by Faye Pierce
“That does make sense when I begin to think about it. My most treasured moment growing up was cooking with you in the kitchen. It was always after midnight when the chef was downstairs in bed,” I say.
“We had some fun dabbling in your mother’s cookbook. She’s the visionary in the family. She’s never condoned what I do, but she knows better than to disagree. I see her every time I look into your eyes,” he says with a catch in his throat.
“This isn’t going to change my mind. You’re just going to have to find another way to settle things with Caspian Knight. I think we both know what Diovolo is capable of. Do you really want to sacrifice your daughter to a man like him?
“He knows what he wants and goes after it.”
I listen to what he has to say.
When I was younger, I would have had a tantrum, but that isn’t going to solve anything. I don’t have a reasonable argument to decline, but that won’t stop me from standing my ground.
“That’s precisely what I’m worried about. You got yourself into this mess. Get yourself out of it without me.”
I shiver at the very notion of Caspian putting his hands on me.
“I don’t expect you to do this for me, but maybe you’ll do it for your mother. She’s not getting any better. Kidney dialysis isn’t cheap. It’s money that we just don’t have. I think you know where I’m going with this,”
My cheeks turn red with anger.
The clock on the wall is ticking incessantly. It’s a low blow, but he isn’t above using dirty tactics to get what he wants.
I can feel that flush spreading to the rest of my body. My skin is warm to the touch. He’s actually using what’s happening to my mother against me. He must be desperate to pull that card from up his sleeve. He’s never looked more frail and fragile and barely able to look me in the eyes.
“You have the unmitigated gall to use what is happening to my mother to make me even consider this insanity? It’s going against my better judgment, but I’ll agree to marry him on paper. Let me make one thing perfectly clear, tho. I’m not doing this for you,” I say before I leave.
Storming out is my last recourse.
There still could be a way out of this arrangement. Making his life miserable by constantly undermining him will hopefully make him see that being with me is a huge mistake.
If Caspian Knight expects to meet a meek and mild young woman of privilege, then he’s in for a rude awakening.
Chapter Two
Caspian
The details are fuzzy.
What happened to Valeria’s brother is tragic. The circumstances are shielded in mystery. The official report makes it sound like he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. That doesn’t seem likely considering who his father is.
There’s more to it than meets the eye, but nobody is talking.
The estate is built in solid brick and spans hundreds of square feet in either direction. The manicured lawn with its wild topiary animals is somewhat disconcerting. It feels like they’re going to come to life and attack me without provocation. It’s a testament to the artist that they’re so lifelike. I stare at the image of a lion, ferocious with its teeth bared.
The phone call wasn’t unexpected.
Being summoned to the estate like some common visitor does get underneath my skin, but it’s necessary to set the tone of our relationship from the first moment I meet her. She has to know who is in charge in this family.
Leo is with me, silently standing by the car at my request. There’s no point in making it look like I’m ambushing her. There’s strength inside her diminutive frame. I’m hoping to break the wild filly.
“Stay here and wait for me. This shouldn’t take very long,” I say.
My fingers glide over the black leather jacket. It goes to my knees. The smooth material is the difference between fake and real.
The white shirt is supposed to focus her eyes on my upper body. There’s no shortage of hard work that goes into sculpting my physique. Seeing my naked body in the mirror in the morning gives me a chance to see the results up close and personal.
“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but this might not be a good use of your time. We already know somebody is working behind the scenes. It’s not a coincidence that two of your businesses were accosted by a hostile takeover. I’ve done my best to find those responsible, but they’re hiding behind shell companies,” Leo mentions in a neutral tone while barely showing any emotion.
“I depend on your counsel, but I do know what I’m doing. We’ve lost more than most people realize, and I’d like to keep the information on a need-to-know basis. Your loyalty is something I rely on.” I ring the doorbell and hear the echo of a chime sounding like an orchestra.
Leo doesn’t try to argue, but he’s certainly given me a lot to think about.
Enemies come in many forms, but whoever is masterminding this systematic destruction of my empire is doing it subtly. It started small, but recently, things have escalated.
A couple of my men disappeared without a trace. It almost feels like somebody is playing a dangerous game of chess. The strategy is simple enough.
Somebody is eliminating key pieces from the board. My board. They don’t do me the courtesy of attacking me face-to-face. The age of technology is making it easier by utilizing the Internet. It’s cowardly but rather effective.
Peter greets me in person instead of allowing one of his staff to do it for him.
“I can admire a man that opens his own front door,” I say.
