I pour some water and hand it to her.
“Thank you,” she says, taking the glass.
When she presses her glossy lips to the rim, my cock twitches like I’m fourteen.Christ. I avert my eyes and take a swig of whiskey.
“Let’s go back to Victor for a moment,” she says softly. “Please let him go to his suite at a reasonable time. He needs to rest.”
“Why do you care so much?”
“He’s not young. And he’s gone to a lot of trouble to make me comfortable. The better question is, Why don’t you care?”
Aside from my mother, who essentially has an unlimited pass, no one would dare question me using that tone. Not even Rafael, or Cristiano, or Lucas.No one.
“Watch your tone,Princesa. I won’t repeat myself.”
I add a log to the fire, and then another. “We all have our roles in life. Some we’ve chosen and some that have been chosen for us. Victor is free when I no longer need him this evening—after coffee has been served, and every dish has been washed and put away.” I turn to her. “Your role is to enjoy the food he’s prepared and to be good company for me while we have dinner—and later.”
Her chest rises and falls, and I half expect her to tell me to go fuck myself.That I won’t let pass.
Daniela slides her tongue over her fuckable lips and gazes into my eyes. “I’m the one responsible for dinner being delayed. Punish me instead.”
Punish me instead.It takes every bit of self-control I can muster to not move.
I’m jonesing to give her what she wants. To punish her in ways that’ll have tortured whimpers and helpless cries tumbling from that sexy little mouth.
While I’m fantasizing about defiling her gorgeous body, she’s watching me intently. Taking stock of the animal. She doesn’t bat an eyelash. It’s as though she sees into the depths of my twisted soul, but instead of recoiling, she thumbs her nose at the beast. She’s nervous but not afraid—there’s a difference.
I don’t need her skittish. It’s the last thing I want. But a little fear is healthy. Instilling a sense of it in her would go a long way in helping to keep my promise to her father. I’ll enjoy the hell out of it too.
I might be a monster, but I’m not a liar. The thought of her uneasy, quivering in her high heels, has my cock pressing against my zipper. I want her apprehensive. Wet. Conflicted. Gooseflesh dotting her flawless skin. Every time she bites her lip, every hard swallow, every shiver—I’ll relish all of it.
Every morsel of her discomfort, every bite of shame, is mine.
When it comes down to it, I’m not much different from my father.
18
Daniela
After what feels like an eternity, Antonio moves within inches of me and runs a callused thumb over my mouth, parting my lips.
“Be careful what you ask for,Princesa. Because there’s nothing more I’d like right now than to punish you.”
His eyes are pitch black, and his buttery timbre doesn’t conceal the warning in his voice. Even with the fire a few feet away, and a cashmere wrap covering my shoulders, I shiver.
And he doesn’t miss it.
There’s a glitter in his eyes. Not a warm shimmer, but the glint of an icicle hanging from the eaves of a charming Victorian. It’s magical, until it snaps and pierces your chest.
He drops his hand from my mouth, and I draw a ragged breath.
“Besides, I did punish you,” he says with some complacency. “You have a sassy mouth, but a soft heart. You feel bad about Victor now, but tomorrow when you see the dark circles under his eyes, you’ll feel even worse.”
What an ass.
Victor rolls a cart in with our dinner, sparing me from responding in a way guaranteed to buy more trouble.
Antonio gestures to a chair and remains standing until I’m seated. The good manners are all for show, but I’m not impressed. With the right training, any dog can learn a clever trick.