King’s Demands by Piper Stone

Chapter 3

“Fight back! Whenever you are offered violence, fight back! The aggressor does not fear the law, so he must be taught to fear you. Whatever the risk, and at whatever the cost, fight back!”—Jeff Cooper

Julieta

Five seconds.

Who the hell was the man kidding? I knew that Dante King had no fear of the law, nor did he refrain from using violence when necessary. Given his time spent in the Marines, he was well trained in all aspects of weaponry and martial arts; however, I knew I could take him on.

I’d obviously made a mistake in making any kind of deal with him. He was preparing to take what didn’t belong to him, not to work within the transaction I’d offered. I’d learned how to protect myself. I’d also learned when it was time to get the hell out of a situation. This appeared to be both. Whatever his plans, the required information he demanded, I wasn’t prepared to betray my father on every level, even if I’d told him as much.

So, I did what was necessary.

He didn’t expect my sudden shift, my agility to dart toward another area in the kitchen, yanking a knife from the butcher block. He also seemed surprised when I lunged at him immediately, managing to slice his arm with ease.

I jumped back, shifting the knife from hand to hand as I moved into a fighter’s stance, daring him to come at me.

Dante exhaled, taking his time to shift his eyes down to the injury. Blood was already seeping from the wound, strings of crimson trickling down his arm. He fisted his hand, pumping the muscles and veins in his arms until the blood flow was faster. The bastard was doing it on purpose. What, to make me think he was impervious to pain?

I almost laughed. Instead, I snorted.

He eased his drink onto the counter slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. He didn’t bother advancing in my direction. The man simply lifted his head, taking a good look at me.

Dissecting me.

Undressing me.

Detailing me.

“As you might imagine, Julieta, I don’t take kindly to anyone entering my house, going against my rules, then striking like a predator. That pisses me off. That also affirms that someone like you can’t be trusted. Your choices have now been stripped away from you.”

“I didn’t have any choices. You were going to use me in whatever method you wanted.” There was extreme venom in my words, hatred in my heart. My psychiatrist would say I was shifting blame and anger meant for my father to the man standing in front of me. That didn’t give me any comfort, nor did I give a shit.

No one fucked with a member of the Morales family.

“I’m not certain what bullshit your father told you, but every member of the King family is honorable. We strive to conduct business in the most appropriate manner no matter the circumstances. Unfortunately, some of our enemies chose to try and take advantage of our good nature.”

“Who the hell are you kidding? Good nature?” At least it sounded like he finally believed me.

When the man smiled, fury rolled into my system. How dare he make fun of the situation. Only one of us was going to come out of this alive and I was determined that person would be me. I lunged toward him again, but to his credit, he’d anticipated my move, shifting only a foot away.

My anger entrapped me, my need to win at all costs likely the last thing I would ever do. Dante snagged my wrist, twisting my arm at a painful angle.

“Ah!” My scream was cut short on purpose. I glared into his eyes, ignoring the agony. The shithead wasn’t going to get the best of me.

“Drop the knife, princesa,” he commanded.

I managed to move my hand, the point of the blade coming dangerously close to a major artery in his neck. Hissing, I knew there was fury in my eyes.

“Hmmm…” He added pressure to the twist until the anguish became blinding, tears forming in my eyes.

The pain affected my breathing and within seconds, my chest was heaving.

Yet I held on.

But only for a few seconds when I couldn’t stand it any longer, opening my fingers.

Dante didn’t allow the knife to fall, taking it into his other hand. He also didn’t let me go at first, lowering his head until our lips were almost touching. His dark whisper was even more terrifying than what he had the capability of doing.

“It’s going to be my pleasure breaking you, Julieta. I’ll take my time enjoying every moment of extracting pleasure from your voluptuous body. After I do and you beg me for more, which I assure you that you will, that’s when I’m going to break you.”

“Never, you pig.”

He pressed his lips against my neck, brushing them up and down. The intimate moment sent another rush of electricity and wanton desire into every cell in my body. I was instantly aroused, goosebumps popping along every inch of naked skin. My nipples ached to the point that they were in pain as they scraped back and forth against the tank top, and my pussy juice had already soaked my panties.

His hold was still firm, but no longer as painful as he continued tormenting me, dragging the tip of his tongue under the base of my ear then down the length of my neck.

A single slight and telling moan escaped my lips, the sound horrifying me. I was lightheaded, blinking to focus, doing almost nothing.

He yanked me closer, grinding his hips back and forth. My God, the man was hard as a rock, the thought disgusting the hell out of me. His scent ripped through my walls of steel, so deliciously exotic, ripped with testosterone.

When he finally pulled away, staring into my eyes, there was something even more heated about the way he was looking at me.

