Castello moved to stand behind me, placing his hands on my hips. “I’m going to take off the blindfold, but don’t open your eyes.”
His words and the warmth of his breath made my skin feel alive and hungry for his touch. I knew Joey was still in the room, but I didn’t give a damn. If Castello had to take me right here, right now, I wouldn’t give a shit about Joey still being there. All I would care about was getting my fix of an addiction I prayed I would never beat.
Castello took off the blindfold, but I kept my eyes closed as instructed. I was a well-behaved pet, knowing the reward would be so much sweeter when I pleased my master.
I felt him wrap his fingers around my elbow. My heart started to hammer against my ribcage, the blood in my veins swooshing in every direction. Somehow this moment just kept intensifying with every passing second. No matter what the situation, Castello had the power to turn every minute with him into an experience I wished would never end.
He lifted my right arm, the arm that was still stinging with the burn of the ink. I shivered when I felt him place the length of his arm against mine, his other hand resting on my hip.
Soft lips brushed against my ear. “Open your eyes, little mouse.”
I felt hesitant, nervous, but I slowly opened my eyes and looked down at our arms.
“Oh my God.” I sucked in a breath as I took in the two images permanently marked on our skin.
“You see, little mouse. I told you that you are my queen, but what I failed to say was”—he pushed his fingers deeper into the skin of my hip—“that I am your king.”
Two chess pieces. A king on my arm. A queen on his. They were beautifully drawn in shades of black and gray. Intricate lines crafted around the pieces made them look elegant, refined, yet majestic and powerful. But it was the words inked around the chess pieces that made my heart expand to a point where I was afraid it would burst.
Below the king on my arm were the words, “Il mio re. Mio protettore.”My King, My Protector.
But when I read the words that marked his skin, it felt like every ounce of breath had escaped me.“La mia regina, la mia salvezza.”My Queen, My Salvation.
Blood seeped through the cuts blending with the ink. Somehow the sight made the moment so much more powerful, as if our souls were bleeding as a bond was being solidified.
Castello’s grip on my waist tightened, and he pulled me harder against him. “As long as you respect and obey me as your king, I will protect you.”
With a subtle flex against my ass, I felt how hard he was, and my insides flipped with hot, heady anticipation.
“And for as long as I have breath inside my body, I will treat you as my queen, make sure you want for nothing. Everything you desire will be yours, because I know as long as you are my queen, I will have salvation.”
I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t contain it. Every wave, every current of my desire for this man took complete control, and I acted. I lifted my arm, wrapping it around his neck as he stood behind me. With strength I didn’t know I had, I pulled his head down and turned my lips toward his. I wanted to taste him. I wanted to devour him. I wanted to own him…just like he owned me with every breath he took.
Castello didn’t stop me. Thank God. He allowed my lips to crash against his. He allowed my mouth to devour his. And I was rewarded with the same amount of fervor as his tongue claimed every inch of my mouth as mine claimed every inch of his. His taste, his lust, and his need to control became my own. Not once since Castello had forced himself into my life did I have the need to control him, to make him mine. All this time I was too busy willing him to make me his, offering myself to him. But now, right at this moment, I wanted to make him mine.
It was only when Joey awkwardly cleared his throat that the reality of not being alone seeped in through the cracks, our mutual lust and desire retreating to the corners…for now.
Castello let go of my mouth and looked at Joey standing a few feet away. “Why are you still here?”
He brushed his palm nervously over his bald head. “I still need to wrap that up.” He gestured toward my arm. “And since you decided to pull off your wrapping, I need to redo that as well. We wouldn’t want those works of art to get infected.”
Castello gave a step back, and I bit down on my tongue before a moan could escape my lips.
“We don’t want that, no.” Castello gestured for Joey to wrap mine first, and the entire time Joey spent on putting on some ointment and placing the protective wrapping around my arm, all I thought about was what would happen once Joey left. Once Castello and I would be left alone.
It didn’t take Joey long, though. It was like he knew if he didn’t leave as soon as possible, he would carry grave consequences.
“So let me know how this all works out.” He indicated to both our arms freshly wrapped. “And leave those on ‘til at least tomorrow morning…if you can. Try not to get it wet, if you need any other work done just—”
“Joey.” Castello glared at him.
“Yeah?”
“Leave.”
“Oh, yes. Okay. Well then, Tatum, it was nice to meet you, and I hope to work on you again…in a non-sexual, dirty kind of way. You know, professionally.”
I chuckled at how he struggled to keep his nervousness contained. Castello seemed to have that effect on a lot of people. God knows he intimidated me in the beginning—how he intimidated me still, only I wasn’t so frightened of him anymore.