by Sophia Gray
“I know, baby,” Antonio whispered. He pulled me close and kissed me again, searching my mouth with his tongue. I closed my eyes and melted against him. I was feeling hope and relief now that my lover was here, but the panic hadn’t begun to ebb just yet. After all, I was still locked inside the house of Rodrigo Cantonneli…and whether I escaping it wasn’t going to be simple.
“We have to hurry, Melinda,” Antonio whispered. “I made a plan with Cassandra, but we can’t leave just yet. I have to make sure the other guard gets out without alerting your father.”
“What took you so long?” I demanded. “I was starting to get really worried!” I blinked and a hot tear rolled down my cheek. “Antonio, I thought you didn’t care about me anymore! I thought you were scared!”
“Shush, baby, it’s okay,” Antonio whispered. He pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head. “I’m here now. I’m sorry it took me so long – I had to wait until all of the men weren’t watching.”
I nodded. I was still terrified out of my wits – but being around Antonio was calming me, and I felt the most relaxed I’d been since my father had confronted me with his plans that night.
“Are you okay?” Antonio stroked my hair. “I know this has to be upsetting for you.”
I winced as his hand touched my cheek. “The guard hit me,” I said. “He kept slapping me when I was in Dad’s office.”
Antonio balled his hands into fists. “I should’ve killed him,” he said darkly. “That asshole would have deserved it.”
I shook my head as quickly as I could. “No, it’s better this way,” I said softly.
Antonio gazed into my eyes and I felt my heart swell. “I’m just glad to see you,” Antonio said. “I’m glad I wasn’t too late. I was so worried when I got the call from Cassandra; she sounded really distraught.”
I nodded slowly. “Antonio, I owe you an apology,” I said. My cheeks blushed bright red. “I’m really sorry that I didn’t listen to you earlier when you told me this was a bad idea. I should have paid attention and trusted your instinct.”
Antonio sighed. “It’s okay,” he said. “I know you’re a brave, headstrong woman. I didn’t expect you to listen.”
“It’s not okay,” I said miserably. “If I’d listened to you, we wouldn’t be in this mess!”
Antonio raked a hand through his hair. “Well, here we are now, and we have to make the best of it, okay?” He cracked a smile. “You look incredible in those jeans,” he said.
I knew it was wrong, that we didn’t have time, but I couldn’t stop the flood of hormones surging through my body. I plastered my body against Antonio’s and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him close. Once our mouths met in a deep, warm kiss, and I sighed and relaxed against Antonio’s muscular body.
Hot lust burned through my body. Instead of ignoring it and peeling away from Antonio, I pushed him closer and closer to the bed until we toppled over, still clutching and kissing. Antonio’s kisses grew more intense with every second, and he nuzzled me into the bed before nudging my chin up and kissing my neck until I moaned softly with pleasure.
Antonio clamped his hand against my mouth, but he didn’t stop giving me those slow, honey-like, sensual kisses. Desire flared in my lower belly and I arched my back, wriggling against the mattress as Antonio’s tongue played on my neck and collarbone. His hand was tight against my mouth, and even though I was whimpering, the air was silent.
I could feel that Antonio was hard inside of his jeans. Reaching between our bodies, I fondled his erection through his pants until he groaned in my mouth.
“Wait,” Antonio growled softly in my ear. “We shouldn’t do this Melinda, not here; it’s too dangerous.”
I looked at Antonio with lustful fire in my eyes. “I don’t care,” I whispered back. “I want to have sex in my bedroom, if only once.” I grinned wickedly. “We can leave the sheets for Alexander.”
Antonio pressed me against the mattress and kissed me until I swooned in his arms. I kept rubbing his cock through the thick material of his jeans until he was bucking his hips and groaning in time with my ministrations.
Antonio tugged my shirt up over my breasts and buried his face in my cleavage. When I felt his tongue licking my nipple, I moaned and arched my back. Antonio’s hands wandered all down my body and I spread my legs as the heat from his fingers seeped through the denim. My pussy was pulsing with a frantic, desperate kind of arousal – like I’d die if I didn’t manage to have an orgasm.
“God,” I moaned softly into Antonio’s hand. He didn’t release his grip on my mouth, but moved up to kiss me, only taking his fingers away when his lips were right there to replace them. I cried out into his mouth as his fingers fumbled with the snap of my jeans and began tugging them down my hips.
“I want you. I want you so badly, Melinda. I want to make you mine.”
I shivered with lust as Antonio pulled my jeans off and tossed them to the side. He reached down and pushed the crotch of my panties to the side, sliding his fingers inside me until I was writhing and wriggling on the bed. When his thumb found my clit, he stroked me until I was whimpering for more.
“I want you, too,” I whispered, reaching down and stroking Antonio’s cock. I was clumsy as I unfastened his jeans and tried yanking them down with one hand. Antonio groaned and pushed my hand away before tearing his jeans down. He wasn’t wearing boxers, and I eagerly wrapped my hand around the base of his cock, guiding him closer to me.
