Controlled: A Dark Mafia Romance

Chapter 7

Creed

Bella was so beautiful it was like a sucker punch and that wasn’t something I’d experienced with a single other woman. She was also no pushover, refusing to back down even though it was apparent she knew who I was and all about my reputation.

Defiance.

Some said as with all other aspects of emotions, it was an art that could be perfected with time. Others said it was simply an adult version of throwing a child’s temper tantrum. What I knew was that defiance was nothing more than hiding dark and delicious secrets behind a structured steel of armor.

My brothers and I had perfected the craft years before, acting defensive to anyone who asked about our home life, and there had been plenty of people doing so when we were still too young to understand just how much power our father wielded.

Teachers and principals had asked about our wellbeing, especially after our mother had been run off. My father called them do-gooders who had no understanding of our very special relationship. He’d told several of the ones were most persistent to stay away but one in particular didn’t listen.

I would never forget the day I walked into my English class when I was eleven or twelve, learning my teacher had been found dead in his home, electrocuted in a horrible way. The very sweet man had become worried after my series of macabre stories I’d penned for the creative writing part of our class that something was very wrong at home. I had no doubt my father had slaughtered him because he’d stuck his nose where he shouldn’t have. I’d mourned the loss, the man like a big brother to me, but my father had sat all three of his boys down, reminding us that no one outside of the man sitting in front of us knew what was best for us.

I exhaled from the memory as I watched her trying to fade into the hundreds of honored guests, looking over her shoulder only once to see if I was following her. Given my height of almost six foot five, I could see over the majority of guests. However, being able to see her from where I was standing didn’t matter. I had eight men with me, three remaining in the lobby on the lookout for her arrival but also to ensure no one had followed me.

Tonight, I did not want to be bothered by anyone. It was time to begin unraveling the dark secrets that Bella was obviously embarrassed about. I’d recognized her as the scintillating club dancer by the scent of her perfume. There were ways for a person to hide, even in plain sight. Masks. Costumes. Wigs. I’d seen it all over the years. However, what few people knew was that a person’s scent was easily recognizable, completely individualized. It wasn’t just about the intoxicating fragrance of perfume a woman wore. It was a combination of the body cream and moisturizer selected, the shower gel preferred, and the brand of shampoo and conditioner used.

And for the lovely Bella, a woman who had no idea of how stunning she was whether in a skimpy leotard or the lovely dress she’d selected for the evening, it was her burning desire that had encapsulated what was for me the perfect scent. Heavenly.

She had perhaps the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. But up close they were captivating, the color of a perfect sky or a bluebird on a spring day, irises flecked in gold as if kissed by the rays of sun. She’d uncoiled her long locks from the bun that so many dancers seemed to wear, her silky strands of raven hair hiding one of the most distinctive aspects of her perfect figure.

Her long neck.

I wanted to brush my fingers down one side and up the other, allowing my tongue to trail behind it. The beast inside of me wanted to sink his canines into her soft flesh just below her pulse of life. Did that make me a monster? I wasn’t certain at this point.

As with all women, I’d seen them as nothing but a pretty face. That had included hers initially, but she’d already shown me more substance than any of the women I’d dated or those who considered themselves colleagues of mine. Which was in and of itself a laugh. She was nervous around me, pegging me as a beast in expensive clothing but she wasn’t panicking.

At least yet.

That would come when she discovered I was playing for keeps.

I finished my drink, placing the unwanted glass on a tray and taking long strides through the group, forced to smile and nod toward a couple of people who dared call my name. After carelessly placing her glass on a tray, knocking several items over while doing so, she’d gone through the double doors at the end of the ballroom, and I knew exactly where she was headed.

The service elevators, figuring I wouldn’t look for her there and she could easily slip out of the building at the back of the hotel. She underestimated me and would soon learn that doing so wasn’t in her best interest.

However, the thought of cornering and capturing her had already tightened my balls. My strides were twice hers and she was walking in stilettos likely for the first time in at least a couple of months. That placed her at a severe disadvantage. When she flew around a corner, I knew my assumption had been correct. I picked up my speed, refusing to let her get away.

Her defiance had solidified my desire and my decision.

By the end of forty-eight hours, she would belong to me, becoming my very special house guest.

I smiled and shoved one hand into the pocket of my trousers as I rounded the corner. She was just getting inside, not realizing that while the majority of the hotel had been renovated, the service elevators were much older. The doors were slower to open and close and the aspect I did appreciate, especially for this moment, was that there was a button allowing for a hard stop.

The doors were almost closed when I reached one of three elevators. I pressed my hand against one door, taking a deep breath before pushing it open.

Bella immediately lifted her head, the look of shock in her eyes quickly turning to one of anger. She moved quickly, pushing herself away from the back wall, trying to grab a wide berth so she could easily scamper away from me for a second time. I moved in front of her, not only crowding her space but blocking her completely from escaping.

“You’re not going anywhere, lovely Bella.”

“Let me go, Mr. Saint. I don’t think we should be near each other.”

“At this moment, what you believe isn’t what’s going to happen.”

“Get away from me or I’ll scream.”

