Quiet Wealth by J.L. Drake

I watched her sexy backside as she breezed through the lobby and glared at some men who stared, admiring her beauty. I was wound up, frustrated, mad, and knew I could fly off if the smallest thing went wrong. So much had happened tonight, my head spun, and I knew I had to pull myself together, but the loss of control had me doubting myself and fueled the white-hot anger inside me.

When we stepped into the elevator, we were accompanied by a few others who clearly had a lot to drink. The two men laughed as they tried to remember what floor they were on.

“Seven.” One man leaned down and tried to push the button.

“Allow me.” Wyatt helped him out while the other caught sight of Sienna.

I was like a ticking bomb as my fingers rolled into fists, ready to make a move. I focused on the elevator door and caught the reflection of my luggage tag that dangled from my

Brunello Cucinelli. The crow from our family crest was midflight coming up on the crown. Written below were two little words that I lived by, refined darkness. I tried to use it to control my temper.

“Take a breath, Elio.” Sienna glanced up at me with a knowing look.

“What language are they speaking?” one of the drunk men asked Wyatt, who had already spoken in English to them.

“Italian,” Wyatt answered politely.

“She with him?” He nodded at me, and I kept my murderous gaze fixed on the shiny steel door in front of me as I swiped out and hooked my arm around Sienna.

“Yes.” Wyatt nodded.

“He looks like he just came back from murdering someone.” The man hit his buddy as he laughed.

“No, no, he looks like the Godfather or his son.”

Slowly, I turned my head and stared directly into the man’s eyes, and his mouth snapped shut.

“Sorry,” he muttered and hit his friend, who was too oblivious to realize what was happening. Thankfully, the door opened, and they left the four of us to ascend to our floor in peace.

Moments later, we were inside the Equinox Suite where I made quick work of removing my guns and making myself a stiff drink.

“This place,” Wyatt sighed as he stared out the floor to ceiling windows that looked over the dark city. “Damn, Si,” he laughed quietly, “Georgio needs to step it up.”

“He sure does.” She joined him and admired the view.

“Our plane takes off at eight in the morning,” Vinni said as he mixed his own drink. “Niccola followed Jacob for about twenty before he lost him.”

“Figured.” I let the smooth amber mingle with my taste buds, desperately needing something to calm me so I could think.

“I’ll call my father and fill him in on what happened. Meanwhile, you round up the guys and be ready to go when I text you. We deal with this tonight. I won’t risk anything with this contract or with…” I moved my gaze over to Sienna.

“Understood. I’ll get Wyatt set up next door. His sister arrived, and all their things are here, so I’ll watch for your text.” Vinni looked as stressed as I felt.

“All right.” I loosened my tie while Vinni explained part of the plan to the others. Once the guys left, I filled my father in on what happened, and all the while, my gaze was on Sienna as she explored the room, running her fingers over various items as she went, she stopped at the sculptures that lined the bookshelf and studied them. When I hung up, she let out a long sigh, and I hoped it was because she was happy to be here with me.

“You still wound up?” she asked over her shoulder.

“Yes.”

“How wound?” She peeked over at me, and I moved toward her with one hand in my pocket, careful not to spill my drink.

“Enough to kill someone with my bare hands.”

“That’s wound.” She shifted to sit on the table, and I stepped between her legs and took a deep swallow of scotch. She slowly took the glass from me and took a sip, all the while keeping her eyes on mine.

“I believe this belongs to you.” I pulled her necklace from my pocket and held it up. I was relieved I had been able to find it at Mariano’s.

Her face relaxed, and a small smile appeared.

“Thank you.” She stood as I fastened it around her neck. Her hand ran along the length of the chain, then she fingered the two pendants. Something must have popped into her head because she took my hand in hers and admired my family ring. “You once told me it meant something more than just a family crest.”

“It does.”

“Can you share it with me?” She was trying to calm my temper that was idling at the surface. However, I didn’t mind explaining this to her.

“When your family is the head of a syndicate, you wear these rings to show your rank. There are only three of these in circulation. Mama’s, Papa’s, and mine. Papa gave me mine, and I haven’t taken it off since.”

