THE MAFIA'S BROKEN STRIPPER.

PATIENCE IS TORTURE....(R18)

Kay stacked the final plate into the sink with a dramatic flourish, releasing a long, exaggerated sigh as though he had just conquered the most grueling task of his life. He flicked the dish towel over his shoulder like some proud chef finishing service at a five-star restaurant.

“All done,” he announced triumphantly, flashing me that boyish grin that always seemed to sneak past my defenses.

“Now… how about we do a little Netflix and chill?”

I arched a brow, leaning back in my chair, deliberately slow, letting a teasing smirk curve across my lips.

“Mmm… you must be psychic because that’s exactly what I was thinking.”

His grin widened, a mischievous spark lighting in his eyes.

“Perfect. Then, allow me to set the stage.”

He moved through the small living room with surprising purpose, like a man on a mission. First, he tugged the curtains closed, leaving just a sliver open so the muted glow of the streetlights spilled in, painting the room in a faint, warm haze. Then, he dimmed the overhead light until the space was dipped in a soft, golden glow.

“Can’t have harsh lighting ruin the mood,”

he murmured, more to himself than to me.

Next came the couch. He tossed pillows into place with the precision of someone preparing a nest, fluffing one, adjusting another, until it looked inviting enough to sink into and never leave. A throw blanket followed, draped casually yet carefully across the armrest.

And just when I thought he was done, he struck a match and lit a single candle on the low table. The flame flickered, filling the air with a subtle warmth that mingled with the faint scent of vanilla.

“There,” he said finally, turning back to me with that proud, self-satisfied grin. He spread his arms as if to present his masterpiece.

“Cozy setup, romantic ambiance… Tell me that’s not the perfect Netflix-and-chill vibe?”

I couldn’t help the laugh that slipped from me, shaking my head at his theatrics.

“You’re really leaning hard on the chill part of Netflix and chill, aren’t you?”

Kay shot me a look, smirk tugging at his mouth as he pointed a finger at me like I’d just called him out on a crime.

“Careful, Jay. Don’t go underestimating me. I know exactly what Netflix and chill mean.”

“Oh, do you know?” I arched a brow, letting my lips curl in that slow, taunting way I knew got under his skin.

The grin he wore faltered just enough to give away the glint in his eyes, a darker heat flickering there as his gaze lingered on me a beat too long. His voice dipped lower, smooth, and dangerous, almost daring.

“Wanna test me? Find out just how much I know?”

My heart stuttered against my ribs, and those ridiculous butterflies took flight in my stomach, betraying me. Still, I forced myself to play it cool, tilting my chin up as if he hadn’t just sent a shiver skating down my spine.

“Mmm, maybe later…” I drawled, pushing to my feet with a lazy stretch that was half real, half show. My arms lifted, my back arched, and I caught the way his eyes followed the motion before I let my hands drop back down with a smug little smile.

“First things first......shower.”

He tilted his head slightly, lips twitching in that way that always told me he was about to push boundaries.

“Shower? Alone?” His tone dropped lower, rough with teasing mischief, almost daring me.

I froze mid-step at the doorframe, then turned just enough to glance back at him, my fingers curled loosely around the edge of the wall.

“Unless…” I let the word hang, unfinished, thick with suggestion.

That single word was enough to spark a fire in his eyes. Kay’s smirk stretched wider, confident, and wicked, as though I’d just given him permission to cross a line we both knew he was dying to. He moved closer with unhurried steps, closing the space between us. When his hand brushed against mine, the smallest touch of his fingers against my skin sent a rush of warmth straight through me.

“Should I come and help you out, princess?” he murmured, voice deep, smooth, and far too tempting.

I knew I should shut him down, laugh it off, tell him to stay put and behave. I really should’ve. But instead, a daring little smile crept across my lips before I could stop it.

“If you think you can handle it.”

The challenge in my voice was deliberate, but my racing heart betrayed me.

The bathroom filled with steam not long after, the hiss of hot water bouncing off the tiled walls, wrapping everything in a humid haze. Droplets clung to the mirror, blurring my reflection, and the air grew heavy with the clean scent of soap and warmth. I stood under the spray, letting the water cascade over me, soaking my hair and rolling down my skin in rivulets that felt like liquid fire.

