by Piper Stone
“I have to entertain every avenue.”
“You should hear yourself, Cristiano.”
I could see the hurt in her eyes, but she was telling the truth. “I believe you.”
“As if I give a shit. What the hell was that about with Dimitri? Were you just trying to be the big man, some ruthless asshole? What dangers are in your freaking backyard?” When I didn’t answer right away, she laughed, taking a swig of her wine. “Of course you have no comment. What else would I expect?”
I inched closer, gripping the edge of the counter, noticing that she’d positioned a second glass by the open bottle of wine, a gesture that I couldn’t comprehend. With my voice as low and emotionless as possible, I answered. “There has been danger surrounding my family my entire life. There are people, enemies, that would stop at nothing to destroy my family.”
“Well deserved.”
“You know nothing about me.”
“And I don’t want to know anything else,” she spouted, recoiling slightly. “Other than why you killed that man. He was nothing but the owner of a restaurant, for God’s sake. What kind of danger could he pose to you, especially since you’re a merciless killer?”
“That man is responsible for my father almost being killed.”
She seemed taken aback, blinking several times. “How? Why?”
“Why? Because he betrayed my family.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Of course you don’t understand.” I closed my eyes briefly. “I have four brothers and a beautiful baby sister. My mother is more like an angel, her devout faith something that allows her happiness. My father? Well, he’s a great man, although he was rough on every one of us growing up, but just recently he’s enjoyed family gatherings and holidays. I know he regrets missing so many as we were growing up. My siblings are loving and vivacious, trying to enjoy their life.”
“Wow. You sound like a Hallmark card,” she said defiantly.
I took another step closer, surprised that she didn’t budge an inch. “There have been four attempts made on my father’s life, including the one I mentioned. There have also been two on other members of the family. My father almost died almost two years ago because that asshole from the restaurant sold his soul to someone else.”
“Who? Who would dare defy the great King family?” she challenged.
The truth allowed the guilt to continue. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know yet you murdered him?”
“I did what I had to do to send a message to others. I would do anything to protect my family and the men and women who work for me, all of whom have a target on their backs and will even if they discontinue their employment. That is the pledge I’ve made to them. That is a requirement.”
The slight smirk on her face was nothing but a continuation of her rebellious nature and her lack of understanding my life. She would learn the hard way that disobedience allowed weakness, which in turn created an avenue for my enemies to break through our defenses.
“As I said before. Your life is very sad. I’m not certain why the bars in prison bothered you. You’ve been living behind them your entire life.”
The words were poignant and so damn accurate.
“Maybe so, Emily, but even if I had steel bars on every window, that wouldn’t mean I was safe. I assure you that while I have the finest security system, men who would die to keep me alive, there will always be an enemy waiting to assassinate one or more of my family. And I assure you that you’ve already become a target. Do you understand what I’m saying to you? Your life is in danger.”
She swallowed hard, blinking several times. “Why would your enemies kill me? If what you’re telling me is the truth, they should be reveling in what I managed to do for them.”
“Because I own you. Because you are important to me.”
Whether or not she accepted what I said I wasn’t certain, but she seemed to soften as I closed the distance.
“I’m important to you? I’m just a possession to you and nothing more.” Her wistful words were said with regret, almost as if she wished what we shared was more.
“You belong to me, Emily. It’s time you accept the fact. Now, we are going to talk because your lies will not continue.”
“I’ve told you ten times. I’m not lying to you.”
“Who required you to testify against me?”
“No one required me to.” She moved around me, sliding the wineglass on the counter and moving further away.
Someone had coerced her and she was hiding the reason.
As I’d done before, I grabbed and yanked her arm, pushing her over the edge of the island. “Let’s try that again.”
“What are you insinuating?” she snapped, struggling in my hold.
“That you know more than you’ve told me. You are going to be punished for lying to me. You knew the rules. You broke them.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Rules? What rules, Cristiano? To stay the good little pet while you’re gone? To stay behind locked doors, unable to catch a glimpse of the sunlight? I don’t know anything. I did what was required of me.”
I yanked on her dress, dragging it up to her waist. “Until you decide to tell me the truth, you’re going to be punished.”
She did everything she could to get out of my grasp, bucking against me. “What is wrong with you?”
“What is wrong with me?” I asked as I yanked open one of the drawers, finding exactly what I was looking for. The wooden spatula would suit my needs at least for now. I brought the implement down several times, moving from one side to the other in rapid succession, the thudding noise ringing in my ears.
“Stop. Just stop!”
“You deserve to be punished.” The words were harsh, the sentiment exactly what she needed to hear. The time for her lies was over. I smacked her six times, enjoying the almost instant crimson blooming across her bottom.
Emily gasped, still trying to push away from the island, her legs kicking out.
