by Penelope Sky
Mrs. Barsetti watched me with twinkling brown eyes, not offended by my silence. “I thought it was strange that he had a maid when he’d never seemed interested in having one before. And the fact that you have a son who will be living there, I also thought was peculiar. I don’t want to put you in a position you don’t want to be in. But if my son is helping you…” Her eyes watered again, the tears growing so thick, they slid down her cheeks. “I would be so proud of him.”
Watching her eyes tear up made mine do the same. I did my best to keep my emotions in check, refusing to cry in front of anyone but Carter.
She cleared her throat. “Carter doesn’t know anything about my past. We agreed to keep it from him, from both of our children. I’ll share it with you now, but if the time comes, I want to be the one to tell him this story. The purpose in me telling you is…so you understand that you aren’t alone. That there is hope…and there is a happy life to be lived.”
I nodded, agreeing to keep her story a secret from Carter.
“My story is nearly identical to yours,” she said quietly. “I’d just graduated college when I took a trip to Greece with a friend. We got in the wrong taxi, and that’s when we were taken. We were bought by the same monster, and to get me to cooperate, he threatened to hurt my friend. I was his prisoner for a while… It seemed like a lifetime. I was so young, and that made it so much worse. Cane was doing business with my captor. That was how we met. The second I looked at him, I knew he was different. He wasn’t a clean-cut man without a dark past, but he was nothing like the monsters that surrounded me. He may have bad intentions sometimes, but he has a heart of gold. They made a deal for some weapons…and I became collateral. Cane took me home for a month…and in that time, we fell in love. The rest of the story doesn’t matter. But in the end, Cane saved me. He freed me from that monster by killing him. We married shortly afterward and lived very happy lives.”
I listened to her heartbreaking story that mirrored my own, and I was appalled by what I’d heard. Why was something like this so common? Common enough that two women had almost the exact same story? It was disgusting. “I’m glad Cane killed him.”
She wiped away a single tear that had fallen. “Me too. He’s a good man…the best.”
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“All of that pain fades over time. I never think about it anymore. This is the first time I’ve thought about it in years…because I saw the scars. I have similar ones.”
“I’m so sorry.” I suffered so much, and it hurt to know that Carter’s mother went through the same thing. “I’ll keep your secret. But I think you should tell Carter eventually. It will hurt him a lot, but he’ll admire you even more than he does now. He always speaks so highly of you…and now I know why.”
“He does?” she whispered, a smile spreading across her lips.
“Of course.”
“He’s tough like his father, but also sweet like his father. I’ve considered telling him, but I wanted to wait until the right time. Pearl told her daughter about her past, and it seemed to bring them closer together.”
I didn’t ask what that past was, assuming it was none of my business. “I told Carter I was afraid my son would hate me…or not remember me. He told me my son will be proud of me, for surviving something like that. So, I suspect that will be Carter’s reaction when you tell him.”
“He’s such a good man,” she said with a sigh. “We really did get very lucky with him.”
“He’s very brave.” Now I knew Carter had nothing to fear telling his mother the truth. He’d risked everything to get me out, but he was exactly like this father…and he had no idea.
“Since you don’t have your son back, I can only assume you recently left your captor.”
There was no way to maneuver away from the truth. “Yes.”
“And that means…my son saved you.”
I didn’t want to lie to this woman, not when I respected her so much. “Carter didn’t want anyone to know. Didn’t want anyone to know he took a risk saving me. If he knew what you’d been through, he would probably tell you the truth.”
Her eyes watered again, but this time in a new way. “My son is so good…to do that for you. He’s reuniting you with your son. Maybe it was dangerous. Maybe it was foolish. But what kind of life is this if we don’t help each other? I’ve never been prouder of him, for helping a young woman like you.”
“You should be…he’s very selfless.” She didn’t need to know about our attraction to one another. Now that she knew the truth, she probably assumed it, especially since I wore his shirt to bed.
“I think I’ll confront him when he gets home. I don’t think I can be in the same room with him without telling him how I feel…how proud I am. There are very few men out there who would do what he did. I’ve come to realize there are far more evil men out there than good men. That means we need to treasure the good ones even more, appreciate them.”
“I agree.”
She stared at me with newfound affection in her eyes, the gloss from her tears still shiny. “I’m happy you’re getting your son back.”
“I’ve practically been holding my breath until I see him again.”
She moved her hand onto the table and rested her palm on mine. The touch was maternal, making me think of my mother who died before Luca was born. The Barsettis were different from everyone else. Not only were they loving, but extremely generous. I hardly knew his parents, but they’d already been so kind to me, made me open up to them in a way I never did with anyone else. I never felt judged or persecuted. I just felt accepted…because she’d experienced the exact same thing. Now I had a special bond with his mother, a relationship I could never describe to Carter. “You won’t have to hold your breath much longer.”
Twelve
Bones
When I woke up that morning, I watched the sunlight drift into the room and hit Vanessa’s face. With messy hair and rested features, she looked just as beautiful asleep as she did when she was awake. Her thick eyelashes and full lips made her look like a model beside me, her olive skin gorgeous in comparison to the white sheets that covered her body. I usually made love to her before she was even awake, but that morning I was content staring at her.
