Sweet Venom: A Why Choose Romance

Staying away had its purpose. I expected to watch a bomb detonate. Instead, I got the code for a nuclear reactor. There was no way I would put in all that work and not have a front-row seat to the show. Ellis isn’t the only one losing something. He just doesn’t know it.

After the first day of watching Vivian, I knew Ellis was still blissfully unaware of what I had done at the Serra Estate. Whatever perceived awkwardness he was feeling, I’m positive he attributed to our threesome, and rightfully so; he was the only fucker who saw that coming. When Vivian returned to work on Monday, she did so in a long-sleeved turtleneck. The next day was a long-sleeved blouse and scarf. Every day, she wore something to cover up my marks, and because there was no change at home that I could tell, besides the fact that she was back in her own room to sleep and not his, I knew the truth had yet to be revealed.

I considered sneaking into the condo while they were at work and burning all her clothes so she would have no choice but to show him what I had done, but I was also set on exposing her for the unfaithful, cheating slut that she is. The woman doesn’t want to settle down; she doesn’t want a man. She wants a plaything. I have no doubt it’s why she agreed to the threesome. Vivian didn’t want me. She wanted my cock, and if it’s not mine, it will be someone else’s. That’s why I had to fight back my desire to strike.

By Wednesday, I was back to rage. It’s funny how truly fleeting the ability to reason can be when you let your emotions get involved. When I covered Vivian in my marks, my intent was to ensure she couldn’t hide. There would be no mistake of where I had been, but on the third day of not seeing them, my blood started to boil for more reasons than one. I needed Ellis to see them, and she was intent on hiding them from him. The woman is a viper. She’s not ashamed of any part of her body; she has no reason to be, and because I know she likes a little pain, I know, were it not for him, she’d be wearing those marks, my marks, confidently.

But as I watched her put her helmet on and check her bike before mounting it at 5am, while it was still dark, a pair of headlights flicking on a block over caught my eye. I couldn’t tell you why. All I know is that they did. They stole my attention and changed the entire trajectory of my plans. I had no idea how full-circle things would come from one set of headlights.

I’ve known all along there is more to Vivian Fiori than meets the eye. She’s a venomous snake, lurking in the shadows, waiting for her next unsuspecting victim to strike. I shelved my duties to follow her every fucking move, determined to once and for all prove her disloyalty to Ellis and reveal her true nature, and I fucking struck gold. I came back to San Jose for one purpose, and wouldn’t you know who I find at the center of it all, Vivian Fiori.

I knew Sayward was behind the robberies but couldn’t prove it. It wasn’t until Vivian pulled her little stunt that I finally caught her on camera, but that wasn’t enough. I needed her accomplice, or it would just end up being another club girl helping whoever was organizing the hits behind the scenes steal our money. I followed Sayward and never found her with anyone until finally, I started following Vivian and discovered I’d been trailing the wrong person all along.

Vivian had a tail in the form of one Tatum fucking Carroway. I knew they were friends. I’d seen her having coffee with him the other day at Roasters. Of course, I didn’t fucking like it. She shouldn’t be parading around with other men when she’s living under my brother’s roof and riding his cock. But as I watched him, I got a new outlook on their perceived friendship. You see, there’s a difference between casually striking up a conversation and becoming friends versus forced proximity. The longer I watched, the more I was convinced their friendship was anything but coincidental. No, Tatum Carroway made sure he was in her orbit.

I watched as he followed her to Santa Cruz, where I have no doubt she decided to workout so that her odds of being seen were less likely. Vivian would workout naked if she could. She’s the girl at the gym wearing a sports bra and spandex shorts, highlighting every fucking curve of her perfect ass. So, it’s no surprise she wanted to get away, where she could de-robe without knowing eyes catching sight of her. Little did she know, two sets were lurking in the shadows.

The second she pulled her joggers off and removed her long-sleeve tee, Tatum all but went into full beast mode. I watched as he kicked over a trash can and paced the side of his Jeep before climbing back in and pounding the steering wheel. The man was clearly torn between going to her side and maintaining his cover. While he looked on in horror, my cock twitched with delight. A dark place in my soul enjoyed knowing that she couldn’t help but think of me every time she looked in the fucking mirror.

