Chapter 13

Hailey

I awoke slowly, sore and stiff, reluctantly rising from the darkness into the light. Into the reality I’d escaped when Giacomo had finally let me sleep.

A heavy band lay over me, and it took me a moment to realize it was Giacomo’s arm. He was holding me close to him, his warm body curled around mine. I bit down on my lower lip, stifling my cry, stifling my reaction. Though I wanted to scream, to jerk away from him, that would wake him.

And waking him would be far worse than being held by him.

He’d violated every part of my body last night.

Our wedding night.

He’d taken my virginity. Spanked me. Belted me. Then used my… my…

Heat suffused my cheeks. I couldn’t even think about it. Didn’t want to think about it. Didn’t want to remember the way he’d stretched me, opening me for his manhood, before impaling me upon it. Didn’t want to remember the way I’d come apart beneath him… every time. The way he’d touched me, pushing me to peaks of ecstasy that had shredded my resistance.

I winced as I tried to wriggle away from him, feeling something hard pressing against my buttocks. I almost whimpered. His cock was hard again, and I did not think I could take any more.

I was battered. Bruised. A little physically but mostly my mind. Just like when he’d bent me over at the police station and brought me to climax in front of Bruce and my boss, I couldn’t reconcile what he’d done with how I’d reacted.

If he tried to put it in my bottom again, if he made me climax again during such a perverse act, I would surely break. I could only take so much.

There was also some residual fear. I had meant to kill him last night, and he knew it. Last night, he punished me. Would there be more punishment today? What would he be like upon waking?

The desire to flee rose up inside me, nearly choking me with its intensity, but how could I when he was still holding me so tightly against him? Tears began to spill down my cheeks, and I shuddered with the effort to keep quiet, to keep still.

It was for naught.

I felt him wake. Felt him move.

“Mmmm.” His hand, which had been wrapped around my ribcage, shifted, moving higher to cup my breast. I gasped at the sensation as he pinched my nipple, hard enough to make the tiny bud throb, though I could not truly call it ‘pain.’ It felt good, too, re-awakening the shameful desires he’d kindled last night.

His body rocked, his hard cock moving between the cheeks of my bottom, and finally, I could not take it anymore.

“No, please! Not there!”

His hand stilled, and suddenly, I was rolled onto my back, staring up at Giacomo, my tears sliding down the sides of my face and into my hair and the pillow. His dark gaze bore into me, studying me.

“Not where, mia moglie?” There was a bit of a taunt in his voice, as if he was daring me to tell him what to do. To order him about. He also had apparently not tired of calling me his wife. The possessiveness in his words made me shudder.

“Please, not in my bottom again. I can’t take it.” My voice was a mere pleading whisper. I didn’t dare try to order him about. Not after last night. The pain had vanished in my sleep, but I remembered, and now that I was flat on my back, I could feel how sore my buttocks were after taking his belt last night. If he did it again, it would hurt twice as much.

Rather than answering, he studied me for a moment longer, then leaned down over me. I closed my eyes instinctively as he got closer, my breath growing shallower at his approach.

Something wet touched my face, briefly, and I realized he had just licked a tear from my cheek.

Horrified, my eyes flew open to see him pulling away, still studying me. Meeting my gaze, he smiled. It was like being smiled at by a snake.

“Deliciously salty, mio tesoro,” he said. “Every part of you tastes like ambrosia on my tongue.”

I didn’t know what to say back, so I said nothing. His gaze swept over me. He did not seem to desire a reply, anyway. He was too busy looking at my naked body. I gulped.

“Spread your legs, little one. I will have my breakfast now.”

Closing my eyes, I did as he ordered. Putting my arm over my face, I was unable to hold back my cries as he feasted between my legs, using his tongue to soothe my sore flesh and drive me to climax. Then he slid his cock between them again, riding me to another shameful orgasm, filling me with hot jets of his seed while I quivered around him.

Any bit of control I’d thought I had left was nothing but a mirage.

Exhausted, limp, I fell back asleep, barely aware of him getting out of bed and tucking me back in under the sheets. I was too tired to be afraid of what he might do now.

Sleep, my only escape, claimed me again. I could only hope it would be for longer this time.

