My Childhood Bully is a Mafia Boss-Chapter 41

Ivy 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

I dragged myself into my office, collapsing into my chair with a groan. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest after Aidan had his way with me. My knuckles turned white as I gripped the edge of my desk, trying to steady my ragged breathing.

Humiliation flooded my cheeks, hotter than any desire Aidan had stirred in me. I hated how helpless I was under his touch, reduced to a quivering mess with just a glance from those predatory eyes.

"You’re stronger than this," I hissed under my breath, gritting my teeth. But even my own voice sounded unconvinced.

With Aidan, I wasn’t the powerful, independent woman the world knew me to be. I was weak, pliant putty in his hands, bending to his every whim and begging for more.

The thought made me sick. I slammed a fist on the desk, papers flying.

How did he strip me of my control so easily? I loathed how my body came alive under his, betraying my resolve to stay detached. No matter how much my mind protested, my traitorous body always craved his touch.

I straightened my pencil skirt and blouse with shaking hands, trying to appear as put together as possible. But no amount of tidying could erase the signs of what Aidan and I had done—the swollen lips, the bruises blooming on my neck, the disheveled hair.

Worst of all was his scent, clinging to my skin and clothes like a brand. His cologne, mixed with the salty aroma of sex. The primal, masculine scent was carved into my memory, forever associated with raw pleasure and helplessness.

I gripped the edge of the desk, nails biting into the wood, and took a steadying breath. Next time, I would not give in. I would not go crawling back to him like a mindless slave to her master.

I was stronger than this. I had to be.

My hands trembled as I gathered my things. Then, with trembling hands, I called for my car.

I couldn’t stay here and continue my work anymore. My head was a jumbled mess of thoughts. I needed to leave. I needed air.

By the time I reached his front door, I could bear it no longer. I shoved through the entrance, kicking off my shoes and stripping off my coat as I went.

The house was empty, silent. Thank God. I couldn’t face him now, not when I was coming apart at the seams.

I practically tore my clothes off on my way to the bathroom. I turned on the shower in a hurry.

I stepped under the water with a groan, bracing my hands against the cool tile as the water streamed over my heated skin.

I stayed there until the hot water ran out, and then I dried off slowly, combing my tangled hair and moisturizing my body with scented lotion.

Ah...it felt so good to be clean again. I walked out and dried myself quickly and then, put on a simple summer dress.

I wandered into the kitchen, suddenly starving. I needed to eat or I would just pass out!

"Ms. Ivy! I didn’t know you were back," Molly exclaimed.

"Could you get me something to eat?" I asked without wasting a breath.

Molly nodded. "Of course. I will fix you something. Just give me ten minutes. Will you be eating in the dining room?"

I shook my head. "Could you bring it to the bedroom?"

"Sure thing," Molly said, smiling.

I swiftly went back to the bedroom and plopped myself on the bed.

I knew I couldn’t avoid him even if I wanted to. We lived together, for Christ’s sake. But today, I wanted to show him that I was angry at him. Just because he got jealous of Derek doesn’t mean he needed to ravage me like that!

Better to confront him now, before old wounds had a chance to fester and new resentments took root. I needed to make my position clear, to assert my boundaries and demand my freedom. I would not be controlled or possessed. I would not bend to his will or submit to his desires.

But then...when I thought of Aidan and the way his touch felt, my determination wavered. God, it felt so incredibly good.

Damn him!

I heard a soft knock, interrupting my thoughts.

Molly entered the room, a tray brimming with food in her hands. She placed it down on the bedside table with utmost care.

"Hope this is okay, Ivy," she said, smiling.

I eyed the plate of spaghetti with meatballs, freshly baked garlic bread that promised a burst of flavor, and a slice of chocolate mousse cake, its rich sweetness calling out to me.

"Oh my gosh, Molly! You have outdone yourself!" I laughed.

Molly laughed too. "Oh, it’s nothing. Mr. Blackwood ordered me to take care of you and I intend to do just that. It’s not everyday, he brought a woman that he cared for so much."

My heart twitched. Did Aidan really care for me or was it all a facade?

I picked up my fork and started to eat without waiting for Molly to leave, shoveling spaghetti into my mouth quickly as if trying to scarf it down. It was warm and chewy, just how I liked it, with her homemade sauce that was slightly tangy from tomatoes but still rich with flavor.

I heard the door open again - Aidan was back. He must have came home while I was busy eating. His presence filled up the room like an invisible force; his cologne wafting through the air around him made me light-headed with need.

"You are home early," he said softly, leaning against the doorframe as he watched me eat. His voice was deep and gravelly, sending shivers down my spine.

"I will leave you to it," Molly said and left.

I continued eating as if he wasn’t even there, but my heart thumped loudly in my chest. I ignored him, focusing on the food instead of engaging him.

"Ivy." His voice was a warning growl, but there was a note of amusement in it too.

"What? I am eating," I said, still not looking at him.

"I apologize for earlier," he said. "I shouldn’t have done that, but I couldn’t help it."

I slowly put down my fork and dabbed my mouth with a napkin. "You can’t just do that to me whenever you want and then apologize, Aidan."

"I know, I know. But I get...territorial when it comes to you," he admitted, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "Forgive me?"

Territorial, huh? Did he really think that was a good excuse?

"Fuck off, Aidan. I don’t care about your apology. I am not yours and I will never be yours no matter how many times you shout it," I said. I knew it was a lie. I was one hundred percent his at this point, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t pretend that I didn’t accept him!

He chuckled and sat down on the bed, inching himself closer to me. "Feisty, I like that."

"What? You like to bully women?" I asked, reminding me of the time he bullied me.

But...that was different than this.

"No, I love your fire. It’s what attracted me in the first place," he said, tilting my chin towards him. "Ivy, I was a bastard earlier, but I can’t help it when I see you with other men. It drives me insane!"

I blinked at him. "You’re jealous?"

"Yes I am, and I make no secret of it - you’re mine and only mine," he growled, his eyes darkening dangerously. "And I told you. It bothered me a great deal that I wasn’t your first."

"What the hell, Aidan! I haven’t seen you since high school. You never told me you wanted...that," I breathed.

"What, you couldn’t tell that I wanted you back then?" Aidan said. He looked genuinely surprised and amused. "The time we spent, the things we did together. To each other. We crossed the boundaries of friendship. And yet, you had no idea that I would want to have sex with you?" he asked exasperatedly.

God, was I really so naive back then?

He continued, "Ivy, I’ve wanted you since high school. But I was too afraid to tell you because I knew if I did, I’d scare you away. And so I settled for friendship."

I looked at him. It didn’t look like he was lying. "So...the friendship between us...was it because you wanted to sleep with me?"

"Fuck, Ivy. Don’t twist my words around," he groaned. "Our friendship was real. I meant it when I said you were my best friend. But that doesn’t mean I never thought about taking it further than that. In fact, I had my mind made up to ask you to be my girlfriend, but you..." he stopped.

"But I what?" I asked, almost breathless.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You showed me that you wanted nothing but friendship from me."

That was far from the truth. "But you didn’t ask!"

"You went to the prom with that dumbass, Aaron and I even saw you kissing him," he growled accusatory.

What? Prom was ancient history, and it was barely a kiss. But he was talking about that like it happened last week!