Chapter Six

The morning light assaults me through the glass doors, and I turn my head quickly.

I was so tired last night that I forgot to close the curtains, leaving the daylight to flood into the room way too early.

Last night was so weird, first seeing Marco here, and then him bossing me around.

Somehow being the stubborn brat and him demanding I obey was keeping me excited, helping me forget that I'm not here by choice.

While we were walking along the beach, I had so many thoughts running through my head.

One of those thoughts was whether or not I would have come here by choice if Marco had asked me rather than kidnapped me.

I wouldn't have wanted to go against my brothers or ruin things for the family, but I definitely would have been tempted to run away to this Mexican paradise.

Other thoughts included very silly little fantasies about what life would be like if I lived here.

I tried to stop those thoughts from infiltrating my mind, but holding Marco's hand and looking up at the stars, just did something to me.

I sit up and make my way groggily to the kitchen for coffee.

Last night ended nicely, but I can't help thinking about whether he meant all of his threats against my brothers.

Sometimes he seemed like a good person, someone that I could trust and enjoy spending time with, and then he would say things that reminded me he was very much a cartel member and could kill me with a snap of his fingers.

I've never been too close to the world of violence that my brothers had no choice but to be a part of.

I've heard stories, and I've accidentally seen things, but being in the presence of such a dangerous man has brought me closer to that world than I've ever been.

Part of my request to go for a walk, was so that I could get a better idea of my surroundings, and what I discovered was not comforting at all.

I know now that I'm not going to get out of this house by myself. Even if I make it past the security locks and the cameras, the walk along the beach showed me just how isolated we are.

No one is going to hear me yelling for help, and I have no idea how far I'd have to go before I reached civilization.

I also spotted each one of the lookout sheds, noticing eyes watching us from the darkness.

I can't run very fast for fun, so I doubt I would be able to outrun those men and their bullets.

But something about Marco's attitude did give me hope yesterday. It's nothing more than a sliver, but I'm going to work with it.

There was a moment when he was looking at me in my towel and arguing with me, and even while we were holding hands and walking down the beach, that he seemed to actually like me.

His eyes get darker, and he would lick his lips, telling me exactly what he was thinking.

The initial attraction between us is still there, and I have a feeling that I might be able to use that to my advantage.

Finishing my coffee, I go to shower.

When I get out, I don't bother with clothes or even a towel. Leaving my body bare and wet, I walk into the living room and lie across the couch.

I make sure that my movements are exaggerated, pulling each muscle and twisting my limbs in the sexiest way I know how.

There's an old magazine on the coffee table. It's dated a full year ago, just like I told Marco, but I pick it up and pretend to read it, throwing my legs over the top of the couch.

I can't really tell if and when Marco is watching the cameras, but I make sure that if he happens to check in now, he has a full view of my naked body.

The beach house is warm, and we don't seem to have any immediate neighbors, so this plan feels pretty solid.

All I need is for Marco to finally give in and sleep with me.

After gaining his trust, I may be able to convince him to let me go home.

I don't really care if my brothers give him trade routes or money.

I do care, though, if they try to be heroes and end up getting hurt—or end up getting me hurt in the process.

I used to trust them entirely to keep me safe and always be there for me, but as we all get older, that trust becomes harder to hold onto.

I spend about an hour on the couch but then get bored.

My next naked task is heading into the kitchen to make pancakes. I put an apron on, just in case there's a mess, and dance around the kitchen making my go-to breakfast.

Thankfully, Marco has all the ingredients needed in the kitchen.

"Grazia." I hear a loud voice suddenly, and it makes me freeze, frying pan in my hand. "Go and put some clothes on."

That's definitely Marco's voice, but it's so robotic and way too loud for him to be in the house.

I stare up at the cameras.

The only place that the voice could be coming from is up there.

"Yes. I can see you. I know you can hear me," he says to me, reading my mind, apparently.

The bastard has a loudspeaker on the camera system so that he can talk to me.

This feels weird, but I get a rush of excitement knowing he's been watching me.

"Cooking naked is not a safe activity."

I laugh, because his worry about my safety seems ridiculous at this point.

But I like that I've got his attention now. I grin up at the camera and go back to cooking.

