Vengeance: DARK MAFIA ROMANCE

Fourteen

"So?" My low voice drops into the silent room like a stone into a pool.

"I..." She rubs a hand across her face. "I got a job at a coffee shop."

Of all the answers I expected, that wasn't one of them. I wait pointedly for an elaboration, hiding the confusion racing through my mind.

But she doesn't elaborate. She crosses her arms like it's the most natural thing in the world, petulance tingeing her words. "So? I went to a coffee job and they gave me a job and I said yes. Is there a problem with that?"

Humor tugs at my mouth, but I disguise it. "First rule of business, sweetheart. Read the contracts you sign. It may be against the contract or it may not, but the problem is that you don't know. So where's your bargaining power?"

Surprise replaces the terror in her eyes. "I assumed the contract wasn't even legal. I mean, how could it be?"

"Trust me. Everything I do that matters is legal." I savor the tang of wine on my tongue.

She wants to know the truth so badly. Her eyes are begging me to tell her if a job is within the scope of the contract. It's delicious. "Why did Luca say you looked like hell? Pouring coffee a rough job?"

Her lips press together until they're white. As she turns her head, I see a ripe bruise on her left temple. "I got mugged," she whispers finally.

I can see there's more to the story than that. Much more. "Who mugged you?"

"How am I supposed to know?" she lies. I have a guess, and it's pretty cute that she thinks I haven't already unraveled her relationship with the Del Toro family. She can play it that way if she wants.

I down the last of my wine, setting the glass on the nightstand. Her eyes follow me as I stand up. "Well, this has been fun, but it's time to move on. I'll tell you one thing about the contract you didn't read. If you act against my instructions or lie to me, I get to punish you any way I see fit. And I'm pretty sure you've racked up a list."

Stepping closer, I trace my thumb down her jaw. "I'll stop if you come clean but know that I demand everything. No crumbs or half-truths." She glares at me, but I can clearly see curiosity tangled with the defiance in her expression. I'm rock hard already.

When she refuses to speak, I nod. "Very well then, little bird. You will obey everything I tell you." I put my finger in the hollow at the base of her throat, drawing it slowly up her jugular, then tipping her chin up to look at me. "Finish your drink."

I stand back as she gulps the last of the wine. I laugh when she coughs. I don't think she drinks often. The glass rattles on the windowsill as she sets it down with a shaky hand.

"Stand up." It takes her a long moment, but she sees the determination in my eyes and seems to understand. A fair punishment for blatant disobedience. Her heart is practically shaking her ribcage as I draw her to me, letting my hard bulge brush her stomach. I hook my thumb in the waistband of her pants and tug it down just enough to expose an inch of her bare hip. I stroke the soft skin, and she inhales a shaky breath when I let go. "Take your clothes off."

I haven't fully decided what I'm going to do if she refuses. This isn't about raping her; it's about showing her I have the power to make her do anything and make her like it. Fortunately, I've read her right. She pulls her pants down and steps out of them, revealing her thin panties. When she waits for my reaction, I refuse to give her anything. "Go on." I don't realize she's not wearing a bra until she pulls off the camisole, revealing soft, full breasts and taut nipples. Fuck.

As if to ease her embarrassment, she steps toward me and tries to put my hands on her waist. I pull away and put a hand lightly around the base of her throat. "No. You do exactly as I tell you, and no more. Face the bed."

She stands with her back to me at the foot of the bed. The tips of her shoulders and breasts are flushed pink, her soft curves tormenting me with their perfection. This might be as punishing for me as it is for her. I stand so close behind her that my clothes brush her bare back and ass, but I don't touch her. "Who mugged you?" I whisper in her ear. When she doesn't answer, I chuckle softly and push her face-first onto the bed. "Don't you dare move your hands."

I enjoy the sight of her lying perfectly still, completely unsure of what will happen next. She lets out an unconscious whimper as I move each of her arms for her, placing them together above her head. I want to pull out the leather cuffs in my bedside table and tie her to the headboard, but this game is about letting her keep control and forbidding her to use it. In spite of herself, she squirms and tries to roll over onto her back.

I pin her down with a hand in the middle of her back, giving her a warning slap on the ass. "If you keep moving without my permission, I'll have to resort to less comfortable punishments. Stop trying to rush me." I straddle her, rocking my hips against her soft rear end and feathering my lips down her spine. "I'm going to enjoy this side of you for as long as I want."

The girl actually groans as I stop and climb back off of her, leisurely removing my jacket and shirt. When she thinks I'm not looking, she turns her head just enough to eye my body. I unbuckle my pants and step out of them, leaving my boxers on. "You know what I'm going to do," I say conversationally. "I'm not going to touch you. I'm going to jerk off all over you, oh, at least three or four times. If you're good, maybe you can beg for a treat at the end."

Kneeling next to her, I press her head down into the pillow as I free my hard shaft and stroke it. When I finally let her go so I can grip my balls, she turns her face just slightly and peeks at me, her cheeks flushed pink, her lips parted slightly. I come immediately at the sight, pleasure rippling down my hard muscles. My cum shimmers on the slope of her back, and I hear her gasp. She writhes slightly, but I don't have the heart to punish her when it's so darn enjoyable to watch. As if to prove that she's learning, she lies still and waits for my instructions. She must want her treat after all. "Clean yourself off, then come back here and lie down again."