Tatum didn’t follow her onto the trails that day, which surprised me. I thought for sure the fucker might get some hair-brained idea to ‘accidentally’ run into her while she was on her jog, unable to help himself, but he didn’t, at least not until the end. By the time she was done with her jog, the tank top she wore under her long-sleeve was draped around her neck, putting even more of her beautifully marred skin on display as she walked to the beach with her hands placed atop her head. I watched as Tate exited his car and stomped down to the sand after her. His fervor had me stepping out of my own car just in case he couldn’t control himself, but he pussed out at the last fucking minute. He was only feet behind her when he bee-lined for the lifeguard stand, ensuring she didn’t see him.

I have to give it to him, though. He’s always around, always watching, and she has no fucking idea—but he’s starting to get reckless. That sixth sense is beginning to kick in for her because seconds after he veered off, her head snapped back, and she scanned the crowd for long moments, searching to find a familiar face or something that would answer for the goosebumps I’m sure were pricking her sweet skin. It didn’t take long for that unease to settle over her and steal whatever peace she had momentarily found staring out over the ocean.

Little did I know that what would come next would steal my own peace.

The next fucking day, I’d get answers to questions I’ve been asking for months. The web of lies and deception that was spun would quickly unravel. I just didn’t know how epically fucked I would be. I never planned on hurting my brother, but now I’m not sure it can be avoided. All it took was one afternoon and one lunch for me to learn the true identity of the man who brought me back to San Jose to begin with. There was no way that the roads he took and the house he stopped at were a coincidence. Tatum Carroway is Carter Manolas.

That discovery shook me to my core. As I continued to follow them that afternoon, I couldn’t determine if all of this was a happenstance or an orchestrated hit. It didn’t make sense that he would take Vivian to all these places. I couldn’t hear what words were being shared. There was no way of telling if he was spinning more lies or giving her truths. I stayed the course and followed them everywhere, even when I didn’t want to. It took every ounce of my self-control not to run into that little shithole of a Chinese food restaurant when I saw them kissing and call her out. She was openly making out with another man while dating my brother, and not just any man, but the one stealing our money and maybe even more. But I was determined to see this through. Lurking in the shadows got me further than posturing in the light ever had. You learn so much more when people think no one is watching.

That afternoon, after Tate dropped Vivian off at work, he didn’t return, and because I knew where she was, I decided to follow him, and wouldn’t you know where he went: Sayward Grace’s place. It’s why I chose to attend the anniversary party tonight. I knew she’d be here, and because he hasn’t left her side since Wednesday, the odds were good something was about to go down, and fuck if I wasn’t going to be the one delivering the blows.

I planned on trying to keep the night as civil as possible. The dirty truth would hurt enough. No one will walk away unscathed. That’s why I brought a date. Marni is my go-to fuck buddy. She’s always down for a good time and knows what I like. Is it a dick move? Maybe. But I’ve never claimed not to be one, and I wanted to send a message, one I know Vivian received loud and clear when she caught me at the bar with my arm wrapped around Marni. She means nothing; our fucking meant nothing, and there will not be a repeat. But I hadn’t planned on the jealous rage that would slither up my spine and wrap around my cold heart from just one look.

As I watched her walk away with indifference written all across her pretty face, I knew we would have words. There was no way I’d allow her not to feel anything. Not when I felt everything. So, when she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes pinned on one couple, I made my move. I couldn’t help myself. I had to taunt her, to give her a dose of her own medicine. Her body went stiff, and if eyes could speak, hers would have screamed. At that moment, when she saw Tatum Carroway with his arm wrapped around another woman, she knew she had been played, and I wasn’t going to let her sulk in silence. No, I was going to twist the damn knife.

It’s that fucking selfish, impulsive anger that landed me with a swollen lip and a semi-bruised ego. Too laser-focused on hurting Vivian, I didn’t account for my brother appearing out of nowhere, landing a right hook straight to my jaw. One I’m sure he believes I deserve. Two of our cousins who work security at the club had to swoop in and separate us. I walked out front to cool off and take a minute to collect myself because if I didn’t, I’d air his dirty laundry in front of all our guests, and while I might be a dick, he’s not my intended target. Fuck.

