by Julia Sykes
“I know you’re upset, but—”
“I’m only upset because you won’t take a hint,” he barked over me. “I don’t want you in my space, Sofia.”
I pressed my lips together to prevent them from trembling. Tears burned behind my eyes, but I pushed through.
“Why are you being like this?” I demanded. “I thought you took me to your old neighborhood to win me back. Well, you did. I want to be with you, Mateo.”
“No, you don’t,” he snapped, his white teeth flashing like a predator baring its fangs. “The man you want to be with is a lie I created to lure you in. Returning to where I came from today reminded me who I truly am.”
I straightened my spine, standing my ground. “You might have been raised there, but you don’t belong in that place. Your life is better now. You’re better, even if you still do bad things for Adrián.”
His lips curved in a mocking smirk. “Bad things. You have no idea what I do for Adrián. You have no idea what I did to Ruiz and Medina.”
I shook my head. “You’re right. I don’t know. And I don’t want to know. I can’t change how you live your life, and I can’t change the fact that I was born into this nightmare, even though Daddy hid it from me. I understand that now. I understand it, and I still want to be with you.”
The cold smirk twisted into something harsher, meaner. “What your father says about me is true, Sofia. I’m an animal. I’m ruled by my base urges, and I take what I want. I wanted you. So, I manipulated you into choosing to accept that you’re mine. But you never had a choice. I claimed you for myself, and I never had any intention of letting you go.”
His words were icy, but his eyes glinted with a feverish light. He still wanted me, but he was pushing me away. I wasn’t certain which specific event today had triggered this change in him, but I resolved to persist.
“I don’t understand how taking care of me and respecting my boundaries is manipulative,” I reasoned. “You showed me who you really are today, and the man I see isn’t an animal.”
“That’s because you only see what I’ve wanted you to see,” he countered, the rasp in his voice caught between menace and desperation. “You don’t know what I’m capable of. Your pretty little brain couldn’t even imagine the twisted things I want from you, what I planned to do to your deliciously delicate body as soon as I obtained Adrián’s permission to fuck you. You have no idea what it would really be like to be mine.”
Mine. He caressed the final word, as though he savored the taste of it on his tongue. He’d declared his claim over me like this several times since he’d taken me hostage. It obviously meant more to him than simply being in a romantic relationship with me. The term was utterly possessive, irrevocable.
The intensity unnerved me, but I wouldn’t permit him to pull away because I was too cowardly to fight for him. Mateo was bleeding inside, and now that he’d shown me the wound, I couldn’t walk away.
“Fine.” I flung the word at him like a challenge, goading him. “I don’t know what it would be like to be yours. So, show me.”
He made a harsh, animal sound, gnashing his teeth. I’d provoked the beast, but I had to trust that he wouldn’t hurt me.
“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” he growled. “I’ve given you a pretty little fantasy version of how it would be between us. You don’t want to see the truth.”
“Yes, I do,” I insisted. “Show me. Make me yours.”
His features sharpened to something almost feral. “You’ll regret this,” he warned, the bulge in his jeans signaling my victory. “Go get changed. Put on the most revealing dress you own. Nothing sweet or innocent will do for where I’m taking you.”
I shrank back slightly, off-balance. This wasn’t the direction I’d expected the conversation to take. “Where are we going?”
He flashed his teeth in a wicked, hungry grin. “If you’re mine, you don’t question my decisions. You obey.”
I swallowed hard and managed a shaky nod.
“We’re leaving in half an hour. For the rest of the night, you do exactly as I say. You don’t even speak without my permission.”
My lips parted, but I locked down my protest. If Mateo was trying to scare me off, he was doing a really good job of it. He’d been bossy before, but our interactions had always been playful.
He wasn’t playing right now.
I pressed my lips together, demonstrating my willingness to comply with his demands.
His black eyes glinted, his mouth taking on a cruel twist. “Good girl.”
