"Aww, you know it's just that I missed you so much, Joey."
I grin, blood trickling down from the corner of my mouth as he sits back and arches a brow at me.
"Cute."
"Well damn, Joey. You sure know how to flatter a guy."
The grin fades from his gorilla face, and suddenly, that fist is slamming into my face.
Worth it.
"You know what? It's that fuckin mouth of yours that got you into this shit in the first place, dipshit," Joey hisses. His knee jerks up and catches me in the abs, doubling me over as his two goons chuckle.
The mouth hasn't exactly helped things, but technically speaking, losing two million dollars of Gino Moretti's money that I was supposed to protect is what's gotten me into this shit. That and being the guy still standing when Gino's other guard is lying in a fucking morgue. Yep, if I were a betting man, I'd say those are most likely the reasons I'm in the basement of The Venetian restaurant in downtown Las Vegas getting the shit knocked out of me by this fucking douchebag.
Except, taking some of Joey Luco's pussy-assed punches isn't exactly my biggest worry right now. Gino might be a rich fucking guy, but no one loses two mil and is happy about it. In a fair world, these guys would get that shit happens, especially when you're hauling illegal cash around in a town like this, two other families vying for control of The Strip.
In a fair world, my entirely true story about Vinny — the other guard — turning his gun on me as soon as the heist started to go down would explain why it was one of my bullets that put him in that morgue. In a fair world, my explaining that Vinny was most likely in on the theft would be listened to.
But then this is not a fair world. And Vinny was a made guy. And on top of all of that, the Moretti crime family isn't exactly known for being rational.
So here we are.
"Yep, that fuckin mouth of yours," Joey spits, sinking his fist into my stomach.
Somehow, through the pain, I force myself to grin at him.
"The fuck is so goddamn funny."
I chuckle. "I was just thinking it was ironic that you put it like that."
Joey's thick, gorilla like brow furrows even deeper. "Yeah? Why's that, funny guy?"
I know pushing the buttons of a guy like this is a stupid move, but really, I can't help it.
"Because your mom was just saying the same thing to me last night, but I really think she mean it in a different—"
Joey's fists rain down on me, but I'm still laughing even as he splits my lip and doubles me over all over again with a huge punch to my mid-section.
"Hang on."
Joey hits me in the mouth again before the voice from somewhere behind him booms a little louder.
"Jesus fuck, Joey, I said hang the fuck on!"
The fists stop, and I groan, sagging against the two guys holding me up. Yep, that was dumb. Still worth it though.
“Dylan, Dylan, Dylan.”
I know the voice, and when I look up, it's exactly who I knew it'd be.
Nico Moretti, Gino's dipshit nephew and second in command of the Moretti family out here in Vegas. In a weird twist, I actually went to high school with Nico, back before I enlisted in the Marines, back before he grew into his uncle's second in command, and obviously back before all this shit went down.
I thought he was a fucking prick back then. Now, he's even worse.
"Well well well, Dylan,” he snickers, shaking his head at me. "You fucked up pretty hard this time."
I could go through the whole explanation again — about the other truck pulling up alongside ours outside the warehouse that was supposed to be secure. Or about Vinny pulling his Glock out and leveling it at me before I dodged and put a bullet in his chest. But I know it won't make a difference. Whoever stole their cash is long gone at this point, and since I'm the only guy left, with a made guy dead, I might as well be the guy to blame, right? Mob logic for you.
"You know, that money was my uncle's, but it was earmarked for a special project of mine."
I say nothing. Joey might be a knuckle-dragging gorilla who’s fun to antagonize. But Nico is something different. Nico's a special kind of evil.
"You know what though, asshole?” He smiles his evil little rat-like grin. "I'm gonna do you a favor. Anyone else in your shoes? Yeah, I'd let Joey here beat the ever-loving shit out of you before we dumped your ass in the desert. But..." He grins wider. "Seems there are some rumors about you."
I raise a brow.
