by Penelope Sky
She stirred when she felt me kiss her. She turned over slightly, the sheets slipping below her chest to reveal her beautiful tits. “Morning.”
“Morning.” I trailed kisses from the back of her neck all the way down her spine. I kept moving when I reached the top of her ass, and I knew she didn’t expect me to keep going. When I did, her skin covered in bumps, and she tensed noticeably. I moved right between her cheeks, over her asshole, and down to her pussy. I kissed her there, tasting our fluids mixed together from the night before.
She was absolutely still, her breathing nonexistent and her eyes closed. Her hard nipples told me she liked it.
I knew I liked it.
I kissed the back of her shoulder again. “I want breakfast in forty-five minutes, after my workout.” I kicked the sheets back and hopped out of bed. I pulled out my gym shorts and t-shirt without looking back at her.
She didn’t mouth a single protest, knowing she had to earn her keep. She didn’t get to live in a beautiful home like this for free. She got up and pulled on the t-shirt I’d discarded the night before on the floor. “What would you like, sir?”
As much as it turned me on to hear her call me that, she didn’t need to say it all the time. “Use sir after dinner. Carter is fine for now.”
“What would like, Carter?”
“Egg whites and veggies.”
“Do we have any groceries?”
“No. Take the car to the store. Keys are in the entryway. I turned off the thumbprint activation for you.”
Both of her eyebrows rose. “You’re going to let me drive your car?”
“For now. I’ll get you something else soon.”
“But you’re going to let me drive your car?” she repeated. “It’s like a million-dollar car.”
My fingers moved underneath her chin. The second I touched her, she softened. “You’re the strongest woman I know. You can handle it, sweetheart.” I kissed her on the lips before I turned away.
I headed to my private gym, did a rigorous workout, then took a quick shower before I arrived downstairs. The dining room had a nice view of the front of the estate. I sat there in my sweatpants with my laptop and got to work on emails and setting up meetings.
Exactly as I wanted, Mia brought my morning coffee and served breakfast—in silence.
I took various phone calls and had difficult schematics shipped. I had to make full sketches and send those images to the engineers in my lab. Even though I had some of the brightest minds working for me, I still had to delegate everything personally. That was the only way things ran smoothly.
Hours passed, and before I knew it, it was lunchtime. Mia approached me at the table where I’d been sitting all morning. “Let me know when you want lunch, Carter.”
I looked at the time on my computer, realizing it was past one. “I’ll take it now. And I want you to eat with me, sweetheart.”
“Alright.” She returned twenty minutes later with salads and sandwiches for us both, along with freshly brewed iced tea. When she took the seat perpendicular to me, I shut my laptop and put my phone aside. “You don’t have to stop working because of me.”
“I’m aware.” I drank my iced tea as I looked at her, seeing the beautiful woman who never wore a drop of makeup. With soft brown hair that framed her face and coffee-colored her eyes, she was a sight to behold. “Lunch is good. Thank you.”
A slight smile formed on her lips. “Thanks.”
I turned my gaze back out the window, seeing the perfectly manicured gardens that hid the gates from view. With a state-of-the-art security system on the grounds, it would be difficult to cross my path without me knowing about it.
“So…any news on Luca?”
“Still working on it, sweetheart. They’re running the background report on my guy. When they’re done, they should release Luca. We’ll make the exchange right away.”
“Alright.” She looked into her iced tea, her eyes downcast. “I’m just anxious. I’m happy to be here. I’m happy that I’m free from Egor. I just—”
“I understand, sweetheart.”
She turned back to me, sighing quietly. “What if he doesn’t remember me…?”
“That’s crazy. Of course, he will.”
“He was only five when I didn’t come home…living in that orphanage for three years must have been a nightmare for him. He had no idea what was going on. He didn’t know what happened to me. It’s just… I hate Egor for what he did. Rape and torture are nothing compared to taking my son away from me.”
It broke my heart to listen to this. It made me want to kill Egor.
“And now, I can’t have any more children…which is just as hard. I’ve always wanted three kids.”
“It’s not impossible, sweetheart.”
“But unlikely,” she whispered. “I should be grateful I have at least one—”
“No. What Egor did was unacceptable. He should die for what he did to you.”
Her eyes shone with gentleness. “I hate him…never hated someone so much in my life.”
“And you should.”
“I always promised myself I would kill him someday…but now that I’m getting Luca back, I should just let it go.”
I wanted to take care of it for her, but I knew vengeance wouldn’t be smart. We should just be thankful we were both able to get away without inciting his wrath. “Yes. You should concentrate on your son.”
“I will,” she whispered.
I had a few questions for her, but they were all personal. She was my property now, but I didn’t have the right to ask her about her past. Anything that happened before me was none of my business. That didn’t stop my curiosity. “Can I ask about Luca’s father?”
“Sure.” She looked me in the eye. “There’s not much to tell.”
“Were you married?” I shouldn’t feel jealousy over someone I didn’t care about. If I did care about her, I would just let her go for good. She was a slave to me now. In some ways, I wasn’t better than Egor. But the idea of her loving a man made the veins in my body burn. The idea of her making love to someone every night while looking him in the eye made my blood boil. Professing to love him for the rest of her life just made it worse.
