by Sam Crescent
“Tough.”
She cried out as he grabbed her around the waist, hauling her back into the room. She slapped at his arm, wanting him to leave her alone, but not getting what she wanted. “Will you stop it?”
“Not until you learn to do as you’re told. I’m not having you jump out of a window on me.”
“Do you do everything your dad tells you to do?” she asked.
He flicked the lock into place and drew the curtains closed. They were thick enough to plunge the room into darkness.
“I do what I need to for the family.”
“You made men think you have some kind of power, but it’s all an illusion to you in truth.”
“And what makes you think that?” he asked.
“Simple, you all think you’ve got some kind of say in all of this. You were told to marry me. You didn’t get to decide who you were with. You were told. Just like you’re told who to be with and who not to be with. You think you’re in control, but you’re not. You all control the women in your life because it gives you some semblance of power, but that is all it is.”
He smiled at her, and her heart raced.
She needed to learn to keep her mouth shut.
“Do you think you’ve got the power here?”
“I know I do.”
He laughed and put his hands on her thighs, keeping her in place. “What makes you think for a second you’ve got any power here? You were forced to marry me even as you screamed no to the priest. I fucked you on our wedding night, showed the men your innocence, and still, you’re here, in my bedroom, naked, on my bed. Where is your power?”
“You can’t kill me, as otherwise you’d have already done it. You need me to get pregnant!”
“Sweetheart, it’s not going to take a rocket scientist to know that when I fuck you, I’m already one step closer to making you mine.”
“It doesn’t matter. You need to keep me alive, and that is where my power is. You have nothing over me.”
“No?”
“No.”
He tilted his head to the side. “I know your weaknesses, sweetheart. Even as you hate me and think you are better than me, I know how much you want me. You can deny it with your sweet mouth, but your body, it doesn’t lie.” He kissed her hard, and she hated him for it, because even as she hated him, his touch fired up her body in ways she didn’t want to think about or even acknowledge.
****
Rather than taunt his new wife with her body’s reactions, Marcus left her alone. He knew she would come to him. It wasn’t in her nature to walk away. She couldn’t do it even if she wanted to.
He found it rather … cute.
Sitting at the dining room table after Rosa made him fresh spaghetti with a spicy tomato sauce, he waited for Laura to join him.
He couldn’t deny she was right. He didn’t have any power; none of them did, not really. They all had to answer to someone, and even their boss had a boss. They all had a part to play, and now Laura had hers as well, whether she liked it or not. She was part of their life, and there was no getting away from it for any of them.
Watching the door, he waited, knowing she’d appear.
Laura was a stubborn bitch, but she also knew when to pick her battles. He should know; they’d been arguing and fighting for as long as he could remember.
After his father demanded he keep her safe at school, he’d been pissed because hurting her was fun to him.
Now as his wife, he didn’t want to admit how much he loved being with her. Fucking her wasn’t a chore, far from it. He loved the feel of her tight cunt wrapped around his dick as he pumped inside her. He wanted to fuck her again, but he was going to make her work for it, so she knew who had the power between them. He never thought with his dick, and he wasn’t about to start now.
Twirling his fork in his spaghetti, he watched as Laura entered the room.
“You decided to join me?” he asked.
“One of the guards made me aware dinner was served.”
“My cook, Rosa, would have told him to alert you.” He watched as she approached, taking a seat beside him where he’d made sure a place was waiting for her.
Taking a bite of his spaghetti, he didn’t look away, waiting to see what she said. He noticed her hands were shaking.
“Do I make you nervous?” he asked.
“No.”
“Then why are you worried?”
“You don’t make me nervous. This does with you. I know you’ve got something planned because of what I said upstairs, and I don’t know what you’ll do.” She took a bite of her pasta before looking up. She used a napkin to wipe her mouth. “I’ve known you too long to think there won’t be some comeback from it.”
He smiled. “You think you know me, but you don’t.”
“I know enough about you.”
“Really?”
“You’re a young made man, and you’ve got the respect of those twice your age. Women flock to you because of the power you have, the wealth.”
“None of this impresses you,” he said. She’d had her own wealth and power before his father took it away. She was nothing more than a pawn, exactly how his father expected women to be.
“You and I, we’ve never gotten along, and yet we’re having to make a marriage work. I don’t know what you expect of me. You don’t make me nervous. I know you won’t hurt me because looking back there were times you could have really done so, and you never did.”
“You’re foolish to think I won’t hurt you. As I’ve told you many times, there is always a way to get what I want.”
He watched her swallow, her nerves still there, and she had no way of hiding them.
“I’m not hungry.”
“Eat your food.” Her stomach growled. “We will always fight like this, but you’re not going to do anything stupid. You need to keep your strength up.”
“Why do you want a baby so much?”
“I need an heir.” He didn’t know how much of the will she was aware of or even if she knew of the family’s intervention when it came to her mother having more children. The less she knew, the better.
