"I'll see you tomorrow, bambina." I wipe my cock on her cheek while she watches me, clearly upset. "What's wrong? Didn't I give you what you wanted?"
"Are you going to sleep in her room?" Marzia whispers.
I don't answer her. Maybe I'm a sick bastard, but I enjoy torturing her. I kiss her cheek instead, my hand gently wrapping around her throat for good measure, just so she remembers her place.
With a smirk, I leave her room, the memory of her trembling body filled with my seed etched onto my mind.
22
Marzia
I lie on the bed with Adrian's seed leaking out of me. I can see the door from here. He's busted it wide open. I think I see a figure moving in the hallway, but the moment I blink, the shadow is gone. There's no one there.
For a few minutes, I'm convinced I'm about to be caught. That someone will walk in here and see me like this, broken down after Adrian took what he wanted. A selfish, jealous part of me wants it to be Nicoletta. I want to hurt her. I want to see her cry. I want to be the reason she's miserable—because her fiancé wants me, not her.
But nothing happens, no one comes. I cover myself up with the blanket and try to come up with a good cover story for the next morning when someone's bound to find the broken-down door. Dreams start to pull me under. It's getting harder and harder to resist the call of my pillow and I slowly drift off to sleep.
I keep dreaming about them. My parents. The way Bruno killed them in cold blood, as if their lives never meant anything at all. I remember the sound of the gunshots, the shocked faces of mama and papa as they collapsed and breathed their last breath. I should be angry. I should be filled with the need for revenge. Instead of that, all I feel is abandonment.
My parents are gone now, and in my nightmares, I seem to understand Adrian's pulling away more and more, too. I've already lost him to Nicoletta. She's not wearing a ring yet, but once he puts it on her finger, I'll never be more than a lover, a mistress. I'll be forced to take pills and medicine that will prevent me from getting pregnant, make sure I never have Adrian's baby. I'll be reduced to a toy, a plaything for Adrian's pleasure. Someone to be passed around and shared among his friends.
I wake up with a start, my heart pounding so fast, I get dizzy the moment I open my eyes.
Eleanora is standing in front of me, her eyes wide.
I look over her shoulder first. The door is in one piece again, there's no sign of Adrian breaking it down.
At first, I'm convinced I imagined the whole thing, but when I get up, I still feel the stickiness between my legs and I know it was real. Adrian had the door fixed so no one would find out what he did last night.
Eleanora tugs on my sleeve as I slip on a robe. She wants me to get ready, but I have nothing to get ready for. Still, she seems insistent, so I jump in the shower and wash off the remains of the previous night. I wash my hair and get dressed. Eleanora dries and fluffs my hair and I quickly put on some makeup. Next, she leads me into another wing of the house that I quickly recognize as the most opulent and luxurious—Bruno's.
"I don't want to see him," I whisper to Eleanora. "Please, don't make me. I'm afraid of him."
She shakes her head and pats my arm. She gently shows me to the door, trying to convince me to enter.
With a heavy sigh, I walk into the lion's den.
Bruno's office is cold, and the man himself sits behind a giant desk, glaring at me with intelligent, tired eyes. "Marzia," he mutters. "It's good that you are here. I needed to see you."
I bow slightly to acknowledge his presence. "How can I help you?" I have to force myself to get the words out, trying not to grit my teeth as I say them.
"I've decided you should help me with a few things from now on," Bruno goes on nonchalantly. "Start earning your keep around here."
"Why would I need to earn my keep if I don't want to stay?" I question boldly.
He merely smirks at me. "Every day after breakfast…which you slept through today…you will come to my office and do some small tasks for me. I worry Nicoletta will become suspicious of you, if she keeps seeing you with Adrian. We need to keep your identity hidden."
I flush, remembering how Adrian fucked me the previous night. It's a small wonder the whole house doesn't know about us. He sure didn't seem to care if anyone overheard us.