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  I don't answer.

  "So, we're not putting a bullet in this asshole?"

  Joey looks legitimately upset. Nico just shakes his head though.

  "Nope. Not yet anyways. Mr. Horsecock here is gonna be a big star for us." He lets that slimy grin of his sink into me, making my skin crawl.

  "That new project of mine? I'm opening a porn studio. The money is huge , and with the right talent, you can strike fucking gold. And you , my friend — you and that big dick of yours are gonna be my talent."

  This time, I'm the one that snorts. "Like hell I am."

  "There's always option B."

  "Which is?"

  Nico shrugs. "You're not gonna like option B. Option B is Joey and me takin' you out to the desert, burying you up to your neck, and then using your fucking lips as a golf tee."

  Joey chuckles and Nico grins at me.

  "So, I think it's fair to say that smiling for the camera and gettin’ your dick wet is a slightly better deal, don't you think?"

  I grit my teeth, narrowing my eyes at him and saying nothing.

  Behind Nico, far across the empty, dingy basement, there's a knock on the big metal sliding door.

  "Yeah," Nico hollers over his shoulder. "Come on in."

  He glances back at me as the door slides open.

  "Trust me, fuck-o, you're going to enjoy yourself."

  The door opens, I look up past him, and suddenly, my whole fucking world goes still. Time stops, my heart skips a beat or three, and every cell in my body comes alive in ways they never have before.

  One look at the girl who steps into the room, and I know I'm a goner.

  She's an angel. Rich, chestnut hair falls in slight waves around her petite shoulders. Big, bright blue eyes that I can see shining even from all the way over here. A sexy, slight body and soft curves in every place they should be. Fair, unblemished skin and long legs looking insanely good in that little red dress.

  She's fucking gorgeous . It's not in a sexy pinup way — not in some overtly sexual way where she's flaunting what she's got and oozing sex appeal. Even with that stripper dress and the fuck-me heels, there's something wholesome about her — like the dress and the shoes are some gaudy costume she's put on. No, it's the opposite. She's gorgeous in this quiet, elegant, innocent way, and hell if my cock doesn't throb to life between my legs.

  "Hey Mikey, I think he likes it," Nico quips, elbowing Joey in the arm and chuckling. “Dylan, say hello to your co-star."

  No way.

  There is no fucking way this girl is some sort of porn star — not with that innocent, wide-eyed softness to her — not without the hard edges and broken seams that a life in an industry like that would do to her.

  "Who is she?"

  She doesn't belong here. It's so obvious it hurts, even if here she is, standing across the room and giving me furtive, quiet glances before quickly darting her eyes away. And the more I look, the more I can't look away. The more I lose myself in her, the hotter this feeling grows in my chest, until it's threatening to explode.

  "The hell difference does it make? She's here to a make a movie with you. That's all you need to know."

  Mine .

  It's primal, and fucking caveman as hell to think it, but it's the only thought that thunders through my head as I completely lose myself in her. She looks up, and when those big blue eyes lock with mine, it's like everything else around us just disappears.

  I want her, more than I've ever wanted anything in my entire life. It's instant, and like a bomb going off inside of me, but I know without a second's hesitation that I want every single part of her .

  She's going to be mine . Not for Nico. Not for Gino. Not for the cameras, or to settle whatever bullshit score they've got on me. No, she's going to be mine and all mine, for me.

  2

  Rose

  T his isn't happening . This cannot be happening.

  Fear grips me as the men holding my arms tightly lead me through the empty Italian restaurant. They haul me through the kitchen, back to another door, and down a dark, greasy staircase into a dimly lit basement. I gasp as I lose my footing for a second, slipping in the stupid heels they've made me put on before bringing me here.

  "Easy there, sweetheart." The man's hand tightens on my arm, stopping me from tripping but also taking the moment to pull me closer than I'd ever want him to. He grins, his evil-looking eyes sliding down to the plunging neckline of the little red stripper dress he's made me wear. I shiver under his gaze, my skin crawling.

  His name is Nico Moretti. I don't know him, but I know of him, from Vinny. And I might not know much, but I know enough to know he's as dangerous as his reputation says he is.

  Just the same, I swallow thickly, determined not to show him how terrified I really am.

  "Where are you taking me?"

  "Disneyworld, sweetheart."

  He and the other guy leading me into the basement chuckle.

  "Please," I say it quietly, stumbling again as we reach the last step. "Please don't do this."

  Nico laughs, coming to a stop in front of a big metal sliding door.

  "Jesus, girl, did you think we were bringing you down here to shoot you or something?"

  Yes .

  I don't tell him that though.

  He grins at me. "Nah, we're not gonna kill you. Shit, what a waste that would be. This is just a business transaction, sweetheart. Your uncle Vin owed the family pretty big, and with his, uh, untimely end, I've found a, shall we say, creative way to see that his debts are paid."

  He knows that "Uncle" Vinny was in no way my actual uncle, and I'm betting he's smart enough to understand that in no way do I consider his death "untimely."

  …More like overdue.

