by Beck, J. L.
A dirty fucking trap, and I was going to confront Matteo the second I saw him. Pulling the SUV into the driveway, I drive to the garage, put the thing in park, and kill the engine. Giving myself a moment to cool down a little before I get out, I focus on my breathing.
Sucking air deeply into my lungs, I let it settle before blowing it out. I do this a couple more times and then finally get out. There are a few of Matteo’s men posted outside. Since our attempt at escaping, he’s upped security a crazy amount. Not that any of his men could take me on by themselves and survive.
“Holy shit!” one of the men says under his breath as I pass him, entering through the side door of the house. I don’t respond and continue walking. Exiting the garage, I enter the house and hear voices. My bloodied boots squeak against the pure white marble floor with each step I take.
“You need to eat more. You’re far too skinny, Dove,” Matteo’s villainess voice pierces my ears, and I walk a little faster, following the sound. Rounding the corner, I enter the dining room but come to a screeching halt when I see Dove and Matteo.
Dove’s gaze immediately finds mine, and her pretty pink lips part in both terror and alarm. She seems to be shocked, and her big blues, only widen further as they take in my bloodied clothes. Words of rage form against my tongue. I’m spiraling out of control like a plane that’s been shot out of the sky.
This, what I’m seeing right before my eyes, is merely the icing on top of a shittastic cupcake. I want to lash out at Dove, to be angry with her for sitting and having dinner with the enemy, but the real reason for my rage sits at the head of the table, mere feet away from me.
“Care to join us?” Matteo almost snickers, but I don’t miss the surprise in his eyes. He wasn’t expecting me to make it back here tonight. Fucking piece of shit, coward, can’t even fight me man to man, but instead, tries to get rid of me by sending me on a death mission.
“Cut the fucking shit, Matteo, and don’t act like you aren’t shocked that I made it out of that fucking warehouse alive. You know as well as I do, that what you sent me to do was a suicide mission.”
“And yet you stand before me.”
Fucking asshole.
“Next time you want to kill me, maybe do it the less cowardly way and face me, man to fucking man.” I slam a fist down onto the heavy wooden table. Dove jumps at the violent move, but she should know by now, I would never lay a finger on her pretty little body, at least not one that she didn’t beg me for.
“I didn’t try to kill you, Zane, and I’m actually glad that you’re here. I have news that I want to share with you and Dove.”
I look to Dove, who looks back at me with the same confused expression. Okay, so neither of us know what this fuckhead’s next move is going to be. Great.
“What is your announcement?” Dove asks, her voice strong. She is not a little bird trapped in a cage anymore. Not that I mind. I’ll take her any way I can get here. It’s just right now, she seems fierce like a warrior, and all she’s done is ask a question.
“I’ve decided that it’s time to announce your appearance to everyone. We’re going to have a special event to celebrate your return home.”
My anger only intensifies at his words. He had tried to kill me and was sitting here with my girl at dinner, planning a fucking party.
“Splendid.” The single word drips with sarcasm from my lips. “I’m going to go clean the blood, of the five men you sent to jump me, off my body and head to bed,” I sneer and turn on my heels. My eyes catch on Dove, and her mouth pops open. She wants to say something, but I don’t want to hear it. Seeing her tonight, watching her play the part of his precious little daughter, makes me want to hurt her. To set her straight and remind her just who owns her body, mind, and soul. It feels like a knife is being plunged into my chest when I drop my gaze and walk away, but I can’t stand there for another second.
“Trouble in paradise already?” Matteo’s voice reaches my ears just as my foot graces the first step of the staircase. I could turn around and say something to him, react to his asshole ways, but I’m too fucking exhausted to keep up the charade, so I continue up the stairs.
When I reach the bedroom, I strip out of my bloody clothes, leaving a trail behind me as I enter the bathroom. Turning the hot water on, I wait a second before stepping beneath the spray. The water feels like razor blades against my aching back, but I withstand the pain, my head hung low as I watch the clear water turn pink and rush down the drain.
The door opens, and my ears perk up at the soft footfalls. I don’t turn around to look at Dove, but I can feel her in the room, watching me through the fogged-up shower stall. No matter what, I always feel her, it’s truly the only thing that I allow myself the pleasure of enjoying. Her body, her touch. Turning into the spray of the water, I wet my hair, running my fingers through the strands before taking a step back.
I’m not sure what Dove is doing, so I’m surprised when the shower door opens, and she steps in behind me.
Her small hand lands on my shoulder, her fingers gently drag down my arm, and a shiver of pleasure runs down my spine. I turn to face her, ready to ask her what the hell that shitshow downstairs was, but the words lodge in my throat when she sinks to her knees before me.
“What are you doing?” I croak, the mere image before me making my cock twitch.
“Making you feel better… taking care of you,” she says, a hint of a smile on her lips. She is either nervous or excited because her chest is rising and falling rapidly while she peers up at me, through her thick lashes. I’m going to go with the second, with the way her perky nipples are hardening.
She reaches for my already stiff cock, wrapping her small soft hand around it. Pleasure shoots through my body, like a bolt of lightning, pushing the pain and the anger into the deepest corner of my mind. Placing my hand against the tiled wall, I groan. Fuck, she knows just how to make me forget.
