Page 32 of Vows of Blood
I get up and leave my study, going into the guest bathroom. Later today, we’ll sit down and talk like rational people. Maybe if I can find out what she needs, I can give that to her.
I turn on the light. My reflection shows a version of me that looks worn out and ragged. My hair is mussed and sticking up in places, red lines tinge the white in my eyes, and already my beard is starting to look a little too full for my tastes.
A thought occurs to me in this moment. Maybe sexisthe answer. I have not been intending on a repeat performance of that first night, but when I think about that day that I pinned her to the bed… It was as natural as anything. My body reacted to her almost immediately and fantasies ran wild in my mind as she twisted under me, her thigh pressed against my torso. I could barely control myself.
And she wanted me just as much. I could feel her wet pussy through those little shorts, the damp fabric pressing against my slacks. If Ihaddone as I’d said I would and ripped off her clothes, I don’t know that I would be able to stop myself from fucking her for the rest of the afternoon.
Something within me wants to have her in a feral way. Raw and unhinged. Hard thrusts into her soft and wet pussy, nails in my back, her teeth biting my shoulder… I take in a deep breath. These thoughts are driving me mad.
Hmm. Is this what being celibate for four years does to a man?
I turn on the faucet and splash cold water on my face. This could be a perfect arrangement, if only she wanted to be here with me. If only I wanted it too.
We’re trapped. Both of us. Everything that we’re trying to achieve falls apart if she doesn’t stay with me.
I walk into the hallway, looking at the bedroom door again. I should at least check on her.
As I unlock the door and step into the room, I see the shape of her hips under the blankets in the dim light from the open window. It’s a full moon night tonight and the moonlight has cast a bluish tint over everything in the room.
She’s sleeping with her back to me. The weariness in my back, arms, and legs wants to slip into bed beside her. That first night, when I fell asleep beside her, the warmth of her body felt reminiscent of a time that I thought I would never get back again. The safety of her soft, warm body nestled in my arms was a thing I used to cherish when the body was Kira’s.
I walk around the bed until I reach the chair in the corner of the room next to the window. Her face is serene in misty blue light. Soft breaths rise from her partially open lips.
I want to let her go, let her have her way.Leave me, Isabella. Find your own peace in this world because there will be none here.Not as long as my father runs it.
In silence, I sit watching her sleep and gathering my thoughts. There is, of course, no way out of this for either of us. Our breakup would ruin my father’s plans. He would punish me, but he would hunt her down to the ends of the earth and drag her back by her hair. What he would do to her is so much worse than anything I might ever dream up.
I get up and leave her, leaving the door unlocked. Tomorrow morning, we’ll talk about this. Calmly. Rationally. Without the high emotions between us. I only get a couple of steps out of the room when I hear my phone buzzing on the end table next to the couch in my study.
I reach the study on the third ring and see it’s Pavel. What could he want at this hour?
“Yes?” I answer. “What is it?”
“Sorry to wake you,” he said, “but something’s happened and I’m going to need you to run interference for me.”
“Run interference?” I ask him. “What’s going on?”
He sighs. “You know how Pop asked me to talk to Tony Pecora about of his restaurants? Well, I made him an offer earlier today. He just got back to me that he’s willing to meet up to sign over the deed.”
I blink, looking back at the clock to double-check the time. “At this hour?”
“That’s what I said. He insisted.”
Of course. We all keep these ridiculous hours, sometimes to do the most mundane shit. “Okay,” I tell him. “Where does he want to meet?”
“The Black Olive, downtown. It’s closer to you, I think. Can you meet me there?”
“Yeah, yeah. Just let me shower and get dressed. I’ll see you in about an hour.”
“Great. Thanks.”
I hang up and just shake my head. As I have always understood it, Tony Pecora loves his restaurants. It’s even been said over the years that he loved those buildings more than he did his daughters. Given recent events, I’m inclined to believe that.
It’s a little weird that he’s agreeing to sign over one of them to us. Maybe before or after his conversation with Pavel, he talked to my father. Maxim Mechnikov could be just as persuasive as he is intimidating.
I still wish he’d decided to wait until a reasonable hour, though.
It takes me about fifteen minutes to shower and dress. A simple pair of dark slacks and a black dress shirt. My hair is combedneatly into place and I’m reasonably ready to head out. As I leave the guest bathroom, my bedroom door catches my eye. I left it slightly ajar, and the sound of her breaths echoes delicately out to the hall.