“Really?” She admired the crow in the center of the shield above the crown. “Why not?”

“There once was a time when it meant something to take it off, but now it’s a personal thing. It’s like your necklace. It’s a reminder of who you are and the things you love. The only time I’ll remove it is to switch it to my right after we get married.” I watched her blink a few times at my words as I tucked her hair behind her ear. “Now, explain exactly what you heard. I need to know what was wrong with the contract.”

“All right.” She repeated everything she had told me earlier then seemed to remember something else, and her hand flew to mine. “I also remember one said something about Jay’s ships arriving or something, and that a container is a container.” She handed me back the glass, but I set it aside, wanting both hands free.

“Jay’s ships,” I repeated, testing the word. “It obviously has something to do with the dockyard. I know something has been going on there. I just wonder what, exactly.” My frustration began to build again.

“No clue, but one guy also said something strange like ‘scared eyes bring in the biggest paychecks’”.

“Is that so?” I wasn’t sure what it meant, but I was damn glad I didn’t sign that contract and thanked the stars that Sienna had stopped me.

Her hand flattened on my chest, and her eyes moved to mine. “You’re vibrating again.”

I grunted, trying to process everything. “Well, there’s no more I can do about anything until I hear back from my father.” I let my gaze drop down to her scrap of a dress and noticed something. “What happened to your heart necklace?”

“I didn’t like it.”

“Me either.” I fingered the tie around her neck, using her body to distract me.

“Elio,” she whispered as I ran my hand up her bare leg, disappearing beneath her dress. Hooking her thong, I brushed over her arousal. “We really…” She closed her eyes for a moment. “Need to talk more.”

“I know.” I rubbed the pad of my thumb over her swollen bud. Then I reached over and pulled her hair free and off to the side before I gently wrapped my hand under her chin, tilting her head to the side. I dragged my tongue along the length of her neck and started to kiss her soft skin. Her hips rocked into my hand.

Before I could think, she pushed me backward and slipped off the table and headed toward the living room.

“Hey.” I went after her and hooked her arm to whirl her around. “I know we have many things that need to be discussed, but my head is a bad place at the moment.”

“So, sit.” She jerked her chin toward the seat facing the window.

I caught her daring eyes and grinned, curious to see what she was going to do. So, I obeyed and undid my shirt and eased into the comfort of the chair. The sound of the rain that pelted the window matched my mood and helped me relax. The light from the opposite building cast shadows across the room and made for a dramatic effect.

Music turned on behind me, and I recognized the song. Love Is A Bitch by Two Feet.

Her warm hand touched my shoulder as she handed me a new glass of scotch, then she reached behind her neck and undid the tie, letting the front of her dress fall forward.

“Jesus,” I groaned at the lacy bra that barely covered her plump breasts. A matching thong with a thin gold chain connected the two. Slowly, she lowered to her knees, and my erection jumped with excitement. She crawled over between my legs, unzipping my pants and freeing me. She used one hand to pump twice. She leaned forward and licked the length. I gasped and ran my hand through her hair to pull it out of her way. With her gaze locked on mine, she kissed the tip, and when she pulled back, I saw evidence of my arousal on her lower lip and let out a growl.

She parted her lips and hovered over me for a moment as I shook under her hold. I huffed out a laugh because I was seconds away from taking back the control I needed.

Just as I went to shift, she pushed me into her mouth, taking me straight down to the base. I curled around her, trying to control myself. As she moved back up, she sucked and hummed, and my head dropped backward. I suddenly felt too hot, and I shimmied out of my dress shirt as she continued to suck, hum, and lick. Thunder mixed with the music, the rain beat the windows, and the smell of anticipated climax hung heavy in the room.

She cupped my balls and rolled them over her fingers, and I nearly lost it. Though I kept my calm on the outside, I was thinking of the hundred and twenty ways I was going to make love to her.

“I’m going to come,” I warned her, and she sucked harder, so I threaded my hand back into her hair and directed exactly how I wanted her to take me. She moaned and reached down and started to rub herself. My stomach tightened, and I came hard. I waited for her to pull back, but instead she came at me with more intensity, and all I could do was hold on. Once I was finished and she pulled back, I smiled at her swollen lips and smeared mascara. She looked so damn sexy.

