Taming the Monster by K.J. Thomas
Chapter 4
Avery
I gasp for air, as I strain to open my eyelids. When I finally do I can see a very happy looking Asher smirking at me. The covers are on the other side of the bed and he’s right between my legs. What must’ve woke me up is the fact that he’s slowly removing my clothes.
I smile and sit up a little faster than I normally should. I’m a little too excited for this right now, which he notices and it makes him laugh. Oh well, I don’t fucking care, I’m horny as hell.
Normally I’m not this way, I’m usually shy and likely to avoid people at all costs. This morning, though, there’s some kind of spark, something igniting within my body, setting every cell alive.
I gently push Asher on his back. At first his eyes are a little wide wondering what the fuck I’m doing, but then he gets it and he smiles. The bastard is laying down with his hands under his head. Thankfully he’s naked and I don’t have to yank anything off. His leg is slightly bent. Ready and waiting to see what I’m gonna do to him. If he only knew.
I take my sweet time as I straddle my glorious god. I ease down ever so slowly. We both suck in a needed breath of air when I start to move down, excruciatingly slow, inch by inch. It won’t be long before one of us snaps and I’m going to make sure it’s not me. I smile at him, he knows exactly what I’m thinking.
I was able to do this for several seconds before Asher grabs my hip and yanks me down to the hilt. Plunging into me. I groan and shiver. Asher has lost his smirk.
“Move,” he commands as he starts to gyrate his hips. I love that he’s letting me run the show right now, and he’s not taking over. It would only take seconds for him to change the whole situation.
I move back and forth for a few minutes before I start to elevate myself and bounce. Reliving every blissful second as it happens. He’s yanking down on my hips several times. I know he wants me to go faster but this feels so good and I love the pace that I’ve got right now.
Apparently Asher doesn’t like that. He quickly sits himself up grabbing me and holding us chest to chest. There’s not that much room to move but there’s enough. Asher moves us over to the edge of the bed and stands up, taking me with him. I’m holding on for dear life but I don’t even care. Everything feels euphoric, blissful. I don’t want to move even for a second away from this gorgeous man.
At least he lasted longer this time. In the beginning he would never let me be on top. He’s a man that likes to be in control of everything, even our fucking.
I groan when he pulls out, flipping me on my stomach, yanking me down to the edge of the bed. Before I even have a chance to turn my head, Asher is straddling me from behind.
It doesn’t take long before my body starts to shake. I bite the sheet that my face is pushed into and groan. My hands are positioned next to the sides of my head, gripping the sheet. After we finish, we’ll need to buy new bedding. I’m ripping it to shreds with my fingernails and my teeth.
“Now baby,” Asher whispers in my ear. His hands are pressed tightly on my hips, almost like he’s touching the bone. He makes sure to keep us joined together as he relentlessly pounds into me.
“Asher!” I scream out as he pumps several more times and releases into me on a growl. I chuckle lightly to myself as I scream his name and he grunts. It shows how different we are.
Asher quickly makes his way to the bathroom to clean himself off and bring me back a rag. A week after we started having sex, he made an appointment for me to go to the doctor and get on birth control. He told me, “we don’t need any little Mancini’s right now. When I’m fucking you, I’ll be bare.”
Asher checks his phone while he puts on his jeans. I’m thinking about getting dressed with him but I’m not sure if I want to get out of bed.
“Get ahold of the other guys, we have a meeting, only the top people.” Asher hangs up before he gets a response. I’m sure he was talking to Mac. Mac has been with the Romano’s forever. He’s been helping some until Doppler gets back later today. I’m not sure what’s going on with Doppler, but it’s not good for him to be away from Asher and the Mancini’s for so long. Maybe I should ask. I’ve always been curious, but I also figure that people’s business is their own business. If he wanted everybody to know, we all would’ve known.
Asher heads into the bathroom to brush his teeth most likely and finish getting ready for the meeting. I jump out of bed, I’m still naked with barely enough damn time for me to get dressed.
Thankfully I locate my cellphone on my freaking nightstand, usually I fall asleep with the fucker in the bed and it can take me anywhere from five to twenty-five minutes to find the damn thing every day.
I quickly call Tate. “Avery?” Tate groans in the phone as she answers. “Have you looked at the fucking time, it’s only eight AM, psycho woman.”
I’m laughing so hard at her that the tears are pouring out of my eyes. I’m not usually a morning person, none of us have been lately because there’s not that much to do except for sleep.
“A meeting has been called.” I don’t say anything else, she’ll get it.
“When?” Tate snaps, I can hear rustling as she must be up running around getting ready. That makes me also get my ass into gear as I throw on a pair of leggings and a tight tank top. It is summer and we’re in New York. Plus, it’s comfortable as fuck.
The phone is still on for both of us, but neither one of us talks since we know the other’s getting ready. Now this is awkward. I would like to finish without being on the phone.
