4. Ivan

CHAPTER 4

Ivan

F or a Maranzano princess in exile, Lucia is surprisingly open to talking about her life.

I knew who she was the minute she said her name. I make it a habit to know every person of consequence, and in the past few months, her sister has risen to a position that's made me curious about her family history. Which means I looked into every member of that family. I came across Lucia then.

She didn't really stick out to me when I did my background check, but now I'm beginning to realize that she should have. Because the woman seated in front of me is quite unlike any woman I've ever met before.

"I have a lot of hobbies," Lucia's in the middle of saying. "Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to enjoy them in the past few years."

"Your job seems incredibly demanding," I state. "You're young, why are you latching yourself onto a position like that when you could be having fun? Traveling, going to parties, isn't that usually what people your age do?"

She shrugs, taking a sip of her third cosmopolitan. Somehow, her amber eyes are still clear as day.

"I'm trying to build something worthwhile for myself while I'm still young," she informs me.

I can relate to that. At twenty-four, I was well on my way to building the empire I possess today. But her drive is something I don't see often. Another reason to admire the enigmatic woman that is Lucia Maranzano.

Or Kent, that is.

"How about relationships? Dating anyone?" I ask casually.

She arches an eyebrow as her lips pull up into a smile. "Why? If I am, what would change?"

"Well, for starters, I'd seriously reconsider inviting you up to my room," I say bluntly.

She laughs. It's an incredibly high-pitched, raspy sound that does something abnormal to my heart rate, the steady beat turning erratic.

"Wait, so you'll just reconsider it? Not reject me outright?"

"If you're here with me despite being with another man, then you don't belong with that other man," I tell her easily.

"Anyone ever tell you have seriously skewed morals?" she questions.

"A couple of times," I confirm. What she doesn't know is that I have little to no morals at all.

"I like a self-assured man who knows exactly what he wants," she says with a smile.

"Good. Because I want you, krasavitsa ."

I can't remember the last time I've been this attracted to a woman.

Her eyes soften. "I want you, too."

That's all I need to hear. I gesture for the bartender to come over so I can pay for the drinks. Then I signal at Ruslan, who's standing close to the entrance, that we're about to move. When I offer her my hand, she slips hers into mine without hesitation. Her hands are dainty, delicate, and a perfect fit as I lead her out of the bar and toward the hotel's elevator.

Ruslan gets in with us as we go up to my suite. When we arrive, I open the door for Lucia to enter and ask for a few minutes to talk with my bodyguard. Once she's safely inside, I turn to Ruslan, who looks like he has a lot to say.

"This is a dangerous situation, boss."

"Is it?" I ask dryly.

"She's a Maranzano. With Ramirez in charge of Italian factions, that name is a lot more dangerous than it used to be. They're our allies now, but our deal with them is still pretty delicate. We can't risk pissing them off and starting a war."

"Trust me, I'm well aware of the risks. I'm just choosing to disregard them."

"Boss…"

"It's alright. She has no idea who I really am. And I have no plans to inform her."

"I've never known you to play with fire," Ruslan states.

Which is absolutely true. You play with fire, you end up getting burnt. It's as simple as that. But Lucia makes me want to toe the edge of that possibility. Her effect on me is maddening, and the thought of her sexy curves and beautiful smile makes everything else seem inconsequential. At least for today.

Ruslan looks like he's about to say something more but one look from me silences him.

"I'm not asking for your permission, Ruslan. Just keep an eye on things. Understand?"

He nods before inclining his head respectfully. I pat his shoulder as I walk past him and open the room door. The sight that meets me upon entry has me completely forgetting any and all uncertainty with regard to fucking her.

She's lying in the middle of the bed and has taken off her jacket and her dress, leaving her in only a lacy black bra and panties. My cock hardens at the sight of her smooth, tanned skin. There's a small smile dancing on her lips as she takes in my expression.

"You were taking so long I thought I'd get the party started," she says in a husky tone.

Fuck me.

It takes a couple of seconds for me to find my words. When I do my tone is low and gravelly.

"You look beautiful, milaya ."

"Your turn," she says on a short nod, gesturing at my clothes.

I smirk as I step toward the bed, shrugging off my suit jacket in the process. I take a seat on the edge, my eyes traveling over the curves of her body. She's exactly my type of woman, not too slim with enough soft skin for me to grab onto. Her pert little ass looks soft as hell. Her tits are more than a handful and I want nothing more than to have them gripped in my hands. I wonder what color her nipples are.

"Not so fast, Lucia. We should set some ground rules first," I state, although really I'd like to just throw her down and fuck her hard until she's screaming my name.

