5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Dominic

This party isn't what I imagined a twenty-second birthday to be. I didn't have a party for most of my birthdays, but I figured when rich kids did theirs, it was a little livelier than this.

A garden party with cocktails and oysters is not what I would have wanted at twenty-two. I also don't see anyone under the age of thirty besides Gianna.

I'm grateful when Will digs a few beers out of the pool house ice chest, and I turn down the oysters with apologies that I had lunch with my father. A lie, but there's no way I'm slipping one of those things down my throat.

I know that the polite thing to do here is to stay around an hour before I make my escape, so I greet the Bianchis and then corner Will for a chat about the weekend's sports games and how his business is going.

I tell him about the club and the possibility of buying another, and he shares his plans for a development on the outskirts of the city.

Our friendship has always been easy, motivating, and judgment-free, which is why I'll always make an effort when Will asks me to attend to things.

It's not long before I'm left alone, though, and I use the time to scan the guests for anyone I might want to "bump into" on my way to the bathroom. I have to take care of business here before I go, or else the trip was largely a waste.

And then she approaches me. It's the same girl from the club, only this time she looks fucking gorgeous in a tight black number and stilettos, skillfully gliding across the lawn like she was born walking in sky-high heels.

I'm shocked to see her here, but a little excited that there's such a beauty to talk to. Until I realize who she is. Gianna Bianchi. Will's sister. I should have guessed since she's the youngest-looking woman here.

I know that she's flirting with me, and my instincts tell me to play along.

She's tempting in all the best ways, her curvy figure calling to the testosterone racing through me. But she's a Bianchi, and I have respect for this family. I am already regretting fucking her in the club last night and I wouldn't have done so if I had known who she was.

But damn, her body is still calling out to me, loud and clear. It's hard to think about anything but the throbbing of my cock as she chats with me. I keep seeing her sucking me off while I pulled my belt tight around her slim neck.

She's stubborn. And smart. I can tell she doesn't take shit from anyone. I wonder how she ended up with such a fuck-up of an ex-boyfriend. As we're talking, I try to keep my gaze neutral, but her pouty, maroon lips are distracting me.

Her mother comes to save her at the perfect time, and as I watch them walk away, I can see that Gianna is just a younger version of Mrs. Bianchi. It's always interesting to see how a woman is going to look when they're fifty-plus by looking at their mothers.

Gianna won the gene pool lottery, that's for sure.

"Dom, you wishing my little sister a happy birthday?" William is back at my side, handing me another beer. I take it gratefully and nod.

It's better that Will doesn't know about his sister being harassed in the club. I can't answer any questions he might ask about her time under my roof without tattling on myself.

"Cool, cool. So, uh, you know she's only twenty-two, right?"

I look at him and smile slightly.

"You worried about me and your sister, Will? Like I can't get any other girl in Chicago?"

Will chuckles nervously. "Not worried. It'd be a blast to have you as a brother, don't get me wrong. But Gianna is young, and I don't think she's ready for anything serious, you know? She's been away at boarding school and just finished college. It's time for her to figure things out for her future."

"Got you." I take a swig of my beer, hoping the conversation is over.

I get what he's saying — keep your blood and gore away from my little sister. And I don't blame him.

I'm not about to push the situation. Gianna is gorgeous, but definitely not my usual type.

I typically fuck women who are a little bit older, women I know won't get attached. Young women who just got their college degrees and who are barely old enough to legally drink are not really my style. Even if she gave me one of the best orgasms I have ever experienced and squirted all over my desk twice as she came.

Will is still stumbling over his words.

"I just don't want to have to warn you, y'know, to stay away from her." William Bianchi is not a soft guy, but I can see he's trying not to make this a bigger scene than it already is.

My instincts are yelling to tell him to go and fuck himself, and then to fuck his sister again as a final point. But that's mostly because I can't stand anyone trying to tell me what to do, or what not to do.

"Will, you're my buddy and she's your sister. I know the boundaries." I don't let the dark thoughts win.

Will is one of the first real friends I've had, and he's not inside my world, which gives me the perfect break away from the ugliness of how I live.

I'd rather keep the peace with him for now.