Antonio arched his back and groaned through gritted teeth as I stroked him. He reached between my legs and slapped my thighs apart, then lowered himself against my body and thrust inside of me with one smooth motion. The way he shoved my panties to the side with a careless hand sent a rush of thrilling lust through my body and I cried out softly as Antonio began rocking back and forth, his cock sliding in and out of my body with a delicious, soft speed.
We moved together on my bed almost soundlessly. Whenever I knew I was about to moan, I kissed him deeply, shoving my tongue into his mouth and grinding fiercely against his body. This wasn’t about love, or even lust – it was desperation. I couldn’t have stopped myself from having sex with Antonio any more easily than I could have stopped myself from breathing.
It was completely natural and wonderful.
Antonio grabbed my hips and held me firmly against the mattress as he fucked me. His body was slamming against my clit with each thrust and I bit my lip to keep from crying out in pleasure.
“Melinda, come for me, baby,” Antonio moaned. “Come for me.”
Throwing my head back, I pressed my lips together and shoved my face into the mattress. Antonio’s cock filled every inch of my pussy as our bodies moved together in a frantic, lustful rhythm. My orgasm came over me so quickly that it felt like I was being held hostage by the emotions and lust racing through my body. As Antonio came inside of me, my pussy clamped around him with each powerful wave of pleasure that ripped through my body.
Afterwards, I was shaking and sweating. Antonio reached up and tenderly wiped my forehead before pulling out of me and yanking his pants up. I was flushed and breathing hard, but aside from that I felt completely normal. I tugged my blouse down, fixed my panties, and slid my jeans back on.
“That was fun,” I said, giggling. I’d always wanted to fuck a guy in the bed I’d grown up sleeping in, and the quickie with Antonio had given me the energy and courage I needed to go forward with the next step of our plan.
When I thought of my dad discovering the truth, I grinned.
“Come on,” Antonio said. He walked over to the window and peered out, shielding his eyes with his hands. “Cassandra’s parked down the street. She’s waiting for us.”
“How the hell are we supposed to get outside?” I demanded. “Dad’s having that huge party, remember? They’re all downstairs.”
Antonio nodded. He looked serious and grave. “I know,” he said. “I thought of that, too.” He looked outside. “Your window is a sheer dro
p from the second story, Melinda. You can’t jump out of that. You might break a bone.”
I shivered at the thought of pain. I’d only ever broken one bone in my life – my wrist, during gym class in elementary school – and it had been the sheerest hell imaginable.
But breaking a bone was preferable to letting Alexander break something else.
“I don’t care,” I said hotly. “I don’t give a shit about whether or not I have to jump out of the window. It doesn’t bother me.”
Antonio nodded. “Well, it bothers me,” he said gruffly. “You’re going to attract a lot of attention, and we can’t have that.”
I frowned, tapping my chin with my finger. “There has to be another way down,” I said slowly.
Antonio nodded. “Your father has the master suite, right? Above the back porch?”
“Yes,” I said slowly.
“Come on,” Antonio said. He jerked his head towards my bedroom door. “We gotta do this now, or we’ll never be able to make it. It’s almost five in the morning. The sun’s going to be coming up soon.”
I sighed. Glancing around my bedroom, it was hard to believe this was the last time I’d ever see it. It didn’t even seem real.
A lump formed in my throat and I blinked back a fresh wave of tears. I remembered picking out the paint for my walls when I was in elementary school. Dad hired one of his guys to paint my room during the day, and when I came home, he surprised me with a stuffed pig and a box of candy. I still had the pig. It was sitting on my bed.
For a moment, I stepped towards it. But then my dad’s ugly, smiling face came back to my mind, and I shivered. I was still reeling from the hurt and pain he’d caused.
I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to think positively about Dad ever again.
“You okay?” Antonio put an arm around my shoulders. “Is everything okay, baby?”
I sighed. “It’s just hard to believe this is happening,” I said softly. “Part of me wishes I would wake up and all of this shit would be a nightmare.” A tear dripped down my cheeks, and I blinked it away, wiping my eyes before Antonio could see.
“I know,” Antonio said. He sighed. “Trust me, I’ve had the same thought.” He rested his forehead against my cheek and I felt love radiating from his body in waves. “It’s hard to believe that someone I trusted could turn out to be so evil. He’s giving you away like a man would sell a farm animal.”
I glanced back at the stuffed pig on my bed. Smiling sadly, I nodded.
“Come on,” Antonio whispered. “It’s now or never, Melinda. We gotta get going.”
Chapter 20
Melinda
Antonio slowly opened my bedroom door. The silence was chilling – almost scarier than the sounds of the men partying below had been when I’d first gotten home. The door squeaked on the hinges, and I shuddered.
Cold sweat broke out over my neck. I glanced at Antonio, suddenly panicked. “We can’t do this!” I whispered. “I’m not brave enough! Something bad is going to happen, Antonio! I just know it!”
