I usually try and ink out an 8K+ word chapter. Well, this one kind of got away from me and it ended at 13k. I am so prepared for these comments. *rubs hands together*

[ edited, while cringing, HARD, I hate myself, this chapter sucks, I warned you, oh god ]

- - - -

"We might just get hit with the R.I.C.O..." – Drake

- - - -

I woke up to somebody standing over me.

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest as I screamed immediately. I scrambled to my left, grasping at the portion of the bed where Liam had laid down just a few hours before, attempting to get his attention. My hands searched for his body, but I came up empty as my eyes adjusted to the darkness and saw, that nobody was lying beside me.

Refusing to look behind me, I scrambled to my knees, trying to crawl to the other side of the bed and distance myself from the figure that had been standing beside me.

"Shut up!" They growled through gritted teeth. I felt their hand wrap around my ankle and tug, causing me to slide towards them, still screaming. My hands clamped to the sheets and duvet, refusing to let go. I was kicking and screaming on my stomach, trying to break free; but truthfully, it was hopeless. The hold they had on my ankle was impossible to break out of.

In an instant, the creep had somehow twisted my body on the bed, causing me to lie face up. My heart hammered against my chest as they stood in a stream of moonlight that was seeping through cracks in Luciano's window shades. The dim, natural light illuminated the man's shoulders, causing a necklace that hung around his neck, to glisten.

They leaned forward quickly, slapping a hand over my mouth to muffle my continuous screams and cries of terror. He pinned my legs with his one arm, before crawling on top of me, keeping me still.

He leaned down, out of the looming darkness. They were so close to me in fact, that I could feel the coolness of the necklace, slowly dragging across the exposed skin on my chest. It caused goosebumps to rise on my skin as I lay there, pinned. The screaming stopped out of paralyzing fear; it was to the point where I was frozen with fright.

That's when I see who it is.

Federico.

He lowers his mouth to the ride side of my head, whispering. "Why are you screaming?"

I had to let my instant fear subside before I could speak again. I was growing uncomfortable at the feeling of his body pressed against mine; slowly, he moved his hands away from my legs, but in turn, he pressed his hips against mine, still pinning me to the soft mattress. I inhaled deeply, trying to catch my breath; but the smell of his cologne was the only thing that filled my nostrils – it was a lively citrus smell, with a hint of spices and woods.

"Oh, I don't know," I mimick his whisper, squirming gently underneath him. "Maybe because you woke me up by standing creepishly over my head like the Joker."

"Oh," His lips brush against my ear, causing me to shiver. "I can make you scream even louder if you want me to," He groans sexually in my ear, causing my eyes to widen. "Have you ever had a guy go down on you before?"

I stumble over every word. "Uh, n-not but-the-what?"

He smirks against my neck, "I didn't think so." I feel his hands grip my sides. His hands tease at the hem of my shirt, beginning to inch their way up my shirt. I slap his hands away and kick my legs upward.

"Fuck, shit, fuck fuck, cazzo!" He reaches for his crotch as he stumbles out the bed, falling to the ground in the process. I scramble up and turn on the lamp beside the bed. Federico mumbles incoherent words as he lies on the ground, still clutching his crotch.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" I hop off the bed, definitely not taking a chance that Rico could pin me back on the mattress. He lies on the ground for a second or so longer, before unsteadily standing to his feet. I watch, mouth agape, as he stumbles just the slightest – and that's when I know.

Federico De Santis is drunk.

I grab him by the wrist, immediately heading towards the door. Getting him out of Luciano's room was the first thing on my list; getting him to sleep, was the second.

"Stop," He stands behind, feet planted into the ground. I have his arm thrown over my shoulder as I try lugging him towards the door, but I fail, miserably. Rico hardly budges as he stands strong. He throws his head back and refuses to budge. After a few desperate attempts to catch him off guard and pull him the rest of the way, I drop his hand and turn around, eyeing him disapprovingly.

"Rico," I groan, shaking my head the whole time. "It's three in the morning, you should be sleeping."

"I—I had a nightmare," His shoulders drop and he bows his head, sticking his bottom lip out. "I—I drink when I g-get upset," His words weren't badly slurred, but he stuttered a lot – as if his mind couldn't keep up with what he was trying to say. He often paused, having to think much harder than usual about the next word.

"Okay," I sigh as I reach his arm, grabbing his wrist. "Let's go downstairs and get you something to drink." I was already turned around as I dragged him behind me.

Somehow, he had managed to release my grasp and grip my hips, pulling me against his stomach. I grow tense as his erection rubs against my back. Rico dips his head, smirking playfully as he spoke in my ear. "I know something else I can drink."

"Federico!" I screech as I take a step away from him and turning back to face him. He's laughing loudly, his smile wide. I shake my head in disapproval as I grab his wrist once again, this time, I stand beside him, not allowing the same thing to happen again. We finally exit the door. I felt like I had run a marathon. "Okay, so this is what we do," I speak slowly as I address him, "You and I are going to go downstairs, get you some water, and then we'll go to sleep."

"In the same bed?"

"In separate beds."

He scrunches up his face. "I can't fuck you if you're in a different bed."

I let the comment slide as we pass his guest room and Dominic's room. Then we pass Luis and Alex's room, but just as we hit the steps, Rico stops.

"I can't-can't drink water."

"And why the hell not?"

"I need my lucky cup!"

I internally facepalmed.

"And where is this cup?"

"My room, duh." He takes a stumbling step backwards, heading in the direction of his bedroom without my direction.

"Meet me in the kitchen, okay?"

Rico nods as he pushes himself into the room and I stifle a laugh as he falls, tripping on nothing. Even from here, I can see him pick himself up before disappearing completely into his designated room.

As I jogged down the steps, the only thing I could think was this: Where the motherflipping hell is Liam.

I felt free with Rico not being attached to my hip and muttering inappropriate things in my ear. The kitchen was dark and I had to turn the light on; I was all alone. Quickly, I found a plastic cup for me and poured myself a cup of water. Federico came stumbling into the room only a second later, a glass in his hand.

But as I approached to pour water into his cup, I stopped. He had the glass tilted to his lips, already drinking something else.

"Rico, what the hell are you drinking?"

He pulls the empty glass away from his lips, swaying. "Vodka."

"Vodka isn't water!"

"It looked like it."

I groan extra loud. Slamming the pitcher of water on the island, I reach up, snatching his cup from him. "You're going to bed, right now." I grab him by the arm once more, dragging him back towards the steps; but as I prepare myself to take a step – Rico does something I had not anticipated.

He scoops me into his arms and makes his way up the steps. My eyes widen as I throw my arms around his neck, close my eyes, and silently pray. His steps were labored and slow and often I felt us swaying whenever he stood up completely. Falling down a grand staircase made of marble was not on my list of things to do today – or ever.

"You might as well get used to this," He slurs a bit in my ear, "Because by the time I'm done with you, you won't be able to walk for at least a week."

If you could see how red my face was...

We finally hit the landing of the second floor. "Put me down, Rico."

"No."

"Rico, put me down."

"Are you sure?" He questions quietly.

"Yes," I breathe, annoyance piercing my words.

"Absolutely sure?"

"I have never been more positive in my entire life."

He glances away from me, shrugging oddly; and then he does what I told him to do, he puts me down. One second, his arms are supporting me, the next, they aren't – and I'm falling. My back hits the hard floor first, shooting pain to all of my extremities.

"Shit!" I curse as I roll over on my stomach, thinking of a hundreds ways I could possibly murder Rico. My fall must've caused a loud thump because just like that, Dominic's door is thrown open and he stands there, hand on the doorknob, looking as though he had been woken up miserably at three in the morning.

Oh wait...

"Dommy!" Rico extends his arms to the man, who just eyes Rico with curiosity. His eyes fall on me, he blinks, and then he speaks.