I closed my eyes, lost in the blissful heat, when I felt it.....Kay. His presence behind me was unmistakable, steady, and sure, his chest brushing lightly against my back. Strong hands slid around my waist, firm yet tender, pulling me against him. My breath hitched.

“God, you smell so good,” he whispered, his lips grazing my damp neck. The roughness in his voice sent a shiver through me, his mouth pressing kisses there, slow and intoxicating.

I bit my lip hard, trying not to melt on the spot.

“You’re supposed to be helping me shower, not distracting me.” My words were breathless, betraying me even as I tried to sound composed.

“Oh, I’m helping,” he chuckled huskily, the sound reverberating against my skin. Reaching for the sponge, he lathered it with soap, the thick foam coating his fingers before he pressed it to my back.

His movements weren’t rushed. They were maddeningly slow, each glide of the sponge deliberate, circling over my shoulders, then down the arch of my spine. Every stroke felt like he was tracing a map of me, learning me, memorizing me. He lingered at the curve of my waist, thumb brushing lightly over skin as though he couldn’t help himself, as though soap and water weren’t enough....he needed to feel me, all of me.

The steam swirled around us, making the small space feel like a world of its own. Every touch, every breath, and every quiet laugh from him echoed louder in that cocoon of heat and closeness.

And the longer he touched me, the less the shower felt like a shower… and the more it felt like something we were both on the edge of giving in to.

“Feels good?” Kay murmured, his voice dipping low and rough against the sound of the shower.

“Mhm…” the soft hum slipped past my lips before I could stop it. My body betrayed me, leaning into his touch, arching forward as though begging him not to stop. The warm cascade of water only heightened everything... every brush of his fingers, every glide of his palm.

When his hands trailed lower down my back, I thought that was as far as he would go. But then one hand ventured upward, bold and unrelenting, until it cupped my breast with a possessive squeeze. My breath caught, a sharp gasp escaping me, and water splattered noisily between us.

“Kay…” I breathed his name like a plea, my voice trembling, unsteady.

His lips curved against my ear, a husky whisper brushing over me.

“You’re so sensitive here.” His thumb teased over my n****e, rolling it between his fingers with maddening slowness.

My knees weakened instantly. A deep, helpless moan broke from my throat, and my body betrayed me, pushing into his touch. Heat burned through my belly, a fire that only grew hotter the more he touched me. My hand moved almost without thought, reaching back. In return, I reached back, brushing my hand down his abs until I found him....hard, throbbing, begging for attention.

He jolted, his breath hitching as though the air had been stolen from his lungs.

“s**t, Janella…” he groaned, his voice ragged.

That sound....the rawness of it....sent shivers racing down my spine. I turned to face him, droplets sliding over my face, plastering my hair against my skin. Meeting his eyes, I let a sly smile ghost over my lips.

“Told you I could handle it.”

Before he could retort, my hand wrapped around him with deliberate slowness, tentative but bold, testing. I stroked carefully, savoring the way his body tensed under my touch. He lowered his forehead to mine, his groan vibrating through both of us, the sound echoing in my chest like thunder.

For a moment, the world seemed to shrink down to the steam, the water, the racing beat of my heart, and the way he was unraveling beneath my trembling hands.

The steam clung to my skin, every breath I drew thick with heat, the shower feeling more like a cage of fire and want as Kay’s body pressed me into the tiled wall. His mouth crashed onto mine with a raw hunger that left me dizzy, his lips bruising, claiming, devouring. I kissed him back, matching his urgency even as my hands trembled slightly from the intensity of it all. The water poured over us in heavy streams, masking the desperate sounds between our lips.

When his hands finally slipped lower, gripping the curve of my ass and pulling me tighter against the hard length straining between us, I gasped. My entire body lit up, a rush of panic and desire colliding all at once. For a heartbeat, I almost let him have me right there, in the heat and steam and reckless need, but then I broke away, panting, lips swollen and trembling.

“Kay…” I whispered softly, my fingers still resting lightly on his chest as if they were the only anchor I had in that heated moment. My lips trembled, but I forced myself to hold his gaze, even though the intensity in his eyes almost made me want to melt into him completely.

“I need you to be patient with me,” I said, voice barely louder than the shower spray. “I want this… I want you.....so much that it scares me. But you have to understand… I’m not ready to go all the way yet.”

His brows drew together, confusion and desire clashing in his expression.

