Promise fulfilled! I’ll keep it up if you keep sending in your comments. I look forward to them as much as you look forward to the chapters. Tell me what you think. Xoxo💋
Chapter 31 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ She moved past me to the window. "Let’s go." I followed her out, helping her over the descent with hands that lingered a moment too long on her waist. She led the way through the convent garden, moving with surprising stealth for a woman of God. The path she mentioned was barely visible, a narrow trail winding through overgrown bushes to a small gate half-hidden by ivy. "Convenient," I murmured, raising an eyebrow at her. "For bringing supplies in," she said primly, but the flush on her cheeks suggested she knew exactly what I was implying. “You owned the place, you should know.” I rolled my eyes. “Never visited it until you.” She swallowed. I nodded towards the gate, which creaked slightly as she pushed it open. She froze and listened for any sound of discovery and I had to stifle the urge to laugh. When nothing happened, we slipped through. The path led to the quiet side street where my Bentley was parked. "Nice car," she said as I hel
Chapter 32 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ “Why did you really want to come here tonight?" She traced the rim of her untouched champagne glass, considering. "To understand," she finally said. "Not just your business, but you. The parts of yourself you keep hidden." "And what do you understand now?" Her eyes met mine. "That you're a contradiction. A man who exploits human desire while maintaining rigid ethical boundaries. A voyeur who refuses to participate. A criminal who donates to charity and rescues teenagers." "That’s rich.” "But you are," she countered. "There's a pattern to your contradictions. A line you won't cross." I felt exposed, seen in a way I rarely allowed. "And what line is that?" "Consent," she said simply. "Choice. You don't force anyone. Not the women in your club, not the men in your organization. You offer opportunities, protection, but never compulsion." The observation was uncomfortably accurate. "That's a pretty narrative, but I've done things—" "To people who vio
Chapter 33 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ The loophole was so unexpected, so pragmatic, that I laughed despite myself. "You've really thought this through." "I told you," she said with a small smile. "I've been praying about you." "And God's answer was to watch me get off?" Her smile widened. "God works in mysterious ways." I shook my head. "You are so fucking bold.” "Sometimes," she agreed. "Now, don’t keep a lady waiting." The temptation was overwhelming, to show this pure, untouched woman the darkness inside me, to let her witness my most private ritual, to corrupt her even as she remained technically pure. "If we do this," I said slowly, "you sit there." I pointed to a smaller chair in the corner, positioned to view both the room beyond the glass and the main chair. "You don't move, don't speak, don't touch yourself or me. You just watch. Understand?" She nodded, her pupils dilated with what could only be desire. "I understand." I hesitated, giving her one last chance to
Chapter 34 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ I lowered myself to my knees before her, bringing us to eye level. “Sylvia, we talked about this. No touching between us.” She exhaled stubbornly. "Touch me." Two words that cracked my restraint like glass. "Where?" Her hand rose, trembling slightly, to touch her own cheek. "Here." Then her neck. "Here." Her collarbone. "Here." I remained motionless, letting her map the path of her desire, “Every place you touch," I promised, "I'll remember.” Behind me, the sounds from the room grew more heated. Sylvia's eyes flickered to the glass then back to me. "They're performing," I explained. "Acting out a fantasy for whoever might be watching." "Is it always like that? Just... performance?" I considered the question. "For them, yes.” "And for you?" she pressed. "When you watch, is it just... physical release? Or is there more?" "It was," I admitted. "Before you. Simple. Uncomplicated." "Now?" "Now nothing feels simple." My hands gripped the arms of th
Chapter 35 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ I needed a minute, so I stood up. She did too. "Do you know what happens to good girls who walk willingly into the devil's lair?" I asked, circling her slowly. She turned to keep me in sight, refusing to be intimidated. "They get burned?" "They get consumed," I corrected, stopping behind her, my front pressed to her back, my hands settling on her hips. "Devoured. Until there's nothing left but ashes and pleasure." I felt her shiver against me as I brushed her hair aside, exposing the delicate nape of her neck to my mouth. I kissed her there, just the lightest press of lips, and she practically melted against me. "How often do you touch yourself, Sylvia?" I murmured against her skin. Her breath hitched. "Ne—" she stuttered. "Never?" I slid my hands from her hips to her stomach, spanning her waist with my fingers. "Not even when thoughts of me kept you awake at night?" She hesitated, and I chuckled. "Don't lie to me, little nun." "I... try not t
Chapter 36 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ One moment, I was floating in post-orgasmic bliss, and the next—ice. Pure ice in his gaze. "Who the fuck is Sin?" My mouth opened and closed, no sound emerging. The name had slipped out without thought. The shame hit me like a bucket of cold water. I scrambled to sit up, painfully aware of my nakedness, my exposure. My thighs were still slick with my own cum, lips swollen, hair disheveled. "I—it's not—" I fumbled for words, but nothing came. How could I possibly explain? The coldness in his eyes was unbearable after the heat that had been there just moments ago. "Nikolai, please..." My voice sounded small even to my own ears. "I can explain—" He cut me off with a sharp gesture. "Go on." His voice was terrifyingly calm. I would have preferred yelling. At least anger would have been something familiar, something I could understand. This cold detachment was so much worse. "It's not what you think," I managed, though I had no idea what he was thi
