by Measha Stone
“Did you disobey me last night?” I ask her, throwing her off topic again. She’s easier to deal with when she doesn’t see things coming. She drops her guard for a brief moment, and in that moment, I see her more clearly.
“For fuck’s sake, Dominik,” she admonishes me.
“That’s not an answer,” I say, resting my left hand on her thigh.
“No, I didn’t do what you thought I was going to do,” she says in a harsh whisper.
I laugh. “There’s no one here but us, and I already told you — my men know better than to watch what’s not their business.”
I run my hand up her thigh, until my fingertips are just beneath her dress. “Since you were good and since you’re being so cooperative today...let me make you feel good.” I press her back into my chest and push her thighs open.
“Dominik.” She tries to argue, but my fingers are already working over her pussy.
“Such a wet girl.”
She groans, out of embarrassment or pleasure? We’ll see.
Chapter Eleven
Kasia
I roll my head back, against his shoulder. The wind makes the tree branches dance above us, and I try to concentrate on them, on anything that will distract me from the easy way he arouses me. It’s not right, to have no feelings for a man but still melt into his touch so effortlessly.
He presses a finger to my clit, the magic button that steals a moan from me. It only makes him more arrogant; these sounds he forces from me. Sliding his finger through my wet sex, he toys with my entrance, and it takes everything in me not to snap my legs shut. To keep him away or to trap him, I’m not sure anymore.
“Such a good girl when your pussy’s being played with, hmmm?” He teases me with his whispers in my ear. The heat of his breath, the aroma of his aftershave all work together to make me want him even more.
I clench my teeth. This isn’t right.
“Don’t.” He warns me with a light tap to my thigh. “Relax your body, Kasia. Let me make you feel good.” He nips my earlobe. “Let me show you how good things can be between us. And they can be so good.”
I can’t stop the images from the whipping from replaying in my mind while his fingers rub over my aching clit. I wanted nothing more last night than to explode in his hands, and quickly he’s bringing me right back to the edge.
Dominik’s chin presses into my shoulder while he pulls the front of my dress down. The neckline is elastic and easily maneuvers beneath my breasts.
“No bra?” he asks, and I don’t need to see him to know he’s smiling. That same arrogant grin.
My nipples harden beneath his stare before he even touches me. But when he does, when his fingers gently pinch my nipple, it’s like skyrockets are lit, firing between nerve endings.
“You’re close, Kasia,” he whispers in my ear. I nod, unsure of what I will say if I try to speak. I won’t beg him to let me finish. I won’t plead for my release.
“Such a good girl,” he kisses the side of my neck, trailing a line of heat with his tongue. “Tell me, Kasia. Are you a virgin?” His finger slips just into my pussy. It’s not enough, I want all of it.
“Dominik.” One word. My cheeks flame with the truth. A twenty-two-year-old who’s never known the real touch of a man, it’s pathetic.
“Tell me, Kasia. Do I have to find men to kill or will I be the first man to have you, the only man to have you,” he says, biting down on my shoulder. The pain of his bite burns at first, then mingles with the pleasure his fingers are giving me.
He pushes his finger inside further, curling it at the knuckle.
“Are you a virgin?” he asks again, his finger stilling inside me, his pinch increasing on my nipple.
I can’t help but arch my body until my hips thrust toward his hand.
“Yes,” I say. The heat from my cheeks spreads throughout my entire body.
With one quick thrust, he plows his finger into me, then adds another. I wrap my hand around his forearm, squeezing him. I don’t want him to stop. No, if he stops, I’ll find his gun and kill him myself.
“You’re so tight, so fucking wet,” he mutters in my ear, biting my shoulder again and pinching my nipple.
I’m at the end, there’s nowhere to go but over and once I breach that cliff, I’m not going to be able to stop myself. I roll my head to the side, giving him better access to my throat. Wanting, no, needing his bite, his marking as the heel of his hand hits my clit.
