder Moriz said I was to only be his. He’s as important to the Irish as my father is to the Italians.

Holy fuck.

I press my lips together in an attempt to stay quiet. I don’t know a lot about any of the different organizations, but I’m knowledgeable enough to learn who the key players are.

I’ve been with a few of my father’s top men before, and Madam Carmella always taught me to learn my clients. So, I learned about them, and anybody else I came into contact with. Including a few Russians throughout the years, and some Irish as well. Although, I had never had an Irish mob member in my bed, but that didn’t mean that I hadn’t seen a few walking the halls of the brothel I grew up in.

“And you are with Giovanna, because?” my father asks, breaking me of my train of thought.

Aidan chuckles, it sounds humorless. “She was given to me, Rossi,” he states, sounding cocky as shit.

“Given?” my father hisses.

Aidan snorts. “Given to me by Timofei Vetrov, a gift of sorts.”

“Had I known that Timofei was going to just give my whores away, I would have never made such a deal with him. You’ll buy her just like anybody else,” he shouts.

“Take that up with Vetrov,” Aidan snaps, then ends the call.

I stand in complete silence, shocked still. Aidan takes his own phone out and I watch as he punches a few buttons, bringing it up to his ear. “Call me, Vetrov. Call me before you accept a call from Rossi,” he barks.

“Aidan?” I ask.

He dips his chin, his blue eyes focused on me and nowhere else. They look intense, bright, and cold all at the same time.

“Pack your fuckin’ bags, Vanna,” he barks.