The Power of a Woman: A Mafia Erotic Romance (20 page)

That filthy, lying, two-timing sack of shit.

I heard him in his bedroom, calling out something to her. But she stood frozen in the hallway, staring at me as if trying to figure out her next move. I’d have her bloody and mangled before she ever figured it out.

Stefan stepped out of his room, stared at her profile, and then moved his head in the direction she faced—me. His dark eyes narrowed, threatening me silently. But the anger inside turned me deaf, and I ignored the mute intimidations. “You can go now, Layla. We’ll discuss this later. I have other things to tend to right now,” he said to the woman in front of him—Layla—without ever taking his eyes off me.

“No need. I’ll be out of your hair in a moment. Tell me where the fuck my brother is and I’ll let you get back to your new friend.” The words came out through my gritted teeth, sounding composed yet angry.

The woman tilted her head back as she let out a laugh.

Stefan held his hand up to her. “Don’t encourage her. She’s pissy because I’ve ignored her for a few days.” His eyes still never left mine as he spoke to the other person in the room.

Humor filled her face as she smiled and raised her brow in my direction. “Must’ve done something
really
bad to get the silent treatment.”

Stefan finally turned back to her, a softer expression on his face, yet still rigid in his posture. “Thanks, Layla, but I’ve got this. I’ll be in contact shortly.”

She smiled and nodded, walking toward me and grabbing her purse off the hanger by the elevator before leaving me alone with a very angered Stefan. His hard stance should’ve warned me off, but it didn’t. “New girlfriend?”

He shook his head. “No, as a matter of fact, she’s a good friend. And she knows how not to piss me off. I wouldn’t ever have to ignore her for four days.”
Well, at least he knew how long it had been
.

“Whatever. Just tell me where my brother is and I’ll get going so you can go back to ignoring me and fucking your
good
friend.”

That got to him and he stormed across the room to me, pushing me hard against the wall at my back. It would’ve been hot had I not been so furious with him. “Don’t fucking test me, Jordana. I’m not in the goddamn mood.”

I shoved at his chest, needing an inch of space from him. His attitude muddled my brain and I needed to sit comfy in my rage in order to get the answers I sought. “I’m not testing you. Matty is missing. Been missing since your night of mystery meetings, since you started ignoring me. All I want to know is where he is and what you’ve done to him.”

He pounded his fist into the wall beside my head, drywall crumbling to my shoulder. “Trust, Jordana! Fucking trust! You said you had it in me…nothing but goddamn lies!”

“What trust am I supposed to have when you leave me in the dark about
everything
? And giving me ridiculous silent treatments? Huh?” I fought back, raising my voice without a care of the repercussions it would cause. I no longer cared about any of that. As far as I was concerned, we were over. He had someone new that wouldn’t test or provoke him, that wouldn’t fight back. That would never be me. I may have enjoyed letting him have control while giving me the fuck of my life, but I would never lose my backbone. Stefan had been my first real relationship and would probably be my last. I couldn’t deal with this level of bullshit.

His hands fisted at his sides as his shoulders heaved up and down, his nostrils flaring as his eyes glared into mine. “I told you how this would work. You chose to ignore that. You made the decision to doubt me. That’s on you. Don’t you dare point your finger at me, because you’ll only find four more pointing back at yourself.”

“And then you ignored me.”

“It’s called business, Jordana. I don’t sit around all day and do nothing. I have things to take care of. You pissed me off. Disrespected me. What did you expect me to do? Grovel at your feet?”

“And what about when I told you I was in danger? You
still
chose to ignore me.”

He laughed, the skin around his eyes wrinkling in humor. “You are and never have been in any danger, Tesoro.” That damn nickname. Got me every fucking time. “Had you been in danger, you wouldn’t have a need to reach out to me, because I already would’ve been there.” His words were kind, loving even, but his tone was cruel, angered.

“Then who’s
Layla
? Besides your good friend?”

