by Anna Widzisz
"It was nice meeting you, Savannah," said Coluccio, bowing slightly in her direction and disappeared in the crowd.
"Next time keep your mouth shut when someone approaches us," Elio seethed, pushing Savannah to the nearest wall, holding her in an almost painful grip. His eyes darkened, fury shining through.
The roles changed.
She felt her cheeks getting wet, realizing that the few tears that had been swimming in her eyes had finally escaped. At first, it didn't make any difference for Elio, however, as she sobbed he sighed, cupping her chin between his fingers and lifted her head so she could look at him.
She bit her lip painfully, the metallic taste invading her mouth.
"You go through extremes when something isn't going according to your plan, baby girl."
He wiped away the tears, feeling the smooth, silky skin under his fingertips.
"I won't make you do anything that you don't want to. This place is to learn about your own mind and preferences, not necessarily satisfying the urges. However, it depends on people," he explained. "I brought you here so that you can find yours."
Savannah shook her head. "I'm not that girl."
"What girl? An independent one? A girl who knows what is important and what's not? News flash, Savannah. You are."
Her eyes narrowed. She couldn't comprehend what this had to do with anything going on in Ecstasy.
"All that's left is for you to learn what you want from life and from other people. Pleasure is part of that experience. In my world, you are either the pray or the hunter and I want you to become the latter." He was inches from kissing her. A shiver went up her spine as an electric wave almost shut off all her senses. "Because I'm not sure I can stay away from you."
Savannah held her breath before raising her hand and tangling it through his hair at the back of his head. Stepping on her tiptoes she was finally closer to his height. It made it easier to find balance.
She closed her eyes.
Elio took it as an invitation. The girl was still too shy to make a move but he didn't mind. She surely wasn't the dominant type. Not like he was. That's why he smirked before closing the space left between them, pressing his lips against hers, feeling his body loosen and arms sneak around her tiny waist.
He so fucking waited to do that again. The sex dreams weren't enough to smother his real-life fantasies. Savannah's inexperience was doing something to him. Thinking that he was her first woke the most primitive parts of his brain.
It was different than the kiss they'd shared before. It wasn't soft or controlled. Not at all. It was a full-on, open-mouthed, almost sexual kiss. His tongue teasing hers constantly. And he loved it. He loved the way her small body melted into his. The way their lips fitted like two puzzle pieces. The way she relented as he grabbed the end of her ponytail, lightly pulling it down.
They didn't think of the people around them, as they gave in to what should have probably been forbidden. Elio felt himself getting addicted like never before. He’d rarely thought twice about kissing a girl. Let alone one who had nothing to show for as far as her past was concerned.
And it was fucking perfect.
"Get a room," someone said, interrupting them.
Elio knew who the voice belonged to before he even looked that way. He sighed, stepping back a little from the girl, annoyance reaching his eyes before he turned around meeting Flavio's amused face.
"Remembering the rules my ass," he continued, alluding to their earlier conversation through the phone. However, his eyes were on Savannah as she went red from embarrassment.
"What are you doing here?"
Flavio shrugged. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your lady friend first?"
The man was playing with him. Him being younger didn’t amount to him respecting others beyond the minimal standards. That was why they’d become friends. Both were arrogant beyond comprehension. But while Flavio went as far as thinking most people were plain stupid, Elio saw them as liabilities.
He gritted his teeth seeing the look Flavio was giving him. "This is Savannah. Savannah, this is Flavio Falcone."
The girl no longer needed an introduction, knowing who he was. She knew he was young, however, his facial features wouldn't suggest it. Especially now when he was taking an interest in her.
"Hello," she said quietly. Regardless of age, Flavio was making her bashful with his demeanor. More than Elio ever had.
"So are you going to tell me what you're doing here now?"
"Business as usual. I need to talk to Coluccio. Have you seen him?"
Elio nodded and pointed in the direction the man had gone in a few minutes ago. Without another word, Flavio headed there.
"Come on. It's going to start soon."
Elio grabbed her hand, tangling his fingers into hers and led her towards the back where there were stairs. Near them, there was also an elevator which most people chose, waiting in line.
They started to fill it.
"Can you tell me something more about what all of this is?" asked Savannah.
If she was to spend time here with Elio's assurance that she didn't have to do anything, it would be good to at least know how the place worked. The room names weren't enough to make her let go of her fear. Quite the opposite in fact.
"There's really not much to say. We will choose a room out of those that Coluccio mentioned, go in, sit and listen to a sexual story about a certain topic. That's about it."
Savannah frowned, stopping mid-step. "Elio."
"Savannah, live a little. Believe me, you will like it," he promised.
"What do you like?" The words escaped her lips without much thinking. The fact that he was so persistent on her trying out this event meant that he had some kind of sexual preferences. And she couldn't help but wonder what those were.
He went a step down, his eyes not leaving hers. "It would be quicker to say what I don't like." Pause. "The group one is not my thing. I'm not a fan of sharing. Anything."