When I returned to the backyard, I’d lost them. There was no sign of Tatum, Sayward, Ellis or Vivian. Were it not for the club being closed tonight for the anniversary party, I would have left to trail Tatum. He has an agenda. There has to be a reason why, after all this time, he’s finally showing his hand. It’s why I can’t leave. I need to talk to Ellis tonight, regardless of the outcome.

I make my way up the steps to the house, sure I’ll find him inside. There’s no way he left his own party. If anything, he’s licking his wounds like me. I know I got one hit in before Vinny pulled me back. I find him standing in the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of whiskey over ice—something he never does—and no sooner does he take his first drink, than his eyes catch mine. He’s pissed. Great.

‘I fucking know, Sebastian. I’m done playing this game with you.’

My eyebrows rise of their own accord. Those were not the words I was expecting out of his mouth. As I slowly reach the island, I ask, ‘What exactly do you know, Ellis?’

I clench my fist and dig my nails in to remind myself there’s no way he knows what I know. This is something else.

‘I know about the costume party at Club Social. I know you saw her first.’

My eyes stay locked on his in a war of wills. I’m determined not to give him a reaction, not on this. This is the last thing I ever cared to discuss. When I don’t make a move to speak, he adds, “I know you searched for her for two weeks after that night, only to find her in my bed.’

Coming around the island, I grab the whiskey bottle and a glass before saying, ‘It doesn’t fucking matter. What’s done is done.’

‘It does matter; you loved her first.’

That couldn’t be further from the truth. I throw back two fingers of whiskey as the memory of the first night I met Vivian Fiori replays in my mind.

Sitting alone at the bar was one of the prettiest women I’d ever seen, dressed like a snake. Her tight little body was wrapped in a black leather corset suit with a see-through sarong wrapped around her waist and silver snake cuffs that wrapped up her arms. Her costume left little to the imagination. The corset was so tight, her tits were practically falling out. But it was the four-inch heels with straps that wrapped all the way up to her toned thick thighs that had me hard. She looked fucking edible. Her long, dark brown hair flowed down her back in loose curls, resting just above her plump ass that men easily stole glances of all night.

When the bartender turned his back, she reached across the bar top to steal cherries from the garnish caddy. I watched as one sorry fuck after another would step up and try to shoot their shot, only to fail miserably. The irony of her costume was not lost on me. It entertained me for a good hour before I decided I had to know her name, and maybe even the story. Why would a woman go to a bar dressed like that, only to turn down every guy that came her way? She clearly wanted attention.

It wasn’t until she caught the attention of one of the business associates at my table that I decided to make my move. Our meeting was done. We’d come to the club that night specifically to people watch. It was costume night, and women love a good reason to dress in skimpy ass clothes, so we called it research. We’d been looking to change the outfits the girls wear on the bar level at the club, and what better way than to watch it parade by in real life? You get a better idea of how an outfit will fit when you see it in person rather than on screen. How much a top rides up and shows the underside of a woman’s breast or how the shorts bunch up and highlight every curve of her ass when she walks. Those are all things you can’t get from a screen. But I was done looking. It was time to find out how a black leather corset felt pressed against my dick.

I knew I would have an audience, but I was confident I wouldn’t fail. Something told me she and I were looking for the same thing. No strings attached. She wasn’t there to be wooed. She was there to play.

The second I pulled up to the vacated stool next to hers, she eyed me from head to toe, her eyes void of any emotion as she sipped on her dirty martini.

‘Can I get you another?’ I nodded to her glass, which was nearly empty.

‘No, thank you. I’m not interested.’ From that one comment, I knew exactly how everything would play out. The vipera wasn’t there to pick up men. She was there to slay them, playing every bit the part of the scorned woman, and I was the all-too-willing bastard ready to be her rebound fuck.

‘Well, I didn’t ask if you were interested. That would imply that I was inquiring. I thought you might be thirsty.’

She didn’t say anything, but when the bartender asked what I’d like to drink and I ordered two dirty martinis, he looked at her in question, and she nodded her consent. And just like that, I succeeded in doing what no man before me had done that night. I bought her a drink.

‘Is there a reason you have ‘fuck off’ written all over that pretty face?’

‘It’s not for everyone. Just you.’

