Instinctively, I open my mouth to scream and find a hand placed firmly around my mouth, stopping me in a heartbeat. I am half-carried inside a prison of bodies to god only knows where and it all happens so fast my brain is struggling to keep up.
Suddenly, the crowd parts and I find myself traveling through air as I am literally thrown into the elevator and as I thump against the wall, the door closes leaving just the two of us inside.
For a moment there is silence. Complete and utter silence as my shocked brain struggles to form words. The man is leaning against the wall on the other side of the elevator looking mildly curious and not at all bothered that he just manhandled me in here. Shaking myself, I face him with all the fury I can muster and spit, “How dare you. There are laws against things like this and just as soon as I return to my iPad, I am going to look them up and sue your sorry ass off. This is an outrage and I will not, I mean not put up with it.”
I’m so busy shouting I don’t see that he has moved and I suddenly see that his eyes are as dark as the night sky and filled with the shadows of the damned. I briefly realize that this man is seriously hot and I vaguely wonder if I’ve been a little careless and then I know I’m in trouble because he reaches out and with one hand around my throat, pins me to the mirrored wall and leans in snarling, “Shut the fuck up.”
I blink in surprise as his mouth hovers over mine, his breath mixing with my own and stupidly the only thing I can think of is that his aftershave is seriously gorgeous. Then he says in a husky, low voice, “If you say one more word, I will spank your ass until you can’t sit down for a month. Now listen to me and listen well, you will say nothing at all until I tell you. You will follow me and we will find out just what makes you think you have the right to even speak, let alone breathe the same air as me. Now, do I make myself clear?”
I almost can’t breathe and it’s not because he is crushing my windpipe with his hands. It’s him—this man. Mr Romano is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. He’s so dark and dangerous I can almost taste the ash from the pit of hell. Power blazes from his eyes like lightning from Neptune’s trident and my heart sinks as I see what a huge mistake I just made. This man is not one for playing games, he creates them and from the look in his eyes, I am not going to get any satisfaction from my complaint.
“Well?” He almost growls the word and I just shift slightly and nod and as he releases me, I wrap my hands around my neck and gasp for air as he takes his position on the other side of the elevator, looking bored as the floors pass us on the way to God only knows where.
By the time we reach the top, I am almost hyperventilating with fear. Way to go Riley, pick a fight with a man who is way better at it than you. Idiot, fool and every word to that effect relates to me, as my stupid mouth forgot to engage with my brain and realize that the receptionist was fearful for a very good reason.
The elevator stops with a shudder and as the doors open, I blink as I see they open directly into a huge loft-style space that appears to be on top of the world. The panoramic windows survey the whole of Miami and the sunlight that beams through the apartment, dress it with a warmth that I am certainly not feeling inside because now my body is turning blue from the cold and fear.
Yes, the fear has crept into my soul because one look at this man tells me I’m in serious trouble as he turns and grabs my hand and without another word pulls me after him at speed.
Mindful of his warning not to speak, I can only wonder where on earth he’s taking me and almost pass out when it becomes apparent we are heading into the largest bedroom I have ever seen in my life. But it’s not the sight of the huge bed dominating the center of the room that scares me. It’s not the panoramic windows that showcase the beach below that hold my attention. It’s the huge cage set up in the corner of the room that makes my blood run cold as without care, he throws me inside and slams the door shut behind me, turning the key and saying with a dark voice, “Welcome to your new home.”
The Throne of Pain
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Books by Stella Andrews in the order written
Starred Books = Reaper Romance
The Highest Bidder (Logan & Samantha)
Rocked (Jax & Emily)
Daddy’s Girls (Ryder & Ashton) *
Twisted (Sam & Kitty) *
The Billion Dollar baby (Tyler & Sydney) *
Bodyguard (Jet & Lucy) *
Bad Influence (Max & Summer)
Flash (Flash & Jennifer) *
Country Girl (Tyson & Sunny) *
Breaking Beauty (Sebastian & Angel) *
Owning Beauty (Tobias & Anastasia)
Broken Beauty (Maverick & Sophia) *
Thank you for reading Owning Beauty.
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Broken Beauty Page 16
