Bound to the Crime Lord (Dark Mafia Tales #2)

Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Juliette POV

M anuel had plopped me into the car like a damn child and buckled me in my seat belt. I didn’t want to fight him, so I just sat in my seat, seething like red hot iron. Not only was I annoyed he had ruined my chance at getting laid tonight, but now I was flooded with thoughts of him all over again.

Now that the waves of alcohol-induced thoughts had passed and I had sobered up, my spirits had dropped. Not only had I gone out seeking a one-night-stand with a random stranger, but I had also done so in Chicago’s most notorious Drug Lord's workplaces.

This was not at all how I had imagined tonight going. There had been a part of me that had thought my one-night-stand plan was a good idea. But now that sense had found its way to my brain again, I realized that I had indeed lost the plot. I could not solve my craving for Manuel by trying to satiate it with the feel of another man.

“Your thoughts are very loud, amor .” His voice filled the Mercedes for the first time since we left the club. His eyes were set on the road, but the grip he had on the steering wheel was tight. He looked like he was trying to hold himself, but from the white I could see in his knuckles, I sensed it was a losing battle.

“Can we not talk right now? I’m not only mortified, but I’m cold and in need of my bed.” I whined like the sad little child I felt like. Why did he have to pitch up out of the blue? If only he had been an hour or two later, then I would have at least gotten off. At least I had hoped I would have.

My fingers were bloody useless. The last three attempts I had made to satiate my hunger had all proven fruitless. It wasn’t my touch my body craved. It wanted the touch of my roommate. But it was that very touch that would prove to be my damnation.

“Were you really going to fuck that idiot had I not shown up?”

His question was unexpected. “Yes, I was.”

“Are you that desperate for a fuck that you need to go and look for it in a random club?”

I looked over my shoulder at him. “Not that random of a club, apparently. And what’s it to you? I’ve heard you get your dick wet every so often in a brothel which I came to realize you own.”

“Who told you that?” The tightness in his voice only confirmed the assumption that I had. It was no secret that Manuel had various business ventures around the city. One of these ventures was a brothel he owned. It was not like one of these dingy little things you would think where in a downtown area with rats running up the wall. No, this ‘fine’ establishment was in one of the finer neighborhoods in the city.

La Rose . That was the name of it.

Did I listen in on private conversations that I had no business listening in on? Yes. But the men had been very loud while I was stitching up one of his injured guys.

“I asked you a question, Juliette.”

It was the way he said my name that had me. If I had been standing, I was sure that my knees would have turned to instant jelly. What was it with my body’s independent reaction to this man? No matter how hard I fought against it, my body just did its own thing when it came to Manuel.

“Does it matter who I heard it from? You cannot judge me for wanting a quick fuck with a random man if you have quick fucks with prostitutes every two to three business days.” Okay, that came out with far more venom than I had intended it to. Manuel came to a stop at a traffic light and took the chance to look my way, but I kept my eyes trained straight ahead.

My defiance didn’t deter him. The man grabbed my chin in his hand and forced my gaze to meet his.

“Did you really think that asshole back there could fuck you the way you described to me in the club?” His intense gaze held mine. “If I remember correctly, you said you wanted a man who could ruin you for everyone else. Do you think that knock-off Ken doll of a man could be that for you?”

Something shifted in the car, the anger and annoyance melting into something hotter and far more dangerous. The tension in the air thickened, filling the air between us.

“I would have made do.”

His gaze darkened. “Really? You would have given that little shit the privilege of putting his dick in your pussy? Are you serious, amor ?”

I gulped. “Yes.”

Silence fell over us. The only thing that could be heard was the blood rushing past my ears. My eyes shifted from his gaze down his nose coming to a halt at his lips. They were plump, perfect, and ripe for the taking.

I had never felt a hunger quite like this for a person before. It was a foreign territory for me— scary territory.

The light turned green and he pulled away from me and continued to drive. I fell back into my seat, releasing a breath I had not realized I had been holding.

The rest of the ride was done in complete and utter silence.

