Bend Me, Daddy

Anger rose within me, swift and unreasonable. "Jade didn't even tell you my name? You allowed a complete stranger to put you in his car and ride off into the middle of fucking nowhere with you?" I took a step closer, crowding her against the doorframe. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

That came out harsher than I'd intended. I expected her to back up. Maybe start crying. But instead, she raised one eyebrow. "Are you planning to murder me?" she asked with a bland expression.

"Not tonight," I told her when I could speak, and watched with a glimmer of satisfaction as a bit of the color drained from her face. "But you didn't know that."

She shrugged one shoulder. "When do we ever know what will happen to us? I could die at any time. Get hit by a bus. Have an allergic reaction." She eyed me. "Get murdered by someone I thought I could trust."

I stared at her for a moment. She had a point, dammit. "Enzo. My name is Enzo."

She nodded. "Enzo. Okay. Anything else I need to know?"

Her brave front didn't fool me. She was nervous. I could see her pulse fluttering in her throat. "You're a friend of Jade's who was kind enough to fill in for her tonight as my date. That's all anyone needs to know. No one will ask questions. Smile. Be nice. No matter what anyone says to you. Don't cause any trouble."

"Okay. I can do that."

"And don't wander too far from my side." I didn't know why I said this. No one would fuck with her. Not after they saw her walk in with me.

"Alright. Stay by you. Got it." She glanced toward the door when a surge of male laughter rose inside, then swallowed hard and rubbed the chill from her bare arms.

"Hey." Taking her chin in my hand, I turned her face up to mine until I could see her eyes. "Nothing will happen to you tonight. No one will touch you. You have my word." Except me. Sometime between buying her the dress and arriving here, I'd decided that I would be taking full advantage of her services tonight. All of them.

"Okay."

Even though she agreed, I didn't let go of her face. Instead, my eyes dropped down to her full lower lip. Before I could think about it, I lowered my head and took it between my teeth, biting down until I heard her whimper and tasted the salty copper of her blood. I ran my tongue over the small wound, then sucked her lip into my mouth before letting go and dropping a light kiss on her mouth.

Sera stared up at me with wide eyes. "What the hell was that?" She hadn't moved. Didn't try to push me away. But when I stepped away, I noticed her arms were partially bent and her hands were fisted.

I couldn't answer her question. Because I didn't know. As I stared down at her and tried to get my lust for this woman under control, I realized a light misty rain had begun to fall. I put my hand to her back and ushered her toward the door. "Come on. We need to go in."

She blinked as though coming out of a trance. "Uh. Yeah. Okay."

I opened the door for her. Lowering her head to watch where she was walking, I didn't miss the way she touched her mouth with the fingertips of her right hand. "Enzo!"

Dragging my eyes away from the beguiling creature beside me, I stopped in the entryway and greeted our hostess as Sera looked around at the photos of guests and the ceramic knickknacks the family had brought overseas with them. "Marg. How are you? Is everyone behaving?"

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"Oh, yes," she said in her soft Italian accent. "They're all being perfect gentlemen. And the ladies look gorgeous. But none are as pretty as this one." She smiled at Sera. "Everyone is in the back room." If she was surprised to see me with someone other than Jade, she gave no sign of it. A professional through and through.

I started to walk forward, following Marg out of the small entryway and into the restaurant, when I realized Sera wasn't with me. Glancing back over my shoulder, I noticed she had moved into the shadows in the corner next to the old- fashioned desk that held framed newspaper clippings and the stand with the sign-in book, her bright eyes wide as she stared at the people inside. "What's wrong?"

Not taking her eyes from the group who had wandered closest to us, she said, "Um. I'm so sorry, Enzo, but I think I need to go home. I'm not feeling well." She turned her attention to me as she started backing away toward the door. "Maybe I'm coming down with whatever it is Jade has." I watched her eyes dart around the room once more, then she gave me a small, apologetic smile and put her head down as she turned to leave.

"Sera. Wait."

"I'm so sorry," she told me. Without waiting for me, she hurried back out the door and into the cold rain that had begun to fall.

I followed her outside. She didn't go toward the SUV. Instead, she was picking her way over the rocks heading to the main road, her arms wrapped around herself in a vain effort to stay warm. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" "I don't want to ruin your night," she called over her shoulder. "I think I saw a bus stop down here. I'll catch the next one and make my way home."

I had no idea where Jade lived, but I knew it wasn't out here by the lakes. I followed behind her. Did she even have any money to pay for a bus? "Come inside. I'll find you a quiet corner and get you some water or soup or something. Then I'll drive you home as soon as I congratulate the new couple." And talk to a few people to gauge their feelings about Luca taking over as boss.

"No, really. It's okay."

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She picked up speed. Now she was running from me. I stopped where I was. I wasn't going to chase her down the road like some weak ass, pimply-faced teenager. "For fuck's sake, Sera. STOP!"

She stumbled to a halt, her arms flailing as her ankle twisted beneath her.

I took a quick step forward, but before I could reach her, she straightened, testing her ankle before turning to face me. My arms dropped to my sides. What the fuck was going on with her? She opened her mouth to speak, but upon seeing the expression on my face, closed it again.

Fuck it. I was getting soaked. And so was she. "I'll take you home. And I'm finished arguing with you, so I wouldn't push it." I held out my hand.

She hesitated, then carefully made her way over to me and took my offer of help. "Thank you," she said quietly, keeping her head down, her wet hair hiding her eyes from me.

My blood ran fast as she submitted to me, and I barely held in my groan. I put her in the car and ran my fingers through my wet hair as I walked around to the driver's side.

I would take her home as I promised.

But not just yet.