  Vinny was my mother's most recent deadbeat boyfriend. The others had been bad, but Vinny checked every box: a drunk, a mean and fast temper, drug abuser, serious mob connections, and an eye that loved to linger on both my older sister Keeley and me. My mom was no saint either, but no woman in the world deserved Vinny.

  He's the one that got her back on opiates, and when she OD-ed about two years ago, Vinny's the one who was suddenly the name on her mortgage and bank accounts. Keeley got out quick through her college scholarship, right after Mom died. But I stayed. Not out of choice, but necessity. I stayed and worked my butt off, trying to save enough money and hide it from Vinny until I could get the hell out of here.

  I came close too, until a few days ago, when it all blew up.

  At first, hearing that Vinny was found dead in a ditch after some sort of mob-related thing only made me grimly happy. He was gone, and really, that's all that mattered. I'd packed my stuff, gotten the money I'd saved together, and booked a bus ticket to LA. And I'd almost made it to the station too, before Nico and his guys suddenly showed up at the house.

  After that, I know there's no "getting away." The Moretti family runs this town, and if they say Vinny owed them a debt — and one that I now have to repay — I know there's no running from that. There's no use trying to make them see that I have zero connection to him besides my mother's terrible choice in men.

  They don't care, and now here I am, scared, alone, dressed like this , and in the basement of The Venetian .

  Could this be any more like some sort of bad mafia movie?

  Nico levels his mean little eyes on me, his sickly grin stretching across his face. "Vinny had debts to be settled, and it looks like you're going to be the one to settle those debts."

  There's something extra menacing in his words that sends a chill through me. His eyes dip down over my stupid, skimpy dress again, and suddenly, the nauseating fear comes rushing up grab me.

  You're going to be the one to settle those debts.

  "Oh, God , please d
on't do this!"

  He frowns for a second before he suddenly starts to laugh.

  "Calm the fuck down, that's not why you're down here." He rolls his eyes. "Fuck, what kind of guy do you think I am?"

  My silence makes him chuckle. "Well, fair enough. But messing with chicks who don't want it ain't my thing, sweetheart. So relax." He jerks his head towards a set of blinds hanging on the wall and when he walks over and yanks on the cord, they pull up to reveal a window into another, bigger basement room.

  "Why don't you come take a look?"

  The other guy guarding me pulls me roughly towards the glass, making me stumble over to it. My eyes squint into the dimly lit space, before suddenly, I gasp.

  The man is gorgeous . It's a weird first thing to notice about everything going on in the room, but it's without question the first thing I notice. He's tall, and built, with a chiseled jaw and a face like something out of a fashion ad. dark hair, blue eyes I can see from here, and this rugged, rough handsomeness that just oozes out of him. He's got that "all-American" look, but with enough of an edge that lends a little darkness to him.

  He's also getting the crap beat out of him.

  I flinch as the man grunts, doubling over as another man knees him in the stomach. The two men holding him laugh as he grits his teeth, his eyes flashing defiantly as he rights himself. He turns and spits, and when he turns back, he just grins at the man who just hit him.

  "Why are you showing me this?" I whisper, flinching again when the staggering handsome guy takes another hit from the man in front of him.

  "You like porn, sweetheart?"

  Nico's voice rasping into my ear has my skin crawling as I whirl back to see him grinning wickedly at me.

  "Excuse me?"

  "Yeah, yeah. I know girls all say they're not into it, but you can tell me the truth, I ain't gonna tell anyone." He winks lecherously at me, making my stomach turn. "You into it?"

  "I— no." I shake my head. "I've never watched it."

  Nico smiles. "Do yourself a favor and stay away from the card tables, sweetheart. Cause you're a shit liar"

  The heat blooms through my face as I look at the floor. Okay, yes , I've watched porn before. Like maybe a handful of times. But I have no idea why he's asking me, and honestly, I'm not sure I want to know.

  "So, you've watched it. You get what goes on, right?"

  "I— yes," I nod quietly. "Yeah."

  "Lotta money in porn."

  I don't say anything, and Nico's grin turns deadlier.

  "Especially for that amateur shit. You know, 'first time on camera' type shit?" He whistles. "Yeah the perverts eat that shit up. And they pay good for it."

  "Why are you telling me this?"

  The guard standing behind me chuckles under his breath, and Nico follows suit before his eyes drag up over my body and lock onto my eyes.

  "How'd you like to be a star?"

  The floor drops out beneath me. My breath catches in my throat, my blood turns to ice, and all I can do is wish I could scream as I slowly shake my head.

  "No ," I rasp out. "Please—"

  "You and him, sweetheart," Nico grins, nodding through the dirty window at the man taking the beating inside.

  "You can't be serious."

  My voice sounds far away, and there’s a creeping numbness that starts to tingle through me.

  This can't be happening. This is a nightmare, and any second now, I'm going to wake up in a cold sweat and this will all go away.

  …Wishful thinking, all of it.

  This is happening. My stomach twists, and for a second, I think I might throw up. My head spins, and I suddenly catch myself with a cold hand against the wall before I can stumble.

  I can't tell them. This is already horrible enough, but I know instantly that if I tell them, it's going to be so much—

  "I know you ain't never been fucked, sweetheart."

