“How do you know about that?” Ava asked, eyes wide.

“Anybody who has ever been around the two of you in the same vicinity can see it.”

Ava covered her mouth as she started to laugh.

“You know it’s true. That’s why you’re laughing.”

“Alright. You and I both know, Angelo will do whatever it takes to get close to me.”

“So keep your guard up.”

“You know I will, Smitty.”

He snorted. “So say the boy really is Joseph’s, are you really comfortable ordering a hit on his son?”

Ava leaned back in the chair. Her heart felt heavy in her chest. Her conscience screamed at her. He could be Maia’s brother! Her only sibling. She couldn’t kill him, not in cold blood. Not like that. She rubbed her face before leaning forward on the desk.

“It’s not my first solution by any means. My attorneys are going to eat him alive in the courtroom, but just in case there happens to be something we can’t control, like getting a sympathetic judge who believes he’s entitled to something, I need a Plan B. I’m not going to have my daughter robbed of what belongs to her.”

“Hey, I agree with you. Joseph didn’t acknowledge him so that should be where things stand. None of this getting-the-courts-involved crap. That’s not the way we handle business in our world.”

“Exactly. So this only proves he’s a scared little boy playing at being a man. I don’t want to have to hurt him, but I will. It’s him or me and you know I always plan to be the one standing.”

“You’re a real tough broad. I’ve always admired that about you. But you do realize, Ava, that not everyone would be willing to off Martelli’s son, illegitimate or not.”

Ava regarded Smitty from beneath lowered lashes. She’d known the private detective and former underworld enforcer for a little over a decade. As long as she’d known Smitty, he’d been a gun for hire. Whoever had the right money, he was their man. So she found his comment a bit uncharacteristic.

“But does that include you, Smitty? That’s the question.”

The big man leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms loosely over his chest. “Hey, you know me. If the price is right, I’m down for anything.”

“Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind if I need to go that route. In the meantime I want you to dig up whatever you can on the kid. If this gets ugly in court I need some dirt to nail him to the wall. And also anything you can find about his mother. I don’t want any surprises.”

Smitty scribbled a few notes down on his pad. “Alright. When do you need all this?”

“As soon as possible. I need to know if Angelo is in cahoots with this interloper.”

“You think so?”

“There’s no way to tell with Angelo. He’s slimy.”

“Yeah, but he got the territory. And I can’t see him wanting to do anything to undermine his relationship with you, but you’re right. The guy’s pretty smarmy. I’ll keep my ear to the ground.”

Ava rose.

“I’d appreciate that. I’ll have five thousand wired to your account. In the event that we need to take the next step, more will be sent at an agreed-upon time. If we don’t have to go that route, think of it as a bonus for your discretion.”

“Don’t worry about it, Ava. No one’s getting over on you,” Smitty stood.

“I’ll see myself out.”

Ava left Smitty’s private office. Stepping outside into the windy Miami air, she stopped in her tracks. A black sedan roared out of the parking lot.

Chapter Eight

“You look beautiful. Like Christmas morning.”

“Thank you,” Ava said.

The large white sleigh bed stood on the dais before her, ominous and forbidding. Today was her eighteenth birthday and Joseph had come to collect. He sat on the side of the bed, staring at her. He’d already dispensed of his clothes. Joseph wore only a pair of black boxer briefs. His chest was toned and free from chest hair. Thank God for small favors, Ava thought to herself.

“Come here. You’re so far away.”

With short steps Ava moved towards where Joseph was sitting. She stood in front of him. Her breath caught in her throat when he undid the sash on her white silken robe and opened it. The robe dropped from her shoulders and to the floor. Only a thin-strapped nightie protected her virtue from Joseph Martelli. When the first strap slid down her shoulder, Ava closed her eyes. The next followed and she felt the cool air caress her naked body.

Feeling the press of Joseph’s face against her skin, she opened her eyes. His face was between her breasts. His hands were wrapped around her waist. She gasped when he nuzzled her breast before pulling one of the sensitive peaks into his mouth. He sucked on it softly and Ava was shocked by the small tendril of desire that shot down to the secret place between her legs. His eyes never met hers as he moved from breast to breast, suckling and nibbling. Ava didn’t fight when he pulled her down onto the bed.

Ava bit her lip to keep from crying out when one of Joseph’s hands slid between her thighs caressing her, dipping inside the place no one had ever touched before. His thumb brushed over the tight bundle of nerves at the apex of her sex. The pleasure she felt with his mouth on her breasts became more intense as he rubbed her clit. She moaned.

“Do you like that?” he whispered against her flesh.

“Yes,” she said, half fearful he would stop.

“Good,” he whispered before engulfing her breast again with his mouth.

His suckling became harder. More intense. As the pace of his rubbing between her legs increased, her thighs fell open. She ground herself against his hand, desperately trying to get closer. Desperate for something she didn’t quite understand. She liked this. So far it hadn’t been the horror she’d feared. Though Joseph was close to two decades older than her, he was in remarkable condition. As he shifted her on the bed so that he was lying on top of her, they were pressed chest to chest. His lips covered hers.

There was no softness about his kiss. In fact he kissed her so greedily she feared he’d cause her to chip a tooth. Tentatively she placed her palms against his chest. Joseph stopped his kissing and looked down at her. His black eyes met hers before skimming down her body. He licked his lips as his eyes found her breasts.

“You’ve got a great pair of tits.”

Ava offered him a small smile. No words of thanks came from her lips. Instead she watched him as his eyes locked on the triangle between her thighs.

“Open your legs wider.”

She obeyed him. For a minute he didn’t move. He only stared. Ava wondered if he changed his mind. Then seemingly to mentally get a hold of himself, he leaned over her and reached for the bedside table. Ava watched as he ripped open a foiled packet. Condom. She’d never seen one up close and personal. Her eyes widened as he withdrew the condom. For the first time, fear crept up her belly white and hot.

Her nerves stretched taunt as Joseph eased his shorts over his waist and off his body. His cock stood stiff, pulsing and red looking. The bulbous head leaked. A whimper escaped her lips. Joseph’s eyes met hers.

“Don’t be scared.”

He slid the condom over himself until the full length of him was sheathed. Ava’s breath came in wild gasps as Joseph settled between her thighs. She could feel that part of him that was all man, pressing against her entrance.

“Just relax.”

She nodded her head and tried to do as he asked, but it was all but impossible. She closed her eyes as he took his pleasure and when he was done she breathed a sigh of relief. As he told her how sexy she was, Ava didn’t say a word. Instead she rolled over, her back to him. Her body screamed in pain as she moved. She wondered how long she would be sore. How long it would be before he decided to take her again. If her body would cry out in pain each time he did. Would she ever know pleasure?