Chapter 9

Shay-Lee

Smitten and excited, I parked my Bugatti in our garage and turned off the engine, unable to erase the smile from my face. What a hot night that was. Thinking back to Nero and the annoyance on his face right after he came was absolutely perfect. I may not have intended to let another Gatto jerk me off in front of him at first, but the moment I walked into that room and saw him there, I couldn't help but want to play.

His eyes following my every move were thrilling and set my body on fire. He might claim he wouldn't fuck me, but the lust he showed tonight was enough to tell me it was only a matter of time before he'd snap. And I was all but willing to wait.

Feeling like I'd just won the lottery, I finally got out of my car and started to make my way back home. It was almost 6:00 a.m., but I wasn't the least bit tired, which was good because school started in about two hours.

Once I entered our house, my stomach rumbled because I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast yesterday. No wonder I'd lost nearly twenty-two pounds in the last few months. With football season being over, I didn't care for my gain, so I skipped meals and didn't force myself to eat when I wasn't hungry, which was more often than not. That being said, I was starving now. You could blame it on the number of times I came in the past twenty-four hours. Once with Dion, then once in front of Nero, another one while thinking about Nero, and then with Dion again. Busy counting orgasms, I reached our kitchen, which was all made out of black stone and had floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the forest in our backyard. Walking straight to the fridge, I prayed to God that Rosa had cooked something last night. Her food was the fucking best. We actually had a private chef, but when my dad wasn't home, I dismissed him.

"Ni?o."

Sticking my head out of the fridge, I found Rosa. She'd just walked in, already dressed in her gray uniform.

"Buenos días, mi se?ora," I mused happily, a big smile on my face. I'd always loved her. She was probably the only kind human left in my life after my mom's passing.

Rosa's expression hardened, and instead of joking with me like she often did, she rushed to my side. "What are you doing?" she whispered worriedly while closing the fridge door.

"I'm hungry, so I thought—"

"That's not what I mean." She cut into my words and looked over her shoulder before locking eyes with me. "Se?or Rogers came back last night."

Her words made my blood run cold, and the hunger I felt thus far was replaced by nausea.

"H-he's back already?" My dad wasn't supposed to return until next week. I was free for another week, but now? Dizziness took over me, and I felt seconds away from passing out. Turning away from Rosa, I clenched the marble for support while trying to get some air into my burning lungs. Staying out all night while he was here was a recipe for disaster.

He must be furious.

"Vamos, ni?o. Go to your room quickly before he sees you."

He's going to beat the shit out of me.

"Go, and I'll bring you something there."

I won't be able to take it. Not this time.

"Ni?o?"

Snapping out of my panic, I glanced at Rosa. Her brown eyes, always so loving, looked at me with compassion, making me feel less alone. But this feeling was fake because no matter how sweet Rosa was, it changed nothing.

If my father was still asleep, everything would be fine, right? All I needed was to slip inside my room and pretend I'd been there all night.

"O-okay, I'll go."

Lifting her hand, she gently stroked my cheek. "Bien."

The walk back to my room felt like forever, as the sound of my own footsteps jumped on my nerves, and I tried to hold my breath until I reached it. Only once inside, with the doors closed behind me, did I breathe in relief. I wasn't at all prepared to see my father this morning, and the crash from the high I experienced with Nero, to this terrorizing fear, was too much to bear.

The sound of a flick snagged my attention, and I looked at the door leading to my bathroom, where the light just went off. Staring at the open door, I broke out in a cold sweat while waiting with bated breath for the person inside it to come out.

"Oh, you're finally home." Orson smiled as he stepped out of my bathroom, a bottle of my cologne in his hand. Spraying a bit on his wrist, he checked the scent. "Mhmm, a bit too sweet." Tossing the bottle on my bed, he crossed the room until reaching me.

I tried to step back as he bent closer, but my body was met with the door.

"What?" He gave me an innocent look before lowering his head so his nose grazed my neck. "I was wrong." Sniff. "On you, it smells perfect."

Feeling as if someone had punched me in the guts, a shiver of disgust ran through my body. "What do you want?" I hissed, fighting hard not to vomit.

"Oh, that's right." He straightened, twisting his watch around his wrist. "Your dad is waiting for you. We've been up all night worrying, you know?"

Every hope I had to survive this morning was gone. Knowing what awaited me, I looked at my feet, my eyes welling with tears.

"Fuck, I almost forgot how pretty you are. So damn pretty," Orson added as if everything he'd said until now wasn't bad enough. "But let's go, shall we? We don't want to keep the big boss waiting. He's already waited long enough."

Understanding that, at this point, it would be better to cooperate, I followed Orson as he led the way. At first, I thought he'd take me to his bedroom, but instead, he walked me to our gym. Entering the room, my dad was running shirtless on the treadmill, probably doing his daily thirteen-mile run. Among other things, my father was obsessed with his shape and fitness. It probably had to do with his obsessive nature and need to control everything and everyone in his life, with me on the top of that list.