Shit, what if she was married now?
I was standing between her and her husband.
Fuck.
After she finished drinking her iced tea, she answered my question. “No. Never been married.”
Thank fucking god. “Can I ask what happened?” The father obviously wasn’t in the picture at all. Otherwise, Luca wouldn’t be in an orphanage.
“I got pregnant with Luca very young. I had him when I was eighteen.”
If he was eight, that meant she was twenty-six now. So she was a bit younger than I was.
“The father said he was too young to be a dad and didn’t want the responsibility. Told me to get an abortion. I had no interest in that, so I kept the baby. It was really hard to raise a son at that age. I didn’t have any support and I was broke, but I worked two jobs and put myself through college. When I graduated with a clinical lab science degree, I moved to Italy for my first job. I was the lead scientist for a large winery, overseeing the fermentation process. I was making decent money and giving Luca a good life. Mastering two languages at once, he was a bilingual kid. Then I made the mistake of going to a bar with some friends…a decision that ruined my life. That’s how I ended up here…”
I stared at her, dumbfounded. Her life journey hadn’t been easy, and just when she finally found stability for her son, some asshole took it away from her. She didn’t need a man to take care of her, not when she could hustle on her own. “Have you spoken to the father since you were pregnant?”
She shook her head. “No. The last time we spoke, he said he wanted me to get an abortion.”
Coward. “So he has no idea all of this happened to you?”
“No. And I had a hard life growing up, the product of a drug-addicted mother. I was taken away from her at a
young age after my father died and put into foster care. But that didn’t stop me from thriving, from getting good grades in school and getting a full scholarship to college.”
“Badass.”
She flinched at my words.
“You’re self-made. That’s really impressive.”
“Well, that’s sweet to say. But look where I am…”
“You’re a survivor. That’s what I see. Not a victim.”
She shrugged. “I wouldn’t have made it this far without you, Carter.”
“You wouldn’t have made it this far without yourself. Anyone else would have taken their own life. You never did…because you had Luca to live for.”
She turned her gaze away, like she was on the verge of tears.
“When your son is old enough, he’ll be very proud to call you his mother.”
“Like I would ever tell him about all of this.”
“I don’t know…if he was an adult, I don’t see why not.”
“No child wants to hear that about their mother,” she whispered. “I would never hurt him like that.”
That was for her to decide, not me. “Either way, he’ll be proud of you. It’s difficult to be a single parent.”
“You know…it never really was. I loved every second of it. Sure, it was hard sometimes, but it was all worth it. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Even if I could go back in time and make better decisions, I would still do everything the same. Luca is everything to me.”
It reminded me of the way my parents spoke about Carmen and me. We were the light of their lives. They never spared their love or affection. “I look forward to meeting him. I wonder how much he looks like you.”
“He looks a lot like his father. But he has my eyes.”
“I love your eyes.” I blurted out the words without thinking.
She smiled slightly. “He’s very sweet. Very bright. But then, it’s been three years…and I wonder how much he’s changed.”
“I’m sure he’s the same sweet boy you remember.”
“I hope so, Carter. I hate to think of how those people treated him.”
My hand moved to hers. “If he’s as strong as his mother, he did just fine.”
Four
Mia
All I could think about was Luca.
Running my hands through his soft strands, seeing the kindness in his eyes that he inherited from me, touching those small hands and bringing them to my lips. A lot could change in three years. In the five years that I’d been with him, he grew so fast. Now I couldn’t imagine how much taller he was, how much stronger he was.
I hoped he would remember me.
I hoped he wouldn’t hate me for leaving him.
Maybe one day, he would understand. When he got older, he would want an explanation of where I ran off to. The last thing I wanted him to think was I left voluntarily, that I’d been a coward like his father and disappeared. The only reason I was gone was because someone forced me.
Otherwise, I would never have left his side.
Living in the new mansion was a dream come true. With a beautiful landscape and high walls, it was a realm of peace and quiet. The customized furniture filled out the home well, and my bedroom on the second floor immediately felt like home. Luca would have the room beside mine, but I imagined I would want to sleep with him for a while.
Egor was rich as well, but I never could take advantage of his luxuries. I was always starved and beaten. With Carter, I could make this place my home. I had a good degree that had allowed me to have a stable job, but that salary never would put me up in a place like this. I wasn’t sure how long Carter wanted the two of us to stay here, but Luca had a lot more resources staying here than he did if we were on our own.
Truth be told, I wanted to be free. I wanted to have a little apartment with my son, to put our lives back together. I used to be a strong and fearless woman, but those days were over. Being a prisoner for so long had changed my mentality. Carter was the only man who could have possibly gotten me out of that situation. The idea of being on my own again, being unprotected, gave me a jolt of anxiety. If I stayed here, I would have a man who could protect my son as well as me.
It was a weak thought to have. I’d never depended on a man before, and I didn’t want to start now. But the truth was in my heart. It was undeniable. With these powerful walls surrounding the house, along with Carter’s presence, no one could touch me. He asked me to submit to him in return, and that seemed like a reasonable price to pay.