She moved to her feet and released her bra and stepped out of her underwear but kept her heels on as she made her way to the refrigerator to grab some water. I felt an erection build once again as I watched her nipples harden in the rush of cold air that reached for her.

When she returned, I hooked her waist, and with her back to me I guided her onto my new erection. She cried out as she adjusted to the sudden invasion, and I cupped her breast and rolled her erect nipple between my fingertips and the other hand found her greedy little bud.

I loved what she’d just done for me, and I loved that she was letting me do this. I would have stopped any other woman from taking control, but I trusted Sienna. I always had. Now I just needed to take it back.

Pushing her forward so she was nearly bent in half, I pressed into her, loving her little squeaks and moans as I continued to thrust. I needed more, I stood and kissed her shoulder.

“Walk forward,” I ordered, and we moved to the window where I pressed her front to the cold glass, spread her legs, took hold of her hips, and lined back up. At a painfully slow rate, I eased back inside her and tried everything in my power to be gentle with her.

“Elio,” she growled, “more, please.”

I thrusted hard once, and she cried out, and my head went fuzzy. When we were connected like this, it was as if we were one. We were not meant to be separated; we were a package deal.

Suddenly, I pulled out, turned her around to face me, and grabbed her head to smash my mouth to hers. Her leg hooked on my waist, and I slipped back in while I kissed her like it might be my last.

We were lost in that moment. Our animal instincts took over, and we were savages together, both seeking the end result.

Lifting her off the floor to get in farther, I buried my head between her breasts and thrust as deep as I could, giving her my everything. She came screaming my name, and I joined her, relishing in the one moment where our past didn’t count.

Only when she went slack in my arms did I finally push off the glass to set her down on her feet.

“Oh, shit.” I looked down with a sudden realization, but she shook her head. “I’ve never done that before.”

“Me either, but I’m on the pill.” She smiled then disappeared into the bathroom. I cleaned up and tucked myself back in my pants. I wanted to tell her I had never had sex bareback before, not even with her until now.

She returned a moment later in a silk robe and looked a little less wild.

“Now that the edge has been taken off, so to speak, we should probably talk.” She carefully looked over at me, and I knew it was time.

“Agreed.”

“Where should we begin?” She reached for a bottle of water from the table and made her way across the room to sit on the oval coach. Crossing her legs, she waited for me to join her.

I grabbed an extra glass and the crystal decanter that held the scotch and set it in front of her. I was fairly sure she might need it.

“Well, that’s not a good start.” She nodded at the scotch.

“I want to start from the beginning.” I pulled on my dress shirt but skipped the buttons and moved to the window, unsure I could sit yet. “How did you go from doing a story on Ricco Oil to a relationship with Mariano?”

“That’s pretty personal, and if I answer that, you have to do the same, Elio. No more secrets.”

I nodded, knowing it was time.

“Fine.” She took a deep breath. “After Mariano approached my boss, we met, and he said he could relate to my story and that he really wanted me to be the one that told his.”

I smiled and encouraged her to go on.

“He said to really get to know it from the inside, we would need to spend the next few weeks together. We toured all over Florence, meeting his friends, went on a tour of the oil plant, met some of the mangers and heard their stories. We ate at these amazing places.” She looked up at me then continued. “Though we grew closer as friends, he gives me the impression he wants more, but I don’t.” She hesitated and blushed. “Then he says some really off the wall comments, and I’m left wondering where he could think we could possibly go. Elio, we haven’t been intimate,” she repeated as though she wanted to assure me.

“But then one night,” her tone went low, and a frown creased her forehead, “he took me to the dockyard.” My face dropped, and I knew what was coming. “I waited outside for him while he went to do something up in an office. That’s when I heard what sounded like someone calling for help, and it drew me right into the scene of a murder.” She paused to take a deep breath. “I saw a murder—an execution, really.” Her eyes widened at the memory. “Elio, I saw a man plead for mercy while another man put a bullet into his head.”

“Did the killer see you?”

