Chapter 30: Chapter Thirty

Frankie shoved open the door to the men’s bathroom and glanced around at the men washing their hands or using the urinals. They all looked shocked to see a scantily clad woman in their midst. Frankie growled in aggravation.

“Get the fuck out, you perverts!” Frankie yelled.

The reaction was immediate. Gloria chuckled to herself and shook her head as the men turned into cartoon characters running from their feline counterparts. Her laughter got lodged somewhere in her throat when Frankie’s glare cut to her. The moment the last man was out the door he pushed her against the counter. Water soaked into the back of her dress and a gasp left her mouth a moment before his lips crashed against hers. Her surrender was immediate… not that it mattered much anyway.

His hands were demanding, traveling around her body with practiced ease. Every touch, every caress of his fingers sent a ripple of wanting through her until she was dizzy and wobbling on her heels. Then his hand caught her throat and ripped her back to reality.

“I want fucking names. First and last,” Frankie demanded, out of breath.

“Names of the ways I’m going to kill you for calling me your freaking pet?” she asked, her anger coalescing with her desire, making it hard to think straight.

He smirked, but only for a second. His grip tightened and he pushed her harder against the counter until she had to place her palms down to keep from falling backwards and putting herself in a very dangerous position for him to take advantage of.

“I want names, first and last, of all the men who’ve felt your lips on their dick, Vixen,” Frankie repeated. Gloria’s breath halted. He leaned closer. “Along with locations, dates, and…” He thought about it for a second and shook his head. “No, just names and cities. That’ll make the hunt far more satisfying.”

“Don’t tell me you’re jealous?” she quipped

“Jealousy is far too tame a word for what I’m feeling, Gloria.”

“Maybe I won’t tell you,” she threatened. “Maybe I’ll let the not knowing be your punishment for what you just did.”

“What I did?”

“You forced me to be your pet!”

“It was a fucking test!”

“One I apparently passed with flying colors.”

“Oh, you’ll be seeing plenty of colors soon enough.”

“Is that a threat?”

“No, it’s a fucking promise.”

They stared at each other, both defiant, both angry… both wanting to shred the other’s clothes off. The only thing keeping Gloria sane was the edge of the counter digging into her spine. Frankie pulled at her throat, alleviating some of the pressure on her back which released the dam of sensations running from her brain to settle in her core that throbbed as his breath fanned her face.

“Do you know the energy it took for me to not bend you over that table? Why did you push me like that, Vixen? Were you that angry with me?” he whispered, his voice throaty and rough.

Her eyes fluttered closed and she fought to keep herself standing. She’d never felt a need like that before. Gloria’s heart was beating far too fast. Her breathing couldn’t keep up at the rate her largest muscle pumped blood through her veins and down to her core. Frankie’s hand skimmed down her side. It smoothed around her back and cupped her ass. She flung her head back.

“Answer me,” he whispered desperately against her throat. She shook her head as his hand moved from her ass to the bare skin of her thigh. His fingers toyed with the hem of her dress. “It was more than making a point. I know you liked it,” he told her. “I could see it in your eyes.”

“Frank,” she begged, for what, she wasn’t sure.

His hand slid up under her dress, along the smooth skin of her thigh. A single finger brushed near her sensitive flesh and she jerked as a shock shot up her spine. Then the door opened. Neither Frankie nor Gloria moved for a moment. Then Frankie’s eyes shifted to the door.

“Did you buy a fucking ticket?” he asked the man staring at them from the threshold.

“Uh…”

“If you don't pay, you don’t get to watch. Get the fuck out,” Frankie demanded.

“Right,” said the man, quickly leaving the room.

Frankie’s eyes returned to her. His thumb stroked the inside of her thigh, each pass it made along her skin sent another wave of heat sweeping up her body. He lowered his lips to kiss the portion of skin between her breasts.

