The rain wasn't letting up and so was my anger, Ferrai had me like a puppet attached to a string, nipping at his heel.
At first, I thought of changing my mind and driving back to the restaurant to apologize for walking out on Richard. However, that thought vanished completely when the car pulled over at the apartment building.
I was doing this for Jasmine's sake.
I took the elevator to the top floor, to room 104, the hallway seemed desolate, almost as if no one else rented the other rooms on the floor.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, for one Ferrari had roped me in this mess all because of my temper. Also, there was the possibility that all this was a trap that I was walking blindly into.
"Don't think too much. Just hear what he has to say and walk out." I convinced myself for the fourth time, holding my finger to the doorbell, hesitant to ring it.
My teeth bit my lower lip as I pushed against the black button, alerting Ferrari that I had arrived.
"He was shot right…can he even get up?" I received my answer when the door was pulled open and behind it was Ferrari himself, dressed in a black robe, loosely tied over his waist.
The first thing that caught my gaze was the silver wheelchair he sat on, testament that he was indeed human and not some freak of nature.
"You're late." He sounded irritated, his eyes swept over the little puddle of water I had made at his front door. I got a bit rained on while stepping out of my car, and didn't have time to take care of it.
I sighed. "I don't have time for this, tell me what you want—"
"Come in and close the door behind you." He spat out, turning around in his wheelchair, acting way too cocky for a bastard who couldn't even defend himself.
To think I walked out on Crawford for this!
I complied and stepped inside, "You already made the trip, let's just get this over with." I chanted, as I stepped inside the apartment.
The inside was larger than I thought it'd be. A large piano sat close to the base of the spiral staircase that led to the east and west wing. The living room was spacious and had a nice view of the city through the tall window glass.
It wasn't like his place was half as impressive as mine, and considering the fortune the dead couple left him, it made sense he lived well. But still, for the past two months he had been seeing my sister, he was always dressed in simple clothes and ate simple.
"You come all the way here just to ignore me? You're testing my patience." He said from the bar station, drawing my attention to him.
I remained where I stood, "I came all the way here to end things. Permanently between us." I reached into my breast pocket and took out a cheque book. I tore out a page and looked around for a pen to ink my signature on it.
My eyes fell on a pen sitting next to the shot glasses on the bar counter. I strutted over and helped myself, then proceeded to sign on the cheque. While I did this, I could feel he was watching me, silently, as he sipped from what scented like Vodka.
After I was done, I cleared my throat and slipped the blank cheque to him, "There, you can place in any amount you want, and we'll forget about the whole incident." I proposed.
Ferrari didn't bother looking at the cheque, because he could tell just from the way I avoided his gaze, that I knew what happened.
Rather, I remembered.
"Is this a joke, Coco?"
"I don't fancy myself a comedian."
He dropped the glass, and chuckled dryly. "You have good aim, I'm told not to get out of bed for at least two months. How do you plan on taking responsibility for it?"
I clenched my jaw, "I'll cover all the medical costs—"
He lashed out at me. "I rented this entire floor, I'm not short on cash." I straightened my back and gulped hard. He sounded just like Bronx, when he scolded me for missing a vital organ when shooting, or letting a deal fail to push through.
I fucking hated how similar Ferrari was to the life I wanted to leave behind.
"Fine, I can see that you're not interested in cash." I admitted, then tore the check into pieces. I turned to face him, only to notice his silky robe had been push aside to reveal more than half of his upper body.
I knew he worked out, but for a twenty year old he had an impressive body.
"Look, that night was a mistake, we must've both had too much to drink, and ended up screwing around. We're both straight men and nothing good would come out of letting this drag out for any longer. So let's just bury that hatchet, and in exchange, I'll back off from harassing you. You can even date my sister freely—"
While I spoke I felt his gaze pointed at my lips, I intentionally avoided making eye contact, but he didn't even bother to conceal that he was assessing my body.
After I finished speaking, he waited about half a minute before breaking the silence to respond.
"Let me get this straight. One night, you lure me into a hotel room, you shoot me in both legs the next day, and now you come here trying to bury the fucking hatchet?" He asked in an amused tone.
The situation shittier than it did in my head, it did sound like I was taking advantage of Ferrari. But, I was no fool, he wasn't half as innocent as he was painting himself out to be.
"Well, now that we're on the topic. You lied to Jas and went to a hotel. If you didn't hook up with me, you must've been there to do it with someone else. Not to mention that both witnesses at the gym wounded up dead after I left. Do you take me for a fool? There's something you're hiding." I pointed out, refusing to be backed into a corner.
Right from his very existence, things just did not add up about this man.
"I see, you're more of a coward than I thought Coco. Instead of owning to your mistakes like a fucking man, you're going to bitch about it." Ferrari said in the most defeatable tone. He was trying to fuck me over with his words, and as much as I hated to admit it, it was half working.
"That night was a mistake…"
"But shooting me wasn't. So, unless you want me to tell my girlfriend her brother is a lunatic, you'll make like a good boy and do as I say."
Good boy? Just who the fuck did this sadistic bastard think he was speaking to?
I laughed. "You're a real piece of work, Ferrari. I've already shot you once before." I got off the barstool and walked over to him. He maintained a straight face even when I grabbed him by the robe, exposing his pecs even more.
Meeting his gaze I cracked a grin. "What makes you think that I can't just kill you here and cover this up? Then Jas will never know anything." I threatened him.
But Ferrai said this back to me. "If you ever touch me without being told you, you'll regret it Coco." He warned sternly then held onto my wrist with his left hand.
"Cocky bastard—" I tried to fight him back, but with one hand he pulled hard on my wrist and forced me onto my knees, in-between his legs.
My heart skipped a beat at the compromising position. "What the fuck do you think…" I genuinely tried to move, but it was like his hand was made of steel. He didn't budge no matter how hard I struggled.
Ferrari used his right hand to cage my jaw and forced me to look up, up at the way his stoic expression relaxed into a devilish smirk. The bastard smiled with his eyes, and just by gazing into them, I felt smaller.
His rough fingers grazed the sides of my face, measuring and sampling. He forcefully slid his thumb through my mouth and began to ravage the insides of my mouth.
"If you bite I'll punish you." He declared still looking down on me.
A sadistic smile played on his lips, "There's promise, I can play with you for a bit."
Play? Just what kind of high was he on?
"You wanted to buy my silence, didn't you?" He asked with his thumb still in my mouth. When I didn't respond, he slipped in another finger and pulled hard on my tongue, forcing me to wince.
"I asked you a question, damnit! Answer me!" He tightened his grip, forcing me to nod in response.
The corners of his mouth lifted into an amused grin, "Then I've found how." He released my tongue, and in a split second he wrapped his fingers around my neck, rattling me like no one ever had.
His eyes drunk on power Ferrari told me his terms. "For the next two months, you'll be the one servicing me in place of your sister."