I expected him to throw me down and fuck me, leave me locked up, subject my body to the craziest tortures until I gave all three psychopaths what they wanted .

But the bomb he dropped on me that morning was worse than anything I could've imagined .

I trailed him limply to my room, slow and blasted like a zombie, my brain melting in my head .

The 'truth' he'd told me about the bombing at Club Duce defied everything I thought I knew. It was sick, wrong, insane – and just terrible enough to be true .

No, I wasn't ready to give in and believe him yet. But if I totally doubted what he'd said, I wouldn't have spent the evening cramped up in bed, feeling my stomach twisting in bows .

I used the intercom to hail the servants after a couple of hours. Thank God they actually came, an old woman with a thick accent carrying a silver tray. Toast, a carafe of mineral water, and lots of Pepto Bismol .

I was sick right down to my soul. I didn't know what to believe, didn't know where I was, didn't know what I'd really left behind anymore .

Uncle Gioulio always scared me when I was growing up. His personal thugs were always around at dinners and birthdays, menacing as well trained wolves .

Once, he took me out to get a prom dress, a strangely touching attempt to make me feel better about the fact that no boy had the balls to ask me out. When we came out of the shop, he opened his trunk and I saw the black bags inside .

“Fucking shit. Can't believe I forgot to unload my lamb from the butcher,” he'd said with a grin .

I couldn't unsee the very mangled, but human shapes beneath the plastic. A man's limbs, torso, and head, clearly dismembered, folded neatly into the trunk and forgotten. The faint stink of rotting flesh didn't lie either .

He rushed me home and then waited with the servants while his men came to deal with it .

He was a brute, a killer, and seriously intimidating .

Still, he took me under his wing after papa died. He protected me, even when he wasn't around, sending steady checks and fleshing out the already sizable accounts I'd inherited. I lived like a spoiled brat during my teens and put the richest sorority girls at college to shame .

Good old Uncle Gioulio was always there for Christmas or New Year's, my last real blood relative. Even when he had two drunk, slutty bombshells half his age draped around his neck, he brushed them off for a couple hours to have a glass of limoncello or good wine with me .

Now, I wondered if those bombshells were just well paid whores with a taste for older men, or well trained slaves ready to suck his cock because they had a well concealed gun to their heads .

Later, I got up and took a nice, long bath. I had to hand it to Anton – this little prison he'd chosen had all the amenities I was used to, and maybe a few that were even nicer than the condos and suites I'd grown up in. The hug jacuzzi in the adjoining bathroom helped work out the creases in my skin .

But it didn't stop me from cursing my captor and all the Ivankovs at least a dozen times in the space of two hours. Yes, he'd rattled me, but he hadn't broken me .

I didn't know what kinda help he wanted either – probably something to do with handing me a knife to gut my own family. I wasn't going to do that. I promised myself I wouldn't do a damned thing until I had absolute proof he wasn't bullshitting me. Even then, I wasn't about to commit to helping him .

I had to know. A bland, but filling dinner laid out by the old servant helped calm my nerves. Tea, bread, and some kind of broth. I fell asleep quicker than I expected, saving my energy for tomorrow, when I expected to lay into him .

The dreams came, harsher and more fragmented than before. Bastard .

Bastard. Brute. Demon .

He'd abused me with cruel knowledge and captivity as much as seduction. My psyche let me know that night how messed up I really was. I still wanted him in all his awful glory .

My virgin pussy burned, clenched, and ached in my sleep. I rolled over, wrapping my wrists around the sheets, imagining how good it would feel to shove my fingernails through his hair. He'd made me come so hard with just his hands .

Jesus, what would his mouth or that huge ridge I'd felt between his legs do ?

Would his tattoos come alive and dance on his skin when he held me down, pushed inside me, and fucked me until I shook and whimpered? Would I lose myself in the dark ink or his Neptune blue eyes first ?

One way or another, I knew he wouldn't hold out forever. He would take me, whether I was ready for it or not, whether I wanted it or not – and, of course, I did. I could only choose how I was going to come up for air after he held me down, filled me, drowned me in his scent and strength and sex .

A rap on the door woke me up late morning. I yanked down my nightgown, shamed awake by the sopping wet heat between my legs .

I threw my legs over the bed and waited, sliding my cold feet into the burgundy slippers they'd given me. Another bang .

“Coming! Just hold on .”

I had exactly twenty seconds to collect all my wits. When I flung open the door and saw him, I was ready to demand answers. I'd give it to him point blank, tell him I wasn't just going to be his wind up toy, marching in whatever direction he sent me .

“Anton, I –“

I threw open the door and stopped. The thick, blue eyed devil named Lev was standing there, a smile spreading across his lips. Before I could think about stopping him, he pushed his way in and shoved a small black box into my hands .

“Gift from Anton. My brother's very busy today, and he won't be by personally.” He stopped, one hand on the wall. His sleeve rose just enough to see he had black stripes of his own going up one arm .

“I see you've settled in much more nicely today” His eyes moved up and down my body, making my skin crawl. “Hm. Perhaps I regret thinking about putting you down after all. Has he fucked you yet, or is there still room for an Ivankov to lay first claim ?”

He started coming towards me. I dropped the box, ready to lunge, scratch at his eyes. He was almost as big and strong as Anton, and my odds against him weren't any better. But he caused me to feel repulsed in a way Anton didn't .

When he was just a couple inches away, I threw my hand out and raked his face. He fell back, stunned. He exhaled painfully through clenched teeth, and I saw the neat red rows I'd left on one cheek, quickly covered by his searching fingers .

“Bitch! I should throw you down and fuck your little ass for that.” I didn't move. My knees were like steel, running on fear and hate .

“Go ahead and try,” I spat .

