Coercion (The Cassano Series Book 3) Read online

“You have to get me there, Theo. Please … help me get to Adrian.”

  Chapter Three

  Zev

  “Blanca, come to my office,” I order through the phone. It’s like ordering an entrée of pussy through room service. It’s too easy, and I don’t get why most days.

  She’s Adrian and Theo’s executive assistant. Simon swears she’s been in love with Adrian for some time, but I haven’t asked her. I don’t care to know. He doesn’t want her, and I only want to fuck her, so it’s irrelevant. I think, anyway.

  No, my oldest brother had to go and fall in love with a cop. He’s an idiot for falling in love in the first place, but a fucking cop … what was he thinking? Oh, right, he wasn’t. He was letting his heart and dick do all the decision making.

  My brain chooses where to stick my cock, and my heart has yellow caution tape around it with a sign that reads “Condemned.”

  The last time I started to let it feel, another father figure was ripped from me. Sonny. Victoria and Sadie’s father. Go figure. He was becoming like another dad to me, and my brothers and I couldn’t even go to the funeral because of our shady dealings here.

  Another death. That’s when I changed the sign around my fucking heart from “Out of order” to “Condemned.” It wasn’t hurting another mother fucking time.

  There’s a faint tap on my door before Blanca steps in. She’s still timid after all the times I’ve bent her over my desk. What’s her fix from this? And why am I wondering about it now?

  With a smile and tilted blue eyes, she leans against the closed door. I stalk toward her, admiring her lavender outfit for the day. She’s always dressed remarkably in a suit jacket and skirt.

  I also know I’m going to find thigh highs underneath that skirt and a thong I can move over with ease. My hand grips her waist before my nose dips to right below her ear.

  Dragging it down her neck, I hear her whimper. I grope her tit as I plant kisses across her collarbone, right above her white blouse.

  It at least gives her the impression I can be sweet. She knows I won’t kiss her mouth, so she doesn’t try anymore. Her blonde waves are down today, so my free hand slides into her hair. “Over my desk, Blanca. It’s where I want you today.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  My breath hovers in front of hers as I slowly shake my head.

  “Always the submissive one.”

  “Only with you, Sir.”

  “Interesting.”

  Turning her, I walk her to my desk while holding her hair and waist. I lay her over it and hike up her skirt. Her smooth, perky ass is at attention, and when I slide my fingers into her panties, I feel how wet she is.

  Still clenching her hair with my hand, I use the other to undo my belt and dress pants. I whip out my dick and am forced to let her go for a minute to put on a condom I’ve had in my pants pocket. Yanking over her panties, I slide right into her.

  This is becoming a little too easy and is not as thrilling as it was months ago. I begin to fuck her–hard. Her voluptuous tits shove against the desk.

  It’s six in the evening. Blanca will be leaving soon, whereas I’m only starting my day.

  Why am I thinking about that?

  I’m supposed to be enjoying this fuck. It’s because a question is gnawing at me. “Tell me what you get out of this?”

  “What?” she asks breathlessly. I shut up and slam into her until I’m shooting my load.

  Once my orgasm subsides, I slip out of her, take off the condom and toss it into the wastebasket next to my desk. Gripping her hair again, I stroke her clit until she’s moaning and stiffening up as her release claims her.

  Holding her hair tighter, I press her cheek harder to the desk. I won’t hurt her, but I want to get to the bottom of something, so I can go back to enjoying our sweaty, dirty sex.

  I lean close to her ear. “Tell me why you let me fuck you whenever I want.”

  “I enjoy it, Sir.”

  “Why do I think there’s another reason?”

  “I don’t know, Sir.”

  “Hmm … it doesn’t have anything to do with Adrian does it?”

  Without a beat, a tear streams out of the corner of her eye.

  “That’s what I fucking thought. Tell me what you’re thinking right now.”

  “I think I love him. You remind me of him and all I wish he’d do to me.”

