{TRIGGER WARNING! EXPLICIT CONTENT! DO NOT READ IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT, THANK YOU! Otherwise, enjoy!}
Cataleya Valentina Velez:
'Can we finally go back to the house?' I ask as I try to get up from the comfortable chair. Neveah and Brandon have been trying on clothes in the same store for over an hour.
'Remind me to never come shopping with you again.' Roman jokes, helping me up since the bags are basically crushing me to death.
'We weren't supposed to go shopping for clothes!' Celine sighs as she climbs out of the couch as well. 'Did you even get the shit you wanted?'
Neveah nods and looks at the price tag of the top she's wearing. It looks way too big for her, but she always wears baggy clothes.
'And what about you?' I ask Brandon since they wanted to get some stuff from a different store. I don't remember them getting anything there, but I might have missed it since I didn't enter the store.
They went into a sex store. I don't even want to know why.
'I mean, I wouldn't mind telling you-' 'No thanks!' Celine and I shout in unison, before walking to the other side of the store.
It worked in the last clothing store, we left and they quickly ran after us, so it might work again this time.
'I can't wait until we get back to the house!' Roman sighs as he walks after us. 'Those two have too much energy, how are they even-' 'Hello gorgeous.'
We turn to a man who smirks at me. 'Do you know him?' Celine whispers next to me, making me look at the man for another second.
I have never met this guy in my entire life, but he seems familiar. I just don't know where I know him from.
'Cataleya?' Roman steps closer and puts his hand on my shoulder, pulling me away from the mystery guy.
'I just wanted to get to know you better.' What the fuck? 'Do I know you?'
The man chuckles and turns around, staring into the crowd of people in the distance, before turning back to me. 'Not really, but my name is Thomas. You'll need it for later. Trust me.'
'Get the fuck out of here now.' Roman sneers, grasping for his gun. Thomas stares at us for another second, before running away, straight into the crowd.
'What the fuck was that?' I ask, turning to Celine and Roman. Celine shrugs and waits for Roman to explain what just happened.
'Didn't Rio tell you?' What? 'Tell us what?' Celine asks before sighing deeply. What did he keep from us this time?
'Hunter send his men to spy on us. Or at least that's what they're trying to do.' He mumbles, almost regretting it instantly.
Roman knows that he shouldn't be telling us this, but he just did. And he could get into a lot of trouble if Rio found out about it.
My heart starts racing. One of Rio's enemies sent men to hunt us. Or at least keep an eye on us and do god knows what with the information.
'But if that was one of Hunter's guys, why didn't we take him in?'
'We already have Kai and we can't risk him getting angry if we take someone else.' Celine states as if it's the most obvious thing ever.
She obviously has more experience in this world, but I still don't get why we didn't just take him with us.
'But-' 'We can't risk starting a war by keeping Hunter's man hostage Cataleya.' Roman smirks. He obviously doesn't feel that way.
Making it clear that this isn't what he wants to do. He is forced to stay calm, forced by the monster himself. Rio.
But I didn't expect Rio to be the one who tries to avoid conflict. He's always so conceited, craving attention, eager for destruction, but not with this. Not this way.
'Well, we already have Kai.' Celine nods and smiles for a second. 'But according to Rio, he's already on our side.' 'Really?'
'Kind of, he wants me to keep an eye on him though.' She continues to explain, rolling her eyes out of annoyance.
She doesn't really mind though. And I don't think I would either. She's getting something out of this as well.
'So you're spying?' I ask jokingly, making her think about it for a second. 'On who is Celine spying?'
We turn around, to the exit of the little clothing store we just got out of, and stare at Brandon and Neveah, who both added a cute pink bag to their collection.
'You two took too long!'
They look at each other and roll their eyes, before hooking their arms around one another and walking towards the exit.
'Come on, let's go!' Finally!
For the first time in a long time, I'm happy we're heading back to the house.
I mean, I wanted to go out today since I've been inside for a few days. But that does not mean that I wanted to stay out all day.
Neveah and Brandon obviously thought otherwise.
When we get to the parking lot, we head to the cars. We all place all of our bags in the trunk and force them into the cars.
'I'm going with them, you two go ahead and take that one!' Brandon chimes as he pulls Neveah and me with him towards the black Range. 'I'm driving!'
He sighs but doesn't say anything about it, so I head to the driver's side of the car.
Neveah takes the passenger seat and Brandon gets the backseat. He hates the backseat.
'But Neveah, tell me what Leon said after that.' What? I start the car and wait for Neveah to answer Brandon's question, but she doesn't seem to want to talk about it now.
'It's nothing.'She mumbles, looking at Brandon with a little distress. 'His crazy ex wants you dead, that's not nothing.' 'What?!'
She leans back and tries to hit Brandon, but I pull her back and look at her. 'What the fuck does that mean?'
'Monica wants me dead.' She sighs before folding her arms in front of her chest.
'Why?' 'Because she's still obsessed with Leon and Neveah is the only thing standing in her way.' Brandon sighs. As if this is nothing to him.
'And when did you find out about this.' 'Last night, when I met Dominic. He's very nice by the way.' She mumbles, before turning on the radio. I turn it off and continue driving after Celine and Roman.
The only thing she said about yesterday was that she told Leon she loved him. They did have a fun time on a boat somewhere, but she didn't tell me she met Dominic or that Monica wants her dead.