"Oh fuck no. No, no, no, no, nope!" Dominic slams the door in Rico's face, leaving Federico standing there, arms still outstretched towards his door. I can see Rico pout as he steps away; I stand up, gingerly, and head towards Dom's door, knocking.

"Dominic, please," I groan, a palm pressed against the door, "Help me!" I was about to step away and continue my task of getting Rico to sleep, but Santiago's door opens, but just by an inch or so.

"Faith, I have a very important meeting in the morning and I can't lose sleep over..." Dom glances over my shoulder, "that.."

I turn just a little, to see Rico spinning in a circle; his arms are outstretched and he holds a long, "weeeee" as he spins.

"Fine," I finally let out, exasperated. Dominic smiles apologetically and begins to close his door. "Wait," He stops, "Where's Liam? I woke up and he isn't in his room." The question seemed to take Dom back, but he blinks back his surprise and answers.

"He probably had some work that he wanted to do personally," Dominic shrugs, "Who knows." And without allowing me time to ask another question, he slams his door. I hear it lock as footsteps fade away, leaving me all alone.

I turn around, my hand on my hips. Rico had stopped spinning; now he attempted to stand still, eyes wide; I could tell he was feeling quite dizzy. I call him quite a few names and take his hand, easily guiding him back into his room. My eyes immediately scan his room; liquor bottles everywhere, including a countless amount of drugs. I wasn't sure how much he had used alcohol wise, but that didn't matter; he was smacked.

"Are you sleepy, Ri—" I gasp loudly as Federico slaps my ass.

Without thinking, I raise a hand, and turn around, directing it right at his cheek. The slap echoes through the room and slowly, Rico raises a hand to his face, touching the numbing area I had slapped with all might. I took a step back as his hazel eyes fell on me, taking me all in with one swift glance.

He smiles, "That was hot."

I realized that slapping him, was a horrible idea. One, he found it hot. Two, I couldn't get my hand back. He had latched his long fingers around mine, squeezing them as he pulled my hand away from his face. He never let go as he yanked me towards him. In one fluid motion, he grabbed my other wrist and before I know it, I'm lying on his bed, Rico slowly climbing on top of me.

"You're really pretty," He mumbles. Rico doesn't kiss me, but I feel his facial hair dragging across my cheeks. His hands continue to pin my wrists to the bed, leaving me exposed to anything he wanted to do to me. I continued to squirm, hoping to break free.

My eyes wander over his broad shoulders, to his nightstand. A glass bottle, full of beer, sat opened on it. I wasn't keen on knocking Federico out with a glass bottle; hurting him wasn't my intent – but in the end, I did not want to be forced into sex.

My body tenses as Federico places a kiss on my shoulder, making his way towards my neck. I twist and turn uncomfortably, but Rico just chuckles instead of getting upset. He drops his hands, freeing mine, to grip my waist; he presses our hips together. I was about to go bat-shit crazy on him again, but he grabbed at my face, wrenching it to face his.

"Kiss me," He mutters against my lips.

Federico doesn't even wait for me to respond. He slams our lips together, his hand forcing me to keep my head there – there was no way I could turn away. Opening my mouth was a definite no-no, but I did it anyways in an attempt to scream; but Rico took the opportunity to shove his tongue in my mouth.

Once my mind begins working again, I knee Rico in the groin, watching the familiar reaction as he pulls our faces away from each other and groans. I scramble off the bed, grab the alcohol bottle, and bolt towards the door. There was no decision in my mind; I was going to run out Rico's room, into Liam's and lock the door; barring it with all types of furniture.

But somewhere along the lines of my thinking, I had made a miscalculation.

Somehow, someway, the fact that Federico was a well-trained ninja-like assassin had slipped my mind. In his line of business, I figured he had to be quick on his feet; but I never imaged he was that quick.

He had recovered from the second blow to his particulars, and closed the distance of space I had attempted to put in between us, fairly quickly. I was thrown off balance as Federico grabbed my arm and slung me against the wall. But instead of pressing me against it, he keeps his distance.

His breathing was labored, his expression crestfallen. "Stay, I want you to sleep with me."

"I'm not sleeping with you, Federico."

His lips angle downward. "I—I won't touch."

I wasn't sure how much I believed him, but he looked sincere. "You promise?" He nods briefly and I cave. I extend my hand, which he takes. "Fine, but we're going into Liam's room so I can watch you. Besides, I don't know what kind of bodily fluids are on your bed." I cringe at the thought.

We reach Luciano's room and Rico stumbles inside. He doesn't need to be told much; I watch him crawl in bed on Liam's side. His head drops to the pillow and for a while, he's quiet. I take a deep sigh of relief and remind myself that in the morning, I'm going to murder him.

My lips still tingled from his unexpected kiss; but deep down, I felt guilty. I wasn't sure of what, or why, but I did.

I crawled in on my side and pulled the covers up, facing away from Rico. I thought about that for a second, then flipped around, now facing him. He snuggled up close to me, his breathing even. I was certain he was sleep as his eyes closed and his eyebrows relaxed, returning from their furrowed state. His lips fell apart and his shoulder rose and fell evenly.

My own eyes closed, but I knew sleep wasn't close. I had drifted into my thoughts, uncertain of Liam's reaction if he found out just what Federico had been attempting to do. Then, what if Liam came home in the middle of the night and found Rico? My eyes shot open. That was a worrying thought. It was hard, but I pushed that thought into the back of my head; I'm sure Liam wouldn't accuse Rico of doing anything.

"Faith?"

"Hm?" I open my eyes.

"I could've given you an orgasm so powerful, Japan would've felt the aftershocks."

I laugh softly, patting Rico on the head. His hair was thick and straight. I pushed a few strands off his forehead, nodding. "I'm sure, Rico, I'm sure."

Silence followed for a while and this time, I was positive Federico had fallen asleep – but once again, he surprised me.

"Faith?"

"Yes, Rico?"

"I can't sleep. My dick is hard."

I shut my eyes, tight. "Don't inform me. Go take a cold shower or something."

He takes a while to respond. "Fine," He huffs, "I don't need you to come anyways."

I figured he had given up and that's why the room grew silent. But I was wrong; at the long pause, I re-opened my eyes. Slowly, Rico was running his hand along the crotch portion of his pants, groaning quietly. He had his arm slung lazily across his eyes and the muscles lining his abdomen clenched and unclenched as he....

I slap his shoulder, "Rico! I'm serious." I knock his hand away. "Trust me, okay? By tomorrow, you'll be okay. Alright?" He eyes me curiously for a moment, before nodding and rolling back on his side.

I do the same.

Somebody help me.

- - - -

I woke up to Liam Luciano kneeling on my side of the bed.

His smile was un-normally wide as he greeted me. Liam's voice was cheery and oddly happy for such an early morning hour. "Hi."

"Hi!" I greet with a smile that only lasts a few fleeting seconds.

Then it all came flooding back.

Holy shit.

And that's when I noticed how fake Liam's greeting was, how fake the smile he had plastered on his face had been – and that was when I noticed the murderous look swirling in his grey contact lenses. He was pushing himself up off the floor when I grabbed him by his tie, yanking him back down.

"Liam," I whisper harshly, "Liam I swear to—"

"Ms. Crawford," His jaw locks, "Let go of my tie," My eyes fall to his lips as he speaks, before fluttering back up to his hatred filled eyes. A feeling grew in the pit of my stomach as my last name left his lips. I dropped his tie, allowing him to pull his face away from mine. He adjusts it, eyes still on me, before floating to the still body that lies beside me. "Do you want me to wake him up, or do you?"

My lips part as I think of an answer.