Chapter 37 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ "I can wait until you're inside.” Luigi offered, his eyes meeting mine in the rearview mirror. "No, thank you," I said quietly. "I'll be fine from here." Luigi nodded, his expression carefully neutral. Was he judging me? Did he know exactly what had happened between Nikolai and me? The thought made heat creep up my neck. I stepped out of the car and straightened my clothes, suddenly hyper-aware of how I looked. Jeans and a simple button-up shirt. Not my habit. The evidence of my transgression was literally written all over me. I waited until Luigi's car disappeared around the corner before making my way to the convent. My body felt foreign to me—still humming with the ghost of pleasure Nikolai had wrung from it, aching with the hollow aftermath of his rejection. My thighs still bore the phantom impression of his hands. I slipped through the side entrance, the one closest to the dormitories. If I was quick, I could make it to my room before— "Well, w
Chapter 38 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ “You’re sure it wasn’t them?” Viktor exhaled on the other end of the line. “Not really. We haven’t known them long enough to recognize a pattern, but one thing I’m certain of is that those guys are sloppy as fuck. This particular heat was precisely calculated. It doesn’t fit their style.” My fingers clenched around the phone. “Casualties?” “Two of our men.” His voice dipped, carrying the weight of loss. “Travo and Sergei. They were guarding the Lab House. Didn’t even have time to call for backup.” The words hit me like a gut punch. Before I could process the fury swelling inside me, my fist connected with the car door repeatedly. Pain exploded up my arm, but it was nothing compared to the raw anger simmering beneath my skin. “Our merchandise?” I ground out, flexing my bleeding knuckles. “Gone. All of it.” Viktor’s voice was edged with frustration. “They knew exactly what they were looking for.” “Fuck!” The word tore from my throat, raw and vicious
Chapter 80⟿❂⟾Nikolai⟿❂⟾Three seconds of freefall was all she had left. Three seconds between life and death.I lunged forward, firing twice more as I did. That was the only way to leave without taking a shot myself, taking down the biggest threat. One bullet caught the pockmarked bastard in the throat, the other missing Kaine as he scrambled for cover. The pockmarked man collapsed, gurgling blood onto the concrete floor.But I wasn't focused on him. I rushed to the window, my mind calculating possibilities in cold, rapid-fire succession. "Oren!" I roared into my comm. "South side! Deploy the net! NOW!"I'd planned for this. Not specifically this, but something like it. When you've been in this business as long as I have, you learn to anticipate the worst-case scenarios.Fifteen floors. Terminal velocity in approximately 3 seconds.From the roof of the building across the street, four of my men were already activating the pneumatic launchers. The high-tension net shot outward from
Chapter 79⟿❂⟾Sylvia⟿❂⟾For some reason, I was very nervous today. Luigi had driven me here in relative silence, his eyes occasionally flicking to mine in the rearview mirror with an expression I couldn't quite read. Concern? Fear? Whatever it was, he kept it to himself."I'll wait outside," Luigi said as we approached the entrance to the women's health clinic. "Nikolai instructed me to stay close, but..." he trailed off, clearly uncomfortable with the nature of my appointment."It's fine," I assured him. "I shouldn't be long."The waiting room was half-full, women of various ages flipping through outdated magazines or staring at their phones. I approached the reception desk and gave my name in a low voice."Ah, yes, Miss Sylvia," the receptionist said, typing something into her computer. "First time visit for contraceptive consultation, correct?"I nodded, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. This whole situation was weirdly embarrassing—discussing birth control options when I was supp
Trigger Warning⚠️ Chapter 78⟿❂⟾Nikolai⟿❂⟾Inside the building was a ghost town of half-demolished office spaces. Exposed wiring hung from the ceiling like dead vines. The floor was littered with construction debris, and plastic sheeting waved gently in the air from the building's struggling ventilation system.I moved silently up the stairs, with the tactical gear Russel provided making me practically invisible. The signal jammer was active in my pocket, blocking any remote detonations within range. My earpiece remained silent. I'd instructed Oren and his team to maintain radio silence unless absolutely necessary.According to thermal imaging, there should have been twelve bodies on this floor. So far, I'd counted none.Of course, I wasn’t expecting them to be completely stupid and let everything go according to my plan, so I knew something was off. The silence was too complete, the emptiness too perfect.I rounded a corner into what had once been a conference room and froze.A
