Chapter 6

6

TOBIAS

S leep is impossible, knowing that Teagan is under my roof. Fuck, I should have just followed her to her room when she offered. It's what we both want.

But it isn't what she needs. And I have to put her first.

Going to the mini bar in my room, I pour two fingers of whiskey and stroll out to the terrace. With nothing better to do, I take out my phone, checking my emails and messages. I'm not surprised Ricky hasn't said anything about his new job opportunity that he can never know I orchestrated. Smug little shit. He's probably waiting to rub it in my face when he becomes a success. Too bad that will never happen.

I go ahead and send out an email to my acquisitions manager and tell him to cancel the purchase of the diner. Accidentally getting Teagan fired by purposely beating the shit out of her manager saved me a little bit of money, but the obvious benefit is that she's happily under my roof for what she thinks is a short stay. Little does she know it's going to be forever.

Minutes tick by into hours, and it's past midnight when I get a text from Ian, asking me to call him if I'm still up. Frowning, I hit the contact picture at the top of the screen. Is it possible that Ricky has fucked things up this badly already?

"Tobias," Ian says grimly when the call connects. "I don't suppose there's any way you weren't the man who beat the shit out of some diner manager in Chicago this morning, right?"

This surprises me. News doesn't usually travel this fast. "Yeah, it was me. So what?"

Ian curses, holding the phone away from his mouth to do so before coming back on the line. "You didn't hear this from me, but that wasn't just any diner, and that wasn't just any low-level manager. It was a money laundering operation for The Delvecchio Cartel and that guy was a cousin of Paulie Delvecchio. You're on security camera and you're pretty recognizable, my friend."

A coldness settles in my stomach, but I refuse to get caught up in this mess. The Delvecchio Cartel. I've done a few jobs for them in the past, but they tend towards more subtle machinations, so we aren't well acquainted. Apparently, acquainted enough for them to recognize me over camera footage, though. Fuck. "I'll pay them off. How much do they want, do you think?"

"I don't know, Tobias. I'm retired too, remember? I'm only able to tell you this because my kid took over the family business, and I don't mean the custom gun business." I hear him blow out a breath. "You better get on top of this before it gets on top of you, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, unfortunately, I know what you're saying." I clench and unclench my free hand, mind racing. "Any intel on them that might give me an upper hand? Or any contracts?"

"Nah, man, I don't have any numbers. All I can tell ya is that Paulie Delvecchio is a prideful motherfucker. He might want more from you than money if you catch my drift. A lot of people can write a big check, but not a lot of people have the reputation that you have. Just be prepared for something like that."

I'm mad as hell, but none of this is Ian's fault. He's doing me a big favor by even giving me a heads-up. "Okay. I'll take care of it. Thanks, Ian."

"Anytime, Tobias. By the way, your son fell for everything hook, line, and sinker." He chuckles. "So at least he's out of your hair."

"Yeah, at least there's that." I think about Teagan, not Ricky, though. Sleeping just a few rooms away, so innocent and trusting, and now there's this wild card of a situation rearing its head. I have to protect her. Even if it means picking back up the job I had hoped to leave in the past.

I wouldn't have guessed that I have an eye for women's fashion, but seeing Teagan in the dress I picked out for her makes me reconsider.

Hot damn, she's perfect, and I couldn't have picked a better color to complement her glowing complexion and honey-blond hair. It's a shimmering pale blush short enough to leave her gorgeous legs mostly bare. She stands here in the middle of the room with the fabric hugging her curves, her head slightly tilted up as if waiting for my approval. My gaze follows her neck down to the slight V-cut of the dress, a smile pulling up the corner of my mouth as my whole body responds to how stunning she is.

"Is this where you've been all day? Picking out an outfit for me?" she asks playfully.

"Ha. No. I just called a personal shopper and gave them enough information to figure it out. She sent me back a few options and I picked this one. And I think I did a damn good job because you look so fucking sexy, Teagan."

I close the gap between us and press my lips to hers, my hands finding her hips, pulling her to me as I deepen the kiss.

"Well, you definitely have an eye for it because I love this dress." Teagan bites her lip, looking unsure. "How much do I owe you for it?"

"Nothing. It's a gift." I assure her, forcing my fingers to uncurl from her hips before I grind myself into her and we end up missing our reservation entirely. "Are you ready for dinner?"

She looks like she might argue about the gift comment but holds it back, nodding. "Yes. You haven't told me where we're going, though."

"I rented the back room of The Violet Hour for us." I offer Teagan my hand, and she takes it happily.

"The entire back room?"

"I don't want to share you," I explain, squeezing her hand as we walk out to the Land Rover, already started by the valet and waiting on the two of us. "Ever."

A slow smile spreads across her face and her cheeks tint red.

"Me either," she responds, looking down at our intertwined fingers.