‘That’s a fucking lie, and we both know it. I’ve watched countless sorry bastards sit on this stool tonight, so don’t try to tell me that scowl has been reserved for just me.’

She raised a perfectly manicured brow as she sipped the new martini the bartender delivered before saying, ‘Fine. Your species is shit, and I don’t care to entertain whatever sweet nothings you wish to whisper in my ear.’

I smirked into my glass as I took a drink. But, of course, she didn’t touch her glass. Scorned and pitiful, just like I called it. ‘What’s that smirk? What part of what I said do you find amusing?’

‘All of it,’ I answered honestly before calling her out on her bullshit. ‘You don’t come to a bar half-naked, dressed like a fucking snack if you don’t want attention. You say you don’t care to entertain whatever bullshit I have thrown your way, yet here you are drinking a martini I bought and bending my ear with nonsense when we both know all you really want to do is ride my dick.’

I didn’t miss the subtle way she bit her lip before throwing the remaining contents of her drink back, slamming her glass on the counter, and saying, ‘Fuck off,’ right before hopping off her stool and leaving me to sit alone at the bar. I could hear the snickers from the guys over the loud, rhythmic beats that the DJ was pumping through the speakers, and I should have thrown in the towel, but something told me that’s not what she wanted.

She dressed up like a venomous snake, after all. Her words were meant to pack a bite. For a snake, poison is life; for a man, it can mean certain death, and fuck if I didn’t follow after her anyway. She wasn’t hard to spot. Every man in the bar noticed her. All I had to do was follow the look of longing written across any man’s face, and I would find her. While she may have been blissfully unaware that anyone was following, I made it more than clear that she was mine to any man who dared to look her way. When I stepped up behind her, placing my hands on her hips and pulling her ass into my crotch, even she couldn’t deny it. She fucking wanted me. There was no question.

The piccola vipera had no qualms about grinding on my dick, losing herself to the techno beats and strobe lights, but when I spun her in my arms, determined to taste her mouth, she placed her hands on my chest and said, ‘We’re not doing that.’

I pulled her close so my aching cock was firmly pressed against her front as I said, ‘Why not?’

‘Because nothing has changed. I still hate you.’

I couldn’t help but smile before leaning in and skimming the shell of her ear with my teeth before saying, ‘I hate you more,’ and kissing my way up her perfect jaw to her perfect red lips. ‘But misery loves company.’ Without another word, I sealed my lips over hers, and she let me in with abandon. Our tongues clashed as her hands ran sensually up my chest, setting every nerve ending on my body on fire. Her hands fisted in my shirt, and she bit my lip hard. I enjoyed the sting of her bite for a moment before she was pushing me back and trying to storm away. But as she spun on her heel, I pulled her back against my front by her hair. ‘I like it rough, vipera. That little show just now was merely a tease.’ Then, with the arm I had wrapped around her front, I skimmed my hand up her waist until it cupped her breast, and I squeezed hard before adding, ‘But for some reason, I think you already knew that.’

Pulling her long hair back, I tilted her head back so that her pretty neck was exposed and nipped it a little harder than necessary. When she gasped, I knew I had her. In seconds, her mouth was back on mine, and the hand I’d wrapped in her hair was making its way down her toned stomach.

‘Tell me, mia piccola vipera,’ I said as I let my fingers slowly continue their decent, ‘Does that hate of yours make you wet?’

‘No more than it makes you hard.’ She snapped back, her tone laced with venom and lust.

Without another word, my hand slid straight to the apex of her thighs, where my fingers glided right over the soaked material of her bodysuit. I pressed hard against her clit through the fabric, eliciting the most delicious, throaty moan I’d ever heard. It vibrated straight through my chest. ‘You want me to pull this suit to the side, don’t you?’ When she didn’t reply, I halted my ministrations and said, ‘Answer me.’

She tried to push off, but I didn’t let her. That’s when she said, ‘I can’t give you what you want.’

‘What is it you believe I want?’ I asked.

‘Easy. Me.’ Before I could correct her on her error in judgment, her hand covered the one I had on her pussy. Her fingers aligned over the tops of mine, and her boldness dug its claws into what little thread of control I had left as she pushed her suit to the side and slid my thick digit through her soaked folds. ‘Hasn’t anyone ever told you if you charm a snake there’s a chance you’re going to get bit?’ Her plump lips parted as she dipped my middle finger into her tight pussy.