She breathed a deep sigh as she started to wake, her slender arms gently stretching. Her eyes opened slightly, and she took in my features. The green color was even more brilliant in the summer morning light. She focused on my gaze for a few seconds before her lips formed a soft smile.
I didn’t need to touch her to make love to her. Drinking in her appearance was enough for me. I’d never stared at anyone with the intensity that I stared at her. It wasn’t just her obvious beauty, but the brilliance of her soul. “So fucking beautiful.” I said the same words to her while she’d slept in her childhood bed. We saw each other through the screens of our phones. Any time of day she was beautiful, but when she was asleep, she possessed an angelic glow.
“Not as beautiful as you.” She pressed her lips against my chest, her luscious lips grazing over my ink. Her hand slid across my abs, her fingertips brushing against the valley between the muscle. “But if I’m so beautiful…why aren’t you making love to me?” Vanessa wanted me as much as I wanted her. No matter how hard I fucked her on a daily basis, she could keep up with me.
“I wanted to watch you sleep.”
“You don’t seem like the kind of man that watches a woman sleep.”
“I’m not.” I’d hardly shared my bed with anyone, and I certainly didn’t snuggle to keep them warm. Vanessa and I didn’t need a king-size bed because we only took up a small part of it together. “But you aren’t a woman—you’re my woman.”
She smiled again, the affection moving into her eyes. “Get on top of me.” Her arm circled my shoulders, and she kissed my neck, her leg hooking over my waist. She was naked from the night before, so she was ready for me right away.
“I’d love to, but I have to head to work
.” I hadn’t mentioned anything to her because we got home late last night. I wanted her to be wide awake when I told her what her father and I had decided on.
Her lips stopped against my neck, turning immobile before she pulled away and stared at me. “Work?” Her eyes narrowed, assuming the worst. “You said you were done with that life, Griffin.”
“I am, baby. I’m starting a new profession.”
“And what profession is that?” She propped herself up on one elbow so she could look down at me. “You’ve been retired for less than a week. You’ve already started something else?”
“You know I’m not the lazy type.”
“I’m realizing that. You could stay home and take care of me. We both know I can’t cook.” She rubbed my chest, her slender fingers stroking me gently.
Staying home all day wasn’t my style. I had to be on my feet, doing something productive with my time. “I think you’ll like this idea more.”
“Alright. What is it?” Her face hung above mine, her dark hair reaching down to touch my skin.
“Your father asked me to join him at the winery.”
Surprise stretched across her face, her green eyes glowing.
“He said he wants to retire someday, but none of the children want the business. Wants to keep it in the family, so he asked me to take it over when that day arrives. I’ll run it, and when we have our children, we can hand it off to them. It’s something Crow can give his family even when he’s gone. In the meantime, I’ll learn everything about the business.”
The emotion burned in her eyes instantly, becoming shiny with moisture. Her hand moved across my chest, and she broke eye contact, overwhelmed by the information that hit her hard. “That was very sweet of him to offer. And very sweet of you to accept.”
“I didn’t like the idea in the beginning. But he made a good point, saying that I didn’t have any passions in life, not like the rest of the Barsettis. Working somewhere or owning a business just for the hell of it didn’t seem like a good idea. The winery is a family business, and since I’ll be family someday, I can take care of it—for you. That’s why I agreed.”
“That’s so… I don’t even know what to say.”
“I told him I wouldn’t accept payment until he retired. Then the profits would come to us, but only because he’s at home enjoying his time off. So, I’ll be working for free, but we have so much money that having more money doesn’t even make sense anymore.”
“We do?” she whispered. Vanessa never asked me about my wealth. She knew I had money, but she never asked what my salary was or how much cash I had stored at the bank. It never seemed like she cared.
“Yes.” Women were impressed by my wealth, but their opinion never mattered to me. Impressing Vanessa was the only thing I cared about. I wanted to share my estate with her, to cover her in expensive jewels and designer lingerie. I wanted to put her in a big mansion, the queen of my home.
“So you’re going to work with my father and uncle every single day?” she asked, mildly surprised.
“Yes.”
“Five days a week?”
“Yes.”
“You really think you can handle that? You do so much for me, but I want you to know that you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. You’ve buried the hatchet with my father, and that’s more than enough. That’s all I ever wanted. You don’t have to work with him every single day. You could do anything you want, Griffin.” Vanessa was always selfless when it came to me. She never asked me to do something I didn’t want to. She always remained objective between me and her family. She never asked for more than I could give.
“I want to, baby.” When Crow painted that picture for me, I wanted to be involved. I wanted to protect the family business so it could be handed down to the next generation, whether it was my kids or another Barsetti. I’d been appointed the protector, the best person to keep that business untarnished. Crow honored me with the request, showed that he meant every word he said. He trusted me with something he built with his own hands, trusted me to carry out his legacy when he was gone.