  Nico's voice is like a knife into my ears, and I instantly stiffen as my blood chills.

  "Oh, but you're gonna be."

  He chuckles, the sound like sandpaper against my skin.

  "I know every angle before I make a business move, baby. And believe me when I say, you're here exactly because you held out so long. See, people pay a lot of money to see the girl next door get fucked for the first time. And just like the bigger the dick, the better—”

  He chuckles again and jerks a thumb through the window at the strikingly handsome guy for some reason.

  “The realer , the better.”

  I shiver.

  Inside the room, the guy in the leather jacket starts to wail on the dark haired man. Nico mutters something under his breath as he grabs ahold of the handle to the sliding door. But he stops and turns back to me, that sickly smile plastered across his face.

  "Thank fuck you saved that cherry, sweetheart. Because we're gonna film you losing it, with him ."

  3

  Dylan

  "W hy don't you come over and say hi, sweetheart?"

  Nico turns and beckons. Slowly, the girl — my co-star — breaks the lock her eyes have on mine. She falters, her face blushing a little as she looks away. The big goon behind her gives her a push forward, and my blood pressure suddenly spikes watching him put his fucking hand on her. The snarl curls on my lip, and my hands tighten to fists at my sides. But she steps forward, and when she looks up at me again, the fight goes out of me.

  One look from this angel, and I'm adrift, like I've never been before.

  She steps close, and Nico claps his hands together and rubs them.

  "Alright. Me and the boys are going to take off for a bit and let you kids get to know each other. You know, before you get to know each other."

  I could roll my eyes at Nico's shit sense of humor, but my eyes are way too busy drinking her in. She's fucking gorgeous . And so goddamn innocent looking. I mean, how the fuck is this girl doing porn? It's insane, and also kind of depressing. She's too pretty, and too innocent, and not in that fake porno schoolgirl way, I mean she's way past that.

  But maybe that’s why she does it. Maybe that’s why she's so good and why they've got me filming with her.

  Filming . Christ, I'm filming a fucking porn.

  I was broken in Afghanistan. We all were — me, Gray, and Roman. I've been putting the pieces back together ever since — well, trying to at least. But I think it's safe to say I've been failing at that. A debt to the mob, more blood on my hands, and now I'm shooting a fucking porn movie.

  My resume gets better by the day.

  Gray keeps telling me I should go back to law school and join him. He means well, but fuck, he works for the Moretti's too. Not necessarily out of pure choice, but still. And I wish I could say he's what got me here in the first place and into this fucking mess, but that's just an easy, bullshit excuse, and I know it.

  I'm here because of my own sins, and my own choices. I'm here, and however fucked up this situation is, it's not going away.

  Nico and Joey and their guys head out of the room, and the big metal door slides shut with a clang behind them. I turn back to the angel in front of me and clear my throat.

  "Hey, Dylan."

  She ignores my outstretched hand, looking away.

  "So, how long have you been doing this?"

  She says nothing, and unlike before when her eyes were locked on me from across the room, up close now that we're alone, those big baby blues are anywhere but me. Mine still take her in though, drinking in every damn detail — the soft skin, the pink, pouty lips, the chestnut hair that tumbles over her shoulder. The ripe, full tits that the dress she wears pushes up so fucking temptingly, and a tight little ass that gets my dick hard in seconds.

  She
looks even younger up close — a lot younger, actually, but I guess that's probably part of her appeal as this kind of actress.

  "Been in anything I might've seen?"

  Her eyes close softly, and she slowly shakes her head side to side.

  I frown. The fuck is going on here ?

  I don't like this anymore than she does, but I could also do without the attitude. I'm betting she wants to waste her time shooting something with a guy who's not even in the industry about as much as I want to shoot something at all , but the sooner we get over that shit and just get through this, the sooner I can get out from under all of this.

  "Look," I growl, stepping closer to her. "I know I'm the new guy here, and that you're a professional, and you're probably pissed that you have to do this with me. But it's not like I'm into it either, alright? So how about we help each other out, okay?"

  The girl bites her lip, still avoiding my eyes and looking away.

  I change tactics. Humor always diffuses shit.

  "And hey, I know I'm the new guy, but trust me, he's not gonna disappoint." I grin, reaching down and grabbing my cock through my jeans in this big animated way that I hope gets her to loosen up the ice queen act. I mean, shit, the girl is a professional after all. If she can see that I'm not a scumbag and that I'm going to do my best to make her look good, maybe she'll drop those walls.

  "I mean, with a knockout like you?" I whistle cartoonishly. "Zero problems staying hard, I promise."

  The wall doesn’t drop. The ice doesn't crack. Actually, the more I talk, the more she seems to shut off, to the point where she's now physically closing in on herself.

  …Something's not right here.

  But suddenly, the door slams open, and Nico barges in, along with a small guy with a camera and a tripod.

  "Alright, we're doing a test shoot," Nico announces. "Spielberg over here is gonna take some practice reels of you two. So, sweetheart," Nico grins at the girl. "How about you get on those knees and suck him, alright?"