My heart stops as both Levi and Marcus clutch on to me from under the table. Roman’s eyes harden while his body remains relaxed, all three of them determined not to show just how much her simple request disturbs them, but what choice do I have? Denying her will only throw suspicion my way.
I simply nod and rise from my seat. “Of course.”
Ariana beams as though she’s just won something and I slowly walk around the long table, my heart thundering as I’m forced to pass closely by Giovanni’s back, way too close for liking. The three brothers watch my every step while trying to appear relaxed, but I see the rage burning in their eyes. They have no good reason to get up and follow me, and certainly no reason to trust Ariana.
The moment I break free from the table, Ariana steps into me, scooping my arm into hers and holding me close. “How wonderful,” she beams at me, putting on a show. “You and I are going to be best friends.”
We walk out of the dining hall, and the second we round the corner, her fake smile fades away and the nerves settle deep into my stomach. We only get a few steps down the hall before she pulls me into a coat closet that’s bigger than my apartment bedroom.
Ariana walks around me, her gaze shifting over my body. “Remove your dress,” she demands, her tone expecting no complaints.
I scoff, raising my brow and stepping away from her while slowly turning, keeping her in sight at all times. “Like hell I’m about to strip down for you again.”
Her eyes widen, looking at me as though I just kicked her puppy. “You know the deal, Shayne,” she purrs, quickly recovering. “When we met, I did you a favor and now it is time for me to collect. I have been patiently waiting all night, but time is quickly wearing thin.”
A grin tears across my face, and for a moment, she thinks she’s got me exactly where she wants me. I step into her and she raises her chin, her eyes becoming hooded with desire. “You want me on my knees?” I murmur. “You want to feel my tongue working your clit as my fingers massage deep inside you? You want me to make you feel alive?”
“That was the deal,” she whispers, gripping the material of her gown and beginning to scrunch it up between her fingers, showing off her long, toned legs.
I lean into her and roll my tongue over my bottom lip, watching the way she becomes mesmerized by the subtle movement. I lower my voice, my tone barely a whisper. “I will never get on my knees for you,” I tell her. “You’re nothing to me, just a whore who forced herself onto me during a party. I don’t owe you anything.”
“Excuse me?” she demands, pulling back from me as a wicked grin cuts across my face. “You knew the deal. I made myself clear. I don’t give out favors for nothing.”
“Except that you did,” I tell her, stepping with her as she moves away. “I was alone and scared at that party. I was thrown into a world that I didn’t understand and didn’t know how to navigate. I was under the impression that those three brothers were looking for any excuse to end my life, so when you pressed up to Roman and demanded that you taste my pussy, I had no choice but to sit there and take it. Was it good? Yes. Did I make the most of it? Yes. But did I ask for it? Hell fucking no.”
I pull back, walking back toward the door of the coat closet before glancing back at her shocked face. “You gave yourself willingly, so that’s on you. I don’t owe you for something that you forced on me,” I tell her. “But if you’re really that desperate to get fucked, perhaps you should spread your knees for your husband. I’m not even a little bit interested in getting involved in your bullshit games.”
I pull the door open and go to step out when she races after me and shoves her hand against the door, forcing it closed. “Don’t you see?” she questions. “You and I have to stick together. We’re the same.”
I laugh in her face. “You and I are nothing alike,” I tell her. “You whore yourself out at parties and allowed yourself to be married off to a man like Giovanni DeAngelis. You’re a dead man walking. What do you think is going to happen when he finds out that you attend all their parties and fuck everything with a pulse? Hell, it’s pretty damn clear that you’ve been fucking his sons as well.”
“You think I wanted this?” she screeches. “I was forced into this life just like you were. I allowed myself to get too close to Roman and Giovanni took me away to use as leverage over him.”