He stood up, circling me at a distance, the same mischievous sparkle in his baby blues that I recognized in Anton. “You're a fighter. I like that. I respect it. You would've gotten off easy with me. I'm the more tender one, or so the ladies say. My brother's going to fuck you sooner or later, you know .”

“Yeah? Not you?” It felt good to taunt him, dangerous as it was .

He growled, shook his head, and widened the distance between us. It looked like he couldn't decide whether to make good on his crude threat or get the hell away from me. I swallowed hard, praying he'd finally leave me alone .

“I like rough and hard to get like any red blooded man. But I'm not about to ruin Anton's little prize before he gets a crack at it. We're brothers, after all. What's his is his. I was just having my fun .”

I stuck my tongue out. So risky to keep pressing him, but he was backing off. I couldn't resist. I'd officially had it up to here with these intrusions, all the sadistic extras that came with being Anton Ivankov's hostage .

“Stay here like a naughty devotchka then. Anton always liked them beautiful and completely at his mercy.” I watched him fish a silky red handkerchief out of his pocket and press it to the scratch I'd left on his cheek, soaking up the blood. “You're very lucky he's got big plans for you, babe. If it was up to me and Daniel, you'd be dead. We can't see the sense in sparing any Ligiotti .”

He pointed at the box and turned. Then he threw the door open and slammed it behind him, leaving me to collapse, grabbing my knees, listening to the lock click shut behind him .

When I'd caught my breath, I crawled to the black box. It opened easily enough. There was something rectangular and electronic inside, a brand new tablet. Except it wasn't packaged like anything I'd ever seen before .

I dragged it out of its container and found a little note taped to the back. The big, sharp script could only belong to Anton, a penmanship as imposing as the rest of him .

You've got a lot of questions, and I'll be back to answer them soon. Until then, do your own research. Find out everything you can. Don't take my word for it. And don't you fucking think about calling for help – it's read only. Nothing gets past this house's encryption. – A. Ivankov

I shrugged and complied. It wasn't like I had anything better to do, and how the hell could I help it when he'd dropped such a juicy invitation in front of me ?

I sat on the bed with the little device, wondering if the encryption was really as tight as he'd claimed .

Yup. Email, apps, and all the chat sites I knew were off limits. The browser wouldn't let me move through the web fluidly. There seemed to be a list of bookmarks, and nothing else .

The first page I pulled up was an old profile on a fetish site. The face belonged to Michael Wilkins, the investment banker killed in the attack. I recognized his smug face from the obituaries I'd read for my piece .

I only browsed a few lines of his interests. It was enough .

Not a fucking game...real pain...I like to leave permanent marks .

Another page opened up a large PDF. It was an account statement from a dead city councilman with monstrous amounts marked gratuity for the Club Duce. The last transaction was just an hour or two before the bombing, about what you'd expect a multi-millionaire to tip for exceptional service .

On and on the evidence ran .

Sick profiles. Financials he'd gotten by some black magic. A carefully suppressed draft of a story that was never published in a major paper about one of the dead businessmen breaking his wife's jaw when she confronted him about his depraved affairs. The reporter's boss was on the dead man's payroll .

Over and over, I saw GIOULIO LIGIOTTI in big letters whenever the owning party was named for Club Duce. Anton left it there, as if to shove it in my face, constant reminders saying, you see this shit, babe? You see who's responsible? Fucking look !

Oh, I did. I saw it all .

I took the longest, harshest look I could until my eyes wouldn't work anymore and my fingers went numb on the little device. Then I picked it up, stood on the bed, and hurled it through the opening in the curtain .

The thing went flying towards the vanity and smashed with a clatter like fireworks. I collapsed, clawing at my face, sick to death and shaking .

I was beyond fucked. Only, I didn't know who to blame. I didn't know whether I should hate my own dirty blood or the bastard who'd made me think my Uncle was the filthiest man on earth. Maybe both .

The truth wasn't necessarily any clearer. There were a million ways he could've doctored everything on the screen .

The man seized me, and he was holding me prisoner right now, after all. How far would he really go to get his way, to get me to help him destroy the only man who'd ever offered me his protective hand ?

I was still wondering when I crashed, exhausted, stuffing my face in the pillow to dry my hot tears .

At some point, I must've fallen asleep. Next thing I heard was the door swinging open. I sat up in the darkness. Didn't need to make out the dark silhouette near the entrance to know who it was .

A piece of busted plastic from the tablet crunched under one of his shoes. He stopped, ground his foot into the tile, and whistled .

I glared as he looked at me through the dimness, folding his arms. “Fucking shit, babe. I knew you'd get upset when I confronted you with what was on that thing...never knew you were the smashing type .”

“I wish I'd saved it for later. I'd have held it and waited until you came in .”

God, it would've felt so fucking good to belt him in his stupid handsome face with that thing .

A smile pulled at his lips. An instant later, he was on me like a wolf, pinning me to the bed with ease .

“I'm gonna let you up, and you're gonna get dressed. We got shit to talk about. But not here. I'm not comfortable keeping you cooped up in this room forever .”

Something about the icy, commanding tone in his voice tasted extra bitter. I narrowed my eyes, pouring heat through his dark blue gaze .

“No .”

One of his eyebrows twitched. “Don't fucking make me stuff you into a dress. I'll do it with my own bare hands if I have to. It's been a rough few days. That's why I'm gonna go easy on your sweet ass. Work with me. Don't make the rest of your week hell, babe .”

“I don't care anymore. It's not like I have a choice. I never did .”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” He growled .

“I don't believe a word of what I saw on that tablet. Did you really think I'd buy it when I couldn't connect to the web on my own? How was I supposed to fact check anything ?”

“I was doing you a goddamned favor.” More thunder in his voice. “I laid it all out. You wouldn't have found shit anywhere that wasn't already in those documents .”

