“That cunt has been stalking me and my wife for five years. Who else could it be?”
“Another lover of hers?” the mystery voice asks.
“She’s one of my top earners, I can’t let you just get rid of her. Plus, she’s never caused me any issues at all,” Arlo murmurs.
There’s a moment of silence, none of the men speak, then I hear Massimo clear his throat. “Trade her. I want her gone. If she’s the one that’s been stalking me, I want her sent to the Russians, or anywhere, I don’t really give a fuck. Sell her,” Massimo growls.
Sell her.
My heart hammers against my chest. He’s talking about a person. I know that the women and some men sell their bodies for sex here. That’s nothing new, and as far as I know all of them are consensual, now. But, the words that Massimo says, how callous he is about another person’s life, it makes my heart ache.
I’m deep in thought, still leaning against the door when it is wrenched open and without time to react, I fall flat on my face.
“Pippa?” Massimo’s voice shouts.
Lifting my head, I scramble to my knees, glad that I stayed in my jeans and t-shirt instead of changing into a skirt and blouse. Slowly, I lift my face to meet Massimo’s, who is now crouched down in front of me.
Without a word, he slips his hands beneath my armpits and hauls me to my feet as he stands and straightens himself.
“How much did you hear?” he demands.
I don’t look at Arlo or the other man in the room, my eyes are focused on his and only his, and those eyes are pissed the fuck off.
“Not much,” I drawl, chewing on the inside of my cheek.
He snorts. Arlo chuckles. “Liar,” Arlo calls out.
Shifting my gaze over Massimo’s shoulder, I narrow my eyes toward Arlo. He doesn’t care though, his lips curl up into a grin and he shakes his head a couple of times, as if he finds me comical.
“What did you hear?”
“You’re going to sell Erin. Why? Why would you do that?” I whisper.
Massimo tilts his head to the side, his eyes roaming over me. He doesn’t say anything, instead he turns around to face Arlo and the stranger.
“You need to tell her,” Arlo says.
Massimo nods then jerks his chin toward the other man. “She needs to know in order to understand why you’re doing what you’re doing. Also, to protect and prepare herself,” the stranger says.
My gaze flicks from him, to Arlo, then finally lands on Massimo. I watch as he sinks his white teeth into his bottom lip and he shakes his head once as his eyes slowly close, then reopen.
“Someone I was with before you, a woman I paid, she’s been stalking you since we were married. I don’t know why, I don’t know how. She followed me before I went away, then took photos and sent me emails while I was gone.”
Shaking my head, I stumble backward. “Two of them? Why? I’m not special,” I mutter.
Massimo reaches for me, his fingers wrapping around my waist before he gently tugs me closer to his body.
“Because of me, to get to me. I don’t know what she wants, but it’s something. I want to find out, then send her away for your safety.”
“Won’t that piss her off?”
“She’ll be gone,” he grinds out through gritted teeth.
Inhaling a deep breath, I lift my gaze to meet his. “But will she stay gone?”
“What are you suggesting?” Arlo asks, sounding shocked and if I’m not mistaken, a bit proud all at the same time.
Tilting my head to the side, I lick my lips. “I’m sure karma will come to find me, she so does love to fuck with me. But if this bitch is dangerous, don’t you think we should find out why she’s doing what she’s doing, then take care of her?”
“We’re going to find out what she wants, then go from there, how about that?” Massimo asks, his eyes flicking over to the stranger in the room before they come back to meet mine.
“Okay.” I nod.
His lips curve up into a grin before he lowers his face and touches his mouth to mine. “Fuck, but you’re sexy when you get all mafia on me,” he growls against my mouth.
Chapter Thirty-Four
MASSIMO
Sliding my hand around her hip, I squeeze before tugging her body closer against my side. I don’t kiss her the way that I want. Tonight, we’re watching. For whatever fucking reason, I’ve allowed Pippa to be with me when I not only watch Erin, but also talk to her.
The element of surprise is essential in this situation. I don’t want Erin to come up with some bullshit or hide from me. She’s going to answer to me for what she’s done.
I feel as though I’ve become softer, though I’m not sure that I hate it as much as I thought that I would. Being soft for Pippa doesn’t seem like such a bad thing. If there was ever a person that I wanted to let in, it is definitely her.
“She’s beautiful,” Pippa whispers.
Throwing some chips down, I hold my cards up as I shift my gaze over to the table where I know Erin is cuddled up to her client for the evening. Pippa presses against me closer, her lips touching my earlobe, her teeth tugging gently, the sensation going straight to my cock before she speaks.
“She’s watching us.”
I snort before I let out an exhale. “Yeah.”
“Did you love her?”
I almost let out a gigantic bark of laughter, but I keep it in before adding a little more money to the middle. I could lie to Pippa, tell her that I felt something for Erin, maybe it would make me look like less of a fucking asshole—but I
