by Henry, Jane
"Order what?" she asked, her arms crossed over her chest .
"The dresses and shoes and whatnot," I said, making sure I had everything I needed in my bag before spinning around to talk to her .
She frowned at me "Yes. I overnighted everything. It’ll be here tomorrow .”
"Oh? Why overnighted?" I asked .
"The party is Friday night, Gabriella. The big masquerade .”
When would I ever keep track of these things ?
"Oh, right .”
She smiled slowly, and I caught her wicked grin in the mirror behind me, making me shiver .
I blinked when I glanced at the time, I had five minutes. Even if I left now, I'd be late. Would I be in even worse trouble with Dante if I were tardy? What would he do? What would he say ?
Daddy's gonna spank me .
But I had to get to him. I had to see where he was, and I had to reconnect. If I didn't ...
"Would you mind looking at the clothes I picked out?" Agatha asked. "You don’t have anywhere to go, do you? Could you give me a hand, maybe? It'll only take a second and then you can tell me if I ordered the right thing. Do you mind ?"
I was now officially late, but resisting her would only make her angry, and if she suspected I was meeting someone, it could spell even more trouble .
Maybe he'd be late himself. Maybe he wouldn't even notice the time ...
"Yeah, sure," I said. "Let's see them .”
“Oh, I left the catalog in the store room,” she said. “Can you grab it ?”
Well that was weird. With a shrug, I headed to the store room, and glanced at the time on my phone. I had minutes now. Great. I tossed my phone on the desk. When I entered the room, it was dark, so I reached for the switch .
I didn’t see Agatha. I never even heard her. But as I turned to flick the light, the huge steel door swung shut, clicking with an ominous snick. My breath caught in my throat as I tried the handle, but it was locked. I knew it would be. And even though I knew it was no use, I pounded on the door with my fists .
“Help!” I screamed. “I’m locked in here! Help! Please open the door!” But of course my pleas went unnoticed. I banged and screamed until my voice was hoarse, but no one came. I was locked in, with no way out .
Chapter Nine
I watched the pavement flash before me as I rode to meet her. Adrenaline pumped in my veins and eagerness to see her, to touch her, to feel her, filled every part of me. She was like a drug, and I needed my fix .
As was becoming my new routine, I'd ditched the suit and tie, welcoming the feel of the worn jeans and faded t-shirt that clung to me like a second skin. The day had worn on me, and I was ready for better things. I was sick of being mired in darkness. I needed to see my light .
Today, I’d had to be the heavy. The man who came in and cracked skulls. There had been a time when I’d reveled in it. I’d liked that people feared me when they saw me. I’d liked that they knew who I was. I’d liked the respect they gave me, the reverence in their voices, how they would give me the best seat in the house, the most expensive wine on the menu, preference over all others .
But now it sickened me. It wasn’t respect born of integrity or hard work, but terror .
Today, I'd had to collect for my father. I'd made Beauregard, the man who owed my father, squirm beneath my glare, and pronounced his sentence while he begged for mercy. He hadn’t heeded my first warning, the night I met Gabriella .
I wanted to vomit now, remembering his screams when they'd dragged him away to punish him, though he totally fucking deserved what he’d gotten .
Beauregard was a sick bastard. I was the son of the mafia lord and even I had never done something so repulsive. After confirming he was still using young girls and hadn’t paid my father back, I'd given the orders to clear his store, send his associates home, and once I'd wrangled the truth from him, I'd ordered pain that would ultimately end in his demise, but not until he’d suffered .
We were powerful, and we were merciless. But even we didn't stoop that fucking low .
"We have our standards, Dante," my father would say. "We have our morals ."
Fuck morals .
I pulled into the narrow street that brought me to the intersection where I'd meet her, but tonight, the air was different. There were the same people milling about, the same music piped through speakers overhead, bright lights that made it look far earlier than it really was. But... something was off. My instincts rose and I looked about me, searching for clues. I hadn't risen as respected commander of my father's army by accident .
My instincts were finely honed. A gift, my father said. I could smell betrayal a mile away .
And the yard where I was to meet her reeked of it. I took in my surroundings with deliberation, noting every detail, just a moment before the clock struck midnight .
No Gabriella .
I walked around looking for her, my gut telling me that something was wrong. She'd been hurt. Someone had fucking hurt her, damn it. I had to find her. Where was she? I paced the narrow garden area, making sure I hadn't somehow missed her, that she wasn't sitting on a little bench waiting for me .
Where the fuck was she ?
I peered by the trellis that overlooked the little man-made pond where lovers proposed and people threw coins into all day long. Nothing .
Fucking hell. I wanted her phone number. I needed to know she was okay. I needed to hold her. Where the fuck was she? As I paced, my concern grew to alarm level. I was gonna lose my mind. If she were anyone else... if I hadn't hidden who she was... I would call in assistance. We'd use every resource we had to scan every nook and cranny until we found her .
But hell, I didn't even have her fucking phone number .