His muscles tightened around me. His hands had slid behind my back. It took all my energy not to flinch, not to let the heat smoldering beneath my skin reach an inferno .

Bastard! Even when I wanted to hate him, bite him, kick and scratch, being this close activated more primal instincts that weren't ruled by sane emotions .

“I don't need anything from you. I'm done with this. Let me go or kill me .”

He took a good, long look at me. His eyes were glowing like the devilishly powerful, sexy predator he was. He scared me, but the current running through my nerves was far more fearsome .

If this was my fate, a prisoner to this insane attraction, I hoped he'd put me out of my misery .

“Get. Dressed.” This time, his growl was barely human .

It almost made me move. Almost. But I held my ground, planted my hands on his chest, and pushed against him .

Resistance. It taunted him, and he responded .

In a flash, he flipped me over and ripped at my gown. I yelped when I heard the thin fabric tearing in his hands. Then he was pulling at me as one shredded strap fell across my shoulder, lifting me up into his arms .

I thrashed and yelled, trying to fight him, but he held on. He pulled me over to the huge closet and pushed me inside. I caught myself against one of the large mirrors just as he kicked the door shut .

He turned his back to me, rifling through the outfits overhead. I watched him stop on a sleek red cocktail dress. He spun, threw it at me, and I somehow caught it in my flailing arms .

“Put that fucking thing on and come out when you're done.” The second my mouth popped open, he closed the two steps between us and pushed his hand over my lips. “Think real, real carefully, babe. If the next answer outta your sweet mouth isn't 'okay' or 'yes, sir,' then I'm gonna dress you up myself. Don't fucking make me, Sabrina. I'm gonna get a good, long view of you naked real soon, but I don't want it like this. I don't wanna ruin my surprise .”

His hand tightened over my mouth, and then it was gone. I fell backwards, holding the dress out in front of me, shielding the bare shoulder he'd revealed by tearing at my gown. Any inch of me exposed to this bastard was too much, too vulnerable .

“Go,” I said softly. “I'll do it .”

He nodded, satisfied, and stepped out, closing the door behind him more gently than I expected .

What else was there to do but listen? If he was really taking me outside this room, maybe there'd be another chance to calculate my flimsy odds of escape. Assuming he wasn't dragging me out into the thick woods I'd seen through the window to shoot me, of course .

I didn't think so. He wouldn't be dressing me for that. By some sick miracle, he still needed me. Probably the only reason he put up with my crap .

Not that I cared. I wasn't going to stop flinging it his way. If I couldn't get away from him, then I'd make his life as miserable as I could .

The dress was weirdly calming against my skin. It was quality fabric, something familiar, the sort of thing I was used to wearing out on my girls' nights back in college .

The lights were on in the bedroom when I stepped out. Anton was waiting .

“Fucking shit,” he said, moving his eyes up my body, admiring me from head to toe. “Follow me .”

We took a different direction in the hall, heading for what seemed like the house's west wing. He took a fork to a staircase leading up, banishing my hopes of an easy escape path on the ground. I kept my legs moving, up the long stairway with three different landings .

A narrower floor waited up top. He opened the first door and pulled me in after him when I took the last step .

It was another bedroom – but not quite like anything I'd seen before .

All the luxurious trappings were there: a bed, fine stained dressers, a dark blue rug. The window and the walls were completely encased in glass like it was some kinda sun room or observatory .

He motioned to a small silver telescope in the corner. “I like to come here to think and gaze at the stars. Not that we'll be doing much of that tonight. I picked this room because being under the night sky has a way of settling my brain the fuck down .”

I looked up. He wasn't kidding .

My jaw dropped. I'd spent so much time in Chicago with its light pollution that I wasn't used to a country sky. Stars, galaxies, and a fat harvest moon hung above us like bright ornaments, so breathtaking I forgot I was here as a prisoner, not a guest. The heady illusion lasted about five seconds .

“Take a good long look,” he said. “It's fucking beautiful up here at night .”

When my captivity came back, it was twice as bitter. I pursed my lips and looked at him. “You can't control how I think or feel. I'm smarter than you give me credit for .”

“You really think I believe you're a fucking bimbo, babe?” Anton snorted. “I know a thing or two about the blood that's in your veins. Even if I believed you were a spoiled little bitch, totally ignorant about everything your family's done, no fucking way would I call you stupid or gullible. Your clan's always been cunning. Smart. Sophisticated in a way us Russian bastards aren't .”

I rolled my eyes. Was this really supposed to be flattering ?

Big mistake. The instant the eye roll was over, Anton was on me, grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me into him. I squirmed for a few molten seconds in his arms, and then settled, surrendering to the huge, hot, heavily tattooed chest hiding beneath his button shirt .

“I showed you the shit on that tablet because I want to earn your trust the honest way. I can't force you to do shit if every part of you wants to sabotage me. I want you to want the same shit I do, babe. I want it pumping in your own heart because it's meant to, not because some other bastard's bullying you. I want you on my side. Right down to the second we shovel your asshole uncle into his grave .”

That did it. The dreamy heat swirling through me broke apart in his icy eyes. I tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip, holding me so I couldn't .

“I don't trust you, Anton. I don't trust anything here, anything you've said. I don't think I ever will .”

“Sit down with me.” Without giving me a choice, he pulled me towards a little table with two chairs next to the starry sky .

I sat and instantly gave him another glare. I hated what he was doing to me with every touch. I felt so empty without his fingers on my skin, and I didn't understand why, couldn't understand anything except that it was so wrong .

“Tell me about the night your old man died .”

I blinked in surprise. Another manipulation. Has to be. He wants me to talk about something upsetting so he can come swooping in like the big, bad hero .

