Chapter 5 Sienna
Sienna
The smell of paint and sugar shouldn’t mix, but somehow, it does.
The whole bakery smells like vanilla and fresh plaster, and if I close my eyes long enough, I can almost convince myself this is peace.
Almost.
I drag the roller up the last stretch of wall, watching pale pink paint smooth over the cracks.
My hand aches.
My back aches.
My heart aches the most.
My head aches from thinking about everything I did that landed me here.
I know he’s coming.
I turn, my roller still in hand, to find Benedikt leaning against the doorframe in a dark suit that doesn’t belong in a bakery at ten at night.
I jolt because he’s not supposed to be here. His tie’s gone, the top buttons of his shirt undone, and his sleeves are rolled to the elbows. His forearms are tan, veined, and tense. His face is calm, but his eyes are hellfire.
He doesn’t speak, and it makes the hairs on my arms stand on end. He just looks at me like I’m a mess he’s tired of cleaning up.
“You could knock,” I say, trying to sound lighter than I feel. His silent treatment isn’t helping anything.
This time is no different.
Benedikt pushes off the doorframe and walks toward me as my chest tightens, and warning bells sound in my head.
“I didn’t realize I had to knock at my own property,” he says finally.
I put down the roller, my heart pounding as I bend over to make sure the paint doesn’t drip anywhere. “It’s my bakery.”
“No, princess. It’s the bakery I gave you.”
There it is.
I fold my arms, forcing myself to meet his gaze even though it feels like standing in front of a fire. “You said it was mine.”
He stops in front of me, close enough that I can smell the faint trace of smoke and cologne on his shirt. “And I said you were mine, too. You didn’t seem to understand that, either.”
His tone isn’t loud, but it’s full of control. Quiet, dangerous control that screams he’s furious but trying not to show it.
I look down because if I keep staring at him, I’ll either cry or do something reckless like kiss him. “You’re still mad.”
“Mad? No, mad was when I had to find you. This—” he gestures between us with his hand, “—this is me reminding you that I’m still your reality, Sienna.”
“No,” I retort lightly. “This is you not trusting me. I get it.”
“You earned it.”
When I finally glance back up, his eyes are on me like he’s deciding what to do with me.
He steps closer then, his body brushing mine, and I freeze. “You still haven’t held up your side of the agreement.”
“Which one?”
“Any of them.”
I scowl at him because what does he want me to do? Bow down and spread my legs. “And what would you like me to do about that right now? You threatened marriage, but I still haven’t been dragged kicking and screaming.”
His voice drops to a dangerous whisper. “Your mouth is going to get you in trouble again, princess. Do you want me to change my mind?”
I shake my head, backing up until my backside hits the counter.
“Then I guess we can skip the bullshit and start on the second one.”
I frown. There’s only one other thing.
An heir.
“Hold on,” I say evenly, holding up a hand to stop his thoughts, his movements, everything. “This isn’t just a business deal. This is my body. My life.”
“Have I not given you everything you asked for in return? I’ve followed through with my end.
You have your bakery. Your grandmother’s rent is paid.
Your friend still gets her paycheck every week.
You walk around free, Sienna.” His voice turns quiet but cruel.
“I could’ve locked you away the moment you betrayed me.
I didn’t. You think that isn’t mercy? I could’ve punished you.
And punishment would’ve been permanent.”
My stomach drops. “You mean death.”
He doesn’t answer, and that’s answer enough.
“Then why am I still here?” I whisper.
He leans in, pressing his palms on either side of the counter, caging me in. His eyes burn into mine. “Because, despite everything, princess, I still want you.”
A broken exhale escapes between my lips because his words aren’t sweet. They’re possession disguised as affection.
But the way he says it, like it costs him something to admit it, God help me, it does something to me.
“Say it,” I whisper, not sure why I’m pushing the issue.
“Say what?”
“That it’s not just about the deal.”
He stares at me for a long moment, and then his expression hardens again. “You want me to lie to you?”
My stomach twists into painful, empty knots, and that’s fair. Why would he feel anything for me after I ripped away the legacy he worked for?
“I know I’m the villain in your story, princess. I’ll never be your Prince Charming.”
“I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to. You ran like I was.”
“I was scared.”
“You should’ve been.”
He reaches for me and gently cups my cheek with his palm, but he doesn’t say another word.
Instead, he leans in and presses a soft kiss to the corner of my lips, causing my breath to catch in my throat.
He does it again, and when he pulls back, I think that’s it, but then he slams his lips into mine, and I’m lost in the moment.
The kiss is a gentle, intoxicating, and assaulting to all my senses.
My body melts and allows Benedikt to press me up against one of the counters as he takes control of everything.
I expect more anger and talk about what I’ve done, but he’s tired of talking now. He just wants to act and do.
His palms find my hips, promptly lifting me onto the countertop and wedging his body between my thighs.
His hand moves from my cheek to the back of my head, controlling how light and deep he takes the kiss.
I try to hold my ground, but it’s useless. The moment his tongue slides against mine, all reason and resistance are gone.
I grip his shirt, fingers curling into the fabric like I need something to hang onto before I fall apart.
He tastes like alcohol and danger, like every bad decision I swore I wouldn’t make again.
When he finally pulls back, I’m breathing hard, and my lips are swollen as his eyes drop to my mouth like he’s debating whether to destroy me or devour me.
“You want to know what scares me, Sienna?” I swallow and shake my head. “That I still don’t care what you did. That I’d still choose you over every damn thing I’ve built.”
Before I can reply, he kisses me again — harder this time, desperate and punishing. The kind of kiss that says you hurt me, and I’m still choosing you.
