Chapter 3
Chapter Three
ANTONELLA
I had been here so long that I could easily recognize the change from evening to late night just by sound. Aurelio’s voice came as he bid the last employee goodbye. Then came the turn of the front-door lock, followed by the marching of boots, signaling the relocation of soldiers to the perimeter of the house.
The house was finally silent. It was time for the last step of the plan that I had spent the day carefully crafting. All the pieces were in place, and now, I just needed to steel my nerves and get on with it. No hesitation.
I gave a final tug on the sash of my silk robe and swallowed the colossal lump in my throat before opening the door. The hall was clear. I tiptoed out of my room on bare feet to keep from making noise. One sound, and my whole plan would be derailed.
Quickly and quietly, I climbed the stairs to the third floor. My nerves flared and my fingers cramped up. I gave them a hasty shake before knocking on the door.
The wait felt like an eternity. Just when my head convinced me this was a terrible idea and to run back to my room, the door flew open.
Lazaro stood there in only a pair of gray sweatpants. Tattoos sprawled over expertly chiseled muscles.
His severe gaze raked over my face suspiciously, as I’d never knocked on his door before.
“Antonella?” His dark hair was mussed, falling over his thick brows, like he had already settled into bed for the night.
My mouth moved but no words came out. I cleared my throat and tried again. “I’d like to have a word with you. May I come in?”
He hesitated for a moment, his lips pressing into a tight line.
If he turned me away, everything would be ruined.
Instead, as if fate were on my side, he stepped aside, granting me permission to enter.
Yes! I straightened my spine, careful to keep my plan hidden, and stepped inside.
He closed the door and turned to face me. Despite my taller-than-average height, he still loomed over me, even from three feet away. Tonight, he seemed even more dominating, his hands on his hips while he waited for me to complain about something or ask for my freedom again.
But I had no intention of begging for what I could take for myself.
I pulled on the tail of the bow around my waist, and the robe fell open.
His gaze immediately darkened as it traced and retraced the outline of the black lace teddy that I had found in the closet. It fit like a glove, hugging my curves and spilling ample cleavage over the plunging neckline. My nipples hardened under his intense examination, poking through the sheer fabric.
You’ve got him where you want him. Now, sell it.
I fluffed my loose hair with my fingers, taking extra care when I arched my back not to give my plan away. I tossed the length of my tresses over one shoulder, the ends cascading over my breast.
His breath quickened, just like mine, his lust countering my unease. I had to remind myself to fill my lungs fully before I passed out.
A deep growl filled the space between us. He was ready to devour me.
“Is this what you wanted to talk about?” he asked, greedily following my hands as they caressed my bare thighs.
Finish him.
I slid a hand between my legs, pressing against the apex.
“What are you doing?” he murmured, hypnotized by what my hand concealed.
Drawing air down deep inside, I deepened my voice into a thick and sultry tone, similar to my singing voice. “It hurts, Lazaro.”
My free hand traced circles around my nipples. I had to hand it to myself—I was so good that I had even convinced my body that it was turned on.
“It’ll hurt more if I touch you,” he warned. “Are you sure you want to go down this path?”
“Please,” I whined as I writhed against my hand, my eyes never leaving his.
He was on me in two steps, his mouth crashing into mine and both of his hands squeezing the back of my neck. His kiss was bruising, rough, and all-consuming. There was no time to think. My body responded out of reflex, parting my lips wider for his tongue and bracing one of my hands on his shoulder for balance.
I fought the dizziness he inflicted, snaking my free hand behind my back. My fingers found the smooth length held in place by the thick strap of my lingerie. The casing that I had fashioned out of a leather makeup pouch dug into my tail bone.
Three.
His hold on me tightened, forbidding me from pushing him away.
Two.
His front pressed against my tits, grazing my aching breasts.
One.
In a flash, I ripped my lips away and pointed the sharp tip of the knife into the pulsating vessel in the side of his neck—Massimo’s extra-sharp chef’s knife.
Our chests heaved against each other, and the sound of our panting filled my ears. “I warned you to let me go. But instead, you kept me here like an animal against my will,” I hissed.
He had left me with no choice. It was his life for my freedom.
“You’re right.” His voice was as steady as his pulse, even with the blade pressed against it.
His calmness kindled doubt inside of me. “What?”
No trace of surprise or fear registered on his face. Instead, it was intense and schooled.
“I shouldn’t have kept you, but I couldn’t let you go.”
“For God’s sake, I told you I didn’t try to kill you! I don’t know how that detonator ended up in my hands. I really wish I had been the one to press it because then at least I could have given you the information you wanted!” My hand shook, and the knife pierced his skin. Dark red trickled down his neck.
His purposeful gaze drew my eyes back to his. “That’s not why I wanted to keep you. You were the greatest challenge I had ever come across. I wanted to break you. To own you.”
“You could never own me,” I spat. “I would never give you the satisfaction.”