“You defy me for every reason. That stops here and now. You belong to me.”

“That’s never going to happen.”

“It already has, and I’ll take what I want.”

I was in some kind of suspended animation as he tossed me over the counter, not bothering to yank my panties down to my knees but ripping them off entirely. A series of strangled whimpers pushed up from my throat as the sudden realization set in.

The man was going to fuck me.

Mark me.

Claim me.

I watched as he placed his weapon just out of my reach but within my periphery of vision. The man was issuing a statement. Fuck with him and die. I couldn’t think clearly. I had no way of fighting him any longer. I wasn’t certain I could survive his brutality. Why had I come here? Why had I dared to enter his violent realm? Why had I risked everything in my life for a chance at freedom?

Now I was going to be forced to pay the price for my stupidity and impetuousness.

Growling, he kicked my legs apart as he folded one arm behind my back, keeping a firm grip on my wrist. The distinct sound as he unzipped his pants fueled the anger, but also the continuing cravings I had for the man. Was this some crazy bad boy syndrome or was this merely a death wish that I’d shoved into a black box?

I could hear the ragged pants erupting from my throat. Tears remained just at the surface, pushing me into a highly emotional state, but I did everything in my power to push it aside, to become the cold person my father had taught me to become. He’d warned me of the possibility of abduction, giving me tips on how to survive the situation.

His limited training was finally kicking in. I shut down.

Completely.

There was no doubt the man wanted me to fight him to justify what he was doing. That wasn’t going to happen. Two could play at this vicious game.

Dante rubbed the pads of his fingers under my shirt, slowly dragging them down my back. “I can’t wait to be inside of you.”

Those were his last words before he pressed his cockhead against my swollen folds, thrusting the entire length deep inside.

I opened my mouth in a silent scream as my muscles were forced to accept his thick girth. I was shocked how incredible his cock felt, the numbers of dazzling sensations and vibrations pushing me into a perfect moment of bliss. No. No. Oh, hell, no. I wasn’t going to enjoy this, no matter if my body was betraying me like a bitch.

Fuck that.

Fuck him.

Exhaling, he pulled almost all the way out, plunging into me again. He remained inside, his breathing labored.

I could just imagine his joy of being able to fuck me so easily. That would be the only enjoyment he got from me for the rest of his sick and twisted life.

When he pulled out again, I sucked in my breath, trying to push my mind into any other location in the world.

Then he fucked me long and hard, alternately slapping my already bruised and aching bottom with his massive palm.

The various emotions increased yet I clamped down every single additional sound even though stars floated in front of my eyes. I clawed the counter as he continued to press down on my other wrist. I kept my eyes closed, fighting to control the ignited embers that were already swirling into a massive fire. There was no way to understand my body’s reaction, no comprehending why I was enjoying his savage actions.

The brutal man drove me forcefully into the edge of the counter, his constant primal growls and scattered breathing echoing in my ears. Within seconds, I was pitched into a frenzied state, my hunger reaching a boiling point. As an orgasm threatened to give away my ridiculous submission, I did everything I could to push up from the island in some crazy effort to get out of his hold.

It was no use.

The climax roared into my system, my entire body shaking.

“Oh. Oh. Oh!” There was no way to stop the eruption of my joy as the orgasm swept into me, shoving aside all rationality.

“You’re wet and hot. That’s it, princesa. Come for me. Show me how much you’re enjoying this.”

I was ready to scream out, to defy him on any level but it became impossible as the single orgasm turned into an incredible yet disgusting wave. I was powerless to stop the freight train crashing into me. The tingles were spectacular, ecstasy pouring through me. Gasping, I couldn’t stop my body from shaking, my mouth twisting in both frustration and celebration of the incredible rush.

Seconds went by.

Maybe minutes.

I was lost in the pleasure, unable to open my eyes as I panted.

When Dante yanked me away from the counter, only then did I open my eyes, my natural instinct to fight him kicking in. As I struggled, albeit not nearly with as much ferocity as before, he simply dropped his head and laughed.

“Fight me, Julieta. It only makes me want you more.”

He held me in his arms, his eyes piercing mine, then shoved me against the wall. Within seconds, he impaled me again, using the power of his upper thighs to hold me in place as he fucked me.

“Oh, God. Oh…” I was forced to cling to him, wrapping my legs around his hips as he drove his cock deep inside. The angle was entirely different, further fueling the electric surge pulsing between us. Vibrations skittered down my spine as my pussy clamped around his shaft, pulling him in even deeper.

With another series of barbaric growls, he slapped his hands on either side of me, a wry smile crossing his face. Everything about this was so wrong, filthy, and vile, yet there was no denying the boosted chemistry we shared. I was lost in the man, the shared passion that I’d never experienced with anyone else.