“Shush, baby,” Antonio whispered. He kissed my cheek. “I know you can do this, Melinda. I’m proud of you. Remember how strong you are,” he added. “I know that together, we’ll make it out of this alive.”
A terrifying vision popped into my head – Antonio and myself, bound and gagged, bruised and bloody. I shivered. If Dad or any one of his goons caught me, I knew everything was over.
Closing my eyes, I thought of Alexander’s sneer. His ugly twisted face, that shiny blonde hair that he was so vain about. I thought about the entitled way he’d grabbed me and sneered at me and told me I was going to have to shape up for him.
Something odd happened – my fear and panic began to shift into something colder, something harder. An icy ball of resolve formed in my stomach. I took a deep breath, holding my head high.
I looked at Antonio. “I’m ready,” I whispered.
Antonio grabbed my fingers, lacing them with his own. He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it, then gave my fingers a squeeze.
“I love you,” Antonio said. “We got this, Melinda.”
“I love you, too,” I whispered back.
Antonio pulled the door open the rest of the way and gestured for me to step out into the hallway. I wasn’t carrying much – just a backpack with a few pairs of panties, another pair of jeans, and my purse. Still, I felt like I was carrying the load of Atlas as I stepped into the hall and edged along the plush carpeting.
Antonio took a deep breath, and we walked down the hall, one behind the other. My father’s suite was all the way at the end of the house. The hallway opened up to a railing that overlooked the living room.
Fear pierced my heart as Antonio and I edged closer and closer to the exposed part of the hall. The downstairs was still silent, but I didn’t trust my father and his men.
My heart thudded in my chest, as loud as a drum in my own ears. Pulling my hand free from Antonio, I wiped my forehead and reached out to steady myself on the bannister. I turned back and smiled at him, as if to say, See? This is the easy part.
Antonio nodded. He looked serious – his eyes were grave and his strong jaw was clenched. I couldn’t help being struck by how handsome he looked in the soft lighting of the hallway. His dark eyes were intelligent and strong. His neck was bunching with muscles, and the stubble that dusted his jaw made me want to kiss him.
I tore my eyes away from Antonio and took another step. The carpet was quiet beneath me, and I sighed with relief as I made it past the exposed part of the hall. Just as Antonio was about to follow me to safety, I heard a slam from downstairs, followed by a stream of voices.
“Rodrigo, we gotta get more booze,” a brassy male voice slurred. “I’m startin’ to sober up!”
My father’s laughter was harsh. “You’re a fucking pussy,” he said. “You can’t even stand up straight.”
The other man laughed. There was a ripple of laughter and I panicked once again as I tried to count all of the voices. It sounded like there were eight, maybe nine men downstairs. Big brawny men with guns.
Antonio and I – no matter how strong he was – would be no match for them.
Antonio glanced at me with fear in his eyes. He jerked his head, motioning for me to keep moving. But my fear of the voices and laughter downstairs rooted me to the spot.
“Rodrigo, there’s more booze in the garage,” Marty said. “You want me to get it?”
“I don’t care,” my father muttered. He laughed. “Soon, we’ll really have something to celebrate.”
“Hey, Boss!” The sound of Alexander’s voice made me freeze. “I’m gonna go see Melinda – give her a little preview of tomorrow night!”
Antonio’s eyes went wide but I grabbed his hand and motioned for him to stay put. There was a rush of masculine laughter and the sounds of back slapping.
“No, Alexander,” my father said. “Leave her alone until tomorrow.”
“But she’s mine,” Alexander whined. I could practically picture him making a face and throwing a tantrum like a little kid. “I want her!”
“Tomorrow, Alexander,” my father snapped. “Now go get me another cigar. We’re celebrating, aren’t we?”
Relief washed over my body as the group of men moved out of the living room and down the hall to Dad’s office. Antonio and I scurried down the hall into the master suite and closed the door behind us.
I was sweating and shaking. For a moment, I hunched over and rested my hands on my knees. I’m not going to throw up, I thought. I’m not going to throw up. I just have to keep breathing and this will all be okay in the end. Everything is going to be fine.
Antonio patted me on the back. “Come here,” he whispered. He jerked his head to the side. “We need to find the window.”
“It’s in here,” I whispered back. Even though I knew it wouldn’t slow the guards down much if we got caught, I locked Dad’s bedroom door behind us. Beckoning to Antonio with my index finger, I stepped past hi
m and threw my backpack on the bed.
I kneeled on the floor before Dad’s dresser. Closing my eyes, I murmured a quick prayer and pulled open the bottom drawer. Inside was a layer of flannel shirts and jeans. As quietly as I could, I threw the shirts on the floor and fitted my fingers into a groove on the bottom of the drawer.
A splinter pierced my skin and I bit my lip to keep from crying out. I had to work my hands back and forth before the drawer popped off and I was able to set the false bottom to the side.
Antonio whistled from behind me. I turned to him, nodding.
Inside the drawer were wads of cash and a gun. I didn’t want to waste time counting, but there were at least ten stacks of ten thousand dollars each. Spinning around, I grabbed my backpack and shoved five inside.