'But what did Leon say?' Brandon asks desperately. He's acting as if it's his favorite tv show we're talking about here, which it's not. This is Neveah's life we're talking about.
'He said that he wouldn't let anything happen to me and that he would talk to her when he gets the chance. But he suggested we should move just in case.' She sighs again.
'He's right.' I state, making both of them look at me. 'We should move. Maybe even split up.'
'Rio won't let you two go. Especially not Neveah since Leon can't live without her.' Brandon smirks, poking Neveah in the shoulder. She tries to move away from him and smiles. 'If we stay here, she might die.'
'They will handle it, nothing will happen to me, Ley.' Neveah whisper as she grabs my hand on the shifting gear. I take a deep breath and try to calm my nerves.
'I'm not afraid of her.' You barely know her... 'Plus! If I have to kill her, I will. I mean, I've killed someone before.' She jokes, making me roll my eyes. Brandon isn't the only one who doesn't take this seriously. 'And what if she kills you first?'
'That won't happen.' You don't know that! I don't want to discourage her, but we don't know what Monica's capable of. And deep down she knows that too. I'm not stupid and neither is she.
Neveah is just trying to cover up her fear by acting like it doesn't exist. And it's a bad way of coping with it.
'Leon will make sure it won't.' Brandon reassures me, but it doesn't help at all.
Thomas, another one of Curzio's enemies, came close enough to kill me. Without Leon around to save any of us. I mean sure, Roman was around, but Thomas could've easily killed me if he wanted to. So who's to say that Leon will be there to protect Neveah if she's in danger? He's not with her twenty-four-seven.
'If you say so.' I mumble as I continue to drive after the other car. 'Also, what are you going to wear tonight?' Brandon asks me curiously. I frown and look at him through the rearview mirror. 'Tonight?'
He nods and chuckles softly, but I have no clue what he's talking about. 'What's tonight?' Neveah asks before turning to Brandon. 'Didn't Rio tell you?' Of fucking course he didn't...
'No. When does he ever tell us shit?' I groan, stopping at a red light. The other car did make it, leaving us behind in the middle of nowhere. 'And please tell me you know the way back to the house?'
'Just follow- Oh. Well, it should be somewhere at the end of this road.' Brandon smiles as he looks through the window on his left. 'Okay, but what's tonight?'
He sighs and grabs his phone, before handing it to Neveah. 'Exhibition of Desire?'
My eyes widen as I wait for her to continue, 'The sensual art made by Alexander Johson, famous for his intense paintings filled with desire and temptation. More lustful than anything ever before. With his new famous painting, the curse of love.'
The light finally turns green again and I instantly start driving.
'Okay, but what does that have to do with us?' Neveah hands Brandon back his phone and looks at me. 'Not us, you. Rio only asked you to come.' He did what?
'He didn't ask me anything.' I sigh, making Brandon smile. Neveah rolls her eyes and looks out of her window, obviously annoyed. 'She's so not going alone with him.' 'She has to. Her presence has been requested.'
'By who?' I ask since I call bullshit. 'By Rio himself. He's the guest of honor and needs to show up with a date.' 'Then he can pick a random girl off the street.'
'I agree with Neveah, he can take someone else. Like Celine!' She told me about her old passion for art, so I think this would be great for her. 'She already has plans for tonight.'
'Plus, he requested you to accompany him, did he really not tell you?'
'When does he ever tell me anything?' I sigh as I follow the road Brandon told me to. He chuckles and nods, knowing I'm right.
Rio always makes decisions on his own, without notifying anyone about it first.
'So what will you be wearing, I have something in mind and I already know what I'm going to do with your hair, but that depends on what you're going to wear of course!' He seems excited about it. More than usual.
'I'm not going.' Neveah smiles and looks at Brandon, who sighs a little annoyed. Not because I'm not going, but because he can't go all out on making me ready for the event. 'You should tell Rio, I don't want to die yet.'
Brandon was right, the house is at the end of this long-ass road. We enter the grounds and I park the car right next to Roman's. They were just unpacking all the bags from the trunk and look at us.
'Took you long enough.' Roman jokes, making us roll our eyes. 'You raced out of there, sorry I didn't want to crash.'
We all walk inside, going to our different rooms so we can store all the shit we just bought.
It was very hard to buy something for Roman while he was walking around us the entire time. I mean, sure, he needs to stay close to protect us and shit, but he was up our asses the entire time.
He's fun though, a very nice guy if you ask me.
Since I pulled his name out of the basket yesterday, I had to come up with a present to buy for him. I had no idea what to get him until Neveah said that she wanted to go to the jewelry store to buy some rings or something.
So I got him a watch. It was a little under the budget, so I got him a chain with a set of golden boxing gloves too since he likes boxing so much. If he doesn't want it, I'll simply keep it myself. I love it.
I look at the velvet box and stare at the letters on top of it. Maserati. I didn't know they sold watches as well, but this one is absolutely amazing.
We also decided to all buy different presents for Manuela, since we didn't put her name in the basket. And she deserves more love from all of us. Especially the Curzio's.
I hear the door open behind me and quickly turn around. Of course, it's Rio.
'Still no knocking?' I sigh as I turn back to the bags. 'It's my house, I have permission to go where I want.' Permission. As if he will ever ask for permission.
