12. Alessia
Chapter twelve
Alessia
M assimo left town and was very evasive about his agenda.
Not only was I slightly offended when he didn’t invite me to join him, but when he wouldn’t give me any straight answers, it immediately had paranoia peaking.
“Business,” he said. And when I asked, “Where?” he said, “Out of the country.” After, he looked at me like I was this pestering child he couldn’t be bothered with. He has yet to discover how pertinacious I can genuinely be. Once we’re married, I will demand to know everything .
Not at all able to sit around the vapid and dull estate, I go to my family’s to have lunch with Mamma and Monte in tow.
Thankfully, he gives us privacy as we sit in the tearoom overlooking the grounds at the back of the property. “There aren’t any gardens at Massimo’s,” I say, staring outside. It’s warming up, and I’m looking forward to the summer. I absolutely love the warm weather and basking in the hot sun.
“You could ask him if you can get some plants put in,” Mamma suggests.
Sighing, I sip my tea as I obsessively ruminate about where Massimo is. He’s been gone over a day and has yet to call or text. I keep reminding myself that this isn’t a normal relationship where we can’t stand to be away from each other.
“What’s wrong, piccolina ? You seem a bit forlorn. Talk to me.”
Mamma always knows when something is plaguing us. I hope to be a wonderful mother like her someday. “I’m afraid, Mamma.” She is the one and only person in the world I would splay my heart for. To admit my doubts and fears so openly. Let her see my vulnerability and see me at my weakest and lowest.
“Of your feelings for Massimo?” I nod my head. “Why, bambina ?”
“I feel like I’m already falling for him and barely know him. I know our relationship is based on an arrangement, but I don’t know. I wish it felt like a little more than that. I can’t expect him to somehow fall in love with me someday, but I hope he’ll at least learn to care for me and love me as family.”
“What makes you think he isn’t falling for you too?”
“He’s not.” I shake my head.
“How do you know?”
“I just do, Mamma. The little time we spend together, he’s…cold. I mean, not cruel or anything like that, and there’s been a few rare moments where he warmed up to me. I just wish I knew how to make him do it more often. Let his guard down some when it’s only the two of us.”
“Maybe he’s afraid of the same things as you.”
“Massimo isn’t afraid of anything,” I state matter-of-factly.
“Okay, so maybe afraid is not the right word to use. Maybe apprehensive.” We’re quiet for a moment. “Would falling in love with your husband be so bad?”
“Could you imagine Babbo never loving you back? Marrying him, falling in love with him, and spending the rest of your life with unrequited love?”
“It wouldn’t be ideal, but if he at least let me love him, it’s something I could live with, especially if I had no other choice. It’d be better than to be at war with myself, trying to fight a losing battle.”
Mamma and I are different people, though. She’s soft, kind, and much more accepting of things than I am. To imagine a life of being in love with someone who did not return those same feelings sounds like a despondent one.
No, I need to get a better hold of my feelings, which are rapidly growing for him. If I can put a leash on my temper, I can certainly put a leash on my emotions all around.
During the four days that Massimo is gone, I spend most of my time with my family. Hanging out in my father’s office just to be with him, spending time with my brothers and Fia, cooking with Mamma, watching my niece, and even having a few nightcaps with Monte when I wasn’t quite ready to call it a night.
It’s evening when Massimo finally comes home. I’m on the outdoor patio enjoying some wine when he walks out. Monte jumps to his feet as Massimo looks between the two of us as if he caught us doing something wrong. Only the guilty would so quickly jump to conclusions like that.
“Hey, Massimo. How was your trip?” Monte asks, and Massimo goes from disgruntled to surly in a matter of seconds. “I’ll, uh, give you guys some privacy.” Monte turns and leaves when Massimo refuses to acknowledge him.
Massimo watches his retreat, then turns to me as I sit and wait for him to make the first move. He eventually does, kissing me on either cheek. I open my mouth to ask him about his trip when he beats me to it.
“Monte isn’t for your entertainment,” he all but growls.
“No? Pray tell, who is, Massimo? I wake up, train, then wait around the rest of the day until you have a couple of hours to spare me,” I say evenly, holding onto my cool. Using that leash I gave myself a pep-talk on.
“You have the freedom to leave and do whatever it is that you want.”
“Whatever I want, huh? Is that what you were doing these past few days?”
He frowns down at me. “What are you trying to say, Alessia?” Right away, he’s getting defensive.
“Where were you really, Massimo? If you remember correctly, I did permit you to be with other women until we were married, and it was you who wanted to be monogamous without delay. What I am not okay with is sneaking around behind my back.” I’m quickly spiraling, and I can’t stop. That leash is now pulled exorbitantly taut. “At least be man enough to tell me the truth to my face.”
“Are you accusing me once again of infidelity?” he raises his voice slightly.
“Yes.” I spring up from my chair and jut out my chin. “I’m not an idiot, Massimo. So, do not treat me like one. If you want to be with other women before we are married, then just admit it and stop being a pussy about it.” Spinning on my heels, I storm up the steps and into the house before I can lash out anymore.
