by Sienna Mynx
“Is this place yours?”
“Yes,” he said and removed her helmet. Catalina scratched her head and glanced around. Armando removed his helmet next. He tossed them to the ground as if they were useless, but it was still very dark. He then went to the middle console of the bike and plucked out two of the biggest handguns she’d ever seen.
“What are they? Hand cannons?” she asked.
“Protection,” he said and put one to the front and then one to the back of his pants.
“Are we safe out here?”
“We’re safe. I still intend to make sure no monsters come for you tonight.”
“No monsters but you?” she teased.
“Exactly.”
Catalina smiled. She looked back behind her to the haunted villa. The darkness seemed even blacker at the windows. The structure was completely overrun by vines, and the grass was so tall it came to her knees. Armando slipped his arm around her waist and held her close as they went through the grass to the front door.
“Do you think there are snakes out tonight?” she asked.
He chuckled. “Probably. And spiders too.”
“Ugh!” she squirmed out of his arms and raced up to the door. She had to wait for him to unlock the door. The moment he did she went inside and regretted leaving her googles behind. He flipped a light switch and only the chamber lights on the side walls flickered on. It was more like candle lighting than the kind needed to explore. She glanced to the shadows that stretched up the stairs and down the halls.
“I’m serious. Are we safe here?”
“I’ve prepared. The men aren’t here, but they are close.”
“But is that safe? Considering everything right now. Maybe we shouldn’t do this, Armando,” she said as she rubbed warmth into her arm.
“Why don’t you check the place out. There’s a surprise to the far back. One I had installed a year ago.”
“Surprise? In the dark? No thank you.” She glanced back to the shadows.
He chuckled and removed his jacket. He picked up a duffle bag she didn’t see to the back of the door. Apparently, someone had left it for him. “We have electricity. Just not many lamps,” he said and took out a large flashlight. “Go straight to the back. I need to make a phone call.”
She did as he asked with the flashlight beam leading the way. The shadows dispersed to the front of her, and then crowded in to the back of her. When she glanced back she didn’t see him or the foyer at all. She went left when given a choice. And then right again. Most rooms had no doors. And the windows had no shutters. During the day, natural light must have flooded in from every angle making the need for lamps obsolete.
Her nose tickled from the smell of vanilla and cinnamon. A golden glow flickered to the far end of the hall. Catalina walked directly into her surprise.
Nothing in the villa seemed modern, except for this room. An indoor spa with a jacuzzi and pool. Candles had been lit. Many had blown out, and some had melted down to lumps of wax. But the bigger, thicker, taller candles still burned. The water was a shimmering blue from the pool lights, and petals floated above the calm waves. He’d set out a robe and bikini from Francesca’s boutique, along with baskets of fruit, bread, cheese, and wine.
Catalina turned off the flashlight and stared at the scene. It was by far the sweetest thing he’d done for her since her nightmare began, and she was surprised at how happy it made her feel.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
Catalina nodded. She could not speak. Her head turned and she looked for him. He stood at the archway entrance to the spa. He stared at her with a sly smile. One she had mistrusted so many times before. Now, not so much. “You did this for me?”
“We haven’t been able to connect. Have we? I know you’re here with me. I know you will be with me forever, Catalina. But I also know that the choice has caused you a lot of pain.”
“I made a mistake, my family is right to punish me for it.”
“No one has the right to punish you.” He walked in with his hands shoved down in his pockets. His hair wasn’t tied back into a braid. It was parted at the center and dusted his shoulders. He had the loving appeal of his angelic features, that were edged with the dark, dangerous allure of a soul stealer.
“And I won’t have you punishing yourself.”
“What do you want me to say?” she asked. “I can’t be happy when I’m miserable.”
“I watched the video.”
Catalina frowned. “What video?”
He stopped before her. “I was gone for a few days. It couldn’t be helped. I left you alone. I thought you needed space. I was wrong. You needed me.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about, Armando.”
“This!” he grabbed her arm. Not painfully tight, but forceful enough to yank her toward him. He turned it over. “I’m talking about you hurting yourself. I saw the video. I saw you cutting your arm. I know that Lorenzo had to stitch you up.”
“I didn’t...”
“You hurt yourself, Catalina.”
“It was a mistake.”
“Damn right it is. It was my mistake. I drove you to it. I pushed you too hard. Didn’t I?” He looked down at her arm. “I’m not a monster, Catalina. I love you.”
“But I never asked you too.”
“You don’t have to ask a man to love you Catalina. Don’t you know that by now?”
“I knew it with Domi. And you took that from me. On purpose.” She snatched her arm from him.
“And I don’t regret it. He’s your fucking brother.”
“He’s my best friend. He’s my...”
“Brother. You have never had real life or love. Just the bubble you lived in. Look at me. Your father wanted you to marry Franco. Do you know why?”
She shrugged.
“He wanted you to have your own life, a future. He just didn’t aim high enough. My father wanted you for me.”
