by J. L. Beck
Julian
The last twelve hours have been a whirlwind. When I brought her here, I hoped she would eventually come to me willingly, but I didn’t expect it to happen this soon. Once again, she proved me wrong. She not only came to me sooner than I thought possible but gave herself to me completely.
As I replay the memory of her slim body beneath mine, the heat of her cunt as she pulsed around my cock, I try to figure out what her motive is. Is she trying to get me to fall in love with her? She claims to love me, but do I love her? Am I even capable of that emotion? Sure, maybe, but doing so would be foolish. I can’t love her, but I’m okay with her loving me. It plays into my plan perfectly. I just have to keep myself in line. As soon as Elena finds out my plan, she will never look at me the same. There is no way she will love me after I am done with her father.
Which makes me think about how she hasn’t asked me again about me wanting to kill her father. Did she not take me seriously?
Elena stirs beside me, her body was glued to mine all night, seeking out my warmth, my protection. I won’t deny that I love having her beside me, beneath me, and being inside of her.
“Good Morning,” I whisper, brushing silky strands of hair off her face.
“Hi,” she murmurs, her eyes blinking open.
A knock sounds against the door, interrupting our private moment. That must be breakfast. Climbing off the bed, I run into the closet and tug a pair of boxers on, and then hurry to the door. Marie gives me a wide-eyed look, her eyes sweeping over my mostly naked form before dropping to the floor.
“Here is your breakfast, sir,” she murmurs.
I take the tray from her and close the door without another word. She’s probably never seen a man naked, or half-naked for that matter.
Bringing the tray to the bed, I survey Elena, who is sprawled out against the sheets, her beautiful breasts on display, the nipples stiff and pink, begging to be in my mouth.
“I can’t believe you answered the door like that,” Elena whispers.
She sits up in the bed, tugging the sheet over her chest, covering her voluptuous breasts. Directing my attention back to her heart-shaped face, I set the tray down on the mattress.
“It’s not any different than wearing shorts.” I shrug, wondering if that might’ve made her jealous. She is just as territorial as me, it seems.
Flipping over the cups, I pour two cups of coffee.
“You didn’t tie me back up,” she points out.
“Did you want me to?”
“No, I just… does that mean I’m allowed to feed myself again?”
“If you want to. Although, I believe you enjoyed me feeding you as much as I enjoyed it myself.”
“Maybe…” Elena reaches for her cup, pouring in a little sugar and cream before stirring it together. It’s strange that even the small things she does fascinate me. Absentmindedly, I reach out, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. Looking up at me over the rim of her cup, her eyes gleam, and her skin seems to have a new glow to it. She sips on her coffee, the green of her eyes brighter than I’ve ever seen.
“You know I meant what I said before. I want to kill your father.”
“Many have tried…” She shrugs. “I guess I’ve heard it too many times to get worried.”
“You don’t think I’ll succeed?” I raise an eyebrow.
“I don’t want anyone to get hurt. Not him or you. Why do you want him dead? What happened between you?”
“That’s a long and gruesome story and certainly not breakfast worthy.”
Elena sighs like she is about to keep asking questions, but then just nods. I pull the top off one of the plates and find an everything omelet with an English muffin. I load up her plate first then, mine.
She starts cutting her entire omelet into little squares and puts her knife down. Only then does she start eating, using nothing but her fork. It’s odd how these little things, her little quirks fascinate me. I take them in, all of them and file them away, building a database on everything Elena in my head.
“You were gentle last night, during… sex, and now you’re looking at me like… well, like you’ve never looked at me before. Are you sure you aren’t growing a heart in that frigid body of yours?”
I chuckle. “There is a heart inside me, but it only comes into play when I need it. Now, eat your food, unless you’d rather have something else for breakfast?” I tease her, dragging my eyes down her sheet-covered body.
Even though the deed is done, and I’ve had my tongue, cock, and fingers inside her, her cheeks still turn crimson at my insinuation.
She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip, looking a little self-conscious. “It might be a little soon. I’m still pretty sore.”
There is a pang of guilt that comes out of nowhere and punches me in the chest. I was gentle with her, but I could’ve done better. There was no need to rut into her like a wild animal, but as soon as I felt her silky, wet channel strangling my cock, I lost control. I’d never gone bareback before, and I’d never fucked a virgin. Both were firsts for me, and by the time I was all the way in, I became possessed with a need to feel her convulsing around me.
“As expected. I’m just teasing you, I don’t expect you to be ready again until our wedding night.”
I take the top off the other dish, and we nibble on both plates of food, and the dish of fresh fruit. Elena watches me curiously out of the corner of her eye, those emerald orbs moving over my skin, memorizing all hard dips and planes, I’m sure.
“Are you finished?” I ask once I’m full myself.
“Yes. I feel like since I came here, I’ve gained ten pounds.”
I don’t tell her that she’s probably correct. That she looked rail-thin the day she arrived. The last thing I want to do is offend her about her weight, especially when I like her body just the way it is right now. I have plans for today, and I don’t want them to be overshadowed by anything else.
