Fifty Shades Of Black

My chest rose and fell rapidly with my need for more air. Panting, I was wide eyed, standing frozen in the first few moments after it all happened. It felt like wet paint was splattered in my face. The longer I stood there the more I could feel it run down my forehead and cheek like raindrops on a pane of glass. My eyes went to his and he to mine. We said nothing, but we didn't need to. Then my glance casted down. I had to take three quick steps back so the slow growing pool of blood didn't stain my shoes. - (Three weeks *before*) I could feel the warmth of Anthony against me. We were already awake but still enjoying the comfort of our bed. There was no necessary rush to start the day. Our bed, our sheets that smelt of our detergent. There are many things that are 'ours' now. We've become an 'us' over these past two months. Yes, It's been two months since I learned the truth about my mother's death. The truth being that Vitaly, the man I refuse to call my father, orchestrated my mother's murder so he could bring me back to Russia. Back to him, to prepare me for becoming a Bratva business deal bride. I've yet to learn if my brothers Dmitriy and Andrei are involved in any way. It makes me sick to my stomach thinking about my family conspiring so evilly against me. Andrei and I had started to become close before Anthony found out the truth. After the shock wore off, when Anthony finally came clean, this burning need for revenge spread through my veins and settled into every molecule of my being. I knew Anthony was right when he told me rash actions wouldn't be wise. I knew I had to play the long con game when it came to the Petrov men I was so eager to destroy. With Vitaly and Dmitriy being back home in Russia I didn't have to deal with them for the time being, but with Andrei still stateside I used this opportunity to continue to get 'close' to him. It was hard to curb my hatred, and I deserve an Oscar for the performance I've demonstrated over these past few months. I had a plan and I needed Andrei close to accomplish it. The vengeance inside me was my sole purpose, my reason for getting me through every second of every day. It's the only thing keeping me from falling apart, even though the news that my mother was murdered somehow felt like I was losing her all over again. Grief tried to drown me. Retribution is what propped me up. And I will get it. By any means necessary. I know Anthony is worried about me. He begged me not to do anything crazy. He begged me to put my own safety forward as a priority. He's afraid to lose me, he said. And I understand. If Anthony came into harm's way I would say all the same things. Even with this life altering news, this soul crushing news, the last two months in our new relationship were good ones. He's the only other thing keeping me afloat behind reprisal. For my husband-boyfriend's sake I have promised to think things through before acting...but to beat the Bratva at their own game...you have to strike quickly and with force. About a month ago I approached Domani De Luca with a proposition if he agreed to help me take down the Petrov empire, and teach me his ways. About a week ago Anthony found out about it. The first month after finding out that Vitaly killed my mother I started attaching myself to Andrei and asking all kinds of questions about the family business that had in turn given me the idea I took to Dom's table when I asked for his help. The whole plan is very hush hush. Only me and Dom knew about what had happened and what I wanted to do about it. Anthony knew most of it, but not all of it. Those were the only two people I was willing to discuss this with. The information is too serious, too explosive to let slip. The less people who knew about it the better. I don't know what Dom told Mia to justify how much time he and I had been spending together. Maybe she didn't even realize it since he doesn't inform her about his business or where he goes to conduct that business. I know Anthony became suspicious about my disappearing acts after a while and that's how he found out about all this last week. He confronted me and I didn't want him thinking the worst, like I was cheating or something, so I told him the truth. Though by his expression when I told him I had been consorting with Dom I think he might have rathered I'd been cheating. No such luck for him. Today I promised to spend the day with him. I'd been so preoccupied he felt neglected and I knew that was my fault. Waking up together in bed this morning still feels as right as it has been since moving in together after the wedding. We ebb and flow in a way neither of us had expected. Anthony Rizzo is the sexiest man alive. With his dedication to the fight club recently, it only sharpened the muscles already defined on his body. He was cut, tall, had the best smile, and the softest hazel eyes. He carried himself with finesse but didn't feel the need to be showy about his power, his strength. God, he's so damn hot. Laying in bed together I loved the feel of his rough palms when they started to glide down my body, stopping at my hip while we laid side by side. His lips look so soft to the touch from this proximity, but his features are entirely masculine and delicious. "What's on your mind?" His deep, gritty voice brought me back to attention. His very big hand squeezed my hip. I bit my lip, which got him to snap his eyes down to my mouth. Then he pulled his own lip between his teeth. He looks too good doing that. "Just about how hot you are" I told him the truth of it. It made him chuckle, in that deep in the chest way I like so much. "Oh yeah?" He tried to hide the satisfaction in his growing smile, trying instead for a troublesome smirk. His hand used its hold to edge me closer to him. "Does that surprise you? I'm pretty sure I gawk at you at least once a day" I teased him. He granted me another laugh. "Well, I gawk at you at least a dozen times a day. Maybe more, though I probably shouldn't admit to that" his head moved forward on his neck to reach my lips. He planted one small kiss. "Not enough," I complained. Now he spread that troublesome smirk. When he just stared at me I decided to ask, "What do you feel like doing today? It's your day." I had purposely carved this time out for him and he knew it. Still laying side by