It took every ounce of brain power I had to focus on her words and not the scene unfolding in the middle of the packed dance floor, but I knew with her, every word counted. ‘Don’t worry about me. I’m immune to your venom.’

Her hand pushed me deeper into her channel, and any further words I’d had fell away. I let her guide me for a few seconds, loving the way she was taking what she wanted before I took control.

‘Remove that hand, vipera before I don’t give you what you want.’

She withdrew it only to bring her hands up and around the back of my neck, with zero regard for who might see what we were doing. Her free spirit and ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude were intoxicating. I pumped her hard with two digits while I sucked on the side of her neck, and when I felt her pussy start to clench, I spoke words I’ll never forget. ‘Se il tuo morso è veleno, correrei comunque il rischio.’-If your bite is poison, I’d risk it still.

Something about those words set her off, and her sweet mouth found mine as I pumped her through one of the hottest finger fucks of my life. Her tongue dove deep, just like mine, searching for more, but as the high of the orgasm started to fade, so did the girl. No sooner had my hand left her warmth than she said, ‘I have to go.’

But I wasn’t ready to let her go. I spun her in my arms and tipped her chin up, forcing those dark brown eyes to mine before I said, ‘We both know that’s not what you want. Let me buy you another drink.’

‘I can’t give you what you want. I’m not looking for a man.’

‘I’m not asking for more than a night.’

‘Even a night is one too many. I have venom in my veins, and I can promise that even your cold heart wouldn’t survive.’

She wiggled in my grip once more, trying to free herself, and I said, ‘Try me.’

‘What?’ she questioned, perplexed.

‘You believe I can’t survive one night and that my hate doesn’t rival your own. So try me.’

I watched as she rolled her lips and considered my words, and as I studied her, I knew without question that I had finally met my match. The woman was just as bullheaded as I was. She wasn’t going to back down from a challenge. It gave her something she craved.

‘Fine.’ She moistened her lips before saying, ‘I wouldn’t give you the satisfaction of helping you find your glasses if you were my driver on a dark rainy night.’

Her comment momentarily caught me off guard. One: because I don’t normally wear glasses, I threw them on last-minute and styled my hair in a kiss-curl for the Clark Kent look to get into the club that night, and two: I wasn’t expecting a sardonic quip as an answer to my challenge. Either way, I was all in. I’m the king when it comes to having the last word. I knew this was one game I would surely be the victor.

‘I wouldn’t want to wear anything that helped me see you more clearly. I’d rather drive us both off the road.’

Her lips quirked up in the slightest of smiles as though my willingness to play her game satisfied her. But it was gone just as quick as it came, and then she said, ‘I’d leave you for another man. Any other man would do.’ She yelled over the base of the speakers that picked up.

I leaned in and brushed her hair over her shoulder before saying, ‘I’d help you find the poor, unsuspecting soul.’

With my face already next to hers, she turned in to me and said, ‘I’d poison your coffee and not think twice about it.’

My hands gripped the sides of her face before I pressed my forehead to hers and replied, ‘I’d happily drink it to spare myself a lifetime with you.’

When she gave me no words, I assumed I had won and said, ‘Now, how about that drink?’

She nodded nervously, her eyes more distant than they had been all night, but I didn’t think anything of it. I assumed she didn’t like how I made her feel, and truth be told, I knew the feeling all too well, because I felt the same way. Releasing her face, I grabbed her hand and started pulling her off the dance floor and back to the bar, but as I pushed through the crowd of bodies, her hand slipped mine, and when I turned back, she was gone.

Ellis setting the whiskey bottle down on the granite countertop rather harshly after topping off his glass draws me out of my memories and back to the present. ‘You realize she doesn’t remember that night, right?’

I’ve attempted to keep my mind from wandering back to that night since I discovered her in my brother’s bed, only allowing small seconds to take up space in the now, whenever I need a reminder of why she must go.

‘Did she tell you that?’ I meet his eyes, searching for the answer I’ve asked myself countless times whenever our paths cross. There’s no way she can’t remember. I was wearing fucking glasses, not a damn mask.