In those few delicious minutes of pure pleasure, I no longer cared whether or not this was good or bad. I simply wanted a fulfillment to our burning desires, a satiation that would last for some time to come.

His expression was deep, his eyes highlighting just how dangerous and brutal he was. As he lowered his head, taking raking breaths, I pressed one hand against his chest, intertwining the other in his shaggy hair. My God, I wanted nothing more than to be able to have the resolve to shove him away, but I couldn’t. The sensations were far too powerful, the draw to him unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

The way he captured my mouth, holding my lips in place was spectacular. He was gentle, almost caring as he parted my lips, slowly sliding his tongue inside. I hadn’t expected he could be passionate on any level, but the tingling vibrations shooting through me were a direct result of his lingering kiss.

He swished his tongue back and forth across mine before becoming more aggressive, the kiss becoming a reminder of how savage he truly was. Breathless, I clenched my hand around his hair, tugging as the intimacy continued.

His hard fucking became an amazing orchestration as our bodies melded together. The continuing flames turned into a firestorm of longing and need until I was shoved into another raging orgasm, the jolt of current yanking at what was left of my breath.

When he finally broke the kiss, tossing his head with a carnal roar, I bit my lower lip to keep from moaning. But as with every moment I’d shared with the man, I was unable to stop the sounds and whimpers from escaping my mouth.

“Uh. Yes, I…” No, I couldn’t give him the satisfaction of showering him with joy.

He laughed softly, his chest heaving and within seconds, his body stiffened. There was no stopping my body from further treachery as my pussy muscles clamped down over his throbbing cock.

I closed my eyes as he issued several ragged breaths, finally erupting deep inside of me. Lowering my head, stars floated all around me as I tried to control my breathing. We clung to each other for an extended period of time and I could barely think straight.

As he eased me to the floor, taking two solid steps away, he shook his head, ripping away the few seconds of joy I’d felt with his taunting statement.

“Now, maybe you’ll learn that you entered a lion’s den. You’re now the King’s property.”

* * *

Dante

I had a single word for my atrocious behavior.

Weakness.

Julieta Morales was an enemy and nothing more. Whether or not she was actually attempting to get away from her father’s possessive nature didn’t matter. She was a liability at this point. To consider her anything else could prove to be deadly. Could I actually believe her ridiculous story to any degree? Black opals in the mines. That was interesting. She could easily be a plant and nothing more, Morales’ sick attempt to gain information before striking.

What I had been able to smell was her fear. She hadn’t told me everything, including her reason for leaving, but soon enough she would. Nothing would be held back from me.

I hadn’t intended on fucking her. Hell, I hadn’t planned on providing her any level of help, even with the ridiculous deal that she’d offered.

But I had fucked her.

And I wanted more.

I backed away, taking several deep breaths before glancing down at the injury she’d inflicted. While the cut wasn’t deep, the slice would require some attention in order to keep it from getting infected. After jerking my pants back into position and zipping, I yanked the knife off the counter, tossing it into the sink then grabbing a towel and turning on the faucet. I snagged my weapon, shoving it just under my waistband against my back. While the feisty female could certainly make another attempt at ending my life, I had a feeling she knew better than to try.

If I was wrong, she would be punished even more severely.

I felt her presence behind me and tensed, shocked off my ass when she took the towel out of my hands, allowing water to soak into it. We remained silent as she eased her hand over my forearm, forcing me to face her, pressing the cloth against my skin.

The heat that had built between us remained, my cock still throbbing. I studied her face as she performed the task, the pensive look that had remained since walking into my world. She had no idea that she was dealing with the devil.

Julieta darted a look into my eyes. There was so much uncertainty in them. For all her vixen-like actions, I could tell she was terrified.

Good.

She should be.

“I don’t think it’s too bad.” She took my hand, forcing me to place it over the towel, a warm flush creeping up on her cheeks. “Can I please put my pants on now? I’m not going to try to hurt you again.”

I chuckled. “I have no doubt you’ll try again, but yes, get dressed. As I said, we’re going to talk.” I thought about what had occurred, as well as her appearance. I had to continue considering that this was nothing more than a ruse crafted by her father. However, even if it was, perhaps she could be used to my family’s benefit.

And not just in a carnal manner.

After a few seconds, I tossed the towel, immediately grabbing my drink. She’d already slipped into the fatigues, now standing in front of me with her arms folded.

“What do you want to know?” she asked.

“Let’s start with the easy questions, sweetheart. Why do you think your father wants you dead?”

She closed her eyes, looking away.

“Answer me.”

“Fine,” she hissed. “I’ll tell you the damn truth. Because I refused to marry the man that he signed a contract with.”

“Interesting. I’m curious. Who is this man?”

