2. Chapter 2
2
Not long after their tense exchange, Alessandro disappeared from the palazzo. The heads of every clan were eager to meet with him. He was, after all, the new capo and their rightful king. Power attracted the power-hungry like moths to a flame.
I bet these fuckers are dying to offer their condolences , Alessandro had warned Elyse, and then stab us in the back .
Choosing to divide and conquer, husband and wife each had their own battles to fight. Elyse stayed home and whipped the household staff into a frenzy. They scrambled to plan a funeral befitting a capo as consequential as Vincenzo Vitale.
Later, in the afternoon, Elyse left the palazzo with Monte and Luca. They trailed behind her every step. Antonia Svizzi was waiting for her at a local boutique. As they strolled and shopped, the Svizzis, Elyse observed, were a numbers-driven family. She appreciated their pragmatism.
“I think these would look stunning on you,” Elyse murmured while handing Antonia a designer cocktail dress and a couture gown made of burgundy silk.
Antonia accepted them with a delighted grin. “You think so? I should go try them on.”
After disappearing into one of the changing rooms, Antonia re-emerged with a glowing, face-wide smile. She loved the dresses. They found some shoes and bags to match. When it came time to pay, Elyse beat the other woman to the checkout counter. The final balance was astronomical, but she handed over her credit card without batting an eye.
Antonia gasped when she realized what Elyse had done, “You are much too kind!”
“It’s nothing, really. Just a small gift between friends,” Elyse insisted with a warm smile even while taking mental notes of how readily Antonia let her foot the five-figure bill. Bitch had given zero push back.
"I feel so blessed to have a friend like you, Signora Vitale ," cooed Antonia.
"I feel the same way."
"My family looks forward to continuing our partnership. When Vincenzo was still with us, God rest his soul, he was a good friend to us as well. As long as Alessandro is able to carry on the legacy of his father, rest assured, my family will have your back whenever push comes to shove."
Elyse didn't know if she could count on Antonia when the push actually came to shove, but gaining insight into what made this woman tick felt more valuable than empty declarations of loyalty.
At the end of the day, everyone was ruled by vices. Elyse's father had been ruled by a gambling addiction, which made his demise tragically predictable. Vices tended to dictate everyone’s choices in life. If Antonia and her family could be tempted by money and gifts, instead of power like the Domenico and his family, then they’d be manageable as allies. It seemed, as long as Alessandro shoved more money at the Svizzis than the other clans, their allegiance could be kept on a leash. In a way, this was good news.
As the golden Palermitan sun set over the horizon of the Tyrrhenian Sea, her shopping spree with Antonia came to an end. She arrived home to an empty bed. Alessandro had yet to return. Disappointment set in. It was soon followed by a wave of exhaustion. Elyse felt drained— mentally, emotionally, and physically —but she pushed through and summoned her last bit of energy to investigate matters regarding Valentina.
Picking up her phone, she contacted Stefano Russo's old associate, Benny Gusev. In her former life, Elyse used to frequent Benny's pharmacy in Queens whenever she needed prescriptions for the patients that Stefano brought to her apartment. The old Russian was well-connected with everyone's business in the underworld.
During the call, Elyse asked him about the late Tommy Wilkes. Benny agreed to dig into Tommy's background— for a hefty sum, of course —and vowed to report back with his findings in a day or two. Elyse grimaced as she set down her phone. Alessandro wasn't going to be happy about it. She was prepared, though, to face her husband's wrath.
Act first , she decided, and apologize later .
Elyse took a quick shower and crawled into bed. What was taking the bastard so long? As she waited for Alessandro to come home, both eyelids grew heavier and heavier. She dozed off by accident. Around midnight, the door swung open, Elyse awoke with a start. The room was almost pitch black. She didn't remember turning off the bedroom lights. In time, her vision adjusted to the shadows. She saw her husband's silhouette outlined in the dark.
"You've come back," whispered Elyse.
He grunted, "Where else would I go?"
"I-I was worried that you might—"
"I will always come back to you." Alessandro's gentle words contrasted with the gruffness in his tone. She sensed a crack in his walls. Was the bastard prepared to let her in after shutting her out?
Elyse's throat ached. "Did you want to… talk?"
He didn't answer right away. Emotions thudded within her heart, thrumming between hope and trepidation, as she waited for his response.
"Not at all," Alessandro revealed quietly, "I am more interested in something else."
"Like… what?"
"Taking whatever-the-fuck-I-want from you."
