by Penelope Sky
“He says my paintings are amazing.” She shook her head slightly. “But he’s blind like my parents.”
“Seems pretty sweet to me.”
“He can be sometimes,” she said. “He pretends he hates me with some of the bullshit he says, but all of his actions indicate otherwise. He’s more protective of me than my own parents. It’s ridiculous. Is he like that with you?”
I couldn’t hold back the chuckle that launched from my throat. “Very.”
“How do you stand him?” she asked seriously. “He’s too much sometimes.”
I knew he cared about his sister a lot. I saw it every single time he was around her. Her opinion of him meant the world to him. If it didn’t, he wouldn’t have compromised with me. I knew he didn’t want to do it. He didn’t want to treat me like a real person. He preferred to keep me as a prisoner that he could enjoy whenever he felt like it, but his sister’s opinion humbled him. It forced him to be a better man. And I liked it when he was a better man. “He has a lot of good qualities…even though he doesn’t show them too often.”
“But he must show them to you more often than the rest of the world. Anytime I see him on TV or at work, he’s like a robot. He doesn’t even seem happy. He’s so focused, and he looks totally miserable.”
“He just concentrates really hard…” And looks incredibly sexy as he does it.
“So that’s how you met? You became one of his models?”
“Yeah. I auditioned to be in his lineup, and it just took off from there…”
“When did you move in?”
I tried to keep my timetable straight. “About a month ago.”
She left the steps and started to swim across the pool. She moved to the other side and leaned against the steps over there. “Does that mean you love my brother?”
This whole conversation was a lie, so it should be easy for me to spit out another one. But when I thought about the way Conway made me feel, I didn’t know what to say. He was kind to me when I first met him. Sometimes he spat out rude comments here and there, but he was still good to me. He was gentle with me, even made me feel safe. If he were totally evil, he wouldn’t have given me an advance in pay. He would have told me to get on my knees and work for it. And he certainly wouldn’t have dropped a fortune just to save me. When I considered all of that, I knew I respected him.
Our arrangement was based on lust rather than love. But I felt something forming between us, a beautiful friendship that grew stronger with every passing day. There was trust and understanding. I stopped feeling like a prisoner and felt like a partner. I didn’t know where it would lead, but I knew it would only get better as time passed. The house was beginning to feel like home, a place I never wanted to leave. If Conway let me go, I wasn’t even sure what I would do with myself. Where would I go? In the end, this was the only place I really wanted to be.
He saved me.
“Of course I do.” I finally forced the words out, unsure how I felt about them. It was a lie, but it didn’t quite feel like one. I definitely felt a strong affection for him, respect and fondness. It wasn’t romantic love, but it was something. If I were truly repulsed by him, I didn’t think I could say the words out loud.
“He’s so in love with you. So obvious.”
This time, I stopped myself from laughing. “You think so?”
“Definitely. I’ve never even seen him with a woman before. You know, besides on TV for shows or whatever. He’s never brought a woman to dinner. He’s never even mentioned his personal life. Even when we were growing up, girls weren’t around. I wondered if he was gay for a while, especially when he started to sew.”
Conway was the straightest man I’d ever met. Masculine, sexual, and intense, he was the polar opposite of gay. Even with a needle and thread in his fingertips, he oozed raw sexual magnetism.
“And then we find out that Conway not only has a girlfriend, but she’s living with him.” Vanessa leaned back against the stairs, getting her body wet but sparing her hair. “It was all my parents and I could talk about on the drive. And my parents adore you, by the way.”
“They do?” I only spent a few hours with them. That wasn’t enough time for them to really form an opinion about me. Since I didn’t view them as my boyfriend’s parents, I hadn’t been nervous at all. They were just people. Maybe that was why it was so easy for me to get along with them. And I enjoyed making Conway squirm as I pinned him underneath my thumb.
“Absolutely. My mother thinks you’re the most gorgeous woman in the world, and my father thinks you’ll straighten Conway out. He thinks you’re turning him into a better man.”
His mother thought I was gorgeous? His father thought I straightened him out? Who knew getting a man’s parents to like you would be so easy? “Your parents are really nice. Conway is lucky to have such a great family.”
“And a very awesome sister,” she said with a smile.
“Yes,” I said with a chuckle. “So, you aren’t seeing that guy anymore?”
“The one I went out with one time?” she asked. “No. He asked me out in class one day, and I thought he was nice, so I said yes. But I didn’t feel a connection or anything. So I just told him it wasn’t going to work out. They said when you really fall in love, you know within the first twenty-four hours…and I definitely wasn’t feeling it.”
I thought of my first interaction with Conway. He dismissed the entire room as if he had the power of a king. He circled around me like a predator looking for a weak spot on his prey. He owned the room with his power and intensity. He made my breathing hitch, made me scared in a way that I wasn’t around Knuckles. I sensed Conway’s authority, and that somehow made me feel smaller. I studied his wide shoulders and chiseled forearms. I observed the facial hair that sprinkled his jaw. I noticed everything about him within a few seconds. My inexperienced body instantly hummed to life. “You’ll date a lot of frogs before you find the prince.”
