Beautiful obsession a da.., p.1
Beautiful Obsession: A Dark Mafia Romance (Sinners and Saints Book 4), page 1
BEAUTIFUL OBSESSION
PIPER STONE
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Afterword
Books of the Sinners and Saints Series
Books of the Benedetti Empire Series
Books of the Merciless Kings Series
Books of the Mafia Masters Series
More Mafia and Billionaire Romances by Piper Stone
Books of the Dark Overture Series
Books of the Club Darkness Series
Books of the Dangerous Business Series
Books of the Montana Bad Boys Series
Books of the Alpha Dynasty Series
Books of the Alpha Beasts Series
More Stormy Night Books by Piper Stone
About Piper Stone
Copyright © 2022 by Stormy Night Publications and Piper Stone
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by Stormy Night Publications and Design, LLC.
www.StormyNightPublications.com
Stone, Piper
Beautiful Obsession
Cover Design by Korey Mae Johnson
Image by Shutterstock/Unique Vision
This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults.
CHAPTER 1
Alexei
Uncontrollable rage furrowed inside of me, the beast’s claw ripping at my insides. I didn’t usually allow my fury to get to this point. It didn’t suit my business or my reputation. However, the urge to beat the man to death remained strong. Instead, I took a deep breath, holding it in while the pompous prick stared at me with hazy eyes.
In his quest to render my family obsolete, he’d made several missteps, which had allowed me to realize that he was on the take. While I’d located his offshore accounts, recent deposits indicating he’d fallen from grace, the amounts weren’t high enough to provide a clear indication just how far into the quicksand he’d been sucked into. However, my discovery had been the final prompt to dangle the bait I’d thought about for weeks.
Offering him a continuance of his life in exchange for leading me to his benefactor.
“You’re going to kill me,” Gregory stated matter-of-factly.
Instead of responding, I glared at the man standing in front of me, determine to control my bloody cravings to tear him limb from limb. Normally, by the time I entered a room, anyone considered an enemy had already succumbed to pleading for their lives. Gregory Hampton’s arrogance and self-assuredness prevented him from what I’d heard him call on television more than once ‘kowtowing to a lowlife.’
Even though he appeared collected, as if he didn’t have a care in the world, I knew better. Fear had a distinct odor, a combination of sweat, piss, and testosterone, the acrid stench lingering long after I’d handled a difficult situation.
I took my time walking closer, keeping my hands in my trouser pockets. “I assure you, Gregory, that if I wanted to kill you then you’d already be dead.”
His smirk was short lived but noticeable. I would enjoy destroying him slowly, savoring every moment of his demise.
He was considered the best prosecutor in New York, a man who scared the shit out of many of my associates. He was highly respected, well connected, and a pain in my family’s ass and had been for years. Until recently, he’d stayed in his lane, but the last few months he’d made it his personal vendetta to handle the prosecution of every single infraction involving my businesses that had crossed his desk. Almost all of them had resulted in some jail time, even for minor infractions, some the result of Gregory’s unscrupulous actions.
The man was as dirty as he claimed my organization to be.
I’d had enough.
“Are you trying to scare me?” he asked, his usually strong voice holding the slightest quiver.
“Are you frightened of me, Gregory?”
“Fuck you. You can’t touch me, and you know it.”
Chuckling, I shifted my gaze toward his attire. A tuxedo at four in the afternoon. His wedding day, the event of the season. I’d paid attention to his professional and personal life over the last few weeks, enjoying the show as he preened for the cameras. The media loved him. Unfortunately for his lovely bride, he could only love himself. Then I’d scrutinized every decision he made, the associates he’d communicated with, convinced I was right about his greed.
Everyone had a price.
By all rights, I should have taken him out weeks before, but it wasn’t in my best interest to start a war between what few members of law enforcement weren’t on the take and the Kozlov Empire.
I reached into my jacket pocket, pulling out the few pictures I’d selected to prime him as well as an email I’d been privy to, laying them out on his desk in random order. “It’s your lucky day, Gregory. I have a proposition for you.” I stepped away, moving toward the window and admiring the view of his backyard. He’d done extremely well for himself by using his influence in order to successfully blackmail very powerful people.
It was his day of reckoning, the man required to make a choice.
“What the hell is that?”
“Take a look for yourself.” I waited as he decided whether to take the bait. When he walked to his desk, a smile curled on my upper lip, but his hand was shaking as he selected one of the photographs.
“What the… Where the hell did you get these?” Now his voice held the kind of fear as well as understanding that he’d fucked with the wrong people.