Despite his unnerving energy, the words were an instant, visceral trigger. The wash of pleasure that rolled through my system was strong enough to draw a small moan from my chest, and my panties grew damp with arousal. I swayed toward him, my body drawn to his as though he was magnetic.
His brow creased in confusion, and he stepped back, as though he was trying to escape an answering pull toward me.
He shook his head, attempting to clear it.
“Thirty minutes,” he muttered, turning and stalking away from me.
I remained rooted to the spot for several seconds, my mouth watering as I admired his muscular frame. Mateo had always been sinfully sexy, but suddenly, I was ravenous for him. My body pulsed with desire, my nipples pebbling to hard buds. All that prevented me from chasing after him and climbing his big body was his demand for my obedience.
Whatever I’d just agreed to engage in was more than a little frightening, and the intensity of my response was even more disconcerting.
For Mateo, I would face these fears.
And judging by my current state of arousal, I would enjoy it.
Mateo had never looked more dangerous or more irresistible. His tight black t-shirt, dark wash jeans, and heavy motorcycle boots were no different than usual, but he pulsed with dark, powerful energy that made me want to fall at his feet and worship him like my own personal god.
I didn’t even consider teasing him for selecting the Batmobile as our ride for the evening. He didn’t utter a single word to me for the duration of the forty-minute drive to our destination, but his reticence didn’t worry me. If anything, his aloof demeanor intensified my arousal.
Every time the impulse to chatter to fill the silence popped into my mind, his order for my absolute obedience weighed on me more heavily, sinking in to my psyche and setting off an arousal response in every sensitive spot on my body.
Good girl.
Obeying him felt so good. I didn’t have to twist myself in knots to try to win his approval, because he’d told me exactly how he expected me to behave. The knowledge that my compliance pleased him elicited physical gratification.
By the time the Batmobile came to a full stop, my fresh pair of black lace panties were ruined, and my nipples ached where they rubbed against my silky red dress.
Mateo got out of the car and tossed his keys to the valet. I watched his every move with minute attention to detail, drooling over the way his muscles shifted and flexed as he walked around the car and opened my door.
He offered his hand, and I snatched it, pulling myself toward him and tucking my body close to his. I stared up at him, drinking in his dark, rugged features as I fell deeper under his thrall.
He frowned down at me, gripping my chin between his thumb and forefinger to capture my face for his inspection.
“You’re not supposed to like this so much,” he said gruffly.
My voice was already fully harnessed by his order for silence, but I rubbed my aching nipples against his hard chest, clinging to him to demonstrate how much I wanted him.
He bit out a curse and stepped away from me, breaking the intimate contact and holding only my hand. I craved more, but I’d agreed to this arrangement for the evening. Mateo was completely in control, and so far, I’d loved every second of it.
A bouncer opened a heavy, metal door with a familiar nod to Mateo.
He led me inside, and we stepped into a short, mirrored corridor. Our reflection su
rrounded us on all sides: Mateo dark and massive, and my much smaller frame draped in red silk that revealed more than it concealed.
I’d never dared to step outside of my bedroom in this dress before. I’d purchased the designer garment for a ludicrous amount of money, considering I’d never had the guts to actually wear it in public.
“I shouldn’t have let you leave the house in this dress,” he muttered, low enough that I suspected he was speaking to himself.
The mirror directly in front of us swung outward, opening to admit us into the club.
The deep, pulsing bass hit me first, thrumming into my body and making my heartbeat match its hypnotic rhythm. A whiff of cigar smoke and a heavier, muskier scent permeated the air: an intoxicating, decadent perfume.
I pressed myself closer to Mateo, but he stepped forward, leading me out of the reflective corridor and into the most shocking scene I’d ever witnessed.
At first, I thought he’d brought me to a high-end strip club. Two completely nude women wound their bodies around silver poles, undulating in an erotic dance that matched the pulsing music. A third woman wore some sort of strappy leather harness that accentuated her nakedness, highlighting the most sensuous parts of her body as she sauntered around on black stilettos, balancing a tray of martinis.