He didn’t see a reason to hurt her anymore, and knowing his family and connections had done that could make things difficult between them.
For the rest of the meal, they ate in silence.
Afterward, Laura complained of being tired, and he watched her leave. Her ass was calling to him, but rather than go to her, he picked up their dishes and placed them in the sink. He never did trivial activities like washing dishes. Rosa could do them when she got here.
He was more interested in training and dealing with this built-up tension.
Laura was in his home, in his life, and he had to knock her up. He had a month to do it, as otherwise, his family could take matters into their own hands. They wanted the Davis fortune and would do anything to get it, even if it meant screwing his wife and putting a baby in her themselves.
He headed down to the basement where his gym was, and he removed his clothes, pulling on a pair of sweatpants. He always had to keep himself at the peak of health and fitness, and his strength had to have no rival.
To start, he worked on his arms. Sitting on the edge of the bench, he lifted the weight with his left arm, counting to ten before doing the right. He went back and did the left arm, alternating between the two until he bench-pressed, lifting the weight up and pumping it before putting it back on the bar above him.
With his arms gaining a nice burn, he walked over to the treadmill. Putting the setting on a brisk walk, he began to build up a sweat, increasing the speed as he went. All the time he thought about Laura, about the way she tried to escape him.
How angry she looked at their wedding realizing no one was going to help her, how alone she felt. He didn’t know if she even realized he’d held her hand in a way, hoping to offer her comfort, but he doubted she felt anything of the sort. Her mind had been pulled away from him, so there was no chance of reaching her.
Once he was covered in sweat, he made his way toward the punching bag and began to hit it. He continued punching with all his might as the past and present merged. He’d had no idea his family wanted to keep Laura alive for him. He’d been given one job, to keep Laura safe and pure. Even as he hated her, he’d done what was required of him, and now his wife was upstairs, probably crying.
If she’d tried to make a run for it, he’d have already been alerted by his guards.
After an hour of hitting the bag, he was done. Picking up his clothes, he dumped them in the laundry room on the way up to his bedroom.
At first, he didn’t think Laura was there, but then he spotted her in his bed, on the side where he usually slept.
Moving toward her, he saw her eyes were open.
“You’re sweaty.”
“I was training. I’m going to have to teach you how to protect yourself one day.”
“I don’t fight.”
“In this life you will. I’m going to take a shower.”
“You have guards around your house all the time?” she asked, but it didn’t sound like a question, more of a statement of fact.
“Always, for protection. You were thinking of running.”
“Would it really matter if I was to try and run?”
“You’re not going anywhere, Laura. You belong to me now, and because of this, you will always be mine.”
“I hate this.”
“You can hate it all you want. It’s not going to change the fact you are mine.” He went into the bathroom and started a shower. Removing his sweatpants, he climbed beneath the cold water, and he let it cascade all around him, calming the anger burning within him. This was all he needed for now.
He washed his body, thinking about his wife in the other room. After dealing with his hair, he turned off the shower, brushed his teeth, and padded back into his room, dry and naked.
Climbing into bed, he knew she was asleep. The sounds of her breathing soothed him.
Glancing over at her, he couldn’t seem to resist her pull. He reached out, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her in close. At first, she didn’t budge, but it was like she couldn’t resist him.
With her in his arms, he lay back down, closed his eyes, and allowed sleep to claim him. Having his wife in his arms wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
Chapter Six
Five years ago
Laura sat down at the table as people congratulated the latest couple on their marriage. The bride looked like a girl and the man appeared old enough to be her father, but it didn’t matter what she thought of the goings-on. According to her own father, she had to learn to keep her mouth shut.
It was hard to do so when you knew deep down something was very wrong.
Running fingers through her hair, she tried not to think of the men checking out other women. These kinds of events always made her feel lonely. The women often avoided her, but she also noticed if her father wasn’t by her mother’s side, no one approached her either.
Pushing those doubts to one side, she got to her feet and left the procession of men cheering on the groom.
She didn’t even know why she had to attend. No one knew her here, and no one cared what she did or didn’t do. It was pointless to her.
Entering the home, she knew it was a new place she’d never been before. Stepping into the kitchen, she offered the waitresses and chefs a smile before she moved away from them, heading toward the dining room. The long table wasn’t set as food was being served outside in the warm summer day.
She walked into the main hall, noticing the guards taking up residence near each door.
“I need to use the bathroom,” she said.
“Upstairs.” One of the men spoke up but didn’t give her any further direction.
Gripping the banister, she made her way upstairs and tested a couple of doors to find them locked.
Coming to the one at the end of the hall, she paused when she heard a feminine moan.
“Oh, yes, fuck me. Marcus, yes. You have such a good dick. That’s right, there. There.”
The bathroom door was open, and she saw Marcus and a woman she didn’t recognize in there. She was completely naked while Marcus appeared fully dressed, but there was no doubt what was going on, as he slapped the woman’s ass. He kept on fucking her, and Laura gasped, trying to move away from the door.