"Oh?"
"Oh yeah," he chuckles. "Rumors that catch my and my uncle's interest, especially with this new project of mine I've got goin on."
My frown only deepens.
"And this rumor is…?"
Nico grins.
"I heard you got a big cock."
Joey and his two goons snort. I just arch a brow at him.
Okay, he's not wrong, it's just a fucking weird ass direction for this conversation to take.
"Excuse me?"
Nico chuckles as he pulls a pack of cigarettes out his jacket pocket.
"Your dick, douchebag. I heard you've got a big one."
"And that has your interest?"
Nico shrugs and nods at Joey's henchmen. "Let him loose."
Joey starts to protest, but Nico shoots him a glare. "Relax, he's not off the hook. My uncle just has other plans for him." He turns and gives me an evil smile.
"He's gonna pay us back in trade."
I very quickly do not like the direction this is taking.
"Look, Nico, no offense man, but I don't swing that wa—"
"Oh fuck off, that's not what I fuckin' meant," he growls, his face darkening before he glares at me. "You a fan of the porno's, Dylan?”
"What?"
"Porn, dipshit. Jerk-off flicks. You a fan?"
"I prefer an actual woman."
He rolls his eyes. "Yeah no shit. But a man's gotta snack between meals, right?"
I don't answer.
"So, we're not putting a bullet in this asshole?"
Joey looks legitimately upset. Nico just shakes his head though.
"Nope. Not yet anyways. Mr. Horsecock here is gonna be a big star for us." He lets that slimy grin of his sink into me, making my skin crawl.
"That new project of mine? I'm opening a porn studio. The money is huge, and with the right talent, you can strike fucking gold. And you, my friend — you and that big dick of yours are gonna be my talent."
This time, I'm the one that snorts. "Like hell I am."
"There's always option B."
"Which is?"
Nico shrugs. "You're not gonna like option B. Option B is Joey and me takin' you out to the desert, burying you up to your neck, and then using your fucking lips as a golf tee."
Joey chuckles and Nico grins at me.
"So, I think it's fair to say that smiling for the camera and gettin’ your dick wet is a slightly better deal, don't you think?"
I grit my teeth, narrowing my eyes at him and saying nothing.
Behind Nico, far across the empty, dingy basement, there's a knock on the big metal sliding door.
"Yeah," Nico hollers over his shoulder. "Come on in."
He glances back at me as the door slides open.
"Trust me, fuck-o, you're going to enjoy yourself."
The door opens, I look up past him, and suddenly, my whole fucking world goes still. Time stops, my heart skips a beat or three, and every cell in my body comes alive in ways they never have before.
One look at the girl who steps into the room, and I know I'm a goner.
She's an angel. Rich, chestnut hair falls in slight waves around her petite shoulders. Big, bright blue eyes that I can see shining even from all the way over here. A sexy, slight body and soft curves in every place they should be. Fair, unblemished skin and long legs looking insanely good in that little red dress.
She's fucking gorgeous. It's not in a sexy pinup way — not in some overtly sexual way where she's flaunting what she's got and oozin
g sex appeal. Even with that stripper dress and the fuck-me heels, there's something wholesome about her — like the dress and the shoes are some gaudy costume she's put on. No, it's the opposite. She's gorgeous in this quiet, elegant, innocent way, and hell if my cock doesn't throb to life between my legs.
"Hey Mikey, I think he likes it," Nico quips, elbowing Joey in the arm and chuckling. “Dylan, say hello to your co-star."
No way.
There is no fucking way this girl is some sort of porn star — not with that innocent, wide-eyed softness to her — not without the hard edges and broken seams that a life in an industry like that would do to her.
"Who is she?"
She doesn't belong here. It's so obvious it hurts, even if here she is, standing across the room and giving me furtive, quiet glances before quickly darting her eyes away. And the more I look, the more I can't look away. The more I lose myself in her, the hotter this feeling grows in my chest, until it's threatening to explode.