I promised myself I wouldn't crack. I wouldn't flinch about it either. I stiffened my heels on the floor and leaned forward .

“What? You haven't read up on it yourself ?”

“Of course I have,” he snapped. “You see the kinda shit we Ivankovs dig into to confirm our own intel. It was all there on the fucking tablet. Documents and second hand stories never compare to the shit you see first hand. It can't capture what raw emotion can. It can't tell me what you saw with your own two eyes. Tell me what you remember .”

Five years melted before my eyes. I took a deep breath, remembering that night, when I walked in on my dead father at our condo. It was worse than when mama died because at least I'd never seen her broken, crumpled up body on the street .

No matter how many years passed, every time the memory came flooding back, it hurt .

“He was slumped on the sofa. I'd been out late with a couple friends when I came home,” I said quietly. “Papa was a mess since my mother died, but it was getting really bad that winter. Uncle Gioulio came by the week before it happened. They were arguing so loud I heard it from my room upstairs. I think he slapped my father around, trying to knock some sense into him – anything he could do short of forcing him into rehab ...”

Anton's face tightened when I mentioned my uncle. “Go on .”

“He was already cold when I rushed over and touched him. I knew he was dead the second my fingertips brushed his cold brow. Didn't want to believe it, of course. I was only seventeen. I don't care if I was basically a grown woman by that point. It's never easy becoming an orphan at any age .”

Slow, thick heartbeats pulsed blood through my ears. Anton's eyes were darker, calmer, almost understanding. Both his parents were dead too .

Great. I caught myself. The last thing I wanted was any understanding, any common link with this man, but there it was .

He reached across the table and grasped my hand. Of course, my skin melted all over again, and I leaned back in the chair and sighed, letting him draw the sadness away with his touch .

“You've gotta give me more. Was there anything coming out of his mouth? Did he vomit ?”

What the fuck? I jerked my hand away, wrinkling my nose .

“Why do you care? He ODed just like I told you. I'm not an expert on what happens to junkies when they...yeah, I think there was some foam. Lots of blood dried around his nostrils, his lips...a few splashes hit his white shirt and stained it red. It was awful. I got the hell away from him as soon as I could and called Uncle Gioulio. He was there right away. He helped me through the whole thing .”

Ouch. No matter how hard I tried to keep a lid on the pain, it started overflowing. I broke the death gaze with Anton and looked out the window, staring over the high trees into the stars .

“Blood?” He paused, waiting for me. “You'd better look at me right now, babe, because you just confirmed it's as fucked up as I thought .”

I did, right as he reached for my hand. This time, there was no pulling away. His grip was so tight. Anton stood and circled his way over, scooping me up into his arms as I fought tears .

“What're you talking about? How could you know anything about papa's death ?”

“I know junkie's don't die spewing blood like that. They don't bruise black around the eyes neither .”

“His eyes? They were open when I found him. There weren't any circles, nothing noticeably broken or bruised ...”

Anton walked me over to the little nightstand. I watched him pull open the drawer and fish out a manila folder. He held me, eased me onto the bed to sit, while I opened it .

“Autopsy report. Only fucking copy of that record without a buncha shit blacked out and redacted in the official record. Your Uncle did a helluva job pulling his strings and hiding the proof in the official shit. Guess he didn't know everything about your family runs through mine first .”

I opened it and rifled through the pages. They were old, crisp, like they'd sat in a musty vault for a long time .

If this was another elaborate fabrication, he'd done an incredible job .

Anton pushed his hands over mine, planted his fingers on the pages, and opened to the one he wanted. His finger stabbed down on a long line – some medical term. “Says right here they found poison in his system. There's another tucked back here that says the syringe at the crime scene was half full. Your old man didn't even shoot himself up with a full dose of that fucking trash he was hooked to. He didn't kill himself on bad coke – somebody else gave him this shit I can't pronounce .”

For a minute, I was frozen. He held me, taking my whole fucking world into his hands, all while everything I knew before splintered and fractured into pieces .

I was too stunned to cry. Too sick to choke. Too furious to know who the hell my anger should be pointed at. I tried to jerk away, but he wouldn't let me .

The folder dropped from my shaking hands and the pages went spilling across the floor. “Anton, I can't –“

“You don't fucking have to. You can look at that shit tomorrow. There's no rush .”

Asshole. I shook my head, more vigorously when one of his hands began sliding up my thigh. He knew how to press buttons I didn't understand .

No way was I coming unraveled like this. Not here. Not now .

“Whatever. I still don't trust you.” I hissed it through my teeth .

“I don't need you to, babe. I just need you to listen to what I'm saying and cooperate. You want to work with me, Sabrina. Stop acting like you don't.” His chest shook as he took a deep, long breath. “Fuck. You can keep spitting nothing but lies and doubts outta those lips. But your body doesn't lie. There's no bullshit here. Just want. Need . ”

His fingers pinched my bare thigh, higher than I thought he'd climbed, dangerously close to my panties. Tremors shot through me. The starry void behind me opened up and came through the glass, circled my head, drowned my senses in its glowing lights .

When I sucked in oxygen and tried to steady myself, I smelled him. It was all Anton Ivankov, that evilly masculine scent singeing my nostrils, leaving me pleading for more .

His hand wasn't stopping. His fingers slipped up, brushed my stomach, and then dove down the waistband to my panties. There was no stopping him from feeling how ruined I was, how soaked he'd made me without even knowing it .

“Tonight's the night, babe. You fucking know it, and so do I.” He rubbed lower, spreading his fingers in my folds, holding his fingers apart so near my clit. I started shaking all over again. “I'm gonna lay you down and fuck you. That'll clear both our heads. That'll wreck walls. And if it doesn't, tough shit, because I don't think all the brick in the world could hold my dick back from your pussy right now .”