But sex is incredibly intimate. And I've always been the sort of man to take precautions when it comes to intimacy. There's a possibility my rules might send Lucia running, however.

She sits up against the headboard and nods like that's perfectly understandable. "I have rules of my own, too. You start."

"No kissing," I say, beginning with the most important one. The act of kissing has never really appealed to me.

"Okay, no kissing then," she says easily.

I have no idea what she's thinking, but the look in her eyes doesn't waver as she looks at me.

"If at any point you get uncomfortable, you tell me immediately and we'll stop. Understand?"

"Yes. Is that all?" she questions.

"Yeah."

"Alright. My turn. I'm not really into bondage, so you can't tie me up. Oh, and no backdoor action."

I smile. Although the thought of fucking her ass has me growing even harder, I have to respect her decision.

"Fine. Lie down, krasavitsa ," I command. And she does so without hesitation.

I unknot my tie, throwing it to the ground before undoing the first three buttons of my shirt.

"It's very sexy when you say Russian words like that," she says softly.

A smile pulls at my lips. She's a pretty honest woman. It's a trait I don't come across often, and it's refreshing. Every word that comes out of her mouth is a little genuine piece of her.

"I'll say all the Russian words you want, milaya . As soon as you take off your underwear."

"No fair." She pouts. "You're still completely dressed."

"Fairness doesn't exist when all I want to do is fuck that pretty pussy with my tongue. Do you not want that, Lucia?" I ask.

Her thighs clench and I can see the evidence of her arousal, clear as day, through the material of her panties.

"Yes, please," she says on a soft groan, drawing a chuckle from me.

As she slowly slides her panties down her long legs, my eyes narrow onto her core. Her pussy stares back at me, just as beautiful as the rest of her.

"You have no idea how gorgeous you are, Lucia."

"Less talking, more tongue fucking," she states through narrowed eyes.

"Your wish is my command, milaya ."

My hand slides up her inner thigh and stops right above her pussy. Her entire body stiffens and then loosens as I stroke my fingers over her wet folds and clit.

"You're already so fucking wet and ready for me," I groan.

She moans in return. I guide a single finger into her, a harsh breath leaving me at how tight she feels. Her moans echo in the air, and when I look at her, her lips are parted and her expression is filled with so much lust it momentarily takes my breath away. I remove my fingers before diving in, my tongue teasing her clit before darting inside of her fast and hard.

My fingers dig into her thighs to hold her in place as she writhes above me.

"Oh god," she breathes. "I'm going to come."

Her fingers clench in my hair as her pussy contracts over my tongue. And then she's coming over my face.

Fuck. She's the best thing I've ever tasted.

I fuck her through her orgasm, holding her shaky body in place. Once she stops, I pull back to look at her, admiring the look in her amber eyes. She looks even more beautiful when satiated.

The need to be inside of her hits me like a freight train. But first I need a taste of her nipples. Lucia reaches for the button of my pants around the same time I'm reaching for her bra. I don't stop her as she undoes the button, pushing my pants down. My gaze is fixed on her breasts, which I'm able to tease out of the flimsy material of her bra.

Her nipples are dark and erect. I can't resist leaning down for a lick. She holds my head in place as I feast on them, moving from one nipple to another. I bite and suck until she's writhing beneath me.

"If you don't stop, Ivan, I'm going to explode," she whispers.

I like it when she says my name. Like she's known it for years, the syllables leave her lips with barely any effort.

"We can't have that," I murmur, kissing a sensitive part of her neck that has her nearly arching off the bed.

I stand up in the next moment to take off my clothes, my pace measured. Lucia merely leans forward to unclasp her bra before lying down to stare at me, unabashedly, confidently as I take off my clothes. There's not an inch of self-consciousness as she lies there, spread out on the bed. It's fucking sexy.

"You're going to take my cock like a good girl, aren't you, milaya ?" I ask.

She shakes her head, "Unfortunately, I've never been a good girl. Good girls wouldn't be lying in this bed the way I am, waiting for you to pound into me so hard I feel it days later."

I grin, "That's high praise. I'd really hate to disappoint."

"You won't," she states confidently.

"That's right."

I get my shirt off, and it's quickly followed by my pants and then my boxer briefs. The glint in her eyes as she takes in my cock has me growing even harder. I wrap my hand around my erection, pumping it once, twice. Lucia's lips part, anticipation swirling in the depths of her gaze. Her chest is rising and falling in a frantic rhythm. She doesn't say anything else as I reach for my wallet to pull out a condom. I tear the wrapper and roll it onto my cock.

Once that's done, I look at her, right into those eyes. "Are you sure about this?"