News flash - Savannah could have realized that without him admitting it. She’d already seen how possessive he was quite a few times. The most recent one being a minute ago with Flavio. Whether the protectiveness came out of any feelings the man might have had towards her, or simply because of the positions both men had in the Famiglia, didn't matter.
She didn't comment on it. Instead, she asked, "Which are we heading into?"
"First to orgasm control. I don't want you to freak out by going to more challenging ones in the beginning."
She tensed. "First?"
Elio nodded. "We might end up visiting others later on. The stories don't take all that long. Half an hour tops. That leaves us with a lot of time to try more than one tonight."
"Elio, I am not that girl," she repeated more persistently.
"You keep on saying that, thinking that I mind you being inexperienced,"
Savannah choked on air.
"Sì, I do know that you're a virgin. You didn't really have to tell me. I don't think it could be more obvious than that. I'm not saying we have to stay but no one is making you do shit while we are there other than sit your pretty ass down and listen." He brushed off a strand of hair that had escaped her updo. "Can you do that, baby girl?"
No!
Yes.
Who the hell knows?
She swallowed, bracing herself. With a barely visible nod, she agreed to follow the man, hoping that it wouldn't lead to anything bad.
Then they climbed to the fifth floor. By the time they got there, Savannah was started to pant at the exertion. She knew that Elio had wanted to avoid the crowd but right now she wished they’d waited in the elevator line downstairs.
In front of them, there were black double doors with a man standing beside them, letting people in. They were giving him some pieces of paper that were probably tickets. And just like before, Elio crossed the threshold without so much as waiting a second. No ticket, no words. He just greeted the man and went inside.
The room was spacious
, however, a little smaller than the one on the main floor. The colors were similar to the purple and pink lights. But instead of white couches, there were black leather booths that looked like oval-shaped boxes. No one could see anything from the side or above. They were all turned in one direction so that when you sat in one, you were completely invisible for others.
Waiters were the only ones walking around, taking orders and bringing drinks.
Elio put his hand on the small of her back and they both sat in one of the booths in the corner. At once, one of the waiters came up to them.
"Bring whiskey and..." he looked at Savannah, knowing that the girl would most likely refuse any alcohol. Too responsible to let loose even a little. She might have been underage but no one could care less here. Elio could even bet that some of the other people brought minors to these parties. Whether it was legal or not, he gave no fuck about it. As long as it had nothing to do with him or people he knew.
"The same, please,"
She once again surprised him.
The waiter scribbled the order, then glanced back up again at Elio. "Special, too?"
He thought for a few seconds about the question, then shook his head. With a simple wave, he sent him off.
"Whiskey? Really?" his brow rose.
"If I am to survive this," She gestured at the area, "then I need some help."
And wasn't that the truth? For someone like Savannah, it could be nerve-wracking at first. That is why the orgasm control kink was at the top of the list.
"You'll be okay."
"What’s a special?"
Elio chuckled. "This club isn't called Ecstasy for nothing. It’s served here."
It made total sense. As illegal as it was, it was also a good business move. Having a completely legal business venture would most likely be a waste of opportunity for any Made Man, so they had to satisfy their hunger for higher profits by distributing drugs to people under false pretenses.
"You refused," she said slowly, trying to understand why. She wouldn't take it but Elio seemed like a person who liked having fun.
He drew closer to her, brushing his hand against her thigh. "I don't need it to have fun. Besides, taking MDMA is forbidden for any Made Man. Or any other drug for that matter. It gives you freedom and a sense of adventure for a couple of hours but we have too many skeletons in our closets. Allowing those doors to open would spell disaster," he explained. "If you want to try, I can tell them to bring one over."
He teased her, knowing very well what her answer would be. But an hour ago he’d also thought that she would refuse alcohol until she was of age. Looking at the lights that were slowly going down, nothing seemed like a far stretch anymore.
"Fuck. You actually are considering it."
Elio watched her every move. Tried to figure out whether Savannah would, in fact, accept the ecstasy. But the words, even though they probably weren't supposed to, sounded very judgmental, killing any last piece of doubt the girl still harbored.
She shook her head.
She didn't trust Elio.
She shouldn't.
And that should have been enough of a reason to keep herself in check. Having little to no morals was a big no-go for her. However, in her stupid head, she still struggled to come to terms with that. Because in spite of his urge to beat people up and kill them in cold blood, he wasn't willing to hurt her. He looked like he had learnt his lesson after making her watch Hunter's last minutes.
The guilt he’d carried afterward was still vivid in her mind.
Not because of the kill.
Because of her.
The waiter brought their drinks, informing them that the show was about to start.
The lights went out completely with only a few small twinkle lights hidden inside their booth so they could at least see the outlines.
She could hear Elio moving in the darkness, the leather material shifting beneath her. It made her even more uneasy with the silence that surrounded them. What was he doing? How far was he from her? So many questions and she still didn't know what she was supposed to do.