“Anton ...”

Stop. But please don't stop .

I'm dying. Losing my mind. Drowning in my own slick pool of fire .

What the hell's happening to me? Really ?

My mind wouldn't work. The questions and sensations were coming so fast. He must've sensed the unease crawling through my skin because the next thing I felt was his stubble. It brushed my cheek as he pulled away from my ear, dragging his hot breath across my face, centering himself just right .

His kiss came before I could say another word .

I wondered if I'd ever speak again. Our lips locked in a fury, captured a black energy burning through my skin, straight down to my bones. Muscles clenched so hard deep inside me my entire body rocked .

My ass jerked through the red dress, unintentionally grinding against him, hitting the sweet spot raging between his legs. His next kiss came a whole lot harder, barely breaking for air. He smothered me, caught my lower lip between his teeth, and ripped me open for his tongue .

He was in me. One part of him, at least, and it was only a fraction as intense as it would be to have him inside me somewhere else .

The same tongue that barked endless filth and orders at me for the first week wasn't any less commanding on my flesh. He swirled laps around my tongue, caught it, and led it in a hypnotic dance. He sucked the air right out of my lungs in one long, hungry, panty wetting kiss .

Jesus. I wondered if I still had anything on underneath the dress at all when he finally let me rest .

His eyes glowed brighter than the stars, drawing me into the maelstrom. He kept looking at me while his hands circled my ass, pinched it tight, and pulled me harder against his dick .

“Fuck, babe. You know what's happening here?” Another push. Another jerk of my hips .

My clit throbbed so hard it hurt . I would've given anything for a good pair of shears. And no, I wouldn't even jam them into his throat like I should – I'd use them to tear off the clothes between us .

“No, Anton.” My voice sounded so distant, smothered in the ocean of lust. “I don't understand. You're scaring me .”

He let out a low, deep laugh. “Good. Because I'm a little afraid of how you're gonna be after I throw you down and fuck you. It's okay to be scared shitless. You think you're scared now? You'd pass right out in my arms if you knew the kinda shit rampaging through my skull since that first talk we had at the prison .”

My hand was shaking. I couldn't stand being held like this any longer without touching him. I ran my uneasy fingernails down his chest, following the buttons, feeling his heat underneath the fabric .

Holy shit. I could practically sense his heartbeat, banging away like pure bass behind his ribs .

“Fear doesn't matter here. I know that. I'm ready. I can take you .”

Was I out of my fucking mind? Had I really said it? The surprised, challenged look on his face said I had .

Shit .

He took a longer, sharper breath before he said anything. “I'll leave you screaming and sore, baby girl. Shit, I'll make you feel me for the next fucking week, inside and out, every time you move. Your little cunt'll burn, and you'll still want more. The bruises I'll leave on your ass and suck around your tits will remind you that you'll never fuck like the old Sabrina again .”

“Like there's anything there to ruin and change. You'll be the first to show me anything .”

My face heated, burned fiercer than I expected when the words left my mouth. Time froze. Anton looked at me like I'd just told him I was seeing pink elephants .

“What?” His hand clapped over my mouth before I could say anything else .

“We're done talking, babe. If you're telling me you're a virgin...” He closed his eyes. “Fuck! You realize there's no turning back now, right? I could've tied my dick down and walked away if you started to whimper your regrets. Now? No fucking way. I'm not walking outta here 'til you're thoroughly fucked and dripping come down your legs. You're not leaving this bed anything less than a beautiful fucking woman .”

The tremors were crawling through both of us now. He spun me around, threw me down, flattened me on the bed. His huge bulk hung over me, and he smashed my legs around his torso, then zipped one hand up between my thighs .

I listened to him inhale sharply when he found the wetness there. He grabbed my panties and pulled, jerked them all the way off. I barely lost my heels on the floor in time to feel them skip along my ankles .

“Fuck,” he growled again. “Hope you're ready to suck and fuck, 'cause there's no stopping it. Hope you remembered to take that pill too. If you didn't, tough shit. We'd be fucking tonight on a bed of angry cobras before I'd think about stopping. Nothing'll stop me from shooting up inside that sweet little cunt – not even if some fuck busts in here and puts a gun to my head. Nothing, Sabrina, do you hear me ?”

I heard him, all right, but the raging fire in my pussy was the only thing reaching my brain now. He ground his hips into me, forcing my dress up my belly, rocking his swollen erection into the bare slit he'd exposed .

I saw it. This was how I was going to die: heat stroke, underneath this brutal animal who'd taken me prisoner, this man I should've been fighting with everything I had instead of melting all over him in a position that was way past compromised .

“Nothing!” He growled it again, pumping more rough friction against my pussy .

My thighs shook, involuntarily trying to close against the shock. Anton felt one ripple and took them in both hands, spreading me apart. He dropped lower, sucking one breast through my dress and bra on his way down .

It happened like lightning. When I opened my eyes and tried to breathe, his face was between my legs, rough stubble skating up my tender inner thighs. The kisses he'd leveled against my lips, my tongue, my neck were all turned on my drenched center .

Anton held me down. He had to when his tongue started flicking my pussy over and over again, a relentless motion filled with such gusto it would've shamed a man dying of thirst. He licked me, sucked me, fucked me with his mouth, cursing more dirty words I couldn't quite make out while I gurgled up above .

No orgasm ever came like this. I thought I'd lost a piece of myself when he forced me to come with his hands, but now my soul was being shredded with every merciless lick .

I couldn't help myself. I pushed against his face, locked my thighs around his face. He seemed to enjoy it, grabbing the outer edges and pushing both legs harder against his head. He worked like a madman, growling as he fucked me with his tongue, never losing a single precious second to come up for air .