  I picture lifting her head and slamming it down on my desk, but I don’t want to hurt her. I only want to hurt something. I’m using her, too. Can I really be pissed?

  “You had to go and fucking ruin this,” I spew.

  She squirms until she can pull free from me. I back up, allowing her to spin around. Straightening her skirt, she angles her chin up at me as tears stream down her cheeks.

  “Fuck you, Xavier. You use me every day, and don’t even try to say you don’t. You won’t even kiss me on the mouth. I’m just a meaningless fuck. At least it means something to me.”

  “Oh, it means you want to fuck my unavailable brother. Hell, he isn’t even in the damn state. He doesn’t want you, Blanca. He loves Victoria, and he’s never going to see you as anything other than an employee who would wipe his ass if given the opportunity. Never, sweetheart.”

  “You’re an asshole, and I hope you enjoy being alone the rest of your life, you coldhearted dick!” Blanca is sobbing as she storms out of my office. I do kind of feel like a dick and an asshole.

  Victoria

  Reggie opens the door on the second knock. His eyes widen before he steps aside so I can enter.

  “I’m surprised you’re here.”

  “I had a meeting with Theo Cassano earlier, and he told me everything. I wanted to talk to you about it.”

  “OK.”

  “I’m still pissed you kept everything from me, but I understand why. At first I felt like Adrian had a better excuse. He loved me and was worried he would lose me. Then I recalled how you feel about me, too. You also had a better understanding of what I had to lose with my career.”

  I turn away from him. “I know you were only trying to protect me and what I believed to be true about my father.”

  From behind, Reggie’s hands grip my shoulders.

  “I do still care, Vic.” His breath teases my ear. We’re in too intimate of a position, so I turn to face him. “I was trying not to involve you, but then you got yourself in the middle of it.

  “Once you became involved with Adrian, I had no clue how to handle the situation. I only wanted to protect you from the pain I knew you would feel if you found us out.”

  My eyes flit from the ground to his.

  “I forgive you.”

  “That’s a relief, Victoria.”

  I bite on the corner of my lip, fearful of how he will take the next news.

  “I’m forgiving Adrian, too, and I’m going to help him.”

  Reggie takes a step backward. “What?”

  “You heard me. I’m going to help him get out of the mess he’s in.”

  “You can’t. It’s too dangerous. On top of that, Bishop will eventually know you’re with Adrian. If the FBI busts Noah Sanders and Ferrera before the cops, Bishop is going to think you withheld information from him on purpose to protect the Cassano brothers.”

  “I’ll figure it out.”

  “No matter how you play this, Vic, you will lose your job or Adrian. You won’t be allowed to keep both.”

  I lower my head. “I know that.”

  “Does Adrian?”

  “I haven’t spoken to him, but he doesn’t need to piece that together yet. He’s worth losing my career over. I just have to keep it for now, so I can help him.”

  Reg skirts a hand over his raven colored curls.

  “I can’t believe you will give it all up for him. What is it about Adrian Cassano that has you willing to throw all you’ve worked for away?”

  I tilt my eyes back up. “He’s the one, Reggie. The only one I could ever love. If I have to choose between my career and Adrian, I choo
se love.”

  Adrian

  It’s now been five days since I’ve laid eyes on her. I miss the shit out of her, but the time away from Victoria made me realize it’s for the best. It’s the only way to keep her out of danger.

  I should’ve never spoken to her on a personal level. She was intriguing, and I allowed myself to be pulled in, losing sight of the danger I was putting her in.

  She could lose her job. Or worse yet, she will be caught in the middle of our ordeal with Noah Sanders and the FBI and get hurt.

  Now, she will likely do whatever she has to not to play poker in the Royal lounge. She won’t want to risk seeing me. This will keep her safe.

  I’m working at my desk in the late evening. OK, I’m distracted by Victoria, but I’m trying to focus on work when Boone knocks at my open door.

  “Come in.”

  “Ready to talk yet?”

  “I guess. Have a seat.”

  “What’s her name?” he asks as he sits in the chair across from my desk.