No one is making you do shit while we are here other than sit your pretty ass down and listen.
And that's exactly what she did.
For the next thirty minutes, she listened to the smooth and deep voice of a man who talked about the time he engaged with his friend and a roommate in sexual advances that at one point turned into friends with benefits. The way he discovered the sweet torture of making her hold back her orgasm. He was eloquently telling it all, every little detail painting the full picture of the scenes. The noises, the words, the feelings.
Everything.
So no matter how much Savannah tried to block out the words at the beginning, soon she completely gave up. And as much as she hated to admit it even to herself, she enjoyed it. Heatwaves hit her each time she heard the man's groaning. She felt them all the way down to her groin. She’d always thought of begging as a sign of weakness. Giving up control over her mind. And this time also body. Yet, countless times she heard the woman in the story beg for some sort of release and eventually Savannah realized that it was all about the approach. She loved the thought of it. Because of that, she reached for the glass filled with whiskey and downed it. Trying to stay calm.
What was worse, she found herself wishing that Elio could see her right now and make a move because as things progressed, she had a hard time not touching herself. She wondered whether the man was, in fact, doing it.
She understood the appeal and power the words had over her mind and body.
And since there was nothing to see, she felt it all.
Reluctantly, she opened her eyes realizing that the story had come to an end. It was still dark but she could hear whispers around her. Then she felt a hand on her back making her aware of what was happening around her. Elio moved closer, their legs touching and he settled behind her, drawing her back until she was pressed against his chest. The smell of whiskey on her neck.
The touch was so subtle that she didn't want the moment to end. He was doing nothing more but hold her and caress her skin from her thighs to her arms. It was enough to drive her crazy after the story she'd heard.
"How did you like it?" he asked quietly.
With that question, Savannah completely lost any sense of self-preservation. She pushed away a little before turning around and straddling Elio. She was wet as it was but the moment her dress went up slightly, she could also feel how tight his pants had become around his crutch. He was just as turned on if not more.
A heavy breath mixed with the intensity of the situation.
She felt electricity run through her skin, the hormones shutting down any superior brain functions giving way to her animal self. From there on in, it was all passion, intense, intoxicating. It was her release, her escape, her ecstasy.
His mouth came crashing down onto hers. It was once again anything but gentle. Especially as she could taste blood from when she'd bitten her lip before the show. His strong and firm grip left little to the imagination as to how he was trying to control himself. The make-out session was as far as he allowed himself to go. Even though Savannah wasn't certain if she wouldn't be willing to do more.
He gripped the back of her head, holding her ponytail. He stopped just when the lights were turned back on, revealing the hot mess that both of them were. Swollen lips, messy hair and wrinkled clothes.
Elio put his hands under her ass lifting her before they stood up. He adjusted her dress that was bundled around her hips and kissed her one more time with that smirk on his face, which at this point Savannah didn't mind.
"I guess that was my answer," he joked, running his fingers through his hair. It was always perfectly styled and she’d messed it up with one simple act. Not that he minded.
He reached for her hand, leading her towards the exit. Some people decided to stay for the second show, still comfortably sitting in their booths.
Chapter Twenty-Five
She’d com
pletely lost her mind.
And it was all her goddamn idea. Going to the BDSM room.
So it was rather laughable when the thought of having daddy issues popped into her mind. Because the state she was in couldn't be described as anything less right now. After being her father’s punching bag for years, she’d never once stopped to think that it would mess her up so badly. Bad enough to like the mere thought of being tied up and dominated.
She should have fought against it because it was only one step away from going back to those moments. That hell.
But Elio made her feel as if nothing really mattered. That whatever we professed on a daily basis was irrelevant when it came to sexual preferences. People never really knew what they wanted until they tried.
The moment she reached for her panties, pushing them aside, she knew how right he’d been. Listening to a story that seemed straight out of the darkest erotic novel, her fingers started working on her already wet slit. Biting into her lips as not to make a noise didn't work as well as she hoped. Because a second later she felt Elio's hand on her ankle which she had propped on the edge of the booth, to assure her better access.
He ran his thumb over her ankle, coaxing it up.
Her eyes closed. She sighed.
Unless she had a friend to help her, to guide, to release that emotional pressure so that she could take back the steering wheel and make good choices. Without someone to keep her grounded, to switch her brain back on, she was rendered temporarily stupid.
In that split second before his touch, every nerve in her body was electrified. It was the anticipation of being together in a way that was more than words, in a way that was completely tangible. And extremely new to her.
No one had to make her realize that yesterday should have been the last time Savannah ever saw Elio. Give up her job, her house and move. Stay as far as possible. Any sane person would do just that. But she’d come to terms that it was simply beyond her. No longer just her decision. No longer something she wanted.
She was responsible, cared about Aiden and wanted the best for him. But she was also only twenty years old with close to none of the experience that most teenagers had all through high school. And somehow it dawned on her that she could no longer avoid going through that phase.