“Casillas Ricardo.”

I’d heard the name. The Ricardo family was another player in South America, their brutal tactics similar to those of Carlos Morales. While no threat to my family’s organization, the fact her father wanted her married off meant he needed extra manpower. That didn’t bode well for the King family. “Why did you refuse?”

She huffed, rolling her eyes. “If you knew anything about the asshole, you’d know he was an absolute pig. I can’t stand even the thought of being in the same room with him.”

“So why would your father go to that extreme?”

“Because that’s the way he is. It’s his way or nothing else. And before you ask, I assure you that it doesn’t matter if I’m his daughter.”

There was no doubt she wasn’t lying to me, at least not about this. She was far too emotional. I took a swig of my drink then pulled another glass from the cabinet. “Make yourself a drink. I need to make a phone call. Trust me when I say, if you even try and leave this house, my soldiers will shoot you with no questions asked. Do you understand?”

“Oh, I get it.” She offered me a bright smile as she tipped her head.

Damn, the woman could manage to get under my skin.

I walked into another room, still able to catch a glimpse of her. While it was late, the recent occurrence was something Cristiano needed to hear about. The phone rang several times, both surprising and concerning me. When he answered, he took a deep breath, his tone agitated.

“Dante. I hope this is an emergency.”

“Is something wrong?” I could tell he was in a vehicle.

“Emily is in labor.”

“Then I’ll keep this short. I have Carlos Morales’ daughter in my possession.”

“What? Are you kidding me?”

I laughed. “No. She appeared in the Jeep I was driving, claiming to be running from her father.” I could hear Emily’s moans in the background.

“Look, I’m not sure what you’re considering, but if you have Morales’ daughter, then he’ll scour the ends of the earth until he finds her. Do whatever you believe to be the right thing, just get the fuck back to the States. There are already rumbles that you’ve been compromised.”

“As I suspected would happen.” I shifted my attention fully in her direction, moving to the entrance of the doorway. “I’ll leave tonight.”

“Good. Just know you’re going to be dealing with Lucian. Emily is the only thing on my mind right now.”

“And the twins, brother. Take care of them. I can handle this.”

Sighing, I could hear his soft murmurs to her. “Will do. We’ll talk soon after my babies are brought into the world.”

After ending the call, I held the phone in my hand, contemplating my next actions. Then I dialed Jarvis. When he answered, I immediately tensed. “We’re leaving.”

“That’s damn good because we’re under freaking fire.”

I could hear the popping sounds of gunfire in the distance. Hissing, I realized that coming to South America could have been a setup and nothing more. “Get out. We’re leaving in an hour. Make your way to the plane.” Their service in the country had just ended. I refused to allow any man to remain behind.

“Will do, boss.”

I shoved the phone into my pocket, immediately walking past her and toward the front door, disarming the security and heading outside. With the weapon in both hands, I studied the area outside as one of the soldiers walked closer.

“Do you need something, boss?”

“We’re getting the fuck out of here. Ready the men.”

While his eyes opened wide, he nodded in affirmation before turning away immediately. I hesitated before walking back inside, dialing Paolo’s number. The moment he answered, I barked out orders. “We’ve been compromised. We’re leaving in ten minutes.”

“Christ. What is going on?”

“A gut feeling. We need to move. Get the plane ready and I don’t give a fuck where the pilots are. I need them back there with it refueled and ready. If I’m right, we won’t have a moment to lose.”

Paolo hissed. “Not a problem.”

I rushed back inside, moving in front of her. “While I certainly can’t trust you, you’ve managed to find a way into my world. Now, you’re coming with me.”

“We’re leaving?” Julieta asked, her mouth twisting, a look of fear as well as excitement in her eyes.

“Yeah, we’re getting the fuck out of this country, although I assure you where we’re going isn’t going to be Disneyland.” I started to turn away in order to get the gear ready. Then I stopped and crowded her space, wrapping my hand around her throat. “Don’t fuck with me, princesa. You asked for my help. Now, you’re going to get it. If you’ve lied to me, you will pay the price. If this is your father’s latest attempt at destroying our family, he will learn another brutal lesson. Do you understand what I’m telling you?” I dug my fingers into her skin, although I had no intentions of hurting her.

“Oh, I get it, but I’m not now nor will I ever be your princess. That’s something you need to keep in mind.”

I offered a smile, perhaps the last one I’d provide for one hell of a long time. “Don’t worry, Julieta. I forget nothing. Absolutely nothing. We’ll see just how much you long to remain in America. The land of the free.”

“Tell me, Dante. Do you consider yourself free?”

While I knew that her words were meant to rile me, they actually sent a wave of anger into my system. “Without a doubt. We shall see what your future brings. Be careful what you ask for, princesa.”