I couldn’t help but to smile at her determination. I tugged her purse from her hand, tossing it aside. “And I am curious who you believe will hear you?”

“Fucking asshole. People who actually give a damn about a young woman being accosted by a…” She wrinkled her nose in the cutest way, unable to finish her sentence.

The doors finally closed and every muscle in her body tensed. “By what, Bella? A bad man? A monster? You would be correct in both assumptions. However, there is a single mistake in your comment.”

“What the hell is that?”

“There will no need to accost you.”

“Why?” She’d regained some of her composure and her haughty attitude.

I pushed her buttons by pressing my body against hers, which convinced her to take two steps backward. When she hit the back wall exactly where she’d been standing, she took a deep breath. Meanwhile, I instantly gathered a whiff of her sweet desire, the kind of longing that couldn’t be argued with or denied. Our connection was explosive, the tether unlike anything I’d experienced before.

“You will easily surrender to me because that’s exactly what you want.”

She narrowed her eyes, forced to tilt her head to gaze into mine. There was an odd combination of emotions as well as confusion in her shimmering pupils. After she smiled wryly, attempting to catch me off guard, she followed her sweet gesture by lifting her arm quickly, doing her best to slap me across the face.

My quick reactions had been because of my training years before, which meant I easily snagged her wrist with one hand while I wrapped the fingers of my other around her throat, driving us both into the cold, hard steel. As I crushed the weight of my body against hers, there was no fear in her eyes, no sense of anything by the increasing desire sweeping through both of us.

I slowly lowered my head until our lips were almost touching. “That wasn’t very nice of you, my sweet and innocent Bella.”

“Don’t let my looks fool you, Creed,” she spat back. “I’m not a nice girl. I learned a long time ago about men like you. You’re a predator marked by expensive watches and fancy estates where a single crumb you make is swept up by one of four or five maids within seconds or they’ll face your wrath. My guess is you own three, no, five vehicles, maybe even including a truck to pretend that you’re one of the normal guys when the truth is you’ve never done a hard day’s work in your life, never once getting dirt under your perfectly manicured fingernails. You hide behind this dangerous, sexy persona, pretending you’re some mafia god so all the little women will either fall at your feet or do your bidding or both. Well, I’m not that woman and you don’t impress me in. The. Least.”

Her smile was as beguiling as it was infuriating, although I was utterly aroused by her audacity. She obviously had no clue what she was doing to me or how dangerous I was. But by pressing my buttons, she’d sealed her fate.

She was absolutely perfect in every way.

And exactly what I’d craved my entire life.

A perfect subservient woman while also being my equal in darkness and needs. I couldn’t wait to taste and fuck her. I also couldn’t wait to break her.

I pushed my thumb under her chin, lifting her head even more. When I lightly brushed my lips back and forth across hers, she pushed her other hand against my chest, trying to put space between us. Yet when I crushed my lips against hers, I realized she’d curled her fingers around my shirt as if holding me in place.

I squeezed her neck, not enough to force suffocation but the hold dominating enough she knew clearly who was in charge. The way she trembled in my arms was about trepidation as well as her building desire. Her scent of arousal couldn’t lie and my mouth watered to drive my tongue deep inside her tight little pussy.

My cock throbbed as I thrust my tongue inside her mouth, savoring the flavor of the liquor she’d chosen and the mint she’d had prior to seeing me. The kiss was a powerful draw, more so than normal. I wasn’t the kind of man who could tolerate spending but so much time locking lips with a woman, no matter how beautiful. But everything with her from sparring to flirting, including kissing, was entirely different than with anyone else.

As she finally darted her tongue inside, her muscles relaxing, she also arched her back just slightly. Enough so that when I shifted my hips back and forth, both the friction and the current erupted. I tightened my hold around her neck, forcing her to moan into the kiss. I had no doubt she was hot and wet, her needs building just like mine were. I was certain she’d continue to deny her feelings for me, but that was part of the cat and mouse game, one I did love playing.

Even if I always won.

Perhaps she’d be a more worthy opponent than I was used to.

I continued the kiss for another few seconds, finally breaking the connection. Yet the draw to her continued, my need to lick every inch of her skin getting out of hand. She closed her eyes, acting as if my fingers digging into her lovely skin didn’t bother her in the least. She had a tough resolve, a pure lust for life, and I wanted to drink from her essence more now than ever.

“Do you crave what only I can give you?” I whispered and nipped her earlobe.

“What’s that?”

“Passion beyond your wildest dreams, pleasure built on pain and perseverance. Allowing the woman you keep locked away inside and hidden behind a mask while performing for lecherous men out of her cage?”

“You’re such a bastard. You know nothing about me.” She was whispering, with no conviction in her statement. And her long fingers were kneading my chest beneath the crisp white shirt.

“Yes, I am, but I believe I do, Bella. You’re hiding behind a mask because you’re afraid someone will see who you are and what you crave. A bad man like me attracts you more than you want to admit.” We were both breathless, so much so our panting was making it warm inside the steel box. Our maybe that was just our combined libido.

“Hmm… You really think you know me, huh?” She ran her fingers up and down my chest, slowly sliding them over my shoulder. As she tangled her fingers in my hair, I rubbed my thumb back and forth across her lips.

