Bitter Virtue||Book Two

Red Dress

Reece

New York is cool, not quite cold, just a slight chill that lets you know the snow will soon be coming. Getting off the plane has been the easiest step in this whole process. As soon as Oisin and I were off the plane, he was dragged away from me. He didn't scream or fight. Judging by the way he looked at me, he had expected it.

"Where are they taking him?" I'd asked one of the guards but got no answer. Now I sit in front of Madison's grandfather. A man who demanded that I call him papa. He is a handsome man, no older that his late forties, so it makes me wonder how old my wife's father was.

"How old are you?" I question.

"Seventy." Papa says and I raise my eyebrows in surprise. He looks far younger than his age. "Your Kelly friend is in the next room. He's considered a hostile until I research everything you have told me."

"I don't have a reason to lie to you. Now where's my wife?" The old man smirks as he looks down at his watch. He sighs as he stands from his desk, walks around it, only to lean against the expensive wood.

"You are not who I foresaw Madison marrying." I furrow my eyebrows at that statement but don't take the bait. With my lips pressed firmly together I hold his gaze. "She is a strong woman. Too much for most, not enough for others due to her kind nature. But I'm sure she is plenty for you."

"More than I could every ask for."

"But not all that you would ever need?" My entire body stills as my eyes narrow into a hard glare. The old man in front of me has the nerve to smirk. "You have her and two other men now. Three if that Kelly boy lives."

"I don't want Oisin," I counter immediately. "and adding these men was your granddaughters idea, not that it's any of your business. Personally, our love life has nothing to do with you. I love Madison with all of me. I enjoy my lovers just the same, and so does she." Papa cracks his neck to one side before sighing heavily.

"And the Kelly boy? My men tell me he slept with his head in your lap for the duration of the trip. When they pulled him away at the airport, you about lost it."

"Because he's innocent! His life isn't what you think or anyone else thought it would be."

"We will see. But I want you to understand this; if my granddaughter says no to adding him to your quad, and you try to go against that, we will have fucking problems."

"Now it wouldn't be a reverse harem without four men, would it?" At the sound of my wife's voice I jump up from the lounge chair and spin around. I'm stunned stupid for a moment. She's dressed in a skin tight bodycon dress that stops at the bottom of her knees. Her hair is pinned back in a bun, her heels so high that she matches Kylen's height beside her. Goddamn. She looks like she is ready to—

"You look like the mafia Queen you are, my Princessa." Papa says as he walks around me and towards my wife. Madison gives him a hug before releasing Kylen's hand and walking towards me. My eyes zero in on the small bump that harbors our first born.

"Y-You are going to r-run the Mafia?" I whisper as my hands reach out to cradle her bump. My heart squeezes and the back of my eyes start to burn. Slowly I drop to my knees as I stare at the bump. "My daughter." My voice breaks as I lean forward to kiss her belly.

"Give us a moment papa." Madison says as she runs her fingers through my hair. I shudder at the feel of it and I place my cheek on her belly. The sound of the office door opening and closing lets me know that her papa left.

"Reece, look at me." There's a harshness to Madison's voice that has my spine going rigid. Slowly I look up and for the first time in a long time I see my Mistress. Madison's eyes are longing, but there's a hardness to her face. A hardness I know has to do with the young man next door.

"I'm sorry I brought him, but he's innocent."

"You know that for a fact, or did he tell you that and you blindly believed him?" Kylen says from beside her as he comes into my line of vision. His platinum blonde hair is twisted into a bun at the top of his head. He's dressed in a fitted suit, his face softer than Madison's but he still looks annoyed.

I stand slowly as I stare between Madison and Kylen, my heart pounding.

"I believed him then, and I believe him now."

"Good. Because papa is in there reading the files that came in about him. And if he lied, you'll hear the gunshot. His blood will be on your hands." Madison says. I nod into the softness of her hand as she cups my cheek. To my surprise Kylen gets down with me, turns my face and kisses me hard. I throw my arms around him as we devour each other. It's been too damn long.

"Missed you." Kylen sighs into my mouth before I dip my tongue into is. His mouth taste so good.

"Missed you all." I groan. Standing up I pull Madison into my arms to kiss her hard. My hand cups the back of her neck as I lay it all bare. Our tongues mingle and she cries out when I bite her bottom lip. Every inch of me comes to life as I pull her into me. She wilts against my body and fuck it makes me want to take her right here, right now.

"I have missed you so much." Madison cries and I pull back as she begins to sob.

"Baby," I say in shock as I pull her into me. "It's alright. I am here."

"It's the pregnancy hormones," my wife murmurs into my chest and I chuckle. She lets out a giggle before pulling back. I swipe my thumbs over her rosy cheeks with a smile.

"How is Jameson?" I ask as I sit down and Madison takes up home in my lap.

"He's on his way here. We were suppose to go back to Washington, but decided against it. Papa sent men to get everything we need." Madison answers.

"His surgery went well. The bullet had an enter and exist point; the problem was the loss of blood. I had to do a blood transfusion which was hard to do, given I didn't have very much blood. But I pull strings and made it work. He'll be up soon. He's probably already woken up. Once he's fully awake, he will be out of commission for at least a month--to give him a chance to fully recover." I sigh in relief as I run a hand through my hair.

Kylen reaches over to grab my hand and I give him a soft smile.

The door to the office opens suddenly and in walks Oisin. He closes the door behind him, but doesn't move from that spot. His eyes seem to stare into my soul for a moment and I know what he's thinking. I tap Madison on her thigh, which makes her stand. She's eyeing Oisin like she wants to kill him. Her nostrils flare wide in a way that I have never seen before. The energy coming off of her is new.

That's when my mind goes back to what her papa said.

She looks ready to run the mafia.