  I sigh. “That obvious, huh?”

  “Yes, and I admit I’m surprised there is a someone.”

  “Her name is Victoria. I love her but it’s complicated because of this job.”

  “I get that completely, but you seem miserable, man.”

  “I am, so let’s discuss something else, like work.”

  “Uh, Larios’s ambush against Don Esquival’s cartel is coming up very soon.”

  “I want in on it.”

  “You are in on it. You’re funding it.”

  “I mean I want in. I want to go with our team.”

  Holding up his hands, Boone stares at me with a stunned expression.

  “Look, I don’t know if you are trying for suicide here, but you haven’t trained in years. And anyway, unlike what I thought, no one but Hammond and Dominic can go. The cartel barely trusts them, so they can’t bring anyone else in.”

  “Then I want to go to Mexico to meet with our team.”

  “We can’t risk the cartel seeing your face. What if they spot you later? You’re occasionally on the news or in the papers in Las Vegas. We can’t take a chance. I can get our guys here instead.”

  “I’ll disguise myself the best I can. I want to go, and I get to make that decision.”

  “I thought I was head of our team, so I should be making that call. You need to think on this one, buddy.”

  Boone stands, obviously pissed at me. “You could get our guys killed. It’s not only about you.”

  Simon

  I find my brother working in his office at Caged, one of the nightclubs inside Submission. Zev runs it, along with overseeing the Royal lounge.

  “What’s up, bro?” I ask.

  “Nothing,” he says in a clipped tone without looking up from his laptop. It’s not going to be a good night if he’s already in a foul mood.

  “Are you upset Adrian is still gone?”

  “No, why would I be concerned about that?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because he’s our fucking brother, and we should look out for each other. He’s hurting, man.”

  Zev shakes his head but still doesn’t take his eyes off the screen. Sitting in a chair across from his desk, I put my feet in one I’ve dragged over. “I have some news,” I say with a goofy-ass grin. “Sadie and I are dating exclusively.”

  “Shit, your turn to get burned, huh?” Zev pulls his bottom lip between his fingers as he clicks away on his mouse.

  “You’re the fucker that told me to go after her,” I say with some attitude.

  “I did say that, didn’t I? It was a moment of weakness when I found out she was Sonny’s daughter.”

  “Well, we’re dating, and I expect you to be nice to her when she’s around instead of the asshole you’re being right now.”

  Zev looks up finally and shakes his head again.

  “You’re the second person to call me that this evening.”

  “Who else had the privilege of witnessing your chipper disposition?”

  “Blanca. I was a royal dick to her.” Zev rubs his hands down his face and leans back in his chair. “I owe her an apology, but you know that’s not my style. You were right about her and Adrian. She is in love with him.”

  “I’ve been telling you.”

  “Well, our sexcapades are over.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  “Would you fuck a woman who’s in love with your brother?”

  “Good point.”

  Chapter Four

  Adrian

  It’s day seven since my eyes were blessed with the sight of Victoria, and the pain hasn’t eased one damn bit.

  After thinking on it, I realized Boone was right. It’s too risky for me to visit my spec ops guys at their locations. They’re dispersed, first of all. A handful are in Mexico and the others in Texas.

  Second, there is a chance that showing my face where they’re at could blow their covers in the communities they reside.

  So, they’re all gradually arriving here today. It’s how we typically do things, and I know better than to screw with that.

  I only suggested it because I desired to be reckless. Maybe it would make me feel something other than the pain of missing Victoria.

  Losing my fucking mind on a compound of drug dealers with an AR-15 sounded pretty damn appealing, but I knew that would only declare me dead. I might feel dead inside, but leaving this earth isn’t the answer for me or my family.

  I’m lounging by the pool when Gardiner and Paris show up. Hell, I’d have to look at their file to tell you their first names.

  Gardiner is a former Navy Seal, and Paris a former Ranger. Like the other guys on the team, you would think they possess supernatural abilities. Each have perfected a skill that seems unmatchable.

