by Kitty Thomas
“Y-yes.” Finally, she could breathe again. Assuming Angelo didn’t lose his temper and shoot her anyway, she’d be allowed to live this time.
“Good.”
Angelo didn’t disguise his disgust. “You better please him, little girl. You were intended as a gift.”
When he was gone, Leo helped her stand.
“L-Leo?”
“Yes, Faith?”
“Are you going to make me… I mean are we going to… ” Are you going to rape me? Are you going to beat me? Are you going to chain me in your dungeon? Are you going to hurt me? But she couldn’t bring herself to say any of those awful things, so instead, she looked at him helplessly, praying he could read her mind. After all, he’d told her not to say things she didn’t mean or there would be consequences, and she’d said she’d do whatever he wanted to live. And she knew exactly what he wanted.
Her first night here, when she’d begged for his mercy, he’d been affected by her tears. This morning it was as if he were farther away, harder to reach and reason with. How long until nothing could sway him to show her mercy? How long until his sexual frustration peaked? Living here with him wasn’t safe. It was only temporary safety. When the safety ended and he took what he’d been aching to have, would she wish for death and mean it? How would she know?
It wasn’t until Angelo had pointed a gun at her for the second time that she realized nothing had changed. She still wasn’t brave enough to die. But she wasn’t sure if she was brave enough to survive, either. Not with Leo’s compassion becoming harder to earn. It was as if being around Angelo and the rest of his family for an extended period had begun to unlock his criminal side.
“Go get cleaned up. I’m sure the women are already making breakfast,” he said, ignoring her question.
***
Leo grabbed his clothes and went down the hall to shower, careful to lock the bedroom door behind him. Angelo waited in the hallway with his arms crossed over his chest.
“You’re too soft. I wish you’d let me shoot her,” he whispered.
“If she had wanted to die, I would have. If she’s going to live in this house unmolested, she needs to show me the smallest respect by not tossing half-hearted suicidal words around. I don’t think she understood how ungrateful it was. Now she understands.”
Angelo followed down the hall. “So, now that you’ve got part of your balls back, are you going to take what’s yours?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“I’ve caught the way she looks at you,” Angelo said. “She might not know it yet, but she wants you. This could work.”
“She’s vanilla.”
“So?”
“So, she might want me, but she wants me in a Disney princess sort of way with soft candlelight and missionary position and love and candy. She doesn’t want me in a ‘chained down in the dungeon while I lay pretty welts down across her ass’ way. If she were kinky, I’d take her and turn her body against her no matter what she said she wanted. I’m not sure I’m up to that challenge with someone who isn’t wired like me.”
When Leo reached the bathroom, Angelo put a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. Okay? You’re right, I should have killed her that night. You’ve done so much for me, supporting me and Davide when nobody else would. I wanted to give something back. When it went south, I didn’t want to admit I’d hurt instead of helped you. I’ll stay out of it. You don’t need more shit from me.”
“Thanks, that means a lot, Ange.”
They hugged and beat each other on the backs, then kissed on the cheek.
“And we make up on Christmas morning,” Angelo said, chuckling.
“It’s a Rockwell moment.”
Leo ran the shower hotter than normal, fighting with himself over what he was going to do with the woman in his bedroom. Why couldn’t she be a freak like him? Physically, she was just his type. She was smart. She wasn’t a psychotic like Caprice.
He considered utilizing the submissive tendencies she did have. The ones that made her want to placate and appease and get along. It wouldn’t make her any more receptive to anything in the dungeon, but maybe he could compromise. A quieter, gentler dominance. One that wouldn’t look kinky to the untrained eye but that might still be enough if he held full control and she gave him her obedience.
She was his no matter what she was or wasn’t into. Whatever he actually did or didn’t do with her didn’t change the fact that he could do anything. That point had been made clear. He could have her destroyed at the point of Angelo’s gun at any time. And now she knew it.
***
When Leo reached the kitchen, he was surprised to find Faith already eating breakfast. Angelo kept a respectful distance.
Most of the family, in fact, was somewhat back to normal. Uncle Sal appeared to be assessing her in a wolfish way, as if determining if her head should go on his office wall, but Leo hadn’t expected Sal to back down overnight.
Gemma sat in the corner, whispering with Caprice. Great. The psycho and the sister who didn’t know what was good for her, both huddling together in conspiracy. At least they couldn’t be conspiring on getting him and Caprice together, unless Gemma wanted to punish him and realized Caprice was punishment. But as self-involved as his sister was, he didn’t expect her to have picked up on that subtext.
At the kitchen table, Gina was trying to fatten Faith up with second helpings.
“She’s not eating for two,” Leo said, approaching the table.
“Not yet,” Gina said giving him a conspiratorial wink.
Faith looked up, fear still in her eyes. She’d managed makeup to minimize the evidence of crying, but that stark look was still there. He hoped the family thought she was rattled from the previous night’s drama, rather than the truth that she was actually afraid of Leo now.