Nothing! The last thing he said echoed in my head. Rampant in every lick. Absolutely fucking nothing .

Whatever doubts and fears I had were banished by his tongue and the forceful fingers pressed into my skin. His raw fury turned me to stone, throttling more pleasure through my body .

Anton found my clit, pulled it into his mouth. He held it gently between his teeth, a prisoner for his quaking tongue, gliding over its overloaded surface .

Nothing, nothing, nothing !

I had nothing left to hold back. Fire erupted from my core and spread through my body in one long awesome blooming sensation. My pussy jerked, and he increased his suction. I ruptured, felt like I was coming undone from the bottom up, creaming myself through the racing fire .

“Anton!” I shrieked, clawing at the sheets overhead, anchoring myself to the bed so I didn't jump right through the ceiling .

It was the last thing I said before climax took over. Then there was nothing but that choppy, insatiable fire licking me all over, especially my tender nipples and everything below my waist. His tongue was all over me, tingling through my sweat, mirrored on my skin when he was really still fused to my pussy .

My eyes rolled back and I surrendered. There was no way left to resist, nothing left to do but lay and let the tide carry me away .

Ecstasy carried me far from the mansion, away to some distant, hot corner of the universe before I slammed back into my own body. I regained consciousness with my face turned to the side, staring at the stars. When I turned my head, he was over me, bowed up between my legs. Anton's fingers pulled at the straps on my dress .

“What happened?” I whispered. As if the nascent tingle in my body didn't tell the story my brain couldn't process .

“You came your fucking brains out, babe. You came beautiful. I'd eat that sweet cunt all day and make you scream with just my tongue. But I gotta do something to shut my dick up now. I need to be inside you .”

Holy, holy shit. The way his voice rumbled like an avalanche when he said the last part left no doubt about what was happening .

He was going to split me open and take my virginity. And I wasn't even going to regret it .

At last, it was happening. I would've preferred a few dates, some good food and wine before he took me like this. So I'd told myself for years. I never imagined I'd be offering myself to a criminal who wasn't really giving me a choice, but there it was .

He wasn't asking. And I wasn't saying no .

He'd picked me up, lit me on fire, and scorched away every shred of my resistance. I hated him when he was ordering me around, keeping me prisoner – but I didn't despise a single thing about him when his tongue smothered my tender flesh .

Did that make us both equally fucked up lovers in this...this...whatever the hell this freaky thing was ?

The shuffle of his clothes interrupted my racing thoughts. My dress was already gone, tugged off my body sometime when I was deep in my own head .

He shed his shirt with superhuman speed. He yanked off his shoes and then his trousers, losing them on the floor, snapping the boxers down his muscular legs next .

A huge red bird adorned his chest. It was dark like blood, a shade brighter than the stripes and wild patterns running up his arms, flying down his back. Everything inked to this man looked like it was meant to fly, lift him right off the ground and carry him out the window into the silvery night .

I reached out, brushing the huge predator with my hand. “Is this an eagle ?”

Anton smiled. “Firebird. You've heard of it, right?” I hadn't .

“This motherfucker's legend,” he said, bowing out his chest so I could get a better look. “Every feather it sheds is a blessing or a curse, guaranteed to smother everything it touches in flames. The firebird gets to the true heart of people and things. My nana always used to tell me the myths. Guess it stuck after all these years .”

Fitting. And way more thoughtful than anything I wanted to give him credit for. Maybe Anton wasn't just a hard headed thug after all .

Not that his bare, muscular body wanted me to think anything different. He flexed, pushed his hands together, lowering his face. I followed his stare and gasped when I saw what he had between his legs .

His dick was huge . I mean, I'd seen big men with large packages on modeling sites before – some of them just as sinister looking and inked up as him. But what he had waiting for me, throbbing between his cedar sized thighs ...

I closed my eyes and swallowed. Would it even fit inside me? If average guys were like five inches, then this was twice that, maybe more .

He shifted, stepped forward, rubbing it against my belly, giving his hips a good pump to make me feel how thick and long and hard he was. I shuddered. It might tear me to hell, but damn if I didn't want to try to ride it, push it all the way to my womb .

I did a double take when the dim moonlight caught a flash of something metal on his cock. There was something like a small bullet, a stud attached to his tip .

“What's the matter, babe? Every chick I've ever fucked loves what she sees. Don't tell me you're scared of a pierced dick?” He grinned. “I get it. This is your first. You're nervous. Don't be. Stuff that shit down and meet the only dick you're ever gonna have filling your holes. I'm gonna rock your fucking world so hard you'll never think about what another man feels like. Just me. Only me. You're mine, Sabrina .”

Our eyes met. His glacial blue seas were on fire .

Bastard. I'd never stop saying it, thinking it, feeling it. He was always so confident, even when we were both naked. Would he wipe that murderous smug off his face when he finally came ?

My pussy ached at the thought. I wondered if he'd really burn me from the inside out when he unloaded. Jesus, then there was the birth control. I'd been taking the pill through all this, just like he'd asked, but I seriously wondered if it would do a damned thing to stop him from getting me pregnant .

“I just need a second,” I whispered, fighting a stupid smile twisting my lips. “This is crazy. It's all happening like –“

“Just like it's meant to, babe. I knew we'd be fucking the moment I saw you. Just didn't know I'd want it this bad .”

He pushed his hips against me and grunted. Up and down, up and down, his dick glided over my skin in a wide arc, slathering him in the cream I couldn't stop oozing. It made the next jerks smoother, but I still jumped in his arms when he brushed over my clit .

“You're so damned responsive,” he said. “Maybe I should hold you down. Make you jerk me off with just your squirming when I'm balls deep inside you .”

“Yes!” I hissed, a needy sound so sharp I barely recognized it as my own .

