The Holy Ghost Read online

  We looked like a couple who couldn’t wait to attack each other as I stood there in my pants only and Frankie was before me in her jeans and pink bra. The scene looked desperate, but then, I suppose that’s what we were.

  We were desperate for each other.

  “Fuck, yeah, baby,” I groaned. “Suck my cock deep.” Frankie immediately slapped her palms on my thighs and opened wide, so I could fuck that pretty little face of hers.

  And I did.

  I tightened my hold in her hair and started fucking her mouth with no mercy. Her gagging sounds were like music to my fucking ears and it was better than everything I had done to her last night. It was better because she was initiating this. She was giving herself to me.

  It was sad to say, it hadn’t taken me long before I started to feel that tingling in the base of my balls. Watching her take my dick down her throat was too much of a turn on. “Jesus fucking Christ, you look hot as fuck when you take dick, baby,” I praised. “So hot, I’m about to cum down your throat.”

  Frankie moaned and the vibrations were enough to make me shoot off. I pushed my dick as far as it could go and roared as I spilled my seed down her throat. I was briefly conscience of the fact that she might not able to breath, so I pulled out, my cum still shooting out on her chin, neck and the swell of her tits.

  She looked down and I barked, “Don’t!” She looked up at me, eyes tearful and lips swollen. “Leave it there,” I told her. “I want to fuck you covered in my cum, Francesca.”

  Her eyes flared and my deflating dick twitched.

  I hauled her up by her arms and shoved her over the back of the couch. I heard her hiss out her approval, and my mind was on the verge of fucking exploding as I took in all the damage I had done to her last night. Frankie was bruised and battered everywhere, and I couldn’t wait to do it all over again. She was marked everywhere, and the insecure bastard in me wanted to howl with the knowledge.

  I unbuttoned her jeans and yanked them down, panties and all. When I had her face down over the couch in nothing but her bra, I dropped to my knees, spread her ass wide and licked that sweet tasting pussy of hers from clit to hole.

  “Oh, God,” she whimpered. “Phoenix…”

  “Take off your bra,” I instructed between swipes. “I want you completely naked when I fuck the shit out of you.” I didn’t bother to check if she would comply; I knew she would.

  I ate her pussy until my dick started to come back to life which, to make up for the earlier eruption, was rather quickly. I stood behind her and, grabbing her hips, I slammed my cock into her tight sheathe, and even though there was some slight discomfort on both our parts, I still knew I’d fuck this girl until my dick fell off if I could.

  I reached up, grabbed Frankie by her hair, and pulled her up until her body was bowed and my lips were next to her right ear. “This is what I want every fucking day, Frankie,” I demanded between thrusts. “I want my dick buried in your tight cunt at least once a fucking day.”

  “Yeah?” Her hands white-knuckled on the back of the couch. “What’s in it for me?” she taunted.

  “You want to know what’s in it for you?” I asked as my hand pulled at her hair painfully. I leaned back and held still as I aimed a perfect drop of spit onto that puckered hole of hers. As soon as it landed, I took my left hand off her hip and worked a finger inside her ass. She moaned like a whore and I double penetrated her two tight cockholes. “That’s what’s in it for you,” I growled as I pulled her hair tighter. “Spread your legs for me and I’ll fuck you every day like a dirty slut, baby.”

  Frankie started pushing back, really begging for it. “Phoenix, please…”

  “Marry me, Frankie,” I commanded. “Marry me willingly.” I slammed into her so hard, I had to remove my fingers from her ass and my hand from her hair. I grabbed onto her hips and forced my dick into her hot heat as far as I could go. I bottom out in her womb and I didn’t give not one fuck how painful it was for either of us. “Marry me, Frankie,” I chanted. “Fucking marry me.”

  Frankie screamed towards the ceiling as her entire body shook in ecstasy. “Yes!” She came all over my dick, but I refused to show her mercy. If Frankie refused to believe my words of love, I was going to show her with my body. I slammed into her body until she was screaming my name in pain instead of pleasure.