His body presses flush against mine, all heat and restraint. His hands drag down my sides, stopping at my thighs. When he spreads them wider, I don’t resist.
“Tell me to stop,” he mumbles against my mouth. “That you don’t want me. That you changed sides was because you feel nothing for me.”
I don’t.
I can’t.
It doesn’t matter how much I try to fight it. Even when he was gone, he was on my mind.
Was he safe? Did they hurt him? Would he be okay?
It was ridiculous when I wanted my life back and him out of it.
My silence earns me another kiss, this one slower and deeper. The kind that builds, burns through the anger, and replaces it with something far more dangerous.
His hand trails down my neck, over my chest, and stops at the edge of my dress. He lifts the hem, inch by inch, until his fingers find the warm skin of my thigh.
His mouth trails down the side of my neck, and I feel every breath and scrape of his teeth. My hands instinctively move to his shoulders, and I clutch him like I’m afraid he’ll disappear if I let go.
His fingers slide higher, hooking in the waistband of my underwear before he yanks them down my legs.
Then, he undoes his pants, takes himself out, and just when I think he’s going to thrust inside me like the time in the kitchen, he just runs the tip of his cock along my entrance.
“I love how you look at me like I’m the monster and the cure,” he says against my skin. “But if you open yourself fully to me, princess… I can be both. I can fight all your demons. And cure all the aches in this tight little body.”
I press my lips together, suppressing a moan because his words are tempting.
“What are you going to do?” I ask, knowing this isn’t the moment, but he hasn’t said what he’ll do with his empire in Miami or about Nikolai.
“With?”
“Your brother—” Benedikt takes that moment to thrust himself inside me, stealing my question, and it being my business.
He fucks me like he’s pissed at me again, gripping my hips and grounding me against the countertop. His control. A broken mewl breaks from my lips, and Benedikt feeds on it. He propels even harder inside me, causing a bit of pain but also a thrill to course through my veins.
He’s dangerous and powerful, and he’s addictive. When we’re like this, it’s raw emotion. I feel everything he feels, and we’re connected.
It doesn’t matter how many times I tell myself that our agreement is insane. It doesn’t matter that I used help to force him out of my life.
Benedikt remains.
Clear and vivid in my brain.
“I’m your main focus, princess,” he growls, gently biting my lower lip. “You’re not going to be worrying about your other boyfriend.”
I scowl. “He’s not—”
Benedikt glowers at me, agitated again. “Stop.”
“No, you stop. It wasn’t like that. I wanted my life back.”
“So you betrayed me?”
“Yeah,” I admit again. “I betrayed you. I was given an option, and I took it. I weighed my options and turned against you. And I’d do it again—”
Benedikt clamps his hand around my jaw before I can finish. Not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to make me stop talking.
His eyes burn into mine, wild and sharp and full of something I can’t name.
“Don’t,” he warns. “Don’t finish that sentence unless you’re ready for what comes next.”
“You wanted the truth.”
“I wanted loyalty. You gave me betrayal and excuses.” My breath stutters when he slows his pace, but still goes as deep as he can go. “You think you’re the only one who wanted out? The only one who’s drowning in this shit? You’re not. But the difference between us, princess, is I don’t run.”
“I wanted peace.”
“Then you shouldn’t have chosen me.”
I stare back at him because he doesn’t get it. I didn’t choose this; I was forced into it. “You don’t get it, do you.”
“Oh, I get it,” he confirms, “but this was a deal. Make the best of it, princess.”
“You threatened my family.”
He rolls his hips and suddenly appears more interested in fucking me than addressing the issue.
But then he says, “How else was I going to get you to be mine? Dating takes too long, and I wanted you. You needed something, your father had a debt, so I took you. I’ll be everything you need, princess.
But you keep looking at this like a prison and not like it could be one of the best things that ever happened to you. ”
His hand drops from my jaw. The distance between us feels heavier than when we were miles apart, and suddenly, he stops with his cock buried deep inside me.
“You think this is about the empire? About Nikolai? It’s not.
It’s about you not understanding what happens when you stand next to a man like me.
You either stay and face it, or you don’t survive it.
I gave you everything: your bakery, your grandmother’s rent, your father’s life, and your safety.
I gave you a deal most people would kill for. ”
“You also gave me a leash.”
“Maybe. But it kept you alive.”
“You don’t get to decide that for me.”
“I already did.” His cock twitches joyfully about that fact, and my pussy clenches around it.
“You still owe me, Sienna. The deal doesn’t disappear just because you no longer like it. Miami has run its course. My father’s making moves I want back. If I stay, it becomes war.”
“Where would you even go?”
“Italy.” His gaze remains fixed on me. “I’ve got friends there. Power. A clean slate.”
“You’re leaving again?”
“Not without you.”
I shake my head violently as panic blooms in my chest. “I can’t just leave. My grandmother, Lucy, my bakery—”
“I’m paying your grandmother’s rent,” he says calmly. “She’ll be fine.”
“That’s not the point,” I snap. “You can’t just move me around wherever you see fit.”
“Then don’t make me treat you like I have to.”
“Please, Benedikt. Don’t do this.”
“You want another deal, princess?” He moves, muscling his cock inside me again, and I groan with the pleasure that aggressively shoots through me. “Whatever you want, it’s yours.”
“And in return?”
“You want to stay in Miami?” I bob my head as his pace quickens, deliciously stretching me and making my stomach flutter. “Date me.”
My eyes widen a bit because that’s… normal.
As normal as it gets.
“Just... date?”
He hums. “No, princess. I still want my heir. And I want it now.”
I moan when he picks the perfect pace to get me to break apart.
Then he leans in and says, “Is that a deal, princess?”