He must've decided the time for talk and teasing was over. Suddenly, he swept lower, manhandling my breasts, pulling the nipples taut between his fingers for his mouth. He sucked one for a good long while and then moved to the next, all while I buckled underneath him, keeping my sanity by brushing my sleek legs against his .

He was growing warmer by the second. When I ran my hands up his spine, it was like touching volcanic rock, something rough and hot the earth had heaved up, chiseled to freak perfection in the mantle .

“Please!” I whimpered when he pulled away from my nipple, now sucked to sweet softness. “I need this, Anton. I want it bad .”

There. He had my confession. Now, I wanted him to push between my legs and take all twenty-two years I'd lived as a stupid virgin in my family's shadow away .

He read my mind. Next thing I knew, the hardness between my legs slipped lower. He raised his hips, pulling my legs tight to his hips, getting his dick in the perfect position .

Growling, he sank into me .

It was slow at first, gradual and just a little bit painful. Good thing my pussy was so damned wet, still dripping with the need he'd stirred. I buckled, jerked up, steeling myself to take every beautiful inch of him .

He grabbed me, helped me take him deep. My eyes were pinched shut tight when he was finally all the way in, pressing his swollen head somewhere near my womb .

“You good, babe?” He stopped, held himself there, and clasped my chin .

I opened my eyes and nodded. Even if I wasn't, there was no stopping the lunatic need churning in our veins, pulling us together, calling us to fuck at all costs .

“Good. 'cause now I'm gonna hammer this pussy to heaven. Hold on and let it all go. The more you come, the better it'll be .”

Like I had any choice .

I had to rough out the first few strokes when he pulled backwards and slammed into me, clinging to the mad desire while his thrusts stretched me to my limits. But every thrust kindled a little more fire, feeding the frenzy building in my core. Muscles sucked, clenched, and relaxed with his rhythm .

My pussy knew what it wanted, and it quickly adapted to get its greedy way .

Another climax hit me out of nowhere, so fast and unexpected it was almost blinding. It scorched away the rest of the pain and discomfort, leaving only ecstasy in its wake. And it was just one more wave of the long storm he carried through my body, howling into every nerve .

He was fucking me faster when I opened my eyes and stopped screaming .

My fingers ached from clawing at the sheets. I was surprised they were intact. My grip wasn't so good after coming on his dick, especially with the way he was pounding me into the bed .

Grunts spilled out of his mouth. He panted and fucked like the huge Russian animal he was. He shook so hard it looked like the firebird tattoo was flapping its wings, scattering its mythic fire, this time all over me .

What little sense of time and self I had left came apart on his thrusts. I came for the third time, breathless and hoarse, feeling his trim hair grinding on my clit. And he wasn't done fucking me .

He pulled out, flipped me over, holding me by the shoulders. He positioned me on all fours and took me like the mindless, desperate bitch-in-heat I'd become in that moment. Even the beautiful night sky above was nothing .

There was nothing, nothing, nothing except him and I, nothing except this pleasure, nothing except his incredible cock strumming inside me .

“Oh, shit. Shit. Motherfuck! I hope you're close to blowing again for me, babe, 'cause I'm gonna fill this pussy up,” he panted. “I'm gonna make you remember my dick throbbing inside you all damned day. You want me to come hard, don't you ?”

I nodded. He reached up, fisted my hair, and gave it another good shake .

“Really? I can't fucking hear you. Listen, if you're not screaming, I'll just fuck you straight through the next hour. You wanna rest? You better work for it. Make me come by brains out. Beg for my fucking seed .”

That was when my hips took on a life of their own. I clenched him with my aching muscles so hard my vision blurred. I wanted to milk his dick dry. I wanted to make him break .

I wanted him to lose this demonic control he'd had over me from the moment we'd met – if only for a few glorious seconds .

I bucked wild onto his full, pierced length, meeting his thrusts as hard as I could. Of course, it only quickened the latest climax, the explosions that seemed like they'd never stop as long as he was inside me. That little bead sitting on his tip scratched me in places no woman could resist, and I was no exception .

My body tensed and I screamed, pushing my hair into his fingers. He nearly ripped it out when his fist tightened .

“Shit! Fuck!” He took another deep breath and threw his hips forward so hard he impaled me on the bed. “Sabrina !”

Hearing my name on his orgasmic lips did it. I came so hard I nearly tore in two, rocking against his dick, losing my mind as he unloaded pure fire into me. I felt it shoot to my womb, fill me, and then flow out of me, spilling out around us .

So much fire. So much of his essence. So fucking much .

Feeling him let loose satisfied me at a level I could barely comprehend. We rocked and came together for what felt like half the night. When my muscles stopped pulsing and I could finally breathe again, I crashed flat, sliding off his dick and feeling lava leaking out of me, running down my thighs .

“God damn it. Fuck...just fuck, babe.” It took him a full minute to collect his breath. “For a virgin girl, you fuck like you were built for it .”

The bed wobbled one more time as he rolled, falling down next to me hard .

We didn't rest for long .

I curled up against his chest, loving his heat, his closeness. My nerves vibrated, confused and alive with heat and a pleasant sleepiness that wouldn't drag me under until he was ready to let me go .

Before I said anything, Anton pushed his hand between my legs. He found my clit in the slick lubrication we'd both left behind. His fingers pinched it, and then they started to fuck me for the second time, reaching up inside me and stroking me just right .

“Anton, it's too soon,” I whimpered. “I don't think I can –“

“Shut it. We're fucking 'til I'm good and spent. I got at least four more rounds before that happens. So do you, Sabrina. When you realize you can keep coming your brains out if I make you, then we can rest .”

His mouth smothered mine before I could protest. More kisses. More fire .