“Alessia, we are not done talking,” he bellows out after me, and I ignore him. “Alessia, if you know what’s good for you, you will stop and face me.”
What’s good for me? Oh, hell no . Have fun watching my backside, Massimo, because that’s all you’ll be seeing before I slam the door in your face. I can feel his presence still somewhere behind me as I ascend the stairs and stomp to my room. I don’t run, but I do keep a swift pace.
I’m about to slam my door shut when he charges me—spinning me around and using my body to forcefully close it. He looks deranged and out of his mind, his gaze darkened, and a lock of hair out of place. A shiver billows through me from the sex appeal he’s currently projecting.
“Twice now, you have accused me of being a man I am not. If I tell you I am not to touch another woman ever again, then I mean it. I let the first one go since we were still very new, and the situation did not look good for me, but I will not let this one go.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I hiss.
“It means you need some correction.”
“Excuse me?!” I practically shriek.
“Did I not tell you how I will put you over my knee if you question my word again?”
“You wouldn’t fucking dare.”
His glower turns into a sinister glee, and I swallow hard as my mouth dries up. He wouldn’t really put me over his knee to spank me, right?
“Come take your punishment like a good girl, Alessia.” He harshly grips my hand in his and pries open the door. I try to yank my hand back, but he’s too strong. I dig my heels in and squat low to the ground making it more difficult for him but not impossible as I’m pulled into the hallway. “Alessia. I am warning you right now. Your pretty ass will be upright for me over my knee one way or another.”
“I will not let you spank me like a child!” I keep struggling against his grasp.
“If you would stop acting so childish, I wouldn’t have to.” He keeps pulling me by my hand, and if I don’t want to be dragged on my face, then I have to move my feet because he isn’t delaying.
“No, Massimo. Do not spank me!” Where the hell did all my training go? There are so many ways I could get out of this, but I’m in too much of a panic to think straight. “Get the fuck off me!” I scream as we get closer to his room.
We reach the threshold, and my training suddenly kicks in. But in the blink of an eye, I’m yanked against his body, my arms pinned down at my sides, his arms like a steel cage around me so that I’m entirely immobile.
I begin thrashing and struggling with all my might, and he chuckles. “My feral gattina ,” he muses, and I pause to growl at him. “Are you done yet?”
How the fuck did he catch me so damn quickly? I hardly had time to strike, as if he anticipated my exact moves. “Not even.”
“The harder you fight me, the harsher your punishment will be.”
“You will not punish me, Massimo. I did nothing wrong. You are the one sneaking around behind my back and lying to my face!”
“You are the one accusing me of being disloyal. I will tie you up if I have to.”
That gets my attention as I freeze up inside his arms. “I’ll fucking kill you.”
“Oh, my wild gattina .” He’s able to remove one arm to stroke my hair while still keeping me in his confines. And if I weren’t so incredibly enraged at the moment, I’d be impressed. “I’ll reward you afterward if you’re a good girl.”
“Massimo. I am warning you right now. I will blow your fucking brains out if you even try—”
My feet leave the ground as he carries me trapped against his body. I hear the door slam shut, and the panic really begins to set in. I’ve heard about the shit he’s into, and I will not be one of those submissive bitches that gets on my hands and knees crawling towards him wearing a fucking collar! I’m not a fucking animal. I am goddamn royalty!
“Massimo! Put me down!” I thrash more when he heads towards the bed at full speed. “No! Okay, no! I’ll let you spank me! I’ll let you! Just put me down, okay?! Do not tie me up!” The thought of being so helpless really begins to send me into a tailspin. “Please, Massimo. I’ll let you do it. I will.” I’ll kill him for making me sound so feeble.
He stops and looks down at me, frowning. “Calm down, cara mia . It’s not as bad as you think.”
“Tying me up and spanking me? It’s demeaning!” My voice is so high-pitched it almost squeaks.
His eyes somehow grow even darker. “You need to start trusting me, cara . I will make you if I have to.”
What? Make me trust him?
“Now, only this one time will I give you a choice. But it will never happen again. You either be a good girl and take your spanking over my knee, or I can restrain you.”
My nostrils flare as I take a deep breath in and out through my teeth. “I’ll go willingly,” I snarl. He will pay for this…
“Pity.” His arms loosen around me when he decides that I will no longer fight him or try to run. I refuse to be restrained, so I’ll go along with it. But I will find a way to pay him back. Drug him and tie him up to give him a good spanking. Maybe stuff an apple in his mouth and hogtie him.
“What are you smiling at, gattina ?”
I wipe the smile off my face. “Nothing.”
Not taking his eyes off me, he sits at the edge of his bed. It’s my first time in his bedroom, and I glance behind him at the bed we’ll soon share. When I look back at him, there’s a slight smirk teasing his lips. “You sure you don’t want to be restrained?” he taunts.
“I’m sure.”
I exhale loudly before going to his side. The glower on my face causes my jaw to ache from how hard I am clenching my teeth. Already feeling mortified and indignant, I lay across his lap.
He is so going to pay for this.