“I don’t have to answer your questions. I don’t need to give you any comfort against your jealousy. That’s not how this works. I ask the questions,
you
answer. That’s how it goes. Not the other way around.” He paused and took one step toward me, lowering his head to look me right in the eye. “But because you’re so desperately in need of validation, I’ll tell you. She’s a friend from college. And now she’s a lawyer. I’ve known her for a very long time. But no…we’ve never had sex. Our relationship has always been professional. She was here for business, and that’s it.”

“Then why
here
? You never bring anyone here.” I couldn’t let the argument die, even though I felt my resolve fading with his soft-spoken words and warm eyes.
Damn him.

“Because this is
my
business, and I don’t want my father privy to what I have planned. I’ve already told you—I have plans, and Layla happens to be a part of those.”

“So she gets to know your next move but I don’t? And you want me to believe you’re not fucking her?”

He took one more step toward me, bringing the warmth of his body against mine. With a gruff whisper, he said, “I am a lot of things, Tesoro, but a cheat I am not. Faithful. Honorable. Those things are me. You are mine, and that means your pussy is the only one I’m interested in.”

“I…I thought…” I cleared my throat, needing to pull myself together. “I thought that you ignoring me meant we were over.”

“What have I told you about words?”

“Actions speak louder.”

His lips quirked with a smile. “That may be true, but that’s not what I meant. We are not over until those words are spoken. And I will never utter those words, Jordana. You’ll never hear me say we’re done. But that doesn’t mean you can just barge in here and demand I give you attention because you’re feeling left out. I have a right to be pissed at you after your night on the town. I have a right to protect you while shit is going down in the family.”

“Just tell me where my brother is, and then you can go back to giving me the silent treatment.”

Stefan dipped his head, running his nose along my cheek. “He’s fine, Tesoro. You have no need to worry about him. He’s safe. He’s doing what he’s supposed to do.”

I pushed against his chest, my heart thudding angrily in mine. “So you did have something to do with him disappearing…”

“I know where he is. I know why he left. But no, I didn’t do anything to him. Neither did anyone else. It’s my plan, Jordana.
Our
plan. Trust us. Show me some fucking respect and trust me for once.”

“Then stop leaving me in the dark all the time.”

He shook his head and tsked. “You have no right making demands.”

“Your analogy of climbing a mountain? Well, how slow do you think the one in the back will be if she has no idea where she’s going? Give her a little bit of direction, and she’ll be right behind you. That’s all I ask, Stefan. Direction. You want to give me breadcrumbs, fine. But at least give me a goddamn compass.”

Wrapping his hand around my throat gently, he leaned in and licked my lips. “I’ll give you direction, Tesoro. I’ll direct my dick to your pussy, and then fuck the defiance out of you. Is that what you want?”

I wanted to give in, knowing how good he’d make me feel. He could make the hurt disappear and the suffering end. But more than that, I needed to hold onto my resolve a little while longer. Showing him that he could bend me, but I would never break.

“Don’t lie to me. I know you do.” He released his slight hold on my neck and trailed his fingers down my chest. “Your nipples are hard, I can feel them through your clothes. You have a sheen of sweat behind your ears, and your breathing is shallow. You want this, don’t you, Tesoro? You want my cock buried deep inside you, making you come over and over again before you milk everything out of me. Don’t lie to me. I can read you better than you know.”

“I…I just want to know where my brother is,” I said, firm in my fight.

His hand continued to trail down my body, reaching the band of my yoga pants. He slipped beneath the cotton, finding my bare pussy and torturing my hardening clit. “In due time. After I fuck you into a coma. After I drown out your attitude with my cum. You don’t have to verbally say yes. This body is already mine, isn’t it, little one?”

My heart clenched.

My breathing stopped.

All I saw was red.

They say PTSD affects everyone differently. Some cower. Some cry. Some numb it with substances. I didn’t know how I’d handle it until it stared me right in the face. The ugly monster it was, glared at me, provoked me, threatened me.