I hesitated, my steps faltering. Mateo didn’t spare me a glance or pause to check in on me. He simply continued walking, tugging me along in his wake.
We moved deeper into the club, scantily-clad bodies parting to make way for his bulk. I became aware of low, unmistakably sexual groans mingling with the rhythmic bass.
My stomach sank. Had Mateo brought me to a sex club?
He’d warned me that he was going to show me the kind of man he really was. Did he intend to push me away by showing me that he came here to fuck other women whenever he pleased?
If that was his plan, I wasn’t certain if my heart would survive it.
He tugged my hand sharply, making me stumble forward. He caught me before I fell, his hands sinking into my hips as he shifted my body into the position he desired. One brawny arm hooked around my belly, pulling my back flush with his rock-hard chest. His erection pressed into my ass, long and thick.
Keeping me pinned against him, he lifted his other hand to my throat, wrapping his fingers around my neck and forcing me to focus on the scene before us.
Another naked woman was on display, the crowd we’d waded through surrounding the spectacle in a loose circle. This woman wasn’t dancing. She was bound, her wrists cuffed and chained above her head, forcing her up onto her toes. Her breasts rose and fell with her heavy, panting breaths, her nipples peaked with desire despite her predicament. Her flushed cheeks glistened with tears, and when the man looming behind her dipped his hand between her legs, I realized that the sensual groans had been issuing from her lips.
I tried to edge away, overwhelmed by the sight. I knew that some people engaged in kinky sex, but being faced with a public display of bondage went far beyond anything I’d ever experienced.
Mateo held me fast, his body an iron cage around mine. I felt his hot breath tease over my skin as he dipped down to whisper dark words in my ear.
“You see? This is what I want to do to you. I want you just like that: bound and trembling and weeping for release. If you were mine, this is how it would be between us. Your pretty little body would be my plaything. I would make you scream for me and beg for more of whatever I wanted to give you: pleasure or pain.
“That’s what it means to be mine. Absolute submission. I would own you.”
I shivered in his hold, and I felt his cock jerk in response to my tremor. Heat pooled between my legs, my desire rising to match his.
“This is who I am, Sofia,” he declared, low and fierce. “This is what you’re agreeing to when you say you want to be with me. Is this what you want?”
I squirmed in his restraining hold, my blood too hot in my veins. His hand firmed around my throat, and I stilled on a whimper. Wet arousal slipped down my inner thighs, my clit aching.
“I don’t know,” I squeaked, utterly confused by the intensity of what was happening.
He abruptly released me, only to grip my shoulders and spin me around to face him. He grasped my nape, pulling me close and trapping me beneath his black, maddened stare.
“It’s yes or no,” he seethed. “Either you want to be mine, or you don’t.”
“Mateo, I—”
“Is this Caesar’s sweet angel?” a new voice purred, masculine and far too close. “I’m shocked you chose to bring her here, Mateo. He won’t be happy if he finds out.”
Mateo grabbed me, and I found myself trapped in his possessive arms once again. He held me in front of his body, one hand splayed on my stomach while the other wrapped around my thigh. His touch was proprietary, but he didn’t tuck me behind him to shelter me from a threat. He held me on full display, showing the newcomer that I belonged to him.
I hadn’t agreed to be his. Not yet. Desire pulsed through my system in response to all these new stimuli, but my brain hadn’t caught up enough to process what was happening.
The man who had recognized me as Caesar’s daughter regarded us with keen interest. His eyes were black like Mateo’s, but they held a mean, conniving glint that reminded me of a shark.
Other than the shade of their eyes, the two men couldn’t be more different. Mateo was wild and untamed, whereas everything about the stranger was perfectly tailored, from his sharp suit to his designer stubble.
“What are you doing here, Duarte?” Mateo demanded.