“Come for me, Kasia. Show me you’re my good girl, you’re my sweet girl. Show me,” he says and plows his fingers harder into me, curling them and twisting as he fucks me with them. My nipple burns when he releases it, only to flick it and ignite another sensory overload.
All the pain, the pleasure, it’s too much. I can’t stop it. I can’t contain it.
He licks my neck, then bites down hard, catapulting me beyond reason. The heel of his hand presses harder against my clit, rubbing in circles. The sounds of his fingers pumping in and out of my sloppy wet pussy carry me away. Every muscle in my body tenses and within a blink of an eye, I’m screaming. My feet plant onto the soft ground below and I’m scrambling to chase after every wave, every pulse of the electric release he’s brought down on me.
“No, no,” he soothes me. “Feel it, feel all over it,” he commands, and like the good girl he’s making me be, I sink into his lap, letting every harsh wave crash over me and steal away my breath.
By the time the pleasure fades into a lavender haze, I’m gasping for air. My heart has tried to escape my chest, but failed, leaving behind an ache as my pulse slows. His fingers never left my passage, his hand never moved from my breast. There’s a light sting on my neck where his teeth sank in. I wonder if there’s any blood.
I’m not sure I care.
He slowly pulls his hand from between my legs, leaving me empty and wanting. After he licks his fingers clean, which I’m oddly aware of because of his moan, he rights the neckline of my dress and pulls my legs across his. I’m cradled in his lap now, and I don’t even fight the urge to weave my arms around his neck and hold onto him.
He smells good. A masculine scent of spice and leather.
“This is how I want things between us, Kasia. Giving you pleasure, making you mine. This is how it should be between husband and wife.”
“But we don’t even like each other,” I say into his shirt.
His chest rumbles with his soft laugh.
“We don’t hate each other. And that’s a start.” He pulls me tighter against him.
“You want something.” I’m sleepy, but I can tell there’s a command coming. Another of his rules.
He kisses the top of my head. “I don’t want you talking with your father. I want you to stay away from him.” He’s already told me this.
“You don’t trust him,” I say on a yawn. I don’t trust my father either. A man who signs away both of his daughters with as much ease as he did, isn’t a man with much integrity.
But he is my father.
“No.” He surprises me by being honest. “I don’t. And until I know what he’s up to, I want you away from him.”
His chest muscles tense. Here comes the bombshell.
“We’re going to be married tonight, Kasia.”
No matter my exhaustion, I push away from him to stare into his eyes.
“Tonight?” There’s no time to plan. I don’t have a dress, there’s no guest lists, no parties.
“We’ll throw a celebratory party once my father returns home. You’ll plan it all the way you want it, but we need to marry. We need to get it done before your father makes whatever move he’s planning.”
I blink. Sleep is fogging my thinking. “But he signed that agreement. He can’t go back now.”
He smiles at me, like my ignorance on such things is cute.
“I can’t exactly take him to court over it, can I?” He brushes a strand of hair from my eye and tucks it behind my ear. “Promise me you’ll give me no trouble. I don’t
want to punish you on our wedding night.”
There’s that word again. Punish.
“Is this how my life is to be? Punishment for disagreeing with you?”
His eyes darken. “No. Punishment is only for disobeying me. You can disagree whenever you’d like.”
I stare into his eyes. They’re still the icy blue from when we met, but there’s a tinge of warmth I didn’t see before.
Could he be softening?
I adjust my seating on his lap and feel his erection pressing against my hip. He hasn’t asked for anything in return. He hasn’t forced himself on me, and he was tender only moments before.
It was all a ruse to get my cooperation. There is no tenderness in him. Nothing real. This isn’t a real relationship. There will be no true marriage.
This will only be me being made to bow to his dictates whenever he wants and he’s not above punishment and bribery to get it.
“Either way, Kasia, by the time you fall asleep tonight in my bed, you’ll be my wife,” he promises in the heaviest tone I’ve heard him use.
