Chapter Thirteen
ORAZIO
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Her chest heaved as she breathed in deeply. With one hand on her hip, she raised her other hand to point her finger at him.
“Why did you let those doors close?” she asked, almost breathless.
His mind immediately dived into the gutter as he recalled the things he’d done to make her breathless last night.
“Let’s talk,” he told her, taking a step forward.
“Again?” she asked. “Haven’t we talked enough?”
He smiled. “We can never talk enough.”
He wanted to take another step forward but feared he’d fall down if he did. Damn Cas and Bryce for forcing him to drink.
“If we don’t talk,” he told her, trying not to slur. “We’ll only have misunderstandings between us.”
“There are no misunderstandings between us, Orazio,” she replied, both hands on her hips now. “You made yourself very clear before you locked me in this room, then ran off to get drunk.”
“I’m not drunk,” he told her, swaying.
“You look drunk.”
“And you look beautiful.”
“Do you have anything more unique than that in your bag of compliments?”
“Huh?”
“You’ve called me beautiful over a dozen times. Is that your default compliment?”
Default compliment? He knew what those words meant, but his mind wasn’t able to process them at the moment.
“Listen, Orazio,” she started.
He shook his head. Damn it, why hadn’t he learned his lesson. That spinning sensation crept over him again. He was pretty sure he’d swayed. Proof of that came with Monique’s next words.
“Be careful, or you’re going to fall.”
She didn’t want him to fall. Orazio smiled.
“You’re worried about me,” he slurred, searching for the wall so he could prop himself up against it before he hit the floor.
“I couldn’t care less about you,” was her smartass reply.
Cas’s words drifted through his mind. She was just saying that because she didn’t feel respected.
“I respect you,” Raz said, staring into her eyes.
“I’m over here.”
He blinked a few times. Shit, he was staring at the painting on his wall. He slowly turned toward the sound of her voice, careful not to move too fast.
“I knew that,” he told her.
She laughed. “I doubt it.”
“I like that.”
“What?” There was that frown again. “You like my doubt?”
He shook his head slowly. “Your smile. That one was real just now. I like that. I like it when you smile at me.”
For a second, something flickered in her gaze. Or was that his eyes playing tricks on him again? He blinked. Too late. The look was gone. However, he’d seen that look in her eyes last night. It had disappeared when the sun rose, and the truth was revealed. He wanted more of those looks.
He wanted her less guarded around him, less tense. But he was also the reason those looks had run away. And he was the reason she was standing away from him, arms now folded over her chest, as she glared at him.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
There it was again. That look. Maybe if he told her more about what he was feeling, she’d understand him better.
“I wanted you so badly,” Raz continued. “That I was willing to do whatever it took to get you.”
“What?” she asked, brows drawing together in confusion.
“I said I wanted you so badly that I was willing to do whatever it took to get you.”
He swayed again. Rosa shook her head.
“You didn’t hear me again?” he asked. “I’m not whispering.” Am I?
“I don’t understand drunk gibberish,” she told him. “Just press the first-floor button on the elevator and let me out.”
Drunk gibberish? Raz touched his hand to his lips. He felt like he’d been speaking regularly.
“If you keep swaying like that, you’re going to fall down. And I’m not helping you up once you hit the floor. I may even kick you while you’re down.”
Ruthless wench . But he liked her. He strolled in her direction. Both of her stepped away from him. He didn’t know which one of her to follow.
“Stand still,” he ordered. “And become one person again. I can barely handle one of you. What the fuck am I going to do with two of you?”
Was she shaking her head at him again? Did she just call him a drunk bastard? He reached for her. She jumped out of the way. Raz stumbled forward. Both of her pushed a chair in front of him. He grabbed it. See, not drunk . Would a drunk person have reflexes like those? Wait. I’m falling. Fuck!
His teeth snapped together as his chin hit the back of the wooden chair. The chair toppled over, and he slammed into the floor. His Rosa didn’t even try to catch him. The taste of blood filled his mouth as he stared up at her. She smiled as she approached him. Fuck . He was at her mercy now.
Even though he was drunk, he knew this was not going to end well for him.
***
His eyes drifted open.
For a moment, he felt disoriented. It took a few seconds and some rapid blinking for his vision and his mind to clear. Orazio lifted his head and stared around the room. He was in his suite. But why was he waking up in the kitchen area? Then his gaze landed on her, and he forgot about everything else.
There she was, the woman he’d been dreaming about. She was seated at his table, reading over something. She hadn’t yet noticed that he was awake. He took his time taking in her beauty and ignoring the dull ache in his head. In his dream, she’d only had eyes for him.
The things she’d done to him in his dreams were probably illegal in some countries. Raz cleared his throat, wanting her attention on him. She lifted her head and looked his way. His Rosa smiled at him. Raz smiled back, happy that she no longer appeared upset.
Since she seemed to be in a better mood, maybe they could have a talk without all of the drama from before. He tried to get up and go to her. But he couldn’t move. Why the hell were his hands tied behind his back? He stared down at himself. What the fuck! He glared at Monique Rose.