I pushed her down, running my fingers over her bruised buttocks, kneading her tender skin before starting again. I was methodical in the spanking, covering every inch of her ass, the tops of her thighs. After thirty seconds, she stopped squirming, her moans mixing with the solid snapping sound of the wooden implement connecting with her skin.
While she deserved the harsh discipline, there was no immediate joy in what I was doing. However, she needed to recognize her place. After four more smacks, I caressed her ass cheeks, taking deep breaths in my resolve to calm the remaining anger. She wasn’t to blame for what had occurred. I was almost certain she’d been used, her position within the company Joseph mentioned the reason.
I smacked her a few additional times, taking my time as I shifted from side to side.
Her breathing ragged, she had stopped fighting me altogether. She clung to the edge of the island, her knuckles white from the pressure. A moment of contempt for the situation rushed deep inside. I tossed the damn spoon and pulled her against me, taking deep breaths.
“You’re working for Bayou Market Analysis.”
“You already know that,” she whispered.
I pulled her head against my chest, thinking about my words. “You were coerced into testifying. Weren’t you?”
A single moan slipped past her lips, her body quivering. “Why does it matter? You’re a free man.”
“That may not be the case. The lead prosecutor had every intention of retrying. And I assure you that if that happens, he will stop at nothing to uphold the original sentence if not lengthen it. That isn’t going to happen.”
“Why is this attorney pushing so hard?” she managed.
“Because Griffin Williams has attempted to prosecute my family for years. This is his one way of succeeding. All because there is a witness. You.”
After a few seconds, I released my hold.
She took purposeful steps away, shuddering. “Fine. You really want to know the truth? Yes, Cristiano. I was pushed into
testifying by the prosecuting attorney. Me. Mr. Reynolds threatened me that if I didn’t do so, there would be severe consequences.”
“Why?” Reynolds wasn’t a name I recognized from the prosecutor’s office.
“I honestly don’t know. He said he had evidence against me and that I’d go to prison because of it if I didn’t provide a formal statement.”
She grabbed her wine, her hand shaking as she brought the glass to her lips.
“You need to tell me everything,” I said, jerking the bottle of wine into my hand and pouring a second glass. My patience was gone.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Cristiano. The asshole acted as if I was the criminal. He was insistent that I was covering up for criminal activities within the company, which is bullshit. I do market research. I spend hours on the computer.”
I waited, allowing her to gather her thoughts. “Go on.”
“Mr. Reynolds mentioned that the work I was doing was illegal. He had papers showing that reports I’d created were actually for a bogus company. What little I could gather from his inflammatory accusations was that money laundering had occurred on several occasions through this particular company.”
“What company are we talking about?”
“Look, I know that Bayou is just a subsidiary of a larger firm, a corporation. I’ve seen certain documents with EV Holdings, including my checks. But I was hired to do a job and that’s what I’ve done for the last two years.”
“What kind of research?”
“Mineral rights and markets.”
“Diamonds,” I said, half laughing. At least the information Joseph had discovered was accurate.
“How did you know?” Emily narrowed her eyes.
I shook my head. “That doesn’t matter, Emily. Why the hell did this attorney threaten you, unless you know more than you’re telling me? Were you working on additional projects?”
Her lower lip quivered. “No. I provide reports, which I assume allows the board of directors to determine what industries they are going to invest in. That’s way above my pay grade. I don’t have any information about the corporation or whoever owns it. I work for Franklin Dublin and trust me, he’s not a mastermind criminal.”
“Do you know the owner of EV Holdings? Has he ever come into the office?”
“Mr. Vendez? As far as I know, he’s merely the man who signs my checks. I’ve never met him and Mr. Dublin hasn’t mentioned him to me. Who is he?”
I studied her expression as I thought about the tone of her voice. Perhaps she was telling me the truth. “That’s not necessary for you to know.”
“What aren’t you telling me?” She inched closer, her brow furrowed. “You think I had something to do with your father’s assassination attempt. Don’t you? My God, you do.”
“I’ve remained alive by not sharing information, Emily.”
“I’m not your enemy, Cristiano, at least not the way you’re implying. I am very sorry about your father, but I had nothing to do with it. I’m glad he survived. And I assure you that the job isn’t what I want to spend the rest of my life doing. It pays the bills and nothing more. It’s obvious that you’ve already checked my bank account, but if you haven’t, let me save you the time. I have less than a thousand dollars in savings and barely more than that in my checking account. My car is twelve years old and I worry every day that the damn thing will need an expensive repair. I haven’t purchased any new clothing in over a year and the furniture that you’ve already seen is secondhand. In other words, I live paycheck to paycheck. No one paid me off to turn on you. I did what I thought was right.”
“The conviction in your voice is admirable; however, if I find you are lying to me, I will have no choice but to handle the infraction in a method that you won’t enjoy.”