She blinked in shock at the size of his audacity. Then, her gaze grew sharp and thin. All thoughts of reconciliation shattered in an instant. "Taking and giving go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other."
"Indulge me."
Daggers flew from her glare. "Like hell I will."
With a smirk, Alessandro tilted his head to the side. "The murder in your eyes concerns me."
Elyse snapped, "Then stop pissing me off if you want a long and happy life."
"A wife should not kill her husband," he mocked in low tones, "right before she is about to get her brains fucked out."
In the moonlit dimness of their bedroom, her face burned with indignation. Or was it desire? Conflict stirred within. Elyse wanted Alessandro as much as she worried for him. Solutions to his problems always seemed to end with fucking or setting shit on fire. No matter how much he wished to detach from emotion, reality was a bitch that couldn't be ignored. Their lives were forever fucked because his father had died. Desperately, Elyse wished to lessen the hurt for Alessandro and lighten his burdens. Her mind began to race. Sex might not lead to a resolution, but it could certainly ease some of the strain between them .
Perhaps, afterward, Alessandro might be more willing to confront his demons head on?
Demons couldn't be chased away, but she could give him a moment of respite. For better or worse, Alessandro was her husband, and she was ready to be sword and shield in his time of need.
"Is that what you want right now?" Elyse asked faintly. "To fuck me?
Eyeing her in the dark, he murmured, "I do not know if you are ready for it."
"For what?"
"For me to take and take and take until you have nothing left to give."
The dark conviction in his voice sent shivers down her spine. Anticipation trembled through Elyse. Alessandro didn't just want to fuck her. He wanted to possess her. All of her . He wanted every fucking piece of what she could give him.
"I'll let you know if I want to... stop," she murmured. " Io sono tua, right?"
I am yours.
He once told her that it meant— diamond .
The beautiful liar.
" Sì, sì, sì. " Alessandro's breaths quickened in a gasped whisper, " Mine. "
"What?"
The corner of his mouth curled up. "Nothing."
Slowly, she lay back in bed, surrendering like a queen before her king. Alessandro's tall, imposing figure approached her in the darkness. Even though Elyse couldn't quite read his facial expression in the shadows, she could sense a very smug slyness radiating from him. "I have a surprise for you."
Wariness creased her brow as Alessandro took another step closer. "Lucky me."
"I thought it might be fun to add new toys in our bedroom."
"Your idea of fun," she muttered, "is usually pretty fucked up."
He smiled like the devil. "You have nothing to worry about, cuore mio . Let me show you what I have done. Everything has been customized and designed— just for you ."
Alessandro's hand drifted toward a touchscreen panel on the wall. With a few gentle taps, their bed was no longer their bed. Dim lights flickered on, gears began to turn, hidden compartments opened up, and intimidating-looking cuffs, hooks, and chains shifted into view.
Green eyes rounded out as she took it all in. "When did you get these installed?"
"Not long after I left Queens."
"Then you've been planning this for weeks," she accused.
" Months ," he corrected.
"Oh, fuck."
"May I?" Alessandro inquired in low, wicked tones.
She gave a dazed nod.
With a diabolical chuckle, Alessandro slowly stripped Elyse of her clothes, piece by piece, until she was completely in the nude. Her pulse trembled beneath his touch. Then, he moved to bind her wrists, followed by her legs. Within a minute, Elyse lay naked and spread-eagled on the bed.
Black leather cuffs were wrapped around her wrists and ankles, and the fit of each restraint appeared to have been measured to perfection. Snug and secure without digging into her flesh. Every strap was connected to metal chains, which were, in turn, attached to U-shaped hooks that had been hidden within the four corner posts on their bed frame. The length of each chain seemed to be customized exactly for her height. Even though she could barely move, there was enough give to be comfortable.
Adrenaline surged through Elyse. Alessandro hadn't been lying earlier. The bastard had, indeed, been preparing every little detail with her in mind. Elyse knew she should've been disturbed by the depths of his mania. He was truly a man unhinged. But the fact that it turned her on suggested that she was as bent in the head as him.
Like a proud artist coming to admire his masterpiece, he climbed on the mattress beside her. Still fully dressed, Alessandro seemed fully aware of the fact that he possessed full control of the situation. The bed shifted ominously beneath his weight. She could feel his burning gaze on her as his fingertips ghosted across her nipples, back and forth, back and forth, in hypnotic, featherlight motions. Elyse felt like melting as pleasure spread everywhere.