He put the car into park. I reached for my door, wanting to put as much distance between him and me as possible. I was sad, horny, and annoyed. But as per usual, Manuel was a thorn in my side yet again. He reached over me and pulled the door shut.

“We aren’t done talking here, Juliette. What were you thinking going to the club alone wearing that?”

I whipped my gaze over my shoulder and looked at him in complete and utter shock. “Oh wow, now you want to dictate how I dress, too? You’re a real piece of work, Manuel. Let go.”

I tried to push against his hold, but he was far stronger than I was.

“I said we aren’t done talking.”

A flood of rage filled me and it gave me the extra strength I needed to open the door and break his hold on the handle. My bare feet hit the cold tar of the parking lot. I made my way to the elevator with my heels in hand, and unfortunately, Manuel in tow.

He followed me into the small cramped space in silence. But even though he didn’t speak, I could feel the anger rolling off of him in waves.

After what felt like the longest wait, the doors to the elevator dinged open and I walked out, heading to the door. Manuel made sure to keep pace with me as I virtually ignored his entire existence.

He opened the front door and I didn’t waste any time knowing that he was likely going to start ranting again.

“Leave me alone, Manuel. I’m tired and fully sober now.” I trudged my way up the stairs toward my room. I threw my shoes to the ground floor and continued on my way.

“You can’t deny this, Juliette.” He followed me up the stairs but I didn’t dare stop. I knew that if I stopped, I would have no control over my body and what came next.

I picked up the pace and broke out into a full-out jog. I made it to my door and pulled it open just enough for me to slide in. But before I could close it, Manuel’s hand shot out and pushed back.

“Manuel!” I tried to push against him, but he overpowered me and forced his way into my room. He sauntered in like he owned the place, which he did, but still. “Get out of my room, right now.”

The stubbornness had already cemented itself in his eyes. I knew that, no matter what I said or did, he would only do what he wanted.

I threw my hands up in exasperation and walked to my walk-in closet. “Fine, stand there all night for all I care. I’m going to get changed.”

“We aren’t done, Juliette.”

I ignored him and walked into the closet with him right behind me.

“Juliette.” He called my name again, but this time louder.

I ignored him again and reached for my zipper. I tried to reach for it but I kept failing at every angle I tried. I was about to head out to grab a pair of scissors when I felt a pair of large hands from behind slowly bring down my zip with ease.

I pressed the front of my dress to my chest and whirled around to face him. Manuel stood only an arm's distance away from me, his eyes set on my face, but his hands twitched at his side as if he wanted to reach for me and had to held himself back.

“You feel it,” he spoke after a long-prolonged silence. “I know you feel it, Juliette. Our bodies call to each other. That call rang the first time our eyes connected that night in the clinic. There was a shift within you, I know there was. I can see it in your eyes, but you fight it.”

“Because you are the devil.” The words were meant to come out far harsher than I made them sound, but my voice came out meek and low. What I would give for that liquid courage right about now.

“I may be a devil, but you are no saint, Juliette.” He took a large step toward me, closing the distance between us. “You put on this persona of goodness, but I see the fire. I see the jagged edges you try to smooth out for society. But you don’t have to hide them with me. I see your fire, and I want it to torch me. Explore your passion, amor . Ravage me, if you must.”

All the words I had planned to spew at him lodged themselves in my throat.

“Manuel…” I lifted my eyes and stared at him through my eyelashes.

Manuel cupped the side of my face with his large hand and took one more, minuscule step toward me.

“I dare you to be bold enough to take what you want, Juliette.”

I shook my head, but everything inside me screamed yes . I wanted to give in to these desires. The kiss had only been a small taste of him, and I still hungered for more. I wanted to come undone in his hold. I wanted to become lost in his deep, torrential waters.

“I dare you,” he used his free hand to remove my hand from my chest and allow the dress to fall to the floor. “To take me, Juliette.”

That’s when it all snapped. The restraint and sense left my body, and I threw my arms around his neck while my lips crashed into his.

For tonight, I would forget caution. For tonight, I would live as a woman who simply wanted to be pleased and worshiped.

The consequences could wait until tomorrow.