He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her, kissing the side of her neck. He lingered until her breathing went back to normal and her muscles unclenched themselves, then he sat in the chair beside her, and his mother’s attention went to loading up his plate.
“Admit it, Ma. You want us all fat.”
“Hush. It’s Christmas. One week out of the year isn’t going to take away your good looks.”
Leo took the moment of his mother’s distraction to steal a kiss from Faith. She gasped against his mouth when he turned her to him. He wanted to gauge the truth of what Angelo had said.
For all his faults, Angelo could read people. It was part of what made him such a good capo. He knew if someone could be trusted, if someone was fucking him over. He’d known immediately that Faith wasn’t having sex with his brother like he’d intended, something Leo didn’t want to know how he’d guessed.
In spite of her fear and the events of the morning, she melted into him like butter on a hot griddle. Interesting. He allowed his fingers to trail through her hair and used his other hand to touch the side of her neck. Her pulse was racing. Fear or something more?
Her face was flushed, her eyes glazed. She looked away quickly, back to her plate. That wasn’t fear, and she wasn’t a professional actress. Angelo was right. No matter how conflicted or terrified she was, she wanted him.
But it didn’t matter. She didn’t want him. She wanted the version of him his family saw, the cleaned up, respectable version. The holiday edition. She didn’t want his darkness. That, she cowered from. He couldn’t be with a woman who would cringe in fear from such a pervasive part of him. As attractive and nearly perfect as he found her, that single missing ingredient made the entire cake fall.
Leo glanced down to find Angelica crawling near his feet with Christmas paper in her mouth. “Someone has been unwrapping presents without us.” It had escaped most of the adults’ notice that the kids had disappeared from the kitchen.
“Angelica is a baby. She can’t open presents by herself,” Alba said.
Leo laughed. “I know that, Grammie, but if she’s got wrapping paper, someone had to give it to her.”
T
he adults migrated to the large family room with the Christmas tree and the mountain of presents. Michael and Nico had taken it upon themselves to divvy up the loot, creating a careful pile for each person, while the other kids tore into presents.
“So much for me playing Santa this year,” Leo’s cousin Dino grumbled.
The kids had made a pile for Leo and Faith next to a black leather couch along the back wall. He watched Faith’s eyes widen at the large pile of presents with her name on them. Most were from him, but several were from other family members who’d heard through the grapevine, a.k.a. Gina, that he had a lady friend.
“Leo, can I talk to you for a minute in private?” Caprice said.
He rolled his eyes. He wanted to watch Faith open her presents. Though he also didn’t want to contemplate why he cared so much to see her reactions to everything. “What about?”
“That would be the private part,” she said coyly. Her nipples were erect through her thick sweater.
Unbelievable. She was making a play for him with Faith standing right there. He wanted to kill Vinny for bringing her to the family holiday. While he thought of Vinny as family, that sentiment didn’t extend to his cousin.
“Faith, don’t open anything until I get back.”
“Okay.”
He could see the uncertainty in her eyes and could practically read the thoughts right out of her head. Suddenly, the protective instincts that had caused him to rescue her in the first place came flooding back. He squeezed her hand and caught her gaze. “I’ll be right back.”
She nodded and sat on the couch, staring at the pile in front of her.
Leo followed Caprice down the twisting hallways until they were clear on the other end of the house. She opened a door into an empty bedroom and slithered inside, her intention not subtle. She crooked a finger at him, and he followed. He may as well not berate her out in the hallway.
The door had barely shut and already she was pulling her bright Christmas-red sweater over her head. She hadn’t bothered with a bra, but then Leo had suspected as much.
For the briefest moment, he allowed her to press her body against him, allowed her to press her small hand into the front of his pants as she strained to find his cock. Her hot, searching mouth trailed kisses over his throat.
“Please,” she whimpered. “You know Faith will never be enough for you. She’s too young for you. She’s too sweet and innocent. Not like us. Tiny woodland creatures probably follow her wherever she goes. You don’t love her.”
Leo took a step out of her reach. “How do you know that?”
“I pay attention. She doesn’t light you up like I once did. You think such a sweet, virginal type will ever be what you need?” She dropped to her knees at his feet and looked up, all demure temptation. “Please, Sir, take me to the dungeon. You have to let it out, Leo. Let it out with me.”
“I’m getting married, Caprice.” But his resolve was melting, and she knew it. Whether she knew the marriage was a sham or not he couldn’t guess. It wouldn’t make a difference to Caprice. She would hunt what she wanted, when she wanted, with no regard for the sanctity of anyone else’s sexual unions but her own.
“I don’t care. And I’ll give you what you need after you’re married if you want. Please, let me please you.”
“It doesn’t work with us. You’re too deceitful. None of this is real.”
She rolled her eyes. “What difference does it make? No, you don’t own me. I’m not submissive. But I like the things you do to me, and you like doing them. So let’s do them. I’m not asking to be your soul mate. I’m just asking you to use me. You use me. I’ll use you. We’ll both scratch our itches, and then I’ll go away. I promise.”
“That won’t be how it happens.” It had taken an act of God to detach her the last time. Though, she’d been living in New York back then.
