Chapter 10 #2
Alejandro releases my belt before undoing his own.
The driver and front-seat guard both get out, opening their respective rear door.
I look up at Alejandro, and he nods. I’m unaccustomed to asking permission or relying on someone else for my safety.
It’s a novelty I haven’t had since I was a teenager.
We enter the house through the kitchen and are soon in the family room. There are books along one wall with games for all ages. A variety of toys are in stacking bins and cubbies. My brow furrows when I look up at Alejandro. He doesn’t have children and neither do any of his cousins.
“This is a family safehouse for any higher-ranked men who need somewhere for their family to go. We keep it stocked not only with necessities but things that will make both the parents’ and the kids’ lives easier while waiting out whatever danger they’re in.”
“Thoughtful.”
“Loyalty’s rewarded.”
I nod as he takes me on a tour. We head upstairs, and I spot two children’s rooms and a nursery. There’re a regular guest room and the main bedroom. We don’t enter them, but I can easily see inside all of them.
“Choose which one you want, chica. We’ll be here tonight and possibly tomorrow night.”
“Is there one you usually prefer?”
“I’ve never stayed here. I’ve never needed to come here before. My mamá and one of my tías are in real estate. They handle almost everything to do with the family’s properties, especially when it comes to preparing temporary living arrangements for families with kids.”
Alejandro’s mother, Catalina, and her younger sister, Luciana.
Both are among the most successful real estate agents in the country.
Luciana handles mostly commercial properties and escrows while Catalina focuses on residential and interior design.
I learned about them from the dossier sent to me before I arrived in Chicago.
It warned they’re as deadly as Margherita, but it said nothing about how they demonstrate their loyalty to the Cartel. Caring for those who rely on you is a duty and privilege for the ruling families. How well they do it speaks to their loyalty.
Discovering my stash of insulin, my attempted escape, and being shot at certainly changed the tone. While we were seducing each other, I would’ve said Alejandro and I would share a room. Now, I have no idea if he’ll have guards posted outside my door.
“I really don’t mind which room, Alejandro.”
“Then we’ll take the main one.”
“We? Will you chain me to the bedframe to make sure I don’t get away?”
“I could do that in any bedroom. No. You and I have some promises for me to fulfill.”
I stare at him agog.
“Little one, I know you’re here to kill me.
The insulin wasn’t a surprise. Of course, you were going to attempt an escape.
I would’ve suspected you far more if you hadn’t.
And we agreed we don’t know who the target was.
Just like I could’ve killed you a few dozen times already, you could’ve done the same to me.
I doubt your job was just to observe and report back on my comings and goings.
I doubt your employer’s patience will last much longer.
Yet here I am. Alive and breathing while in arm’s reach of you.
I don’t have any shackles or chains at the ready.
I could get zip ties within seconds, but I’d never use those on you.
Wild as I suspect my parents are—” He shudders.
“—I don’t think my mom stocked the house with fuzzy handcuffs.
You’ll stay in that bed because there won’t be anywhere else you want to be tonight. ”
“You’re egotistically sure of yourself.”
He slides a finger through one of my jeans’ beltloops and tugs.
Like he did in the hotel room with just my panties, he slides his fingers beneath the two layers of fabric with his palm facing him.
He fists the material and pulls me until my body collides with his.
He turns his hand despite the restricted space and inches his fingers closer to my pussy.
“It’s only fair I get to feel how wet you are when you can feel how hard I am.”
“Porca miseria.” Holy shit.
He slides his middle and ring finger into me, hooking them to anchor me in place. His right hand wraps around my throat, forcing my chin up. The tip of his tongue licks my lips before he whispers beside my ear.
“The correct response is ‘thank you, sir.’”
“Grazie, signore.” Thank you, sir.
I’m too dazed to realize I lapsed into Italian.
That never happens. I think in whichever language I’m using or around.
This man destroys all my defenses. For reasons I’m not ready to piece together, I allow it when I never have in the past. I’ve been attracted to men before.
Hell, Patrick’s hot as fuck and is a great fuck.
But I’d never allow him control over me. Not in or out of bed.
I surrender to Alejandro.
When he leans back, I see his pulse thrumming in his neck. I keep the pressure much lighter than him when both of my hands cup his neck. His heart’s racing. His calmness is a facade I cracked.
“I will fuck you all over this house by the time we leave tomorrow. I’ll fuck you against this wall at least once. But our first time together won’t be standing up with our clothes on.”
“Yes, sir.”
I grin at him, hoping for sultry. The way he playfully nips at me makes me think I succeeded. I release a quick whine as he pulls his hand free.
“If you had more clothes with you, I’d shred the ones you have on right here, right now. I’d spank you for that. Good little girls are patient until their—tell them what they can have.”
What the hell was he going to say?
Dom?
Master?
He just skipped over filling the blank. I know there was something he wanted to say. He wasn’t at a loss for words. He didn’t want me to know what he was thinking. How does he see us?
“Do want me as your sub?”
“No.”
He slides his hand into mine and leads me to the bedroom where he shuts the door behind us and locks it just like he did in the hotel.