“I’ll meet you down there in five,” I say into the phone. I’m not sure if Tate is brushing her teeth or what she’s doing but she just gives me a muffled okay.
I hang up and get to work, brushing my hair and throwing it into a ponytail. I would love to take a shower, because as soon as I walk down there I feel like everybody will know what we did. I wonder if Asher took a shower.
I go as slow I can, quietly making my way down to the foyer. I glance around for Tate in a full circle before I spot her hiding off in an enclave behind the stairs, she quickly waves me over.
Both of us without making any noise watch some of the guys go by. Vito and one of his guards has already walked into Asher’s office.
Tate nudges me with her elbow. “The bathroom’s right there.” She points as she whispers. “That connects to Asher’s office. If we find the right spot we should be able to hear everything.” Tate smiles wickedly and I look a little nervous. Shit, has my girl been listening in on these meetings?
Both of us put our heads down as we quietly make our way toward the bathroom. Tate puts her arm through mine. We’re almost there when the front door slams open.
A very bloody, bruised and very pissed Carter stomps and grunts his way right by us. He glares at Tate, giving her a look of hate. What happened between those two?
“Did he do something to you?” I whisper in Tate’s ear. I’ve only received that look from one person in my life, and it was Luca.
The look he gave her is one of pure hate, and that makes me very nervous.
“No, nothing like that.” Tate says as she quickly works her way toward the bathroom, leaving me behind and letting me know that our conversation is definitely over. It makes me more nervous because Tate and I are totally open with each other about everything. If we have a chance, I’ll tell her about this morning. We’re just that good of friends, but she might not enjoy listening about her uncle that way. This new revelation is leaving my stomach sour and very concerned. This man is emanating anger. This is definitely not a good feeling in my stomach right now. Tate and I need to really talk about this. Carter seems like a psychopath.
“Luckily for us,” Tate whispers as we enter the bathroom, “this one is rarely used, that’s because people don’t even know it’s back here. The little walkway in here is so dark there’s not even a light out there. Which makes it perfect. Asher almost fixed it, but decided against it. That’s only because I begged him. I told Asher that it’s great for hiding spots and it makes me feel safe if anybody ever enters the house.”
That does make sense, I think as I nod to her. I like the fact that we have this little area and nobody knows where we’re at. In actuality it does make me feel safer.
We have to move between the toilet and the fancy bathtub that’s the weakest point on the wall. That’s the place where Tate pinpricked a couple areas through the drywall, making it easier to eavesdrop. After she shows me this, I just laugh at my psychotic friend. “That’s freaking awesome,” I tell her as I continue to quietly chuckle.
From what we can understand the guys are still just getting their shit together. I wrap my arm around Tate and give her a tight squeeze. “Maybe we’ll finally get to leave this place.” She nods at me frantically.
We make sure that we’re as quiet as we possibly can be. If someone in that other room leans against the wall and hears us whisper, it’s all over.
We’ll never find out what they’re saying anymore. Tate and I have both demanded that we have a right to be in these meetings but we’re not high up. Whatever the hell that means. We don’t give a shit about the ins and outs of the business. We just want to listen in and being part of shit that concerns us right now, like leaving.
As the guys start to talk about stupid stuff, neither one of us pay attention to drop-off locations, shipments and their plans for getting whatever at these locations. I’m a hundred percent sure everything is illegal, probably guns and drugs. I just hope they don’t mention women or children because that would just end it for me.
I’ve been able to hear when every guy speaks. Tate and I are able to pick out who’s here and who’s not. As soon as Doppler speaks I squeeze her hand and mouth, ‘Doppler’ and she nods. He must be back.
So far we know that Asher and Vito are in the meeting. There is also Mac, Carter, Walker, Liam, and Noah who all lock themselves in. Not wanting to let anybody else in there or listen to what they have to say. They even have a couple guards stationed outside the door, keeping those out that are not welcome.
“Shit,” Tate says as she starts squeezing her legs together. “I have to pee so bad.” I start to chuckle and quickly slap my hand over my mouth, I don’t want to get caught. Tate is annoyed as hell, she’s always loved listening in on these meetings. She quickly walks away hoping to sneak out and use another bathroom, without getting caught. Someone peeing in here would definitely give us away.
In the time that she’s gone she hasn’t missed anything, they just keep talking about the same old shit, deliveries and drop-offs. Stuff that bores the fuck out of us.
“Whatever Asher says is final.” My grandfather’s stern voice rings out through the room. “This man has not lost one shipment or gotten one guy in trouble in years. That’s almost unheard of.” I can hear my grandfather patting Asher on the back. I don’t know if it’s possible but I swear my heart gets a little bigger.
Tate shuffles back into the room a little loudly, and I wave my hand telling her to shut the fuck up.
At that point I notice something is going on with my friend, who’s holding her stomach looking like she hasn’t even been to the bathroom and she’s white as a ghost, making her already pale skin look sickly. I lift both of my hands up in a ‘what’ motion.