“As you might imagine, I have various sources across the country and all over the world. They provide me with priceless information.” Every man had a secret, a platform of needs that eventually couldn’t be denied. Gregory was no exception. Unfortunately for him, he’d been careless in his activities, his greed and penchant for dark proclivities becoming his undoing. There was nothing I enjoyed more than delving into a man’s shadows.
The quiet in the room pleased me but I was running out of patience. Besides, I had a wedding to attend.
“What do you want?” At least he was finally resigned to the fact I had the upper hand.
“What do I want?” I repeated. “You’re going to leave town for two weeks immediately after I’ve left. During that time, you’re going to repent your sins. When you return, you’ll make a public statement that you’ve decided to step away from your role in law enforcement, which will give you time to seek counseling for various concerns you have regarding your mental health. Then you’re going to provide me with a list of names.”
“Names?”
“Of every man or woman who holds your lease in their hands.”
“You’re fucking crazy.”
“Perhaps.” I laughed as I studied him, his body slumping against his desk.
“You fucking bastard. I won’t stand for this! You’re out of your mind.”
I moved toward him quickly enough he jumped. “The choice is entirely up to you. If you don’t, the information I’ve just provided will begin to trickle out to the public. Soon, it will develop into a firestorm. I daresay that you’ll be ruined within three weeks, your connections drying up faster than the Sahara Desert.”
The anger in his eyes was immediate but it was quickly followed by resignation. He knew I had him by the balls and violence hadn’t been needed.
Yes, this would be a more enjoyable experience than putting a bullet through his brain.
“I’m getting married today. I can’t just leave.”
“And you and I both know you’re using your lovely bride, Gregory. She’s become just another tool in your toolbox. That’s evident by several of the rather vivid photographs. Don’t you think? You certainly do get around with women. Think of it this way. You’ll be doing her a favor.”
I was curious to find out if the lovely Stephanie Morgan had any idea that her fiancé had been cheating on her for years. If so, it was likely the hunger for money and power that had kept her in the relationship. I did so enjoy a woman with spunk, capable of breaking through the ‘all boys’ veil that continued to shroud politics and law enforcement.
I also loved a challenge.
What he didn’t know is that I had every intention of ensuring that he kept his end of the deal. One way of doing that was by enticing the soon to be jilted bride. What little I knew about the femme fatale prosecuting attorney had presented an additional layer of concerns. I would go under the assumption she’d been made aware of his upcoming plans, especially those involving his number one target for destruction.
I’d watched her. Fantasized about her.
In some ways, I’d become obsessed with her, learning what made her tick. M y cock ached at the thought of what I would do to her.
It was possible she wasn’t the angel she purported herself to be as well. I would find out exactly what the beautiful woman had learned before tossing her aside.
Then I’d yank the rest of the justice system into a stranglehold, ensuring they never fucked with my organization again.
And if there was another entity involved, they would face my full wrath, one torturous moment at a time.
He shook his head and glanced down at the pictures for a second time, yanking the email into his hand, the piece of paper by far the most damning evidence. After he swallowed hard, his entire demeanor changed. “You’re going to pay for this. One day, I’ll send you straight to hell.”
“I suggest you get in line early, Gregory. Now, I am a busy man. What is your decision?”
I could tell he was churning the threat over in his mind. There was no choice. He knew it. I knew it.
“Fine.”
I nodded and headed for the door. “I’m glad to see you’re a reasonable man. As long as you keep your end of the deal we just made, the evidence will never see the light of day. However, if you fuck with me, I assure you that you won’t like the consequences.”
“How do I know you’ll keep your end of the deal?”
“Because I’m an honorable man. If only I could say the same about you.”
“Be careful, Alexei. Your end is near, both yours and your savage family’s. And I will enjoy every minute of watching you bleed.”
I moved to within an inch of him, taking several deep breaths before slamming him against the wall, shoving the barrel of my weapon against his temple. “I suggest you reconsider threatening me, Gregory. I’ve just given you a gift, which doesn’t happen very often. If you so much as vary from the plan I laid out for you, there won’t be a single rock you can crawl under and hide.”
Fear had a distinct stench and his was ripe.
Good.
I wanted the man afraid.
That would lead him into making stupid decisions. His arrogance would allow me to find out who’d been pushing his buttons and for what price.
Then I would strike.
Stephanie
“I hope I find my Prince Charming,” Sarah had mused as she stared out the window like she usually did.
“You will, but you’re far too young,” I’d told her, remembering how many times she’d talked about finding a knight on a huge ebony horse, the rugged man coming to rescue her.
Sighing, I stared into the mirror, the thoughts of my younger sister crowding my mind. If only she could be here. If only the monster hadn’t taken her away.
