SEVEN'S POV
My mouth is dry, bone fucking dry and my throat is just as bad. Water, I need water.
I blink my eyes open and am not met with the usual light streaming in old netted curtains that I've been accustomed to lately. Instead it's dark, the pitch blackness of my room. Only now it smells of her. I reach blindly behind me, looking for the keypad by the headboard and tap one of the switches. Slowly and silently the blackout blinds open, the morning light reveals the sleeping beauty laying next to me in my bed.
In my bed. She's here. Lilianna is here, in my home, in my bed, with me.
Images from last night come to the front of my mind. Lilianna snatching the bottle from me. I glance down at my finger where a small cut is now healing and glance over at her. We made a blood promise last night, vows sealed in blood but I promised more to her then she even knows in that moment. I can't deny it any longer, I have fallen for her and whether she wants me or not I am completely and utterly hers. The realisation of this took its toll on me last night and sent me into a fearful state. I tried my best but eventually my old demons got the better of me, and I attempted to blank out my forthcoming of feelings, and I would have been successful had she not called me.
I detach myself from her small, soft body still limp in a deep slumber and roll myself out of bed. My body feels stiff all over, my ribs ache when I stretch at a certain angle. My arm feels twice it's size but looks completely normal and my head. Well fuck me I don't know if it's from the bat swing from Junior or the alcohol last night but it's throbbing like a bitch.
I curse under my breath as I feel over the back of my head and nudge at the stitches accidentally. I leave the sleeping angel in my bed asleep, taking one last glance at her in my bed before leaving the room in search for water to cure my parched throat. Seeing her in my bed gives me the weirdest feeling in my stomach. It's a warm, tingly feeling I've never known before but this is what she does to me. She makes me feel all kinds of things I don't understand or can't explain. At first it was maddening, then it got kind of exciting but was also terrifying when I began to understand the control she had over me and the way I felt. If she can make me feel all these amazing things she can no doubt make me feel the worst pain imaginable, much like the pain I felt the day I lost my dad. I vowed to never feel that way again but here I am, putting myself at risk of it.
I get myself a glass of water and chug the whole thing down in seconds. So I pour myself another and do the same before refilling my glass for a third time and bring it with me in search of my phone. Realising my feelings for Lilianna last night had me realising some other truths about what I'll need to do to keep her safe and first on that list is getting her out and as far away from that fucking club as I can. Because she refuses to quit I'm left with the only other option; to have her fired. And to get her fired I will have to talk to Victor.
Victor usually takes care of the hiring and firing in our establishments. Except with the escorts, those he filters through to a few of us to manage since they tend to work outside the vicinities. But the strippers and servers are usually all selected by him, his need to control and know everybody that is in and out of the clubs and that witness some questionable things; he knows the women he hirers silence can be brought for any cost.
I suppose it was pretty dumb of me to go and hire Lily without his knowledge, it would of only been a matter of time before he eventually found out. And for her to be behind the bar that day in what he considered a normal, too conservative outfit well...well I guess I made my intentions rather clear.
I'm hoping he won't see that now, I'm hoping he will buy into whatever bullshit reasoning I come up with for him to fire her. Then when she is finally away from the club I want to send her away for her safety, to wherever it was that my father sent my sisters and mother. The only person who can tell me where that safe place is, is Victor.
I search for my phone all over the downstairs rooms before heading back upstairs and finding it on the floor by the bed. I don't remember bringing it up here, maybe Lily did? Did she go through my phone? My stomach twists unpleasantly at the thought of Lilianna finding the multitude of sneaky photographs I've taken of her. Photos of her cooking, of her in a laughing fit, of her sleeping, of her reading, I even took one of her delicate hand in mine, I don't know what possesses me to take them but she never notices and I'd rather not be caught being a fucking creep. I do, however, love to look over them in the moments we are apart and I realise this is why I take them. It is so foreign to me, that someone as pure, as kind and as beautiful as Lilianna would even come near someone like me. When we're apart sometimes I feel like it's all been a dream, that I'm back to fantasising a different life for myself while breaking in someone's face at work. At least the photos remind me she is no longer a fantasy, she's real, and asleep in my bed.
For the sake of the moment I take a quick photo of her laying here. Blonde hair sprawled out on the pillow, the calmness in her face, the pout to her full lips, she looks beautiful. She always does but she looks most beautiful when she's asleep. I think it's the feeling that I get being able to see her like this, she trusts me, in her most vulnerable state she trusts me to lay there next to her and I get to share that trust in reciprocation with her too.
I trust her.
Fully and completely.