His dark head dipped down as he sucked one of her dusky cherry tips into his mouth, nipping the sensitive bud and dragging it between his teeth, painfully so, as he pulled away. Elyse moaned in protest as Alessandro started licking and kissing and tasting a shameless trail of debauchery across her tits, down her stomach, and toward her pussy.
He placed the softest of kisses on her clit before landing a hard, stinging slap on her pulsing cunt. Elyse yelped in shock. The contrast felt jarring. Within that same second, his mouth descended on her once more, making love to her, there , again and again. Another slap. His tongue swirled once around her needy clit.
Slap .
Twice.
Slap .
Three times.
Slap .
On and on, in this way, Alessandro tormented and worshipped her until Elyse became a panting, sweating mess of a woman. Pain became pleasure. Desire fused with desperation. These overwhelming, maddening sensations fused into one glorious, terrible, heightened cloud of oblivion.
Alessandro disappeared for a minute and returned with a small, egg-shaped toy in his hand. He removed his trousers and boxers. His hard, heavy cock jutted out from under his shirt. He reached for a condom and snapped it on. Elyse's eyes grew wide with anticipation. A feral smile spread across his face. Alessandro's hand begin to move, teasing the toy along her folds. She felt the kiss of smooth, rounded device on her glistening pussy before it disappeared inside her.
Her hips wriggled and writhed in an attempt to bring it closer. Moments later, she heard a light click . The egg came to life from within. Strong, euphoric vibrations seized her. Elyse's eyes rolled back as her husband's mouth returned to her clit, lapping, licking, and sucking away as the toy hummed against her most intimate walls. Then, the dam shattered and hell broke loose.
Elyse had never climaxed so quickly in her life before.
It took her by surprise. As her cunt sang with pleasure, Alessandro removed the egg and replaced it with his cock. He started fucking her in the middle of her orgasm, pressing the egg against her clit, prolonging her delirium as he pounded away with unrelenting thrusts.
Elyse cried out, panting, gasping her husband's name, as her first climax blended into her second one. She whimpered and wailed, "Alessio, oh, Dios , I can't, it's too much, too much..."
Despite her begging, Alessandro showed no mercy. He praised her helplessness with a growl, "Look at you, so pretty, so perfect, my filthy little angelo ."
With darkened eyes and a body drawn tight, her husband only quickened his pace, hips snapping in a blur, fucking her until his shaft was balls deep inside her slick heat. He pressed the egg even more firmly to her clit. The pleasure was so intense on her sensitive, throbbing cunt.
Elyse adored the onslaught as much as she resented it. Elyse couldn't decide whether she wanted to grind against him or shove him aside. Neither was an option, though. The restraints locked Elyse in place as Alessandro drove her to see stars once more. Bound beneath him, all she could do was let him take and take and take until there was nothing left to give.
As his cock started twitching with the first signs of his orgasm, Alessandro finally pulled out of her. A sense of loss overwhelmed her. Then, she groaned happily when he slipped the egg back inside her cunt. It throbbed as she throbbed. He shuffled over and rubbed his steely dick against her plump, full lips.
"You know what to do, wife," he grunted domineeringly. "You do it so well."
"Fuck," she gasped, "you."
It was hard to concentrate while the egg continued to wreak havoc within.
"Fuck you, sir ," Alessandro corrected.
In retaliation, Elyse sucked in his cock, roughly, between her lips, using both tongue and teeth to repay him for the torment he'd inflicted on her moments ago. Her husband winced as she pleasured him like they were enemies at war. She pulled away, diving low to nip his balls. With soft, shallow gasps of pain, he reached down to pinch and twist her nipple harder than necessary.
Green eyes flashing, Elyse glared as she swallowed his cock once more, purposely running her teeth along his hardened flesh as her lips suctioned him from base to tip. His face contorted with bliss and agony. He slapped her breast. Not hard enough to pinken her skin. But enough to send another warning. She didn't care, though, and continued to pleasure-punish him with her mouth and teeth.
A minute later, Alessandro growled, " Enough ."
He dragged his cock from her mouth. She released him with a loud, wet pop while smirking in triumph. Without another word, he started unbinding her wrists and ankles. The freedom felt intoxicating. He tore off his dress shirt and tossed it to the floor. Alessandro sat back on their bed and pulled Elyse to his lap, her thighs straddling him. He removed the tortuous toy from her pussy, set it aside, and inched his cock back inside her. As he started thrusting away— slowly, at first, then, faster and deeper —his hand crept up to her throat. His thumb and fingers caressed the sides of her airways.