“I’m taking you home,” he said, running his nose up her chest. “I’m going to fuck you senseless tonight.” His dark eyes met hers and she gulped at the intensity she saw there... the challenge. She shouldn’t be surprised at his bluntness, yet the statement still made her stomach quiver. “My apartment is on the 78th floor. Every time I clip your heel from here to the elevator, I eliminate a floor.”

She narrowed her eyes in uncertainty. “What do you mean you’ll eliminate a floor?”

He grasped her cheeks between his fingers and kissed her roughly. When he released her, she was feeling light-headed. “Walk fast and you won’t have to find out. Go.”

His voice was like the starting shot of a pistol. She lurched away and made for the door. She stumbled as the toe of his boot clipped her heel before she made it even two feet.

“One,” Frankie rumbled. “Faster.”

Gloria picked up her pace, attempting to look dignified as she practically jogged through the casino with Frankie’s presence looming behind her. He clipped her heel again and she gasped as it nearly caused her to trip. He caught her by the wrist and brought her back up. His heat soaked through her back as he held her against him.

“Two,” he whispered by her ear a moment before he propelled her forward.

She knew he was merely playing a game. She knew whatever he had in store for her would be just as enjoyable for her as it would be for him. She didn’t care. He liked the hunt… she liked being chased. She smiled as she started sidestepping tables, maneuvering around chairs and people. She could hear his chuckle of approval as she managed to evade him all the way to the door. Luca didn’t answer to her though, he waited for the one far higher on the totem pole.

“Let’s count that as three,” Frankie said, touching her back as he nodded for Luca to open the door.

Once the door opened, and Gloria was no longer surrounded by high-ranking members of the criminal underworld, she took off. Frankie’s laugh followed her down the hallway.

“Lost another one, huh, Frank?” Luca called after the Accardi second.

“Nah, Man, she just wants my dick so bad she’s sprinting to get back home,” Frankie said over his shoulder.

“Good luck,” Luca said.

“Don’t need it,” Frankie replied too quietly for Luca to hear, but loud enough for her to realize he’d caught up to her. His boot connected with her foot and she tumbled head first, flipping over herself before she sprung back to her feet. She spun to face him. “Do I, Vixen?”

She smirked and raised a brow in challenge. She turned and calmly walked toward the bike. She only made it a few steps at her new pace before he was at her back again.

“We can say that’s five. I’d hate to bruise those pretty ankles of yours. You’ll need ‘em tonight.”

“You sure are cocky for a man who had to kidnap a woman to get her in bed,” Gloria mocked.

His boot clipped her right heel then her left forcing her to grab onto the door of the laundromat to keep from falling. She met his heavy-lidded gaze and his mouth pulled into a predatory grin. “I haven’t had her in bed yet. At this rate we may not make it there tonight either,” he surmised. “Seven.”

Frankie managed to trip her one more time before she practically threw herself onto his bike. He revved the engine and took off at a rate that rivaled the one he’d used to outrun the police in Chicago. She felt emboldened. Her heels were sore but the heat at her core yearned for something it had never been given before. She dropped her hands from his waist and ran them down his thighs. Frankie braked as they were forced to stop at a light. The bike tilted as he placed his foot against the asphalt. His head dropped back as her hands moved to his crotch and the bulge there that had never quite subsided. The light turned green and she took her hand away.

“Nine. For teasing,” Frankie mumbled into the helmet speaker.

Gloria spotted their destination a few blocks away and started readying herself. The moment Ronaldo stepped out and the bike came to a stop, Gloria launched herself from the seat.

“What has her in such a tizzy?” Ronaldo asked.

“Explosive diarrhea," Frankie lied.

She ignored the obvious taunt trying to slow her down and busted through the front door of the lobby. Juniper jumped at her desk, her eyes wide.

“Uh, hello, Miss Rubanov, are you o-... Mr. Donati, good afternoon we have your security clearance set up for…”

Gloria rounded the corner a moment before something knocked her heel and she tripped.

“Valiant effort,” Frankie said behind her. She glanced over to see him walking toward the door leading to his elevator. He unlocked it and held it open for her. “Ten.”