“The other night, when you had your nightmare and told me about your mom, it made me think of something.” I set my cup down on the tray. “I know what it’s like to lose a parent, and I know you wished that your mom could be here for the wedding, and since she can’t be, I wanted to at least give you something else.”
The way she looks at me makes me want to pull that sheet away and fuck her through the mattress. As tempting as it is, doing so would ruin what I have planned, so I swallow down the urge. There’s always tomorrow, and the next day, and well, you get the point.
“What is it?” she asks, mystified.
“Go get dressed, and you’ll find out.” Uncaring to her naked state, she throws the covers back, nearly knocking the stuff on the tray over and bounds from the bed. My eyes gravitate straight to her tight little ass, and an image pops into my head.
Her belly is full of my seed, her eyes bright, and her smile big. She’s looking at me like I’m the goddamn world.
The image makes my stomach twist with knots, and a bitterness fills my mouth. Love. That’s what that image looked like. Shaking the image from my head, I shove off the bed and pad into the closet as well. When I enter, she is half-dressed and bouncing with excitement.
I take my time dressing, wanting to drag out the anticipation. A pout forms on her pink lips as I button the last few buttons on my dress shirt.
“Patience isn’t your strong suit.” I chuckle.
“Not when you dangle the apple right in front of me. I’m curious by nature, and it’s not like you do nice things often.”
“Touché.” I grin.
Is this the new normal for us? The banter, and dare I say, flirting.
“It’s true, and you know it.”
I finish getting dressed under her microscopic eyes and unlock the door. Taking her hand, I lead her downstairs. As we pass the kitchen, I hear Marie and Celeste giggling at something. Elena curiously looks into the room.
I didn’t plan on stopping, but Elena looking so excited to see Marie has my legs locked in place. Sto
pping beside me, she looks up at me with a hopeful expression. I know even without asking what she wants. It’s been days since she got to interact with Marie, and she’s craving the attention of someone other than me.
I shouldn’t care, but her happiness means something to me, so I decide to give her what I know will make her smile with glee.
Clearing my throat, I get the two women’s attention. Startled, they both stop laughing, spin around, and stand up a little straighter when they realize it’s me. Marie’s gaze briefly flickers to my side to where Elena is standing, and a small smile tugs on her lips. When I look down at my soon to be wife, I find her waving her hand timidly.
“You two, come with us,” I order, and watch as both Marie’s and Celeste’s eyes grow wide with shock and apprehension. They probably think I’m going to murder them, or god knows what. Without waiting for their response, I start walking away, pulling Elena along with me.
“Where are we going? I’ve never been in this part of the house,” Elena murmurs, with a slight hint of worry in her voice.
“You’ll see.”
I don’t have to look to know that the two women are following us, I lead all three of them to the large sitting room in the east wing of the mansion.
As soon as we walk in, Elena gasps.
“I had planned to pick something for you to wear, but I thought you might want to choose for yourself.”
She doesn’t say anything, but the twinkle in her eyes says it all. She squeezes my arm, and I walk her inside to introduce her to the older woman waiting next to the racks full of white dresses.
“Margaret is a seamstress, the best, of course. You pick a dress, and she will make sure it fits perfectly on our wedding day.”
“Thank you,” Elena whispers before getting on her tippy toes and placing a light kiss on my cheek. The notion is so foreign and unexpected, I almost push her away.
“I’ve got some work to do. I’m going to leave you to it,” I say before leaning down and whispering into the shell of her ear. “Don’t do anything foolish. This room is heavily guarded, and I’m trusting you.”
She nods, my threat not stopping her from smiling widely.
I turn and find Marie and Celeste standing a few feet behind us. “Help her pick out a dress,” I tell them as I walk out of the door.
I already told the guards to keep an eye on her, so I’m not worried about her escaping. Still, it feels odd leaving her here. She’s done nothing on her own, not so much as shower usually. Anxiety worms its way through me as I enter my office.
Shaking my head, I need to remind myself that I can’t keep her locked up in our bedroom forever, no matter how enticing that thought is. I need to at least let her roam the mansion. I guess I didn’t know how hard even that would be.
Picking up the phone on my desk, I go through the contacts until Xander Rossi’s name pops up. Hitting the green button, I listen to the dial tone.
“Julian,” Xander greets me.
“Old friend, just making sure you got my invite.”
“I got the first one and the second one.” He chuckles. “Why a change of date last minute? Can’t wait to put that ring on her?”
“Something like that. I hope you’re still able to join us, even with the last minute changes.”
“Of course. We’re actually thinking about flying in tomorrow. I’d like to discuss something with you, and Ella is eager to meet your Elena. You know how she is.”
“Sure, why not.” Xander is one of the very few people I associate with that I actually trust. You could say we are almost friends. Definitely allies. The thought of Elena meeting him and his wife is oddly pleasant. Like I’m sharing part of myself with her.
“Great, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
We hang up, and I lean back in my chair. In two days, I will be a married man, implementing the last steps in my plan for revenge. Part of me feels guilty using Elena, taking away her small chance at finding love or happiness, but then the image of my mother’s dead body fills my mind. The stab wounds in her chest and stomach.