Leaning in, she takes the head of my cock between her plump lips and runs her tongue along the bottom. My dick is so hard; veins have started pulsing over the smooth skin. I’m barely controlling myself at this point, but I don’t want her to stop. I need her mouth, her touch. Looking down, I watch as she starts bobbing her head, taking me deeper and deeper into her hot wet mouth, while keeping her eyes on me.
Control. I need it. Weaving my fingers through her hair, I fist the strands and pull her head back off my cock.
“I’m going to fuck your mouth, hard and fast, and you’re going to let me because you’re mine to use as I please, correct?”
Licking her lips, Dove nods her head before whispering, “Yes.”
Guiding her mouth back to my cock, I hold her head in place and start to fuck her mouth with slow leisurely strokes. One of her hands slips between her legs, and all I can do is grin. Such a greedy fucking girl.
“Stroke your pretty pussy while you suck on my cock, and remember who it is that owns you,” I grit, my voice filled with venom. Pistoning my hips, I up my pace, the tip of my cock hits the back of her throat, and she gags around my length. Her eyes water and fear trickles into her eyes as I hold her face there, my cock deep in her throat.
“Breathe through your nose, baby, and swallow with each stroke,” I demand, tightening my grip on her hair as I pull her off my cock. Saliva drips out the side of her mouth and down her chin. Damn, she looks so beautiful like this. At the mercy of my cock.
Continuing to fuck her mouth, I watch and marvel as she gags around my length a few more times before following my directions. Pleasure builds at the bottom of my spine and builds upward until there is nothing but a burning in my balls to release my load into her mouth.
“I’m coming,” I groan.
“Mmmm,” she whimpers around my length.
“You’re going to swallow every drop, do you understand?” I warn. She merely whimpers, and seconds before I explode, I hold her face to my groin. Ropes of sticky come slip down her throat as she swallows around my cock, and I pull out of her mouth
, dragging my tip over her lips before releasing her. Her eyes shimmer with tears, and her lips are swollen, and fuck, I want to be inside her pussy right now, but more than that, I want her to know who it is that owns her. Tugging her up off the floor, I drop to my knees before her and back her up against the tiled wall.
“Zane, what are you doing?” She gasps as she hits the wall, and I smile up at her before lifting her by the ass and burying my face between her legs. It doesn’t take long for her to get the picture, and with my tongue flicking against her clit, her legs start to shake, her fingers sink into my hair, and she shatters into a million little pieces.
When I’m finished licking every drop of her release away from her pussy and teasing her, I set her back on her feet and stand to my full height. Then I grip her by the chin and force her to look me in the eyes.
“No matter what happens, you’re mine, forever. I don’t care who your father tries to marry you off to. I don’t care what happens in this mansion. At the end of the day, there is only you and me. I own your fucking soul just as you own mine. Don’t tempt me to prove it to you again, because next time, I won’t take mercy.”
Dove’s big blues widen, and I see something that looks like excitement in them.
“I love you,” she says softly, her eyes dropping down to my chest. I release her chin and run my fingers down her chest, stopping at the scar along her belly. Back and forth, I move my finger. That scar is what binds us together. It’s what made me believe she was it for me. No one ever cared about me, not until she came along.
“I love you too,” I say, letting out a sigh before kissing the tip of her nose.
The problem is, I love her too much, and that just might be what gets me killed.
12
I try not to be bothered by the loneliness I feel, trapped in this stupidly large mansion while Zane is off doing god knows what for my father. It’ll be a long time before I forget the bloodied mess he showed up as the other night.
This place is a thousand times worse than the bunker. At least there, Zane and I were alone, and there wasn’t a knife hanging over our heads, threatening to fall and severe our necks at any given second.
Tossing the paperback down on the mattress, I climb out of bed and exit the room. Since our attempted escape, Matteo has posted more guards near our bedroom and throughout the house. Almost as if he thinks we’re stupid enough to try again. I haven’t told Zane yet, and I don’t know if I’m going to, but I plan to be the one to get us out of this mess.
And the easiest person to start with is the one who holds all the power: my father. Meandering down the hall, I pass a couple of guards who are posted there. They give me apprehensive looks, but don’t say anything as I continue on my merry way.
Walking down the grand staircase, I run my hands along the banister. The polished wood is so shiny, I can almost see myself in it, and I wonder briefly how long the maids spend cleaning this place? Reaching the last step, I continue my exploration of the house and head into the dining area. Yet another clean room. Huffing, I walk in the direction of Matteo’s office.
A sour film coats my mouth, and it feels like I’m betraying Zane by seeking Matteo out. There isn’t any way around it. If I want to convince him that I’m on his side, that I’ll follow his orders, I’m going to have to act like I give a shit about him and what he says.
Tiptoeing down the hall, I grow closer to his office. Matteo’s voice filters out into the hall through the partly open door. He must be on the phone with someone.