  “Tell me you love me,” I demanded. “Tell me, Francesca.”

  “Stop, Phoenix,” she begged. “Oh, God…”

  I felt the tightening of her pussy as she trailed off. She was going to cum again, but not before I got what I wanted. “Tell me,” I grunted.

  “I love you!” Frankie screamed it so loud, I wasn’t completely sure her brother or Luca wouldn’t come running to see if we were killing each other. She finally started convulsing and, only then, did I allow myself to empty inside her womb.

  The living room was silent except for Francesca’s sobs. I leaned down and pressed my lips against her dewy skin. She cried while I repeated those three little words over, and over again against her back.

  She cried, but she didn’t push me away.

  Chapter 16

  Francesca~

  Francesca Elena Mancini Fiore.

  That was my new name.

  I was married and the ceremony had been just as Luca said it would be. We had a priest in good standing with the church perform the ceremony, with Ciro giving me away, Massimo standing in as Phoenix’s Best Man-hospital gown and all-and Luca standing as my-hand to God-my Maid-of-Honor.

  The entire thing lasted but a few minutes as Phoenix insisted that we exchange traditional vows, including the part where I vowed to obey the jackass, yet his vows were void of that particular instruction.

  But what had really surprised the hell out of me was how there were only rings for me, but not Phoenix. When he explained that no Made Men wore rings for safety reasons, I almost threw my set of diamonds at him. I knew the reasoning was logical, but I couldn’t help but feel offended that he wouldn’t be wearing a wedding ring. I had been about to give him the what for when he showed me his palm and, freshly tattooed inside his ring finger, was a picture of a miniature church. However, the steeple didn’t have a traditional cross on the top. No. If you looked closely, it was the letter ‘F’. And as Phoenix stuck his palm in my face, all I could think about were those stupid rumors Robbie had told me about.

  These fools really did refer to me as their church.

  Good God.

  And if that wasn’t weird enough, Luca and Ciro had taken off like the Hounds of Hell had been nipping at their feet, to which Phoenix explained that the three of them are never in the same place for very long. It’d be too easy to take them all out if they were out in public together a lot.

  Once the priest had taken his leave, Phoenix and I had spent some time with Massimo until exhaustion took over, and we left him to get some rest. We had made our way home where Phoenix had spent most of the evening making love to me. Not fucking me, but actually taking his sweet time about everything.

  It had been both magical and frustrating.

  Then the bastard had climbed out of bed and told me he had some business to handle. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, but I knew better than to get in between Phoenix and Benetti business. Maybe once Luca took over, I’d feel braver, but as long as Giovanni Benetti still ruled, I wasn’t about to do anything that might get Phoenix killed. So, I let him leave our bed on our wedding night and accepted this was my life now. I had to get used to Phoenix disappearing from time to time and I had to make sure not to turn into a raving shrew about it.

  It wasn’t until about an hour later that my phone dinged with an incoming message.

  Robbie: I need help

  My stomach dropped. Robbie texting me at night couldn’t be good. This was not a text asking me to help her pick out a dress or to loan her money. When we spoke yesterday, I had given her an update, and she knew I was marrying Phoenix today. She wouldn’t be disturbing my wedding night unless she
was in real trouble.

  Me: Where r u? R u okay?

  Robbie: No. Can u come get me?

  My stomach flipflopped at her response. Roberta Regal wasn’t a delicate wallflower. She was tough and independent. And, yeah, her taste in men sucked, but she wasn’t a sissy-la-la by any means. If she was reaching out to me for help, she had to be in a real bind.

  Me: Where r u?

  Robbie: Home. And come alone. I don’t want 2 borrow trouble.

  I knew she was talking about bringing Phoenix along. Just because she accepted the fact that I was married to Phoenix, it didn’t necessarily mean she wanted the Mob taking tea in her living room.

  Me: On my way.

  Robbie: Hurry. Pls!