I grip my phone harder in my hand and leave Lilianna peacefully asleep in the room once again. Scrolling through my messages from Curby giving me shit about being beaten up by a pussy like Junior and a few digs about a particular awkward google search and find a missed call from Victor, made last night.
I press the call back option and wait for him to answer.
"Seven." He greets on the fifth ring.
"Uncle." I make my way back down stairs so as not to wake Lily while on the phone.
"How are you feeling?" He asks, I know he's referring to my injuries, it's not like Victor to actually ask how someone is.
"It's not too bad." I play it off.
"A hit to the head with your back turned. You should know better than to let your guard down." He scolds. How does he know all the details?
"Curby told you then?" I conclude.
"No, but news travels fast to me." He reminds me. Must of been one of the patrons, Henk the barmen possibly. Victor has eyes and ears everywhere, always chomping at the bite to tell him some form of information, whether it be small or large, offering any information puts you in his good books. Offering up valuable information, well, that gets you handsomely rewarded.
"Mm." I agree with him.
"I have a job for you." He states, the real reasoning for his call last night, I assume.
"Yeah?" I hope I'm not beating anyone up, my arm is fucked as it is. Give it a few days and I'll be back to standard practice.
"I'll arrange for Pugs to come collect you now." He says and my heart races, Lilianna is here still, her car is out front, Pugs will see it.
"No. No I can drive myself. I needed to come see you anyway." I tell him.
"What for?" Victor sounds intrigued.
"To talk." I offer up very little over the phone, I want to be able to gage his reactions in person.
"Very well. I'll be at twenty four in the office for the next two hours." He says before hanging up. Twenty four is one of the speak easy bars we have, the one on Mellory Street to be exact. The numbering system of the businesses helps keep any building, business or street names off the airways. It's a protection detail. You never know who could be listening in.
I head back upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. When I get back to the bedroom I'm expecting Lilianna to still be asleep but when I enter my angel is awake and sitting up in the large bed.
"Morning." I greet her, wide hazel eyes meet mine.
"What time is it?" She asks in return.
"Eight." I reply and make my way over to her in the bed.
"Did you sleep okay?" I ask, I hope she did. I would like her to stay here more often.
"Yeah, I slept really good actually. The darkness threw me off, thought I had slept in without the light on my face like in my room." She yawns and I note how adorable it is.
"I'm going to go shower then I've got to go to work. You're welcome to stay here as long as you want, all day even." I encourage her to stay, at least that way I could check in on her with the cameras around this place. I sound fucking crazy.
"No, I should get up. I need to start the paperwork for applying to my classes." She stretches and begins to get out of bed.
"Okay. Well I'm gonna go shower, don't leave till I'm out." I tell her and she nods. I begin to walk out the room when a thought enters my mind and I stop and turn around to her. She stops digging through her bag to look at me.
"What?" She asks, already knowing I have something to say. Or ask rather.
"Did you...did you want a shower too?" I offer.
"Oh, yeah actually." She agrees but doesn't catch on to what I'm suggesting.
"I mean like, with me." I clarify and her mouth opens a little.
"Like together?" She asks, her cheeks blushing but her face is composed.
"Yeah." She just blinks at me and I begin to feel nervous.
"You don't have to obviously, your welcome to shower alone I just-"
"I want to." She stands from her crouched position over her bag.
"Good." I nod relieved, I've never showered with someone before but I think it would be nice to shower with Lilianna.
Silently she follows me to the large bathroom, I make sure the lights aren't too bright in here for her since she's just woken up and go turn the shower on. I look back at her and she's taking in the pretentious space. Her eyes are fixed on the huge tub, and for a brief moment I imagine fucking her in it. I blink the intrusive thought away immediately as her eyes lay on me and the wide shower behind me.
She is hesitant and it makes me nervous. We haven't been completely naked with each other before, was I wrong to suggest this? I don't know what the protocol for this shit is. But I don't think she would agree to this if it's not something she wants to do. Maybe I'm just overthinking this, and I can tell by the look on her face her mind is running just as much as my own. With a breath I turn away from her, pull the compression sleeve from my arm and remove my boxers to step into the shower. I keep my back to her, hoping the privacy will encourage her to undress and join me.
I let the cascading hot water blanket me and close my eyes as it washes down my face. When I hear the sound of the shower door closing I smile. Stepping aside out the water I look over at Lilianna. She's naked but I keep my eyes trained on her face as she looks at me nervously, her cheeks pink and bottom lip trapped between her teeth. My eyes not leaving her face I reach out for her, tugging on her arm to bring her under the water. The ceiling spout spills water over the two of us, creating enough of a circumference to cover both of us as we stand close to one another.
