Fade

by Haley Ladawn

  Suddenly, his hand slipped between the fabric of my lace panties, where I was already wet. His hand tightened around the thin material of the thong, ripping it from underneath me. . His rigid muscles tightened around me, somewhere between hugging and crushing me. I didn’t mind at all. I just wanted to touch him while he touched me, even if that meant being pinned against a bed.

  “You turn me on like a light switch,” he rasped out, running his fingers over my pulsating warmth, teasing me. I bit down on my lip with each stroke he made over my soaked slit. My hips were already bucking toward him, wanting more. This wasn’t pleasure, it was pure torture. I wanted the real thing, but this would have to do for now. “But you also make me want to blow a fuse.”

  “Ditto.” It took all my strength to form that one word. My body was wriggling beneath him, begging for release that only he could give me. He held the key to my freedom, and the key to whatever this was.

  “Your pussy is soaked.” He shifted his hips, so that I could feel his hard cock restrained in his pants. “And I want to slide into you, gattina.”

  With those words, he thrust two fingers deep inside of me with no warning. Much to my dismay, my entire body clenched around him instantly as he fingered me, while sucking and biting on my neck with his teeth. I could feel fresh mint with every movement of his tongue along my skin. I tightened my grip around him, putting him in an honest to God death grip. Now that I had him, I didn’t want to let him go.

  There was no going back. I wanted him and he knew it. I even whimpered from the contact. My body was already starting to spasm, and all he’d done was sweep two fingers over my clit.

  When I was about to come, I decided to mask my pleasure by screaming. I didn’t want him to hear my moans. Plus, I wanted to freak him out a little. Let’s call it payback.

  “Ah! There’s a foreign alien probing me with his fingers!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping to get someone’s attention. I wanted to embarrass him, just like he’d embarrassed me. “Someone help me!”

  As if on cue, a tall Italian man stormed into the room, as if he’d just heard someone getting murdered. He had a pistol drawn, but it hit the floor as soon as he saw Elliot on top of me, clearly in the middle of something. The mystery man looked perplexed, like he was unsure of whether he should do something. His cheeks reddened, as did Elliot’s.

  “Holy hell, she’s a screamer! Is she okay, boss man?” The guy asked, in a smoother, softer accent than Elliot’s. I could understand him. It was nice. He had dark hair and eyes to match. I’d almost say he was more attractive than Elliot, but only almost. “I was on my way to get you for the, um, you know… and then I heard someone screaming. I thought a rat got in or something.”

  The what? I was suddenly very suspicious of where the two of them were going at three o’clock in the morning.

  “The only rat here is the one beneath me.” Elliot narrowed his eyes in my direction, going back to his usual somber, angry self. I think the pain meds were finally starting to wear off because he gave me an unpleasant look. Maybe the man he’d been in the last few hours was just an intoxicated ruse.

  “Listen here, gattina.” He bent his head down slowly, until his lips were against my neck. He was close enough, so that only I would hear his next words. “If you ever do that again, I’ll pinch your clit so hard that it pops. I said I didn’t want to hurt you, but I will.”

  My thighs clenched together as he slid off the bed angrily, muttering something in Italian.

  “Come, Falco.” Elliot motioned for the tall man to follow him. He gave me a sympathetic smile on his way out. He seemed sweet, unlike the man who’d almost went down on me. “We have places to be and my gattina needs to rest. She can’t run with the wolves.”

  “You’re just going to leave me here?”

  “Sì.” Elliot turned around, giving me a short wave. “Oh, and there’s new sheets in the closet, since you came all over the old ones. Thought I wouldn’t notice, yes?”

  Falco laughed from the hallway, making my cheeks flush with color. Before I could say anything, Elliot slammed the door shut behind him, getting the last word in as always.

  I was, once again, left alone with unfinished business and bed that was built for two… and a pistol that was still lying on the ground. Falco seemed nice, but he wasn’t that smart.

  Chapter 25: Hide-and-Seek

  He touched me as if he was finger painting, treating me like fine art. Then, he disappeared, leaving me alone after I’d come undone beneath him.