“That’s what they say,” she said with a sigh. “But I’m young and I’m looking to have fun right now, not necessarily settle down. It annoys me that men are expected to settle down as late as possible, but women are expected to marry as young as possible.”
“Conway did mention that.”
“What did he say?” She pulled her sunglasses on top of her head so she could see me better.
“That he would be relieved if you settled down with a powerful man. That way he wouldn’t have to worry about you.”
“He doesn’t have to worry about me,” she argued. “I’m a lot smarter than he gives me credit for.”
He’d mentioned that too.
“And a woman doesn’t need to stand behind a man. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
I’d thought the same thing until I got mixed up with Knuckles. Now I was completely powerless, with no control over my own destiny. The second I wasn’t under Conway’s protection, I would be hunted down and raped. I was grateful Conway had looked after me from the second he laid eyes on me. He wasn’t a saint by any means, but I’d be worse off without him. Now I understood just how vulnerable I was. I actually needed this man…as much as I hated to admit it. “He just cares about you, Vanessa. And what woman wouldn’t want to be protected by a powerful man who adores her?”
“I like the idea of being with a perfect man, but not because I need him—just because I want him.” She tapped the water with both of her palms. “Now, are you going to get in? You’ve been lying there for like thirty minutes.”
“It’s nice in the sun.” I raised my arms over my head and gripped the top of the chair.
“You’re already so tan. How did you get that color?”
“I work in the stables every day.”
Her jaw dropped. “You work out there?” She pointed to the barn. “In this heat?”
“I like taking care of the horses. Gives me something to do.”
“Aren’t you busy modeling?”
“Not really. I mainly help Conway with hi
s designs now.”
“Oh, that’s right,” she said with a nod. “I remember him saying that now…because he’s an overprotective and jealous man.”
“Very.”
She pulled off her sunglasses and set them on the edge of the pool. “I’m going out with some friends on Saturday night. You want to come along?”
It would be nice to get out of the house and do something with someone besides Conway. He was the only person I spent time with, other than Marco and Dante. Vanessa and I got along well, so it would be nice to have another friend. “Yeah, sure. What are you guys doing?”
“Dinner, because eating is what we do best. And then we’ll probably go to a club.”
I suspected Conway wouldn’t like that. “Sounds fun.”
“Milan is such a great city. There’s always stuff to do. You’ll like it.”
My experience with Milan up until that point hadn’t been great. Maybe a night on the town would change my opinion about it. Last time I was there on my own, I was stripped naked and sold in the basement of an opera house. Hopefully, I wouldn’t end up in the same place this time.
“Look who it is…” Vanessa looked past me, seeing Conway approach.
He came to my side in jeans and a black t-shirt, his body chiseled and his face handsome. He looked like a powerhouse in a suit, but when he was dressed in regular clothes, he looked just as sexy. And when he wore nothing at all, he looked the sexiest.
He stared down at me, his eyes roaming over my body in my bikini. He had no shame, not caring that his sister was close by. “Having fun?”
“We were a second ago.” Vanessa had always been nice to me, but the second her brother was around, she returned to her role of being his younger sibling. “Now, there’s a huge cloud over the sky.”
He ignored her, keeping his eyes on me. “You look beautiful by the pool.”
I stared at him through my sunglasses and felt my nipples harden against my bikini top. I’d been the recipient of that gaze enough times to know how possessive it was. If Vanessa weren’t around, he’d lift up my top and suck my nipples until they were raw. He’d pull me into the pool and fuck me right against the wall. I tried to fight the heat that flushed my skin, but the burn was difficult to stave off. I started to sweat, and that had nothing to do with the hot sun.
I had to break eye contact because it was becoming too intense—especially in front of his sister. If I could read his intentions so well, what if she could too?
“Sapphire and I are going out on Saturday night with some of my friends,” Vanessa said. “Girls’ night out.”
That broke Conway’s concentration immediately. He turned his gaze on her. “Really?”
“Yep.” Vanessa grabbed one of the pool floats and glided across the water.
When Conway looked at me again, I knew exactly what he was thinking.
There was no way in hell I was going.
* * *
Vanessa left after we had a late lunch.
Conway had retreated to his office after our conversation, and without even saying a word to us, it was obvious he was pissed at what Vanessa said.
It was only a matter of time before he cornered me.
I went into my bedroom and showered to rinse off the chlorine, and then I dried my hair with the fanciest blow dryer I’d ever seen. It dried my hair quickly without frying it. Everything Conway put in my room was good enough for royalty. I basically had the life of a princess.
I pulled on my underwear and then looked in my closet for something to wear. Dante was always placing new outfits in my wardrobe, usually summer dresses. Everything was designer quality, so it felt like I was going shopping every time I opened the doors. I found a white sundress with matching sandals, so I pulled that out to wear for the evening.
The door opened without warning. “If you think you’re going out on Saturday, then my sister is making you as dumb as she is.” He slammed the door behind him, all the veins in his forearms popping with adrenaline. Even the vein in his neck was vibrating.