  I jumped out of bed and hurriedly got dressed. I threw on some jeans, a t-shirt, a hoodie, and my socks and shoes. I knew Luca or Phoenix or whoever got this ball rolling had brought my car when they had delivered the stuff from my apartment. One of the guards who had been assigned to move my stuff had dropped off my keys when they had brought in my boxes. Granted, I hadn’t driven it anywhere since I’ve been back, but that was mostly due to being escorted everywhere I went, which admittedly, was only to see Massimo.

  Since I had no idea where Phoenix had gone off to, I shot him a quick text telling him I went to see Robbie. I made sure to downplay the urgency and texted simply that she just needed help with something. It wasn’t exactly a lie, but I knew Phoenix wouldn’t see it that way. Suddenly, I was on the other side of that fateful night six years ago in that warehouse.

  Funny how a person can justify hypocrisy when they needed to.

  I grabbed my purse, searched for my keys, and then tossed my phone inside. The second I opened the front door, I was surprised to see no guards on duty outside the door. I thanked God for that little concession and made my way to the elevator. The ride was only seven floors down, but anxiety made it feel like I was descending a twenty-floor building.

  The moment the doors slid open, I realized why there were no guards at Phoenix’s door. They were stationed by the elevators. When I saw the guards posted in front of Luca’s front door, I had assumed they were there for him. But, thinking back, they hadn’t been there when he had walked down to Ciro’s apartment. That means they must have been there for Leo and Sal’s visit.

  Luca wasn’t much of a trusting soul.

  I wasn’t invisible, but I pretended to be as I started walking casually towards my car. Luckily, it had been parked in the space close to the elevators. It also looked out of place among the luxury cars surrounding it.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Fiore,” one of the guards spoke. “We’re not permitted to let you leave the building.”

  I loved how he worded the command. He was basically telling me I wasn’t allowed to leave without Phoenix’s permission.

  Ah, and so it starts.

  I looked up at the man. “Excuse me,” I said, doing my best to contain my irritation. Flies, honey, vinegar, and all that. “What’s your name?”

  He had dark black hair and whiskey colored eyes. He was a good-looking man, by all accounts, however, his eyes were dead. Not completely empty, but devoid of emotion. Well, at least, they were right now. “Martin,” he answered, and his voice was just as impassive as his eyes.

  “Well, Martin,” I started, a smile on my face, “Phoenix isn’t available right now, and I have a bit of an emergency.”

  “We’re not permitted to let you leave the building, Mrs. Fiore,” he repeated. Never mind the tingle I kept getting down my spine whenever he called me Mrs. Fiore.

  Christ, I was such a girl.

  It’s amazing how my wedding rings suddenly felt heavy as hell. And it wasn’t because the five-carat diamond rock with the band of equally brilliant diamonds surrounding it was excessive as it was. It was because it resembled the chain of bondage that it was. The set was extraordinary, for sure, but Phoenix wouldn’t hear any objections on its extravagance. Plus, his name was engraved inside the diamond band.

  “Am I not allowed to leave at all?” I asked. “Or am I not allowed to leave without an escort?”

  “My understanding is you cannot-” He caught himself, no doubt aware of my resistance to being told what to do. “It’s my understanding we are not permitted to let you leave the building under any conditions.”

  I only had one card to play here. I hated that I had to play it, but Robbie was in trouble, and I was wasting time trying to secure my freedom here. “How exactly do you plan on stopping me, should I be determined to visit my friend? I already told her I was on my way.” I wanted it to sound as if I wasn’t in any danger, and I was just going out to meet a friend.” His face went from stoic to mildly confused. “I’m just curious about your direction on this. Did my husband say you could put your hands on me if need be?”

  I watched his Adam’s Apple work up and down and I knew using the word husband was a good move. “Mrs. Fiore, we’re-”

  “I honestly don’t mean to put you in an awkward position, but I guarantee my husband will be more…upset at another man putting his hands on me than he would be at me simply visiting a friend.” This is where my lie came in. “I’ve already sent him a text letting him know where I’m off to.” Christ, I sounded like an uppity socialite. I almost cringed at the haughtiness in my voice. I pulled out my phone and shoved it in the poor man’s face. “Of course, he’s busy and hasn’t had a chance to text me back, but I assure you, if he was against the visit to my friend, he would have texted back immediately, forbidding me to go.”