God, I hated the secrecy and lies and sneaking around. I wanted to own this. Own her ... in every way. But no... instead, I had to lift every rock in the fucking park to see if she was okay, to see if someone had hurt her. If Emilio had found her, if he knew who she was, and he knew that she was special to me …
Fuck the "traditional family values" bullshit. Fuck the whole "loyalty to the family" thing. I'd fucking kill him, bloodline be damned .
I glanced at my phone and realized she was twenty minutes late now, and my stomach seized. I knew in my gut she was in danger. God, what would I even do with myself? How could I handle her being hurt, or compromised in any way ?
I paced around a small stone bench, ignoring a couple groping each other like lovesick teens. I walked past the old man feeding his dogs biscuits, and made my way to a clearing where a police officer paced. He caught my eye, and I knew he recognized me with the instinctive flare of his nostrils, intake of breath, then curt nod .
I ran a hand through my hair, frantic with worry, convinced that someone had found her out and hurt her. The thought of anyone touching her, of even looking at her… I'd fucking kill them .
But just as I'd made up my mind I would go on the hunt for her, I saw a gleam of golden hair, flying in the wind as she ran, and I stiffened. She was alive, and she was okay, and it looked as if she were unharmed .
Was she ?
She ran around the corner, tripped, but caught herself, and I shook my head. Jesus. All we needed was for her to fall again, cause another injury, bring more unwanted attention to herself. But then she came into view, and my anger began to melt. God, she was beautiful. So fucking beautiful .
I wanted to scoop her into my arms and kiss every inch of her body, run my mouth along her collarbone and nip her skin, make her moan, and then I’d growl in her ear that she was daddy's little girl. My words would have the desired effect. Her breath would catch in her throat, her eyes would meet mine, and I'd promise to keep her safe, holding her close to me, close enough she could feel how much I loved her .
Then I'd turn her over my knee and spank her ass for making me worry like this .
&quo
t;Gabriella," I whispered, holding my arms out to her, and when she came to me, I felt it. Someone was watching us, and not just strangers observing the happy reunion of two lovers. No. Someone with a far more serious agenda .
Fucking hell .
I pulled her to me, closing my eyes in thanks as her familiar scent, her soft hair, and her voice made me breathe a sigh of relief .
She was okay ,
They hadn't found her. Not yet. And she was mine, at least for tonight .
"Sorry I was late," she said. “Oh my God. I got locked in our storeroom !”
I pulled away and looked down at her in shock. “What ?”
"I had to look at a few things with my stepmother, and then the door shut and I couldn’t get out. Were you waiting long ?”
Waiting long? Was she fucking kidding me ?
I put her at arm's length in front of me. "Gabriella, I was worried sick," I said, allowing my voice to take on a scolding tone as I fixed her with a stern look. "I looked all around the park, convinced that someone had hurt you. How did you get stuck in the storeroom ?"
“It’s the weirdest thing,” she said, shaking her head. “I thought that Agatha had shut it on me, but she was gone when I came out, and I texted her. She said she thought I’d left and the door shut on its own. If the cleaners hadn’t come …”
“You thought Agatha did it .”
Not. Good .
“I can’t imagine why she’d do such a stupid thing, though,” she said, shaking her head .
I could .
"We need to go," I told her. "And we aren't coming back tonight. You're still okay with that ?"
She smiled shyly. "Yes, Daddy," she whispered .
I paused a beat, needing to read her, knowing that was okay, and having to cool myself down. A few minutes ago, I’d been prepared to let her know she could never scare me like that again, and now I had to wonder if her stepmother had ulterior motives .
"Get on the bike, Gabriella," I said, grunting with impatience. I wanted out of here. "Let’s go .”
"You're mad," she said, her quiet, tremulous voice almost making me soften a little .
"I’m not mad." I held the bike while she got on and when she reached for me I looked at her hands, inspecting her to make sure she was okay. Her palms looked better, and I was pleased with that, though I was still furious, still shaking with the anger at her would-be attackers .
"You are," she whispered, her voice catching as she buried her head on my neck and I kicked up the engines. "Daddy's mad at me." Her voice shook and I wanted to make it better .
"I was scared because I thought you were hurt, baby," I said, gentling my tone. "I thought someone had hurt you, and I didn't know where I could find you or how to help ."
"Wow," she breathed. "Just wow ."
My lips quirked. Wow? She sounded like she'd just seen or heard something that completely astonished her .
"Yeah," she said breathlessly. "I... I just can't..." Her voice got a little high, a little shaky, as if she were going to cry. "Someone did before, just once before ."
What was she talking about ?
I sighed impatiently. "Gabriella. What are you talking about ?"
"My dad once cared about me like that," she said. "My mom did, too. But no one since they died... no one has really..." To my shock, I heard a sniffle .
"Baby," I soothed, turning my head to the side. "Honey... are you crying ?"
"Yessss," she moaned, full-on sobbing now. "I—you… you care about meeeee," she wailed .
Jesus Fucking Christ. Was she crazy ?