'What do you want?' He normally doesn't talk to me during the day. Only when we're in the basement or when he wants me to go there.
'I heard you told Brandon you're not coming to the exhibition with me?' He asks, stepping towards the desk in the corner of the room. I turn towards him and tilt my head a little, staring at the darkness he carries with him, the darkness I grew to get used to.
'You never really asked me in the first place, and I did indeed. I'm not going to an art exhibition with you.'
'Oh, you are Valentina.' He smirks, touching every little thing on my desk. 'Why?'
'Because I need you for my pleasure.' My eyes almost widen at his words, but he doesn't seem to mind what he just said. 'Tonight is going to be an eventful evening and I need you with me for stress relief. So you're coming with me.'
'An eventful evening?' He nods and turns to me, forcing me to look away. He knows I hate eye contact. It's too intense.
'So I told Brandon to pick a dress for you, we leave in an hour.' He states before heading back to the door.
'I never said I was coming.' I state, walking over to the door. He's already in the hall and turns around slowly, continuing to walk backward. 'Oh Valentina, you are!'
I roll my eyes and lean against the frame of the door, wondering what he meant by eventful evening.
Brandon rushes through the halls, with a long pistachio-colored dress. 'You have to be kidding me.'
He smirks and pushes me back into the room. The color is absolutely gorgeous, but I don't think I ever wore something like this before.
'It's long since it's not summer anymore.' Brandon chimes as he places the gorgeous dress on the bed. It has a deep cut in the chest, long sleeves, and a big slit on the left side of the skirt.
'Plus I already know what to do with your hair and make-up, so go change!'
Brandon can be so bossy sometimes. But all in a good way. He's just doing as he's told. 'Why do you like this so much, I don't even want to go.' I sigh as he pushes me towards the bathroom.
He turns back to the closet and rummages through the drawers of lingerie. I just know he's going to pick out something sensual like always.
'Why do you like this so much?' I ask as he hands me a black lingerie set that is almost entirely see-through. It's obvious Neveah picked this one out, she wants me to wear more of this shit.
He shuts the door in my face and starts going around the room, making me laugh a little. He's absolutely insane. Especially when it comes to shit like this.
'Celine never lets me style her, Neveah moves too much, and you're just perfect!' He shouts as he walks around the room. I wonder what he's doing and change into the lingerie, knowing that I'll have to go.
Rio is going to drag me out of this place himself if I don't go willingly, so I might as well accept it. That doesn't mean I'm going to follow him around like a dog though.
I walk over to the mirror and look at myself for a second, not knowing what to think of the lingerie. I would much rather wear the same old normal underwear instead of this see-through shit, but I have to admit, I look good.
'Almost done?' Brandon knocks on the door and opens it just enough to hand me a robe. I rush to the door, put on the robe, and head back to the bedroom.
Brandon already laid out everything. First, he pulls me into the chair and does my make-up, then he tells me to put on the dress, which fits perfectly by the way, and then he turns to my hair.
'Do you want me to straighten it again?' I look at him through the mirror and smile. 'Do whatever you think is right.'
He nods and heads to the bathroom. As soon as he gets back, the bedroom door opens. Rio enters the room, still wearing the same clothes he was wearing earlier. 'Shouldn't you be showering right now?' Brandon asks as he places the hair straightener onto my desk.
We really made a mess, but I'll clean it up later.
'You are not straightening her hair again.' What? 'Why not?' Brandon smirks as he looks at Rio for a second. Rio leans against the wall and looks at Brandon. 'Because she looks better with her natural hair.'
'As if that matters to you.' I chuckle, looking at Brandon again. If Brandon thinks my hair should be straight with this dress, then I'll straighten it. 'It does matter to me since you'll be going as my date, Valentina.'
Right... 'You can't tell me what to do with my model, sorry Rio.' Brandon plugs the straightener into the wall and smiles at Rio, knowing that it will only anger him more. 'No, you won't.'
'Yes, I will.' He turns up the heat and smirks like the devil, making me laugh for a second. Rio looks like he's about to explode, all because of Brandon's plans with my hair. 'Brandon I swear to god-'
'You know I'm right here, right?' They both turn to me and take a deep breath. 'And I trust Brandon to make me look good, so your opinion is not needed, Rio.'
Rio clenches his jaw and takes a deep breath, trying to control himself.
He is going to force me to come with him, so I'll make him regret it.
'See! Now let me finish!' Brandon shouts, trying to get Rio out of the room. But Rio stays right where he is and looks at me.
He's angry. A little betrayed as well. As if this matter is about life or death, and I just told him to die. But this has nothing to do with anything of that sort. It's about my hair. Nothing important.
'Straighten her hair and I'll dump her head in the fountain outside.' My eyes widen and before I can respond, he heads to the door.
'You wouldn't dare.' He stops in his tracks and turns around slowly, a victorious smirk plastered on his face. 'Try me.'
Brandon rushes to the door and slams it right in Rio's face, locking it instantly, before turning back to me. 'Okay, so I'm not going to straighten your hair.'
'Oh, you are.' I groan, wanting to prove a point to Rio. He's not going to decide how I'm going to wear my fucking own hair. Especially if he's going to force me to come with him to this stupid event.
I mean, I don't even want to fucking go, so he doesn't have the right to demand anything.
'Cataleya, I love you. But I don't want to die.' Brandon jokes, with a serious undertone, before rushing back to me.