I kept the house in tip-top shape and prepared all of Carter’s meals. I’d learned what he liked and didn’t like, and I tried to make new things so he wouldn’t get tired of my cooking. The house was so big that I had to clean the other floors just so they wouldn’t get dusty.
My bedroom on the second floor had its own bathroom and a nice balcony that overlooked the yard. I had a private living room with a TV and a fireplace. It would be a perfect place for me to spend time with Luca. I sat on the couch and visualized my son playing with his toys on the ground.
I didn’t have any toys for him. I didn’t have any clothes. I didn’t have anything for my son. Without a penny to my name and no assets, I wasn’t sure how I would give him what he needed. I refused to ask Carter for money. I had more pride than that.
Carter tapped his knuckles against my bedroom door.
I lifted my chin to look at the door, to listen to the sound that shattered my eardrums. It was hard to believe I had so many rights. He didn’t just barge in here. He knocked, approaching my space with respect. The little things like that made me tear up. My life with Egor had been torture. I couldn’t even use the bathroom without someone watching me. Carter gave me a completely different life, one where I felt safe and respected.
He knocked again when I didn’t answer. “Sweetheart?”
“Come in, Carter.” I rose from the couch and slid my hands into my back pockets.
He stepped inside, wearing jeans and a black t-shirt. His muscular arms stretched out the fabric, and his powerful chest filled out the clothing well. His wide shoulders led to narrow hips, and just above that was his chiseled eight-pack. If I saw Carter across the room somewhere in public, I wouldn’t be able to leave without making a pass at him. He was beautiful, sexy with classic Italian features. I’d buy him a drink in the hope of getting his number. Now I was living with this beautiful man, and I was sleeping with him too. To the best of my knowledge, there hadn’t been another woman in his life in the meantime. I was the only one. It wasn’t exactly the way I wanted to start a romance, but if I had to be in this situation, I’m glad it was with him. If I had to do this for the rest of my life, never get married or have more children, it wouldn’t be so bad. At least the man I was bedding was the sexiest man I’d ever seen.
He stopped in front of me, his head tilted slightly as he regarded me. Concern came into his expression, his dark eyes flashing with intensity. “Everything alright, sweetheart?” He invaded my personal space, stepping toward me and sliding his fingers up my arm. His fingertips were callused from gripping a pen while he worked. They were probably also worn from typing on the keyboard all the time, maybe from working on cars too.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I cleared my throat. “It’s just…never mind.” My head tilted toward the floor, seeing his waistline and long legs.
His fingers moved under my chin, and he forced me to look at him. “No, not never mind. Tell me.” His brown eyes were comforting to look into, to see the pool of chocolate that was innately peaceful and intense at the same time. “I never want to hear you say never mind again.” The backs of his fingers brushed against my cheek before they moved into my hair.
My body warmed until it became so hot I started to melt. The tender affection reminded me of the lovers of my past, of being a participant in an intimate moment. But the touches Carter gave were different, packed with possession and a new level of desire. It made my fingers tingle, my stomach tighten. To top it off, it made me feel
safe. When I first met him, I thought he was a monster like Egor. But he turned out to be quite different…in every good way possible. There was no confusion as to who he was. He was transparent, telling me he wanted to hurt me like Egor, but giving me freedom at the same time. There were lines he never crossed.
“Sweetheart?” he pressed.
“It’s nice hearing you knock…” My eyes shifted back to his face again, seeing those pretty eyes set in a hard face. He didn’t shave so his beard was coming in, but the hair couldn’t disguise the sharp lines of his jaw. “I never had those kinds of freedoms before. Now I do…”
His eyes fell in sadness as his hand moved to the back of my head. He pulled me in for a kiss, giving me a soft embrace on my lips. He felt me for an instant, his mouth taking the lead as he guided me into a deep kiss.
All thought ceased to exist in my mind.
He pulled away, affection in his look. “A woman like you shouldn’t have to be grateful for that.” He tucked my hair behind my ear then moved his hand to my waist. He’d been busy working the last couple of days, taking care of a new model that he was releasing. He went into his office, and I didn’t see him much.
“I know.” I shouldn’t be grateful. I shouldn’t be grateful that Carter saved my life in exchange for my sexual servitude. But since I liked sleeping with him anyway, it seemed like I was getting a great deal.
His powerful arms circled my waist and rested in the steep curve of my back. His large hands gripped the fabric of my shirt and squeezed me. He held me like I was his lover, not his slave.
I wondered when he’d want me to fulfill my end of the bargain. So far, he’d given me full rein to do whatever I wanted. And when we were in bed together, it was always the kind of sex I liked.
“I wanted to ask if we should start picking up things for Luca. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it—I don’t know shit about kids. But he probably needs a new bedroom set and toys. Some school supplies too.”
I wouldn’t ask Carter for anything. Luca was my son, not his. “You don’t need to do any of that. He has a place to sleep and food. We don’t need anything else.” I didn’t want him to spend a dime on us, not when he risked his life to get me away from Egor.