010

~Arnold

I was dripping with sweat as I punched the bag heavily, each hit landing with brutal force. My knuckles were raw, shoulders burning, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop.

Every punch was meant for me.

“What the fuck have you done, Arnold?”

Again.

I fucked her again. Harder this time. Rougher. I had her legs on my shoulders, folded like a pretzel while I destroyed her tight little pussy. I made her beg, filled her mouth with my cum… and the worst part?

I loved every second of it.

My chest heaved as I threw another powerful combination, the heavy bag swinging violently.

My mind kept flashing back to her face, flushed, teary eyes, lips swollen from my kisses, moaning my name like a prayer while I ruined her.

“Fuck!” I growled, slamming my fist into the bag so hard it felt like my bones might crack.

She's my boss’s daughter, the only thing in this world I was sworn to protect with my life.

And I had just used her like a cheap whore.

I finally stopped, grabbing the bag to steady it, breathing like a wounded animal. Sweat rolled down my face, my neck, soaking my shirt.

This had to stop.

I couldn’t keep doing this. One slip, one person seeing us, and Vincenzo would put a bullet in my head without blinking. Or worse, he’d make me suffer first.

But even as I told myself that, my cock twitched at the memory of her on her knees, looking up at me with those innocent yet filthy eyes while she tried to swallow me whole.

I dragged a hand down my face.

“Get your shit together, Black,” I muttered to myself. “She’s not yours. She can never be yours.”

But deep down, I already knew the truth. I was completely fucked. And the scariest part? I didn’t want to stop.

I took a long, cold shower.

I dressed nicely, black button up shirt that hugged my frame, dark jeans, and my holster hidden underneath. Professional but not too formal. I stared at myself in the mirror for a moment, jaw tight.

“Keep it together. She’s your job. Nothing more.”

A soft knock came on my door.

I opened it and there she was, Dorla, looking fresh and far too tempting in a simple white crop top and tight jeans that clung to her curves. Her hair was still damp from her own shower.

“We should go shopping,” she said casually. “My ointments and skincare stuff are finished.”

I frowned slightly. “You can just order the maids to get them for you.”

She shook her head, giving me that stubborn little smile I was starting to crave.

“No. I feel like going out by myself today. And you have to follow me anyway… to protect me, right?”

She said the last part with a teasing glint in her eyes, like she knew exactly what she was doing.

I clenched my jaw. Of course I had to go. Her father had made it very clear, I was to stay with her 24/7. No exceptions.

“Fine,” I replied, voice rough. “Give me a minute.”

I grabbed my gun, slipped on my watch, and followed her down the hallway. As we walked side by side toward the garage, I kept a professional distance, but my eyes kept drifting to the sway of her hips and the way her top rode up slightly, showing a sliver of smooth skin.

This was dangerous.

Dorla glanced at me over her shoulder, a small secretive smile on her lips.

“You look dangerously hot when you dress nice,” she said softly.

I didn’t reply.

But deep down, I already knew this shopping trip wasn’t really about ointments.

She just wanted to be close to me. And God help me… I wanted it too.

We were walking through the high end shopping mall when my instincts started screaming.

I stayed close behind Dorla, eyes scanning everything. Three men in all black, caps pulled low, were pretending to shop on the opposite side. Their movements were too coordinated. Too aware.

One of them glanced at me. The second our eyes met, he quickly looked away.

My stomach tightened.

I moved closer to Dorla, voice low and urgent. “Keep walking straight. When I say run, you run.”

One of the men suddenly brushed past me hard, shoulder checking me. As he did, I caught a clear view of the back of his palm, a bold Nine Tail Fox tattoo.

Fuck. Rivals.

“Dorla,” I said sharply, “go straight and run out of the store right now. Get to the car, start it, and wait for me in front of the gate. Do not look back.”

She turned, eyes wide. “What’s happening…”

“Hush. Run. Now.”

Thankfully, she listened. She took off toward the exit. That was when all hell broke loose.

There weren’t three men. There were six. Two more appeared from behind a rack, and another two came from the side. They immediately went after her.

I sprinted to the glass door and slammed it shut, locking it just as they reached it. I drew my gun and fired twice in quick succession, two clean headshots. They dropped.

The third man kicked the gun out of my hand with brutal force. It became hand to hand.

I fought like a demon. A spinning kick crushed one man’s throat. I pulled a dagger from my knee pocket and drove it into the second man’s ribs. Both went down.

But the last two were bigger. They tackled me together. One wrapped his thick arm around my neck from behind, strangling me, while the other rained punches into my ribs.

I was losing air fast. My vision started blurring.

Then suddenly the door burst open.

The distraction was enough.

I drove my elbow hard into the man behind me, then smashed my boot straight into the other one’s balls. As he crumpled, I grabbed my fallen gun and smashed the butt of it across his face with savage force.

Both men dropped.

I turned and saw Dorla standing there, eyes wide with terror.

Blood was trickling down the side of my face. I hadn’t even felt the cut.

I glared at her angrily. “I told you to stay in the fucking car!”

She stared at me in shock, whispering, “Blood… Arnold, you’re bleeding.”

I didn’t have time to argue. I grabbed her hand, threw her over my shoulder like a sack, and ran out of the store toward the parking lot. She was too scared to protest.

I dumped her into the front passenger seat, ran around, and jumped behind the wheel. I started the car and sped out without saying a single word to her, jaw clenched tight.

My hands were still shaking with adrenaline.

She had disobeyed me. And that little act of hers could have killed us both, even though it saved me.

I kept driving fast, knuckles white on the steering wheel. Warm blood was trickling down the side of my face from the cut above my eyebrow, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was getting her as far away from that mall as possible.

“Arnold, stop the car,” Dorla said, her voice shaky but urgent. “You’re bleeding. Let me tend to it.”

I didn’t answer. My jaw stayed locked, eyes fixed on the road.

“Arnold!” she screamed, louder this time. “Stop the damn car!”

When I still didn’t respond, she suddenly reached over and grabbed my right hand on the steering wheel.

“Dorla…!”

The car swerved violently to the left. For a split second, I lost control as the tires screeched against the asphalt. Horns blared from other cars.

I reacted instantly, slamming my foot hard on the brake while yanking the wheel back with my left hand. The car fishtailed dangerously before coming to a sharp, screeching halt on the side of the road.

My chest was heaving. The silence after the chaos was deafening.

I slowly turned my head to look at her.

Dorla was breathing hard, eyes wide with fear, her hand still gripping mine tightly. Tears were already forming in her eyes.

“Are you crazy?” I growled, voice low and furious. “You could have gotten us killed!”

“I don’t care!” she shouted back, voice cracking. “You’re bleeding because of me! You almost died in there protecting me and you won’t even let me help you?!”

She reached up with her free hand and gently touched the cut on my forehead. Her fingers came away stained with blood.

“Please, Arnold…” Her voice softened, almost breaking. “Just stop for a minute. Let me take care of you.”

I stared at her for a long moment, my anger clashing violently with something much softer, something dangerous in my chest.

This girl was going to be the death of me.