Lilianna doesn't move from under the water and I watch her blonde hair turn dark while getting wet. She's still so nervous and I'm not sure why, I've had her screaming my name in orgasm but yet she is nervous to shower with me. Maybe she's never done this either?
I want to ease her apparent tension, so I grab the bar of soap and twist it in my hands creating a slippery lather. Hesitantly I stand behind her and bring my soapy hands to her arms, running up them slowly. When she doesn't pull away my hands fold over her shoulders, thumbs dig into the backs of her shoulder blades and I begin to massage her shoulders and neck under the water. Almost immediately I feel the tension she is holding there release, her whole body relaxes into my hands.
Lilianna continues to let my soapy hands explore her body, the steam builds around us in the glass cocoon. The intimacy of my touch isn't lost upon us, even though there is nothing sexual about my advances. That is, until Lily turns to face me and my hands are no longer caressing her back but now cradling her breasts in my palms. They're a perfect fit as she pushes her chest out to get more of herself in my grasp causing my dick to twitch.
Curious hazel eyes stare up at me, flecks of gold shine in them and I'm immediately lost in her gaze. The breath is sucked out of me when she presses those full lips to mine and I feel her touch on my cock.
The feeling hits me instantly, as it always does with her, and I grip her chest tightly as I try keep a grip on this reality. Already I'm breathless, that strangled ragged type and I sound as if I've been running. Her small hand begins to pump me and my hands grip at her neck, pulling her face closer to mine so I can kiss her harder. No matter how many times I touch her, how many times I kiss her I always want more. More of her, more of this feeling she brings to me.
I'm high, a different kind of high I've ever experienced through drugs or drink. It's unmatched in every way, intense and addicting and it all comes from her. No other woman has brought me this feeling, and yet I haven't even fucked Lilianna. It confuses me and liberates me at the same time.
I groan at the ecstasy she's providing me and she moves her hand against me faster.
"Oh fuck Lily." I moan into her lips. The hot water feels like ice against me compared to the lava like scorching substance that flows underneath my skin. I step forward, pressing Lily against the marble and my grip hardens around her throat. I need to calm myself down, and not be as aggressive with her, Lily is different, she's not like the other girls I've been with and so I know I shouldn't treat her the same way I do them. But when her teeth bite down hard on my bottom lip in response to my hold on her throat I get the feeling she might actually be into this.
She moans when I give her neck a light squeeze and I know she's game. My hand moves to touch her between her thighs while the other keeps a clutch on her neck. I pull back and she releases my lip from her teeth. The pleasure plastered over her face as I begin to touch her turns me on even more. Lilianna may be at her most beautiful when she sleeps, but she's the sexiest when she's like this. Her mouth open, her breath shallow, the flush from her chest to her cheeks, the wild look in her usually so gentle eyes.
"Harry." She moans and throws her head back against the wall as I enter a finger into her. She's so warm and wet I can't wait for the day I finally get to be inside her. Lily's thumb swipes over the head of my dick and my hips jerk forward from the pleasure.
"Fuck don't do that or I will come." I warn her in a pant and defiantly Lily smirks sexily and swipes her thumb over me again. And I squeeze her throat in response, a devious and sexualised giggle falls from Lilianna's lips and I wonder where the fuck this confident sexy vixen in front of me appeared from.
"I said don't." I lower my tone in warning and rub my nose against hers.
"Why?" She pants as I quicken my fingers moving inside of her.
"Don't you want to come?" She asks me.
"I will, when you do." I inform her. Watching Lily orgasm easily sends me into my own.
I mash my lips against hers, hungry for her like never before. She moans into my mouth and I swallow her cries of pleasure eagerly. My body is coiling tight, I can feel the build starting in the base of my spine and I know I don't have long.
My thumb taps at her clit, circling it furiously while my index finger strokes tenderly at her insides. Lilianna's moans get louder and the pressure in my spine edges forward with every sound falling from her mouth and into mine. Fuck I'm not going to last.
"Come for me baby." I beg Lilianna and her eyes lock with mine, the furrow of her brows and the bite of her lip in pleasure has me hanging on by a thread. I continue to work my hand over her, desperate to get her to orgasm before I bust in her small hand.
"Harry!" Lilianna calls out as her legs begin to shake and I know I've got her there. I don't stop the movement of my hand on her as she comes and finally I allow my own pleasure to erupt from me. The pressure in my spine tingles forward at a rate so desperately it has me shouting her name.
"Fuck!" I exclaim as I come hard over her hand and stomach. I move my hand from Lily's neck and press my palm into the marble by her head to steady myself. Leaning forward I press my forehead into hers as we stand there exhausted and panting.