Tate takes out her phone and hands it to me. Right as I start to look at the picture I can hear Asher’s voice boom through the tiny little holes in the bathroom.
“We have a mole.” The whole room goes silent, even my grandfather doesn’t say anything. Dammit! I wish I could see everybody’s expressions.
I look up at Tate to see if she’s shocked but she’s still staring at the phone that’s in my hand.
I look down at it. I can’t really make out the image. It’s a man standing around the corner but close enough to be able to hear through the main office doors. It looks like he’s even close with some of the guards. In one of the other pictures Tate shows me, he’s writing in his notebook at a different angle.
“I think you found the mole.” Tate nods frantically looking at the wall we had been listening to and back to the phone. “You have to tell them it’s Rocco.” She sighs in defeat as a lone tear slowly escapes from her eye. We both know that she has to let them know because this could hurt us later. The thing that sucks is we will never be able to come back here and listen again.
Now we both feel defeated, but it’s the right thing to do.
Tate sends the pictures to Asher and we just wait. He didn’t stop right away and look at his phone when he was talking. Giving ideas on the mole and how they can rectify the situation.
Tate and I just sit there quietly, her eyes are glossed over from the tears. I know my friend is hurting, not just because she’s gonna lose her hiding place, she’s gonna lose her brother. Everyone in this life knows how it works. One day she was hoping for a normal relationship with them, but it’s never going to happen. My heart breaks for her.
Even though I don’t have my parents anymore, Tate once told me. “Sometimes you just need to make and create your own family.” I want her to know that I’m her family, all of us are. I don’t think Carter would fall in this category, but the other guys do.
Voices are hushed and I can make out whispering tones. “They saw it,” Tate mumbles.
And that they did. We can hear Rocco scream as they open the office door and yank him violently inside. The bathroom door is opened slowly as Carter makes his way inside, never taking his eyes off Tate. The moment she saw him, her head went straight down and she hasn’t looked anywhere else.
I need to know what the fuck is going on between these two, but now’s not the time. I stand up and move in between them letting them know whatever shit’s going down can happen later, not now.
He gives me a look that I can’t even describe, one of hate and annoyance. It doesn’t last long because Asher pushes his way in and grabs my hand. At the same time Carter grabs Tate and we’re being dragged back to the master bedroom.
Tate is violently shoved into the room, landing on her side. He looks down at Tate who happens to be staring up at him. Her eyes are no longer glossy, she’s hysterically crying.
“Thank you,” Asher says with sadness in his eyes. This was the only way we can get information in this house, because nobody likes to share.
Asher gives me a kiss on the mouth and then looks at both of us. “Stay put. There will be guards to make sure you guys do.”
When Asher leaves, I can hear a click from the outside. I move closer to examine the door because I don’t ever remember there being a lock on the outside, one I’ve never seen anyway. Probably just had maintenance install it five minutes ago, to lock us in here.
Mac comes in the room a minute later just to hang out with us. We’re thankful, he’s our favorite out of all of them except for Doppler.
“The mole fucked up Asher’s perfect record.” Tate and I look at him and then each other. “Luca’s men knew about the drop that Carter was supervising, and he barely made it out. Just avoid him today if you can.” When Mac says the last part he looks at Tate.
Maybe that’s why he is so mad and looks horrible. Maybe he thought Tate was the mole and everything was her fault. I don’t know, I’d like to be able to figure this out, but she’s not telling me everything. It’s like she’s terrified.
“That’s not good. Is Carter going to be okay?” Mac nods his head. Tate doesn’t say anything, she just stares at the floor in her own little world. I can’t even tell what she’s thinking or how she’s feeling, especially since I don’t know everything that’s going on with her right now.
Mac gives us both a comforting hug and heads back to the office. I have a feeling that Asher or my grandfather sent Mac here to make us feel better. I’m grateful for that.
I sit down next to Tate on the floor. “At least that explains a lot of what’s wrong with Carter. He looks like they beat the shit out of him.” Tate just sniffles letting me know she’s not gonna let anything go.
Dammit! My friend should be able to tell me everything. What is going on with those two? I’m determined to find out.
I don’t get a good feeling from Carter, and why he’s so deplorable to Tate all the time.
A thought hits me at that time. “Does he have something on you? Or did you do something? Or do you have a horrible secret he knows?”
Tate gives me a soft smile and squeezes my hand and then shakes her head no to everything. I knew right then, I needed to leave it alone for at least today.
I wrap my arm around her, even though they got the mole that’s one brother that she’s probably never going to see again. Both of us heard his screams as they were pulling him into the room. Even after everything he’s done to her, she still worries about him. She would probably even worry about Armani if he was still here, too.
I grab Tate by the hand and pull her up to the bed. I get her settled in comfortably and then I wrap myself around her. “It’s gonna be okay, Vito and Asher will handle everything. Just go to sleep.”
She nods letting me know that she’s listening. I snuggle as close as I can get to her. It doesn’t take long before we’re both out cold.