Once my hair was clean and rinsed, he soaped up the shower pouf and stepped behind me to wash my back. I stiffened and tried to turn around, but he kept one hand on my bare shoulder, holding me still as he scrubbed my skin in slow circles. It felt so good that I finally just dropped my chin and let him do it. When I'd relaxed somewhat, he moved down to my ass and legs.
I stood there like a child and let him wash me, my mind devoid of thought except for how good it felt to let someone take care of me for a change. His movements were straightforward and functional, and other than the fact that he was touching me more intimately than anyone had in a long, long time, he kept the whole thing surprisingly business-like.
Something lazy and warm began to heat my insides. It started low in my belly and twisted through my body until my skin was so sensitive the glide of the soapy pouf left a trail of fire in its wake so hot the water had to cool me down. I knew it was fucked up. How could I feel anything but anger after what he'd just done to me in the gym?
And yet, I did.
"Turn around."
My head snapped up at the huskiness of his voice, and I froze. Standing beneath the water with him behind me, it took me a moment to understand that despite his tone, he was giving me the choice to do as he said. I had no doubt at all that if I didn't obey him, he would get frustrated and either force me to turn around or he'd just walk around me and do what he wanted to anyway, but still, he gave me the illusion of a choice.
I turned around.
The water was now at my back, and Luca reached around me to wet the pouf and add more soap. As I stood with my arms covering my breasts, he gently washed my face and neck, then my shoulders and arms. There, he stopped and waited, his eyes on my face.
I stared at him for a long time, knowing this was the first step of my surrender. Then I dropped my arms.
He studied me a moment longer, then he ran the pouf down my torso, between my breasts, from my chest to my stomach. I watched him as his eyes followed the trail he made. Watched as his nostrils flared and his breath came louder and faster. His cock, already half hard, swelled to an impressive size.
Apparently, he wasn't as all business as I'd thought. And I wasn't sure how that made me feel. I mean, physically? Sure. But emotionally…no.
Squatting down in front of me, he washed my stomach, legs, feet—and everything in between—slowly and methodically. And when he straightened to his full height and his eyes met mine again, something had changed within them. There was knowledge there now that hadn't been there before. Knowledge of me. And I supposed he could probably say the same of mine. I stared at his chest, spotting a few gray hairs in the light dusting of golden brown. I had to forcibly keep my eyes from wandering down his hard stomach to that sexy "V" at his hips, and lower...
He visibly swallowed. "There's a towel right there you can use. And I brought you a clean shirt and shorts you can sleep in."
I looked in the direction he'd tilted his head and found the towel rack. Turning my back to him, I rinsed off, then covered myself again and left him to finish his shower, not quite knowing how not to be awkward as I dried off and put on the things he'd grabbed for me to wear. The clothes were too big for the most part, though a little less so around my hips, but they were soft and comfy, and the shorts had a drawstring so they didn't fall down.
As I got dressed, everything that had happened since I'd gotten here spun round and round in my head. This man I’d so casually taken a shower with had just kidnapped me. Strangled me for slapping him. And then washed it all away without ever actually touching anything with his hands but my hair. He hadn't made any crude remarks. Hadn't made me feel ashamed. It wasn't what I'd expected. He'd told me he wouldn't sexually assault me, and I'd believed him, but I also thought...
Well, I didn't know what I'd thought would happen. I just figured something unsavory would.
"Go ahead and get into bed, Veda. It's late, and I'm tired."
I made a stop in the water closet—I assumed I didn't need permission to pee—washed my hands, and walked into the bedroom. But I didn't go to the bed as ordered, even though I was exhausted. My nerves were still too keyed up. Instead, I wandered over to the patio door, opened it, and went outside into the humid night air. There were two padded chairs on the balcony, and I sat in one. As I waited for whatever was to come next, I stared out into the night, listening to the water gently lap at the rocks down below. An owl hooted somewhere to my left, and then all was quiet again.
My head hurt, and I tried not to think. But I couldn't stop my mind from spinning. What the hell was going to happen to me now? Where the fuck was Nicole? Did anyone miss me yet? I tried to remember if I'd talked to anyone before I'd gone over to my sister's. If I'd made plans with Sammy. But the truth was I spent so much time doing Nicole's bidding I didn't have a lot of time for a social life.
A painful sob burst from me before I could stop it, and I slapped a hand over my mouth. Oh, god. No one would be looking for me. At least not right away. And by the time someone did notice I hadn’t been around, I could be buried in this guy's backyard or “swimming with the fishes.”
I laughed out loud even as more tears streamed down my cheeks. Do mob dudes actually talk like that?
The patio door opened behind me, and Luca appeared wearing nothing but some loose pajama bottoms, the same gray as my shorts. He had a teacup in his hand.
I quickly wiped my face and put my hands demurely in my lap.
His eyes went from my face to my hands. He frowned, but didn’t question me. “Here." He handed it to me. "It's hot, so be careful."
"What is it?"
"Green tea with honey. It'll help your throat."
Maybe it was honey. Maybe it was poison. Either way, I took the cup from him and took a sip, not sure which one I hoped it was. He was right. It felt good going down. When I didn't start cramping up or spitting blood, I swallowed a sigh of relief and drank some more. Guess I still wanted to live. Even as a prisoner.
When he was satisfied I'd had enough, Luca sat down beside me. He was quiet for a long time. Then he said, "Let's make a deal, you and I."
I sipped my tea and waited for him to go on.
"Tomorrow, we'll start looking for your sister. All I ask is that you hang tight here until we find her. That you don't try to run. And that you don't fight me, especially not in front of my men. If you can do that, life will be a lot easier for the both of us." He looked over at me. "A few days, Veda. That's all I ask."
I lowered my cup. It might be horribly selfish of me, or maybe I was just in survival mode, but the fact that my sister was soon going to take my place stirred no emotion inside of me.
"And when those few days are up, I'll either be dead or I'll have to pretend to be my sister for as long as you need me, which will only gain me a little time until you don't need me anymore."
He didn’t respond, but that was the only reason he could be keeping me here like this. I couldn’t think of anything else. Either way, my life was in this man's hands.