Chapter 77⟿❂⟾Nikolai⟿❂⟾The kid looked up, and her eyes widened at the sight of me. There was surprise there, certainly, but not the relief I would expect from a child who had called me in terror just hours before."Mr. Gianni?" she said, her voice small but steady.I studied her carefully. No visible signs of distress or injury. Her hair was neatly braided, her clothes clean. She looked exactly like a child who had been sitting quietly, reading."Hello, Maeve," I said gently. "How are you?"She glanced at Mother Beatrice, then back to me. "I'm fine. Just doing my readings.""She has quite a bit of scripture to review," Mother Beatrice interjected. "Part of her penance."I crouched down to Maeve's eye level. "I got a call from you this morning. You sounded frightened."The girl's brow furrowed in what appeared to be genuine confusion. "I didn't call you, Mr. Gianni.""You can talk to me, Kid. Alright?"She shook her head. "We're not allowed phones here."I reached into my pocket a
Chapter 76⟿❂⟾Nikolai⟿❂⟾"Too late. Your dog is as demanding as you are.” Sylvia's text lit up my phone as I boarded the private jet.I stared at the message for a moment, fingers hovering over the keyboard. Every instinct told me to call her, to hear her voice. But if I did, she would hear something in mine—the fury, and I couldn't risk that. "She knows quality when she sees it." I typed back, keeping it brief and playful. “Like her master."She must have slept off after that. As the jet prepared for takeoff, I leaned my head back against the leather seat and closed my eyes. I replayed the last call with my latest enemy in my mind. His stupid cruel voice and the sound of Maeve in the background. The small, frightened whimper that told me she was alive. How the fuck could anyone be so cruel as to scare a kid that like that?I could have gone straight to Manhattan. That was what they expected. Me rushing blindly toward the coordinates they would inevitably send, walking right into
Chapter 75⟿❂⟾Sylvia⟿❂⟾Mrs. Alvarez turned out to be a godsend. By early afternoon, we'd ordered enough essentials to get me through a week—simple tops, two pairs of jeans, underwear, toiletries, and a pair of comfortable shoes. She didn't even blink when I gave her Nikolai's credit card information that I'd memorized from watching him use it."Mr. Gianni would have my head if I let his guest go without necessities," she said matter-of-factly when I expressed concern about the cost.We spent the day cooking, with Mrs. Alvarez sharing stories about her family—three grown children and five grandchildren—while carefully avoiding any mention of Nikolai beyond basic household preferences. Professional discretion, I realized. She knew her boundaries.As evening approached, she packaged half the lasagna in containers for the freezer."Luigi prefers protein shakes and grilled chicken," she explained. "But you should have proper food. Just heat this at 350 for twenty minutes when you're h
Chapter 74 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ I woke to sunlight and emptiness. For a moment, disorientation gripped me as I blinked at unfamiliar surroundings. This was certainly not the same room I slept in yesterday or the night before, and it sure as hell was nothing close to my room at the convent. Then memories of the night before and my life for the last three months rushed back: I left the convent, what we did at the club, the car, Nikolai... Heat flooded my cheeks as I remembered the way I'd behaved, the wanton abandon with which I'd given myself to him. The risks we'd taken. My hand drifted unconsciously to my stomach, though I knew it was too soon for any physical manifestation of our recklessness. The bed beside me was empty, the sheets cool to the touch. How long had I been alone? I pushed myself up against the headboard, wincing at the soreness between my thighs. That was a very pleasant reminder of our sins. A glass of water sat on the nightstand, alongside two small pills and a h
Chapter 73 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ I woke before dawn, as I always did. Years of discipline had trained my body to need only five hours of sleep, and even with Sylvia warm against me, that hadn't changed. What had changed was my reluctance to leave the bed. She was curled against me like a cat, one hand splayed across my chest, her breathing deep and even. My t-shirt had ridden up during the night, exposing the curve of her hip and the length of her legs. In sleep, her face held none of the guarded wariness that sometimes crept into her expression when she thought I wasn't looking. My fingers caressed her back until they reached her neck, where the mark there burned against her skin like a brand. A crescent moon. The only thing I was very sure of right now after filtering the whole jargon of religious bullshit Luigi gathered was the fact that it was certainly not a birthmark, but a scar—deliberately placed. I allowed myself five more minutes of this strange peace before careful
Chapter 72 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ There was something surreal about watching her sleep against my shoulder. After the raw, primal sex in the back of my car, the way she'd given herself to me completely, without reservation, she now looked impossibly innocent again. Her face relaxed in slumber, she could have been a painting of a sleeping angel, if not for the purple marks blooming on her throat and the disheveled state of her hair. The contradiction she embodied continued to fascinate me. Virgin and temptress. Innocent and wanton. Sacred and profane. I'd had countless women over the years, but none had captivated me the way she did, none had made me break my own rules. Like tonight, with the condom. I ran a hand over my face, suppressing a groan. What the hell had I been thinking? I prided myself on control, on discipline, on never taking unnecessary risks. Yet one pleading look from those doe eyes, and I'd thrown caution to the wind. She stirred against me, mumbling something inco