As much as I want him to straighten my hair, I won't force him to do it. I won't be any better than Rio if I do that. And I'm the better person here.
With Brandon at least.
Because I won't make tonight easy for Rio. No fucking way.
So instead of straightening my hair, he makes two braids and pulls them back, allowing the rest of my hair to hang on my shoulders and back. It matches the dress perfectly, making me feel like some kind of fairy or something.
'And you're done.' He chimes as he turns the chair around, to face him for one last time. I get up and look at myself in the mirror. I look amazing, but I always do when Brandon styles me.
'Thank you so much, Brandon!' He squeals and rushes over to me, hugging me tightly before staring at me again. 'And please tell Rio to unzip the dress and not rip it from your body!' What?
He nods at my shocked face and smirks at me. 'I saw the way you two looked at each other.'
'I don't know what you're talking about...'
'Girl! If I didn't close that door, he would've fucked you right here and now!' He shouts shamelessly, making me blush like crazy.
Rio sure likes to have sex a lot, but I don't think he's that desperate, right? He wouldn't just take me in front of Brandon, right?
'Oh and also!' He rushes to the bed and turns to me, with some kind of belt in his hand. 'Wear this underneath your dress.'
He hands me the belt and points at the slit in my dress. 'Leon put your knife in there, for safety reasons.' Safety reasons? 'We're just going to an art exhibition, what the fuck is up with this?'
'Honey, things are never just things with the Curzio's. You should know that by now.'
I sigh deeply but pull the little strap up to my thigh. It feels weird, however, I guess I should get used to it.
'Ready?' I nod and get into the heels Brandon picked out for me. They're gold and simple, not too high, thank god, and yet elegant enough for me to at least grow a few centimeters.
'Come on.' He hooks his arm around mine and helps me through the door. 'And please don't anger him, tonight's a big night and we can't fuck this up.'
'What's tonight? ' See, I thought we were just going to a weird art opening or something, but apparently, it goes deeper than that? And I feel like I need to know before they drag me into this mess, right?
'I can't tell you, just do as he says, okay?' I roll my eyes and look at him for a second. Brandon is never one to keep things, especially not when it comes to stuff like this. But now he is?
'But-' 'Stop being so nosy, Valentina.' We turn around and come eye to eye with Rio.
Just thirty minutes ago he was wearing a simple shirt with black trousers, and here he is. Wearing a suit, his usual businesswear, that fits him perfectly.
I've seen Rio wear more suits than normal clothes ever since I met him, but every time we went to an event, he seemed to pull it off differently.
'You look good Valentina.' He smiles proudly, knowing that he won the battle about my hair. 'No thanks to you, of course.' Brandon chimes as he pulls me to the door. I love that Brandon can be so sassy with Rio.
And he simply accepts it. Well, they did fight last time. But they made up already. I think.
'Have fun and don't you dare rip that dress Curzio!' Brandon shouts as he heads back inside. I can't stop smiling at Brandon's shamelessness, because it's absurd. I'm not going to let Rio do anything to this gorgeous dress.
There's just no way.
Rafael rolls his eyes as he heads towards the limousine parked close to the fountain. He opens the door and waits for me to get in first. I stare at him for another second, taking in his beauty. He's absolutely stunning, but he's also an absolute piece of shit.
'Get in.' 'Calm down.' I climb in the car and move to the other side, all the way to the back, and wait for him to get in. Distance.
I need distance from him if I want to survive this night. Because he knows exactly where to touch me if he wants something from me. And I will not and can not let that happen.
Someone else will be driving us to the location.
There's a little divider between our seats and the driver, and Rio mumbles something to the driver, before closing the little window.
'Where exactly are we going?' I ask since Brandon and Leon think it's a good idea for me to have a knife with me. 'To an art exhibition of a friend of mine.'
'Why?' He sighs and pours himself a glass of champagne, not even bothering to pour me one. He knows I don't like drinking. 'Because he asked me to.'
'So why are you taking me?' He sighs again, already regretting the fact that he decided to take me with him. 'I already told you, I need you for my own pleasure.' 'It's an art exhibition, why would you-'
He leans forwards a little, with his elbows pressed on his knees, and looks directly at me as we start driving. 'It's not just any art exhibition. I'm there for business as well.' Business...
'What's that?' He points at my exposed leg, which I quickly cover up. 'What?' I ask as if I don't know what he's talking about.
'Was that a knife?' He smirks and looks me in the eyes. My cheeks turn red, but I don't get why. I don't have a reason to be ashamed of carrying a dagger around with me, especially not in this lifestyle.
But the way Rio said it sounds so insulting.
'Maybe.' He chuckles softly, before turning to the window on his right. There's enough space for at least five more people. Thank God he's sitting on the other side of the car.
I look out the other window and notice that we're nearing the city again. 'Where is the exhibition exactly?'
'Museo del Prado.' He sighs, before taking another sip of his champagne. It's a miracle that he didn't drink it all at once. I nod and look back outside, noticing that we're already coming to a stop. Shit.
We got here a lot faster than I thought we would.
'Okay, Valentina, same rules as always-' 'Still with the rules?' He stares at me for a second and takes a deep breath. He is so hating the fact that he picked me as his date. And I love it.