“What?”
Armando smiled. “When you were born. My father made an agreement with Tomosino that if I still hadn’t married you would be mine.”
“My father agreed to that?”
“He did, and so did I. But your father died and Giovanni would never allow it.”
“But Giovanni said Patri wanted me to marry Franco. He said it was his final wish.”
“Your brother lied, and I knew you were young, so I didn’t intercede or force the issue. But when I saw you on your wedding day I knew I had made a mistake. And I regretted it ever since.”
Catalina shook her head. “I love Domi.”
“Of course you love him Catalina. He’s your family. He’s the only love you have ever known. But is he your destiny? Your future? Can you stop and think about the future? The one you can have with me?”
“I... I... don’t know.”
He pulled her closer. He touched the side of her face. “Don’t worry about the answer. Stop worrying. You’re here with me now.”
“That’s why you did this. Why you’ve always found a way to be in my space, to get in my head.”
“And that’s why you could never truly push me away. Deep down in your heart you know I’m right. You felt it too.”
“You still want to impress me?”
“Yes.”
“Even now?”
“I want you. All of you.”
“Dominic was my first everything. I can’t promise you that I will ever forget what we had, Armando.”
“Remember. I want to make new memories. I think you’re the kind of woman that could handle both.”
She laughed. “You think you know me.”
“I think I do. Let’s make a new memory tonight.”
“My family will never accept us. My brother hates you. Even if what you say is true about me being promised to marry you Giovanni would never grant it. He wakes, and he will want you dead.”
Armando smiled. “Many men want me dead.”
“I’m serious. I love Giovanni. I want him in my life. I w
ant him to be the godfather to my children. I want his approval again. I love him more than anyone, even more than Domi. Do you understand?”
“Then that’s the price I’ll pay. I’ll make sure you have Giovanni. He will have to make his choice to have you in his life.”
Everything was spinning when she closed her eyes. Her emotions, her thoughts, her physical weariness, it all went round and round again. She hugged him. He held her.
“Don’t ever hurt yourself again,” he said and stroked her hair. “Mia Catalina, sei la mia anima gemella—you are my soul mate. Not Domi’s. Mine.”
He tilted her chin upward. The kiss he offered turned up the level of seduction. She believed him. It felt right. Catalina’s heart was hammering. The temperature in the room climbed a thousand degrees, as his tongue delved and then retreated with soft licks and twirls. His damp lips were urgent and fit perfectly to hers. And for the first time since this game of lust and surrender started for them, she didn’t make the comparison to Dominic. The new tidal wave of emotion that swept her came on a current all it’s own.
Their lips parted. Armando’s gaze flittered downward and his eyes went hazy with lust and restraint. Catalina’s hands went to his face. She cradled his strong jawline with her palms and fingers as she took ownership of their second kiss. The desire between them burned too hot to last. So her kiss grew as desperate as the one she received in return. Two months of longing between them since their first kiss, had colored her perspective. She didn’t believe before in her desire to be with anyone other than Domi. Now she did.
Armando’s hands clenched tight on her waist and pushed her back. Her mouth left his, but the feeling remained. He smiled.
“Show me.”
She tilted her head left and her brows furrowed. “Show you?”
“What happened? Show me.”
She looked down at her arm. Even now she didn’t believe she had done it. The first time she discovered inflicting pain on herself to mask the pain inside of her was when her mother died. And back then the burn of shame over how much relief she felt at hurting herself forced her to never do it again.
When she didn’t undo the bandages. Armando lifted her arm and turned it over. He peeled aways the bandages to look at the Frankenstein stitches, thanks to Lorenzo, some were caked with dried blood.
“I will have a surgeon mend this. Make it as if it never happened.” He kissed her wound. “We shouldn’t swim. I don’t think you should get it wet.”
“How about we eat and sink our feet in the water?” she asked.
“I like that idea,” he chuckled.
She took his hand and walked him over to the basket of treats. Catalina stooped and inspected what was there. Armando removed his shoes and rolled up his pants legs to his knees. He sat on the edge of the pool. Catalina glanced back at him. “Cheese and grapes?”
“Like the Romans?”
She smiled. She turned and removed her sandals and put her feet in the water. She set the plates between them. And he worked on the wine.
“How long will we stay here?” she asked.
“That’s up to you,” he said.
“Can we go into Castlemola? I haven’t been in so long.”
“You’ve been?”
“With my father. He had friends up here,” she recalled.
“We’ll go first thing in the morning,” he agreed.
He passed her a glass of wine. She accepted. Chewing her cheese, she sipped and let the tangy and sour mix go down smoothly. Catalina kicked her feet lightly and stirred the water. “Want to have sex? In here?” she asked.
“Maybe later,” he chuckled.
She glanced to him. “You like having sex with me. I can tell.”
“And you like having sex with me, I can tell,” he winked.
She nodded and smiled. “The first time, I... I was a little surprised. I didn’t think it would be good. I hated you.”