"I can't hear you," I sing out to him. Teasing him is currently my only entertainment, so he may as well get used to it.

I don't say that to him, though, because it might cause him to stop reacting, which just wouldn't be any fun.

The rest of the day is spent naked in different parts of the house, positioned right underneath Marco's fancy cameras.

Now that I know he is watching me, I make sure to give him a show. I put on some music and do my best impression of erotic dancing in the living room.

Then I decide to eat lunch in the dining room, laying on the table so that my back and ass are right in Marco's face.

It feels a bit odd, but this whole situation is anything but normal, so I'm just going with the flow.

He comes through on the speaker a couple more times, warning me about the dangers of not wearing protective clothing while eating and drinking hot things.

I respond by going into the room and coming back out with my heels on, which help to show off my toned legs and accentuate the butt that I am quite proud of.

I know that this is not helping me get out of the house, and it might not turn out the way that I'm hoping it will.

But it is a whole lot of fun. And if I'm going to be stuck here, I may as well make it fun for myself.

By the time I can see the sun starting to set, I'm no longer feeling flirty and sexy.

Being naked in this house all day wasn't comfortable, and it felt odd to lay on the couch and other surfaces without a piece of fabric between my skin and the surface.

So, I decide I'm done with my game, and it's time to shower for a second time. The shower in this house is amazing, with a rain showerhead and plenty of space to move around.

It might actually be the place I like best in this prison of mine. Although the large windows and views come at a very close second.

I wasn't lying last night when I told Marco that this place was beautiful.

The only part I hate about it, is the part about me being locked in here.

I wonder if I could convince Marco to let me outside, since I now have zero hope of escaping, ever. But he might not believe me anyway.

Once I've washed off, I figure it's time to put some clothing on, because walking around naked is a whole lot less glamorous than it sounds, but I stick to a bra and shorts.

It's so hot here that if I put anything more on, I might just melt.

I know that there is air-conditioning on in the house, but sometimes the outside heat seems to intrude into the cool air anyway.

Plus, with these clothes on, I'm a little more covered but can still flaunt my body at Marco.

Who knows if this game is working, but I can't think of anything better to do anyway.

I'm walking out of the bathroom and dabbing my wet hair with a towel when I spot Marco standing in the hallway.

His face looks odd; not angry, but not as calm as he has been either.

I didn't hear him come in the door, and I wonder how long he's been in the house.

This is why the women in thriller movies are always killed in the shower, because you just can't hear anyone coming into the house with your head under the stream of water.

"Oh, hi," I say casually.

My voice cracks slightly with nervousness, but I take a breath to calm myself. I wonder if he's here because my plan has worked, and he finally can't contain his desire any longer.

Not only would that help my ego right now, it might mean I'm one step closer to getting out of this house.

"Get in the bedroom," he growls at me.

This man is constantly trying to tell me what to do, like he thinks he owns me. I roll my eyes.

I've never been good at doing what I'm told. My Nonna used to say that it was because I was born to tell people what to do, and I often tap into that energy when I don't feel like being a "good girl".

"Why don't yo…" I start to respond to him, but before I can get a full sentence out, he walks toward me and picks me up, throwing me over his shoulder.

I yelp in surprise as he carries me toward the bedroom and throws me onto the bed.

I've never found it hot when the movies show the man picking the girl up and tossing her around, but I can definitely feel a tingle between my legs now that Marco is doing it to me.

Swallowing hard, I look up at him and realize again how large and muscular he is.

There's a part of me still wondering if I've finally pushed him over the edge and he's here to finish what I started. An even larger part of me, though, wonders if something went wrong with my brothers, and he's here to kill me.

His face is telling me that it's the first option, but I've never had a cartel man standing over me ready to kill me, so I don't really know what that looks like.

He stares down at me, his eyes dark and his expression hard to read.

I can feel my heart beating, and my breath is caught in my throat.

There's a mix of terror and excitement boiling together in the pit of my stomach.

"You call this putting clothes on?" he asks, his voice is so husky right now, he sounds like a different person.

I can't get words out of my mouth, so I nod up at him, maintaining eye contact.

"Too bad. I'm going to have to rip them off you now."