"Whoops," Liam rounds the end of the bed as he slips his tie off, loosening the buttons of his shirt, allowing his neck to breathe. He turns and smiles at me, once again. I cringe. "Took too long to answer." The covers are ripped from both Rico and I's hands, cold air hitting our exposed skin – goosebumps immediately rose on my legs. He grips Rico's arm, who still sleeps like a rock, beside me. Liam yanks the man out of bed.

Federico drops to the ground, groaning. "What...the fuck?" He mumbles, but falls silent quickly.

Luciano bends down. "Get the fuck out of my room, Federico."

Rico doesn't budge.

Liam stands up and clears his throat. Anger radiated off of him like heat from a heater, I cowered under his stare. It was clear he was up for absolutely no bullshit this morning. He closes his eyes for a brief second, takes a deep, shaky breath, before opening them and addressing me. "Faith," He points to Rico on the ground, "You better get your ass up and remove this man from my room before I get out the shower."

I blinked. He had an attitude.

"And what if I don't?"

"He'll be removed on a stretcher, under a white cloth, by two EMTs."

I laughed and threw my legs out the bed; Liam watched me as I came to Rico's side, shaking my head. "You're being ridiculous. He couldn't sleep." That wasn't the entire truth, but Luciano would be okay.

"So you brought him into my bed?" Liam takes a step towards me. My eyes fall to his fists that are clenched at his side. I take a step back, not verbally admitting that I was growing worried. When I don't continue, Liam does. "Did you even consider that maybe I would've liked to come back and sleep in my own bed?" I back up vigorously as Liam speaks. He inches closer and before I know it, my butt hits the edge of the bed. "Did you even consider that maybe I didn't want to sleep on a couch last night?"

I definitely didn't appreciate how close Liam had come to me. If I held my hand up at all, I would've hit his chest. His features are hard and he looks upset, very upset. His eyebrows connect as our eyes search each other's for answers.

"Where the hell did you go last night?" Our conversation takes a 180 as I point to him, "I woke up at three in the morning and you were gone! There's two guns missing in this house and you had the nerve to leave me without a warning?!" Liam's anger visibly subsides. "I'm glad Rico couldn't sleep! At least he was here to protect me when you weren't." Gently, I shove Liam to the side and stalk towards the bathroom. "By the way," I turn around, "You have a little lipstick on your collar." I see Luciano reach up towards his collar, guessing exactly where the red lipstick mark was on the first try. My stomach does a flip flop as I slam the bathroom door.

I stayed in the bathroom for exactly ten minutes. I marched past the Jacuzzi that was in there, I stormed past the mirrors and back again. If I kept walking, I would surely put a hole in the floor. My fingers grasped at my hair as I let out irritated sighs. Yet, I wasn't sure who I was angry at.

Rico, Liam, or me.

In the end, I decided I was mad at both of them and me.

I was mad at Rico for drinking and attempting to make advances. I was mad at Liam for leaving me, considering the current situation going on in his home; and I was mad about the lipstick on his collar. Lastly, I was mad at myself for even trying to help Rico. Because, shit, good guys always finish last; all I was trying to do was help him and Luciano came at me. Like I did something wrong.

When I threw open the bathroom door and stormed my way out, Liam was the first person I saw. He didn't lift his head to acknowledge me. He sat on the edge of the bed, buttoning up another shirt he just put on. I saw the bundled, lipstick covered dress shirt sitting beside him. There was no denying the fact that I was upset and jealous; while I was being kissed on my someone I see as my brother, Liam had another girl all up his grill. At the thought of it, I clamped my mouth closed and walked past him without a word.

I dropped down on the other side of the bed, our backs now facing each other. I slid on a pair of socks before thumping my foot on the ground impatiently. I finally grew a backbone and spoke up. "I hope the bitch that was kissing on you last night saw the hickey I left on your neck."

I definitely felt better after that one.

Liam let out an uninterested sounding laugh. "And I hope you screamed another man's name last night when you and Rico..." I could just imagine Liam making a hand motion instead of just coming out and saying it.

I shot up to my feet and whirled around, shooting glares at Liam. I was expecting to be met with the back of his head, but as if we had rehearsed it, Luciano shot up too and turned around. "Rico and I didn't do anything," I ground out, "Why are you so quick to assume?"

"Just like you are?"

I press two fingers on my nose, closest to my eyes. I let out a frustrated sigh. "Liam, you have lipstick marks on your collar. Unless the woman tripped and kissed your shirt in the process, I'm pretty sure she kissed your neck, among other things."

Liam was already shaking his head by the time he turned away from me. His fingers finish with the buttoning of his shirt. "I don't want to talk about me," he states. Of course he doesn't. I was shaking my head disapprovingly as Luciano switched the topic. "I have an important meeting downstairs in ten," I watch with a scowl as Liam heads towards the door. He grabs a suit jacket that's waiting for him on a rack beside his door. "Again, move your fuck buddy before I do." And he exits the room, but not before slamming the door and waking Rico up.

"Fuck buddy?!"

"Wait, ugh, Faith, I--" I heard Rico groan from his position on the floor as he awoke from his drunken slumber. I heard him curse under his breath before scrambling to his feet and dodging into the bathroom unstably. The door closes seconds later just as I heard Rico throw up. For his sake – and mine – I really hope he made it to the toilet.

Considering there was nothing I could do for him, I headed straight towards the door, in hopes I could catch Luciano. I was lucky; in most cases, Liam probably would've been down the steps and gone by now – but Dominic must've held him up. He was just about to descend down the steps when I called for him.

"You know me," I spoke assertively as I stepped out into the hall. Liam stops, but he doesn't turn around. That alone, angered me even more. "Seriously, Liam—"

"I know you Faith and I also know Rico," Liam eyes me out the corner of his eye. "And if push came to shove, Rico could do whatever the hell he wanted to with you. You know no type of self-defense and I'm fairly certain if I gave you a gun, you would accidently shoot yourself with it."

I stared daggers in the back of his head as he continued his march down the steps. I wasn't done though; Liam had no right, whatsoever, to waltz in and assume the worst had happened without even asking either of us about it. I took a deep breath and headed down the steps quickly. I met Liam at the bottom, only because he paused at what I said.

"Then ask!" I throw up my hands, speaking loudly as Liam turns to face me. I stop at about the fourth step to the bottom, allowing me to look down at Luciano. I could've sworn I saw his eyebrow twitch. He seems to accept the challenge after thinking about it silently.

"Okay," He reaches out, clasping our hands together – but the feeling of his hand on mine, didn't spark the same feelings they usually did. Slowly, he pulls me down the remaining steps and looks up at me expectantly. "Did he touch you?"

Yep.

"No."

Liam's Adam apple bobs as he watches my lips. "Did he kiss you?"

I thought about it for a while, growing worried. "No."

Luciano seems to nod and bob his head as he turns without a word. He takes a few steps away from me, clearly not having any intent to stop. I call out after him.

"Wait, wait, Liam!" I hop off the last step and chase after him. My hands clamp around the back of a suit jacket he had slipped on prior to leaving my room. I held on the hem of it as he continued to walk, pulling me through the foyer of his home. My socks slid on the hardwood floor as he managed to storm through half the foyer – people watching all the while. "Liam!" I throw my head back as I hang on. He stops and turns around, looking very angry.

"Please," He swipes at my hands as I drop them to my side. "Until you can tell me the truth, we won't be speaking." Quickly, he distances himself from me and turns back around, preparing himself to head down another hallway. I sigh, frustrated.

"Fine! He kissed me! He was drunk!" I shout out after him.

Liam stops and looks back to me. I took a cautious step backwards.

"Did you have sex with him?"

"No!" My fingers curl into a fist as I take a step towards Liam. "Why would I lose my virginity to Rico?! He probably doesn't even know how many girl's he's screwed!"

