Chapter 12 Episode 12

I add more weight and my teeth grit as I press the bar away from my chest. My muscles burn andquiver. I picture her standing in the corner of the room, that murderous expression on her face as shewatches me. Her face blends in with that of the girl from Fiamma years ago. Until I met Alexis, Ihadn’t met another woman who challenged and intrigued me like her. Only the girl from the bar wasfair game, a tasty snack to devour while on a break from consolidating my kingdom. Alexis, on the other hands, is off-limits. She’s a journalist and that always spells bad news. The last thing I need is for her to shove her nose where it doesn’t belong and find out the truth about me andmy business. Maybe that’s why I can’t stop thinking about her—she is the closest thing I’ve found tothe girl from Fiamma and yet I can never possess her. I imagine draping Alexis over my knee and spanking that luscious ass. One smack for every time shelooked at me like I was scum. Two for every time she spoke to me with disrespect. I set the bar back on the stand and sit up, chest burning. This isn’t working. My c**k is rock-hard andno amount of exercise is going to take care of that for me. I jog upstairs to the shower and peel out of my clothes while the water heats up. My c**k juts out infront of me, swollen with need. Steam begins to billow from the shower door and I step in. The hotwater cascades over my skin and I let my head fall forward, eyes closed. My hand grips my rod and Ibegin to stroke. I think about the girl from Fiamma first—the way she fought me, resisted me, ultimately succumbed tome. She denied her lust, but I watched it build in her eyes. When I finally took her, she was soakingwet and would have done anything I told her to. I imagine that f*****g Alexis would be the same. She might talk a big game, but I bet given enoughtime I could have her on her knees in front of me with her mouth open. I picture her there now. How I would love to punish that little mouth of hers. I imagine her stretchingthose plump red lips around my c**k and sucking me in deep. I would push her down until shegagged, her throat constricting around me like a vise. I moan. My hand is moving so fast that droplets of water are spraying everywhere. I can see Alexis looking up at me with those wide blue eyes while I invade her mouth. She knowsshe’s totally at my mercy and the thought of it thrills her in a way she never thought possible. Iimagine pumping in and out of her mouth, my hand gripping the back of her head, my body shakingwith the need to come. I can almost feel her lips and tongue against my shaft, her hands against mythighs. I groan and press a hand to the wall to steady myself as my legs begin to shake. I’m so close. I think of Alexis’ plump ass and the image of her bent over my knee sends a spike of pleasure throughmy balls. I work my shaft harder, gritting my teeth. I picture a red handprint on her creamy skin like abrand. I can hear her yelps and moans as if they are echoing through the room, and my c**k tenses. That girl needs to be put in her place, and the thought of doing just that sends me over the edge. I comehard. My eyes squeeze shut as I pump rope after rope of come to the shower floor, where the waterswirls it down the drain. “f**k,” I mutter, catching my breath. I should feel relief, but I have only just taken the edge off. The thought of the sassy reporter stillcauses my gut to clench, and I know that I have to get control of myself before I let this fascinationsink into obsession. I lean back in my chair, squeezing my eyes shut and gritting my jaw while my publicist, Carmen Book,yammers away in my ear. “Like I’ve said, as far as public meltdowns go, you could have done much worse, but you’ve donesome damage and we need to remedy that. We’ve done some groundwork, but now we need tohammer it home.” I hate speaking to Carmen. She is an anaconda of a woman, and while she is very good at her job, shedrives me insane. After the initial incident at the elementary school, she called my office severaltimes and when I called her back the next morning, she spent a good five minutes haranguing me fornot getting on top of the situation sooner. She has called every day since to enact a new stage of herplan to redeem my public image. I am not looking forward to hearing what she has in store for metoday. “I’m going to arrange an interview with the reporter from Channel 5 whose pesky cameraman incitedthe whole thing,” Carmen says. “You can apologize, maybe make a joke, flash that charming smile,and then once they’re eating out of the palm of your hand, you can offer more money to the school andmic drop out of there.” My eyes open and I stare at the ceiling. “No.” “Gabriel …” “No,” I repeat, firmer this time. “I am far too busy. I’ll donate the money, but I’m not doing theinterview, and I’m definitely not f*****g apologizing.” Something Carmen and I have never seen eye to eye on is the fact that I rarely give interviews, and Inever apologize. My cell phone buzzes on the desk in front of me and I lean over to check it while Carmen natters atme. “You have to trust me, Gabriel. If there wasn’t such a mystery around you already, this might not be sobad, but because nobody knows jack s**t about you, everyone is now assuming that you’re a low-keypsycho.” My eyes scan the text. I frown. “Let them assume that,” I growl. “Speak to the principal of school and tell him we’ll write them ablank check if they shut their mouths about it from here on out. And remind Channel 5 who makes agenerous donation to their charity every year.” “I don’t think—” “Just do your job, Carmen,” I say in a low voice. “I have to go. Update me tomorrow.” I slam the phone down and lean back, massaging my temples. My cell buzzes again and I read the nextmessage. It’s Antonio reporting from the docks. The Irish have just done a drive-by shooting, but luckily therewere only a couple of injuries and no deaths. He is dealing with it, and I trust him enough to leave itin his hands. Antonio was my father’s lieutenant before I assumed the leadership, but he was one ofthe first to proclaim his loyalty to me. He said my father’s regime had begun to make him nervous. I think back to those days before the power shift, when I was just the heir apparent with relatively fewresponsibilities. I should have enjoyed that time more. I don’t regret the decisions I made that got mewhere I am now, but it hasn’t been easy. My assistant, Jenny, buzzes me. “Yes?” “Sir, I have Alexis Wright on the phone for you,” Jenny says in a timid voice. “She keeps calling anddemanding a follow-up interview. She says you still owe her forty minutes.” That tempting journalist is the last thing I need right now, especially since she’ll want to talk aboutwhat happened at the school. I can’t afford any distractions. “Get rid of her,” I say. “I’ve gotten rid of her every day for the past week. She keeps calling.” “Then keep getting rid of her until she gets the message.” “Very well.” I reply to Antonio, thanking him for the update. I am glad that there was little damage, but that alsoconcerns me. It feels as though the Irish are toying with us—but to what end? Diego drops by later in the afternoon, and I am happy to see him. The older man has become a usefulsource of guidance over the past couple of years. He is like the father I always deserved but neverhad. Because he was close with my actual father, I expected more resistance when I took the reins.Diego’s loyalty surprised me. The first thing he says as he walks through my office door is, “Well, you look like shit.” “Speak for yourself, old man.” He laughs, sinking down into the chair opposite. Recently, Diego has begun to dress his age, though hestill dyes his hair black. Today, he is wearing a gray tracksuit with a gold chain hanging from hisneck. “Still not sleeping?” he asks. I shake my head. “Not well.” “It’s the Belluci curse,” he says with a sigh. “Your father had the same issue when he took over. I usedto have to kick him to wake him up in the morning, but as soon as he became the don, boom, up at sixevery morning.” It always throws me off when Diego speaks so casually about my father.