Moth to Flame

CHAPTER 7

Ethan

I sat in my Phantom, waiting for the f*****g light to turn green. I could have made the last light, but the slow ass motherfucker in front of me had stopped at the yellow light.

As if that wasn't bad enough, it was a motherfucking minivan. I f*****g hated minivans, because where there were minivans, there were shitmakers. It even had one of those f*****g 'My child is on the Honor Roll' stickers. How f*****g pathetic. Was I, some random driver, supposed to be impressed because their little asshole could read or regurgitate useless information?

They should have different f*****g lanes for different types of cars. One for breeders and their catastrophes, and the other for us smart people who chose not to add to the Earth's woes. Our lane would be f*****g awesome, and there would be no minivans allowed. I should propose that s**t the next time I attended a city meeting. 

"Hey, dude. Your car f*****g rocks!" some f*****g yuppie college prick yelled from the car next to me. I didn't even bother to answer. I just rolled my window up and continued smoking my cigar. 

My f*****g car was too good to be seen by the likes of these assholes. Normally, I didn't venture outside of the wealthier parts of town in my Rolls, because it stood out like a sore thumb. Today, however, was different. I had a special errand to run. 

Finally, the f*****g light turned green. I pressed the gas. I couldn't wait to get to Mia's house and get this s**t over with. She better f*****g appreciate the fact that I was taking her out when I could be at my apartment getting drunk. I hadn't had a drink all f*****g day because I didn't want my baby doll to be f*****g pissed at me. I usually never did this kind of b***h ass stuff, but I was trying to get her to like me.

She’d already told me that she loved me, but loving a person and liking them were two different things. I needed Mia to like me, so I could prove to myself that I was good enough for her. It had been a goddamned month since that night in the office. I had f*****g begged her to stay with me. She had chosen to leave, because I wouldn't tell her more about myself. 

Since then, our relationship had been strained to say the least. We were professional at work. We hadn't touched or kissed since that night. My need to be inside Mia's p***y was f*****g excruciating. I couldn't remember the last time I had taken a hot shower. Having a f*****g erection twenty-four-seven had made my ass f*****g impossible to be around.

I snapped at everyone, especially Mia. My little tigress gave as good as she got, but I f*****g hated to argue with her every night. I could barely stand to be in my office and look at the couch I'd given Mia an orgasm on. 

Every night when I closed my eyes, I relived the image of my baby doll coming. She had been so f*****g beautiful. I had fully expected us to make love that night when I'd taken her to the lair. We had been so f*****g close, but then she got nosy and ruined s**t. 

I kept telling myself that it was for the best, but my f*****g heart hurt thinking of her last words. She had promised me everything I ever wanted, but she asked for the one thing I couldn't give her. Why couldn't she be like any of the other bitches and just demand money or jewelry? Those things I could have gotten for her in a heartbeat. Instead, she wanted my f*****g honesty. If I could condemn her to hell with me, I would have told her.

Mia is too f*****g precious to enter my world, though.

I was reminded just how f*****g dangerous my world could be last week. It had been f*****g hostile in Seattle's underworld lately. I had had to hire twenty extra security officers to deal with all the bullshit.The f*****g college students were filling up the bottom floors of the club every night. There'd been date rape, drunken brawls, and outside drug dealing galore. I really f*****g appreciated Wyatt because he had been handling that s**t like a f*****g pro. 

Lorenzo and Stefano had sent a mole to infiltrate the club and find out who dared to deal in our house. There had been a few people hospitalized. My club doesn't sell date rape drugs, so we knew it was someone outside of the Russos. Lorenzo suspected that the Russians might be trying to move in on my turf. I sure as hell wasn't going to let that f*****g happen. 

I made sure Mia was always escorted when she went down to see Wyatt. Besides those visits, she pretty much stayed off of the club floors. If some fucker tried to hurt her, I was going to kill his ass slowly and make sure he was buried in an unmarked grave. 

So far, the mole had only caught one guy selling inside the club. He had been selling crappy illegal guns. Frank had been ordered to take him to a warehouse and beat his ass for daring to encroach on my turf. I didn't join him because I'd seen enough people get beaten and tortured by the Clan. All of those fuckers had deserved it, though, because they dared to mess with our family. 

