CHAPTER 5
CONSTANTINO
Tazio pulls up in front of the building where my penthouse is, parking smoothly in the area designated for me and only me. While Elio lives outside of the city, I wanted to be closer because of the businesses I oversee. It might cost, but there is extensive luxury to be found in Manhattan. I don’t know if I could give it up.
The only person who could make me consider it is Lily. If she wanted a mansion so our kids could play in the grass where traffic isn’t an all-night symphony, then I would do it for her. Only for her.
Tazio grabs her bags and follows behind us as I lead her into the building, this one having more security than the one she was in, along with a doorman employed by my family. Loyalty above all else is our motto and it’s more than what you pay people. No good would come from the people we employ, those who we consider family to some extent, betraying any of us.
My father instilled in all of us the need to sometimes lead through fear, but mostly it was about leading through action and consistency. I won’t deny it, sometimes the consistency part is about willing to spill blood and not give two shits about it. I was a master at that even though it’s been a while since I’ve really gotten to flex the muscles of my violence.
When we get to my door, I unlock it and swing it wide, letting Tazio head inside with her bags. We’ve already discussed where he’s going with them. A gentleman would put her in a guest room.
I might know how to fool others into believing I could pass as a gentleman, but I’m far from one.
MyGattinawill be sleeping in our room. In our bed. No where else. It’s where she belongs for the rest of her life.
When I look down at my fiancé, knowing I’ll be taking care of her lack of ring next, her plump pink lips part and for a moment all I can think about is how they’ll look wrapped around my cock before they’re painted with my cum. Reaching down and adjusting myself without giving a flying fuck if she knows how much she turns me on, not anymore, I don’t break eye contact with her. This is it.
She could have come to me willingly, but now she’s still mine and I get to punish her. The way her cheeks bloom in the softest flush of arousal coupled with her pupils dilating tells me she not only knows what is coming her way but is looking forward to it. I can’t help the feral grin on my face because she thinks she knows, but she has no idea.
I grab my woman and haul her over my shoulder and the whoosh of breath from her is satisfying as fuck. I smack her ass, the sound loud in the quiet of the small foyer. Tazio enters the space, smirking and shaking his head as he edges around me, closing the door behind him as he leaves. Yeah. Loyal as fuck.
I smack Lily’s ass again, her little gasping moan filling the space before I’m stalking toward our bedroom. I growl, “There will be time for a tour later,Gattina. I want you to feel comfortable in your new home. I’ve already arranged movers for your place in a few days. They’ll pack it and move it.”
Her voice is breathless, “You can’t just do that, Constantino. You can’t run my life like you own me.”
I chuckle darkly before I toss her onto our bed, having made it to our bedroom. Her big brown eyes are wild as they dart around the space. It’s sexy as fuck seeing the flicker of emotions in her eyes, especially when she tries to hide the one I need to see the most—pure fucking desire.
“I do own you,” my voice is a whip in the space. “You don’t seem to understand, my Lily. I took possession of you the moment you walked into that meeting. I don’t give a fuck if it makes sense to you or anyone else, but I also know you felt the same damn thing.” I wave my hand between us. “This was going to happen, one way or another.”
The next words could so easily slip from my lips, but I hold them back and grip her ankles instead, pulling her closer to me on the bed, her skirt rolling up her legs as I do.
She lets out a yelp of surprise before she’s panting, watching me like she’s prey. Because she is. My prey. Her voice is a whisper, “I don’t know what I felt.”
I pull one of her heels off and then the other; I see her buttoned up and professional outfit for our little tête-à-tête as what it is: armor. She doesn’t need that shit with me. Not now, not ever. I might have done some fucked up things to ensnare her, but I don’t want to break my precious Lily. I want her strong, I want her to fight. I want her as she is.
I slide the zipper down on the side of her skirt, ripping it down her legs quickly. Seeing her lace panties, the color of spun fucking gold, there’s not a chance in hell of keeping my groan inside. When I grip her shirt, I lock eyes with her and then pull, buttons flying everywhere while the silk of her shirt slips through my fingers. I don’t need to strip her of it, yet.
I’m frozen as I look down at her, her matching bra making her look like a fucking gift. One I won’t squander. I can’t. I knew with a single look, it would destroy me to be anything less than the best for this woman, for my woman.
It doesn’t mean I’m going to do everything on the up and up. Hell fucking no. I’ll always play dirty when it comes to myGattina.
My voice is reverent, “You’re fucking gorgeous, Lily.” My eyes soak her up. “I’m going to enjoy destroying you with pleasure and then piecing you back together again.” Her thighs clench together, and I can’t help but bark out a laugh. There’s a tease in my voice, “You need to give in to it and us.”
“This feels a little like selling my body to the devil,” she whispers.
My eyes snap to hers, but I can see there, in the depths, she’s not really opposed to the idea. I find myself smiling and reaching over to the bedside table to grab the box waiting there. The small, black box. Her eyes track my movements and widen when she sees me clutch it in my large hand.
“Not selling, Lily,” I growl lowly. “Your body is already mine. I’ll earn the rest of you, don’t you worry,” there’s a promise to my words. As much as I want to command her, I gentle my voice, making it almost a coo, “Give me your hand.”
There will be a time when I chase her, the fire in her eyes tells me as much, but on this, I want her to give herself over to me willingly. I can see her reluctance as she studies me. I can feel it fill me, but on this, with her in our bed, with her being where she belongs, I can be patient.
Her movements are slow and when she holds out her hand to me, it’s shaking slightly. The look in her eyes tells me it’s not from fear. Well, maybe a little fear. I know the reputation I have along with my family, and it’s been well earned. I’ll never show her violence. I’ll show her pleasurable pain if her body craves it, but never violence for the sake of it.
I would rather face a firing squad.
After snapping the box open, I slip the ring on her finger and tilt her hand up so she can look at it. It’s a classic cut and setting, just like her. Her brown eyes widen and before she shutters it, they sparkle brighter than the diamond I just slipped on her finger.