He couldn’t let her go. Not until he was a hundred percent sure she was telling the truth. And not until he saw she was well and thoroughly punished for her little escapade, whatever it turned out to be. But he had... options.
“All right.”
Her body sagged with relief. “You’re going to let me go?
“Not quite.” If she’d been standing, no doubt she would have spat in his face when she spotted his smug smile. “I’ll give you a choice.”
“What kind of choice?” she asked, obviously skeptical.
“I can let you go, and turn you over to the police.” Ignoring her outraged gasp, he continued, “Or you can stay and tomorrow you can accept your punishment for this little stunt.”
“Or you could just let me return home and I swear I’ll never bother you again.”
“Not an option. Which is it? The police or me?”
There was a long pause before she spoke again. “If I stay, what are you going to do to me?”
He tapped the thin leather against her upturned bottom. “I believe I’ve already given you a taste of my discipline, but I can spell it out for you, if you’d like.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“It’s either my strap or the cops, Amara. Choose.”
He let the silence stretch until she finally took a deep breath. “All right. I’ll accept your punishment. Couldn’t we just get it over with tonight, though?”
“No. I need to take some time to decide on a proper punishment.”
“For fuck’s sake. This is ridiculous. Just whip me and get it over with so I can go home.”
“Not going to happen. I plan on making sure this is a punishment you don’t forget any time soon. I’ll let Gio know you had a bit too much to drink and decided to stay for the evening.”
“He won’t believe you. I don’t drink that much anymore.”
“I can be a very convincing liar when I need to be.” Leaving her hands pinned to the small of her back, he helped her stand and led her from the bedroom. Benny was standing just to the side of the doorway, his expression as carefully blank as ever.
“Ms. Vitali will be staying the night. She’s not to leave her room without my permission.”
Benny inclined his head in acknowledgement. “Of course, sir. Will she be using one of the guest rooms?”
“No. She’ll be staying in the pink room.”
To his credit, Benny barely blinked. “Very well. Would you like me to send up a cup of warm milk?”
“Not tonight. Naughty little girls don’t get treats at bedtime.”
The corner of Benny’s lips lifted in the slightest smirk. “Very true, sir. Do you need me for anything else this evening?”
“No, thank you. I’ve got everything under control.”
With another small nod, Benny disappeared down the stairs. Once he was gone, Emilio opened the door to the bedroom just next to his and guided his charge inside.
Her gasp gave him a sense of grim satisfaction. “What the actual fuck, Rinaldi?”