'Yes.' Now I'm the one sighing, as he keeps his eyes on me, waiting for me to look back at him. 'How about we change the rules a bit?'
'Valentina-' 'I'll play by your rules if you play by mine.' I state, staring straight into his bewitching eyes. 'And your rules are?'
'I'm allowed to talk to people, as long as you keep me informed on who everyone is. And if you want me to stay close, you have to take me with you instead of leaving me alone.' For the first time since I've met him, he listens to me, 'Oh, and if I want to stay behind, I'm allowed to stay behind.'
'Fine with me, but I'm not going to tell you who everyone is. It's too much talking.'
'How do you expect me to know who I should be talking to?' I ask since he thinks he can overlook one of my rules. 'How about I'll smile at you if you shouldn't be talking to the person?' What?
'Smile at me?' He nods and forces an awkward smile on his face, making me laugh out loud. 'Okay, just don't do it like that!' 'We'll see.'
He turns to the door and opens it, instantly forcing a serious look on his face as cameras start flashing right away. Shit... I didn't think about all the reporters that were going to be here.
I move to the door and take a deep breath as I step out, instantly being blinded by the lights. There are at least twenty cameras pointed at me as I search for Rio. He's waiting for me at the other side of the car, and keeps his eyes on me.
'Miss, aren't you the girl from Le Carmen!?' Le Carmen? That was at least four months ago, why are they still talking about that? 'When is the wedding going to be?!' Wedding? 'Are you pregnant!?' Do I look pregnant? 'Are you two dating!?' Not really... 'Will it be a boy or a girl?!' 'How does it feel to date one of the most desired men in the world?!' Most desired?
'Don't bother answering them, they'll twist your words. It's better to stay silent.' Rio whispers as he pulls me with him. I nod and walk towards the red carpet, leading up to the Greek-temple-looking building.
'Rafael Curzio! What a pleasure to see you here!' Rio places his hand on my lower back as he turns to an older-looking couple. They're both holding a glass of champagne and smile at us.
'And who is this beauty?' The older woman asks. Rio turns to me and smiles, before turning back to the couple. Was that- 'This is my date for tonight.'
'What's your name dear?' The man asks, turning to me since Rio won't tell them my name.
He smiled at me. It was the most awkward shit ever, but he smiled at me. It's the sign. He doesn't want me to talk to these people. But how do I get out of this one?
'I'm sure you already know, don't you Mendez?' A new voice chirps from our right. We all turn towards the elegant woman with ginger hair. She's absolutely stunning and doesn't seem to care that we were in the middle of a conversation.
I'm happy that she interfered because I don't know what to say.
'Rachel, what a surprise to see you here.' Rio states as he pulls me away from the elderly couple. Rachel follows us and glares at the couple, before turning to me. 'A pleasure meeting you, don't let these assholes fool you.'
I am absolutely flabbergasted and look at Rio, before turning back to Rachel. 'Thank you?' 'No problem, I'll see you around.'
And she's gone. Just like that. What the- 'Who were they?'
Rio sighs and continues to walk, slightly pushing me in the direction we have to go to apparently.
We brush past a lot of people, young and old, small and big, women and men, from all over the world. 'Carla and Renan Mendez,' He whispers as he waves at a few people.
'You smiled, why couldn't I-' 'What did I say, Valentina?' Right...
We enter a big room, with a lot of people and a little stage upfront. Rio pulls me towards a bar table and sighs deeply as he leans on it. 'Champagne?' A man, who is walking around with a tray of champagne, asks.
I want to decline, but Rio grabs two and hands me one. 'Thank you.' I smile at the man since Rio isn't thanking him at all.
'Rio! My man!' I look at the younger man that's walking over to us. He seems a lot younger than any person in this place. 'I hoped I would find you here, you always loved art!' He did?
'Farrel, how have you been?' Rio asks as he pulls the man into his arms, awkwardly hugging him. 'I'm good, I'm good. You know, making money and stuff. The same old shit as always. But, who's this?'
The man turns to me and waits for Rio to say something. I look at Rio, waiting for his smile, but he doesn't smile. 'I'm Cataleya.' I chime, shaking the man's hand.
'Cataleya Valentina Velez, the girl from the picture!' Great! So Hunter was right. People know me because of a picture from Le Carmen.
'That's me.' I say smiling. 'It's a pleasure meeting you, I'm Farrel Welland.' The man chimes.
Rio taps on his shoulder and whispers something in his ear, but since I'm standing close to them, I can hear him pretty clear. 'Make sure there's a private room for my appointment with Matteo Navaro.'
Matteo Navaro... I'm sure I heard them talk about someone else with the exact same last name, but I didn't care back then. I wasn't as close as I am right now back then.
Farrel nods and smiles at me, before disappearing into the crowd.
'No smile with him?' 'He's an old friend, just like Rachel.' I nod and look around, staring at the bright lights on the ceiling. This place is absolutely amazing.
And if it wasn't for the fact that Rio is going to be doing business here, I would've enjoyed it more. But I can't forget that, if Rio's walking around here and does the shit he does, there have to be more people walking around with guns.
'Ladies and gentlemen! Alexander Johnson!' A lady shouts over the speakers. Everyone turns to the stage and Rio steps into the crowd a little, trying to blend in.
He can't. He's taller than almost all of the men in this room and everyone steps aside as he gets closer.
