MasukThis was what I’d gathered about Cato Marino.
He was stupid rich. Multibillionaire.
He was self-made. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the achievements of this single man in his single lifetime.
He was young. He just turned thirty in March.
How did someone so young accomplish so much?
And the most surprising revelation of all…he was hot.
Inexplicably gorgeous. So beautiful it was unreal. Over six foot of steel—and probably all steel in his pants too. Every picture I saw of him showed off his caveman shoulders, his muscled arms, and tight waist. Whether he was in jeans or a suit, the hardness of his body couldn’t be denied. Sexy from head to toe, he was model material, not just banker material.
I hadn’t planned on seducing him to accomplish my goal, but now I realized that plan wouldn’t have worked anyway. A hot billionaire like him was already getting too much ass to handle. He could have any woman he wanted, so there was no way I could impress him. He might glance at me, think I was pretty. But an instant later, he would already be thinking about something else.
I did as much research as I could, and it was safe to conclude this man was impenetrable. Every photograph I could find of him showed his security team in the background. The only public appearances he made were for work. His personal life wasn’t disclosed. There wasn’t even a picture of him going to the grocery store to pick up some orange juice.
No wonder why Micah put this on my shoulders.
There were a few places Cato frequented in Florence, so I decided to get a view of him in person. Perhaps if I studied my prey, I’d gain a better understanding of how I was going to pull this off. Marching up to him with a gun wouldn’t accomplish anything. One of his men would take me out in a second. I probably couldn’t even walk up to him at all, not without being intercepted by one of his bodyguards.
I didn’t have a lot of time to waste, but I had to take this slowly if I were going to accomplish anything.
I went to one of his favorite clubs in Florence. I didn’t have a clue if or when he would show his face, so I made an appearance three nights in a row, wearing a different dress and heels each time. The bartender thought I was a lonely alcoholic who had quickly become a regular.
On the third night, I sat alone at a table when I finally got some luck. My hands were wrapped around my glass of scotch as my eyes watched the commotion at the doorway. Bouncers moved out of the way so Cato could lead the pack. With three other good-looking men in suits, they entered the bar, all heads turning their way like they were beautiful women in heels. Women weren’t the only ones looking, but men too, probably envious of a man who was so rich and handsome he could have any woman he wanted—at any time.
A special seating area was cleared out just for them, and before their muscular asses pressed against the leather seats, a sexy waitress in a dress that hardly covered anything appeared out of nowhere to wait on them.
I focused on Cato and ignored his three friends. Even in the darkness of the club, he looked exactly the same as he did in his photographs. Rugged, handsome, and confident. He wore a gray V-neck that highlighted his muscular arms and chest. His shoulders were broader in person than they were in the pictures. With blue eyes and brown hair, he was a very pretty man. His tanned skin implied he loved the outdoors, even though I’d never seen a single photograph of him hiking or yachting.
I continued to enjoy my scotch as I stared from my chair, trying to glean as much information as I could. The three men with him seemed to be friends, not security detail. The men in charge of keeping him safe stayed near the entrance, their eyes scanning the bar and everyone near it. Hopefully, they didn’t find me suspicious, just a woman who was debating making a move.
Just as the waitress returned with their drinks, a group of confident women joined them. All pretty and dressed for the occasion, they flashed their smiles and their long legs, knowing exactly who Cato was.
I assumed a handsome guy like him was a playboy, but I wasn’t prepared for how extreme of a playboy he was.
He grabbed the woman closest to him by the wrist and gently tugged her toward him. His hands guided her hips over his thighs until she straddled his lap. Then he gripped her lower back and pulled her in for a kiss, her dress riding up and showing her black thong to everyone.
The other guys didn’t seem the least bit surprised.
The bar staff didn’t rush over and tell her to stick to the dress code.
With my jaw hanging open, I watched Cato make out with a complete stranger. Like he could do whatever he wanted, he took control without asking permission. His hand dug into her hair, and he kissed her with his full lips, treating her like he adored her rather than had no idea who she was. His fingers tucked her hair behind her ear then he gripped her ass.
Even though he was a total pig, it was still pretty hot. He certainly knew how to use that rugged mouth of his.
He ended the kiss then gently guided her into the seat beside him. His arm rested over the back of the couch, and he turned to talk to her, perhaps to actually ask for her name, but another woman straddled his hips and stole his attention.
Then he made out with her next.
“Jesus…” I took a long drink of my scotch.
She kissed him harder than the previous woman, her hands scratching his chest as she ground against his erection in his slacks. She showed him her best moves, doing her damnedest to erase the woman who had just pulled the same stunt.
The kiss lasted a while before he directed her into the space on the other side of him. Both of his arms now rested on the leather of the back of the couch as he claimed both women for the night, one under each arm.
“Wow…what a pig.”
The other guys found their women, and then they spent the night drinking and talking.
I’d had my fair share of playboys, but nothing of that caliber. That man didn’t even need to hunt for pussy because it hunted for him. All he had to do was wait thirty seconds, and a beautiful woman would appear to replace the previous one. When the night was over, he would probably take both women back to his place with the intention of bedding them both. They probably hoped they might catch his attention if they were adventurous enough, but like all the others, they would be gone by morning.