Jack

My beautiful, deceitful, perfect wife. Making sure there was nothing in our rooms that she could use to hurt herself or anyone else, I left her sleeping in my bed. The sense of satisfaction I felt seeing her there, where she belonged, overrode anything and everything else.

A killer she was not. No, my little dove needed protection from all the harshness of our world. The cold realities. Her treacherous grandfather. She didn’t realize it, but I did.

And her passion… well, she would be very sore today, but it would pass. Despite that, she had responded beautifully this morning. She was more addictive than any drink or drug. I was already anticipating what I might do to further defile her tonight. What pleasures I might be able to tempt her to.

Outside our rooms, one of my men guarded the door. I gave him a nod as I passed. He would watch over my new wife while she slept. I, on the other hand, had business matters to attend to.

“Your mother and father are in the dining room,” he said in response to my nod.

Of course, they were.

“Grazie.”

Sighing inwardly, I went to the dining room. I’d been planning on eating breakfast anyway, but I thought I would be alone or with Gio. I wanted him to look into some things about her grandfather. My father had done his research, I knew, but now that Hailey was my wife, I wanted to be thorough.

I didn’t want any surprises.

“There you are!” My mother jumped up when I came in, fluttering over to me with her usual grace and pulling me into a hug. “Where is my new daughter?”

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head.

“Still sleeping, Mama. It was a late night.” I couldn’t help the smirk that quirked my lips at my words, and the smack on my arm I received for it did nothing to change my expression.

“Oh, you.” She shook her head. “Just like your father.”

Now, my expression did change as I made a face. There were some things a man didn’t want to think about. I knew my father and mother had a certain kind of relationship, one that I planned to emulate with my own wife, but that didn’t mean I wanted to picture theirs.

“Come and sit down, eat,” my father said. “We’ve got plenty to do today.”

My mother shook her head in disapproval as she took her seat. Elegantly dressed, she was the epitome of grace despite her ire.

“Sending your son to work the day after his own wedding. Really, Lorenzo. It’s a wonder anyone puts up with you.”

“And yet you do,” my father said, reaching out to grab her hand and bring it to his lips. They smiled at each other, and for a moment, it was like I wasn’t even in the room.

Would Hailey and I have that one day? Or would her hatred fuel our passion instead? I wasn’t sure I wanted her to become enamored of me too quickly, though, of course, I meant to win her over, eventually. But there was something about knowing she was trapped and still fluttering her wings against the confines of her cage that excited me. Forcing her body to bend to my will, rather than hers, was wildly arousing.

“What do you need me for today?” I asked, partly to break up their little moment and partly because if I kept thinking about Hailey, I was going to return to our room and fuck her again. She needed to rest, though.

“We need to meet with Don Bianco again now that everything is finalized. I would have left you to your own devices with your new bride, but he wanted you to be there.” My father shrugged, but there was something in his eyes. He didn’t fully trust Don Bianco, despite the wedding. We needed to be on our guard.

I nodded my understanding.

Hailey

Waking up a second time, I immediately covered my face, taking in deep breaths and trying to ascertain if Giacomo was still there. I heard nothing. So, what had woken me?

Birdsong, trilling outside the window. I sighed and lifted my head, looking around.

I was alone.

And not regretful to find myself so.

My body still buzzed from his attentions. Everything was sore. I could not move without thinking of him, and I wanted to scream when I realized it.

I dressed as quickly as I could, ignoring how sensitive my body was. I put my clothing on like armor, covering myself up and making myself look respectable even though I did not feel so. I explored the room as much as I dared.

Not a single thing that could be used as a weapon. Not even among his bathroom supplies—no razor.

Not that I fooled myself into thinking that I could overpower him. Not after our wedding night. My bottom clenched automatically, as though it could push out the memory, the way it had been unable to push out his cock. I sniffled as tears sprang to my eyes at the shameful memory.

Though it was not nearly as shameful as the way I’d given in to him this morning, and the ecstatic climax I’d experienced despite everything. Time and time again, he proved to have mastery over my body, regardless of what I wanted. Taking a deep breath, I looked at myself in the mirror.

Today was a new day.

But this morning…

I had not gotten up yet. It did not count. My new life started now. I was no longer Hailey Bianco or Hailey McQueen; I was now Hailey DiNardo, and it was time to find out what I could do.