'Good evening everyone, I would like to thank you all for coming to this opening! First I wanted to thank my models for inspiring me!' I follow Rio through the crowd and stand right beside him as he slowly turns to me. 'So you're an art fanatic now?'
'I wouldn't call myself a fanatic, but yeah. I always liked art.'
'Really, you don't seem like the art type?' He chuckles before turning to me. 'Art type?' 'Yes. You seem more into guns.'
He nods and takes a sip from his champagne. 'Guns are fun too.'
'But?' He shrugs and looks at Alexander, who's still talking about all the people he wants to thank. 'Sometimes it's fine to unwind. And the only things that can unwind me are alcohol, sex, and art.'
I nod, impressed by the fact that Rio likes art. I never thought he would.
He just doesn't seem like an art-loving type.
'Don't think about it too much, it's not that special.' He whispers as he steps closer to me. I feel his hand press against my lower back again and I slowly turn around. 'Okay.'
'I just want to take a minute of silence, before your hearts start racing like mine is right now. This collection means the world to me and I would love to take you all on the adventure with me. These are not just paintings or sculptures or pictures. These are stories!' Alexander states excitedly.
'They all tell a story. A little piece that makes a whole.' Rio chuckles before chugging down his drink. I was wondering when he was going to do that.
'Bésame Valentina.' What? I stare deeper into his eyes and press my hand against his chest. 'Qué?'
'Ya me oíste.' He groans, smiling at the man that just finished his speech.
His arm wraps around my waist, pulling me closer. He's too focused on the people around us, not giving a single shit about my eyes on him.
'Aquí mismo?' I whisper moving closer to him.
'Por qué preguntaría?' He grunts, rolling his eyes before facing me.
I grab him by his tie and pull him down a little. It's the only way I'm able to reach his lips without falling myself.
'Por qué, Rio?' I whisper against his lips, making him inhale sharply.
He smirks while slowly letting his hand lower to my ass, gently pressing me against his chest a little harder.
'Valentina-' He starts, making me smile as I press my lips against his. I like annoying him. It's easy and gives me something in return.
'You fucking brat.' He groans against my lips, making me smile even wider.
Someone dramatically clears their throat, making us stop immediately.
'Sorry to disturb, but the private showing is ready for you mister Curzio.' A young woman, about Celine's age, says.
She can't keep her eyes off of Rio, which is understandable. He looks absolutely stunning. Every woman in this room stared at him at some point tonight, but he's here with me. Not that I care.
This is fun and all, but I don't want to be here. I would much rather be at the house, sleeping or watching a movie or something.
'Good, come with me.' He grabs my hand and pulls me after him as he follows the woman to a private room. The place is dead-silent, filled with sensual pictures of people having sex.
It's the most intense shit I've ever seen and I gasp for air when I see a picture of a lady, looking up at a man's legs.
Something in it just screams Rio. If this is how it looks to be on your knees for a man, then damn! I would love to get on my knees right now. But we're in public.
Plus, I don't think I'll look that good when I'm on my knees.
'Could you go get Matteo Navaro for me?' Rio asks the woman. She nods and rushes out of the room, almost running into the door since she's trying to keep her eyes on Rio. I take a sip of my champagne and enjoy the sweet taste of it.
I don't hate drinking, I just don't think it's a necessity.
'Who is Matteo Navaro?' I whisper, slowly stepping away from the picture I was just staring at. 'The man I need to talk to.' 'About what?'
'You're still nosy, Valentina.' He groans softly as he turns to me again. I sigh deeply and turn back around, ready to stare at another vivid picture of naked people touching each other.
Normally I would've turned around, been grossed out by all of this. But somehow, I'm not. It's the opposite right now. I want to look. I want to see what there is. I want to be those people in the pictures. Fuck.
I take another sip from my glass and stare at a few other pictures in the room.
The door slowly opens and a man peeks around the corner. 'Curzio?'
'Navaro, come in. It's just us.' And me? The older man steps in and smiles at Rio, shaking his hand as old acquaintances do. 'I heard you wanted to talk to me?'
Rio nods and takes a deep breath, before turning to one of the pictures. 'I bet you heard the news.'
'What news?' Matteo asks as he steps closer to Rio. 'Your brother is dead.'
Matteo freezes for a second and turns to me. 'She-' 'She knows.' I do?
I nod and walk over to Rio, standing on his other side, acting as if I belong here. As if I have a single clue what they're talking about right now.
'And I was thinking.' Rio continues as he walks over to another picture. We simply follow and switch sides. Now Matteo is on his right and I'm on his left. I take another sip, almost emptying the glass entirely. 'You and your brother were pretty close, weren't you?'
Matteo gulps at the sudden change of tone but nods as he tries to keep his eyes on the art in front of us. He's trying to hide his fear.
But he's failing miserably.
'Yet you don't seem to grieve the man, why is that?' Rio smirks as he turns to Matteo a little, before walking over to another picture on the other side of the room.
We both hesitate to follow, but as soon as I take the first step, so does Matteo. It's as if he sees me as a shield. But I don't think Rio is going to kill him. At least not with me around. Right?
I take the last sip of champagne and place the empty glass on one of the tables in the room, before turning back to the men.
'I don't kn- know wha-what you're talking ab- about.' Matteo gulps as he stutters out the words. 'My sources told me that you have been spotted with Vanessa Dimitrov, your brother's lover, is that true Navaro?'