  Realizing Elliott was just a player, I brought my knees to my chest while sitting on the bed. I’d already changed the sheets and grabbed the gun after much consideration.

  No one, not even Falco, came back for it. He had to know that he’d left the weapon behind, unless he really had an IQ of zero. It wouldn’t be the first time that someone was pretty and stupid.

  I’d examined the gun from afar, as it began to sink into the comforter. I sat there for a while, debating on whether I should pick it up. If I were to place it into my hands, it would initiate the thought of using it. If I decided to use it, it’s hard to say what would happen. I’d watched enough crime movies to know that one thing was certain. Retaliation was a dangerous game.

  When I reached for the pistol, a million thoughts raced through my mind. Were there cameras on me? Was this a test? Was the gun really a bomb that would self-destruct in thirty seconds if someone touched it? Was I just being paranoid? Of course, I was. Being paranoid is a side effect of being abducted.

  Needless to say, when I picked up the gun, it didn’t self-destruct. Nothing happened.

  Now, I was sitting on the bed with it in my hand. I stared at the gun longer than I stared into the mirror and that was saying a lot. I was the kind of girl who stared at her own reflection for minutes on end, waiting to see if the appearance would ever change.

  It never did. I was always the same red-haired, freckled face girl with eyes that were too dark to be green, but too light to be brown.

  Lying on my side, I rested my head on the pillow and my fingers on the trigger. Maybe I felt lonely, but I wasn’t going to sleep alone. I had a loaded gun to cuddle with, and maybe it would scare the nightmares away. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to sleep for long.

  There was a growl and then I woke up.

  When my eyes opened, the darkness didn’t melt away like it usually did. There was something covering my eyes and it was tied tight. Something heavy weighed down on my stomach, like an anchor pulling down into the deep sea. When I attempted to move it, it fucking scratched me. That was enough to send me screaming at the top of my lungs.

  “What the fuck?” I said as I yanked at the blindfold, but it wouldn’t budge.

  Meow.

  I stopped shouting to focus on the noise I just heard. It almost sounded like a—

  Meow.

  That was definitely a cat, but how did it get there?

  Focusing my attention on the blindfold, I pried at it with my fingers. On the verge of freaking out, I reminded myself to stay calm.

  I took a heavy breath, trying to avoid hyperventilating. “Breathe in, breathe out. You can do this.”

  Three seconds later…

  “No, you fucking can’t!” I concluded, shaking my head in disbelief. “I’m going to die a slow and painful death! Someone help me please!”

  I must have gotten an adrenaline rush because I tore the blindfold from my head seconds later. My eyes looked down at the dark fabric and I about lost it. It was a sleeping mask. I almost had a heart attack over a sleeping mask.

  My eyes adjusted to the room around me quickly. It was the same room I was in earlier, except there was a giant, orange tabby cat sitting on my stomach. I stared at it for a long while, debating on whether or not I should move it. Maybe it was trained to kill anyone who touched it.

  Hiss.

  The cat clawed me once and took off in the opposite direction, trotting away happily as if nothing ever happened. He even ha
d the nerve to wag his tail and bob his head after he attacked me.

  “This is why I prefer dogs,” I murmured to myself, walking over toward the balcony. The view was outstanding, opening up to the striking lawn. Color coordinated rows of flowers aligned every inch of the long driveway, giving the rural area a scenic view. Off in the distance, green hills cascaded over each other.

  Handsome men in suave, tailored suits walked around the grounds, keeping guard. Most of them seemed to be walking in patterns.

  I studied every twist and turn of the driveway, memorizing it in the back of my head. I noticed how off to the left there was a wooded area. If I decided to make a run for it, the forest would be the way to go. It would be the quickest way to gain some coverage from these people.

  The balcony offered a great vantage point, but I couldn’t see beyond the trees.

  What was out there?

  Moving my gaze away from the balcony, I noticed a white envelope sitting on the bed. Beneath it, sat a short black sweater dress and some lacy lingerie. Just like the flowers outside, they were all color coordinated. Onyx with gold trimming.