When the date rape drug guy was caught, I was going to handle his ass personally. I'd done some f****d up s**t to women in my lifetime, but I had never forced myself on one. I didn't condone that s**t either, and especially so close to Mia and Abigail. The illegal gun seller could be punished, but the rapist would have to die. 

Unfortunately, my baby doll had not been a whole lot of comfort to me. She didn't cook for me anymore, not since that night I'd taken her into my lair. She looked f*****g jumpy all the time. I could tell she wasn't sleeping enough.I wanted to know what the f**k was bothering her, but she barely talked to me. However, she did manage to spend time and chat with everyone else that worked at HADES. I had been worrying about her fitting in, and she'd gone and become f*****g queen bee or some s**t. 

Mia's natural kindness was foreign to my world. She was seen as a unique being, one that has to be observed. Apparently, word had been getting around the club about me having a new secretary that was pretty and could cook. 

Since Chanel and Frank, two of the harshest motherfuckers who worked for me, liked Mia everyone wanted to meet her for themselves. Those fuckers came up with all kinds of excuses and reasons that they needed to visit my office. 

I kept most of them away, but a few slipped through. For instance, I had come into my office last week and seen that fucker Luca sitting in a chair next to her. She'd fixed him a drink. He was putting on all his best moves, but she hadn't even f*****g known he was flirting. 

They had both been laughing at some s**t he said, so neither one of them heard me come into the room. He touched her hair. Of course, I f*****g went off and punched him. We fought for a while before Mia went and got Frank to break us up. Luca and I had never fought over a woman before, but Mia belonged to me and no one else. I had to make sure he knew that I would not be sharing my baby doll with anyone. Hell, I hadn't even feasted on the banquet that was Mia yet. 

I felt bad about alienating my right hand man, but he had no f*****g right to touch my baby doll. As usual, she had gotten angry over my show of possessiveness and ignored my ass for the rest of the night. 

Mia hadn't told me she loved me since that night in my lair. I was starting to fear that maybe she decided I wasn't worth it after all and had given up on us ever being together. She was also being extremely f*****g disobedient to my wishes. 

Lately, her clothes were too f*****g revealing. A few nights ago, she had worn a pair of jeans which looked they'd been painted on her body. Her tight little ass had barely been contained in those pants. I'd wanted to strip her out of them and bend her ass over my desk.  When she came to my office, I had yelled at her about some stupid s**t. The s****l tension had made me a f*****g maniac. 

To make matters worse, my mom had been inviting me to some stupid family dinner she was having tomorrow. She, like Mia, wanted what she couldn't have. It's not that I didn't love Eleanor and Abby, but I just couldn't do the whole family dinner thing. 

Plus Ian would be there with his wife and their spawn, so I'd be f*****g uncomfortable anyway. Ian's wife, Valerie, and I were never cordial in the best of times. With my current mood, we would probably end up knife fighting on top of my mom's perfect dinner table. I was planning on calling mom to officially decline. 

The only good thing I'd done lately was stay away from hard drugs. That didn't mean I could give up everything, though. I had taken to smoking weed, but I didn't feel bad about that. I didn't consider it a hard drug. I had smoked a joint before I got into my car to drive to Mia's, but it hadn't helped my mood at all. 

My eye caught some fucker in the car next to me gaping at my car. He actually took out his phone and snapped a picture. After the light changed, I gave him the finger and continued on my journey. 

I wondered if Mia would like the Phantom. She'd never seen it because I keep it enclosed in a special part of the garage at the club. As far as I could tell Mia, wasn't impressed by expensive s**t like boats and cars. I had casually mentioned some of the things I owned when we discussed business, but she never asked me to elaborate. Most bitches would have killed to ride in this car, but Mia probably wouldn't be fazed. 

Besides the infiltration, the club had been running extremely well. I had free hours and could spend more time on my other investments. Wyatt had been doing a f*****g spectacular job, so to reward him, I gave him a custom made Mercedes Benz to use as his company car. He picked it out. Of course it was bulletproof, just like my Rolls. He already loved that f*****g car like it was his baby. 