In his bed.
“My father won’t be there, then,” I say. “At the wedding,” I clarify.
“No. It will just be Margaret and my brother. I’ve arranged for a priest.” He pinches his lips together. “I wish I could give you something more...well, more.”
For a moment I thought he might say romantic. But surely nothing between us will ever be that.
This is an arrangement. I have no say in it. It’s been decided. I only have to show up.
“There’s time this afternoon for you to shop for a dress if you’d like. Margaret can go with you, and two of my men.” He brushes the back of his knuckles across my cheekbone. The small gestures are confusing me. I push his hand away and slip off his lap.
Tugging my dress down, I smooth out the skirt. If anyone saw what we did, what he made me do, I would be mortified. A quick look around tells me we’re alone. At least from what I can see. There’s always a man on guard somewhere.
“I don’t—actually, yes. That would be nice.” Any excuse to get out of this house. Even if it is to shop for a dress I will despise.
He looks up at me, as though he’s not quite sure what to make of my compliance. Isn’t this what he wanted?
My phone dances on the table and I swipe it before he can grab it. An email. Finally something that might bear fruit.
“I’ll talk with Margaret. We can leave in an hour if she’s able.” I pick up my kindle and my untouched cup of tea. I’d come out to the yard to bury myself in a book, to forget all the mess surrounding me. But he’d only brought it out with him.
He gives a slow nod then stands from the chair. “I’ll let her know. Tommy and Michael will be going with you.”
I raise my chin a fraction. His cock is outlined against his trousers. I keep my gaze fixated on his chin and curl my toes into my sandals.
“Kasia.” He says my name hard, and I stare at him, waiting for his next volley of instructions. “Things can be good between us, just like they were.”
I laugh. The haze of pleasure has lifted. I’m no longer in the pliable mood he put me in with his titillating touch.
“Right. We’ll be best of friends, Dominik.” I pat his arm and leave him beneath the shade of the great weeping willow.
Chapter Twelve
Dominik
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Staszek.” Margaret rushes toward me as I enter the chapel. Margaret brought Kasia an hour earlier, while I finished a meeting.
“For what, Margaret?” I ask, noting the panic in her eyes. The doors to the small chapel I’ve arranged to use for the ceremony are closed. I couldn’t give Kasia a proper wedding, but I could at least bring her to a church to say our vows before God’s watchful eyes.
“I tried to convince her otherwise, but she wouldn’t listen. She just wouldn’t.” Margaret’s mouth thins.
“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s fine,” I assure her. She’s spent extra attention on her makeup and her dress for the night. Margaret’s worked for my family for over twenty-five years, I won’t have her feeling like she’s to blame for something Kasia has done.
“Is she here?” I ask, suddenly aware that she could have defied me. I never gave my men permission to physically drag her here if she wouldn’t comply on her own.
“Oh, yes, she’s here. In that little room Father Peter was so nice to let her use.”
“Okay, then whatever else it is, it’s fine.” I check my watch. “I think we should get started. Why don’t you go get her?”
“Dominik!” Jakub comes out of the church with a wide grin on his face. “Let’s get this started, huh? I have a few women waiting for me at the club.” He waves me over.
I touch Margaret’s shoulder. “Go on, get her ready. Let’s get this over with. I’m sure she’ll feel better once it’s done.”
Margaret frowns. She doesn’t like this. A man should love his wife, she had told me after she heard my father talking about this arrangement. Diana had been my intended bride at the time. I don’t think she likes how easily I’ve switched sisters.
“It will be fine, please.” I motion toward the room she pointed out. “Go get her.”
She pinches her lips together and gives me a nod. She won’t give me trouble. At least not like Kasia will, I’m sure.
At least she’s here. I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t want to start out our marriage with a punishment. It doesn’t mean she’s not getting her ass smacked a few times tonight though.
