by Stone, Piper
“What are we supposed to talk about?”
“Why you set me up as well as who you’re working for.”
“What? Are you out of your mind?” What the hell was he talking about?
He chuckled, the sound dark and foreboding. “Tell me about the assailant who entered your classroom. Who was he?”
“I… I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before. Like I said, I barely remember any details about him.”
Sighing, he got off the bed, shaking his head before walking toward the window. “You’re lying to me, Daniella. I don’t appreciate liars. In fact, I refuse to tolerate them. You need to tell the truth, or I’ll have no recourse but to provide a stern lesson.”
My mind remained one big blur, my attempt at understanding what he was getting at failing. “I’m not lying to you, Mr. King. I was the victim, remember?”
He chuckled as he palmed the glass, planting his other hand on his hip. “All in a good game in order to carry out an act of vengeance. And my name is Michael. While you haven’t earned the right, Mr. King is my father. I may require you call me something else later. That will depend on your behavior.”
“I thought your father was the Don of New Orleans.”
“So you read the trash reported in the papers.”
“You mean about your family being murderers?”
Turning abruptly, he took two long strides, pulling me into his arms. The heat resonating from his body was incredible, the same electricity I’d felt before prickling every inch of skin. Why the hell was I attracted to this monster? Even my nipples were aching from the thought of him touching me all over, driving me to new heights or pleasure. I must have a concussion. That was the only way to describe my irrational thoughts.
“If you’re aware of the power my family carries in this city, then you also know what we’re capable of. I can either be your worst nightmare or your savior. That is a decision you will need to make quickly.”
“Please. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just your children’s teacher. Nothing more.”
Inhaling, he closed his eyes briefly, as if my scent had intoxicated him. “Unfortunately, your answer isn’t good enough. I can see that you’re the kind of woman who needs to learn a valuable lesson.”
“A lesson? That I shouldn’t talk to criminals?”
He leaned in until our lips were only centimeters apart. “As I said, I’m prepared to do everything in my power to protect you as long as you cooperate. I assure that being my enemy isn’t in your best interest. Do you understand what happens when that’s the case?”
If he was trying to scare me, he was doing a damn good job. “What will you tell Isabella and Alessandro if their teacher suddenly disappears?”
“Exactly what you’ve likely already told them. That you were leaving your position. While there are always budget cuts within organizations, I find it difficult to believe that a woman of your obvious talent would be let go, especially given my recent generous donation to the school. Still, your termination could prove to be useful if necessary.”
My God, the man was threatening me.
I had no idea what to say to him. He truly believed that I was working with the gunman. “Why would I attempt to hurt you or your family, Michael? What would I have to gain?”
“That’s a very good question and I assure you that I am prepared to find out.” Snickering, he brushed his lips across mine and I was thrown by the flurry of butterflies in my stomach, the way my pussy clenched and released more than once. The masculine scent oozing from every single pore flowed into my nostrils, the fragrance taking my breath away.
Exotic.
Woodsy.
Delicious.
“My children have been taught the meaning of the word traitor. Sadly, they will miss you but in time they will move on, forgetting that you ever existed.”
All I could do was stare at him, my mind one big blur. How could a man so enigmatic and sexy be such a monster?
“Perhaps I’ve gotten your attention. Now, you have one last chance to tell me the truth. Who. Are. You. Working. For?”
“I don’t know anything.” And I wasn’t certain I’d tell him if I did.
Exhaling, he raked his heated gaze down the length of my body, leaving me hot and wet all over. “Then you’re going to be punished.”
“I’ve done nothing.” The slight begging sound in my voice disgusted me, but every inch of my body was trembling from longing, not from fear. I had to act compliant. Only then could I figure a way out of the situation.
“You will learn quickly that I’m no fool, Daniella. There is much at stake in my life, people who will stop at nothing in order to eradicate my business, my family, and my life. That’s never going to happen.” He let me go, taking a deep breath before unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling up his sleeves.
The queasy feeling in my stomach multiplied. My mouth was dry, trying to think of something to say to get myself out of the situation. “Stop, Mr. King. If I’d been working with this person, why did he attempt to kill me?”
“Perhaps he didn’t. Perhaps it was merely a way in which to keep her persona of innocence while continuing to work for him. You’re a brave girl, Daniella. While that’s an admirable trait, it doesn’t bode well for the situation that you’re in.”
I refused to beg. He wasn’t going to reduce me to that level. I stood my ground, taking shallow breaths and trying to keep my body from shaking.
He took the time to remove his goddamn tie, neatly folding and placing the long silk piece on the dresser before coming far too close for my comfort. “Remove your clothing, Daniella.”
“I beg your pardon? How dare you!” I folded my arms across my chest, backing away.
“Come here.” His words weren’t a request but a harsh demand.
I took a decided step away, debating whether I should attempt to run out of the room.
“I said, come here. Do not make me ask you again.”
“Just leave me alone. Don’t you dare touch me.” I was surprised at the rebellion in my voice, but anger and frustration had swirled together to form some kind of backbone. I wasn’t going to allow this man to do anything to me. Then I was shocked by his force and speed as he wrapped his hand around my hair, his fingers digging into my scalp.
