Empress in Lingerie Page 9

  She stirred as I moved her but didn’t wake up fully. She was used to doing this every morning, so now her legs spread automatically, and she hooked her arms over my shoulders and held on.

  I sank my cock inside her, moving slowly until I was sheathed to my balls. My face moved into her neck, and I started to thrust, pushing my dick inside her over and over. She was wet in the morning, probably because her body was getting used to taking my cock at the same time every day.

  She moaned with me, her throat still dry from being asleep.

  I loved fucking her like this, half asleep. My cock was more sensitive in the morning, so she felt even better than usual. I grunted with my movements, smelling her hair. My body rubbed right against her clit because my body rested on hers, so I usually made her come in record time.

  She loved morning sex as much as I did.

  She clawed at my back and moaned directly into my ear, quieter than usual but still climaxing hard. Her teeth sank into my shoulder and her pussy tightened around me, begging my cock to give her the seed she loved so much.

  I came right after, finishing us both off in less than two minutes. I dumped all my come inside her before I rolled over onto my back again. My eyes closed, and I caught my breath, still reeling from the orgasm I just had.

  Fuck, I could do this every day.

  Vanessa turned on her side and snuggled into me, her pussy full of new come and the come from last night.

  Damn, she was always full of me.

  Her arm wrapped around my waist, and she rested her head on my shoulder.

  My fingers slowly dragged down her side, feeling her smooth skin. My fingertips were callused, but I could still feel her intimate details.

  She sighed against me, satisfied and relaxed. “Morning…”

  “Morning.”

  She moved closer into me, her body all over mine.

  I liked it—a lot. My hand moved to her thigh as it stretched across my body. “You’re studying art?” I knew a bit about her from my research. She was going to school in Milan with art as her discipline. She didn’t exhibit any specific traits that identified her as an artist, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she had the talent to paint a masterpiece. She never failed to surprise me.

  “Yes.” Her small hand rested right on my sternum. “I want to be a painter.”

  “What do you paint?”

  “Everything.”

  “Be more specific.”

  She tilted her head up so her eyes could meet mine. “Well, my last piece was an image of my parents working in the vineyards together. Husband and wife cultivating the soil. It’s supposed to represent Italian culture, of the foundation and loyalty of family.”

  Anytime her family was mentioned, I became angry. But this time, I controlled my rage. It was too early in the morning, and I just had an amazing orgasm with my cock buried inside this woman. “So you want to paint professionally?”

  “I guess. There’s not really any such thing. I just want to be good enough so people will buy my work. Maybe I can open a gallery or something. But making art is about connecting with people. I have to create something that moves people. If I fail to do that, then no one will be interested in my pieces. It can’t just look nice. It has to be something that someone wants for many years.”

  “Has anyone ever bought one of your paintings?”

  “Just my parents,” she answered. “And they would buy anything I make, so they don’t really count.”

  She clearly had a perfect childhood, judging by the way she spoke so highly of her parents. They had a nice, quiet life in Tuscany, working their successful winery. I’d never started an honest business, choosing to remain in the dark and make my money in horrid ways.

  “You have a lot of artwork in your house.”

  “Richard picked it out.”

  “They’re nice,” she said. “I’ve looked at them many times. I noticed you don’t have a picture of you or your mom anywhere.”

  I turned my face back to the ceiling and never commented.

  After a tense moment of silence, she sat up and pulled her hair from her face. “I should get up and take a shower. I’m really hungry and can’t wait for breakfast.” For a small woman, she had a big appetite. She always ate everything at our meals and complimented Richard on the dishes he prepared.

  “Make sure you get enough to eat. We’re leaving today.”

  She turned her gaze back to me, the hope obvious.

  I didn’t like that look. I wanted her to stay at my house with me forever. I wanted to keep her as my prisoner forever. If she didn’t have such a powerful family, I probably would. But under the circumstances, I was risking too much. If I killed her, that would be one thing. But her family would kill me, and if I never finished what I started, I would have accomplished nothing. “Don’t be too excited.”

  Once the snow was shoveled away, we got into my truck and left the property.

  I handed her phone back to her. I had it in my office, constantly charging so it wouldn’t die. I looked through her text messages, seeing some of her friends check in with her. A few guys texted her too.

  I didn’t care for that.

  She took the phone with shaky hands, rubbing her thumbs over the screen like she couldn’t believe it was really in her possession again.

  Some things were too good to be true, including this.

  I pulled onto the icy road and then began the journey back to Milan. She was in the clothes she arrived in, but now they’d been cleaned. The heater was on so she wouldn’t freeze, but I kept the radio off.

  I preferred silence.

  She finally asked the question on her mind. “You’re taking me back and you’ve given me my phone…how do you know I won’t just round up my family to kill you? I know where you live.”

  “You know of one place where I live.” I drove with one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on the windowsill. My eyes were on the road, but I could see her in my peripheral vision. “I have many places.”

