The Submission of a Mafia Princess (3 page)

“That’s it. You want a job here, man?” Jake asked.

Brax opened his mouth to answer when husky laughter filled his ears. He’d know that laugh anywhere. Turning toward the sound, he spotted the back of a dark haired woman talking to Mick. His eyes washed over every dip and curve of her body, filling the form-fitting black dress. He glared at Mick’s hand on the woman’s hip; he wanted to break each finger that slowly rubbed circles into the crook of her waist. He knew those curves well. They were once his. He swallowed hard when Mick’s other hand traced a wisp of hair from her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. The woman cocked her head to the side, offering Brax a view of her profile.

Fuck me.

He considered slipping out of the club. But upon second thought, he relished the opportunity to see her squirm. He sauntered over to the couple and stood directly in front of them. The only thing separating her body from his was the wide expanse of the bar. Her hand rested on the smooth wood and he stared at the delicate skin of her wrist. The same skin he'd bound tight and turned pink with satin roping years ago.

Anger rose in this throat. He leaned over the bar, close enough to inhale her essence, reminding him of the summer nights spent nipping at the back of her neck and inching up the hem of her dress.

He cleared his throat and shook his head. Those thoughts had no place in his mind. He willed his cock into submission before growling into her ear. “Care for a drink, miss?”

Toni’s shoulders tensed for a moment before she whipped her head around to meet his stare. He inhaled a whiff of her familiar coconut scented shampoo.

“Brax?”

“Antonietta, this is an interesting place to find you, but it doesn’t surprise me,” he scoffed.

Her mouth opened to speak but no words came.

“Can’t help the kink, can you?” A twinge of guilt needled the pit of Brax’s stomach from his harsh words, until Mick draped his arm around her shoulder and casually brushed her upper arm with his fingertips as a silent possessive gesture.

“You’re upsetting her, dude. Why don’t you go back to entertaining your fans and leave her alone?” Mick said, waving his hand toward the audience of patrons watching the exchange.

Anger coursed through Brax’s veins as he gripped the edge of the bar, hoisted his body over and planted his feet next to Mick. He glared at the Dom. “I don’t think so. Antonietta and I have some unfinished business. Excuse us.” He grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the other Dom’s grip.

“Hey, that’s not cool,” Mick called in protest.

“Whoa. Calm down, Mick.” Brax looked over his shoulder to see Jake and Asher standing in front of Mick. Brax led Toni to an empty platform sofa on the far side of the lounge.

He grabbed her forearm. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he spat.

“Brax.” She stared at him and shook her head slowly.

“We’ve established who I am, now I want answers. Why are you here? And why are you with him?” He stuck his thumb over his shoulder. He never had an issue with Mick but as far as he was concerned, Toni was nonnegotiable.

“I-I can’t believe it’s you,” she whispered. He’d been too furious to notice how white her complexion turned when she saw him. Toni touched his face with trembling hands.

****

Toni’s head spun. “I have to sit down.”

It was all she was capable of even though there was so much she wanted to say. She wanted to tell him how she cried for him every night and how much she’d loved him. She wished she could explain he was the reason she’d never allowed anyone else the intimacy they shared. But she couldn’t. He was the reason she was at SRE. To rid herself of the demons of Braxton Malone. She simply had no choice.

Toni sat and watched his hands make fists followed by a flex of his fingers. “I thought you’d gotten married and moved to Italy,” he spat.

“Married? No, I moved to Italy right after everything happened to go to college, not to get married. I was a mess. The only thing I did was cry. Damn it, Brax. They told me you were dead, for Christ’s sake,” she said, shaking her head.

“What?” he asked and paced the floor next to the sofa.

“They said you were at the bottom of the river. I was beyond upset, because not only did I lose you, but I was the cause of your brutal death. At one point, I wanted to die, too. My father didn’t know what to do with me so he agreed to let me go away to college but only in Italy. I didn’t question him about it at the time. I didn’t have a reason to stay and needed to get away.”

“Yeah, well, as your father’s goons were kicking the shit out of me while holding my hands behind my back, they told me you were engaged to be married. They said if I tried to contact you they’d not only kill me but they’d come after my family too. I tried, though. I went to your house, even followed your housekeeper to the grocery store, hoping she’d tell me how to find you. She said you got married and moved to Italy with your new husband.”

Brax sat next to her on the sofa and raked his hands through his hair. “So, why’d you come back?” he asked quietly.

“I’m sure you saw on the news that my father died shortly after he was jailed. His dying wish was for me to marry Angelo Manzanno. I agreed to get engaged but told him I needed some time to take care of a few things first.”

“That’s what this is about? You want to take a walk on the kinky side before getting saddled by some Mafia kingpin?” His accusations bit through her, leaving her feeling shallow and cheap. “This is not your scene, Antonietta.”

Toni stared at her drink. She purposely left out the part about not having a choice. It was marry Angelo or die along with anyone else who tried to stop the marriage. She couldn’t drag Brax into her problems again. “You don’t know anything about me,” she said slowly, turned her head and gave him a sidelong glance. “Maybe it is.” Turning back to her drink, Toni took a deep breath and focused on the glass in her hand. Swirling the liquid around the rim, she touched the edge to her lips. She tipped it back and swallowed the remainder of the liquid, relishing the numbing sensation traveling down her throat.

“I don’t believe that. Just a few years ago you were too shy to even speak to a man.”

Toni took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I don’t want to go there. I’ve changed and called SRE because I want to play. I’m here for a one-time scene, not to dig up old memories.” She stood to leave. “It was good to talk with you and I’m glad you’re okay but I need to get back to Mick.” Treating him so callously was like rubbing salt into an old wound. But it was necessary, for his own good.