I yelped, stars floating in front of my eyes, all the struggle crumbling away as I was forced to realize I had no ability to fight him. The pain was biting and when he twisted his hand, dragging me onto my toes, I let out a series of whimpers.
But I refused to beg.
“I can see that you clearly have no understanding of what kind of predicament you’re in. I’m the only man keeping you alive.”
When I hissed, he tossed me onto my stomach on the bed, immediately yanking my dress up to my waist then snapping his wrist. The sound of the material being shredded echoed in my ears. I was stunned, unable to react at first, the scream I issued silent. When he wrapped his hand around my lace panties, I squealed from the force as he ripped them from my body.
Something from deep within my psyche kicked in, my will to survive refusing to be taken by a monstrous man like Michael King.
At least not without a final fight.
I fought like hell, clawing the bedding and kicking first one leg then the other. No. No. No! This wasn’t going to happen. A whimper erupted from my throat but the solid thud as my foot connected gave me enough energy to pounce forward, almost managing to tumble off the bed.
His guttural growl permeated the room, his anger resonating in the explosive heat that crawled up my legs, sending a shimmer of fear even as electricity threatened to consume me.
“Make no mistake, Daniella Zimmerman. You belong to me. My property. My possession.”
Every sound he made created vibrations, my ears ringing.
“Never. That’s never going to happen.”
He dragged me across the bed, yanking the hairclip that remained snagged, then fisting my long hair, yanking with e
nough force I let out a single scream. “While I will honor my promise to protect you, you will obey my rules or there will be consequences to pay.”
“You can’t break me.”
“For such a beautiful woman, you have a nasty mouth. You’ll soon learn that disobedience requires swift punishment. That begins right now.” He wrangled with my bra as I continued to fight him, but he was too strong, snapping one strap then the other, digging his fingers into the lace then jerking what was left all the way off.
I was completely exposed to the bastard. Tears formed in my eyes, but another scent captured my senses. I was wet. Jesus Christ. What was wrong with my body? I was so wet that I could feel juice trickling down the insides of both thighs. There was no doubt he could sense my arousal.
“I hate you! I fucking hate you!”
When he yanked my torn panties off the bed, fingering the silky material, a blush crept up from my neck, slithering along my cheeks. Oh, God. Oh…
“For a woman who hates me, you seem to be excited about the hard spanking I’m going to give you.”
Not a chance in hell. I fought him one last time, but I was exhausted, the adrenaline rush all but gone.
I was shocked when he brought his hand down, the hard smack across my bottom jarring. Stunned, tears of frustration and fury formed in my eyes.
“Stop!”
“Not until you’ve learned a very important lesson.”
Michael smacked me several times in rapid succession, the cracking sound one I would never forget. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. Not a single soul in my world had attempted to discipline me in such an egregious, horrible manner. I would find a way to fight him.
Kill him.
I didn’t care what I had to do.
“You’re a fucking asshole,” I half whispered, the pain jarring but the electric sensations in my pussy increasing, yanking at my very core.
“You just earned yourself twenty more. I also don’t want to hear your mouth any longer. Until you learn to treat me with respect, you will be silenced. Open your mouth.”
I jerked my head to the side as he leaned forward, my wet panties in his hand. I purposely clamped my mouth shut but the even more savage smack on my already aching bottom forced me to comply.
Michael shoved the panties into my mouth, growling after doing so. The wet, musky scent filled my senses, arousing me further. I wanted to scream hatred against my own body for its betrayal, but every muffled sound I made was nothing but a reminder that I had no recourse.
“You obviously have no understanding of discipline, Daniella. While that surprises me, I’m the man who will help you understand.”
His voice was almost calming, so dark and sultry, the smooth velvet of his tone sending a wave of shivers straight through me.
As the spanking continued, I was pitched into a surreal world, no longer able to feel my arms or legs. He was brutal in his actions, his hand covering every inch of my bottom, the heat blistering, the pain smoldering to the point I could no longer see straight.
A sickening feeling pooled into my stomach, the ugly and horrible realization of my arousal disgusting.
There was no doubt he could tell how excited I’d become, as if pain was a foundation to pleasure. Panting, I closed my eyes, willing my body to stop reacting.
It was no use. My nipples ached, scraping against the soft material of the comforter, further tingling every part of me. The pain from the spanking shifted into anguish but the sensations rocketed through me like a tidal wave capturing my every desire. This man, this monster was turning me on.
A laugh bubbled to the surface and when he caressed my skin, rolling the tips of his fingers from one side to the other, I was unable to stop a moan from pushing past the hindrance in my mouth.
“Your scent is intoxicating,” he half whispered, his voice little more than a low rumble. He pressed my legs further apart, sliding his hand between them.
The moment he pressed the tips across my aching clit, my entire body shuddered. Please. Please. This couldn’t be happening. I couldn’t enjoy the horrors he was inflicting.