Honestly, I didn't get the car for only Wyatt. I knew Mia wouldn't accept rides from me, and I wanted her to be in a comfortable and safe car when she went out. My plan had backfired, though. Mia had taken the Range Rover and now insisted on driving herself to and from work so that Wyatt could spend more time with Abigail. 

Thankfully, she hadn't discovered my personal bodyguard yet. If I had to worry about my baby doll being in a car accident, I would be even worse off then I was now. I knew that I f*****g stalked her, but I couldn't help myself. I felt extremely protective of Mia. I would not let anything happen to her on my watch. That was the main reason I kept my involvement with the Russos secret from her. Every day I was getting closer to cracking, though. 

When I remembered her last words to me, and the love and conviction in her voice, I wanted to break down and confess all of my sins. She was the only reason my life had meaning. I'd f****d up every other relationship in my life. I wanted Mia and I to work, but her demand was unreasonable. 

Today, Mia and I were going to do something that I had never personally done in my life: We were going to the f*****g grocery store. My baby doll was probably the type who could spend all f*****g day looking at food, and it was going to be f*****g torture, but I couldn't turn down the chance to spend some alone time with her. We were going because she'd decided to keep her promise and start cooking for me every night while we were at work. 

After shopping, we would be heading to the club to begin the night. I used to love f*****g Saturdays, but now they only make me sad. Mia had Sundays and Mondays off, so I had to wait two whole f*****g days to see my baby doll. 

Pulling up to her driveway, I noticed Wyatt wasn't home. I was sure he was off somewhere being lovey dovey with Abigail. Those two seriously made me sick, always cooing and kissing in public. It was f*****g disgusting how pathetic he became when my sister entered a room. He stopped cursing and began using vomit inducing pet names.Yeah, I called Mia baby doll, but Wyatt's pet names were worse.Yesterday, I'd heard him call Abigail ‘his little bunny.'

Yuck!  

Scanning the street to make sure no fucker looked like they were going to approach my baby, I stepped out of the Phantom and put out my cigar. I knocked on the front door and waited for Mia to answer. 

Wyatt was planning on moving them out of this place in a month when their lease was up. I was going to use the time in between to get him to rent an apartment in my building. There weren't any vacancies, but I was planning to relocate one of the renters to make room. I needed my baby doll safe under my roof so I could personally look out for her well being. 

It only took a minute for Mia to answer the door. I was disappointed once again to see that she hadn't looked through the peephole. "Damn it, Mia! I could be a f*****g psychopath coming to chop you up. You have to look in the f*****g peephole before you open the god-damned door!" It had only taken her one whole minute to piss me the f**k off, which didn't bode well for the rest of the day. 

"Hello to you too, Ethan. Do you always have to curse and yell at me? Come in and wait in the living room while I finish getting ready." Mia gave me one last glare before heading upstairs.

Finish getting ready? Hopefully, she would put on something decent and not that revealing s**t she'd been wearing lately. 

I went into the kitchen and looked around for something to nibble on while I waited. I spotted the Smurf cookie jar and opened it hoping to find some of Mia's amazing homemade cookies inside. There were lots of cookies, so I pulled out a plate and warmed some up. This batch was regular old fashioned chocolate chip with nothing else. I grabbed a glass of cold milk and sat at the table to eat.

I was interrupted from my cookie heaven by a voice clearing. "Are you enjoying yourself, Mr.Sodero?" 

I turned around to see Mia standing in the doorway with a smile on her face. I was just about to answer her when I noticed what she was wearing. 

"Go back and change. NOW! I'm not taking you out in public wearing that." 

She was wearing a f*****g mini dress. It was dark blue and had long sleeves and a V-neck which was low enough to show the very tops of her creamy t**s. The dress only went to her thighs, about 3 inches above the knee showing too much of her tempting legs which were clad in nude pantyhose. She had paired it with some f*****g black heels. Her hair was completely down and curled naturally down her back. 

I could smell her wildflower scent from where I sat. I groaned in pain as I adjusted my c**k.  Mia just continued to stare at me blushing and biting her lower lip.