I open the door and help her inside, watching as she carefully arranges her skirt before putting her seatbelt on. When I get on the driver's side, she looks over at me, smiling.

"What is it?" I ask, a grin spreading across my own face.

"Just... you."

"Just me? I'm not doing anything, sweetheart."

"You're always doing something," she says, her voice quiet and full of wonder. "Every move, every word, every expression. You're the most alive person I've ever met."

Her words take me totally off guard, and I think Teagan might be the first person in history to ever see me surprised. Most alive person? I'm a cold, stoic killer. A former hitman. At least I was before I retired. Not that she will ever know any of that. How the hell can she find me alive? "You must be imagining things."

Teagan's eyes grow wide, her head tilting back, a laugh falling from her lips.

"Oh my God! You're actually embarrassed!" She continues laughing and shaking her head.

"I'm not embarrassed," I say, pulling onto the main road and heading for The Violet Hour. "You're just a constant surprise, Teagan. It's why you've held my interest from the first time we met."

"It's okay to be embarrassed." Teagan isn't going to let it go. I'm sure she knows I'm no such fucking thing, but my little girl has found something she can use to get a rise out of me, and she isn't planning on giving it up.

I reach across the console, gripping her chin and pulling her to me.

We roll up to a stop sign, and I raise an eyebrow at her. "If I kiss you, are you going to continue with this ridiculousness?"

Teagan wrinkles her nose. "Yes."

I sigh but bring her closer, pressing my lips to hers before pulling away.

"I'm still going to keep doing it." She grins, looking entirely pleased with herself when the vehicle starts rolling again."You might as well just get used to it."

"In this car, doll, bad girls get punished."

She sucks her bottom lip between her teeth, biting down as her gaze burns a hole in my chest.

"I think you'd like that too much," she teases.

"That's why it's a punishment."

Her eyes sparkle, a laugh falling from her lips. She relaxes against the seat, her smile staying on her face as we continue to the restaurant. Oh, Teagan. She's a grown woman, but that doesn't mean she can't get a spanking. I check the time on the dash and figure we have twenty minutes to spare. Plenty of time to give Teagan a little taste of exactly what I mean and something to think about when she's sitting on her round, plump little ass while we have dinner.

I pull off the main road, down a side road until we come to the totally empty parking lot for a small local hiking trail. No one comes out here, and if they dared to do so, I'll be able to hear them on the rocky road long before they see us. Teagan's eyes get wide, and I think she's realizing exactly what is about to happen.

"O-okay, Tobias. I believe you about the punishment. Point taken," she stutters.

"I haven't even made the point, doll. Unbuckle, get out of the car, and put your hands on the window," I order.

"But we're going to be late for dinner," she protests.

"Are you disobeying me?"

"N-no, I just don't understand why you can't just say whatever you're trying to prove without doing..." She trails off, her cheeks flushed.

"Without spanking your ass, you mean?" I ask, enjoying this.

"Y-yes."

"Because, sweetheart, sometimes actions are better than words. Get out of the car and do as you are told, or else you're going to earn yourself a punishment."

Teagan swallows hard, unbuckling her seat belt. I watch as she gets out of the Land Rover, smoothing her dress nervously and putting her palms on the window, bending forward.

"You're not getting a full punishment today, but I'm going to show you exactly what one would feel like. Pull your skirt up to your waist and bend over. Ass out. Legs apart. Do it."

She turns her head to me, her mouth slightly open, her chest heaving. I watch as her hands shake, her eyes locked on mine as she slowly pushes her dress up and bends at the waist, exposing her ass to me.

"Panties too."

She whimpers, pulling the black lacy underwear down and holding the fabric in her hand.

"Now, spread your legs and put your ass out. Widen those thighs."

Teagan shifts her feet, moving her legs further apart, her breath coming faster and harder.

I get out of the car, shutting the door quietly behind me. She's bent over, her ass in the air, her face turned to me. I can see the flush of her skin, the way her eyes are glassy with arousal. Her hair falls around her shoulders, and I can see the outline of her stomach, her hips, everything. I've never wanted her more than I do right now. But I have to keep myself under control. This is just a preview. There isn't time for anything else.

"Are you ready, Teagan?" My voice comes out so low that it's barely audible, but she hears me loud and clear.

She nods her head, her breath catching in her throat as she waits.

"After this, you will know that I'm a man of my word. I don't like to be questioned." I nip the shell of her ear, making her gasp. "Or doubted. If you do those things, doll, we're going to end up in this position again and again."

I reach forward, rubbing the globe of her ass, loving the way her body trembles beneath my touch.

"Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, sir." Teagan's voice is airy and thin.

I hum my approval. "Good."

My hand connects with her ass, a loud slap echoing around the empty lot. She gasps, her eyes widening, her hands tightening their grip on the edge of the door.