“Let’s go.” I tug on Jakub’s shoulder and head into the chapel. Father Peter is already standing at the front of the small church. They reserve this chapel for small ceremonies when the main church is otherwise used. Using the main church would have let Kasia see how empty the room was; this way, it’s not so apparent.
“Too bad our father can’t be here,” Jakub says as we walk down the short aisle to the front of the chapel. “First born son gets married—it should be a big event.”
“Waiting would be too dangerous. Garska is up to something and the sooner I get my ring on his daughter the better.”
“You really think he’s going to try for our territory? The council already granted it to our family.”
We reach the front pew and I turn to him. I don’t want the priest overhearing us. “Exactly. So, the sooner I join our families together the better. He won’t have any excuses not to keep with the original agreement. And when I find what I need to prove he’s behind all this legal bullshit, they’ll grant me his territories as repayment.”
I check my watch then look up at the priest. “Are you ready, father?” I ask.
He clears his throat and nods quickly. “Yes, Mr. Staszek. Whenever you are ready to begin.”
I step forward to my spot and Jakub falls in line behind me. Three of my men stand at the back of the chapel; they act as witnesses and protection at the same time. Lena will be pissed she missed this, but our father insisted she return to Poland with him while I sorted out the mess here.
“Would you like music?” Father Peter leans toward me to ask.
I could care less, but it’s tradition. Once I see Margaret in the doorway at the back of the church, I give the okay. The deep sounds of an organ play, echoing in the small building.
Margaret takes a quick glance to the side, then walks down the aisle toward me, carrying a small bouquet of white roses. She gives me a wobbly smile and moves to the pew on my side of the church. The doorway remains empty, however.
My jaw tenses, and just as I’m about to signal for my men to find her, she appears.
She’s wearing black to our wedding.
“Oh, shit,” Jakub laughs behind me.
Father Peter clears his throat again. The old man is uncomfortable around me to begin with, and now he sees my bride coming toward me carrying a single red rose looking as though she’s headed to a funeral instead of her wedding.
Margaret’s gripping her flowers so tightly, one o
f the stems breaks off and falls to the floor at her feet. I don’t blame her for this. Kasia has her own mind and makes her own decisions.
The dress is a simple wrap that hugs her hips. A long slit in the side exposes her thigh as she walks. I’m surprised she’s not wearing heels but a pair of black flats. She’s left her hair down in thick waves around her shoulders, with the right side pulled up behind her ear and held back with a pearl encrusted clip. The same pearl drop earrings she always wears dangle from her earlobes.
Other than the inappropriate color, the woman looks edible. The neckline is cut deeper than I’m sure the Father is happy about, but it looks good on her. A heavier chested woman would look tacky, would probably fall out of the dress. But Kasia’s subtle breasts, that fit perfectly in my palm, make the dress more elegant.
She doesn’t lift her gaze from the priest as she makes her way down the aisle. It’s only when she’s at my side that she gifts me with a quick glance. I take her hand in mine and we face the priest.
Father Peter clears his throat again. Maybe I should have made him have a drink before we started. I’m no threat, but he’s gotten it in his head we’re bad people. We don’t bring our business out this far into the suburbs. We stay in the city, making our money there. This is our home, and we don’t shit where we sleep.
But rumors spread fast and furious. It seems the church is not immune to judgmental thoughts.
Father Peter begins his speech, but a curt shake of my head makes him skip ahead. He turns the page of his little book and goes straight to the vows.
Kasia tries to tug free of my hand when he utters the word obey, but I don’t give an inch. She’ll stay at my side, holding my hand, because that’s where she belongs. Tethered to me for eternity.
“Kasia,” I say quietly when she hesitates to repeat the words. “It’s your turn.” I squeeze her hand.
She swallows and abruptly turns to me. With wide eyes and flushed cheeks, she repeats every word, except one. The important one. The one I’m not going to let her get away with not repeating.
Father Peter quickly starts to give me my vows, but I hold up a hand to still him.