“I’m in town for the wedding, of course.” The man shook his head ruefully, his perfect grin white and sharp. “How many times do I have to tell you to call me Stefano? We’re good friends, aren’t we?”
“Play your bullshit games with Adrián,” Mateo said tersely. “I’m just the muscle.”
Stefano sighed, as though very put-upon. “I can’t, because Adrián refused to meet me here. He’s no fun now that he’s all loved up. But running into you is an unexpected pleasure. As is your lovely companion.”
Mateo’s fingers flexed into my tender flesh.
Stefano ignored his low growl and dared to address me directly. “You must be Sofia. I’ve heard so much about you.” His shark’s eyes roved over my face and down my body. “I can see what all the fuss is about.”
“If you want to lose an eye, keep looking at her like that,” Mateo threatened.
Stefano beamed at him. “No offense intended. I’m on your side, remember? No one is happier about your little romance than I am.”
I wasn’t certain if there was anything at all romantic about the way Mateo was snarling over me like I was his favorite toy that might be taken away.
I would own you.
My skin pebbled with a chill of fear, but my body still burned beneath his hands.
“If you didn’t come over here to tell me that Ronaldo is dead, then I’m not interested in anything you have to say,” Mateo ground out.
Stefano winked at me. “Your Neanderthal is very impatient, it seems.”
I had no idea who Stefano was, but it was abundantly clear that he was somehow part of the fucked-up negotiations surrounding the sale of my virginity.
My indignation must have been evident in my expression, because he offered an apology.
“I’m sorry. I can see that I’ve upset you by talking about such a delicate topic. Please know that while I’m very invested in your relationship, I think waiting for marriage is a laudable virtue. An innocent little lamb like you doesn’t belong in a place like this.” He cut his cold eyes to Mateo, all pretense of a smile disappearing. “Don’t fuck this up for me, Ignazio.”
Stefano walked away, leaving me staring at the bound woman who was still on display for the amusement of the crowd. The man who had been tormenting her was now winding a coil of rope around her, knotting it in complex patterns around her breasts. I didn’t understand why he would bind her when she was alr
eady immobilized by the cuffs around her wrists.
As the man drew the rope taut, the woman’s lashes fluttered, and she let out a husky moan.
I felt the phantom embrace of rope around my own body, and hazy memories drifted back to me. Mateo had tied me up when he’d drugged and kidnapped me. I’d been bound and disoriented while Adrián threatened my father over the phone.
“Is that what you did to me?” I asked, forgetting his command for my silence. “When you kidnapped me. I remember you tying me up. Was it like this?”
The woman’s breasts were caught between the intricately knotted rope, trapped in a lewd display. The thought of Mateo putting me in a similar position to intimidate my father made my stomach roll with nausea.
Mateo’s entire body tensed at my back.
“I shouldn’t have brought you here.”
He shifted his hold on me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close to his side as he started striding toward the exit.
“No,” I agreed softly. “You shouldn’t have.”
Chapter 20
Sofia
Smile, I reminded myself, arranging my features into a joyous expression.
I stood in the chapel vestibule, waiting my turn to process down the aisle. I didn’t want to ruin Valentina’s pictures by revealing my angst on her big day.
Just get through the wedding, and deal with everything else after. I repeated the plan that had become my mantra over the last thirty-six hours.
Mateo and I had barely spoken since he’d hustled me out of the perverted club. We’d returned home, gone to our separate rooms, and I’d stewed in uncertainty. My feelings for him hadn’t changed since he’d taken me to meet his mom. But there was a huge leap between wanting to start a relationship with him and…whatever that was in the club.
I would own you.
I suppressed a shiver at the overwhelming statement that had been burned into my mind. Ever since Mateo had taken me as his hostage, my life had spun completely out of my control. I’d ceased to be a human being with a will of her own; I’d been reduced to a pawn in power plays between ruthless, amoral men.