He didn't pause his workout, not until Orson pushed me farther into the room, and I had no choice but to speak first.

"G-good morning, Dad."

As if only now acknowledging my presence, he paused the machine. Still with his back to me, I watched his muscles tense and relax with each rapid breath he took. Sweat dripped down his large frame and left traces on the wooden floor. He'd probably have people clean it before we even got out of here.

He hates mess.

Reaching for the perfectly folded towels in a stack beside him, he grabbed one and used it to soak some of the sweat before finally turning to me. As always, I shuddered under his monstrous stare and felt absolutely powerless. When I was younger, I used to try and fight him, but as the years followed and my punishment worsened, I gave up.

Stepping closer, he stopped before me. "Could you begin to imagine a father's worry when he comes home in the middle of the night to find out his only child is nowhere to be found?"

"I'm sorry, Dad. I was—" My words were cut short by the force of his slap that sent me to the floor. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth as tears of pain coated my eyes. My right cheek burned as if it had been set on fire, but I couldn't bring myself to touch it. On my arms and knees, I remained frozen at his feet, too afraid to move a muscle.

"I don't remember asking for an apology." His voice was hard and cold. "Did I?"

I shook my head.

"Speak up."

"N-no." My voice broke, and I started crying. "N-no, Dad, you didn't."

With a heavy sigh, he crouched before me. Hooking his thumb underneath my chin, he forced me to look up. When Nero did this to me, it felt empowering, but now it made me feel like a puppet on a string.

I wish my night with Nero had never ended.

"Don't cry, Shay-Lee. You know that breaks my heart."

"I-I'm sorry."

"Don't." He cupped my face. "You're above apologizing." Using his thumbs to clean my tears, he gave me a soft smile. "Now that you've calmed down, would you tell me where you've been?"

My chin trembled, and I had to force myself to speak. "O-out with friends." I was lying, but since my father refused to have security cameras inside our house and only around it, the only thing he knew was that I'd left. It was a fact I often used to my advantage, but at times like this, it didn't help.

"On a school night?" he asked, and I nodded. "I see." Breaking our stare, he looked down and took a deep breath. He wiped away the rest of my tears and then gently dragged his fingers through my hair, almost tenderly. But then he clenched his fist, just about pulling my hair from its roots. I screamed from the stinging pain while he gripped me so tightly it felt like my scalp was being torn apart. He then dragged me across the floor until my body was slammed against the weight rack. Before my brain could even process the sharp pain spreading through my back, his hand returned to my hair, violently forcing me to look up.

"Stop, please, stop!" I cried out my lungs and tried to hold on to his wrist.

"How stupid do you think I am?"

"It hurts." My face was covered with tears and sweat. "It hurts so much. Dad. Please, stop."

"You ungrateful boy," he hissed from above me. "All I do is give you the freedom and money to do as you please, and how do you repay me? By sneaking around and lying like a pitiful rat."

"Please." My voice broke. "Please."

"Where have you been last night?"

"With my friends."

He tightened his grip until I squirmed.

"I-I swear! Dad, I swear."

"After the way you behaved for months, I thought that week in London put you back on track, but I was woefully wrong."

"No, no, you weren't." I was quick to cry. "It did. I just needed some air last night and didn't notice the time." He finally let go of me, and I seized the opportunity and looked up to him. "If I knew you were coming back, I would have waited for you. You know that, right?" Cleaning the spit and blood from my chin, I then gave him my best attempt at a genuine smile. "B-but you didn't call or let me know, so I had no idea you were cutting your trip short." A muscle in his jaw twitched, and I knew he was considering my words, so I continued playing into the role he loved so much. "I missed you when you were gone. I'm so happy you're back."

Finally, his eyes gleamed with something other than rage, and I knew I was safe. For now.

"I don't want you to spend your nights outside the house," he said while taking the bottle of water Orson offered him. "It's a dangerous world out there."

Nothing is more dangerous than you.

"I won't."

Nodding, he opened the bottle and gave it to me. With shaking hands, I took a small sip, then handed it back.

"Good boy." Returning the bottle back to Orson, he stepped back on the treadmill. "Make sure someone cleans this mess," he ordered Orson and went back to his run as if everything that just went on never happened.

Now free to go, I started to walk back to my room. About midway, Orson grabbed my wrist and forced me to stay put.

"Let go," I snapped, but he pulled me closer.

"You're lying to him."

It took me a moment to realize he was staring at the bite mark Dion left on my neck. Thank God my dad had missed it.

"What if I am?"

He smirked, and the pleasure on his sadistic face made me jolt.

"I missed you, too, you know. I missed our special times together."

"Fuck you," I hissed through gritted teeth, and he tsked. I hate that sound.

Repulsed, I pushed back from him. Thankfully, this time, he didn't keep me from walking away.

Reaching my room, I quickly locked the door and then walked straight to the shower. Turning the water on, I went in fully dressed. The cold water hitting my body did nothing to ease the pain, so I punched the shower wall. I punched the wall because I couldn't punch them. I was too afraid to fight back, too weak, too nothing.