“What did we say about knocking?” I set the dress on the bed and returned the hanger to the closet.
“Not in the mood.” His jaw was harder than I’d ever seen it.
“You don’t say…” I knew he was truly pissed when he saw me stand in my thong and bra and did nothing about it. I pulled the white dress over my head and felt it fall to my knees. It was longer in the back, hitting the floor slightly.
He marched to me and got in my face, intimidating me with his towering height. “You aren’t going.”
“So, you suggest I stay locked up all the time?” I asked incredulously. “For the rest of my life?”
“No. You can go out, just not on a Saturday night with a bunch of pretty women in a dangerous city. Have them come over here.”
“No one is going to want to do that.”
“Why don’t you just ask?”
“I’m not changing the plans,” I snapped. “Conway, I can’t blow off your sister. She asked me to do something, and I want to go. I need more in my life than staying here all the time and working. Vanessa knows the city. I’m sure she knows to avoid the bad part of town.”
Now his eyes burned as they looked at me. “Vanessa is a fucking idiot. I don’t want her going out either.”
“There’s no other way around this. I’m going.”
“You do what I say—and you aren’t going.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “What did we talk about?”
“This is different. I’m overriding you.”
“No, we can compromise on this like two adults. That’s how this works, remember?”
He inched closer to me, his face nearly touching mine. “We can compromise on a lot of things, but not this. This is about safety. I’m not letting you run around in Milan with a bunch of stupid women who think they’re untouchable. Of all people, you should understand why I’m not allowing you to leave.”
“Exactly,” I said. “And I still want to go. I don’t want to be afraid of the world, Conway. I’m not going to be sleeping by a dumpster this time.”
He somehow clenched his jaw tighter. “The answer is no.”
“I’m not asking for your permission.”
His hand shot out, and he gripped my neck.
I didn’t flinch, knowing he wouldn’t actually hurt me.
“You don’t even have the right to ask for permission—because I own you.”
My eyes shifted back and forth as I looked into his gaze. He was so close I could barely see his features. All I could feel was his anger as it swept over me. I knew his behavior didn’t stem from psychotic possessiveness, but terror. “Conway, there’s no possible explanation I could give to Vanessa without making it obvious.”
“Tell her you’re busy.”
“And the next time she asks?” I kept my voice steady even though I was the one being held by the throat.
“Same thing.”
“That’s not going to work, and you know it.” I wrapped my fingers around his wrist. “I’m going, Conway. You can grab me by the neck all you want, but it’s not going to change anything. I’ll be careful.”
“You’ve never been careful.”
“And that’s why I’ll be careful now.” I pushed his hand down.
He released me.
“I like your sister. She’s the only friend I have.”
“You don’t need friends. You have me.”
A soft smile crept onto my lips. “You’re my friend, huh?”
“Isn’t that what you wanted?” he whispered.
“It is. So, why don’t you come with me?”
He tilted his head slightly, the anger slowly fading away. “I thought this was a girls’ thing.”
“It is. And I’m going. So if you’re really that worried about me, then you can come along. Or you can just get over it. But that’s your decision. All I know is, I’m going.” I moved into him and pressed my lips against his. I gave him a soft kiss, one that
immediately made him close his eyes and respond to me. Then I stepped away, noticing the way his body went soft. “The decision is yours.”
* * *
Dante got me a silver dress that reached slightly past my thighs. It was skintight, short, and had small straps over the shoulders. A matching pair of silver heels went with it. I looked at myself in the mirror and fixed my lipstick before I walked downstairs.
Conway was in the entryway in dark jeans and a collared shirt. He watched me walk down the stairs with a dark expression, his eyes smoldering the closer I came to him. He was both annoyed and pleased by my outfit.
I had a black clutch with money and my phone tucked inside. I finally had my own phone, but unfortunately, I didn’t have anyone to call. I stopped in front of him, watching him look me over. “I’m ready.”
“Where are the rest of your clothes?” He raked his eyes across my body.
“That’s saying something coming from a lingerie designer.” I flipped my hair and walked past him.
He slapped his hand against my ass then snatched me, yanking me against his chest as he dug his hand into my hair. He immediately moved in for a kiss.
It was the first time I denied him. “No.”
“No?” His eyes narrowed in surprise since he never heard that word.
“Later.”
“Later?” he asked incredulously.
“Yes. Later.” I pulled my arm out of his grasp. “I want you to stare at me all night until you can’t stand it anymore. Then when we get home, I’ll reward you for your good behavior…if you can manage it.”
All I got in return was a quiet groan. But when there was no argument, I knew he was cooperating. We got inside his blacked-out SUV and hit the road.
I pulled out my phone and saw a message from Vanessa.
We’re heading to Club Bellissima. Do you know how to get there?
I typed back. Yeah, I’m sure I can find it.
Great! See you soon. I put my phone back in my clutch.
“What did she say?” He drove with one hand and kept his eyes on the road. It was eight in the evening, so we would be there by nine.
“They’re at Club Bellissima.”