They say blinding rage comes out differently depending on the strength of the person. It gives some the ability to lift a car off the ground. Some people burn down buildings while others sit back and spew venomous words under their breath. Me? I’d felt rage before. I’d experienced the burning flames of pure anger lick me from the inside. But blinding rage? Never like this… The Hulk had nothing on me.

Two little words. Two words Stefan had uttered to me countless times before. Harmless words meant to show affection caused my head to throb, my hands to shake, and my throat to close.

Little one
.

It was what he’d called me before adopting the name Tesoro for me. It’d never bothered me before. However, that was before Scarface. That was before that sadistic motherfucker said those same words to me. Now, no matter who said it, all I could think about was Zeke—his slimy yellow teeth and the stench of his breath as he called me “little one.”

I didn’t cower. I didn’t cry. And I certainly had no desire to numb this wrath that unfurled within me. Blinding rage. That’s what it was. It consumed me—a quick shot of steroids to my muscles.

My hand lifted and flew through the air, connecting with the side of Stefan’s face. I didn’t have a chance to feel remorse as he recoiled, covering his cheek with his palm. His eyes narrowed, but he backed up, clearly seeing something in my expression that no one had ever seen before. I didn’t stop there, though. I continued my attack, frantically hitting him with some of the moves I’d been taught in my Krav Maga class, cursing and muttering things under my breath I didn’t understand. But apparently he did, because instead of coming at me, he held my wrists and calmly subdued my shaking body.

“Tesoro,” he whispered against my burning cheeks, repeating his name for me until I calmed down. “What was that? What happened?” He pulled his face away a few inches and waited until my eyes met his. “You kept calling me Zeke. What was that all about? Do you still see him when you look at me?”

I’d offended him. I could tell by his creased brow and pained eyes. It was the same look he’d given me after torturing me with the vibrator that day I’d snuck into his room. But that wasn’t what this was about. I didn’t see Zeke. I wasn’t scared of Stefan. I couldn’t explain it, so I only shook my head, keeping my lips pressed together as I breathed through my nose.

“What was it? What did I do that brought this on?”

“Little one,” I forced out, the words burning my throat.

“He called you that?” An emotion passed over his face, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. He was angry, but I couldn’t be sure if it was toward me or the dead motherfucker.

“Yes,” I said, finding my voice again. I shoved him in his chest, pushing him away from me. The rage still very much alive within me, even after Stefan’s attempts at calming me. “He took everything from me. My power. My control. My
choices
. He violated me, Stefan. But the worst part of it all, is that he took your words, the name you once called me, and tainted them. I loathe those two words. It makes me fucking angry. Furious.”

Without moving, he nodded once, glancing at the floor before meeting my eyes again. “They make you feel powerless,” he said, to which I nodded. “They make you angry, and hearing someone call you that victimizes you all over again.”

“I know that’s not what you meant by it,” I said, hoping to give him some comfort.

“But it doesn’t change the fact that I just unwillingly stripped you of your control. You know I would never do that, Tesoro. I want you to hand me yourself on a silver fucking platter. I never want to force it from your grasp.”

“I know.”

“But it doesn’t change how you feel right now.” He wasn’t asking me questions or looking for my validation in his assumptions. He’d only stated the obvious without an ounce of anger or betrayal in his tone. “I thought you felt better after going to the gym with me? Did that not help?”

“Yes…it did help. A lot. But that was one class.”

“But you plan to go back again, right?”

I nodded, knowing more than ever in that moment how badly I needed it.

“Right now, tell me what you want me to do to fix this. I can’t kill him. You’ve already done that. You know he’s not coming back. You know I’ll never let what he did to you ever happen again. But right now, right this minute, tell me what you need to make you
feel
like you have a choice. Do you want to spar? Hit me? Kick me? Tell me what you need from me and I’ll do it.”