“Oh, yes.” She chuckled darkly. I had no doubt that the weight of what she had witnessed still rested heavily on her shoulders. “I was frozen to the spot, and my brain refused to keep up while we both stared at one another, waiting to see who was going to make the first move. Then suddenly, Mariano found me looking terrified as hell and yanked me around the corner of the building. We got out of there after he made sure I was okay.” She looked like she had a sudden thought. “I think that’s when I lost my bracelet. He must have gone back for it, because I found it at your parents’ house.”

He didn’t. My guys found it.I wanted to break every bone in his body when I returned home. How could he not have told me?

“I wanted to call the police, but he told me we couldn’t because you don’t call the police on the mafia.” She quickly cleared her throat. “Was that your hit?”

My back shot up. “If it was?”

“I would be slightly relieved.” She shocked me with her answer.

“Why?”

“Because you could talk to him, tell him I won’t tell anyone.”

I downed the rest of my drink as I thought about what my next move should be.

“Living on the streets,” she moved on with her story, “you learn how to process the bad things you see. You develop a sort of mental armor, because nine times out of ten, you’re witnessing something that could seriously scar you. So, I dealt with the dock situation the way I always dealt with those things and moved on. Mariano checked on me a few times to make sure I was handling it. He seemed pleased that I dealt with it so well.”

“I bet he was, but spare me the intimate details on Mariano, please, Sienna.”

“There aren’t any. We are not a good fit,” she shot back. “He needs an Anna, wild, fun, and careless. I think he wants to be with someone like me someday, but he’s not there yet. I’m not sure I can ever be an Anna.”

“I’m glad you can see you’re not compatible.”

She ignored that and spoke through a tight jaw. “Anyway, after you and your father shut down the story, I was going to leave, but then he offered me an even more intriguing story.” She looked away from me.

“Which was?”

She stood and walked over to the dining room table then picked up her purse, and after a little digging, she found her phone.

“Was that hit at the dockyard yours?” She tossed her question at me again, and for some reason I couldn’t answer her. It wasn’t our hit, so why couldn’t I just say that? Maybe because I was sure she would run. I wanted to say that my life was too complicated. So, I changed gears.

“What was the new story?”

She shook her head sadly then stared down at her feet. “You say you want me back, but you still won’t be honest with me.”

“You’ve been keeping things from me, too, Sienna.”

“Okay.” She shrugged moving her hands to her hips, and I knew more was coming. “Mariano knew from my article that I had been searching for someone. He told me that he was friends with a man nicknamed The Finder, and he could set up a meeting with me.”

My blood turned cold as I listened. I felt her eyes burning a hole through my forehead.

“I was nervous, but he told me he would be there the entire time. The Finder was nice enough, told me his story, but the one thing I kept noticing was that he would speak about his history with the Santoro brothers but often mention them in the present tense as if they were still alive.” She moved to the window with her back to me. I clenched my jaw, afraid to speak in case my voice would out the raging anger building in my gut.

“When I questioned him about it, he glanced at Mariano, who gave him a nod. Little did I know what that simple gesture meant.” Her finger traced the city skyline across the glass as she thought.

“Well?”

“Your best friend then gave me another surprise, an introduction to Tieri Santoro.” She turned to look at me. “That was what showed me who Mariano really is.”

“You met Tieri Santoro?” Incredulous, I carefully placed my glass down on the table and moved closer to her as if my being near her now could protect her somehow. My anger at Mariano bubbled just beneath the surface. I could feel the burn of it and knew I had to push it down if I wanted her to continue.

“I did, and as charming as he thought he was, all I could smell on him was the blood of all the people he killed.”

“What did he say?”

“Nothing much, really.” Her tone was still cold and disconnected. “He just seemed to want to meet me.”

“Why?”

“That’s what I was trying to figure out.”

“Did you get your answer?”

“I’m not sure, but he did give me something before he left.”

“Which was?”

She slowly pushed a button on her phone, and a second later the familiar ring tone that came with that phone filled the room. Everything went still. The air was sucked out of my lungs like a vacuum. She knows.

She slowly turned toward me, and I saw she was crying.

“Sienna.” I tried to find the right words, but there was nothing there.