“I’m seventeen! And I’ve never been kissed.” As she’d turned to me, she’d batted her long eyelashes, giving me her famous pouting look. Then we’d both burst into laughter.
That had been the last time I’d seen her alive.
The ugliness of the arduous months after her murder had haunted me, guided me. It seemed like yesterday when it had been years before. I could still see her face in my mind, could hear her laughter as she’d been excited about getting accepted at Columbia. While I’d only been a few years older, I’d taken on the role of parent and guardian after our parents’ death.
“Are you okay?” Amelia asked. She was my maid of honor and had done everything in her power to make this day special, even if she’d told me more than once I was an idiot.
“Fine.”
She squeezed my shoulders, her expression one of knowing. She’d been my shoulder to cry on more than once.
“I look like a freaking giant sugar-coated donut,” I growled as I glared into the mirror. Nothing about the dress or anything else about the day pleased me. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew the reason.
You shouldn’t be marrying the pompous asshole in the first place.
Amelia glanced over my shoulder, shaking her head as she’d been doing since the minute that I’d stepped foot inside the room of the church. My darling fiancé had insisted that we be married in the church his parents attended.
“You look beautiful. Doesn’t she, girls?” Amelia asked.
“You look marvelous, darling,” Jessica cooed.
“Perfectly edible,” Suzi added.
“He’s going to swoon the moment he sees you,” Maggie rounded up the words of bullshit, the expression on her face exactly like the others.
They all hated Gregory.
That’s because he’s lied and treated you like shit.
My inner voice was right, which pissed me off even more. While I’d yet to prove it, I could swear the man was cheating on me as well. In addition, he’d been acting cagey lately, as if every single question I asked was an annoyance. We were both professionals, prosecutors in the same office, for God’s sake, yet I’d been reduced to nothing more than an aggravation. Really? That wasn’t like me.
As I glared at my reflection, my instinct told me that not only was something terribly wrong, but that I was a fool to go through with this. No more.
“Cut the crap, ladies. This is ridiculous.” I yanked off my veil, tossing it aside. All of sudden, I wanted to be the runaway bride, flying off to an exotic island and getting lost for a few weeks.
Or months.
“Okay, I’ll ask the question all of us have been trying to gather up the courage to do. Why the fuck are you marrying that son of a bitch in the first place?” Maggie moved toward the cooler she’d smuggled in, yanking out one of three bottles of champagne.
“I’m pretty certain you’re now going to hell since you used profanity inside the church,” I teased.
She snorted. “As if that wasn’t going to happen already.”
“I have to agree that you could do so much better,” Suzi lamented. She’d seen more than her share of his nasty attitude and bad behavior.
Sadly, so had I.
I thought about the question as I walked to the window, peering out on the perfectly manicured grounds. I’d loved him once, but that seemed like a lifetime ago. Hell, I’d worshipped the man when I’d met him, gleaning every scrap of information and style from the most famous prosecutor in all of New York. We’d been a team, both in and out of bed, but lately he’d been aloof. Maybe we both had been.
Lately? We’d been basically platonic for over a year at least.
Girl. Get your shit together. You deserve better than this.
“I don’t honestly know,” I said.
“Then let’s get out of here. We can still catch a flight to St. Martin,” Amelia suggested, only half teasing.
Gregory Hampton the third had insisted that we go to Paris for our honeymoon. Really?
“Sounds tempting.” I heard the pop of the bottle and sighed, pressing my fingertips on the cool glass. Everyone had said we’d make a great team, a powerful couple to be reckoned with. Once, a long time ago, that had mattered. Not any longer.
“I love the sound of St. Martin. Imagine the sexy Frenchman you could meet. And fuck.” Jessica’s laugh was boisterous.
The girls were right. The love I’d felt had ended a long time ago. I’d tried to break up with him three times, only to allow him to woo me back. Why? Because I didn’t have the self-confidence to stand alone? Hell, no. I’d been mostly alone for years, losing my parents before I’d finished college. Being a parent to my sister had precluded dating. Maybe my relationship with Gregory had all been about the promise of power and influence.
So I’d given him another chance. And another.
“I’m curious. Have you seen Gregory wandering the halls?” I asked, noticing a man standing barely fifty yards away still on church grounds. While the glare of the sun prevented me from identifying him, there was no doubt he was staring into the window. A cold shiver trickled down my spine. As a well-known prosecutor, I’d had my share of threats and weirdos, but for some reason this bothered me more than any of the others. The man was well dressed, as if he was attending the wedding ceremony.