  I picked up the envelope and opened it. Inside was a folded, printed letter. I plucked it out to read it and the first thing I noticed was the signature.

  You can’t wear my clothes forever, but damn did you look good in my t-shirt last night. Especially when you came all over it, and me…

  - Emmet

  My heart skipped a beat while my posture stiffened. Not this again. I was on the verge of having a panic attack when I noticed there was writing on the other side. Flipping the letter over, I skimmed through the writing immediately.

  Think you’re the only one with jokes, yes? Oh, and just so you know, my brother could never make you come that fast.

  PS. Consider this your Christmas present. You’re welcome.

  - Elliot

  Furrowing my brows, I realized I’d hidden the gun under my pillow before falling asleep. If someone had snuck in to place the clothes on the bed, did they by chance check the bedding? I raced to the bedside and I was relieved to see the pistol still in its place, but it only confirmed my belief that something was up.

  Scooping the gun up with my new clothes, I headed for the restroom. A hot shower would give me time to clear my head and decide on the best plan of action. I knew that I needed to leave. I only wondered why it took me so long to do it.

  The hot water did little to cleanse me. I still felt dirty and I still felt something in the bottom of my stomach. It wasn’t a good feeling, but then again, most of my feelings hadn’t been recently.

  Sliding on the lingerie, I took a moment to examine the sweater dress in its full glory. For being a winter dress, it was super short, stopping a good four or five inches above the knees.

  I squeezed my body into the little number, and as expected, it was skin tight. It molded to every curve and contour of my silhouette, highlighting the few assets I had. My boobs and my hips.

  I rummaged with the gun to find the perfect place to conceal it. Elliot hadn’t given me much material to work with, but after turning the safety on, I managed to get the gun wedged between my breasts.

  After last night, I finally realized that I couldn’t stay here anymore. I was trying to force something with Elliot that obviously wasn’t there. Our lust had been overpowering every fiber of common sense in my being, and that’s all we had.

  Lust for one another. Lust wasn’t worth this much crazy bullshit, and it was time for me to get the fuck out of here.

  Or so I thought…

  Each time I’d get the courage to leave the room, I’d make it halfway out of the threshold before turning around. I had a gun, yes, but so did every alpha male that pranced around this estate. I needed to double check and revise my plan to make sure there weren’t any glitches in it.

  And, of course, there were several.

  I walked back to the restroom, shutting the door behind me. Sitting on the granite counter top, I rested my head in my hands. I needed to think for once in my life, instead of going out on a whim.

  I’d already begun pacing around when I heard a door creak open, stopping me dead in my tracks. It was the bedroom door. When it opened, I heard stiletto heels smack against the marble floors.

  “Hello? Is anybody home?” A woman’s high pitched voice echoed through the walls. I didn’t recognize her voice, but as soon as she began speaking, the vents kicked on. The heating drowned out her voice, leaving it at a whisper level. “Of course, no one’s here. I wouldn’t be here if someone was.”

  I held my breath, unsure of what the mystery woman was doing. I heard humming, but it sounded eerie, instead of happy. My curiosity stopped me from confronting her.

  “Such a clean room for a man with such a dirty past.” She stopped humming, walking to the far side of the room. It sounded like she was going through his things, like she was looking for something.

  “At least the bed size is accurate. It’s big enough for all the women you sleep with. Do you even sleep? You better have good dreams while you can, because your real life is about to become a fucking nightmare. One that you can’t wake up from, Elliot Santoro. I could’ve just smothered you with a pillow, but that would’ve been too easy. This, this is going to be well worth the wait. And now that I’ve got this baby… it’s all going to happen and it’s going to happen soon.”

  My face paled as I listened to this woman ramble on, like Elliot was in the room with her. I bit down on my lip, hoping she wouldn’t come snooping around in the restroom. My fears were relieved when I heard her heels tap against the floor, descending into the hallway.