“Catalina, you never hated me. That’s been the problem from the start.”
She pondered that for a moment. She hated the idea of betraying Dominic. She hated the position Rosetta and Marietta forced her into. But she didn’t hate Armando until she thought he might have been the one to shoot her brother. And even then, it wasn’t hate.
“I hated Franco. I hated him so much in our marriage.”
“Why did that marriage... end?” Armando asked.
Over the years they rarely spoke of Franco back home. But she knew that those in Sicilia believed that Dominic had killed him. And many had found her relationship with Dominic incestuous. “Why do you think it ended?”
“For the same reason I helped end your engagement to Dominic.”
She glanced at him alarmed.
He continued to speak on it casually. “Because I wanted you for myself. You inspire that in men like me, like Dominic.”
“You two aren’t the same in that way, Armando. He didn’t kill Franco to have me. He killed him because I set Franco up for him to do so.”
Armando leaned back on his elbows while his feet swayed in the water. He stared up at her curiously. There was no point in not sharing the story. She wanted to talk about it. She wanted to talk about Dominic without feeling so much grief and shame. “Franco was a finocchio.”
The laughter exploded from Armando.When she didn’t smile his laughter faded. “Finocchio? Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“And you married him?”
“I didn’t know,” Catalina turned her gaze back to the water. I didn’t know much about men. Just that the boys my age all acted stupid when they were around me. And sex... I started having sex with Dominic when I was barely old enough to understand what it meant. He taught me everything. And Dominic felt guilty for touching me. I knew I had to marry Franco. There was no choice. I believed Gio when he said Franco and I were promised to each other by our fathers. But... he had problems in bed. Weird things. He tried to force me once to take it the ass. He was a ricchione and used me to cover it up with his brothers.”
“He confessed this?” Armando asked.
“No.”
“Take it in the ass doesn’t mean....”
“It’s true! I was confused about him. Then my brother met Mirabella. He brought her home. And she agreed to do my wedding dress, after that disastrous one I had. I took her to the warehouse where Franco worked. She saw him. She knew instantly.”
“How could she know instantly when you married him and didn’t.”
“Exactly!” Catalina said and clenched her fist. “She told me and I was so angry. I didn’t believe it. But then it made sense. And when I confronted Franco he didn’t deny it. So I punished him. I had Dominic kill him.”
“I would have killed him for you,” Armando mumbled.
“That’s the reason why we’re cursed, Armando. I should have never taken a life, and even if I didn’t pull the trigger, his death is on my soul. I saw that when Rosetta fell from the cliff. I sat there and stared down at her body until the sun came up. And I knew what I was. I knew what I had become.”
His hand reached over to touch hers. “What’s done is done, Catalina. You are a survivor. Like me. And we didn’t choose this life. It chose us.”
“They’re dead.”
“Fuck them. Fuck them both.” He pulled her to him and she had to push aside their tiny plates to reach him. “Now, fuck me,” he said through their kiss. He lay on his back with his knees bent at the edge of the pool, and his feet inside the water. Catalina ran her hand down and under his belt and the front of his pants. His erection bulked beneath his zipper and she gave it a squeeze. She lifted her mouth from his and stared into his eyes.
“Are you afraid of me?” she asked. “Afraid of what will happen to you if I fall in love with you, Armando?”
He chuckled. “I’m terrified.”
“My brother will try to kill you, and so will Domi. He’ll try. I think Lorenzo is plotting to kill you. If you stay with me one of them might.”
; “Mmm, I’ll take the risk.”
She undid his belt buckle, and eased down his zipper. She pushed his pants down, and her lips dropped kisses along his collarbone, before she trailed up his neck and to his mouth. He was ready. She gave him one last parting kiss then turned and sat on the edge of the pool to ease off her mini skirt. She removed her panties and tossed them into the water. They floated away. Catalina stroked his erection. It was hard and long. She guessed every man had a uniqueness to their prick.
“Your pussy is mine, repeat it.” His tone was firm.
“My pussy is yours,” she said.
She loved his dick. Her heart was pounding in her throat blocking her ability to breathe she was so excited. She climbed over him. Armando’s hands were warm on the cheeks of her ass, lifting and separating them as she made her descent on his dick. And then he stopped and pulled her off. Catalina gasped in surprise. She was so damn horny she shuddered.
“What’s wrong?” she panted.
“I want to taste you first,” he said.
Her dark hair tossed over to the left side of her face didn’t shield her eyes from him. They were clear, a violet shade of blue, and in the dim lighting by the poolside he would swear they were purple. Those eyes, and that eager smile of hers, melted his heart. How the fuck had she stayed so pure with all she’s endured? That’s what he thrived off of now. Not just her corruption, but her beautiful way of making him feel like a man, her savior. He’d not had that with anyone.
Armando wanted to dirty her up, make her his, get her addicted to his brand, not the Battaglias.
“You do me, and I’ll do you,” she said.