'Like I- I said, I have no i-idea.' If he wouldn't have stuttered. If he kept a straight face. If he didn't fear Rio, maybe it would've been convincing.
'See, I don't believe that.' Rio states as he keeps his eyes on the picture in front of us for another second. 'So I'm going to give you two options here.' He turns to Matteo and tilts his head a little.
His eyes are dark. A different type of darkness than he has with me. This is some entirely different shit. Scaring even me.
'You either tell me the truth and I kill you, or I keep it for what it is and kill you?' What?
'But I-' 'Pick your poison Navaro. And pick wisely.' Rio smirks as he steps closer to me. The darkness in his eyes, makes me step back a little, but he's quicker. 'Pick.'
'I haven't spoken to her in weeks, I swear.' 'What did she say about Micheal?' Rio asks, not moving his gaze from me. 'Nothing! She just said that she was scared!'
'When was the last time you saw her?' The darkness doesn't seem to decrease, it only seems to grow, to overflow his eyes. Wait- 'Two weeks after Micheal died! She had nothing to do with it and neither did I! Please, don't kill me!'
The desperation in Matteo's voice is killing me, but I'm afraid that if I say something now, Rio will kill me instead.
'Anything else you need to tell me?' Rio sighs, slightly looking over his shoulder to see if Matteo's doing anything.
'No I just-' 'Good.'
Rio turns to me, swiftly slithering his hand up my thigh before turning around and stabbing Matteo right in the throat.
A loud sound escapes from my lips as Rio pulls back the knife and looks at me. I go silent, afraid of what he might do. The darkness is still lingering in his eyes. Matteo tries to scream, but the only thing you hear is the gurgling sound of his blood pooling out of his throat.
'No one, and I mean no one, crosses me.' I step back until my back hits the wall as I watch Matteo bleed to death. Rio waits until Matteo draws his last breath before he turns to me again.
I keep my eyes on him as he walks closer and closer, wiping the blood off the blade of the knife, before sliding it back into the holster around my thigh. 'Don't you dare blow our cover.'
'You just- What the- How could you just- You killed him!?' He rolls his eyes, grabs my hand, and pulls me out of the room, leaving Matteo's dead body to drown in his own pool of blood.
I am too shocked to pull away, even though the man pulling me with him is a killer. He just killed the man as if it meant nothing. 'Stop!' I shout as soon as we're nearing the exit. 'You can't just-' 'Yes, I can. Now come on, stop being so dramatic.'
'Dramatic, you just killed someone!?' And that's it. Within seconds Rio is standing right in front of me, towering over me like the giant he is. Even though I'm wearing heels, it doesn't do shit. I barely reach his neck.
'Lower your tone with me, Valentina.' He sneers, holding onto my hand a little tighter. I try to pull away, but it's no use.
'You're pathetic.' I spit at him, trying to move away from him without falling over my own feet.
I knew I shouldn't have drunk that glass of champagne.
'Pathetic?' I nod and watch as the darkness takes over again. Shit.
'That's pretty rich coming from you, Valentina.' Rio smirks, pushing me back against the wall.
'I just killed someone, yet here you are.' He leans in and pushes my hair off of my shoulder, letting the cold air touch my skin.
'Trembling underneath my touch.' His fingers glide over my shoulder
'Begging for me to fuck you.' A flush creeps across my cheeks and I turn the other way.
If it wasn't his voice, if it wasn't his fucking touch, if it wasn't him, I would've snapped. But I want him.
I want him to fuck me, not giving a single shit about the fact that we're out in the open.
And I blame it on the adrenaline.
He just killed someone with my knife, stabbed the man right in the throat, and watched him bleed to death.
And here I am, waiting for him to fuck me again.
I hate everything about him, but I can't deny the fact that I want him.
Not in a romantic way. He's an absolute psycho.
But in a way, I can't describe.
He just gave me another reason to stay the fuck away from him, but I seem to ignore every sign I ever had. Because it's too good. And something this good, can't be bad right?
'Now come on. Before I drag your ass out of here.' He steps back, finally allowing me to breathe again.
Rio turns to the exit and heads through the door, not waiting for me to follow, but I do. I run after him and rush into the car, moving to the other side again.
The driver instantly starts driving and whispers something to him, before closing the divider. After a few minutes, we come to a stop. I glance outside and try to keep Rio in the corner of my eye, just so I know that he's staying right where he is.
We're nowhere near the house, making me wonder why we stopped. A door opens and closes, but nothing changed.
'Are you done being dramatic?'
'How is being afraid of you because you fucking killed someone, being dramatic!?' I shout at him.
He's absolutely insane if he thinks that any of this is normal.
'You're afraid of me?' Is that really all he picked up from what I just said? 'You just killed someone, of course, you scare me!'
'I killed someone before you know?' Right... He killed that girl in France, Estelle.
I remember seeing her dead body on the ground. She was bleeding a lot too. Just like Matteo did not so long ago.
Somehow, Rio moved closer. He's close enough to touch me right now. 'Stay away from me.'
'I brought you here for a reason and one reason only, so shut up.' He kisses me, making me swallow my words as the heat rushes through my body. My heart was already beating like crazy, but now it feels like it's about to explode.
It's the fucking adrenaline, I swear.