“Yes, I believe I do. You prefer the darkness, a rough touch, and a man who you can feel safe with.”

My cock was throbbing to the point it caused significant pain. She was a dazzling surprise, opening her mouth and capturing my thumb. There was something so entirely provocative about the sound she made while sucking my thick digit that I was completely mesmerized, losing myself in the mindless gesture.

Her eyes were shimmering as if ready to dilate, her luscious lips twisting as she pulled more of my thumb into her hot, wet mouth. My breathing was even more labored as I plunged it in and out, forcing her to take every inch. It was a taste of what was to come. As her long eyelashes skimmed across her cheeks, I was certain I’d died and gone to heaven.

For a sadistic man like me, she managed to pull every string, pushing me into a moment of contentment. I would lock her inside a cage, waiting for my return home every night. She sucked as if she were starved, and I was ready to fuck her right here and now.

Which hadn’t been my intention.

Perhaps one taste of her was in order after her mouthiness and bratty attitude.

I wasn’t given that chance and I should have known her actions were nothing but an attempt at breaking free from the man who’d captured more than just her attention. She was quick in her actions. I’d have to give her that. While I was in my lurid haze, she managed to jerk free from me, able to shove both hands against my chest with surprising force.

However, it was her long legs that were the most dangerous part of her. She kicked one into my chest and the other into my groin before I knew what had hit me, but she was counting on her actions feeling as if I’d been hit by a truck.

And her calculations had been correct. I was pitched against the corner, sliding down because of the agony that immediately rushed through every red fucking blood cell.

She didn’t waste any momentum or time, pressing the button to get the elevator started. Then she had the nerve to punch me hard in the jaw to buy herself some time.

I’d been in dozens of brutal fights from the time an asshole had bullied me at school, but I’d never been hit so hard by a woman in my life. There’d been plenty of those who’d tried, but they’d learned the hard way I wasn’t an easy mark.

This woman was… unusual. The doors were already opening by the time I recovered, but I lunged forward, grabbing her around the ankle, pitching her backward like a rag doll. That was all the time I needed to jerk to a standing position, closing the doors and shaking my head.

I even rolled my arm over my mouth, able to taste blood from where I’d bitten my tongue. It was impossible not to laugh. Perhaps I was the one who’d underestimated her.

“You will be punished for that.”

“Oh, yeah?” she barked, kicking off her shoes and acting as if she was a prize fighter ready to take me on.

Chuckling more darkly than before, I stopped the elevator once again, grinning as if I’d just noticed I had the trillion-dollar winning lottery ticket. She gave me a lust-filled look that screamed ‘bring it.’

I yanked off my jacket, tossing it on the floor. She decided at that moment to take a hard swing but this time I was too fast for her, jerking to the side. After that I wrapped one arm around her waist, lifting her two feet off the floor while I planted one foot against the elevator wall. From there, she likely knew she was no match for my strength. I easily tossed her over my thick knee, yanking up her dress a split second later.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She fought me as I knew she would, pummeling her fisted hands against anywhere on my body she could reach, bucking hard enough she almost dropped to the floor.

“What do you think? I’m punishing you. You should learn that attempting to kickbox with a dangerous man isn’t the best idea.” I slipped a single finger under the thin elastic of her delightfully matching thong, snapping my wrist and pulling the material free.

She gasped, struggling even harder, instantly yelling as if anyone was going to hear her. But for all her lithe movements as a dancer, all her push and pull against me, the friction she created was doing nothing more than boosting her arousal.

And mine.

The dress had left very little to the imagination and as soon as I’d seen her walk into the ballroom, my mind had slithered down a very dirty rabbit hole. The music from the first dance continued to ravage my mind, the intense chords pounding as if reminding me why I’d captured her in the first place.

My salvation.

Was there really such a thing? If I asked my older brother he would say yes, at least for a while, both appeasing and pleasing the demon the three of us had inside. Yet I knew it wouldn’t last. That wasn’t possible after everything we’d been through as a fucked-up family. The ugly memories always came at a time when I couldn’t tolerate them. Tonight included. I gritted my teeth, needing to feel all of her. The taste of her. Hell, I wanted to deflower her as I’d promised myself I wouldn’t.

I wasn’t in the mood to hold back my patience any longer. If there was one truth to the moment, it was that she needed to be taught a hard lesson. Not just about obedience but also about life in general. She shouldn’t lure the big bad wolf from his den. It never ended well.

As I brought my hand down in rapid succession, it took Bella a full minute to embrace what was happening to her. Once she did, she bellowed at the top of her voice, and I had to admit her screeching had already become annoying. I balled up the lacy material, fisting her hair with one hand while I drove the gag into her mouth with the other.

All while balancing her on my leg.

“Do not try and pull out the gag or your punishment will be worse.” She seemed shocked by my actions as well as my statement, momentarily stopping all movement. I returned to the spanking, preferring that I was back at my house, her naked body splayed across the steel table, her arms and legs spread wide open and shackled. And I’d use a much more powerful deterrent than just my hand.

But beggars couldn’t be choosers. This would need to do.

For now.