  “Do you have a place in Milan?”

  I grinned. “Why do you want to know?”

  “Just curious.”

  “Yes. I have a place there.”

  “Well…you didn’t answer my question.”

  I was taking a gamble here, but the reward outweighed the risk. “You won’t say anything to them.”

  “Why wouldn’t I?” she asked. “You didn’t kill me, but you’ve made it abundantly clear my family is your blood enemy. While I’m grateful I’m still alive right now, I will do anything I can to protect my family. This is a stupid thing to say, but the second I talk to them, I’m telling them everything.”

  That didn’t surprise me. I’d judge her if she did anything less. “You’re missing a piece of the story.”

  “What piece?” she asked.

  I followed the curves of the road and headed down the mountain. Lake Garda was beautiful right now, calm and flat while the mountain peaks behind it were covered in white caps. I thrived in the winter and despised the humid heat of summer—along with the tourists. “Keep this to yourself, and I promise I won’t touch any member of your family—that includes Sapphire, who isn’t family yet.”

  “How did you know her name?”

  I chuckled. “Baby, I know everything about my enemies.” Plus, she was on TV everywhere. The media thought she was the most stunning woman in the world, but I’d seen a different woman in lingerie—and she was way better.

  “And that’s it?” she asked incredulously. “You’ll just drop your revenge like that?”

  “Not quite. I am getting my revenge, just in a different way.”

  “How?”

  “Because you’re mine.” I felt her head immediately turn my way once she heard the words.

  “What?” she asked quietly. “What does that mean?”

  “It means you’re mine. You have your own life, and I have mine. I’ve got a lot of shit to do, and I can’t be with you all the time. I travel a lot for
work. Sometimes I’ll be gone for weeks at a time. But I’m free to come and go as I please, to fuck you before you wake up in the morning and to fuck you before you go to sleep at night. You’re a prisoner—but you’re free at the same time.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  I grinned when I listened to the terror in her voice. “No.”

  “That’s ridiculous. I’ll have a boyfriend eventually.”

  “You can have a boyfriend. But when I stop by, he’s forgotten.”

  “I’m not a cheater,” she snapped.

  “Then don’t have a boyfriend.”

  “I’m going to fall in love with someone and get married.”

  “And when that day comes, the blood war is back on. You can break our arrangement anytime you want, but the second you do, I’ll be coming after your family.”

  She stared out the window and sighed under her breath, livid.

  I was enjoying every second of it.

  “You can’t do that,” she whispered.

  “Would you rather I kill you?” I questioned. “This is the only other option. I have you as my prisoner, and I’m punishing your parents without them even knowing about it. I know you’ll comply because it’s the best way to keep everyone safe. And it’s not like you don’t get other things out of it…”

  “Fuck you,” she snapped.

  “Baby, you aren’t going to want another man after having me. The sex won’t be nearly as good, and he won’t be nearly as big. You’re used to the best now, to a man who knows how to please a woman. And once you’ve had a taste of that…you’ll never go back.”

  “Your arrogance is disgusting.”

  “But it makes you want me more anyway.”

  She sighed again and looked out the window. She turned quiet, her arms folded over her chest. Her legs were crossed, and her phone sat on her lap. She didn’t say anything else on the drive. She knew the only way to get out of this situation was to kill me herself.

  And I knew she would try.

  I was looking forward to it.

  We pulled up to her apartment, and I killed the engine.

  She didn’t ask how I knew where she lived, but I knew she was wondering.

  We walked to her front door, and she got the door unlocked before we walked inside. Her apartment was small, perfect for a single person. She had a small living room with two couches and a TV. Down the hall was her bedroom and her bathroom.

  I glanced around, seeing the brightly colored furniture and the vase of flowers that had died while she’d been away for the past few days.

  She set her purse and phone on the entryway table then crossed her arms over her chest. Her lips were pressed tightly together, and her smoldering attitude filled the space between us.

  I took a look around, moving through the limited space. She had pictures of her family on one of her shelves, images of her and Conway along with her parents. My eyes didn’t linger for long before I turned away.

  “I have a question.”

  I turned around and faced her, seeing the anger in her eyes. I’d seen her enraged before, but this look was different. I knew she felt powerless, frustrated. She always managed to get the upper hand in the worst situations, but this time, there was no solution. The first person she would turn to for help was her father—but now he was off-limits. “Yes, baby?”

  Her eyes flared a little when she heard the nickname. “I have to know…that night in the alleyway…was that a coincidence? Or did you plan for all of that to happen?”

  It was purely coincidental. I was a lucky son-of-a-bitch that was in the right place at the right time. She was the unlucky one. And I wanted to keep that information from her, to make her feel unsafe. But I also vowed to be honest with her, and since she was such a respectable woman, I didn’t want to go back on my word. So I chose not to give her the answer. “It doesn’t matter. This is where we are, and any speculation on the past won’t change it.”

  “Why don’t you just tell me?”