"That isn't the point!" Liam shouts back. He takes a forceful few steps in my direction, only growing louder the closer he got to me. "He could've raped you and you're just lying to me!"

"He didn't rape me! I would try and kill him before he did that!" By this point, I was looking directly up at Luciano, who had stormed up to me so quickly, we had bumped chests. "I don't want to lose my virginity to him; I want to lose it to you!"

Oh crap.

It was one of those instances that while you were yelling, you just let things slip; and that was one of those things. On any other occasion, I probably would've been severely embarrassed, but right now, at this very second, I wasn't. I was more upset than anything.

Liam's reaction was one of the best; his eyebrows nearly lifted all the way up his forehead as my mouth fell open and I tried to retrace my steps. I saw him tear his gaze away from me, shooting fleeting glances over my head. That was when I turned around, only to see 30 men just staring at us; many of them stood mid-stride, their mouths agape.

I throw my hands up, "What are you looking at? Keep walking." And like someone hit the un-pause button, they continued to move on with their day.

Luciano's grey eyes flicker back down to me. His lips stayed pursed, but behind his angry facial features, I could see a hint of amusement. "Prove it."

Prove it? How do you prove that?

Liam has lost it.

I must've stood there with no type of facial expression for a while, because by the time I blinked myself back into reality, Liam was walking away. A man was walking beside him, stride-by-stride. He was leaning towards Luciano, explaining something in his boss's ear.

I probably should've stopped chasing him, but I was here to make my point. Nothing happened between Rico and I. I marched back up to Liam and grabbed onto his jacket; he didn't drag me very far this time. Excusing himself from the man standing beside him, Liam turns around.

"You know what, I don't even know why I'm arguing with you," I fold my arms around my chest. "We aren't even together, so it doesn't matter." I turn away from him, shaking my head as I began to walk away. I only got halfway down the hallway when I felt someone grab my shirt and yank me back.

I didn't even struggle as my socks slid on the floor. When I stopped moving, I turned back around to face Liam; he had a bored expression on his face.

"You're mine."

Insert scene of two EMT's using a defibrillator on me.

I blink.

"You have a funny way of showing it."

Luciano laughs and looks away. He tongue runs along his bottom lip before he speaks. "The last time I professed how much I cared about a girl, she wasted nine years of my life, give or take. So, I'm sorry if I'm a little hesitant," The annoyance and slight hint of anger was very evident. "I refuse to let another girl waste my life; so the next time I utter those three, life-changing words, I'm going to be damn sure that girl is the one, and the next time I ask a girl to be my girlfriend, it'll be the last time I ever utter those words to a girl," Liam takes a deep breath.

"Well," I smile softly, "That's cute," My smile fades, "But until you explain how you got those lipstick stains on your collar, you're sleeping on the couch." I brush past him, heading towards the conference room. I can hear Liam laugh behind me.

"It's my bed!"

When I don't respond, Liam finishes.

"You're unbelievable. You all are insane!"

I slip inside the conference room, making a much quieter entrance than before. A low rumble of chatter fills the room as I look around for an empty seats; and to my surprise, there are a bunch. The seats where Dominic and Alex usually sit are empty. And where Rico had sat yesterday, was empty. Other than that, everyone was there.

But the empty seats aren't the only thing I notice. Men are standing and laughing, pushing others to Liam's designated seat. A burly man chuckles as he pulls Liam's seat out and drops in it; he wiggles in the seat for a while and rests his arms on the armrest, clearly growing comfortable in his new seat. I watch with anticipation as I find a seat, my eyes never leaving the man.

The burly man leans forward, clearly in an attempt to imitate Liam. He folds his hand and changes his facial expression. "I'm brown-eyed, contactless Liam," He clears his throat and speaks in a high voice, "Hi, everyone!" I cringe at the highness of his voice. It sounded like he was greeting preschoolers on the first day of school. "Welcome! There's cookies and cupcakes in the next room." A chorus of laughter echoes through the room and I find myself smiling. The man clears his throat, "Okay, and grey-eyed Liam," He puts a fist to his mouth, trying to suppress a smile. His voice is much deeper this time. "If you motherfuckers don't get out my way, I will decapitate you and send your head to your mother. I'll chop off your balls and send them to your father."

A slow, steady clapping comes from the entrance of the room, where Liam stands. "You did well, Charlie." Everyone in the room stands – even Charlie. He scatters away from the seat, quickly finding his as Liam strides into the room slowly. Instead of walking directly into the room like he had before, Liam takes the long way around, purposely passing Charlie's chair in the process. Luciano clamps a hand on the man's shoulder and squeezes. "But eye color doesn't define who I am. Grey, blue, brown, green, orange, yellow, pink, it does not matter. I will shoot you through one eye with my contacts in and I will shoot you in the other with my contacts out."

Even after Luciano lets go of the man, you can tell he still look very worried and visibly tense. I could see Liam's attention focus on the two seats beside him, his eyebrows furrowing. Luciano looks up at he slides his body between the table and his chair. "Where are Dominic and Alex?"

"Alex had an important phone-call to take," someone around the table explains. "I don't know where Dom is."

Liam looks confused but he nods anyways and sits down. "You all may be seated," Everyone, including me, drops to my seat and wait. Liam flips through a couple papers that already lie in front of him. He leans back, eyeing the men around the table; then he looks to me. "I noticed you did this yesterday," He addresses me, "But you do not stand in my presence. I don't know how you were raised, but in my world, the man bows down to the woman; not the other way around."

I wasn't even sure if Liam saw me nod in response, that's how quickly he turned his head away from me and began to address the others. "I want to cover a couple topics today that are...important," he begins, "As for Bobby; he is survived by his four year old son, two year old daughter, and expecting wife." I felt the emotion tugging at my heart. "From what I know, they were struggling financially and living off Robert's pay check. His wife, Natasha, works as a maid and from what Bobby had said to me the last couple times that we spoke, she doesn't make much. So here's what I'm going to do," Luciano leans forward, "I'm going to personally go visit her, break the news, and we're going to help her; financially. We will help them till they get back on their feet, all in repay for what Bobby has done for us over the years. That only feels right, yes?"

The men nod.

Without giving a hint, Liam switches the topic. "Two guns in this house have gone missing," I can feel the room grow tense. "I have plenty of experience with guns and let me just say... They don't grow legs," Luciano glances around the room a third time. "I—"

A curt, cold laughter comes from somewhere around the table as it cuts Liam off mid-sentence. The man is short, but he has a baby face. His hair falls messily over his forehead, nearly covering his eyes. "They probably went missing while you were out screwing your mistress."

Luciano does a double take. "What is with all the disrespect lately?" Even from here, I can see Charlie drop his head. Liam's angry demeanor returns. He slaps the table after a lengthy silence. "Answer me."

Nobody answers him.

"I treat you all ten times better than other leaders and all you all do is walk all over me," Liam glares at the man, who now laughs quietly. "Do you want things to change? Do you? I have no problem dropping anyone that looks at me the wrong way."

The man chuckles, "You wouldn't kill anyone on that gorgeous white colored carpet you have around the house."

"Blood red would look fine in my eyes," Liam snaps at him.

The room falls silent; no talking, mumbling, or laughing is heard. I see Liam drop to his seat and throw his hands up to his head. "My head hurts," He mumbles and stands, swaying just a bit. "Screw it. Leave."

Luis glances at his boss. "Leave?"

"Leave!"

The men around the table shoot glares at the baby faced man that had cut Liam off in the first place. Luciano stands and heads towards the door, taking a sharp left. I was the next out the door, leaving the rest of the men to watch Luciano and I leave. Liam was quite a few steps ahead of me, but he stopped as the hallway led to the foyer. I was complexed as the why Liam stopped there, rigid; but when I sidled up beside him and saw who he was staring at, I froze to.