"Of course I care about you," I gritted out. "Why else would I ask you to meet me? Why else would I get so worried that you weren't here when I asked ?"
"That's my pooooinnnnttt," she wailed .
For Christ's sake. "Don't slacken your grip. Got it? Hold on, even if you're sobbing or whatever, okay ?"
"Yes, Daddy," she whispered. "Okay, Daddy, I won't let go. I'll never let go. Never !"
I chuckled… I couldn't help it. I was pissed off and she still wasn't gonna sit for a week when I was done with her, but I couldn't stay mad. Not at Gabriella .
We rode in silence for a while until she spoke up from the back. "Dante? Where are we going? Do you know ?"
"Yeah, baby," I said. "I know where we're going. Just trust me. I picked out a special place for us tonight ."
She squealed then, legit, squealed like a little girl, and I laughed out loud .
"You are too good to me. Too, too good. Yayyyy! Oh, I can't wait ."
"I'll get you back first thing in the morning, yeah ?"
"Yes! Yes! Wooohooooo!" She yelled into the wind, and I kicked up the speed, dust flying behind me as we made our way to the place I'd selected. It was the most expensive place I could think of, but also the place that would really keep things quiet between us. I knew the owner, and our staying would be billed to a false account, with a fake I.D., and no one would be the wiser .
After half an hour riding, we made it. I did a quick spin around the parking lot to make sure we hadn't been followed. We were alone. For now, anyway .
I parked in the shadows at the back, where my friend had told me there were no cameras, and we could access the back door. He'd given me the security code and the number to the room, so we didn't even have to go up to the main desk but to the back. We walked past an elaborate swimming pool decked out with chairs, closed for now but lit with multi-colored lights. A large area outside the towering building housed a glowing fire pit and more chairs .
"Where are we going?" she whispered. "Oh, Dante. This is amazing !"
"Shh, Gabriella," I ordered, raising a finger to my lips. "This is our little secret, babe, so keep quiet, okay?" We hadn’t even gotten to the good part .
She nodded and followed me as I input the codes and the door opened with a soft click. Thick, soft carpet welcomed us, glowing lights along the walls in elaborate sconces lending an air of luxury, refinement, and most importantly, privacy .
"Yes, Daddy," she whispered .
Once we'd made it to the top floor suite, she could make all the fucking noise she wanted, and that was my plan .
I hoped she'd make a lot of fucking noise .
We walked along the carpet that led to the elevator while she squealed about the thickness of the carpet, peeked into the enormous mirrors that hung on the walls, and held my hand with childlike wonder. I didn't burst her bubble until we made it to the elevator, and even then I only did it because I had other things on my mind .
"You're pretty excited for a little girl who's about to get a spanking," I said, leaning against the golden railing in the elevator and shaking my head. "Not sure you've fully understood my motives yet, Gabriella ."
Her eyes widened and she stopped talking for a moment, looking around the interior of the elevator before speaking to me .
"And, um, what might those motives be?" she asked .
I leaned in, resting my forearm on the wall behind her, and placing my second hand on her hip as I stared into her eyes, pinning her in place. "To take you to a place where no one will hear you when you scream," I whispered. "To bring you to places you've never been, where you'll sing my name like a chorus until you're hoarse. To bring you mindless pleasure, baby. Again. And again. And again ."
She blinked, breathing heavily, as the door to the elevator opened and I led her to our suite. I opened the door to our room, her eyes taking in everything around us in wide-eyed glee. She practically bounced on the pads of her feet, so excited about what was coming, and I hoped the s
uite I'd booked would please her. She deserved it .
The door opened and I held up a finger, wanting to go in ahead of her. I had to sweep the room. Always did .
"Oh, right," she whispered. "Gotta make sure there are no bad guys hiding in the corners, right ?"
I rolled my eyes. After I’d convinced myself we were in the clear, I gestured for her to come in the room .
A bar ran along the edge of one wall, fully stocked and complete with bar stools, near a large window that overlooked the twinkling lights below us. With a tug of the shades we had privacy, though, and I smiled to myself. We'd need it .
The bed was absolutely gigantic, adorned with multiple pillows and blankets, in whites and golds, a full four-poster with filmy drapes that hung in ethereal swaths above. She'd feel like a princess .
"Wow," she said. "Just wow. This is... oh my goodness!" She squealed and when I turned to look at her, her arms were outstretched as she spun around the room in rapt fascination. This was mind-blowing to her and her delight in the little details of the room reminded me what it'd been like that first night we stayed together .
And that place didn't even hold a candle to this one. She was entranced, and I was smitten .
"This bathroom is totally bigger than my whole apartment," she said, running inside, her voice echoing in the large room. "I don't even know what all these knobs and buttons do. If you—oooh !"
I heard what sounded like a stream of water, and her little surprised reaction. Damn, she was so cute, and a little bit of a klutz .
"Gabriella," I said, shaking my head as I made it to the bathroom. "What the — "
But when I entered the room I got a full face full of water. I blinked, sputtering a bit, as I wiped my eyes with a washcloth she shoved in my hand .