“Just answer me one question, Elio.” She sniffed. “Did you give me up to become Zazzero? Are you the other Santoro brother?”

I shook my head, answering only one of her questions, but she just covered her mouth and sobbed harder.

“Then why did you leave me back then? What could possibly have made you disappear so completely from my life?”

“I…” Once again, nothing came out. It was as if my brain couldn’t untangle all the things that were coming at me. There was so much she still didn’t know. That was such a dark time for me. I was lost, and I had given in to the monsters that held me tight in their grip as they waded me into a bloodbath.

“Let me get this straight.” She turned with tears streaming down her face. “I have to be honest, but not you?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Right.” She laughed and tried to dry her tears. She moved over to the table and started to gather her things. Suddenly, my head kicked in.

“What are you doing? We aren’t finished talking.”

“Seriously?” She made a wry face. “I want to leave, but I’m assuming that’s not an option tonight.” She waited for me to answer.

“No,” I whispered.

“Look,” she let out an unsteady breath, “it’s been a really long last few days. Can I just have a few moments to myself?”

“Of course.”

Just as she was about to disappear into the bedroom, she spoke over her shoulder. “One thing that I loved about the old us, Elio, was despite whatever was going on, you still talked openly to me. I was your person, and you were mine. It can’t be just one way now.” With that, she headed to the bedroom.

I ran my hands through my hair, wanting to scream with my inability to get past the mental block I was dealing with. Grabbing my phone, I dropped down onto the couch and called my friend.

“Please tell me you found her?” Francesco asked.

“I did, and she’s here, but I, ah…” I rubbed my face, feeling lost. “I could really use your advice.”

“Always.” I heard him close a door. “What’s going on?”

I spent the next fifteen minutes explaining everything to him, and all the while he just listened and let me get my jumbled thoughts out.

“We will have to meet as soon as you get back, I assume you have filled in your father about all this. There is a lot to digest after what has happened over the contract.” He went silent for a moment. “Mariano has a lot of explaining to do.”

“Yes, I filled my father in, and I suspect he’ll be calling you at any moment.” I glanced at the time. “And yeah, Mariano does. What the hell was he thinking? How the hell could he possibly think any of that was all right to do with her? He’s losing it, Francesco, and now look where we are.”

“We’ll deal with this once you get home.”

I stood, needing to hurt something, but when I heard the water turn on, I reminded myself she was still here, not running.

“What has he been up to since we left?” I huffed out.

“He’s been working closely with your father. To be honest, he’s been great.”

“That’s something, then.” I yawned and felt totally exhausted.

“I think you just need to lay it all out on the line for her, give her the benefit of the doubt. That little lady has shocked me from day one with how she deals with things, and after knowing all of that, and she still hasn’t run…I think she’s trying to tell you she’s all right with it.”

“Will she be, though? When I tell her the whole of it?”

“What choice do you have now? Give her a little credit, and you do owe her some honesty. I bet things will smooth out once you do.”

“Yeah.” I knew he was right, because never once had Francesco steered me wrong. “Why is it I can run our entire syndicate, take down another, kill someone with my bare hands and feel nothing, but one moment with Sienna, and I’m completely lost and can’t navigate my next move?”

He laughed. “You’re a natural born leader, Elio. It’s in your blood to do what you do, but where there’s strength there’s always a weakness, and that little lady is yours. Remember, behind every strong man there’s an equally strong woman.”

“True.” I had to smile, knowing he was right once again.

“I’ll keep an eye on Mariano, and you go talk to her.”

“Thanks.” I hung up and rubbed my head, wondering how quickly we had gone from such intimacy to separate rooms in a blink of an eye.

Pouring myself another drink, just enough to coat the bottom of the glass, I slowly made my way into the bedroom. The bed hadn’t been touched, and as I came farther into the room, I spotted her sitting on the edge of the marble stand-alone tub mixing milk wash under the rushing water. The robe she wore hung off one shoulder, exposing the flawless skin I had just enjoyed touching so much.

Moving to the corner of the room, I eased into a chair, stretched out my legs, and watched her from the darkness, needing to admire her again. The smell of the bathwater made me slip into a memory.