Rico had just waltzed out the kitchen, a couple pills in his hand, and a water bottle in the other. He was still wearing what he wore to bed last night and even though he had bags under his eyes and looked as though he didn't get a wink of sleep last night, he still looked approachable.

Liam and Federico stared at each other for the longest time. I could see Rico growing tense and in my head, I could picture him analyzing every exit he could take if Liam decided to charge at him. For some reason, I felt as though Liam would just walk away – but then again, this wouldn't be the Luciano household if he had.

Rico makes the first move; he bolts.

Liam already peeled off his suit jacket and was giving chase. The two fly past a maid that was just entering the room; she screams and throws herself to the side as Liam past past her. I had to run to keep up with them, but I was joined by a couple other men and security.

Rico had Liam by a good couple steps, but I was positive he wasn't as fast as he could've been, considering he probably had an intense hangover. I wasn't sure what Liam would do if or when he caught Rico, but I would be lying if I didn't say I was afraid.

Federico took a sharp right first and he stumbled. His knees hit the floor, hard, and at the angle and speed he was running at, he slid into the wall. I was sure that would slow him down; but it didn't. Without missing a beat, Rico peeled himself away from the wall and continued to run.

"Rico!" Luciano shouted out after him as he was headed right for the backdoors. Two guards who stood beside the glass doors pulled out their weapons and aimed.

Rico didn't slow down.

"Stand down, stand down!" Liam barked orders at his guards as Rico took a sharp left, Liam following all the while.

I wasn't sure if Rico slowed down, or Liam sped up; but somehow, Liam had caught him. When the following party turned the corner, we stopped. Luciano had Rico's back pressed against his chest, Liam's arm locking Rico's neck in place. The two fought as Federico tried to break free, but it was to no avail.

"Rico, stop fighting," Liam commanded the younger man and silently, I watched Rico's arms go limp at his side. Federico looked upset and confused as Luciano kept him pinned against his chest. The two were breathing heavily as Liam loosened his grip around Rico's neck. "If I let you go, will you run?"

"N-no."

I breathed a sigh of relief as Liam let Federico go. Rico was rubbing his neck as they turned to face us. "I'm not mad at you," Liam says. "I'm pissed. But, I think you have something you need to say to Faith."

Rico turns to me. "I get horny when I'm drunk."

"I didn't notice," I reply.

He shuffles in his stance and shoves his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. The move causes his pants to lower on his hips, showing off his v-line. Rico doesn't notice. "I don't really remember much about last night."

"I didn't get to see last night," Liam's smile is fake as he pats Rico hard on the back. He leans to Rico's ear. "But guess what? I will. I have it all on video."

Shit.

"You said your room doesn't have cameras!" I step forward, my voice rising.

Liam smiles sweetly at me. "No," He corrects, "I said my bathroom doesn't have cameras."

I felt the blood draining from my face. It was just something about Liam actually watching what happened last night, made me very, very, very uncomfortable.

"Oh, and Rico," Federico lurches forward once again, looking very uncomfortable as Luciano pats him on the back again. "If you ever want another glass of alcohol in my house again, you have to come through me."

"You can't confiscate my alcohol."

"I already did."

It was clear that Rico was slowly growing angry.

I took another step towards Liam, feeling as though I needed to back Rico up. "Liam," He was still smiling evilly in Rico's direction, clearly pissing the younger man off. "Liam," I spoke his name louder, easily gathering his attention this time. He looks to me. "You weren't even that harsh to Jeremiah when I told you what he said about threesomes."

Liam's arm drops to his side as he takes a step towards me. "You never told me about Jeremiah and threesomes." He bumps my shoulder on the way past me; I groan and reach for his arm. Both of my hands grip his forearm as he drags me through the parting crowd.

"You know, this is actually really fun," I sigh as he pulls me easily down one hallway, than another. We get odd looks from people every so often, but nothing that wouldn't surprise me.

"Where is Jeremiah?" Liam doesn't have to raise his voice to get everyone else's attention. Everyone's eyes float to behind Liam and I.

I was thrown from where I stood behind Liam as he whirled around. My grip on his arm just wasn't strong enough as he twisted his entire body around. I went skidding into another man, who wrapped his arms around me, keeping me from falling to the floor. I thank him quickly and stand up.

Jeremiah stands dangerously close to Luciano, which sends shivers down my spine. If he was that close to Liam when he turned around, then he must've been even closer to me.

His curly hair is wet and he has a cheap, annoying looking smile on his face. His eyes squint as he laughs. "Hey."

"Do you find something funny, Jeremiah?"

His smile disappears. "No."

Liam gets right to the point. "Why are you asking Faith about a threesome?"

"Well," Jeremiah rocks on his feet. He nods his head at Liam, "You're taking too long to make a move. So, shit, I will."

"You told me you were gay," Liam takes a looming step closer to Jeremiah. Luciano stands above the man, who just clears his throat.

"I'm bi." Jeremiah takes a step backwards. "There's a difference."

"Then you're saying you lied to me?"

Instead of backing up and standing down from the challenge Liam was clearly trying to start, Jeremiah takes a step towards Luciano, bumping his chest. Even under Liam's gaze, he stands his ground. "I didn't know I needed to make my sexual preferences clear over a public service announcement." Liam doesn't say anything, "And," Luciano takes a step backwards as Jeremiah now appears to have the upper hand, "I don't see why you're so torn up about it, it was a simple question. I'm more than sure you've had your share of fun with your new lady."

I clear my throat, "We haven't done—"

"Not you," Jeremiah replies back, smiling. "Oh," He turns back to Luciano, "You haven't told her what you've been trying to do?"

"Jeremiah, get out of my house."

The thin, wiry man didn't seem to get the hint. He was bold, I'll give him that. Jeremiah takes a half step towards Liam; they were so close in fact, Luciano actually leaned backwards. "Hey, Faith, your boyfriend is screwing a woman behind your back. How does that make you feel?"

Luciano smiles.

He smiles, he even takes a step back and laughs, turning towards the gathering crowd. Liam points to Jeremiah as his attention floats around the room. "This guy," He chuckles deeply, "This guy..." I anticipated Luciano to say something back, possibly punch him, maybe even shove him; but he didn't. But instead, Liam decided to walk away from the growing anger and tension.

Jeremiah laughs, boastfully at Liam's back. "You're a pussy. You can't even man up and admit it—"

"Shut up!"

It happened so quickly, I hardly saw it. I wasn't sure how, but Liam had whisked out a knife from his pocket; and without giving it a second thought, he chucked it. Jeremiah's eyes went wide, but he didn't move – he didn't have time to move. Nobody said a word as the knife whizzed by the man's cheek and into the wall a few feet away. Everyone's attention zoned in on the knife that was now plunged into the wall.

I could feel Jeremiah's fear; it was similar to how I felt last night, when Federico came into the bedroom and scared me. It was a paralyzing fear that kept you from speaking, moving, and hardly breathing. His lips were parted slightly as Liam marched back up to the man, nostrils flaring, and face beat red.

Liam shoves a finger in the man's face, snarling. "Next time, I won't miss."

And with a shoulder check that nearly knocked Jeremiah to the ground, Liam made a grand exit.

- - - -

That evening was quiet; eerie, creepily, un-normally quiet. Rico had gone up to his room around four o'clock and nobody had seen or heard from him since. Even Dominic's room had been quiet; I pressed my ear against it a few hours ago, but I didn't hear any type of movement happening behind it. Then I came into Liam's bedroom; he wasn't here. I decided I did not want to stay in Luciano's bedroom alone, so I wandered for a while.

By the time I went downstairs, it was easily ten. A couple men lay restlessly on the sofas, laughing at the movie that was playing on the large screen. I relaxed and let out a breath I hadn't even realized I was holding when I noticed that Jeremiah was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh hey," One of them threw their legs off the armrests of the sofa and sat up. Their movements caused the others in the room to turn around and look at me. "It's Liam's main bitch."