"The hell difference does it make? She's here to a make a movie with you. That's all you need to know."
Mine.
It's primal, and fucking caveman as hell to think it, but it's the only thought that thunders through my head as I completely lose myself in her. She looks up, and when those big blue eyes lock with mine, it's like everything else around us just disappears.
I want her, more than I've ever wanted anything in my entire life. It's instant, and like a bomb going off inside of me, but I know without a second's hesitation that I want every single part of her.
She's going to be mine. Not for Nico. Not for Gino. Not for the cameras, or to settle whatever bullshit score they've got on me. No, she's going to be mine and all mine, for me.
2
Rose
This isn't happening. This cannot be happening.
Fear grips me as the men holding my arms tightly lead me through the empty Italian restaurant. They haul me through the kitchen, back to another door, and down a dark, greasy staircase into a dimly lit basement. I gasp as I lose my footing for a second, slipping in the stupid heels they've made me put on before bringing me here.
"Easy there, sweetheart." The man's hand tightens on my arm, stopping me from tripping but also taking the moment to pull me closer than I'd ever want him to. He grins, his evil-looking eyes sliding down to the plunging neckline of the little red stripper dress he's made me wear. I shiver under his gaze, my skin crawling.
His name is Nico Moretti. I don't know him, but I know of him, from Vinny. And I might not know much, but I know enough to know he's as dangerous as his reputation says he is.
Just the same, I swallow thickly, determined not to show him how terrified I really am.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Disneyworld, sweetheart."
He and the other guy leading me into the basement chuckle.
"Please," I say it quietly, stumbling again as we reach the last step. "Please don't do this."
Nico laughs, coming to a stop in front of a big metal sliding door.
"Jesus, girl, did you think we were bringing you down here to shoot you or something?"
Yes.
I don't tell him that though.
He grins at me. "Nah, we're not gonna kill you. Shit, what a waste that would be. This is just a business transaction, sweetheart. Your uncle Vin owed the family pretty big, and with his, uh, untimely end, I've found a, shall we say, creative way to see that his debts are paid."
He knows that "Uncle" Vinny was in no way my actual uncle, and I'm betting he's smart enough to understand that in no way do I consider his death "untimely."
…More like overdue.
Vinny was my mother's most recent deadbeat boyfriend. The others had been bad, but Vinny checked every box: a drunk, a mean and fast temper, drug abuser, serious mob connections, and an eye that loved to linger on both my older sister Keeley and me. My mom was no saint either, but no woman in the world deserved Vinny.
He's the one that got her back on opiates, and when she OD-ed about two years ago, Vinny's the one who was suddenly the name on her mortgage and bank accounts. Keeley got out quick through her college scholarship, right after Mom died. But I stayed. Not out of choice, but necessity. I stayed and worked my butt off, trying to save enough money and hide it from Vinny until I could get the hell out of here.
I came close too, until a few days ago, when it all blew up.
At first, hearing that Vinny was found dead in a ditch after some sort of mob-related thing only made me grimly happy. He was gone, and really, that's all that mattered. I'd packed my stuff, gotten the money I'd saved together, and booked a bus ticket to LA. And I'd almost made it to the station too, before Nico and his guys suddenly showed up at the house.
After that, I know there's no "getting away." The Moretti family runs this town, and if they say Vinny owed them a debt — and one that I now have to repay — I know there's no running from that. There's no use trying to make them see that I have zero connection to him besides my mother's terrible choice in men.
They don't care, and now here I am, scared, alone, dressed like this, and in the basement of The Venetian.
Could this be any more like some sort of bad mafia movie?
Nico levels his mean little eyes on me, his sickly grin stretching across his face. "Vinny had debts to be settled, and it looks like you're going to be the one to settle those debts."
There's something extra menacing in his words that sends a chill through me. His eyes dip down over my stupid, skimpy dress again, and suddenly, the nauseating fear comes rushing up grab me.