We take a moment before I lean back, pressing a quick kiss to her lips and drag her back under the water to clean my mess off her.
"Will you be staying with me tonight?" Lilianna asks me as I shrug on a black suit jacket.
"I was actually hoping you'd maybe want to stay here again? If you wanted." I offer.
"Yes of course, I don't really mind where we stay as long as it's together." She says so casually while she collects her damp hair to tie into a bun at the top of her head.
"Cool, well just ring me when you finish at work." I conclude. I feel an increasing sense of guilt being with her right now while planning to leave here to get her fired from the club. But no matter how hard I try Lilianna doesn't see it the same way I do. I can happily support her, without her needing to be anymore involved with a place like the club. And there's no fucking way I can handle watching her parade around that cesspit for all the creeps to gawk at her. The thought alone gets me mad.
My drive to the Mellory Street bar is long, it's more on the outer skirts of the city, the farthest away from the poncy residential area my house is. I fucking hate rich people, although I am rich myself I'm a different breed of rich to my stuck up neighbours. But I do commend the privacy and security living in that side of the city gives me. The annoying part is this long commute to the rougher side of town, the side where I actually belong.
The wind off the highway whips into my car from the drivers window. I need to get the window replaced, I hate the exposure and people staring at me at the lights.
"Boss." Pugs nods at me as I enter the dusty speak easy. I toss my keys at him.
"Go get my window fixed I need it done within the hour." I instruct him not bother with a greeting.
"A window will take longer than an hour. Our closest chop shop is forty minutes away." He complains.
"Then bring me a new car." God he can be thick sometimes.
"Another SUV?" Pugs asks and his questions are beginning to irritate me.
"Just whatever. As long as it's a fucking car." I bitch at him and he scampers away, tail between his legs. I probably shouldn't have been so hard on him, he'll bring me back some slow bugger of a car in replacement. It's not Pugs fault, I'm just pent up because of this conversation I'm about to have with Victor.
I walk further into the establishment, about twenty punters are sitting around drinking and it's only half nine in the morning. I get the feeling some of them are coming back from some late night work and are trying to forget their sins before passing out to sleep. I know that feeling.
The place is dusty as fuck but that's how a lot of these places are, unassuming and unkept. If a random patrol was to happen and officers were to ever stumble up on a place like this well it would look to them to be abandoned or used irregularly. Not enough interest in the place to have a good look around, or peel up a few floorboards where merchandise is hidden, or knock out a few jib walls where illegally printed cash is stowed.
"Uncle?" I call out as I push open the wooden door to the office and walk straight in.
"Seven." Victor greets me, his eyes still trained on the paper documents spread out over the desk.
"Sit." He instructs and I take the seat opposite him that faces the desk.
It's a minute of silences as he continues to read over the words printed for him before he eventually looks up at me.
"You don't look as though you were jumped." He comments and I laugh, turning to show him the nice line of metal staples in the back of my head.
"Just a cracked head and arm. Junior has a shit hit." I conclude.
"What a shame." Victor comments and I frown.
"In the sense that one would of hoped to do more damage for an attack that is now to be paid back with a life." He says and genuinely sounds regretful that Junior didn't beat the shit out of me.
"So you're gonna kill him? Anyone found him yet?" I ask.
"He was found. Saint Mary's Hospital with a bullet in his foot. I'm assuming that was your doing?" Victor raises a brow at me.
"Yeah." I nod.
"Just the one shot? You know the saying Seven." Victor sounds disappointed.
"Always shoot twice." I nod with a frown.
"No matter now, Junior's body was returned to Sergey this morning. Along with his two accomplices." Victor shuffles some paper on his desk before handing me one single page. I reach over a grab it. It is a photo of Junior's lifeless body, blood spills from his ear from the gun shot to his temple. An execution. I hide the weird emotions pulsing through me from Victor. I've seen many dead bodies before, in confirmation hit photographs like this but also many in real life. I've known many of them too, so I don't know why seeing a dead Junior, who was an awful human being anyway stirs something in me.
I hand the photograph back to Victor without another glance and swallow the bile in my throat.
What the fuck?
Why am I reacting this way?
"I had wondered if you may have wanted the job yourself but I was unsure of the extent of your injuries so Curby took it." Victor almost apologises for not letting me take revenge on Junior myself but I am actually thankful I didn't have to do it. The unsettled feeling in my stomach would have stopped me pulling the trigger and that would have gotten me in trouble.
"I have another job for you instead." Victor says.