And he would forget their faces forever.
Just when I finished my scotch, another woman appeared. She straddled his lap, and another make-out session commenced.
I’d been sitting there all night without attracting an admirer, while Cato was getting more pussy than he could handle. “Fuck…I need another drink.”
The Skull King Chapter 3CassiniLucian bought me a car and granted me a generous amount of freedom—after I fought for those things. I told him our marriage would be much happier if I had the ability to go shopping, to meet friends for drinks, or just to get a cup of coffee while reading a book in a café. There was nowhere for me to hide, so I wasn’t a flight risk.As the time passed, he stopped being concerned about me.I think he actually trusted me.I drove into Florence and entered the large pasta factory my brothers owned. Our grandparents opened it in the early 1900s, and it’d been passed down through the generations until my brothers inherited it. I was part of that inheritance too, but then I married Lucian, and my involvement in the business was eliminated.I stepped inside the pasta room and saw the different pasta dangling from the drying rack in the center of the table. There were also various cheeses on the wooden table, like they’d been pairing them with the sauces. My b
I looked her up and down, from her perfect tits to her perfect legs. She could get anything she wanted, flaunting her sexiness like that. “I bet.” I pulled out my wallet and left the cash on the table. I also pulled out a business card, a single white card with a black skull on the back. “Call me if you change your mind. I’d be happy to be your next climax.” I scooted to the very edge of the stool, leaned forward, and then scooped my hand into those luscious black strands. I gripped the back of her hair tightly before I pressed my mouth lightly against hers. Plump and soft, her lips tasted like candy. So sweet and addictive, they made me wonder if she tasted that way everywhere, especially between her legs. My mouth treasured the initial contact, the slight surprise in her lips as they parted slightly.She kissed me back, invited me to take her mouth. Her kiss was still restrained, like she hadn’t gotten past the shock that I’d kissed her right in the middle of the bar, not giving a d
The Skull King Chapter 1BaltoI sat at the bar with a full glass of scotch in front of me. Quiet conversations from the other tables hardly reached my ears because people kept their private business to themselves. It was almost midnight on a Wednesday, so all the honest and hardworking people were in bed asleep. Anyone drinking at this hour was a criminal.Myself included.I stared into the amber liquid that dulled the headache at the back of my skull. Booze was the cure to all illnesses. It killed pain, depression, and horrible memories. It gave men a reason to keep living when there was nothing else to live for. We looked forward to the next glass before we even finished the previous one.Myself included.I could drink at the Underground with my men or I could drink in the privacy of my luxurious home, but I chose to come here because it was my favorite spot. It was quiet, but not too quiet. It was lonely, but not too lonely.I’d been too preoccupied with my drink to notice the wom
Our wedding day wasn’t traditional in any way whatsoever.We decided to get married at the town hall with a few friends and family members before we returned to our house for a private dinner. It wasn’t fancy, but it was certainly special to us.We agreed to see each other for the first time just before we left for the town hall. He would wait at the bottom of the stairs for me, and I would make my grand appearance walking down all those flights of stairs in my mama’s wedding dress.I wore the bracelet Cato gave to me, along with pearl earrings and a pearl necklace. My mother had been a classy woman, so her dress was classy too. I stepped out of my bedroom and reached the top stair, my eyes immediately looking for Cato at the bottom.There he stood, in a deep blue suit with a matching tie. His eyes had been focused on my position because he’d been waiting for this moment for a long time. The second he saw at me, his eyes homed in further, and the corner of his mouth rose in a smile. S
Bates sat across from me, unable to wipe the smirk off his face. “I’m glad you came to your senses.” He signed the sheet then passed it to me.I clicked my pen then added my signature to the bottom. “Siena is too.”“Because you were being a huge asshole.” He signed the next paper and handed it over.“Yes…I’m aware.” I added my signature.We kept up the system, getting through all the legal documents we needed to sign to get my name off all the official paperwork. I wanted the public to believe I’d really stepped aside, and the best way to do that was to make it official in the eyes of the law.“You think you can handle all this?” I asked.Bates scoffed. “I did most of the work anyway.”I glared at him.“Okay, maybe I didn’t. But I know I can always call. So, what are your plans? Going to open a new business?”I shrugged. “I’ve got another baby on the way, so I’ll probably just stay home for a while.”Bates stopped signing and gave me an incredulous look. “Wait, you guys are having ano
I arrived at Siena’s house later that evening. All the lights were on in the windows, and my men were spread around the perimeter to make sure no one crossed the property line without permission.My eyes lingered on the front door, and I remembered all the nights I would stop by unannounced. I’d pick the lock and help myself inside like I owned the place—like I owned her. Then I’d take her body well into the night, coming inside her as much as I could because it gave me more pleasure than anything else in life. Her home was cozy and comfortable, possessing a charm my estate could never replicate.Probably because it was filled with her presence.I walked up to the door, and instead of letting myself inside, I knocked.“It’s open,” she called from within.I stepped inside and heard Siena washing the dishes in the kitchen. The faucet turned off, and she walked back into the living room to greet me. She didn’t seem surprised to see me, like she’d been expecting me all night.“Where is sh