But as much as I wanted to deny the electricity searing every cell in my body, fighting the attraction that had caught in a thick web the moment he’d walked into the classroom, I couldn’t. There was no fight left in me, no sense of time or space. While I’d never been a woman to give up, running away from a fight, I had nothing left inside of me.
“You’re very wet,” he murmured, easing his fingers up and down my wetness, toying with me. This wasn’t just about teaching me a lesson. His actions were a display of his power and dominance.
Yet he had no idea what I was capable of.
When he thrust his fingers into my tight channel, a scream cascaded up from my throat, lights dancing in front of my eyes. While the sound was muffled, it managed to float into the air around us.
“Extremely wet,” he huffed. “As far as breaking you. I’m going to enjoy every moment of doing just that.”
His words were like bullets entering my brain. I bit back a series of whimpers as he brought his palm down several additional times. Then he plunged his fingers into my wet heat again, thrusting brutally. When I realized I was bucking against his barbaric actions, arching my back in some feeble attempt to meet every savage drive, I tried to push my mind into another place, one of peace and reverence.
Nothing about this man was gentle. He was nothing more than a brute in expensive clothing, a nasty criminal who deserved to be behind bars.
There was nowhere I could go, no sense of claiming what had belonged to me a few hours before. My life had changed, the ugly criminal taking what he believed belonged to him. A single tear finally dripped from my lashes, sliding down my heated cheek, making its way to my lips. I licked the tiny bead away furiously, loathing everything about myself.
However, there was no way I’d surrender to the asshole without a fight.
When he finally let me go, pushing me hard enough I fell against the bed, I couldn’t stop shaking. He leaned over, tugging the panties from my mouth. I took several gasping breaths, refusing to cry.
“Tell me who is responsible for the assassination attempt,” he demanded.
The sound echoed into my ears. I was weak, both in body and spirit, trying to push away from the bedding but collapsing only seconds later. “I don’t know. I swear to you.”
There was a blanket of quiet in the room, the silence almost as horrifying as the previous round of discipline. Then I felt his body hovering over mine as he planted his hands on either side of me, his hot breath skipping over my shoulders.
“Then I have no recourse but to continue your lesson.”
“What? What are you going to do, kill me?” I blurted out, terrified of his answer.
He laughed in a dark and devious way, sending another chill skating down my spine. “No, my sweet ostaggio. I’m going to fuck you.”
Ostaggio. Hostage in Italian. Oh, my God.
Everything in the room, every single noise was muffled, yet I knew exactly what he was doing.
Freeing his cock.
Preparing to make good on his threat.
He was going to take me, just like the wretched creature he was.
My eyes burned from the increasing tears, my throat clenching shut. Even if I could scream, no one who cared would hear me. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t struggling to get away, to fight with everything I had deep inside of me. Every attempt I made seemed feeble, my fingers stiffening as I attempted to claw my way forward.
The feel of his hands as he gripped my hips, tugging me back several inches until my feet were hanging off the bed was revolting.
Exciting.
Breathtaking.
When he rubbed his cock back and forth across my bruised and aching bottom, I did everything in my power to keep from whimpering. The bastard didn’t deserve to know how aroused I’d become, my pussy clenching and releasing several times in some kind of sick anticipation.<
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Michael said nothing as he shoved the entire length of his cock past my swollen folds.
“Oh!” The exclamation rushed from my throat, my pulse racing. I clenched the comforter, dropping my head and blinking over and over again. It had been so long since I’d been with a man, three long years of pretending that I didn’t need anyone. Now this. This asshole. This brute.
This…
I refused to fill in the blank, fighting to maintain my dignity as he pulled out, slamming into me again.
And again.
My pussy muscles ached, stretching to accept his huge shaft. I wanted nothing more than to shout to the world that I hated him, that I refused to accept the filthy and sadistic act he was performing, but I couldn’t. I was at a loss for thoughts or words of any kind as he fucked me, the force he used shoving me against the bed. My entire body vibrated from the adrenaline rush, his touch both enigmatic as well as devastating. I would never be able to recover, couldn’t stand to look at myself in the mirror.
My reflection would tell no lies.
The dirty, primal experience was exhilarating, my blood pulsing. Why. Why. Why? Tiny whimpers escaped my mouth, my heart fluttering. Fucking stars were floating in front of my eyes, only they weren’t in their usual vibrant white light. They were infused with the most vivid colors of the rainbow.
Sapphire.
Emerald.
Ruby.
As if I’d been shoved into another plane of existence.
And within seconds, my body’s reaction was yet another distinct betrayal as a climax rushed into my system. There was no holding back, no pretense of romance. There were only his savage needs as he pummeled into me.
As well as the most incredible pulsations of bliss, bringing me to the edge of ecstasy.
The bastard seemed to sense my near explosion, thrusting like a wild animal, digging his perfectly manicured nails into my sensitive flesh.
As the orgasm rushed through me, tickling every cell and muscle, I bit back a scream.
At least the first time.
Within seconds, another climax soared up from my toes, pushing me into euphoria. I threw my head back with a guttural bellow as my body reacted involuntarily, meeting every hard thrust. Skin slapping against skin.