“You tied me up?”
She nodded, then looked back down at whatever it was she was reading.
“Hey! You tied me up!”
“Yeah, I did,” she drawled, like tying him up was one of her daily activities.
“Why? When?”
“A few hours ago. Since I couldn’t drag you to the door and since I couldn’t unlock your phone, I had no choice but to tie you up. You kept trying to get away from me. You made me break a nail.”
“Why did you...”
Wait, he didn’t have to ask that. Her ass had tried to drag him to the door to use his fingerprint to open the elevator. And she’d tried to break into his phone to call the police or her friends. She’d tied him up, yet all she was worried about was her broken nail. He couldn’t even feel his hands, and she was pouting about a damn broken nail!
“I guess I should be thankful you didn’t cut my hand off to achieve your task with the elevator,” he told her, voice laced with sarcasm.
“I couldn’t find a chainsaw. Trust me, I looked,” she replied. “And a butterknife would’ve taken too long. And been far too messy. Plus, the newspaper headline would’ve made me sound like a psycho.”
He was starting to think she was really a psycho.
“You really considered cutting my hand off?”
She looked over at him and nodded before resuming her reading. And motherfuckers called him crazy. She was the one who was crazy. And he was done playing around with her.
“Untie me, Monique.”
Without looking over at him, she shook her head.
“Monique!”
She looked at him and mimicked his tone. “Orazio!”
Gritting his teeth, he prayed for patience. If she were a man, well , they wouldn’t be in this situation if she was a man. But if anyone else had pulled some shit like this on him, he would’ve chained them up, then scraped their skin from their body while ignoring their pleas for mercy. No matter how angry she was making him, he couldn’t do that to her. He couldn’t hurt her at all.
And that frustrated him. Not the being unable to hurt her part. He never wanted to hurt his Rosa. It frustrated him that he couldn’t do anything at all to make her release him. He was at her mercy. That wasn’t a good feeling.
“Rosa...” he started.
“Shush. Can’t you see I’m busy?”
“Release me,” he said again, this time in a gentler tone.
“No,” she whispered, copying his tone.
If he gritted his teeth any harder, he’d crack one. Raz struggled against the rope that was wrapped around his wrists. Damn, she’d tied a good knot.
“Where did you find this rope?” he asked.
“In your closet. Not many people keep ropes in their closets. Especially ropes that are the perfect length for tying up someone’s hands or their ankles. Either you’re into rope play in the bedroom, or you’re a habitual kidnapper. I’m leaning toward the latter.”
“This isn’t my rope. It was left here by my cousin.”
Actually, his cousin had left an entire duffle bag there. When he’d returned to retrieve it, he’d ended up leaving his rope behind.
“So kidnapping runs in the family? Gotcha. Be quiet. I’m busy.”
This motherfucker! Why wasn’t this damn rope getting looser?
Raz ceased struggling and glared at his... kidnapper. Damn, he’d been kidnapped.
“Who taught you how to tie a knot like this?”
“Girl Scouts.”
“It’s been a long time since you’ve been in Girl Scouts.”
That caused her to glare at him. “Are you calling me old?”
“I never said that.”
He was older than her. Why was she getting offended? For a moment, she just stared at him. Finally, she spoke again.
“I’m an aunt. I help my nieces with their Girl Scouts’ activities. Or, at least, I used to before the divorce. Now that I’m a divorced woman, my family and I don’t talk as much.”
Orazio thought back to the first time he’d ever seen her and the video chat she’d been having.
“On your anniversary night with your ex, I saw you video chatting in the bar lobby with someone.”
She looked his way again. “What?”
“You were making silly faces at your phone. Were you talking to your nieces, the Girl Scouts?”
She stared past him for a moment, thinking. Then her gaze returned to him. A smile spread across her face. A smile that damn near stole his breath. It should be illegal to be that damn beautiful. And she wanted him to let her go. Never .
“Yes. That night, I was on the phone with my nieces. You saw that?”
“I did.”
That may have been the moment I fell in love with you. There was no point in denying it. If he didn’t love this crazy motherfucker, he wouldn’t be sitting there chatting calmly while tied up.
“I can’t believe you remember that. It was a while ago.”
“Of course, I remember. At the time, I thought, she’s probably a good mother . And if she doesn’t have kids, she’ll make a good mother.”
Unlike the woman who raised him. Who’d never had time to make silly faces or joke with him because she hadn’t been able to stand the sight of him.
“No wonder you kept saying I’d make a good mom,” she mused, shaking her head.
“When did I say that, other than just now?”
“Earlier, when you were drunk as a skunk.”
Oh, right. The only reason she’d been able to tie him up was because, in his drunken state, he’d fallen down.
“What did you do to me while I was drunk?” Raz demanded.
“Don’t worry, princess,” she answered. “I didn’t deflower you.”
“I’m no virgin, princess . Your pussy knows that,” he sneered, still trying to work the rope loose.