  “Because not knowing makes it more interesting.”

  “No. It’s just another way for you to have power over me.”

  She was absolutely right. “And I love having power over you.” There was no greater feeling than making a powerful woman like Vanessa submit so obediently. Only a very powerful man could get a woman like her to listen.

  And that man was me.

  “This can’t go on forever,” she said. “I won’t be your slave forever.”

  “You’re right. Eventually, I’ll get tired of you.” I found her mesmerizing now, with those full lips and beautiful eyes. I thought she was the most gorgeous woman I’d ever been with. I hadn’t even started to do the dark things I wanted. But like any other woman, she would lose her allure and someone else would take her place. “I just don’t know when that will be.”

  “And then what?” she demanded. “You’ll kill my family then?”

  I wouldn’t stop until both of her parents were dead and buried in the Tuscan soil they loved so much. “Yes. So if I were you, I would make sure I don’t get tired of you.”

  7

  Vanessa

  My life was no longer the same.

  I was back in my apartment, but the four walls that surrounded me didn’t make me feel safe anymore. Knuckles had broken in and smacked me around, and now a viler man had turned me into a prisoner in my own home.

  What the hell was I going to do?

  I’d witnessed this man’s savage ways, and I knew he wanted nothing more than to torture my parents and kill them. The only thing stopping him was his obsession with my pussy. I wanted to protect my family by keeping my mouth shut, but if they knew my freedom had been stripped away like this, they would be devastated.

  I only had one choice.

  I had to kill Bones myself.

  I could get a gun from my father. All I had to do was say I wanted it for protection. He’d always encouraged me to have one for safety, but I always insisted I didn’t need one.

  Looks like I was wrong about that.

  I had knives, but stabbing Bones wouldn’t be so easy. He was a huge man. It would be easy to miss, especially when I was that close to him.

  My only option was a gun.

  After he dropped me off, he left. He said he had work to do, and he would be gone for a few days. But before he left, he inserted a tracker into my ankle. That way he could see where I was at all times.

  I fought him hard when he pushed the needle into my skin, but there was no use. He was too strong.

  He was the strongest man I’d ever encountered.

  Definitely stronger than my father and my uncle. Even stronger than Conway and Carter.

  Fuck, how did I get into this?

  I tried to keep calm by remembering Bones didn’t kill me. I could be dead and that video sent to my parents. I escaped that threat, so I had something to be thankful for. Not all hope was lost.

  I would find a way out of this.

  Because I was a Barsetti—and Barsettis don’t give up.

  I missed nearly a whole week of school because Bones had me hidden away, and the day I finally went to class was the last one before school ended for the winter break. Christmas was around the corner, and I hadn’t even considered shopping.

  I was broke anyway.

  I usually made things for my family, and hopefully, I had enough time to pull something together. The painting I’d been working on for class was never finished, so I wrapped it up and carried it home through the snow.

  I returned to the warmth of my apartment and set it on the easel. I bought some other supplies, so I could do some artwork during my break. I considered making a painting for my whole family, an image of us gathered together for the holidays. But if I were to finish it, I would have to start now.

  I set my things down and then heard my phone ring.

  It was my mom.

  I hadn’t spoken to her since Bones captured me. She had no idea what I’d been through. I had to hide it
from her, but she could usually tell when I was trying to hide something. And now that I knew what had happened to her, I’d have to keep that bottled up too.

  Every time I thought about what happened to her, I wanted to cry.

  My mama.

  I cleared my throat then answered the phone. “Hey, Mama.”

  “Hey, Vanessa. How are things? I’m sorry I haven’t called sooner. We’ve just been busy with the house.”

  “No big deal. I know you guys are busy. Getting ready for Christmas?”

  “Yep. Your father hung up the lights and everything is looking nice. Lars can’t get around as easily as he used to, so we’re working together to get the house in shape. Aunt Adelina’s parents are coming too, so we want them to feel welcome.”

  “Oh great. I love seeing them.” I sat on the couch, thinking about the small tracker planted inside my ankle.

  “So when are you coming home?”

  “Probably in a few days. I need to finish up some stuff around here.”

  “How did the end of your semester go?”

  “Great.” I missed the last few days and took my finals without studying…so I hoped I passed. It didn’t really matter if I didn’t. “Just glad it’s over.”

  “Your father and I figured you were busy. I remember how that used to be.”

  “Yeah, a million years ago,” I teased.

  “Oh, shut up,” she said with a laugh. “I’m not that old.”

  “You certainly don’t look it.”

  “That’s much better. Well, I’ll let you go. Love you, sweetheart.”

  It killed me that I couldn’t tell her what was really going on in my life, that I had been trapped with the biggest enemy to our family. But if I said anything and he found out about it, he would strike them first before they had a chance to do anything in retaliation. And I wanted to tell her that I knew what happened to her…and that I was there if she ever wanted to talk about it. But I kept my mouth shut. “Love you too, Mama.”