Brax’s look of disgust tore through her, and she looked down at her hands.

“You mean you’re still going through with a scene with him?” he asked.

“Look, I don’t expect you to understand. But I need to do this.”

“You need to do what? Be fucked by a stranger?” he hissed, standing so close she could feel his breath on her mouth.

Swallowing a sob, she turned her head.

Brax grabbed her by the shoulders and his unforgiving hands dug into her skin. The warmth of his touch stoked the fire growing in her belly. She was desperate to slide her hands up his shirt to capture more of his heat. But it was impossible: for his own good, she had to keep him away and making him think she didn’t care was the only way.

“You have changed, Antonietta. You’re a big girl and can make your own decisions so I won’t stand in your way. I just hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.” Brax turned but looked over his shoulder. “What the hell happened to you?” he asked and walked away.

“You happened,” Toni whispered under breath.

Watching him stride quickly to the elevator, she wiped away her tears with the pads of her fingertips. The doors opened and as Brax stepped in, she dropped her glass and ran toward him.

“Wait, Brax!”

Their eyes met and his hand stopped the closing elevator doors. She boarded the elevator and leaned against the wall.

“Can we go somewhere to talk?”

He nodded and pushed the hotel lobby button. Once they stepped onto the marble floor, his warm hand touched the small of her back eliciting a shiver that wasn’t lost on him, judging by his sly grin.

“I’d take you for a ride on my bike but you’re not exactly dressed for it. Let’s get a drink at the bar,” he suggested.

The Rosebud lobby bar was in direct contradiction to the energy laden SRE lounge. Classical music floated from the piano at one end of the lounge and soft candlelight provided a romantic ambiance as couples talked quietly at small tables. Brax gestured to one of the tables. “What will it be?”

“Just a glass of water, please.” Toni was still recovering from seeing him again and needed a clear head.

Returning with a glass of ice water for her and a beer for him, he took the seat next to hers at the table.

“So what do you want to talk about?” he asked coldly.

“What happened to you after that night? How did you end up as a Dom in a BDSM club?” Toni asked and searched his eyes.

“It took a while to get back to myself after the attack. Had to miss a semester in graduate school but I eventually graduated and I’m a commodities trader on Wall Street. I work hard and play hard,” he said with a smirk and a quick pull of his beer. “As far as ending up at SRE, that should be self-explanatory based on our summer together. The lifestyle comes natural to me. I can’t have a vanilla relationship, because women outside of the club just don’t understand it. Besides, I’m not looking for a relationship. That’s why SRE works for me.”

“So, no girlfriends?”

“Nope. I don’t have the time for girlfriends.”

She looked into his dark eyes and frowned. Gone was the sparkle and warmth of Braxton Malone.

“Anything else you want to know?” he asked and raised his eyebrows.

Toni touched Brax’s hand that was curled around the beer resting on the table. Their eyes locked before he picked up the bottle, leaving her hand alone on the table. “I-I just wanted to say I’m so sorry for what they did to you. I’ve been living with the guilt for the past three years. They disgust me, especially now that my father’s dead. He was the only one on my side.”

Brax slammed the beer on the table. “On your side? Your father had me beaten within an inch of my life,” he scoffed.

Toni shook her head. “No, he didn’t. He was the reason they didn’t kill you. It was Angelo, the one who found us together. He was so jealous of you and our relationship. My father finally told me the truth right before...he died.” She gulped the wave of sadness back down to the pit of her belly. I’m not going to cry. I’m not going to cry.

“Wait a minute. You’re marrying the guy who wanted to kill me? Why? I’m sure you inherited a bundle. Take it and get the hell out. Why allow yourself to be a pawn in his game?”

“I don’t have a choice, Brax.” She cursed the hitch in her voice.

“Yeah, well I think you do. You’re taking the coward’s way out, Antonietta. You’ll regret not fighting for what you want. Trust me. I know what I’m talking about.” Before he looked away, she caught a flash of sadness in his eyes. He cleared his throat and finished the last of his beer.

“Good luck with your scene with Mick. I hope it’s everything you expect it to be,” he said quietly before sliding his chair out and stomping out of the bar.

I’m not going to cry. I’m not going to cry. Toni repeated as the tears flowed down her cheeks.

Chapter Four

North Caldwell, New Jersey - three years earlier

Toni rolled the bottoms of her jean legs up and dipped her feet into the cool pool water, anxiously waiting for Brax to unlatch the gate and flash his million-dollar smile. They’d developed a comfortable friendship since he coaxed her out of the confines of her kitchen. Walking into the backyard, he smiled at the pool and shook his head.

Toni kicked a splash of water in his direction. “What are you smiling about?”

“I don’t get it. Every pool I’ve been to today has been really dirty from the storm that ripped through last night, but not yours.” He gestured his hand across the pool. “It’s pristine.”

Toni stood up and looked into the water. “It was pretty filthy when I cleaned it this morning.”

“You cleaned it? Why?” he asked as he kneeled down and dipped his hand in the water.

Toni shrugged. “I vacuum it every morning. It relaxes me and it’s not like I have anything else going on.”

Brax grabbed the skimmer and collected a single leaf that floated in the sparkling pool. “So why does your father keep the service?” he asked, walking into the storage room.

“I don’t know. I guess he doesn’t want to admit his daughter cleans the pool or maybe he thinks I’ll get bored with it. Who knows?” Toni called.

Brax returned with his arms full of equipment. “Come on. You expect me to believe you have nothing better to do than stay home and clean your family pool? Don’t you go out with friends or your boyfriend?”

Toni blushed. “I go out with friends sometimes. I really don’t have that many. I kept to myself at school, and when people hear my name, they stay away from me. It must be what it was like to have the plague,” she said quietly.