Elena’s happiness is a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things, and when this is over, maybe I can still give her a sliver of joy, but right now, the prize is Romero dead just like my mother. Revenge will be mine soon, so soon.
27
Elena
The room looks like one giant mass of dresses, and I can’t seem to wrap my head around the kindness that Julian has shown me. I’m half-tempted to ask him if he’s sick or if this is some kind of messed-up joke.
I don’t realize that I’m standing there with my mouth hanging wide open until Marie walks up to me. “Elena,.” She grabs my hand and squeezes it. “This is Celeste, our new cook.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Elena.” Celeste smiles, holding out her hand to me. I take it and return the smile. She, just like Marie, doesn’t seem to be much older than me.
“Do you know what kind of dress you would like? Ball Gown? Mermaid? A-line? Trumpet?” Margaret gets our attention and pushes her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. She stares at me like a puzzle piece that won’t go into its spot. “You have the body for a mermaid, so if you’re undecided, we can try that one first. I want to be certain that Mrs. Moretti looks her finest on her wedding day.”
Shocked, I nod, my mouth refusing to work still.
I’ve only ever heard of two of the dresses she named off, the ball gown and the mermaid, and I know for sure I don’t want to look like Cinderella on my wedding day. Julian might have his sweet moments, but he surely isn’t a white knight, which fits since I’m not a princess in need of saving.
Margaret moves through the racks before pulling a dress out. I twist, looking over my shoulder at Marie and Celeste, who look just as shocked as I am.
“The sweetheart neckline will accent your breasts very well, and the overall body of the dress will give your hips a nice flare, showing off your figure.”
“Do you want me to strip right here?” I ask.
Chuckling, she nods. “Yes, don’t be shy, sweetheart. You don’t have anything that I haven’t seen before.”
I guess she’s right. Peeling off my clothes, I strip down to my bra and panties and let her help me into the dress. It fits like a glove, and I stare at myself in the mirror for a long second with tears in my eyes. The neckline draws attention to my breasts, but the dress in itself shows off my body well.
“Oh, my goodness, Elena, it’s beautiful,” Marie fawns.
“It really is. I don’t think you even have to try on another one. This one right here is gold.” Celeste clasps her hands together.
I run a hand down the front of the gown, the top of the dress is beaded, and the bottom is a little fluffier made with tulle and some other material.
“They aren’t lying, it really does look fabulous on you.” Margaret meets my gaze in the mirror, and as much as I like the dress, I decide to try on another.
We go through the grueling process of trying on another mermaid dress, which I like a little less than the first before moving to an A-line, which I think looks hideous.
“I really think the first one was it.”
“Okay then, now we just have to pick out the rest.”
“The rest? What else is there?”
“Ha.” She tips her head back and laughs. “Don’t be silly. There are the undergarments, the shoes, the veil, jewelry, the flowers, and maybe a purse or a light fur coat if you get chilly.”
“I thought you were just a seamstress?”
“I have many talents, my dear.” She winks.
After hours of trying on things and making decisions, I am exhausted, yet I enjoyed every minute of it. After being so isolated for so long, these last few hours have been more than great. Hanging out with girls my age is unusual for me, but it’s something I have yearned for my whole life. I wonder if Julian would ever let me have a girls’ night. Obviously, he wouldn’t let me leave, but maybe a movie and pizza night?
I snuff t
he thought out as fast I think it. I doubt he would ever let me do something like that, but I can always dream, right?
Margaret packs up all of her stuff and promises me the dress will be done by tomorrow. I thank her profusely, and when she leaves, I stay behind in the sitting room with Marie and Celeste by my side. Silence blankets the room, and I turn to Marie, who looks as if she wants to say something but is afraid.
“Is everything okay?” I ask with real concern.
“Yes, I was just so worried. I heard the rumors about you trying to escape, and I wasn’t aware that you wanted to leave so badly,” Marie admits, frowning at me. “I didn’t know what to do or how to help you. I hadn’t seen you in days and wasn’t allowed to bring the food up. Julian scares me, and I thought the worst, that he would hurt you–”
“You don’t have to worry about me. Julian wouldn’t hurt me, and I honestly didn’t even plan on running away. I thought Julian was with another woman that night. I was angry and mad and thinking irrationally. I just wanted to call my father, and then I overheard the guards talking, and I panicked. I promise I’m fine.”
“There is no reason to be concerned about Elena’s wellbeing,” Julian’s deep voice fills the room, startling all three of us.
Marie’s eyes drop to the floor, and her tiny frame rattles beside me. Celeste also looks to the floor, but she seems less frightened, probably since she wasn’t the one caught talking. Placing my hand against Marie’s shoulder, I give her a gentle squeeze. I don’t think Julian would ever internationally hurt her, but he’s led me to believe he might a few times.
“I... I’m sorry, sir.”
“Do not question what I do with my wife behind closed doors. You’re a maid in my home, and it would be best for you to remember that.”
The stern way he talks to Marie angers me. I bite my tongue, knowing that if I act out, nothing good will come from it. I don’t want to disappoint him, especially after all he’s done for me today. I won’t let this go, though. I’m going to talk to him about the way he acted just now.