"Why? Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?" she asked with a note of apprehension in her voice. 

"For f**k sake baby doll, I'd be seen with you anywhere. I am not embarrassed of you by any means. I just don't want random motherfuckers eye-f*****g my girl," I confessed. 

She rolled her eyes."Why do you insist on being so overprotective, Ethan? I am a grown woman and I can take care of myself. If you don't want me to go out with you in this dress, then I will drive myself to the store. You're in no position to give me orders." 

I counted to ten before I answered because my quick reply would have ended our errand before it even started. "Okay. You can wear what you want. If you like other guys ogling you then that's your business. I'm f*****g done."  

She was so f*****g frustrating. Wasn't she the one going on about how she loved me and s**t?  If she really loved me, she would take the f*****g hint and start doing what I told her to. 

"Well, um, I'm ready if you are," Mia said as she grabbed her purse from the table.

I finished my last cookie before we headed out to the car. There were three f*****g pricks checking out my Phantom. They were taking pictures and pointing. One of them must have known Mia, because he walked over and started talking to her. He was clearly appreciating her outfit. I didn't like the way she relaxed when he walked over. 

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your little friend, Mia?" The disgust was clear in my voice but random guy didn't seem to notice. 

"I'm Danny. Mia and I went to high school together in Sequim. I live down the street. Your car is f*****g awesome, dude."  

I nodded and went over to the passenger side and motioned for Mia to climb in. She hesitated for a moment before saying goodbye to Danny and taking her seat. I shut the door and raced over to my side, eager to get my baby and my baby doll the f**k out of there. I accelerated quickly and we were on the road headed to Whole Foods. 

Mia was being extremely quiet, and she had yet to move. She looked f*****g sexy as hell sitting in my car with that tiny dress on with her legs crossed. I practiced inhaling and exhaling to keep my hard-on from swelling.

"Baby doll, are you okay? You're mighty quiet over there."  

She jumped when she heard the sound of my voice. "Sorry, my mind was somewhere else. You drive way too fast, Ethan. You should slow down."  

I laughed. "Mia, I've always driven this speed limit, and I've never had an accident. Trust me, I'll get us there safely." 

She was still just sitting there, f*****g staring out the window. Why the hell wouldn't she look over at me? I was about to say something when I noticed that Mia had a few tears in her eyes. I thought back to what I could have said to make her cry, but I couldn't come up with anything that sounded offensive in our last conversation. I needed to talk to her now before this trip got any worse. I pulled in to the nearest parking lot I could find and parked away from the other cars. 

When the car stopped, Mia looked over at me. "What are we doing here? This isn't the grocery store," she said, clearly confused by my actions. 

I reached over to take her hand and she flinched away. It hurt that she was trying to distance herself from me, but I tried again. This time she let me have her hand, squeezing mine lightly once our fingers were joined. She was all out crying now and I was freaking the f**k out.

"Mia?" I knew something had to be terribly wrong if she was reacting like this. 

She let go of my hand and unbuckled her seatbelt. I never drove with mine on because I hated the way those f*****g things restricted me. I like to be comfortable when driving. Besides, there weren't many cops in Seattle who would pull me over for such a small thing. 

I was staring at the side of Mia's face as she went back to looking out the window. Then all of a sudden, she turned and starting climbing over on my lap. I was shocked to say the least. Mia and I hadn't had any physical contact since that night in the club apartment. 

She straddled me and my hand went instantly to her lower back. I held her close and hugged her, her scent overwhelming me. We just sat there for a minute, looking into each others' eyes. There were fat tears running down Mia's cheeks, and the sight of them broke my heart. I couldn't f*****g stand to see my baby doll cry. I started murmuring soothing words to her in an attempt to get her to calm down so she could talk to me. 

Eventually, I felt her body start to relax. She reached up and twisted one of her hands in my hair. The other one was on my chest. We never broke eye contact. 

I decided to take a chance. I leaned forward and pressed my lips to Mia's. Her lips conformed to mine. When I licked her bottom lip, she opened her mouth and accepted my tongue. I moaned because she tasted so sweet and warm. I pressed her more firmly to me, and she shivered. 