You're going to be the one to settle those debts.
"Oh, God, please don't do this!"
He frowns for a second before he suddenly starts to laugh.
"Calm the fuck down, that's not why you're down here." He rolls his eyes. "Fuck, what kind of guy do you think I am?"
My silence makes him chuckle. "Well, fair enough. But messing with chicks who don't want it ain't my thing, sweetheart. So relax." He jerks his head towards a set of blinds hanging on the wall and when he walks over and yanks on the cord, they pull up to reveal a window into another, bigger basement room.
"Why don't you come take a look?"
The other guy guarding me pulls me roughly towards the glass, making me stumble over to it. My eyes squint into the dimly lit space, before suddenly, I gasp.
The man is gorgeous. It's a weird first thing to notice about everything going on in the room, but it's without question the first thing I notice. He's tall, and built, with a chiseled jaw and a face like something out of a fashion ad. dark hair, blue eyes I can see from here, and this rugged, rough handsomeness that just oozes out of him. He's got that "all-American" look, but with enough of an edge that lends a little darkness to him.
He's also getting the crap beat out of him.
I flinch as the man grunts, doubling over as another man knees him in the stomach. The two men holding him laugh as he grits his teeth, his eyes flashing defiantly as he rights himself. He turns and spits, and when he turns back, he just grins at the man who just hit him.
"Why are you showing me this?" I whisper, flinching again when the staggering handsome guy takes another hit from the man in front of him.
"You like porn, sweetheart?"
Nico's voice rasping into my ear has my skin crawling as I whirl back to see him grinning wickedly at me.
"Excuse me?"
"Yeah, yeah. I know girls all say they're not into it, but you can tell me the truth, I ain't gonna tell anyone." He winks lecherously at me, making my stomach turn. "You into it?"
"I— no." I shake my head. "I've never watched it."
Nico smiles. "Do yourself a favor and stay away from the card tables, sweetheart. Cause you're a shit liar"
The heat blooms through my face as I look at the floor. Okay, yes, I've watched porn before. Like maybe a handful of times. But I have no idea why he's asking me, and honestly, I'm not sure I want to know.
 
; "So, you've watched it. You get what goes on, right?"
"I— yes," I nod quietly. "Yeah."
"Lotta money in porn."
I don't say anything, and Nico's grin turns deadlier.
"Especially for that amateur shit. You know, 'first time on camera' type shit?" He whistles. "Yeah the perverts eat that shit up. And they pay good for it."
"Why are you telling me this?"
The guard standing behind me chuckles under his breath, and Nico follows suit before his eyes drag up over my body and lock onto my eyes.
"How'd you like to be a star?"
The floor drops out beneath me. My breath catches in my throat, my blood turns to ice, and all I can do is wish I could scream as I slowly shake my head.
"No," I rasp out. "Please—"
"You and him, sweetheart," Nico grins, nodding through the dirty window at the man taking the beating inside.
"You can't be serious."
My voice sounds far away, and there’s a creeping numbness that starts to tingle through me.
This can't be happening. This is a nightmare, and any second now, I'm going to wake up in a cold sweat and this will all go away.
…Wishful thinking, all of it.
This is happening. My stomach twists, and for a second, I think I might throw up. My head spins, and I suddenly catch myself with a cold hand against the wall before I can stumble.
I can't tell them. This is already horrible enough, but I know instantly that if I tell them, it's going to be so much—
"I know you ain't never been fucked, sweetheart."
Nico's voice is like a knife into my ears, and I instantly stiffen as my blood chills.
"Oh, but you're gonna be."
He chuckles, the sound like sandpaper against my skin.
"I know every angle before I make a business move, baby. And believe me when I say, you're here exactly because you held out so long. See, people pay a lot of money to see the girl next door get fucked for the first time. And just like the bigger the dick, the better—”
He chuckles again and jerks a thumb through the window at the strikingly handsome guy for some reason.