I try pushing him away, but he's stronger. Way stronger. He lifts me up and throws me onto one of the seats, aligning me just the way he wants me to.
'Just stay right there.' His hands move to my skirt, pulling it up to my chest, before pressing against my core. Fuck...
Rio was right, I am pathetic. And I absolutely disgust myself because of it. He just killed someone, but here I am, letting him touch me again.
With one hand working his magic on my panties, the other simply pulls my legs apart.
'Keep it off the edge,' He whispers as he takes a deep breath, leans back, and stares at me hungrily, 'Just like that.' Shit.
He swiftly pulls down my panties and presses his thumb onto my clit, making me whine underneath him a little. 'Don't-'
I'm basically spread open for him, waiting for him to continue, and he does.
'Does that feel good?'
He moans and keeps his eyes glued to his thumb on my clit. It's driving me absolutely insane.
'Goddamn.' He swiftly pulls down his pants and starts stroking himself. The sight of it driving me insane.
'I love seeing you like that.' I try moving, but he tuts and reduces the speed of his perfect fingers. 'I told you not to move, didn't I?' Shit...
'You didn't-' He smashes his lips onto mine, pulling my lower lip in between his teeth, and sucks. Hard.
I pull him onto me and feel his tip teasing at my entrance. 'Fuck me, Rio.'
He smirks and doesn't hesitate another second. He slams himself into me and fucks me mercilessly. Our skin clashes against each other in the most perfect way ever. I feel myself tighten around him and try to keep in my moans.
I know he sent the driver away, but he can't be that far since he still has to drive us home. And I don't want to make it too obvious.
He seems to enjoy the fact that I'm angry with him. I shouldn't be letting him do this to me, but I can't help it. He's the only option I have right now, and I need this right now.
'Rio-' 'Shut up.' He sneers as he presses me harder into the leather seatings. I try to stop him because this is getting too painful, but he doesn't seem to care. Not at all.
'Fuck-' He groans as he lets himself explode inside of me. I start shivering underneath him as I try to catch my breath.
Rio nods but stays put, not moving whatsoever. Since he's not moving, I try moving, but he pushes me back.
'I'm not done with you yet, come here.' He groans seductively.
Rio pushes himself deeper inside of me, making me scream out of pain. He never went this deep before. He presses his hand onto my mouth, trying to silence me, but it's no use. The whole world already heard.
They all heard the sounds I make for him.
He pulls himself out of me and strokes himself a few times, before pressing himself deep inside of me again. Fuck...
His cock is throbbing and I know he's going to make me beg for my release.
He's an absolute fucking prick when it comes to this.
'You're going to beg me to let you come, or are you willing to take the risk?' He asks, smirking like an absolute idiot.
He knows that I won't pick, not immediately, and awaits my answer, not moving at all.
The lack of friction is annoying as hell and I try to move my hips up a little bit, hoping it'll make me feel something.
He sighs and tries to step back, but I wrap my legs around him and pull him back, kissing him softly. 'You're cruel.' I whisper against his lips.
I just know he notices the flush in my cheeks and my heavy breathing. He loves it.
'As if that's something new. Just pick.'
'I want to come.' I state, looking deep into his eyes. I flicker my lashes a few times, trying to drive him insane like always.
'I bet you do, don't you?' He grunts, slowly moving in and out of me. I hate when he takes it slow. As if I can't take shit from him.
I nod, trying to grind against him a little bit faster. 'Then beg me for it.'
A displeased grunt leaves my throat, making him smirk even wider. 'You're absolutely- Fuck you.' 'We'll get to that part as soon as you beg, Valentina.'
I prop myself up just a little and kiss him, shutting him up from ruining this moment. We shouldn't be doing this in the first place.
'What was that?' He asks, leaning back just enough for him to look into my eyes. 'Are you giving up already?'
I want to say no. I want to shout at him for making me feel so belittled, but he's right. I'm giving up. I need him to finish me, to ruin me in the way he knows best.
He slowly grinds his hips against mine, making me clutch onto him. I want him to go faster, but he won't do that unless I beg.
Rio knows I absolutely hate begging.
'Beg Valentina...' He groans, fighting the urge to pound himself into me.
'Please- fuck, Rio please.' I beg, trying to hide my face in his chest. He pulls my head back and smirks at me. 'Please what, Valentina?'
I notice that this isn't only driving me insane. It's driving him insane as well.
'Please fuck me.' He stops moving entirely and presses his lips on mine. 'That's what I thought.'
And then he starts thrusting himself in and out of me again. All at a merciless pace, making me feel like I'm going to be ripped in two again. Fucking hell!
I soon feel my climax building up in my stomach. This one is going to kill me... 'Good god!' He thrusts inside of me one more time, making the both of us come at the same time, as we let our bodies melt together.
And just like always, he's back to normal. Pulling himself together as if nothing happened.
'Let's go home.' He taps onto the window, letting the driver know that whatever we did, is done, and grabs his phone.
While I'm still unable to look straight, I try to sit up, but the world is spinning. 'I messed you up, didn't I?'
'Fuck you.'
_____
A/N: One long-ass chapter, but I really wanted to write this! So I hope you enjoyed it!
Also, if you wish you were Leya here (honestly same sis), I'll meet you in therapy!
I would really appreciate it if you would like my chapters and comment on what you liked the most, it really helps me grow!
Have a blessed day and until next time!