My hands were everywhere. I gripped her hips tightly, settling one hand on her firm little ass. I couldn't get enough of Mia and she was really getting into the kiss, making these f*****g amazing

purring sounds in the back of her throat.

"f**k, baby doll. You're so damn beautiful, it hurts me to look at you," I murmured as I released her mouth to kiss her neck and collarbones.

I licked the creamy skin there and nibbled on her earlobe and then made my way back to her mouth. She pressed her tongue to mine and explored my mouth. My d**k was throbbing, and Mia's sweet hot p***y was right over my bulge. 

I reached up and grabbed one of her breasts, squeezing it lightly through the fabric. Mia bucked her hips and grinded her p***y on my c**k. It felt f*****g amazing, and my d**k jump in response. Mia was fisting my hair hard. The slight pain felt good. I never wanted her to release me, but eventually, she did. She pressed her forehead to mine and looked down. 

We were both so hot that the windows had started to fog up. I pressed the automatic to let the windows down a little. The cool Seattle air seemed to be what we both needed, because some of the tension abated. 

I kissed Mia's temple and forehead. I had never been so tender with any other woman like I was with my baby doll. She intertwined our hands and then brought them up to her lips and kissed my knuckles. 

"I love you, Ethan. I'm sorry for attacking you like that, but I needed to feel you. I hope you're not mad about me climbing over your car like that."  

She looked so goddamned sexy sitting on my lap, with her lips swollen from my kisses. I looked down at her neck and saw that I had left a love bite on her neck. I liked that, as it was a mark to let other motherfuckers know she was mine. I licked and sucked the same spot again and again, staking my claim on my baby doll. 

Mia put her hand on my jaw and lifted my face."Ethan, we should stop. You're going to leave a hickey, and then I'll have to explain it to Wyatt."  

"I don't care. Besides, it's too late. You already have a love bite, several in fact." I smirked.

Mia reached up and touched her neck. Then, she started to back away from me. I held her tight.

"It's okay, baby doll. I f*****g like seeing you with my mark on your skin. It will let everyone know you belong to me."  

I heard her mumble "Neanderthal" as she tried to climb off my lap, but I wouldn't let her go. 

"Mia, sweetheart. Why were you crying just a minute ago? Did I say something that offended you?" I asked. 

She sighed. "It's just that next week is the anniversary of my mother's death. When you said you'd never been in an accident, I thought of Mom. I know it's stupid. It's not your fault. It's just that during this time of year, I usually feel depressed. I'll be alright." 

She started squirming again, trying to get out of my grasp. I just held on tighter. I could be such a f*****g dumbass sometimes. Here she was feeling sad about her mother, and I had gone and bragged about never being in an accident. The very thing that killed her mom. I felt like the most pathetic piece of s**t on the Earth. I had unintentionally caused my baby doll hurt. 

I was determined to make it up to her. "Mia, my mom and step dad are having a Sunday dinner tomorrow. My step brother and his family will be there, and so will Wyatt and Abigail. Would you like to come as my guest?" I asked, hoping she would say yes and join me. 

I hadn't planned on going, but I could kill two birds with one stone; make my mom happy and cheer Mia up. Besides, I knew that Eleanor would love Mia. Mom would be thrilled that I accepted the invitation. 

I hadn't been to dinner at mom and Jeff's house in almost a year. Mom had demanded that I spend Christmas with them, but I had declined and went to Brazil instead. I spent those days getting drunk and f*****g a slew of whores. I had been f*****g disgusted with myself afterwards. 

When Eleanor had called and wished me a Merry Christmas, there had been tears in her voice. That was the first time Jeff had ever yelled at me. He had been angry because Eleanor was sad. He’d told me I had ruined her holiday and called me a selfish asshole. That conversation had caused a rift between us that we had not yet repaired.

I knew Jeff was just looking out for my mom, but I wasn't used to anyone speaking to me that way. I had lashed out, calling him the vilest names I could think of. Ian had been there and heard my tirade, so he had taken the phone from his father and went off on me, too.