He whispered, "Should I keep going? "
She eyed him anxiously. "What do you want to do?"
He pressed his thumb and fingers lightly against the outside of her throat. "Bring you to paradise."
Elyse's face paled slightly. Did Alessandro intend to choke her? She had never dared to try this sort of kink with any of her previous partners. It seemed dangerous and downright perverse. "I don't know..."
His hand fell away. But curiosity got the better of her. "No, wait..."
Alessandro watched her intently. "Changed your mind?"
"Yes," she replied, "but... be careful."
Suddenly, his cock stilled inside her pussy, her walls pulsated around him, his shaft throbbed against her, while he leaned over to kiss her.
"I would never hurt you, cuore mio ," Alessandro promised. "You know the words if this shit ever gets out of hand."
Io sono tua.
"Don't hold back, baby," Elyse mumbled dazedly as he started moving inside her again. "I trust you."
The friction between them stoked hot and heady, melting her senses to liquid fire, mounting her pleasure to unexplored heights, and she never wanted it to stop. Alessandro seemed to be trembling on the brink of release as well. Sweat slicked his skin. His beautiful eyes were closed. Lips were parted. His cock felt impossibly hard and ready to explode at any given moment. Her husband seemed to have found a way to distract from the tragedy of their lives within this moment.
Her orgasm hit a second later.
As her climax swept her away, Elyse released a loud, breathy cry. Her back arched in abandon. Brown and blue-gray eyes flicked open. His gaze locked onto her. A hand snaked up her breasts and closed around her throat once more. He squeezed on the sides— gently, then, a little more —until the pressure made Elyse feel as though a second heartbeat was pulsing pleasure straight from her core.
The sensation intensified in a thunderous spiral. Every pulse and every beat brought with it a new tide of bliss. Her orgasm spun wildly into a blissfully exquisite sense of ruin. Elyse could still breathe, but she was also growing extremely lightheaded. She was floating in ecstasy. It felt like an out-of-body experience.
At this time, a guttural, unsteady groan escaped her husband. Alessandro pulled out from between her legs and came all over her stomach in the middle of her unreal, surreal orgasm. Elyse felt ready to pass out from bliss, from exhaustion, but Alessandro didn't seem to be done with her. While Elyse lay in a helpless heap beside her husband, she watched as he cleaned himself off, fisted his cock back to life, and snapped on another condom.
He then flipped Elyse over to her stomach, hoisted her ass in the air, and mounted her from behind. Elyse thought she was ready for him. She was wrong. His cock practically punched into her womb. This fucking was unlike anything she had ever experienced with her husband.
Before, even when the sex was rough, her pleasure had always been at the forefront of their lovemaking. This time, however, it felt clear that Alessandro was using her entirely for his pleasure. He went hard and fast.
Selfishly.
Desperately.
Ruthlessly.
His fingers gripped her hips hard enough to leave reddened marks. He kept smacking her ass as he pummeled into her, grunting and groaning obscenities in a blur of Italian and English that left Elyse feeling both shocked and breathless.
For years, their fathers' sins had dictated their lives. Fate swerved and spun beyond their control, battering them down day by day. In this moment, two shattered halves clung to each other out of desperation. In him, Elyse sought to relinquish control from a life that had demanded her everything. Trust and love fueled submission. Alessandro seemed to relish in this precious power she gifted him. She was his angelo . His wife. His heart. He claimed her without remorse. She became entirely his in a cruel, violent world where nothing was given for free.
Alessandro heaved and gasped his release within minutes.
Sadly, though, she felt no afterglow to this intense one-sided fucking. There was only an aftermath. Their bodies had never been closer, but he still felt so far away from her. Wordlessly, Alessandro rose from the bed to discard his condom. He didn't return to Elyse's side right away. Instead, her husband disappeared into the bathroom. She heard the water turn on.
With the same heaviness from hours ago still weighing on her, Elyse turned away from him. The sex with Alessandro had been mind-blowing, as always, but the pleasure didn't feel as satisfying because nothing had been resolved between them. If anything, fucking him only served to worsen her anguish. As Elyse lay alone in their bed, her mood took a grim turn. It was plain as day now. Her husband had chosen, once again, to fuck away his demons instead of confronting them. It pained Elyse to know that she couldn't reach him.
Not in any way that mattered.
Not tonight, anyway.