RUTHLESS KING

23 RUINED

Luca
Merda, I was right. One taste of Stella would never be enough. What the
hell was I thinking? My hand tightens around hers as I lead her back to the
ballroom. Dozens of curious gazes dart in our direction as we pass. She
looks sexy as hell beside me, wearing my jacket to hide the rip in her gown,
her cheeks still flushed, dark hair wild. I wish I could have seen her face as
I drew the orgasm out of her. Next time….
Cazzo. There wouldn’t be a next time, remember you, scemo? You have
rules. You must stick to them.
Technically, I didn’t actually fuck her though. Not with my dick
anyway. So really, am I breaking the rules?
I run my hand over my face, and Stella’s sweet scent lingers on my
fingers, on my lips. I can’t get it out of my mind. I can’t get her out of my
mind. Porca puttana, this is bad. Vinny would string me up if he knew what
I’d just done to his sister, if he knew all the fucked up things I wanted to do
to her.
But he’s not here. He’s dead. Because of you.    I swallow thickly and bury the dark thoughts before they threaten to pull
me under. I’m ready to get out of here. I showed up, I donated, and now it
was time to take Stella home.
And do what with her? That same dark voice asks.
Lock her up in her room and away from my throbbing cock.
“Let’s get out of here,” I whisper.
She nods, a shy smile only making her look more gorgeous. Dio, I want
to kiss her. Right here, in front of everyone. And then I want to fuck her on
my bed, in the tub, on every surface of my cold-ass penthouse until she fills
it with her warmth.
“Well, shit, look who’s slumming it with my leftovers.” That irritating,
nasally voice sends the hair on the back of my neck bristling. I whirl
around, fury pounding through my veins as my gaze settles on Bo.
Stella’s fingers tighten around mine, and she takes a step closer to me.
I’m not sure if she’s even noticed it, but it fills me with an absurd amount of
happiness. The moment is short lived.
Dante and Tony flank me before Bo takes another step. I tick my head at
Tony, and he moves beside Stella when I’m forced to release her hand. I
close the distance between Bo and me and loom over the figlio di puttana,
daring him to utter another word about her. Unbridled fury rages through
my veins. If we weren’t in the middle of a public event, I’d strangle the
little shit with my bare hands. “Never speak about her like that again.” I
drop my tone to lethal levels. “She’s mine, and any insult you hurl in her
direction is a direct assault on me. Are we clear?”
From over Bo’s shoulder, I catch a few of the Red Dragons skulking
closer. No one’s going to make a scene at a gala of this caliber, and we all
know it.
My hands fist around Bo’s shirt collar, knuckles pressing into his neck.
Barely restrained rage surges to the surface as he glances over my shoulder at Stella and grins. “Are. We. Clear?” I punctuate every word with an
increase of pressure to his throat.
“Yeah, we’re clear, capo.”
I release him and readjust my bowtie.
He leans in, that smirk growing in confidence, and whispers, “Just
remember my cock was in her mouth first. Every time you kiss her, it’s like
sucking my dick.”
Blood red seeps into my vision, and a storm of emotions crashes over
me until I’m hurtled over the edge of logic. I pull my arm back and ram my
fist into Bo’s face. A crack echoes over the sweet melody of the orchestra,
and he screams like a pussy. Deep crimson spurts across his pristine shirt,
and satisfaction fills my vacant heart.
I inch closer and he flinches, his hand covering his broken nose. “When
I’m done with her, my cock will be the only one she remembers. Trust me.”
Bo’s cousin, Feng, grabs him by the shoulder. “Come on, man. Now is
not the time or the place.” Across the dancefloor, I can just make out
Jianjun and his men. He dips his head, lips drawn. He must be dying to get
revenge for the fire we set that took out hundreds of thousands of dollars in
cocaine. Good thing Bo’s father knows better than to make a public scene.
Usually, I do too.
Fuck.
One little taste of Stella’s sweetness, and I am ruined.
Dante steps beside me and nudges me in the ribs. “It’s time to go,
fratellino. We’ve got dozens of eyes on us.”
I shake him off and spin to Stella, trapping her hand in mine. Her eyes
are wide as she regards me. “Are you okay?” I whisper.
She nods. “Yeah, fine. You?”
It’s only then I notice the tremor vibrating my entire body. I draw in a
deep breath and search for the icy calm, but with Stella at my side I can’t numb my feelings. For the first time for as long as I can remember, I don’t
want to.