“When was the last time you let it out?”
“Months.”
She smiled. “That’s what I thought. I can always tell when you aren’t getting your needs met.”
“I’ll take you to the dungeon on one condition.”
Her eyes sparked. “Name it.”
“As soon as we are done, you will leave this house. You will not stay for the rest of the holidays.”
“But I came with Vinny,” she pouted, already trying to sway him with her useless ploys.
“I’ll call you a cab and I’ll put you up in a nice hotel until Vinny can come get you and take you back to Vegas.” He wasn’t going to have her in the house with Faith if they were going to do this.
He let out a hiss when she laid her cheek against his crotch. It really had been too long. He’d been living like a priest.
“And… will you come visit me there?”
What harm would it do? He wasn’t in a real relationship with Faith. God knew how long it would be before he got any of his itches scratched again. Then Caprice would be back in Vegas, too far away to be drama.
“On the understanding that this is a short-term fling. We will not have a relationship. I will not be dumping Faith. And you will quietly go away when I tell you to.”
“Done,” she said, her eyes lighting with victory.
“Oh, and one more thing. You will address me as Master and you will not try to control anything. If you seek control or try any bullshit with me, you are out on your ass and I’ll never touch you again.” The last part wounded her pride, but she swallowed hard and nodded. No, she wasn’t submissive. But if she could pretend, then so could he.
“Yes, Master, whatever you want.”
Leo wasn’t stupid enough to think she meant it. Oh, she’d do things his way for the next week, but afterward she would make her play for more. At which point he’d put her ass on a plane and send her back to the other side of the country.
“Put your sweater on and let’s go.”
Caprice got her sweater back on three times faster than she’d gotten it off. Then Leo took her hand and poked his head out the door to check the hallway. It was clear, so he led her to the back stairs that went to the dungeon and locked the door behind them.
The dungeon was the equivalent of two stories down, with stone walls and ceiling that would filter out the loudest screams. Even so, he was gagging her. He didn’t want to hear her smart mouth. He only wanted to see her tears and hear muted, desperate mewls.
Between everything else and the vanilla nightmare he was living out upstairs, he needed this, no matter how much angst he knew it would cause or how much he couldn’t stand this woman. She was a willing victim, so he’d take it.
“Undress. Don’t seduce me. We don’t have time for that. And no eye contact. You look me in the eyes once, and I’ll stop.”
She quickly shifted her gaze to the ground and whispered, “Yes, Master.”
Impotent rage burned beneath the surface, but her determination to win the game she was playing and get her own needs met silenced any protest she may have made as she quickly disrobed.
Leo followed suit. The whole thing was so… perfunctory. There was no passion here, no feelings. It was as cold and sterile as his operating table. It was a quick wank in the shower while random images floated through his mind. Masturbatory.
When her clothing was on the floor, Leo grabbed her wrist none too gently and pushed her down on the spanking horse.
“Hey! Ow!” she protested.
“Shut your mouth.”
She did, and he tied her down. Caprice was ready to protest again when he took the ball gag from the toy box.
“What did I say about trying to control things?” he said, before she could open her mouth again.
“But… I…” For the first time in all the time he’d known her, she had a moment of true fear and indecision. Indecision looked strange on Caprice.
“Don’t you trust me?” he asked. “Why would you want to play with me if you didn’t trust me?”
“I trust you, I just…” She looked up into his eyes then, the pleading visible.
/>
“What did I say about eye contact? Right now, your body belongs to me. You agreed to this. Whether we do this or not, when we leave this room you are leaving my house. Don’t you want to feel like you won a round?”
She looked down quickly—back to the old Caprice—and said, “Yes, Master.” Playing on her sense of competition was too easy. For all her conniving and borderline insanity, she was easy to read and manipulate. She was unable to step back from a situation and judge cost versus benefit once she’d settled on a course of action. Perhaps he’d beat some sense into her today.
“Good girl. I imagine you never hear that phrase. Must be such a novelty, and perhaps demeaning, all things considered.” He pushed the black rubber ball past her lips and snapped the gag into place before she could utter the comeback that had surely begun to weave itself together in her mind.
With the family upstairs opening gifts and wondering where the hell he was, all he wanted was to get his fix, to get his sadistic urges out on a live and somewhat willing human being. He went straight for the cane. It was maximum impact for limited time allotment.
One by one, he laid the welts across her ass and thighs in sharp, practiced strokes. The anger in those welts mirrored his own. His anger at the situation he was in, at Caprice’s machinations, and at his own carnal weakness in falling for her scheme. But oh, he would make her pay for it. She had to know that.
She screamed around the gag so loudly that he was glad for the obstruction. As soundproofed as the dungeon was, you could never be too careful with your mother and a pack of small children upstairs. “Why did it sound like you were murdering someone?” wasn’t the question he wanted to entertain on Christmas morning.
There was something vulgar in this display on such a holy day. They’d been out of Mass for a short eight hours and he had one woman tied down, beating her, while the woman he was marrying sat upstairs, abandoned to his criminal family.