I’ve heard my father didn’t give a shit about Juliet, my brothers said he didn’t care if she lived or died. I hope that’s not true. But if it is, I can’t say I’m surprised.
He was a narcissist and hated any sign of weakness. Any time I failed at something, it was followed by a verbal assault and an ass kicking. The same for my brothers, but with them, they could take their anger to the streets and be commended for it later.
Me, I had to hold it in, where it festered, until I learned to take out my aggression at the gym.
I’m nothing to the Calabrese family and my brothers will do as they are told, the loyal soldiers my father groomed them to be since they could walk and talk.
As for Sal and Dante— they will do their research. All they have to do is throw around some money and rough up the right person, and they'll get the information they need.
The echo of a man’s shoes on the tile floor above, suddenly gets my attention. Paralyzed with anticipation, I hope it’s Sal, the man who holds my destiny in his hands, beautiful hands at that.
I have a flashback to the altercation in the bathroom and can’t understand why I didn’t just snap his neck as soon as I had the chance. I’m perfectly capable but I hesitated a fraction of a second too long and his brother Dante, of all people, saved him.
No doubt those two bastards are gloating over my foiled attempt.
A whiff of lavender arrives before Sal. It’s the same earthy scent with a hint of musk that he wore last night. As he makes his way down the steps, the first thing I notice is his dark aviator sunglasses.
I’ve lost all track of time, but I’ll take it as an indication that the sun is up. When he reaches the side of the bed and takes them off, I feel naked under the penetrating gaze of his steel grey eyes.
My body betrays me as my stomach flutters and my nipples harden, pushing against the thin fabric of my tight fitted bodice of my dress. Why am I drawn to him like a moth to a lightbulb?
It’s exciting to feel parts of my body wake up from their sexual hibernation, but at the same time, I cannot make the mistake of sleeping with this man. I have more to lose, and he has everything to gain.
As these new feelings wash over me, my breath catches in my throat and my pussy tightens. She has a mind of her own and her timing sucks. I need to concentrate on getting out of this mess, not on getting off.
Any movement, even the slightest, sends bolts of pain through my wrist and ankles. I remain still and helpless while his presence drives my hormones into overdrive.
Is he into kink? Does he like seeing me tied to this bed? The rumor is he’s ruthless in business. Maybe he’s just as ruthless in the bedroom. Thinking about it makes me long to feel his hot breath on my body and his Machiavellian mouth lure me into something sinful.
Instead, I get, “Coffee?” as he hands over a Styrofoam cup.
I take it from him with my one free hand. He pulls up a chair, takes off his jacket, hands it to Matteo and sits down. He loosens his tie and leans forward, putting his elbows on his knees and the stare he gives me has the intensity of a tiger studying its prey before the kill and it unnerves me.
It’s hard to resist not picturing what he looks like under his fitted custom suit. I imagine his skin is smooth, tan, and hot to the touch. He rakes a hand through his black as night hair and I experience a weakness in my chest. I don’t understand why my body betrays me when discipline has always ruled it.
My body won’t give me a rest, my façade of confidence and indifference left the minute I opened my eyes in the cellar. Surrounded by betrayal—by my body, my family, and even my mother. Why should Sal be any different?
I need to keep that in mind when Sal opens his mouth he cannot be trusted. He’s the enemy, we’ve always been enemies, it’s our birthright to hate each other until the end of our days or when hell freezes over, whichever comes first.
And in between those two events, our families will wage little wars with each until one day it will boil over into an all-out war.
But what harm is there in accepting a cup of lukewarm coffee?
“I’m only taking it because I need the caffeine,” I state in all honesty because my head is pounding from the lack of it.
“Of course,” he says as he smirks and lifts his eyebrows, telegraphing his doubts.
Sitting up with one arm still tied, I wince in pain as my body is stiff.
“You can undo her other hand for a minute,” he states, and Matteo swings his gun behind his back and moves in to untie my other wrist.
Wrapping both hands around the cup, I guzzle the coffee, hoping this helps the pain that presents as daggers in my forehead. “So, what’s in store for me? Will it be water boarding or a bed of nails?” I can’t help but make light of the grave situation.
“What you deserve is a double tap to the head, but I think you might be of service to me.”
“You can forget about me being your mistress or some whore!” Somehow, I manage to refrain from crushing the cup in my hands.
“As much as I like where your mind is going, I’ve come up with something equally important. I imagine your abilities are stronger in self-defense and security than they are between the sheets.” His cocky grin pisses me off.