side, looking at each other, his hand came up from my hip to brush my hair gently away from my face to see all of me. "This is fine. I just want to lay with you for a while and enjoy you" he melted me. By my swooning sigh he knew it too. "Sometimes you're too smooth for your own good, Rizzo" I shook my head at him. He shrugged the one shoulder. "I'm not kidding" he told me. "It's not that smooth if it's the truth, Rizzo," he emphasized our last name. "When are you going to legally change your name?" He asked me a question he's been asking me since our honeymoon. I wasn't sure how I felt about it. We agreed to this marriage on the idea of it being a temporary thing. Now I didn't know what would happen seeing as I was working towards destroying the contract attached to my becoming a bride in the first place. Vitaly won't be around to enforce it either if things go my way. "Does it really mean that much to you?" I asked him. His eyes searched mine for a second. "I know it's corny and you hate it, but it does...mean something to me. I know Vero is the name you shared with your mother. I know you want that connection to her, but -Rizzo- that name is such a big part of my identity. When someone says Rizzo they most likely think of me over anyone else in my family...and I want to share that with you. That identity. Real identity. As a united front. Not some falsified passport" he opened up. I could see the sincerity in his expression. One thing I love about Anthony is that he could be so kind and gentle, but he would also beat the living f**k outta someone if I asked him to. He's fierce in his protection of me, but also docile in his possession of me. Bloody knuckles and a big beating heart. That's what my hubby-boyfriend is. "Lexi Rizzo" I repeated the name to mull it over. How could I deny him when he was looking at me the way he's looking at me right now. "Sounds really good" Anthony continued to nudge the idea at me. "Okay. For you I will" I agreed to something I thought I would never agree to. Like I said, if my evil mastermind plan with Dom works out I won't be in the contract marriage for much longer. But still I found myself saying yes to Anthony. Whatever that means. I saw a sense of relief flash across his expression before he pulled me completely on top of him as he rolled onto his back. His hard body pressed against me always does naughty things to me. Like dropping my heartbeat down between my legs. His big hands wandered. "That means a lot to me, Lex" Anthony kissed my cheek. His hands weren't as sentimental. He palmed my ass and kneaded the flesh there. He pressed me even more firmly against him. "Lexi Rizzo" he repeated for good measure. His hands slid up around my back and one hand cupped the nape of my neck to bring my lips crashing down to his. His kiss was ferocious. His tongue lashed me. His teeth grazed my lip and tugged. He stole my breath from me. My legs moved down to either side of Anthony's lying body to straddle his lap while we continued the insatiable kiss. His fingers pressed into my bent hips and grazed down my thighs just beside him. When he rocked me into his body I could already feel him hardening against me. Just a kiss and our bodies crackled and sparked like a live wire. We pulled our mouths away only to drag in a much needed breath. "I've changed my mind. I want to spend our day with my c**k sunken deep inside you. Does that work for you?" He teased me with his words and the tip of his tongue tracing the shell of my ear. It made me shiver. "How deep?" My voice thickened almost as much as his shaft did below me, between my legs. I was still on top. "So f*****g deep" his voice was like gravel against my sensitive flesh. "I wanna bend you every which way, taking you in every position. I wanna sink so deep...fuck you so good, the only name you can even remember to call out is ours," he pressed his mouth against my ear whispering, "Rizzo, Rizzo, Rizzo." Damn him. That was so sexy. I was quick to sit up. Pulling at the hem of my shirt to immediately take it off and expose myself to him. I only had a t-shirt and boyshorts on. The tee was now discarded on the floor. All that was left on me was the thin pair of panties. Anthony hooked his fingers into the waistband to tease me. I would have to stand up to get them off, but I wasn't ready to lose contact yet. I liked feeling his extremely solid d**k between my legs. With me straddling Anthony's laying body he looked up at me from the mattress, his eyes scanning over my mostly naked frame. He groaned. "This is my favorite view. Nothing beats it" he started rubbing against my flesh with his hands and his lifting hips. "You, gloriously naked against me, your face looking down at me with that expression I'm only granted once in a while, one I've yet to figure out. And your eyes, so hungry for me...It's my favorite thing to see. You flushed pink like peaches and cream...Soft...smooth" his words slowed down as his movements started to match. Anthony slowly sat up, bringing his strong arms around my waist to keep me against him. His lips feathered over my shoulder, bringing up goosebumps as he dragged them until the base of my throat. A simple kiss there had me groaning for him. I wanted more. I wanted so much more. "Your clothes are obstructing my favorite view," my breathy voice reminded him. I want both of us naked. In more ways than one. Our clothes, our defenses, our dang souls. That's when we'd have the best of our already incredible s*x. When we both surrendered to it. Anthony's hands came to my front and cupped my bare breasts. His fingers traced lines and followed the curves. His lips came down and adorned my alert n*****s. He showed them both equal attention. Hand and mouth working together. Suddenly Anthony flipped us around. Making me gasp at the swift unexpected motion until it was my back bouncing down onto the mattress. His heavy body hovered over me a second before he sat up and pulled off his shirt from the back collar over his head. Anthony untied his sweatpants making them slip down on his hips enough to show the waistband of his dark briefs. Then he was crawling over me again, hooking a finger into my boyshorts. With the heaviest lusting tone I've come to know intimately Anthony told me, or warned me? "We have all day, sweetheart. I'm gonna take my time with you."