“I wasn’t talking about your dick. I was talking about your butt. I didn’t touch it.” She winked. “Or did I? Do you feel sore back there?”
He tensed.
She chuckled. “Don’t worry. Your butt is still a virgin.”
She went back to reading what was in front of her. The rope was beginning to loosen. To distract her, he continued asking her questions.
“Are you going to untie me or not, Rosa?”
“Knot, Orazio. And it’s the knot with the K . Get it?” She giggled.
“Why are you suddenly in a good mood?”
Given the situation, her joy was scary.
“Because I’ve finally accepted my fate. I’m yours, Orazio. I belong to you.”
Something stirred inside him when he heard those words. He stopped trying to work the rope loose.
“Are you really willing to belong to me?”
She nodded. “Of course. I’m all in.”
“Then why did you tie me up?” He was confused.
“Since I’m trapped here, I guess we’ll be trapped together. We’re a team now. What happens to one, happens to the other.”
This motherfucker. “Untie me now.”
“I can’t. I need you here with me at all times.”
“Now, Rosa!”
She shook her head. “I signed the contract. It’s on the table.”
She reached across the table and grabbed it. Turning in her chair to face him, she shoved the contract in his face until it was touching his nose.
“You know I can’t fucking read that.”
“My bad.”
She pulled the paper back a fraction. Her signature was scrawled at the bottom of the page.
“See,” she said, tossing the paper back on the table. “The contract is signed. I’m all yours. Likewise, that means you’re mine now, Orazio. And you and I will sit here together until we both starve to death. This is love, right?”
“Starving to death? You know that isn’t love.”
“But when you were drunk, you were saying stuff like, I’m keeping you here because I love you.”
Damn . He was never drinking again.
“You also said you bought me because you love me. And you couldn’t let me go because that would destroy you.”
Why the hell did he drink that last glass? He was paying for it now.
She placed her hand against her chest, batted her eyelashes, and sighed deeply before saying, “And that wasn’t even the most romantic thing you said to me while you were drunk.”
Raz held in his groan. He didn’t want to know what else he’d said. But Monique was determined to tell him.
“You told me to consider the tip of your dick as a ring. And since you’ve already put a ring on my pussy, we should consider ourselves married.” She emitted another dramatic sigh. “That right there was some Hallmark-level romance.” She started clapping. “Bravo, Orazio. I mean, husband. You won my heart with that one.”
It was the husband part that stuck with him. Her calling him that felt good. It felt right. He wanted to hear her say it again. With a roll of her eyes, she stared back down at the paper she was reading. She picked up the pen next to her and began writing.
“What are you writing?” he asked, almost done working the rope loose.
“Our tragic love story. I want the world to know that we loved each other.” Her smile disappeared as she glared at him. “To death.”
“To death?”
“Like Romeo and Juliet.”
“Stop being dramatic.” Almost done with this rope.
“I’m living a real-life drama. Why can’t I write about it? I’ve been kidnapped by a rich man who swears he loves me too much to let me go. He’s paid all my bills and wants to cherish me for the rest of my life.”
“I never said for the rest of your life.” However, that was slowly turning into his intent.
“You said it when you were drunk.”
“You can’t take drunk words as truth,” he told her.
“Your drunk words are the same as your sober words. They’re all bullshit. How can I determine which ones are shittier than the others?”
This motherfucker! She stood up and stretched. His gaze roamed over her curves. She caught him looking.
“Like what you see?” she asked.
“You know I do,” he whispered, almost done freeing his hands, which had started getting some feeling back in them.
She leaned down, getting so close that for a second, he thought she was going to kiss him. That was wishful thinking on his part.
“Too bad,” she whispered, breath caressing his mouth, causing his cock to jerk. “Because you’ll never touch this body again. And....”
He freed his hands before she could finish her sentence. Though his hands felt like a thousand tiny needles were pricking them, he was still able to wrap his arms around her and pull her into his lap. Her sentence ended with a squeak as she plopped down into his lap. Her shocked gaze rose to his.
“Liar,” he whispered, staring down into her brown eyes and trying not to get lost there. “You said I’d never be able to touch you again. I’m touching you, Monique Rose. And I never plan to stop.”
She squirmed, trying to get out of his lap.
“Stop moving and listen. I get it. I didn’t like being tied up just now, unable to free myself. And I know you don’t want to be trapped here, unable to leave whenever you want.”
A little of the tension left her body, but she didn’t completely relax against him.
“No one likes being kept against their will,” she muttered.
“I know. I get it, Rosa. I really do. And I think I have a solution to our situation that will make both of us happy.”
“What is it?”
“Do you promise to listen with an open mind?”
“I make no promises.”
“Then I’m sticking to the original plan. You’re never leaving here.”
“Okay!” she shouted. “I’ll listen with an open mind. What is it?”
Orazio hoped his new proposition was one she’d accept because her little kidnap attempt had only proven what he’d already suspected. This woman was perfect for him. And he wanted her, all of her, her body, her mind, and her heart. He wanted her to belong to him and only him. Because he already belonged to her and only her.