She huffed, nodding several times. “So you’ve made certain to tell me more than once.”
Sighing, I took a gulp of the wine. Scotch was more to my liking at this point. “I purchased some clothes for you and other items. You should find everything you need.”
“Thank you,” she said curtly. “What happens now?”
“Now?” I repeated. “I need to make a few phone calls. Then we will enjoy dinner together.”
“And after that?”
I knew the answer, although I wasn’t ready to say anything to her at this point. The less she knew the better. “I don’t need to remind you that if you attempt to escape, I will find you. There is nowhere you can run. Not in this city. Not in this state.”
I studied the way the lighting over the island highlighted her features, my cock stirring.
She was mine.
Soon that would mean forever.
Chapter 12
Emily
Asshole.
The word refused to leave my mind. I glared at him as he walked away, his threats leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. I took another sip of wine, hoping the rich cabernet would hide the nastiness. Sadly, the wine did nothing, including calming my nerves. I’d actually found myself enjoying a portion of the day. While the gruff Russian had refused to allow me to wander the house by myself, I’d seen enough rooms to know Cristiano lived a solitary life, one devoid of the usual clutter than the majority of people had in at least one room of their house.
There were no pictures of family or friends, no way to know what kind of taste he had in books, music, or movies. Everything was organized, perhaps done by the cleaning staff, but I had a feeling that Cristiano was very particular about everything he owned.
Including me.
I’d tried to ask Dimitri questions only to be stonewalled. He’d said very few words, only making a single phone call and his conversation had been in his native language. Only when I’d asked to go outside had he actually talked to me other than the pointed conversation over the broken glass.
But I would never forget what he’d said.
“Mr. King has taken to you.”
“Doesn’t he have a wife or a stable of girlfriends?” I’d retorted more than asking a question. Cristiano’s love life didn’t matter to me.
Dimitri had walked closer, staring down at the shimmering pool water before answering me. “He’s never been married and has cared for a single woman.”
“I’m not his girlfriend.”
“No. You are more.”
Then he’d retreated to the shadows, watching every move I made. I’d wanted to ask Dimitri what he’d meant but Cristiano had burst in, acting as if I’d performed a mortal sin.
He was even angrier than before he’d left. Whatever news or information he’d gathered had been disturbing.
Danger.
And what was he trying to get at with questions about my employer? Nothing made any sense.
Just before Cristiano walked out, he stopped in the doorway, turning his head slowly. His gaze was just as heated as before, the look in his eyes one of absolute possession. He lifted his head then walked away, his gait steady.
A cold shiver trickled down my spine.
I’d kept something from him on purpose and I wasn’t certain why, yet the lie was one that I found difficult to continue keeping. I had a bad feeling that I’d been used.
I was unable to shake the feeling that the nightmare was far from being over. Exhaling, I placed the wine on the island before venturing into the hall, noticing the dozen or more colorful bags. As I walked closer, I wasn’t expecting the giddy feeling from seeing the number of packages. While I had no doubt that he’d gotten one of his soldiers to purchase the items, I knew the name written in cursive lettering splashed across the bright pink bags. The store sold high-end women’s fashion, the price tags on almost every item far exceeding my budget.
After making two trips, I managed to bring all of them into the kitchen, placing them on the table. Even the beautiful tissue paper carefully wrapping the contents was luxurious. Sadly, it was just another reminder of how the rich and famous lived while the rest of the world survived from paycheck to paycheck.
I carefully laid both over the back of a chair, eagerly opening another bag, finding three others that were just as gorgeous. Then there was the lingerie made from the finest silks and satin, panties and bras of a similar design. I shook my head, my fingers stiff as I brushed them across one of the baby-doll gowns. Confusion rushed in replacing the excitement.
Why had he bothered to purchase such beautiful attire? Why? Why not cheap tee shirts and maybe a pair of jeans or two?
The shoes were just as incredible, all but one pair stilettos. The fact he’d figured out my sizes was impressive.
Or had he figured out a way to delve into every aspect of my private life, maybe having one of his goons return to my house and rifle through my things? Bastard. I shoved the shoes aside, backing away from the table, loathing the fact tears had formed in my eyes. Disgusted, I inched toward the island, grabbing the wine and finishing the rest of the glass. There were still a few additional bags.
I poured another full glass, taking another gulp before haphazardly placing the crystal on the counter, advancing like a predator and ripping through the other bags.
Cosmetics.
A dress for a fancy dinner or perhaps going out dancing.
A few pieces of casual but still expensive attire.
And jewelry. Freaking. Gorgeous. Jewelry.
He’d purchased an entire wardrobe.
My God. The audacity of the man was revolting.
Then I opened the last package, gawking at the contents.
An anal plug.
What the hell? Fuck off. If he thought I was going to wear something so… disgusting, he was wrong.