‘No; she didn’t need to. She’s in my life, and I made it my business to know hers.’ He pauses, taking another swig of his drink before adding, ‘She’s important to me, Seb. I love her.’

I can’t help but balk with a sardonic harrumph before saying, ‘Really, Ellis? You love her? You just let me fuck her in the ass two weeks ago.’

He sets his glass down on the island before slamming his hands down and showing me a side I’ve never seen from him. Ellis is not a man who is quick to anger, and I’ve never been on the receiving end, but the fury in his eyes is practically palpable before he bites out, ‘I swear, you better lose that fucking attitude, Seb. You’ll watch how you talk about my girl. You will not disrespect her in front of me in my own house for something you don’t understand.’

He’s fucking serious, that much is clear, but it’s his last words, ‘something I don’t understand,’ that have me saying, ‘Then explain it to me, Ellis. Why are you okay with me fucking your girl? That’s not exactly normal. I’m your damn brother.’

I watch as he pulls a cleansing breath into his lungs and closes his eyes, gaining his composure. Then placing both hands firmly on the island between us, he meets my eyes with a no-nonsense glare that tells me whatever he’s about to say has been well thought through on his part. ‘You loved her first, and I know she cares for you. If you make each other happy, I want that for you. I love you both.’

‘You’re a twisted motherfucker. You know that, right?’

‘No more than you.’ He comments in jest before reclaiming his drink.

I take a pull off my own before asking, ‘What if I don’t want to share?’

He shrugs and says, ‘No one is making you.’

I study him and let his words wash over me for long seconds, considering all he’s laid at my feet. Do I love Ellis? Without a doubt; it’s why I’ve gone to great lengths to destroy the woman he loves, because he doesn’t see her for the snake that she is. I don’t believe that she doesn’t remember. There’s a reason she hasn’t said anything, which has me asking, ‘Why haven’t you asked her about it?’

‘It’s not my story to tell.’

Movement in my peripheral catches my eye, and I see Vivian stand up from the stairs adjacent to the kitchen before storming straight out the front door. Fuck. She heard everything.

Ellis instinctively moves to follow her, but I say, ‘No, I got it.’

He shakes his head and clenches his jaw. He doesn’t trust me with her, and I’ve given him no reason to. Fuck, I don’t trust myself. As I make my way toward the front, he calls out, ‘I swear, if you hurt her, Sebastian, brother or not, I won’t think twice about returning the favor.’

I don’t say anything as I walk out the door. I refuse to make promises I can’t keep.

This is not at all how I saw this night playing out. Traipsing through the front yard in search of a woman I love to hate. Did my brother’s confessions about sharing her change anything? Maybe for the briefest of seconds, as I allowed myself to feel everything I had shoved down deep since I found her in his bed. However, that liking was short-lived when I recalled her bitterness and revulsion to the male species, but more than that, she’s not the staying type. She said so herself multiple times, and her track record as of late only proves its accuracy. My memories of her hate only reignite my fire.

Vivian might have played the part of the victim at the Serra Estate, but she wanted every second of what I gave her, and I fucking hated it. The first woman who sees the true sick, depraved fucker that I am and loves every second would be a viper dressed in sheep’s clothing. After I filled her up with my seed only to watch it leak out of her pretty pussy, the last thing I wanted to do was leave, but that’s what has to happen. We can’t both stay. I won’t lose my brother to her, and that is precisely what will happen if she stays. She will shatter whatever remaining bit of humanity Ellis still has left.

Ellis shut off his emotions years ago, and I never asked why. I was sure there wasn’t one specific thing that caused him to turn cold. I could list twenty things off the top of my head right now, but I never understood the timing. Has he always been laser-focused, calculated, and stone-hearted? Yes, but that was for the world. As his brother, I still saw another side. A man who rose from the ashes and made something for himself when the deck was stacked against him in every way. He was only the things this world forced him to be out of necessity, but somewhere along the line, that hard front that he put on for the world became the same one I received.

He says he wants to share, but I don’t believe that’s all that this is. This feels different, and I’m worried that whatever lurks just beneath the surface has the power to destroy my brother. But I refuse to let that happen, not after all he’s sacrificed for me. I will gladly wage this war for him and offer myself as tribute.