“The old guard is coming to an end. The next generation thinks they have all the answers, but they don’t even know the question. She’s waiting for you in the living room by the fire. She’s not very happy about this,” Peter informs me.
“I’ll treat her with kid gloves. It might be better for me to do this alone. I don’t need your input. What happens from this moment on is between the two of us,” I say.
“I don’t know what you think is going to happen,” he replies
“I suspect that we’ll have a June wedding. That’s only a couple of months away. It doesn’t leave us a lot of time, but money does speak volumes. It will be an intimate affair with only a select few attending the nuptials. Your wife is more than welcome. I’m sure arrangements can be made for her...ahem...condition. I would never want to deprive her of seeing her little girl walk down the aisle,” I add.
“She would enjoy that. I’ll let you two kids get better acquainted. You’ll find me in the library when you finish. Don’t leave without telling me how it went. Don’t make any sudden movements to spook her. The last thing you want to do is offend her,” Peter says.
He shuffles off, his Italian loafers scuffing the dark wooden floor. The heavy black drapes make the place inhospitable. It needs a facelift. The walls are adorned with several characters from their family tree.
I’ve heard about her grandfather. Of course, it was a different time then.
Back in the day, it was all about pomp and circumstance. Nothing was spared. The food was sumptuous, with a feast fit for a king and his queen.
I find myself at the threshold where I can see her standing by the glow of the fireplace.
Valeria is staring into the flames and doesn’t even look up when I enter the room.
“I’m here to discuss the wedding,” I announce.
She turns to me with a look of anger. “Well, if it isn’t Diavolo himself.”
“You can call me, Caspian Knight,” I suggest.
‘So formal...considering you want to marry me. You can call me your worst nightmare,” Valeria says.
“I would rather call you Valeria,” I reply.
“You’re a despicable human being. Losing my brother made my father go into a tailspin. I know what you are going to say, and it doesn’t excuse your behavior. You took advantage of an old man when he came with his hand out. How can you possibly look at yourself in the mirror?” Valeria asks.
I thought she would dress to
impress, but this is the first salvo of many arguments. Those tight jeans leave little to the imagination. The yellow canary blouse is practically see-through, exposing her unmentionables. The black mesh bra is enticing.
“Let’s get one thing perfectly straight. I gave your family a lifeline. It’s not my fault your father squandered it by making bad decisions. I would think you would be grateful. I was in my right to dismantle the Lewis organization, but I decided against it. The name still holds deep respect. We don’t have to be at odds,” I say.
I didn’t notice before, but she’s holding a glass of cognac. Standing by the fire allows her to let the flames warm the liquid in her hands. Then, she turns to face me, leaning against the fireplace.
“You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.”
“That’s a colorful way of saying it. I’m not sure that I agree with your analogy. Let’s not fight when we have more important things to discuss. The honeymoon comes to mind,” I snicker.
“It’s just like you to talk about sex at a time like this. I never said anything about consummating the relationship. That was never agreed,” Valeria says.
“Your family was a mighty big influence. You’re going to have to obey me. Forget that you’re a Lewis. Once you marry me, you will belong to me,” I state.
Valeria
I almost burst out laughing, but I decide a little tact will go a long way. “Don’t forget that I’m doing you a favor by marrying into your family. We both know you don’t have the legitimacy. Fear isn’t the only way to get what you want.”
I gasp when he advances toward me so fast that I don’t even have a chance to breathe. He’s quick and agile, with muscles that are hard to ignore. It makes me feel a little breathless, with my heart pumping faster than normal. My clothes are sticking to me.
The temperature in the room has risen a few degrees. I’m not sure if he wants to hit me or kiss me. It’s hard to tell from the way he’s looking at me. That smug little smirk is getting on my nerves.
“What did you say to me? I dare you to repeat it,” Caspian urges.
I can feel his hot breath, but that isn’t going to temper my anger toward him.
My father isn’t the force of nature that he was when I was younger. That man was my hero until he fell from his lofty perch after my brother died. Seeing him shaken to the core and ground under the foot of life has been a wake-up call.
Caspian was there at the funeral, but he never approached me. His piercing blue eyes were cold and calculating, but there was an untapped passion beyond that. His reputation did precede him. The name Diavolo is well deserved. I’ve heard several tales of the way that he earns his power by intimidation and violence.
He came from nothing with a business acumen nobody could deny. He’s learned to step over the little guy with extreme prejudice. There are bodies in his wake, but nobody knows where they’re buried.
His love life is a revolving door of conquests depicted in several photographs in the media.