“Make sure the product is as he said and only call me if you have a problem!” The finality in his words makes me shiver. A man like Matteo has no cares, no compassion or heart. All he sees his people as—including me—are pieces on a chessboard, little does he know, he’s going to become my pawn. Curling my hand into a fist, I gently lift it and bring it to the door, knocking twice before letting my hand fall back down to my side.
“Come in,” he grumbles, and I force a stoic mask onto my face. Be strong. Look the part.
Exhaling, I walk into his office. His beady eyes flick from annoyance to shock while motioning me into the room. I take slow, hesitant steps, remembering how I told him I hated him and would never be his daughter. Look at me now, buttering up the enemy, like he didn’t arrange to have the shit beat out of the man I love the other night.
“What can I do for you, my daughter?” I do my best not to look as out of my element as I truly feel.
“I want to learn more about you and the family business.”
Chuckling, he leans back in his chair, a brief second passes, where neither of us says a thing. Then his lips part, and he asks, “You’re serious?”
“You said I’m your only heir and that I should prepare to take over the family business, so here I am.”
The chair squeaks as he leans forward, placing his elbows on the desk, clasping his hands together. “You expect me to believe that you want something to do with me after what you told me in the basement?”
I shrug. “When you hurt people I care about, you should expect me to lash out. I was hurt and understandably so, but I’ve come to the conclusion that you aren’t ever going to let me go so I might as well stop fighting the inevitable. It’s time I stepped up to the plate. You want me to marry soon and produce grandchildren. This business will be mine someday, and I have a right to know all the ins and outs.”
The apprehension in his face tells me he doesn’t believe me. A smile creeps onto his lips, and I swallow thickly, unsure if I can follow through with this.
Staring me in the eyes, he says, “I’m a lot of things, sweetheart, but I’m not an idiot. We can play pretend if you want, till you decide to get on the horse and ride, just know that I’m in control of everything and everyone in this house.”
“I’m here and willing, now will you answer my questions and help me get to know you and the family better or should I try and escape again?” It’s either the stupidest or smartest thing I’ve ever said.
Matteo’s face becomes a blank canvas, and I try and hide the slight tremble of my body. Zane isn’t here to save me this time, and talking like this is only going to help dig my grave. After a long second, he finally speaks.
“You know what will happen if you try and escape again, now come sit, and you can ask your questions.”
Nodding, I walk to the front of his desk and plop my ass down in one of the leather chairs. Placing my hands in my lap, I slowly drag my eyes up to meet his dark ones.
“Before you tell me about the business, I was actually wondering if you could tell me anything about… my mother? What was she like? Why didn’t she try and find you after she escaped her husband? What made you fall in love with her? Anything, really. I don’t even know her name...”
Easing back into the chair, Matteo drums his fingers on the wooden desk. “Your mother was special. She was looking for love since her husband was more concerned with making a name for himself than being the man she needed. We met at a charity event. I saw her from across the room and knew I had to have her.”
“So, you knew she was married when you met her, and you still approached her?”
Matteo nods. “I did, but it’s very common in our world to be in a loveless marriage. Women are promised to men and seen as a joining of two families into one. It’s more about power than anything. I didn’t care that your mother was married. All I wanted was a taste.”
The way he talks about my mother almost annoys me. Like she was nothing more than a piece of arm candy, or meat for him. I can tell from the tone in his voice and the use of the word taste, that she wasn’t important to him. There is no love in his voice, only a sense of accomplishment. I don’t know her, and I’ll never get the chance to, but she’s still my mother, and that fact alone means she deserves a little bit of respect.
Matteo must know I’m disgusted with him because he starts to talk again.
“Your mother’s name was Raven. She told me she was going to leave her husband and wan
ted to be with me. Given that she was still married and divorces rarely happen, I wasn’t sure we would ever be together. Then she told me she was pregnant with you. I promised her I would care for you and her if she actually decided to get away from her husband.” He pauses, and I don’t know if it’s for dramatics or because he’s reliving the day in his mind. “Then, one night, she did just that. News travels fast, her husband had men everywhere, searching high and low for her. My men came to me and told me that she had left her husband in the middle of the night, without a single trace. No one knew where she went. I waited for her, I thought for sure since she was pregnant that she would contact me, but she never did.”
I can’t help but feel a little sad inside. All my mother wanted was to be loved, and this viciously dark world took that chance from her.
“Where do you think she went? And why did she not call you?”
“I can’t answer either of those questions. To be honest, at the time, I thought she was already dead. I was sure that her husband had caught her trying to escape and killed her. I figured he made up the whole she ran away and sent his men out on a search party so no one would look into her death.”
“Then how and when did you realize I was alive, and she wasn’t dead?”
Matteo’s eyes twinkled with, no it couldn’t be admiration, there was no way a man of his nature would feel such an emotion. “I may seem heartless, Dove, but I’m not. You are my daughter, and I do love you. At the end of the day, I still hung on to the sliver of hope that she had truly escaped. I hired a private investigator to keep looking for her. I told him I didn’t care how long it took, months, or years, I didn’t want him to stop looking for you two. Then, out of the blue, he called me. Told me that a woman fitting your mother’s description was found dead in a hotel room. There was a mention of a child, a little girl. I tried to find you then, but you were already in the system, and no one would give me any information.”