  “Mrs. Fiore-”

  “Now, kindly get out of my way before you have no choice but to have to physically restrain me, and I end up calling my husband, brother, and best friend.” I did it. I played the do-you-know-who-I-am card, and I hated it. But Robbie needed me, and I had to keep that in mind.

  Martin paled a bit, but he knew he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. However, he was smart enough to know that letting me leave without permission might incur a reprimand but putting his hands on me would sign his dead warrant.

  He gave me a tight nod before asking, “Would you like an escort?” And that’s what was going to lead to poor Martin’s death. He gave me a choice. I felt bad about it, but Robbie’s cry for help pushed that guilt down. Besides, she asked that I come alone.

  “Thank you so much, Martin, for the offer, but I’m not going far.” Another lie, but I’ll deal with that the next time I’m in church.

  Martin looked uncomfortable, but he finally stepped aside, and his command vibrated in everyone’s earpiece that I was allowed to leave the building. I smiled, got into my car, and drove out of one of the most secured buildings in the city.

  The drive to Cedar Creek felt longer than an hour, but when I finally got to Robbie’s, I barely put the car in park and grabbed my purse, before I was out of the driver’s side, and jogging up to her rickety porch. Robbie’s house wasn’t quite in the poorest of neighborhoods, but it was close.

  I knocked on the door. “Robbie!”

  The door opened, but it wasn’t Robbie standing on the other side. And before I could absorb the magnitude of what I’ve just done, everything went black.

  Chapter 17

  Phoenix~

  Luca was pissed.

  Luca was pissed, and that wasn’t good for anyone.

  “It was a bullshit meeting,” he said, voicing what we already knew.

  “Maybe he just wanted to fuck with us because he knows we don’t like being here,” Ciro interjected. Giovanni knew we hated being at his house.

  Luca eyed me. “He called Phoenix from his wedding night to prove that he could,” Luca deduced. “He knows about Francesca.”

  The coldness in Ciro’s voice was a contrast to his volatile personality. “What’s my sister got to do with this?”

  Luca looked over at him. “Giovanni is a lot of things, but stupid or blind isn’t one of them,” he replied. “He knows who and what she is to us.”

  “She’s a thre
at,” I surmised.

  Luca nodded. “As long as Francesca was out of the picture, he knew we’d forever be distracted by her absence. Now that she’s back…”

  “We’re unstoppable,” Ciro finished.

  “He called this meeting as a reminder of who’s in charge,” Luca continued. “Gio wanted to downplay Francesca’s importance by calling Phoenix away on, by rights, what is a couple’s most important night together.”

  “I don’t give a fuck if he is your father, Luca,” I told him. “If he comes after-”

  Luca’s eyes flashed before he cut me off. “Don’t ever suggest that I would let someone-anyone-hurt Francesca, Phoenix,” he growled. “That girl is my fucking life. I’d kill my father myself before I’d let him touch one hair on her head.”

  Growing up, Luca and Frankie had a bond that would make most men insecure, but I never fell into that category. I recognized their bond around the same age that I realized she meant something more to me than anyone else in my life. At the time, I hadn’t known it was love, I just knew she mattered in a way that no one else had. Whatever Frankie and Luca had between them, it wasn’t a bond I needed to be jealous of. Frankie somehow kept Luca human, a fact both Ciro and I were fully aware of.

  “She’s my wife, Luca,” I replied, needlessly. “She might be Ciro’s heart and your soul, but she’s my fucking everything. If Gio sees her as a threat to his crown, that’s a concern.”

  I could see Luca’s shoulders relax. He knew I wasn’t challenging him, and I knew he wasn’t challenging me. We were just doing what we always did when it came to Frankie; we were protecting her.

  Ciro stood up from the couch. “Does he see her as a threat?”