Her arms tremble as if she’s picturing it. The urge to reach down and cup her pussy to see if she is wet overwhelms me. A tiny part of my brain says I promised I wouldn’t. I can’t scare her away yet. I need to make her mine first.
I back her up against the table, caging her body in with mine without touching any of her soft skin on display. I lean down, my fists beside her hips, and stop only inches from her lush pout. “That’s my offer. You gain your freedom from Sal, but you become mine in return. You should know I’m not an easy man. I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want, but I expect, if you make this choice willingly, that you come to it willingly.”
“What’s—” she starts again, voice barely above a whisper. “What’s that mean?”
“It means when you come to me, and Angel, I can’t wait until you do, then you’ll be mine in every way. You can tell me when you don’t like something or if you disagree, but I won’t accept anything less than obedience and your willing participation.”
“Obedience?” Another tremor in her tone.
“Get thoughts of him out of your fucking head right now. I said I’m not that shitbag fiancé of yours, and I mean it. You will belong to me, and you’ll be treated like the angel you are. I have other means to get my way that don’t involve putting bruises on your body.”
Her eyes are wide, tears filling the brims. I let my temper out just enough to scare her, but it’s already too late. Gathering her into my arms gently, I’m mindful of her bruises and let her weep against my chest.
When she finishes, a dark ring of makeup smudges around her eyes, but she looks up at me and nods. “I understand what you are offering, but I’m not the only person it concerns. I need to talk to my cousin, Rose, first.”
“Rose?” I think back to the girl clutching at her friend from the party.
“She’s my cousin and my sister and my best friend. I’m doing this for her. If I go, she comes too. We have to decide together.”
Gently, I ease her away from me. Grabbing her dress, I kneel at her feet and help her step into it. Her cunt is an inch in front of my face, and my mouth waters to taste her. But I hold back because there will be time soon enough.
Once I zip her into the dress and help her put her shoes back on, she’s already wiped her face with a handkerchief. Without the heavy eye makeup, she looks even younger and so fucking corruptible.
I brush my thumb over her cheek and nod. “I’ll give you a few days. And then, my angel, you’ll come back to me.”
3
VALENTINA
I don’t even have words to describe what I’m feeling as one of Adrian’s men leads me out of the office to the casino. We stand in front of the doors, waiting, but I don’t realize for what until a black town car pulls up in front of me. The man, who doesn’t offer his name, opens the door, helps me in, and shuts it behind me.
We pull away, and I try to gather my thoughts. I try to make some semblance of order. If I can give myself to Adrian, our problems are solved. He’ll get rid of Sal, and Rose will be safe. The downside is I’d yet again belong to a man. It seems I’m destined to be owned by someone for my entire life. I wouldn’t hate the idea if it were the right man.
I think back to the intense look on Adrian’s face as he watched me. It was as if he saw every tiny twitch I made and knew exactly why. My face heats, and I press my hands to my cheeks to stifle some of it. He saw the bruises, and now he knows my shame. I don’t know if him knowing is better or worse at the moment. It almost feels liberating that someone else knows this secret I’ve held so long.
The society isn’t made of decent people. But…when out in public, mixing with the group, they are meant to look decent. This means the abuse, the rape, the crime, all of it is hidden discreetly away, waiting for business meetings and private affairs. I didn’t know much, but I’d seen Rose’s and my abuse overlooked constantly. It’s always easier to look away than speak up. But only for the witnesses, never for those suffering.
I stare out the window and watch the casino lights fade away. My mind is still on Adrian. Rose is terrified of him. He’s supposedly one of the most ruthless men in the society. My father hates him but also won’t speak about him because of some feud, so I don’t know much on that side. I prefer not to talk to Sal directly unless my father forces me to spend time with him, so I couldn’t get information there either. From my own interactions with him…I’m torn.