"I need your expertise with the new council electorate." Victor explains. By expertise I'm gathering he means abducting and interrogating.
"Who?" I ask.
"Katherine Duncan. The bitch is creating all sorts of havoc for us, even trying to expose our connections with the mayor and governors." He frowns.
"But uncle, we're not meant to involve females—"
"Power knows no gender Seven. She will expose us and is threatening our way of life with the legislations she's suggesting. You will deal to her, regardless of what our laws state." Victor interrupts me, dark beady eyes challenging me to go against him. But I stay quiet, submissive to his demands.
"Good. This is her file. Choose your timing and location wisely. She's a well watched woman." He slides over a yellow document sleeve across the table and I collect it from him wordlessly.
"Now what did you want to talk to me about?" Victor asks. I pull the file onto my lap and clear my throat.
"I wanted to talk to you about my mother and sisters." I speak and the change in Victor's face is obvious but he composes himself just as quickly. Was it shock? I don't think I've ever seen him shocked before.
"What about them?" He grunts and opens his suit jacket to retrieve a cigar.
"I want to know where they are." I request. Victor doesn't answer me right away, instead he snips the end of his fresh cigar, and stares at me while he lights it. His zippo matching the same one of my fathers hidden in my lock box. The same birds engraved on it. Victor puffs on the cigar to get it going, snakes eyes trained on me and smoke billows from his mouth before he finally speaks.
"And why would you want to know that?" He asks, eyes almost slits as he watches me carefully.
"Call it morbid curiosity." I shrug, trying to remain casual about the request.
"Hm." Victor grunts.
"Well I don't know why you would come to me for that information." He looks down at the desk.
"Because you know where they are."
"No. I don't." He's lying. I know he is. I know he knows where my mother is, my sisters may be dispersed but I know for certain he knows of my mother's whereabouts.
"What has brought this on?" Victor eyes me.
"Like I said, curiosity." I keep his eye contact, not backing down and Victor squares his shoulders and puts the cigar back to his mouth.
"You should know better then to let curiosity lead you astray." Victor says and leans back against his chair.
"But I can't help you Seven. Your father didn't tell anyone where he sent them off to." Victor says and I just know he is lying through his teeth. He knows where they are, he has to.
"Anything else?" Victor chuckles.
"Actually yes." I answer.
"You need to fire one of the servers. She's useless." I instruct and his dark eyebrows rise.
"Which one?" He asks curiously.
"I don't know her name." I lie, careful to keep a calm composure.
"The blonde. Big lips." I try be causal about it.
"Sweet flower?" Victor's insistent on calling her the nickname that makes me sick to my stomach. I fight the urge to frown.
"What has she done?" He asks.
"She's causing trouble between the other girls." It's only a half lie, Lilianna's arrival has ruffled a few of the girls, more specifically Destiny.
"Jealousy is common amongst women, Seven. But it's nothing to fire the girl over. It may even encourage some of the others to put more effort in." Victor puffs on his cigar with a smirk.
"She's not bringing in much money." Another lie, in fact it's the total opposite. Lilianna has in fact attracted more regulars to the club.
"I highly doubt that." Victor chuckles again, unwilling to budge.
"What is your motive here Seven?" Victor asks, eyes low on me again.
"No motive, just don't think she's a good fit." I shrug.
"Not a good fit? You did hire her yourself." He points out.
"And that should say it all. It was a dumb move on my behalf uncle." I fold my arms and he lifts his chin.
"Hm." He hums and flicks the ashes off the cigar.
"Well I'll have a look into it later on." He comments. Shit. Well that was better than I could have asked for. I'm about to dismiss myself when Pugs enters the office.
"A convertible is out the front for you." Pugs says and throws a set of keys at me. I catch them before they hit my face.
"A convertible? Jesus Pugs could you not get me something with a fucking roof?" I groan.
"Then put the roof up if you don't like it." He shrugs.
"A convertible?" Victor frowns.
"What happened to your car?" He asks.
"Junior smashed the window." I explain.
"And what happened to the brand new one you got recently?" He asks.
How the fuck does he know about that?
Fuck he really does know my every move sometimes.
"Ugh, yeah nah I crashed that. Street racing." I lie and Pugs laughs while Victor lowers his eyes at me yet again. I know he doesn't believe me but I stand for my exit.
I grip the file for my next job and the new keys in my other hand. I turn to Victor.
"Thank you for meeting me uncle." I nod and he simply stares at me, studying me.
I leave before either of them say another word. When I get out the front a white two seater Jag convertible is parked up waiting for me. Well I suppose Pugs didn't do too bad in the end. I'm gonna have fun with this one, I grin.
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