"Please fuck me," she practically begs.

Gotta love a woman who knows what she wants.

I climb onto the bed and push her back before parting her legs, my fingers digging into the sensitive flesh of her thighs.

"One last rule," she says before I can thrust into her.

"What?" I ask, feeling completely out of control.

"You're not allowed to fall in love with me."

I laugh at that. "You can't fall in love with me either, krasavitsa ."

"That's not going to happen," she murmurs.

"Permission to fuck your brains out now?"

She waves a hand in agreement. "Permission granted."

I enter her with one hard thrust, nearly bottoming out. The scream she lets out makes me immensely glad that this hotel has soundproof walls.

"Holy shit," I grit out at the feeling of her pussy gripping my cock like a vise. "You're so fucking tight."

"And you're so big," Lucia breathes. "Go slow, please."

"You're doing so well, milaya . That's it," I praise as I slowly slip out of her before thrusting in again, slowly as she requested.

Her nails dig into my arms as I continue the slow, maddening pace for several more thrusts. Until it feels like I'm about to lose my mind.

"More," she whimpers. "More, Ivan."

"I like it when you say my name."

She bites down on her lower lip before whispering in the most erotic voice, "Fuck me harder, Ivan."

And just like that, I'm a goner. My slow pace dissipates into dust as I slam into her hard, fucking her faster, in rhythm with her moans and screams of pleasure. Her cunt clenches hard around my cock with each thrust. But my favorite part of it all is the way her gaze remains on me. She doesn't look away, doesn't falter. Those amber eyes meet mine with each thrust.

It's the closest I've felt to anyone during sex. It makes me want to… fuck. It makes me want to kiss her senseless, and I never want to do that with anyone. I pump into her harder and she starts to shakes, her nails digging into my arms even more as she holds onto me for dear life.

"Go on. Come for me, milaya ," I tell her.

She comes with a loud moan that triggers my own orgasm, and I detonate with her. My orgasm lasts for so long that I'm completely spent by the time it's over. I practically collapse onto the bed beside her. We're both breathing heavily, and I can feel my chest about to damn near explode.

"That was…" she pants.

"Pretty damn great?" I finish for her.

"Yeah, that. So, now what?" she asks quietly.

"Give me a couple minutes and we'll go again if you want."

She laughs, that throaty, high-pitched sound that's like music to my ears.

"You have a lot of energy, old man," she says teasingly.

I slap her ass for that comment.

"But I'm actually tired. Can we just sleep? Or I could leave," she offers.

It's the first time I've seen uncertainty cloud those usually confident eyes. I hate that she sees me as the kind of man who would sleep with her and then kick her out once I'm done.

"I don't mind sleep," I state. "But I'm not a cuddler."

She smiles. "No problem."

She rests her head on a pillow, her eyes fixed on mine. And I think to myself that it'll be nearly impossible for me to fall asleep with her watching me. She yawns softly after a couple of minutes, and in no time at all, she's fast asleep.

I watch her for the longest time after that. Ruslan was right. This is a dangerous situation. I have no clue how to navigate this. I'm unsure exactly what it is I want from this woman. The sex was fantastic, but her family poses problems for me should I choose to continue seeing her.

I eventually drift off as well with those thoughts running through my mind.

It turns out they were completely unnecessary. By the time I wake up the next morning, Lucia's gone. I find a note on the bedside table.

Thanks for a nice night, Ivan. Goodbye.

My jaw clenches as I read and reread the words. I immediately put some clothes on before stepping outside to find Ruslan at his post beside the door.

"You let her leave?" I growl.

My bodyguard's expression doesn't so much as waver. "I wasn't aware she was meant to stay, boss."

Fucker. He should have woken me up. He chose not to because he doesn't like what's going on. My eyes narrow onto his face.

"Find her. As soon as possible."

I'm about to return to the suite when Ruslan's phone rings. He answers it, and after a couple seconds of listening to what's on the other side, his eyes meet mine.

"We've got to return to Chicago. Your brother's caused trouble again."

Those words are completely effective in pushing all thoughts of Lucia to the back of my mind. Family has always been a complicated subject to me. Especially considering my one and only family member has made it his life's mission to be a constant pain in my ass.

"Let's go."

I leave New York an hour later. If Lucia chose to leave, then she must not be interested in pursuing anything further between us.

Which is a damn shame. And problematic for me. I've never been good at letting go of the things I want.

And now that I've had a taste of her, it'll be nearly impossible for me to forget about her. If I want to have her, though, I need to be strategic. Lest I start something that could ruin everything I've ever built for myself.