"Oh God," she moans.

I land another hit, this time on the opposite cheek.

"Ah!" Teagan yelps, her voice breathless, her ass wiggling. And then. "Oh…oh my."

Nuzzling her neck, I ask, "Does it hurt, doll?"

"Y-yes, but only for a second." Her words shake as they fall from her sweet lips.

"Do you want me to stop?" I already know she doesn't, but I want to hear her say it.

"No," she whispers, her eyes hooded.

I smile, landing another strike on her left cheek, then her right, watching her body tense, her mouth open, and the pink bloom over her porcelain skin.

"Please, Tobias," she begs, her voice cracking.

"Please what, baby girl?"

"Touch me," she pleads, her fingers tightening on the vehicle.

"Spread your legs wider."

She obeys without question, a whimper falling from her lips.

My hand slides down her hip, savoring the feeling of her soft skin. Teagan arches herself back and towards me, trying to shift my hand quicker to the apex of her thighs.

"This is what a punishment does to you, baby. It makes you needy. Needy for me."

"God, yes," she moans, her head falling forward, her knees wobbling.

Fuck dinner. My sweet little Teagan is here, hot and ready for me, her bare ass beneath my hands. We can get reservations another time. Right now, I'm so hard that I could rival an iron bar and she's so wet I can smell it. I grab both of her hips in my hands and pull her back towards me, grinding my cock against her ass until she moans, and?—

And now I hear the sound of tires on gravel. Cursing, I move to block anyone's view of Teagan, but she manages to get her panties back on and her dress straightened before the car even appears. The car passes by and keeps going, and in seconds, we're alone again. Who knows if it's a car full of hikers or just lost travelers? But I'm both thankful and pissed as hell that they interrupted us.

Happy because I almost lost control and took her roughly, just the way I need to so badly, but not the way she needs. And pissed off because we both want each other so much that I don't know how much longer we're going to be able to hold out.

"Woah," she breathes, looking at me with wide eyes, her pupils blown with lust. "That was really close."

Raking a hand through my hair, not caring if it fucks it up or not, I blow out a frustrated breath. "No kidding. Get in Teagan, we're going to be late."

She blinks a few times as if she didn't hear me correctly. "What? But we just…"

"Yeah, baby girl, I know what we just did. Just what I intended." I grab her chin between my forefinger and thumb. "You got a little taste of punishment, and now you've got something to think about during dinner. Now, let's go."

Teagan's mouth works like she wants to argue, but she doesn't say a word, climbing back into the passenger seat when I open the door for her. I adjust my cock in my pants as I walk around the truck and get inside, ready to lose my fucking mind. Now I have to sit through an entire damned dinner, knowing exactly what Teagan's naked ass looks like and the soft sounds she makes when I spank it.

God, I can't take much fucking more. I need her. I have to fucking have her. But for right now, as I pull out onto the main road once more, I repeat my one and only objective for the rest of the evening.

Get through dinner. Just get through dinner.

We get to The Violet Hour with two minutes to spare.

"You look very handsome, Tobias." Teagan reaches up, adjusting the collar of my shirt. "I love a man in a suit," she purrs.

"Do you now?" I grin down at her, placing my hand on the small of her back and guiding her inside. "Well, I'm happy to provide whatever you need, baby girl."

"I think you've proven that, sir." She grins. "Even if I'm a little sore."

Fuck. The way she calls me "sir" has my dick hardening all over again. But we are finally here. Finally about to have a meal together out at a proper restaurant, by fucking candlelight no less. Just what she deserves. A classy dinner where I can find out more about the little temptress who has so easily managed to ensnare me. No, temptress is the wrong word. Teagan is a beautiful, innocent breath of fresh air. It's how pure she is that has drawn me in in the first place, and now I'm already ready to leave my mark on her. She might not be as pure as the driven snow when I'm done with her, but she'll be something even better—mine.

"Mr. Terrazas," a short man with a receding hairline and a nervous expression greets us, shaking my hand. "Welcome. Please follow me."

Teagan's hand is in mine, but she stops for a beat before following along. I frown. "You okay?"

"That's the first time I've heard your last name," she whispers, surprised, as we walk. "How did I not even notice?"

"We've been busy." I squeeze her hand. "I know yours, but only because I heard someone call you Ms. Alvin."

"Terrazas." She turns my name over in her mouth a few times, a dreamy look on her face. "I like it."

I glance down at Teagan, noticing the way she looks around the restaurant. Her eyes are wide, and her lips are slightly parted. It's obviously the first time she's been here, but it's not mine. This place has been a staple of Chicago for decades. Hell, it's been around since the sixties. I've done business with plenty of the local crime families back in my days as a hitman, but it's a totally new thing to come here ready to spoil my lovely Teagan.