I smile, "I'm honored." Rolls eyes.

"He's downstairs," another person shouted out in the room. I figured it was the man in the corner popping popcorn in his mouth.

"I am downstairs."

The man to my left spoke up. He reminded me of Rico and Liam combined; he had dark hair, styled similarly to Luciano's. Yet, he had a noticeable tattoo on his arm. "No, downstairs as in the basement." The man leans his head back and turns back towards the television just as a chorus of laughter rings out through the air. "Take a right; it's the third door on the left. Don't get lost and don't enter any other room unless Luciano is with you," His eyes flutter back to me, "You may see something you can't un-see."

I swallowed hard. My, "okay", came out very weak sounding. The men didn't seem to notice as I slipped out the room and headed towards the steps leading to the basement. They were sectioned off by a lone door. I pulled it open with a loud creak and I just stared down into the dark abyss. I lean my head into the doorway, keeping my feet planted where they were.

"Liam?" I whisper-shouted. I couldn't see an ounce of light from anywhere. All I could see was the first few steps, before they descended and disappeared into a pitch-black fog. "Liam?" I raised my voice and leaned in the doorway just a bit; without receiving an answer, I slammed the door. "Welp, he isn't in there."

"He's in there," A man chuckles as he rounds a corner, a cup in his hands. He takes a sip, before cringing and chuckling, "Hennessey." Using the hand that's supporting the cup, he points towards the door with a free finger. "He's down there. Here," I nimbly move out the way as he swings the door open and flips a switch. Light illuminates the staircase leading downstairs. He smiles, "Good luck. Something tells me you may need it," and with another sip of his alcoholic drink, he walks away.

Well, that wasn't intimidating.

With a deep breath and a quick pep-talk, I ease down the steps. They weren't horrible, worn away steps either; just like the grand staircase, they were made of marble – they even had a handle rail to hold on to as you walked down. I walked cautiously and slow, but I kept a solid pace and before I knew it, I had reached bottom.

The only direction I could walk was right. To my left, was a slab of concrete. Just like the man upstairs told me, I walked passed two doors and stopped. The steady sound of a gun being cocked back and shot filled my ears the closer I got. I didn't knock on the door; instead, I simply slipped inside and closed the door behind me.

Luciano was the only person in the room. He had changed from his constricting dress pants and shirt into something much more comfortable. I was laughing quietly at the sight of his grey sweatpants and plain, black t-shirt. My back pressed against the door as he faced away from me, his attention on a small gun in his hand. Quietly, I watch him release the safety and raise the gun to his eye level, his arms outstretched. Even though Liam had admitted that he was left handed, I noticed he held the gun in his right. The muscles in his arm tightened, the tight sleeves of his shirt only emphasizing the size of them even more.

My throat felt dry.

I lift my gaze from his arms, to a portion of his face. With his back towards me, I couldn't see his exact facial reaction, but I did notice the protective glasses he was wearing. My attention floats to where Liam was aiming; a ways down the room, a crisp white sheet of paper outlining a human body sway – almost begging Liam to shoot it. The target had two black dots as eyes and a creepy smile that made me shiver.

My hands shoot up to my ears as Luciano pulls the trigger; he doesn't stop at one shot. I watch his shoulders jerk at the recoil of the gun as he rips off six shots in a consecutive manner. He drops the gun and for a second, it's quiet as he leans forward, eyeing the target he hit. I stared at the target, which was now riddled in bullet holes.

If it had been a real person, they would've surely been dead. Three shots had been taken to the target's heart, one hole was placed in the dead center of its forehead, and the other two had landed in the general area of the target's face. It was impressive, really.

I hadn't noticed the full length mirror on the left till Liam turned and faced it. He pulls the glasses off of his face, clearly eyeing my figure in the mirror. I watch him turn around fully, facing me. An expression I couldn't read was written on his face as he chuckled deeply, but he didn't seem very amused. "You found me," He mumbles as he heads towards a long table beside me.

All different types of guns rest innocently on the table. Some were large, others small – I didn't know much about guns, but all of them did look like they had something in common. They all looked heavy.

"Uh," I smile softly, resting my head back on the door. "It wasn't very hard, no." He glances up at me, an amused look on his face. But it doesn't last long. Liam tears his attention back to the guns on the table, eyeing them all with curiosity.

"You look nice," He finally says after a minute of silence. I watch him rest the smaller gun down, now scanning over his other options. I step away from the door and kick my leg out, pointing at the design on my pajama pants.

"Thanks, they're bunnies."

That got a smile from him, "Yes," He laughs. "Cute."

I had come to realize that getting Liam to talk would be hard, but I didn't think it would be like pulling teeth. He seemed to be confused, unsure of what gun to use next – as if he was completely overwhelmed with options. I take a step towards the table, picking up the small handgun he had used previously and eyed it would curiosity.

"How do you use this one?" It was much heavier than it looked; and immediately, I had a much higher appreciation for cops. I couldn't imagine having to run with this thing in my hand. Luciano's eyes glimmer with amusement as he joins me at my side. Quietly, his fingers dance along my hand, positioning my fingers the way they should.

Without a word, Liam walks over to his left and taps a button on the wall. The torn up target is pulled forward by a machine, where Liam takes it down and hangs up another one similar to it. He taps the same button and the machine echoes as he carried the new, un-damaged target to its position. Liam joins me by my side again and nods.

"Have you ever used a gun before?"

"Well," I think back, "My dad, Mr. Crawford anyways, he kind of showed me once when I was younger but... I didn't work at it. So, I guess no."

Luciano grabs my shoulders and pulls me so that I'm facing the target directly. I close my eyes as his cologne fills the vicinity around my head; he sidles up behind me, my back pressed firmly against his chest. His hands run along my bare arms as he outstretches them for me. I could just envision Liam bending down just a bit, hunching himself down to my height.

"It takes practice," Liam's breath hits my ear as he takes a small step backwards. "Practice, a steady hand, and a good stance." With my right hand as my dominant hand, Liam picks up my left, placing it gingerly on the left side of the gun. "Stand a shoulder length apart," I do as I'm told. I can see Liam taking a step back and glancing at my feet. "That isn't—here," The muscles in my leg tighten as Liam's hand grips my thigh, pulling my legs apart.

As Luciano stands back up, his hand drags along my thigh, up my hips, and back to my shoulders.

He didn't have to do that.

The commands don't stop. Before I know it, I'm growing impatient. "Liam," I bump him accidently as I whirl around. "I do not see Rico doing this whenever he shoots a gun!"

I could see Liam cringe at his friend's name. "Rico is also a highly trained individual who has been working with guns since he was ten. You, my dear, are a beginner."

Touché.

"Here," Liam pulls the glasses off of his face, sliding them on my almost immediately. He reaches behind him, on the table, and hands me a pair of thick, black headphones. "Safety first," We both grab the earphones, but Liam's hand covers mine as he slides it over my head. We lock eyes for just a second, before Liam clears his throat and steps back, pointing towards the awaiting target. "Alright, let's see what you got, tiger."

I turn back around with a little confidence and raise the gun just like he taught me. Steadying my hand and standing like he advised, I pulled the trigger. I didn't shoot it nearly as many times as Liam, but at the third shot, I pulled the gun down and stared at the target.

I missed them all.

Liam claps from behind me; and when I face him, he's golf-clapping. "Wow," He smiles, teasingly, "That takes true talent."

"Liam," I stomp my foot like an angered three year old with a tantrum. He chuckles and pushes himself off the table, heading in my direction. Gingerly, he takes the gun from my hands.

