Chapter 5 Antonio

Antonio

"Fuck... argh, Anto-Antonio... aarsh, please," the slut under me moans, her hands gripping the sheets like her life depends on it.

"Just take it like the cheap whore you are," I groan, slamming into her harder. I'm not gentle.

"Slow down, please... you're wrecking me."

I don't listen. Not once. I only want to forget the one pussy I shouldn't have touched.

Her picture fills my head. Not this slut's face. Solene.

I grip the slut's waist and bury myself deep as I cum, groaning through clenched teeth. "Fuck..."

"Oh God," she cries out as her body convulses around me.

I pull out. Rip the condom off. Toss it in the trash.

"Get out." My voice is a growl, with my clenched fists.

She flinches. "But-"

"Out."

I don't even look at her. I stare at the wall because if I meet her eyes, I'll see how much I hate myself for using her.

She gathers her clothes quickly, still naked.

She leaves. The door clicks shut.

I press both hands to my face, dragging them down.

Why the fuck am I angry?

It was supposed to be one night.

One fucking night.

But her scent is still on me, jasmine, heat, and something heartbreakingly familiar. It's on my skin. My sheets. Every breath I take.

Solene. Rowan's wife. No, ex-wife.

I sink onto the bed, elbows on my knees.

It wasn't just sex. It was something raw. She looked at me and said, "I want to be touched like I matter."

God, that broke something in me.

I'm not her savior. I'm poison, the kind the Brooks family pretends doesn't exist.

The way she kissed me... she had no idea I'm worse than the man who destroyed her.

But maybe she didn't care.

Maverick knocks once, then steps in. "It's time, boss."

I nod. Fully dressed now, black suit, with a shirt and a loose tie.

I walk down the hallway. The guards didnt say a word, but I catch one of them shifting uncomfortably. He's seen women leave my suite before. But not like this.

I don't say a word.

The drive to Club Ishta is quiet. Midday. The city buzzes, unaware of what's coming.

The moment I step out, my men part like water. Respect. Fear. Both.

I enter my office, glass walls, dim lighting.

I loosen my tie. Try to breathe. But my chest feels tight.

This isn't just another club. It's a front.

I have new employees to vet. They'll sign NDAs or they're out.

Send one of the employees in," I say through the intercom.

A few minutes later, the door opens, and my breath hitches.

Three fucking days.

That's how long it's been since she walked out of my suite without a word. Now, here she is haunting me like a ghost in heels.

I didn't bother to check the names on the new employment roster. But now I glance down and see her name Solene De la Cruz printed boldly on the file in front of me. She has taken her maiden name.

She steps into the room, still carrying that quiet fire in her eyes. I can use that. Especially against Marcella Brooks.

"You," she says, stiffening.

God, she's trouble. I school my emotions trying to look indifferent.

"You signed up to work here?" I ask, flipping through her file even though I already know everything I need to.

"I didn't know it was your club, Antonio. I just needed a job. I didn't have the luxury of vetting it."

She looks around the office like it might swallow her.

This isn't the kind of world I want for her. She deserves more than backdoor deals and velvet lies. But I want her close. She's mine, even if she doesn't know it yet.

"You don't belong here, Solene."

Her eyes narrow. "Why? Because you fucked me? Or wait because I belong in the trash your nephew threw me in?"

My jaw tightens.

I've kept tabs. Rowan froze her accounts and canceled her mother's medical insurance. I try to step in discretly but the hospital keep giving excuses but I've been promised a feedback before 3 and if not I will be force to take the easy way out.

"I'm just here for a job, Mr. Rodriguez. If you have a problem with that, I'll walk."

No, she won't. She's desperate. And God help me, I want to protect her. The Brooks aren't done with her yet, and I won't let them finish what they started.

"Sit," I say, motioning to the chair across from me.

She hesitates but takes the seat. The silence stretches between us like a rubber band about to snap.

She opens her mouth, then shuts it.

"You knew who I was the moment I walked into that lounge," she says softly.

My eyes snap up to hers. My heart slams in my chest.

How do I explain that I noticed her a long time ago, before Rowan even laid eyes on her? At that club where she strips under harsh lights and wore pain like perfume. I almost stepped in. Then Rowan took her. And I kept my distance.

"Of course, Solene. You're hard to miss."

She laughs, bitter and sharp. "So, this was all just a twisted joke to you? You should've let me fall."

She's talking about that night when her dress ripped.

I stare at her,

"I don't let women fall anymore."

She doesn't respond. But her eyes... they burn.

But soon-"I'll take what's mine."

"I'm not yours, Antonio. I never will be," she snaps, her voice like a whip.

"Not yet," I say, calmly. "But you will be. You'll wear my ring, and that's close enough to make them burn."

She scoffs. "You're insane."

"Or maybe I'm the only one offering you a way out."

"I don't need your help, Antonio. With you, there's always something in return," she says, rolling her eyes.

Let's start with the obvious. Your ex is about to marry his high school sweetheart and erase you like a typo. Marcella wants you buried and forgotten. You don't know what they are planning, Solene. And you are the threat they need to erase. You represent everything they want to hide.

She shakes her head softly. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"The Brooks family devours the weak. And you, sweetheart, are bleeding in open waters." I pause, watching her. "But what if I told you there's a way to make them choke on their poison?"

She scoffs. "By playing house with the family black sheep?"

"No. By marrying me."

She stares at me like I just set the room on fire. "You want me to marry you?" She scoffs again.

"God, that's rich. Is this what you do? Bed them, marry them, bury them?"

I shrug. "Only the ones I see fire in. Temporary. Strategic. Mutually beneficial."

She lets out a stunning laugh. "Oh, you're serious." When she sees I'm not moved, her smile fades.

"Deadly."

"Why? W-why me?" she stutters.

"You're the wildcard Marcella didn't see coming. You're already poison to them. And so am I. Put us together? We are the antidote to their legacy." I smile, watching her closely. If only she knew Rowan married her temporarily just to claim his inheritance while waiting for Calista to return.

I stand and walk toward her. She stands too, and that makes me stop.

"So this is what revenge looks like? Control? One big middle finger to the family?" she asks, staring deep into my eyes.

God, I want to get lost in her warm hazel eyes.

"It starts like that. But maybe it's also about rewriting a story they tried to end without us." I stop just inches from her. "Marry me. Let them see what happens when the outcasts join forces."

"And what happens when you decide you're done with me too?"

"Then you'll be rich, divorced, and still more powerful than you ever were as his wife."

"And if I say no?"

"Then you're vulnerable, broke, and hunted."

"But say yes, and you'll never crawl for help again. I promise-no one will ever touch you again."

Our eyes lock. I see her throat bob. I'm sure her heart is beating fast.

"You don't even know me."

"Then marry me."