“You heard what I said. Where did your father go wrong with you? This is no way to treat a lady. The very idea of marrying you makes me physically sick to my stomach,” I say.
“I don’t care what you think. The arrangement has already been made. You don’t have to like it, but you’re going to live with it. This doesn’t have to be miserable. I can see us having a lot of fun in the future. There’s no time like the present,” Caspian says with a smile.
“I’m not one of your bimbos you spend time with. They are only interested in your money. So I’m going along with this, but only under protest,” I say.
He’s quick with a retort. “Just as long as you know your place. Don’t think for one second you’re going to be privy to my business. The only time I want to see you is at dinner and in bed. The rest of the time, you can paint your nails and sit by the pool getting a tan for all I care.”
“This idea of you thinking I’m going to be seen and not heard isn’t going to cut it with me. If I have to go along with this, there will have to be certain rules. Having sex is out of the question. I don’t want to hear anything more about it. My family will merge with your family, but that’s the closest you’ll physically get to me. But I will be at the table. You will no longer make unilateral decisions,” I say.
He rolls his eyes. “You have no say in any of this. I’m holding all the cards.”
“I think we can agree the woman always has the power,” I say.
“I’m not going to be told what to do by you or anybody,” Caspian threatens.
I suddenly feel his fingers pressing into the soft tissue of my neck. He backs me up against the far wall with his knee between my legs. The warm sensation is highly unexpected. That slight friction is enough to create a spark of interest.
I hate myself for letting my body dictate the terms of my surrender. I thought I was stronger than that. His hand slides through my hair until he’s gripping it tightly and making me look him right in the eyes.
“I don’t know the meaning of this, but if you don’t take your hand off of me, I’m going to scream for help,” I threaten.
He places his other hand over my mouth. He’s preventing me from crying out, but his dominance is exhilarating. Taking what he wants translates from the board room to the bedroom.
“I do like a little fire. It makes things more exciting when I have you pinned to the bed. . You can keep up this charade, but we both know the truth. Your mouth says no, but your body is screaming...yes”.
The hand around my throat moves until he plucks two buttons from my blouse. He traces the outline of my cleavage with his finger. His mouth is open with his tongue extended until he is licking the surface of his lips.
He grabs my ass cheeks, and my eyes widen when he squeezes.
I can scream, but something inside me doesn’t want to. It’s hard to justify what my body is craving. The missing component in my life is somebody to take my breath away. Working my fingers to the bone has made it almost impossible to make room for a man in my life.
Loving and leaving them isn’t my style.
A little persistence has me feeling his arousal pounding against the zipper of his pants. My eyes stray until I’m witnessing the monument of his manhood. That cock has grown considerably. The outline is simply awe-inspiring.
His fingers graze my lower spine. It causes my chest to arch and my nipples to become hard enough to cut glass.
I attempt to stop it before it gets out of hand by bringing my knee between his legs. However, he catches it before I can do any real harm and holds it firmly while pulling down my blouse until my shoulder is exposed.
“That’s not going to happen again,” Caspian says.
He brings his lips to mine but moves on quickly to the nape of my neck. It’s hard not to feel wanted and desired.
The feel of his lips is soft and demanding. My skin is on fire.
I’m not sure what’s happening to me, but I’m close to succumbing to the heat between us.
Then suddenly, he walks away, and my legs almost give way.
As I steady myself, I hear something vibrating.
He fishes into his pocket and brings a phone to his ear, passion turning to anger. “How the hell did this happen? Somebody should have contacted me. Find out where he is. Don’t call me back until you find out. I want answers.”
He doesn’t even look back as he exits the room.
Something has ruffled his feathers. It has to be important enough for him to run out without finishing our little business.
I lower my body until I’m sitting on the floor with my hands wrapped around my knees. It makes me feel weak without a leg to stand on. His hands and body have given me this overwhelming hunger to see what’s hiding underneath his pressed suit of metaphorical armor
What the hell did I get myself into?
Chapter Three
Caspian
The idea of walking down the altar doesn’t scare me. Most guys think it’s about the ball and
chain, but I don’t prescribe to that notion. This is about control. Old-school thinking is dying slowly, but I’m trying to keep it alive for as long as possible. This is a strategic move to keep my enemies from thinking they can take action against me.
Everything is elegant, a perfect symbol of family unity. They need to hear my message loud and clear. This marriage benefits both parties in different ways.
The church is the perfect venue for a merger to bring a little peace to the animosity between the family factions. Power is an aphrodisiac. Those that don’t have it want it, and those that do, want to hold on to it like grim death.