Her eyes softened again. “Then that makes me really happy.”
I leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. “You can spare me every single day?”
“Yes. It’s much better than what you were doing before.”
“You’ll be alright with me being twenty minutes away every day?”
She rolled her eyes. “Griffin, please.”
I smiled, loving that response. “That’s my baby.” She could handle herself just fine. She didn’t need a man to make her feel secure. She had a passion that fueled her energy during the day, and when I came home at night, a different passion would fuel her. Fearless and powerful, she was a woman who matched my strength.
“If I’m your baby, prove it.” She yanked on my arm and pulled me on top of her, her head hitting the pillow and her eyes brightening with desire. She used to tease me for needing to fuck her every single morning, but she clearly needed it as much as I did.
“You want me to be late on my first day on the job?” My muscular thighs separated her legs, and I folded her knees toward her chest.
“Yes.” Her hands glided up my chest until they gripped my shoulders. “Because you’ve got to complete your first job of the day before you move on to the second one.”
“My job, huh?” My fists sank into the mattress, and I pressed my head to her wet entrance. With a gentle thrust, I was inside her, slowly sinking into the delicious flesh my cock called home. “What is my job, exactly?”
She grabbed my hips and pulled me deeper inside her, break into a satisfied smile when she felt all of me. “To love your woman every morning.” Her lips parted, and she released a sexy moan that filled the entire bedroom.
I buried myself to the hilt, stretching her small cunt wide apart. No matter how many times I made love to her, her pussy remained as tight as ever. My thickness stretched her as far as she would go, but her body always snapped back. That’s what made us so good together, so perfect. “I take my job very seriously, baby.” I thrust into her slowly, making love to her just the way she wanted. Sometimes she was in the mood for a hard pounding, when I grabbed her by the neck and forced her face into the mattress. Sometimes she wanted me to fuck her on the kitchen table, to fuck her so hard it seemed like she meant nothing to me. But first thing in the morning, she wanted that slow burn, those soft kisses and gentle scratches. She wanted me to tell her I loved her, that I would die for her. She wanted fifteen minutes of pure love to get her day started. Hot breaths, gentle caresses, and soft lovemaking that made her shudder, usually more than once.
She fisted my short hair and kissed me, breathing into my lungs with her deep fire. Her legs shook, and her pussy tightened over and over, enjoying me so much it was obvious in every movement she made. “I know you do.”
I pulled up to the winery twenty minutes late. I left the truck in the parking area then headed to Crow’s office in the main building. When I stepped inside, I saw the paintings on the wall. My artistic eye caught Vanessa’s handiwork. Images she’d painted of the landscape around the property. I didn’t know shit about art, but I recognized Vanessa’s soul in her work. I could point out her picture in a sea of others because I knew her so well. That asshole she dated before might appreciate her work, but he didn’t know her the way I did.
No one did.
“Griffin?” Pearl’s voice came from behind me. “So happy to see you.”
I turned around to see her in jeans with a white blouse tucked in. She had a slender figure the way Vanessa did, and her nude pumps made her look elegant with the beautiful landscape of the property. Pearl had natural class, a woman with dignity and respect that she’d earned despite a difficult life. It didn’t matter that she was beaten and raped. She still came out on top, a queen like her daughter. “Hello, Mrs. Barsetti. I apologize for being late.”
She rolled her eyes before she hugged me. “No such thing as being late aro
und here. When Cane doesn’t come in, he doesn’t even tell us. He lets his absence explain it.” She kissed me on the cheek before she stepped back. “My daughter is okay sparing you five days a week?”
“She can take care of herself.” Vanessa was smart and fast. If something ever happened, she knew where the guns were. She had perfect aim and wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. I knew from personal experience.
Pearl smiled at my words. “You’re right about that.”
“She was happy when I told her. Thrilled, actually.”
“And we were thrilled you accepted. I’ve been wanting to do some traveling, but Crow is pretty much glued here. When he retires, I told him I want to see the world. He promised he would take me—and I’m making him keep that promise.”
“Crow is a man of his word.”
She smiled. “I’m glad you realize that.” She moved her hand to my back and guided me down the hallway.
“How’s Reid?”
“Doing well. Cries a lot, and almost exclusively in the middle of the night,” she said with a sigh. “But I miss taking care of someone, and it’s so nice having a baby around. I rock him to sleep and feed him so Sapphire and Conway can rest.”
“You’re a good grandma.”
“Grandma…I guess I am. I like the way that sounds.” She knocked on the office door before she opened it.
“It suits you.”
Crow looked up from his desk, wearing a suit and tie. He usually wore jeans and a t-shirt, but he must have more professional business to take care of. I’d never seen him in a suit before, and it was amazing how much more intimidating he seemed.
I hated to wear suits.
“Griffin.” He rose from behind his desk and walked around to give me a hug. “Glad you’re here. We’ve got lots to do today.”
“Should I change?” I asked, looking down at his slacks.
“No, you’re fine,” he said. “I have a meeting with some vendors. I want you to sit in and just watch. Observe and learn.”