His fingers quickened, rubbing me faster, deeper, and infinitely right. I pushed my thighs together and bucked against his hand, taken to the precipice. When he abruptly pulled away, my face contorted, reminding me of all the conflicting emotions I still had for this man .

But we weren't in this bed beneath the stars to think. Anton spread my legs apart and mounted me a second later, pushing hard and deep, using his dick where his fingers left off .

I came so fast. It would've been embarrassing if it didn't feel so fucking good .

Clenching around his cock just encouraged him to go full throttle. I gushed and thrashed and came on his pistoning erection, loving the way his heavy balls slapped my ass. Anton fisted my hair and brushed his stubble on my cheek, stamping rampant kisses down my neck, focused on my throat .

He fucked me until I thought I'd faint. The stars seemed to move across the sky above and behind him, swallowing up the bed, the house, and this whole ridiculous situation .

Everything was devoured except me, him, and the beautiful silvery void around us .

My fingernails raked hard down his back. The sensation must've struck a nerve because he started to fuck faster still, riding like an animal in heat .

He pulled out, lifted a leg, and got behind me. His huge tattooed muscle held me down while he entered me from the side. My legs flopped like loose scissor blades as he thrust deeper, guiding that metal stud across my velvet like a precision missile .

Dizzying in his strength. Coarse in his whispers. Brutally masculine .

He fucked me like he owned me, and in bed, he finally did .

I reached for the pillows and tangled them in my hands just as the brimstone in my belly went off. Anton jerked my hair so hard I thought he'd tear a clump out, ramming his cock inside me again and again .

He threw his head back and bellowed. “Fuck, fuck, fuck! I'm filling this fucking pussy, babe. Filling you up the way you were meant to be filled. Filling you with the only dick that's ever gonna own this beautiful tight cunt .”

His free hand pinched my thigh, holding me open for him, squeezing deep into my tender flesh. The heady mix of pain and pleasure collided and went nova. The stars became fireworks all over again, smeared across my vision, blinded by silver pleasure .

Tempo. Sweat. Spice. Fire .

All my senses fired on maximum as he drove deep and emptied himself inside me. My pussy instantly came when it took his come, pulsing and burning so fierce it shook every inch of me, threatened to collapse me into his world forever .

Everything became a total blur after that. I think he fucked me a couple more times, holding me by the hair on all fours, pulling it and slapping my ass to keep me conscious whenever my body tried to shut down .

He rocketed my body right to the stars and hauled me back to earth, always pressing his mouth to my ear when he wasn't kissing or biting or tormenting my nipples with his wicked tongue .

“I fuck deep enough to feel your pulse, babe. Don't ever forget it. I'll take your heart. I'll take your soul. I'll take your body. And I'll never, ever wanna let go. Don't get any fucked up ideas, Sabrina. You're bound to me by flesh and blood and sex. Especially the fucking.” He sucked in a hot breath. “You're goddamned delectable, and I'm fucking insatiable. I'll never get tired of shooting off in this hot little cunt. Do you hear me, babe? No? Then I'll drill it in loud and clear 'til it echoes in your body forever .”

I'd never been so...so drained by the time it was over. And I mean that in every sense of the word .

I remember him pulling me into his arms and finally listening to his drumming heartbeat guiding me to sleep. We both slept like the dead .

He rose before me, escaped the bed, and left nothing behind. When I got up, he was gone. It was early morning, and a cold one too. I reached for the sheet and pulled it around me, missing his warmth .

As I slid my hand over the empty impression his body left on the bed, I marveled at how quickly I'd fallen. The old Sabrina Ligiotti was hanging by a thread, about to slip into – what, exactly ?

His control? Forever ?

His presence was awesome. The sex was amazing. But I wasn't ready to submit and serve him on nothing more than powerful suggestions he'd made about my family .

I thought about Uncle Gioulio. If I gave in and let the Ivankov brothers have their way – or, God forbid, helped them – my only close flesh and blood would die a horrible death. The Russians wouldn't make it quick and easy .

Whatever I still had to learn about this world, I understood that much. I also knew my Uncle would burn for what he was being accused of. If he'd actually done it, he deserved to .

The proof hadn't sunk in yet because it wasn't total. I needed more than Anton's imposing speeches and a tightly controlled computer to show me what the hell was going on. It wasn't like I could just come out and ask either .

If this was an elaborate trick or an exaggeration to get me on his side, then the answers would always be twisted one way or another. More questions wouldn't tell me anything .

Escape wasn't any less appealing than it was the day before. And maybe it was one step closer now that I'd had an unforgettable romp with Anton. If this night meant as much to him as it did to me, the trust between us had grown .

Maybe I was stupid and naive. I wanted to believe he needed my help to do the right thing, even if it was making moves that would twist my heart in tourniquets. But I couldn't know until I lied to him and got my freedom .

I wasn't sold on anything yet. It was my job to make him believe I was. I'd say anything and everything to make him trust me, set me free, send me back to where I came from .

If I could return to the outside world, I'd be able to confront my uncle and all this insane history face-to-face, without anything suspect in the way .

Bowing my head in the early morning light, I licked my lips and tasted him. It felt so good when he was owning my body last night. Still, I'd never let him have everything else until I was sure he deserved it .

Things had taken a truly crazy turn, and now there was nothing left to do but follow the crooked path. It wasn't about old blood feuds and wars between mobsters anymore .

It was about him and I .

If the fiery gravity I felt here on the bed was real, more than just mind blowing sex, then I had to get to the truth. That's what they always say sets a person free, right ?

Too bad they never tell you it's bipolar, a split revelation with the power to enslave, liberate, or destroy. Much like the firebird branded on Anton's body. I was ready to discover what it would do here, even when every possibility offered death or triumph .