"It takes practice," He grows serious. Liam pulls another round of bullets out of his pocket and switches them. The gun clicks as he turns back to face the un-scathed target. "See the target?" I nod. "Picture someone you hate." When I don't reply, Liam continues, "Picture me."

My answer comes in the form of a shove. Luciano laughs, catching his balance, but he doesn't face me. "I don't hate you, Liam."

Luciano raises the gun, then lowers it before responding to me. I can see him look at me out the corner of his left eye. "She isn't someone you should be worried about," Liam adjusts his stance and lets out a deep breath. It was clear he was talking about the woman multiple people have mentioned today – probably the same one that left the mark on his shirt's collar. My quietness urged him to finish, "Her father owns a drug cartel in Mexico. About a year ago, I got in trouble with him during a deal; somehow, I miscounted, giving him the wrong amount of money – but nobody realized it till the deal had gone through and everyone was settled." Liam rolls his shoulders, trying to relax as he spoke. "Her father spoke to me – he was kind, knowing my reputation. However, he said he would never deal with me again unless I could fix what I had done."

"Did you fix it?"

"I tried. I gave him the money that rightfully belonged to him, but he still cut us off with the drugs. His daughter resurfaced in this area about a week ago," Liam takes a deep breath, "Dominic and I figured, the only way to get back on that man's good side, is through his daughter."

I could see where Luciano was going with this. If this man's daughter fell in love with Liam, she would tell her father; who, in turn, would take Liam back business wise.

"Well," I could feel a little jealously growing in the pit of my stomach. I turn towards the target. "How did it go last night?"

Liam smiles, "You don't want to know."

I probably didn't. It falls silent between us as Liam raises his hand once again, this time, pulling the trigger. I wanted to warn him, telling him he wasn't wearing any protection for his eyes or ears; but again, once the target was riddled in bullets he looked down at me.

"She meowed."

"She what?" I question in disbelief.

Luciano drops the weapon to his side. "I kissed her neck and she meowed."

I lost it.

My laugh started as a soft, slow giggle; but before I could even gain control, I had lost it. I was one of those that laughed so hard, I doubled over, clutching my stomach. My balance became suspect and I was stumbling in a circle uneasily. Air became hard to come by and tears pricked the corners of my eyes. I was still laughing as I leaned back, wiping the corners of my eyes with a finger. I stretched my back, hands on my hips, "Whew," but when I leaned up and looked at Liam, my laughter subsided. He had a boring expression on his face; clearly, he didn't find it funny.

"Never. Again," It was obvious how Liam was trying to keep the smile off of his face. "If Dominic still thinks she's that important, then he can go over there, kiss her neck, and listen to her meow. But I can't." Luciano turns away from me and heads towards the table behind us. "In my twenty-eight years of living on this beautiful earth, I've never felt an erection go away that quickly. It went like—" Liam raises a hand and snaps, "—that."

I shift most of my body weight on my opposite foot as Liam bows his head. He grabs another gun from the table and turns around, holding it up to the light. I watch him silently for a moment or two; he looks so concentrated on the larger gun in his hands, completely unsuspecting of my glances.

"Then," Liam continues, surprising me, "I come home, frustrated and annoyed and slightly pissed at Dom because it was mainly his idea. I grab a drink, go upstairs, and Rico is in my bed." The muscle in Liam's jaw clenches, drawing my attention to his face as he walks back towards me and lifts the gun up. This time, I notice he does wear a pair of glasses like mine, and I take a step back as Liam aims at the already torn up target and he fires. I hadn't been suspecting such a rapid amount of fire; this gunshot ten times faster than the other and by the time I looked back up, there was no more target. "I feel like you two spend a lot of time together."

"You're never here," I laugh in response, "you're always busy."

"I'm only human."

"Okay, Christina Perri."

Luciano throws his head back in a hearty laugh. Quickly, he rests the gun down and points to me. "See, see this is why I like you."

"Wh—Liam!" I had backed up dangerously close to the wall as Luciano headed in my direction, a playful glint in his eye. Before I could fight it, Liam bends down, wrapping his arm around the back of my knees. I squeal as he picks me up, flipping me over his shoulder in the process. I slap his back. "Liam, seriously, put me down."

"Your sarcasm is uncanny."

"Why, thank you."

I hang upside down for the longest time, Liam's arm was the only thing keeping me from knocking myself out on the floor. My hair fell around my face as Luciano walked out the room, turning off the light in the process. I could feel all the blood rushing to my head as I attempted to use the upper body muscles I didn't have, but I failed miserably. There was no way Liam was letting me go.

"Liam, I hope you know, I don't like swinging here and staring at your ass."

"That's what someone who did like my ass would say."

My face flushed.

I dangled off of Luciano's back as he walked through the foyer of his home, passing the living room in direction of the steps to lead to his bedroom. The couple of men that I had seen earlier, glanced in our direction; they made a few odd facial expressions, confused as to what was going on. Liam didn't see them, but I did. I shot them a thumbs up as we disappeared around a corner, out of their sight.

My eyes widened as Luciano ascended the stairs. I slapped my hands over my face; I was never one that was afraid of heights, but from this angle, it was scary. I made the stupid decision of removing my hands and opening my eyes while we were nearly to the top; and I swear, I got dizzy.

I shut my eyes tight once again, and by the time I was opening them, we had entered Luciano's room. Gently, I felt him lean on to the bed. He dips his shoulder as my back hits the mattress comfortably. Liam smirks against my neck as he pulls his face away, pressing our foreheads together. His eyes flutter to my lips, back to my eyes, then my lips again. I grew tense under his stare.

"I couldn't give two shits about that girl, Faith," He mumbles against my lips and quite personally, I almost forgot to answer. My heart was beating so hard, I could've sworn Liam felt it.

"That was because she meowed in your ear."

Liam's lips spread apart in a slow, teasing smile. His voice is low and deep as he speaks to me. "I'm sorry we don't spend as much time together as we could. I'll change that, I promise."

I arch my back a bit, causing Liam to eye me curiously. I glance over his shoulder at the closed door. "You might want to anticipate having visitors."

"No visitors," He chuckles. His eyes flicker to my lips once again, and slowly, he drags his bottom lip into his mouth. "On a scale of one to ten, how mad would you be if I kissed you right now?"

I throw my arms around his neck lazily and tear my attention away from him and onto the ceiling. I can still feel his intense gaze on my face as I think about it; purposely taking longer than I needed to. I squirmed, squealing as Liam brought a hand up to my side, gently grazing a few fingers under my shirt.

"I'm not a very patient person," Luciano smiles as he presses our lips together. Our lips part briefly as he chuckles, but it wasn't long. They move slowly, molding together perfectly. Liam pulls away, slowly dragging my bottom lip into his mouth and tugging. Then his lips move away from mine and attach themselves to my neck.

An array of feelings were growing in the pit of my stomach; arousal, nervousness, uncertainty. Knowing Liam had locked the door on our way inside, and at the rate things were escalating, I simply knew this time; there was a very slim chance that someone would interrupt us – and that scared me. I let my head roll to the side as Liam left wet kisses on my neck; occasionally, I would feel his teeth gently dragging along my skin – that would get a quiet groan.

But the calming, pleasurable feeling quickly left as Liam pulled away without notice. I swung my head back to face him, watching as he leaned back on his ankles, smiling softly. He didn't say much as his arms crossed each other's over his head, his fists gripping the sides of his t-shirt. Slowly, almost teasingly, Luciano pulls the piece of clothing over his head, tossing it to the side.

He closed the gap between us, bending himself down again to kiss me – as if he hadn't kissed me in a while. I felt him smile against my forehead, placing a kiss there, before lowering his mouth to mine. I stop him; but not with words. My hand outlines the broadness of his shoulder, before running down his bicep. Liam's soft laughter hits my forehead as we both smile.