***

I swallow down the last of my whiskey and stand up. I've had one too many, which was a mistake. One of my rules for myself is never to get drunk. I can't afford to lose control of my surroundings. Ever.

It's time for me to leave. I make my way around the room of cigar-smoking old men and end up by Will and his dad, thanking them for having me over.

"Thanks for coming," Will slurs. He's had about five too many, but he's at home and can let his guard down whenever he wants to. His father isn't much more sober than him, and he hugs me, calling me son as I'm leaving. Deep down, this family isn't all too bad.

I catch Mrs. Bianchi in the kitchen, ordering the cleaning staff around, and I thank her as well.

She places a container of leftover cake in my hands, and I take it to make her happy. She's always trying to feed me, as if she thinks I'm incapable of ordering a burger.

As I get to the door, my phone rings. I see it's Vince calling, so I step to the side to take the call.

"Vince."

"Dominic." He never calls me that. Something is wrong. "What the fuck did you do to that guy yesterday?"

"I roughed him up a bit, let him know we were serious. Why?"

"He offed himself, he's fucking gone, and all of my money with him!"

"Shit." Hooking the phone between my ear and shoulder, I rub my face, trying to get as sober as I can. "That's…how?"

"Pills. I had Jerry keeping an eye on him and the police and ambulances have just left the place."

"Motherfucker." There's an old woman walking out of the door that catches just that part of the conversation and throws a disapproving look my way. I roll my eyes.

"You can say that again." Vince sounds tired on the other end of the phone. "There's not much we can do about it tonight, but we're going to need to find his next of kin tomorrow and make sure we get that money."

"Yeah, I'll take care of it." This is my least favorite part of the job.

"Do a better job this time, Reaper." Vince puts the phone down, and I head to my car.

"Well, you officially look even more pissed off than I am." A voice catches me as I pass a bush. Looking into the shadows I see Gianna sitting on a bench by herself.

"Hiding from the goodbyes?" I ask her.

"Sort of." She smiles and takes a sip of the drink in her hand. "Did my mother send you off with leftovers?" She points at the container in my hand.

"She did. Sweet lady." I move closer to where she's sitting, the alcohol and my nerves over the phone call lowering my walls a bit.

Despite who she is, Gianna is a smart and sexy woman. Plus, William putting a ban on her has made her all that more alluring. "Did you enjoy your birthday?" I ask her.

She scoffs. "I did, until I got stuck in a room of old women who were trying to marry me off."

"Oh? Any interesting options?" I sit next to her and place the leftovers on the other end of the bench.

"Why? Are you on the market?" She raises her eyebrow at me, cocky but so damn sexy.

"Not for anyone that they'd be offering." I lick my lips as I reply to her, the whiskey making me a lot more willing to participate in this flirting than I was earlier.

She smiles at me again, and I can feel the alcohol completely taking over my brain.

This girl wants me, and I'm about to have a week of hell with work, so why not entertain her a little and give us both a moment of excitement? Plus, I already know what fucking her is like and I would be stupid not to want a second round with her.

I lean in slowly, allowing her time to get up and run if she wants to.

Instead, I see her lean toward me and close her eyes. As our lips meet, I cup her chin in one hand and pull her closer to me by her waist with the other.

She tastes sweet, her mouth warm and inviting as she opens it slightly, and I move my tongue to meet hers. She's a good kisser in the daylight, just like she was in the middle of the night last night.

She has one hand on the arm that's around her and the other on my neck. Gripping her closer to me, I can feel her braless breasts through her dress and my shirt, and the kiss deepens.

I could take her right here, strip her down, and lay her across the bench, and thrust my hardening cock into her…

A blinding light shines into my eyelids, and Gianna jumps as we hear the roar of an Aventador coming up the driveway. Someone is probably fetching a drunk spouse from the party.

I lick my lips and look at Gianna. I can see she's just as turned on as I am.

I smile at her and give her one last peck on the lips before picking up my leftovers and leaving. If I didn't have to handle work tomorrow morning, I might have convinced her to come home with me.

As I'm driving off, I see Will come out and find his sister, and I wonder how well he'd have handled walking up to us just a few minutes earlier.