“Jay…” his voice was husky, pleading.

“You’re killing me here.”

I bit my lip, fighting the nervous flutter in my stomach, then let out a shaky laugh.

“I know. And maybe I’m enjoying torturing you a little.” My cheeks burned as I continued, “But I mean it. We can do every other thing, but no… no inserting, please.”

He groaned, pressing his forehead to mine, his breath hot and uneven.

“So you want me to touch you, kiss you, feel you… but stop there? Do you know how hard that is for me?”

I smiled faintly, brushing my fingers along his jaw.

“Hard for you? Kay, my whole body feels like it’s on fire right now. I’m shaking just letting you this close.” I swallowed, my voice dropping.

“But I want to remember this. Every moment. Every kiss. Not just the end result.”

His hand tightened at my waist, but he didn’t push.

“You’re serious?”

“Yes,” I whispered, daring to trail a hand down his stomach before stopping deliberately short of where he wanted me most.

“I want us to enjoy everything else. The teasing, the kissing, the exploring… everything but that one thing. At least until I’m ready. Can you promise me that again?”

For a long second, he only stared at me, chest heaving. Then he muttered, almost like a growl, “You’re going to be the death of me, Jay.”

I giggled softly, pressing a kiss to his shoulder.

“Maybe. But if I’m the death of you, at least you’ll die happy, right?”

His laugh was breathless, pained, but real.

“god! Jay, you’re evil.

“And you love it,” I teased, brushing my lips over his one last time before pulling back.

Kay had already finished his turn in the bathroom and left me to do mine, teasing as he went that girls always stay longer in there anyway. I rolled my eyes at the time, but now, standing in front of the fogged-up mirror, towel slipping off my damp hair, I couldn’t deny he was right.

By the time I finally padded out, my skin was still warm from the steam, my hair clung in dark strands against my neck. His oversized shirt swallowed me whole, the cotton soft against my bare skin, brushing just above the tops of my thighs. I hadn’t bothered with panties....I told myself it was for comfort, for the freedom of it....but in truth, it was more. I wanted to feel light, unburdened… maybe even a little daring. For once, I wanted to step outside of my own walls.

The shirt smelled faintly of him....woodsy, warm, with that hint of spice that was unmistakably Kay. Every time I inhaled, I caught myself smiling, caught myself remembering that here, with him, I felt safe. Safer than I had in a long time. Almost like home. A sanctuary away from the chaos clawing at me beyond those four walls.

The living room looked transformed by the time I emerged. The lights had been dimmed low, and curtains were drawn tight to keep the world out. The TV screen glowed soft blue against the shadows, the Netflix menu waiting patiently. On the coffee table, a half-empty bottle of wine sat beside two glasses, as though it had been set up for exactly this moment....for us.

But it was the couch that pulled at me most. Plush, inviting, dangerous. Like a trap dressed in comfort, waiting for me to sink into it and never escape.

“Movie’s ready,” Kay said, glancing up at me. His grin....small, mischievous, and stupidly attractive....made my stomach flip as if I were teetering on the edge of something I couldn’t name.

He held the remote loosely in one hand, the wineglass in the other, casual but watchful, as though he’d been waiting for this reveal, for me, in his shirt, bare-legged, shy but trying not to be.

“I picked something I thought might… fit the vibe,” he added, nodding toward the screen. “365 Days: This Day. Seemed appropriate.”

Heat flushed my cheeks instantly, a storm of embarrassment and curiosity colliding in me. I hugged my arms loosely across my chest, suddenly hyper-aware of how much skin the shirt exposed.

“Seriously, Kay?”

I laughed and rolled my eyes.

“You did not just pick that.”

He leaned back on the couch, one arm spread wide across the backrest, smirking deepening.

“Oh, I did. And I expect full commentary.”

His eyes flicked down my bare thighs when I walked closer.

“Or… distractions.”

Heat rushed through me. I sank onto the couch beside him, my legs brushing his.

“Distractions, huh? Do you mean like this?” I reached for the remote on his thigh, deliberately dragging my hand higher than necessary.

His sharp breath betrayed him.

“Janella…”

“Mhm?” I tilted my head, innocent. The movie started rolling, steamy music, and foreign whispers filling the room. I sipped my wine slowly, knowing his gaze never left my lips.