  Maybe I didn’t need to worry about killing Elliot. Maybe she was going to do it for me.

  ***

  After hiding in the bathroom for an hour, I figured the coast was clear enough to leave.

  The only evidence that anyone had been in the room was a couple pieces of upturned furniture and a broken glass. I imagined Elliot would blame it on me anyway, so I proceeded with my plan to escape.

  That woman wasn’t any of my business and he had cameras installed in every inch of this place. That girl would be dead before she got the chance to harm a hair on his pretty little head.

  This time, I didn’t hesitate to leave the room. I made it halfway down the staircase when someone jumped out of the landing, scaring me to death. I screamed louder than I had the night before.

  “Hello, gorgeous.” A man with muddy brown hair appeared in front of me. His English accent was thick, just like the curls on top of his head. It was Gabriel, Connor’s friend. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

  “Well, you did.” I placed my hand over my heart, willing it to stop beating so fast. “I almost fell down the stairs.”

  “I would’ve caught you.” He grinned, showing a crooked but charming smile. “Look, darling. I just don’t want things to be awkward between us.”

  “Why would they be awkward?” I arched an eyebrow. “I mean, other than the fact that you’re a part of this sadistic crime family that’s keeping me captive?”

  “Sorry about that.” He chuckled, his smile growing. “But I was talking about the fact that I’m dating your ex. I don’t want there to be a cat fight between us. You see, I’m sure you would win and I can’t face the shame of losing to a woman, not with these meatheads wondering around. They wouldn’t let me live it down, patatina.”

  “You’re dating Connor?” My mouth dropped. I always had the feeling that he was hiding something from me. I mean, other than his criminal life. “And what did you just call me? Puttana?”

  “Jesus, no!” He shook his head immediately. “I mean, yes. I’m dating Connor, but no, I didn’t call you a whore. I called you patatina. It means little potato. You’re curvy and round, reminiscent of a potato.”

  I cringed, raising a brow. “Did you just call me fat?”

  “No!” He bit his lip, swallowing hard. “I called you little potato, not big potato. I’m sorry, love. I’m not u
sed to talking to women. Elisa is the only girl here, most of the time, and she doesn’t really act like a girl. Did you know, she used to make shanks out of scrap? She tried to attack me when she first got here. Now, I’m rambling, like an idiot. Look, I’m sorry…”

  “Shanks?” I nodded, feeling a little admiration.

  “Spears too.” His warm smile was back on his soft face. “Everet was about to throw her in the dungeon if she made one more weapon. We never found out where she even got the material to make those things.”

  My mouth dropped again and I felt my stomach churn. “Did you just say dungeon?”

  His face reddened when he realized he slipped up. “Let’s just pretend that the dungeon is code word for the man cave, okay?”

  I nodded apprehensively, deciding to change the subject. I needed to find out Elliot’s whereabouts without being too obvious about it. The further from me he was, the better. “Do you know where Elliot is? I need to talk to him.”

  “Um, Lily, is it?” Gabriel paused, his posture tightening. He looked physically uncomfortable, almost like he was ill. “How do I say this? Elliot is kind of busy at the moment. He isn’t exactly decent. He’s in the middle of something. He’s in the middle of someone, patatina. You can’t see him right now, and I’m not sure you’d want to.”

  “He’s with someone?” I felt a strange feeling come over me. It made me want to puke and punch a wall at the same time. “A woman?”

  “Yeah.” He nodded, forcing a smile. “He’s not into men. Trust me, I tried last year and I almost died. He head butted me when I tried to kiss him under the mistletoe, then he pulled a gun out on me. He shot the ceiling and then threatened to shoot me in the dick if I tried to kiss him again.”

  “Thanks for distracting me, Gabriel.” I patted him on the back, walking toward the foyer. I was now more than set on leaving. “I’ve known you for a day and you’re already a loyal friend.”

  “Lily?” He followed me as I made my way to the kitchen. I had no idea where it was, but my instincts lead me to the place I needed to be. I opened the refrigerator and raided it. Of course, everything was written in Italian.