I glare at my brother from across the elevator. If the rompicoglioni had an
ounce of sense, he would have left the ball with Caroline instead of
following me home. I have enough on my mind with Stella; I don’t need to
add his silent disapproval to the mix. She’s tense beside me, the raw,
vulnerable woman from the bathroom retreating beneath the surface. She
must sense the tension in the air.
I know I fucked up with Bo, but I couldn’t care less. I won’t let anyone
insult Stella like that. My phone vibrates in my jacket pocket, but I ignore
it. Dante’s cell pings a second later, drawing my attention to my scowling
brother.
He has a lot of nerve with that holier than thou expression. That asshole
has screwed up more times than I count. “And it begins,” he mutters as he
scans his phone.
“What?”
Dante turns the screen to me, and a shaky video comes to focus. Me
punching Bo at the Heart Ball on TMZ. “Merda.”
“What?” Stella inches closer and tries to get a look at the screen.
Dante snatches it away, muttering curses. “I can read the headline now:
C.E.O. of King Industries Assaults Known Gang Leader. Are the rumors
true? Could the notorious Luca Valentino’s mob connections be legit?”
“Vaffanculo,” I hiss.
The elevator doors glide open, and I wrap my hand around Stella’s and
tow her into the foyer. Dante stalks behind, trailing us down the hall. “What
are you going to do about this? We have to issue a public statement—” I spin around and loom over my older brother, fury heating my blood. “I
will handle it,” I grit out.
“How?”
“Cazzo, Dante, give me a minute.” I jerk my chin at Stella who stares
wide-eyed at both of us. “Call Jones and wait for me in the study. He’ll
have every damned video taken down and wiped out of existence before
morning.”
He eyes Stella, his gaze trailing down her bare shoulder to our clasped
hands. A sneer curls his lips. “You going to fuck your new toy and then tuck
her in while I take care of your shit?”
Blinding rage compels my arm back, fingers curling into a fist. Fury
uncoils, and my knuckles smash into my brother’s cheek. Stella lets out a
gasp and takes a step back trying to squirm free of my hold, but my fingers
only tighten around hers.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Dante wails.
I hadn’t even hit him hard. My knuckles barely hurt.
I close the remaining distance between us, my chest bumping his. “I
don’t want her name sullied by your lips. Don’t ever talk about her, don’t
look at her, and Dio help me if you ever lay a fucking finger on her, Dante
….”
He eyes me, rubbing his jaw like I’ve lost my shit. Maybe he’s right.
Silence looms between us, a stare down I know I’ll win. It’s the same
reason I became C.E.O., usurping his birthright. He has no determination,
no drive. He doesn’t know how to play the long game.
“I’ll get him some ice.” Stella’s voice surprises me, and I nearly blink,
losing focus. Instead, I finally release her. The click-clack of her heels
across the marble eases the deepening tension, and Dante steps back,
exhaling a frustrated sigh.
Ha. I knew I’d win. “What is your deal with her?” he snarls. “I’ve never seen you strung so
tight around a woman.”
“There’s no deal,” I snap and drag my hand through my hair.
A knowing smile parts his lips. “You haven’t fucked her yet …. That’s
what it is, right?”
“I’m not discussing this with you.”
“Why is she here? In your apartment? I’ve never seen a woman in this
place more than once.”
“It’s business, Dante. Leave it alone.”
“I won’t leave it alone when it interferes with your head in the game.
Did you forget we just burned half a million worth of Chinese Triad coke?
Retribution is coming, and it’s going to get ugly. I need you at your best.”
“I’m always at my best,” I growl.
“No, you’ve been different lately. I didn’t know what it was until I saw
you two dancing tonight. It’s her, she’s screwing with your head. So just
fuck her and get on with it.”
“She means nothing to me,” I hiss. “She’s business, and that’s all you
need to know.”
A sharp intake of air spins my head around. Stella stands in the hallway
with a bag of ice in her hand, and a look in her eye that’ll haunt me tonight.
Betrayal. Anger. Pain. It lances through me so acute I stagger back a step.
She tosses the ice at Dante and darts past us.
“Stella, wait.” I reach for her, but she’s too damned fast. And pissed.
She’s halfway down the hall by the time I realize she just disobeyed me, in
front of my brother, nonetheless.
My legs compel me forward, to chase after her, but I can’t. Not with
Dante staring down at me with that smug smile. “Right, just business,
fratellino.”
Shooting him a glare, I tear the bag of ice from his hand. “I hope it
bruises.” His laughter follows me down the corridor, echoing behind me even
after I slam my door shut.
Fuck. What have I done?”