  Gardiner’s marksmanship range is inhuman. He’s about six feet five with fire red hair and is as pasty looking as they come, whereas Paris is Hispanic and about five feet six. His small stature shouldn’t fool anyone into thinking he’s less tough. He’s stealth as fuck.

  “Ace, the boss man,” he says as he comes toward me with a toothy grin shining against his dark skin. I stand, and we exchange a handshake that turns more into a bro hug.

  It was all formal when we started this journey, but that has changed over the last several years. Well, less so with Gardiner. He’s the most respectable one of the bunch.

  “Sir,” he says with an outward hand. I shake it and take in the sight of his desert fatigue pants and white t-shirt. Paris is in black athletic shorts and a bright yellow tank.

  Regardless of their attire, when I see them, I’m taken back to that hellhole of a desert I had to call home years ago.

  Come to think of it, I’m surprised I even like this damn place, but it’s my escape from the corporate world since you can’t spy another building in any direction as you peer out.

  I point to the pool house. “Grab a cold one from the fridge in there and have a seat.”

  “Sure thing, boss. Need another?” Paris asks.

  Holding up my bottle, I see it’s empty and nod at him. Beer is not my drink of choice, but grocery runs are few and far between out here. I didn’t exactly give Boone a heads-up I was coming.

  “Grab me one, too,” Gardiner says.

  “Anything exciting happening, man?” I ask him.

  “No, and I’m getting pretty bored. We need some shit to go down. I’m pissed we can’t get in with Larios, but Dominic relayed there’s no way yet. Larios’s men don’t trust him enough, which isn’t good after this long.”

  “Dude, tell him about your señorita,” Paris says as he returns and hands out our beers.

  “Shut up, man.” Gardiner removes his ball cap and runs a hand over his matted down hair.

  “I can’t imagine the babies they’re going to make. It’s a roll of the dice whether they’ll come out all ginger or tanned,” Paris adds.

  “Shut the fuck up.” Gardiner is smiling as he flicks the metal lid off his bottle at Pa
ris.

  “So, you met someone?” I ask. I guess I forget that these men want a life outside of this job. They have a lot of down time as they wait for specific orders, so relationships are bound to happen.

  “Yeah, I have, and Paris won’t stop giving me shit over it.”

  “Ace,” Paris says this with a hand out and a long pause after, so I know a detailed explanation is coming. “She’s nothing like you would picture. She’s a firecracker, much like the flame on his head, and she’s Hispanic. Stands about as tall as his waist, and she’s already got two hellion boys, yet he wants to procreate with her.”

  “See what I have to deal with on the daily,” Gardiner says before he runs a hand down his face. “And you’re one to talk. You stand about to my waist, too. Just the right height to suck my dick.”

  I can’t help but chuckle over that one. It’s as if Paris doesn’t even hear him as he takes a winded breath.

  “She’s wearing the pants, Ace. Mr. Uptight here done got him a new sergeant.”

  “Maybe she’s that fucking good, if you know what I mean,” I say with another chuckle.

  Gardiner points to me. “Exactly, and she cooks and cleans up after me. Paris here might get the pussy sampler weekly, but they leave his ass to fend for himself.”

  “Alright, alright, point made.” Paris nods his head. I don’t know how he’s so stealth when he can’t sit still or keep his mouth shut for five seconds. He’s a funny guy.

  I look up and see Lamar, Tipton and Chip headed our way. “Hey, I hear there’s a party up in here,” Tipton says with a grin.

  He’s another former Seal and has a personality more like Paris than Gardiner. Chip and Lamar are much quieter than any of them.

  They tend to sit back and take it all in, and unless they give you a laugh or smile, you never quite know what they’re thinking.

  Tipton and Chip are country boys Boone recruited through a friend. Lamar, however, was in my unit and is still good friends with Reggie.

  “When is Kasper getting here?” Tipton asks.

  “Boone picked him up from the airport. They should be here shortly,” I answer.