Next comes his chest. My fingers dance down the sternness of his pectoral muscles, around his hardened nipples, and to his abdomen. His abs were well-defined, cutting deeply into his stomach as I ran my thumb along them. He supported a six pack, possibly on the verge of an eight if he kept at his workout routine.

My hands found either side of his cheeks as he finished leaning down for another breathtaking kiss. It was rougher than the one before; faster, but I enjoyed every bit of it. I was lost in the moment; I was happy and content – till Liam made another move.

I felt his hands snaking up my sides, underneath my shirt; I quickly broke the kiss away and grasped at his hands, keeping them still against my skin. He looked momentarily confused, before he leaned into the crook of my neck and placed a kiss there. He angles his mouth towards my ear, whispering softly. "Relax." And I did. Instead of resting my hands back at my side, or throwing them back around his neck, I raised them over my head; allowing Liam to slip the shirt I was wearing off easily.

Luciano's eyes drifted to my chest, which was only being covered now by one last layer of clothing: my bra. He didn't say anything at first and my heart began beating even harder. I throw my arms across my chest and smile sweetly. "I know what you're thinking," He lifts an eyebrow, "They're like bee-stings."

A smile spreads across his face.

"Okay, fine," I roll my eyes, "Enlarged bee-stings."

He dips his head to my upper-chest, placing a kiss right below my neck. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and right now, I'm beholding."

I let out a loud, pleased laugh as I throw my hands over my face and chuckle. Liam continuously smiles against my skin, as he presses lips downwards, heading closer towards my cleavage. Even without meaning to, I feel myself growing tense. Luciano hands prop my back up just a bit, as his fingers nimbly reach for my bra-strap. His eyes lock on to mine and he freezes.

"May I?"

I appreciated the fact that he had the decency to ask, probably after seeing the hesitation in my eyes. My mind was racing at a hundred miles an hour as my mouth fell open and I froze. I didn't have a clear answer for him. A part of me said: well, hell yes. Whereas another part of me said: well, hell no. It was like the devil and the angel were on my shoulders, eagerly pushing me to one decision or the other.

Liam tilts his head ever-so slightly to his right, my left. "You're hesitating. Your heart and your mind aren't on the same page."

I nod, that was exactly how it needed to be put.

"I don't want to regret it," That was my main fear, other than it hurting – but Liam didn't need to know that just yet.

"You won't regret it."

I look away from him, "In high-school, when everyone I associated with was having sex in the janitor's closest... they all said they regretted it."

Gingerly, Liam angles my head back to him, a look of certainty on his face. "Fi, this isn't a janitor's closest," I let out a laugh, nodding all the while, "And besides," He shrugs, egotistically. "They didn't have sex with me."

I slap his chest in a playful manner, before wrapping my arms around his neck and leaning up. His head finds my neck once again as his fingers work around my back in attempt to un-hook my bra. Liam lowers me back to the bed and presses our foreheads together one again. Our eye contact never wavers as Luciano pulls the last piece of clothing on my chest away, and throwing it somewhere to his right. I inhaled sharply, but not as sharply as Liam did when he glanced downwards.

I had prepared myself to speak, but the vocabulary book in my head went blank almost instantly. Liam's mouth went straight for an exposed breast. My back arched as the only word I could find was this one.

"Shit."

He pressed a hand to my shoulder, keeping me pinned on the bed. I could hear him chuckling deeply as his tongue ran over my nipple, sending a variety of feelings all over. Heat rushed to my face and between my legs as Liam repeated the motion with his tongue three times; all causing the same reaction from me.

Liam was still smiling wide as he brought his face back up to mine. "Earlier, I told you I like bunnies and you looked cute, but right now," He glances between the gap of space that separate our bodies, as he uses his forearms to keep him off of me. We eye my pajama pants. "I don't like bunnies." He didn't even let me reply, which I found totally unfair.

I let out a gasp as Liam leaves a trail of kisses past my jaw, my neck, and my collarbone. The kisses don't stop as he passes my chest and smiles against my stomach, leaving a variety of kisses on my abdomen. My hands entangle themselves in the thickness of his hair as he positions himself between my legs. My stomach clenches with nerves as he pulls the poor bunny decorated pants off my legs, exposing my underwear to him.

Liam glances up quickly, a serious expression on his face. "Did you shave? You don't want me to get lost down there." I let out a laugh at the words that escaped my lips just a few weeks prior. He smiles at my reaction, his fingertips playing with the hem of their fabric. I lift my leg up, knocking him gently in the side; he chuckles and smiles at me, "Just kidding."

I was completely exposed to him by the time he brought his face back up to mine. The "you're beautiful" he muttered in my ear, arose the butterflies in my stomach.

I smile softly as Liam rolls over and off of me. I roll to my side, watching peacefully as he shimmied out of his sweatpants; I let out a gasp as he grabbed my hips and pulled me closer to him, grinning all the while. My attention flutters past his handsome features, broad shoulders, and abs. They land on the popular brand of Calvin Klein boxers that he supports.

I didn't have to utter a word for Liam to know what I wanted. I didn't watch him strip, probably because I was still nervous. He reached for something in his nightstand after kicking his boxers to the side and I could only assume it was protection.

He rolled back over on me, making sure he supported most of his weight on his forearms beside me. He gave my lips a quick peck before lifting his gaze off my lips and into my eyes. "I don't mean to hurt you, but it may hurt, you know that, right?" He pushes a strand of hair away from my face and nods, before leaning down and placing a kiss on my cheek.

Liam was right; it did hurt. It wasn't as bad as a few very dramatic girls back in high school had said. Oh my god, I almost bled out. Or, I screamed so loud, I think I made him deaf. But he was gentle and slow and I melted under his touch.

And at that moment, we were as close as anyone could be. Luciano rested his head beside mine, his breath hitting my cheek whenever he exhaled. We stayed like that for a moment; neither of us moving. The sharp pain slowly subsided as Liam did begin to move; it was replaced with a pleasurable feeling I couldn't quite explain.

The experience was like no other. The pleasure only increased from that point forward and soon enough, it was just Liam and I. Holding, touching, kissing, loving. Our cries of pleasure were simply loud enough for just us to hear; Liam's pants and whimpers of pleasure filled my ear, just as mine did his. I could feel his hands on my hips and his lips running along my neck as he kissed me.

The feeling in the pit of my stomach only grew the longer we laid there. I let out a gasp and arched my back; and just like that, I was floating back down from cloud nine. We were both breathing heavy as Liam whispered a curse word in my ear, causing me to smile.

His forehead glimmered with a thin layer of sweat as I ran my hand across his hairline, gently pushing a few strands of hair away from his face. I let out a quiet laugh as he pressed a kiss to my wrist.

Liam pulls away as I drop back down to the bed, breathing deeply. He disappears out of my line of sight, but he crawls back in bed, this time with his boxers back on. Immediately, he rolls closer to me, his lips spreading in a smile as he places a kiss to my cheek.

I can feel exhaustion preparing to overtake me as my eyelids flutter closed. Liam grabs my hand, placing a soft kiss on the back of my knuckles as he whispers a, "Goodnight, Fi."

I fell asleep at the feeling of Liam pushing hair away from my face; least to say, it was peaceful.

- - - -

a/n: If you made it through this incredibly long chapter, I salute you.

If the sex scene sucked, I apologize. Don't hate me.

I understand that some of you don't like the development between Liam and Faith; I've gotten quite a few messages about it. It's not a lot – just a select few. I can't make everyone happy with the development of this story and I hope you understand that.

I have a question though; I want a new cover! But other than WeHeartIt, what is a good place to find pictures?

Comments on the chapter?

There will be plenty of Fiam time to come! Just wait!

[ edited ; i warned ya'll ] - okay honestly I didn't really edit this chapter I'm just looking for plot holes at this point my ass is tireD