We're led to a private booth in the back of the restaurant. As we pass through, I see the curious and admiring looks thrown our way, but no one says a word. Of course, they won't. They know better than to talk to me or interrupt my date.

"Your waiter will be with you momentarily. I hope you enjoy your evening." The host smiles.

"I'm sure we will." Teagan isn't even looking at the host, though. She's looking at me with stars in her eyes. Again, I'm sure I'd burn the whole city to the ground to make her look at me like this.

The waiter arrives in a hurry, handing us both menus and taking our drink orders before practically running away. He watches me the entire time, his mouth pressed in a thin line. He must be one of the servers who waited on me back when I was meeting with dangerous work associates. Poor bastard.

"This place is amazing," Teagan says, interrupting my thoughts.

"I'm glad you like it. It's one of my favorites."

"Thank you for sharing it with me." She smiles, reaching across the table to take my hand in hers.

Her fingers are warm against my own, her smile bright enough to light up the room. I can't help but return the grin. I don't deserve a second of her time, but I'll be damned if I'll give her up now that I have her.

"So, what do you recommend?" Teagan asks.

"I'm partial to the salmon," I answer, looking over the menu. "But everything here is excellent."

"Well, I'm definitely in the mood for seafood." Teagan folds her menu and doesn't even bother looking at it, her trust in me implicit. "I don't want anything too heavy."

I order for us, and we settle into easy conversation while we eat, enjoying the food and each other's company.

"So, tell me about yourself, Mr. Terrazas." Teagan takes a bite of her salmon, chewing slowly. "All I know is that you have an impressive collection of art and, um…" She looks around to make sure that the private room we're in is still empty. "That you like it when I'm obedient."

"Sounds like you've already seen the most important things there are to know." I raise an eyebrow, watching as she makes herself blush, thinking about what we were doing at the side of the road just an hour ago. "But I like it when you misbehave too, Teagan. Punishing you has already proven to be one hell of a time."

Teagan giggles but quickly gets a hold of herself. "Oh, stop! I want to know something else about you, Tobias."

"I'm rich," I joke, smirking.

She laughs, rolling her eyes. "Oh come on. That's not interesting, and you are not that shallow."

"No, I'm not," I agree. "But seriously, the best thing about me lately is that you're in my life, doll, and that I get to take care of you."

She blushes, biting her bottom lip. "Tobias."

"It's the truth, baby. I'm not a nice man. I have a shady past and an even shadier present. But the one thing I know for certain is that I want you." I don't add that I intend to have her forever, not wanting to push her over the edge into nervousness when we're having such a good time.

"I feel the same way about you," she confesses, her cheeks flushing.

"That's good to know."

The rest of the evening passes quickly with the two of us getting lost in conversation.

I pay the check, and we leave the restaurant, arm in arm. Teagan leans into me, a contented smile on her face.

"That was the best dinner I've ever had," she sighs.

"Funny, you said that last night." I laugh, giving her a quick pat on the ass that makes her jump and giggle. "I might be spoiling you. Which I intend to do, anyway."

As we step outside, the night air is crisp and cool. There's a slight breeze, and the sky is clear, filled with stars. It's perfect.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" I offer.

"I'd love to."

We walk along the street, heading nowhere in particular. There's a comfortable silence between us, and the sounds of the city echo around us. After a while, Teagan turns to me, her expression serious.

"Thank you for tonight, Tobias." Her voice is earnest.

"You're welcome."

"I mean it. I had an amazing time." She stops, turning to face me. "I know what you did at the diner was crazy, and the fact that your son...never mind. You told me not to mention him..."

I grunt in acknowledgment. I do not want to talk about Ricky with Teagan. Not now, not ever.

"But I feel really strongly about you, and I like staying with you. Even if it's just been one night. You make me feel things I've never felt before...like before dinner when we stopped..." Teagan licks her lips, too flustered to finish that thought. She ends her statement with, "I guess I'm just trying to say that I'm glad you kept coming and sitting in my section every morning, even if the food was crap."

She smiles, and I can't help but return it.

"I'm glad too, doll. I wouldn't have stopped either. Not until we ended up right where we are now."

"Oh, good." She exhales, relieved.

"But tonight, we're not talking about the future. We're talking about right now." Reaching up, I drag my thumb over her cheekbone. "And right now, you're coming with me back to my place."

"Okay," she agrees, a smile tugging at her lips.

The walk back to the car is quick, and there's something in the air between us, some sort of energy that tells me our night is far from over. I open the passenger door for Teagan, and she uses every excuse to touch me. We're building to something, and before the night is over, I know one thing for sure.

I'm going to make her come so hard that she will never be able to forget it. Teagan has admitted to falling for me, but now I'm going to make her addicted to my touch. And then, once I fill her tight little pussy full of my cock and coat her with my seed, she'll be mine for good.