He doesn’t waste any time. I feel the fabric of my dress lazily slide up my legs, exposing more of my skin. The cool air hits the backs of my thighs, and when my dress is around my waist, I squeeze my eyes shut as the cool air hits my panties, realizing they’re wet. It’s no secret I have a few screws loose, so of course I am so turned on.
My eyes pop back open when I feel him blow air at my crotch, taunting me and amplifying my humiliation further. He murmurs something I can’t decipher and starts to pull my panties down slowly. “Hey!” I start struggling against him, and he binds my wrists together with one hand behind my back. “What are you doing?!”
“You think I’m going to spank you with anything in the way?”
“You think I’m going to let you touch me without my permission?!”
“If you think I’m a man who needs to take anything that isn’t given to me, you have so much to learn, piccolina .”
“Do not call me piccolina when you are about to spank me,” I growl. It’s bad enough he’s about to spank me like a child, but to call me the name my family calls me? That’s just disturbing.
“Very well, gattina .”
I huff out a breath. “Fine. You can pull my panties down, but can you please stop restraining me?”
“I think you’ve run out of chances, baby.” His voice takes on this gravelly tone that makes my eyes flutter shut once again. Thankfully, he can’t see my face to catch it. He already knows I’m wet; there’s no need to spur him on further.
His free hand yanks down my panties, and they dangle around my ankles. The cool air hits the wetness pooling between the apex of my thighs. Please don’t comment on it. Please don’t—
I hear him take a deep breath through his nose. “You smell delicious, gattina . You can try to deny you want this all you want, but your fica says otherwise.” Cunt .
Oh, fucking kill me now .
He palms one of my ass cheeks, and I find myself relaxing in his lap. His hand abandons it for only a second before it connects with it again, hard and fast. The slap of skin to skin bounces off the walls making it echo. I bite down on my bottom lip to silence myself. He can punish me, but I will not let him get a peep out of me while he does it. But fuck , that stings.
After he slaps me, he rubs the area, diminishing some of the sting, and it isn’t so bad now. Maybe I should pretend it is so that he doesn’t increase the tensity of it. No, fuck that. Nothing will infuriate someone more than not giving a reaction when they’re looking for one.
He slaps me again in the same area, and I don’t know if it’s because it already hurts there or if he hit me harder, but it definitely stung more. He kneads the area and then slaps me again and again. All in the same spot.
“My handprint looks beautiful on you, gattina .” He roughly kneads the area, basically groping my ass. I can feel the heat growing unbearably hot between my legs and wish I could somehow get some friction going there without him knowing. “Tell me, is this so bad? And don’t lie to me, Alessia. I will know.”
“It’s not so bad,” I mutter grumpily.
“Do you like it?”
“No.”
He chuckles. “Liar. I’ll let you get away with just that one because I’m sure you’re a little confused right now.” He starts palming the other cheek.
“What’s so confusing about you being a sadist?”
“Sadist, hmm?” He brings his hand down on that unmarred cheek and then palms it. “What is your impression of a sadist?”
“One who gets off by hurting and humiliating someone.”
“What is so humiliating about this?”
“Seriously? I’m being spanked like a child. It’s undignified.”
“You don’t really think of it like that, do you?” I don’t answer, and he furthers his point by blowing air between my thighs again, making me suck in a breath. “You’re telling yourself that,” he murmurs lowly. “Tell me to touch you, gattina ,” he rasps in a slightly pained voice, and my eyes flutter behind my closed lids to the sound. His massive erection has been digging into my belly since I laid over his lap, so maybe he is in slight pain.
“You already are.” My voice trembles, and I lick my lips.
“You know what I mean.” Whack! I flinch a little at that one because he caught me completely off guard. When he palms my cheek, the tip of his thumb comes awfully close to where I’m desperate for his touch. He must have still managed to gather some of my wetness as his thumb leaves a wet trail on my cheek. He spanks me three more times, and by the time he stops, I’m panting, and the fire between my legs is searing. More so than the reddened skin on my ass.
“I can see how frustrated you are, Alessia. I can help you with that. It won’t take long,” the smug bastard says as he plays with my sore cheeks.
“I can take care of that myself, thank you very much.”
He grows ultimately still under me; his hand stops groping. “What’s stopping you then? By all means, take care of that.”
The thought of touching myself in front of him is tempting. It would be a much better orgasm than if I were to run into my room right now and rub one out alone. But he’s already caused enough damage to my pride and dignity for a lifetime. I will not allow him anymore.
“I’ve taken my punishment like a good girl . Now, let me go.” The breathiness is gone from my voice as I growl.
He sighs and shifts a little to reach for my panties and slides them back into place. “Well, if you change your mind…” He pulls my dress down and stands me up. “You’ll know where to find me.”
I have the compelling urge to tell him to go fuck himself, but I’m sure that would earn me another spanking, and I would not be able to resist him a second time. So, with my tail tucked between my legs, I run out of his room without a glance back and lock myself into mine.
Going straight for my bed, I don’t even pull my panties down as I shove my hand down the front of them and get myself off to thoughts of Massimo spanking me and touching me.