She didn’t get far before Marcus had her pressed against the wall, a gun poised to her head.
“What the fuck are you doing sneaking around?” he asked.
“I’m not sneaking. I needed to use the bathroom.”
“You shouldn’t be looking at things that don’t concern you.”
“I’m not. I needed the bathroom,” she said, repeating herself.
“You know, all it would take is one word to my father calling you a traitorous bitch and you wouldn’t leave here alive.”
Her heart raced as he cocked the gun, and she knew he would kill her.
For as long as she’d known Marcus Giovanni, he’d hated her. He wanted to kill her. to hurt her. This was his chance.
“Would you ever betray us?”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” she said.
“You’re either with us or against us.” The pressure on her neck tightened, and she realized he really could kill her. “What is it going to be?”
****
Laura watched as Lucas began to sniff around a tree. She’d gotten up before sunrise and wanted to spend time with her dog. She hadn’t been able to see him much between the fighting and arguing, and of course the wedding. There was no way she could forget her wedding, to the infamous asshole upstairs.
Tucking her hair behind her ear, she folded her arms beneath her breasts and waited as her dog did his business.
She didn’t like Lucas being kept outside, and even though the dog pens were comfortable enough, he was alone and Lucas had always slept in her room, always.
There was no way he was being pushed outside, and she didn’t know where the other dog was Marcus had promised her. She didn’t see him in the pens waiting for her.
“Mrs. Giovanni, you need to return home now,” one of the guards said, approaching her. She noticed his hand was holding the gun at his waistband, ready to draw.
“Why?”
“Mr. Giovanni is expecting you.”
“That’s all?”
“Yes. You must do as he says.”
“No. As you can see, I’m walking my dog.”
“You must come. He is worried about you.”
“No, he’s worried I’ll run. Give yourself a break and stand with me if you’re so worried I’m going to make a break for it.” She had already decided to find a means to escape, and she had to do it before he got her pregnant.
He may have already done the trick.
Pushing those worries to the back of her mind, she waited as Lucas finished his business, and, walking with the guard by her side, they made their way back to the house.
“You must put him in the pens,” the guard said.
“What is your name?”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Giovanni?”
“My name’s Laura. I’m not Mrs. Giovanni.” Hearing the name freaked her out. It made her marriage all the more official, which she didn’t want to do.
“I can’t call you by any other name.”
“I’m giving you permission to do so.”
“It’s not your permission he needs. He has orders, and he must see to them,” Marcus said. “His name or who he is, isn’t important. Leave.”
The guard left quickly without another word.
She turned to see the bane of her existence. His arms were folded.
“You snuck out,” he said.
“What’s the matter? You were worried I left or I managed to get out of bed without waking you.” She wouldn’t admit to him she’d watched him sleep for a good ten minutes, liking the way he looked at peace. She doubted he knew what peace real
ly meant, not in his world.
“How did you do it?”
“I slid out of bed. I wasn’t quiet. You clearly needed the sleep.”
“Were you trying to run?”
“No. If I was going to attempt anything like that, I’d have made it for the front gate. I was walking Lucas.” At his name being called, he lifted up, putting his paws on her thighs, and she reached down, stroking behind his ears, offering him love and comfort. “He’s not staying in the pens.”
“He’s a dog.”
“I don’t care. He’s never been in any pen. I’m not going to start now. If you don’t like it, send me away to a house you don’t keep as a museum.”
“You don’t like my house?”
She stared at him, not really knowing how best to answer him. Did he want the truth or a lie?
“Do you really want the truth?”
“I wouldn’t have asked for it if I didn’t want it.”
“Fine. It’s not a home. It’s a prison. I can’t believe you even bought this place.”
“I didn’t. This is the home given to me by my father. It was a gift for my loyalty to the family. It’ll be a fine home to raise our sons.”
She scrunched up her nose, not wanting to talk about babies or a family.
“I don’t care. Lucas is not like one of your dad’s dogs. He’s my best friend, and he’s staying in the house because he really is a part of this family.” Brushing past him, she had every intention of leaving, but Marcus grabbed her arm, stopping her from going.
“From now on, you don’t get to leave this house.”
She hated how her body reacted to his touch. She wasn’t afraid.
Last night, she had waited for him as he finished the shower, wondering if he would initiate sex again, but he’d taken too long. When she woke this morning, she found herself in his arms, and didn’t know if she’d been the one to initiate it, or Marcus.
She didn’t want to show him any kind of weakness, no matter how big or small. If he thought he had power over her, she knew deep down he’d exploit it, and she couldn’t let it happen.
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
“You think this is up for negotiation? You have power because I can’t kill you? In a way, you’ve got a small amount of control, but you forget who I am, what I do.” He pushed her against the wall. “You’re free to walk the grounds because I allow it. I don’t have to.”