“I already do,” he murmured as his focus skimmed down the side of my neck. “If you kill me, then I would be the one who made you a killer. I would be cemented in your memory of this night forever. No matter what you do, or where you go from this moment on, I’m already imprinted on your soul.”
“No!” I shouted, shivers wracking my body. More blood spurted under my erratic hand. I’d already started this, and there was no going back. If I didn’t kill him now, he’d kill me.
“Do it,” he ordered, his voice gripping my chest. “Bind us forever. And when, finally, you meet your end, I’ll be waiting for you in hell. You’re mine for eternity, Antonella.”
Tears burned my eyes. I was doing this to escape him, but I never could. To pay him back for all the suffering he had caused me. I’d always be under his grip, even if he wasn’t alive.
My shoulders sagged from exhaustion, surrendering to the lack of choice that faced me. I had no say in my destiny. Lazaro had already branded his name onto it. I was his property in this life and in whatever awaited me after death.
Hot tears fell from my eyes, burning my cheeks. I would forever be his prisoner.
He pried the hilt of the knife out of my hand, and I immediately covered my face in shame. I had stayed strong through everything, and in this moment, I finally felt weak.
The knife clattered on the floor.
Lazaro didn’t say a word. He could have yelled at me or even punished me for the stunt that I had just pulled. Instead, he pulled me into his arms and allowed me to release all of the emotions I had stowed away for so long. Some of his warm blood dripped onto my shoulder.
I hated crying in front of anyone, least of all him. It wasn’t that I deemed it a sign of feebleness, but I found that it was often used by others to their advantage. I couldn’t trust others with something as precious as my emotions.
He took my lips again, kissing me deeper than last time. I tasted my tears between us, and I was certain he could, too. Our tongues stroked each other.
It should have felt strange—out of place. One minute, I had held a knife against his neck, and the next, we were joined by the lips in perhaps the most erotic kiss of my life.
With the first kiss, I had taken the lead, but this time, it was his turn. His tongue trailed down my neck, tasting my skin, and I melted into his touch.
“Are you going to hurt me?” I whispered.
It was futile to offer an apology for attempting to end him, because I would have done it again in a heartbeat if I had thought my plan would work out—kill him and then escape when the staff were too preoccupied discovering his body.
“Yes,” he answered, flicking my nipple with his tongue over my lingerie.
I moaned, arching my back to give him more access. “What if I can’t handle it?”
He backed me up until my legs hit the bed, and then he pushed me flat on the mattress. “I’ve seen how much you can withstand, and you haven’t broken yet. You will endure what I dole out, because I know you can take it.”
How could he be so confident in my capabilities when even I wasn’t sure of them?
Suddenly, he flipped me over onto all fours and spanked my bare ass. The material of the thong-style teddy rubbed against my core as I jolted forward, pain flooding my skin.
“I’ve dreamed of this ass. Watching you prance around here, swaying your hips for every man to see. Do you like the attention, Antonella?” His fingers possessively kneaded the tender flesh he had just lashed, soothing the remnants of the sting. I moaned from how intense it felt.
Slap. He struck me again. This time, his palm bit my skin harder, and I cried out.
“No one touches this ass but me,” he commanded through gritted teeth. “Do you understand?”
He massaged his lash away just like the last time.
“Ohh.” The burning mixed with the rubbing only heightened my threshold, and I yearned for more.
My head snapped back as he pulled on my hair like the reins of a horse. “Answer me, Antonella.”
“I—I understand.”
“Good girl,” he groaned, releasing my hair. He pulled the crotch of the teddy aside and his hand found my clit, playing with the swollen bud. Electricity zapped through my pelvis, bringing me to life. I pushed into his hand, swiveling my hips to find more friction.
“Lazaro,” I breathed out as he rubbed delicious circles against me.
“You say my name like it’s a prayer, bella . But I’ll have you screaming it like a death wish before the night is over.”
Oh, God .
This man was intense, and I wasn’t sure I could survive him.
He pulled my straps down, peeling the lace fabric off until it bunched around my knees. He raised each of my legs to slip it free so I was completely exposed to him.
I reared my hips back, hoping to grind myself against his bulge to convince him to get naked, too, but I was met with his mouth. His tongue delved into my folds from behind—a rawness I had never experienced before.
He ate me out until my legs trembled. The precipice of euphoria was just within reach. I could feel the tide rising higher and higher, until finally, the wave crashed over me, pulling me under.
I clutched the sheets beneath me for support as the trills passed through me. His strong arm wrapped around my waist, holding me up as my only lifeline.
The sound of a drawer opening and then a wrapper ripping pulled me out of my haze. “That was for you, but now this is what you owe me for that little stunt you just pulled.” He hunched over my body, licking his blood off my shoulder.
And suddenly, he plunged wholly into me, in one go. I cried out. He was too deep inside, filling me to the brim.
“Fuck. You squeeze me so good.” He gripped my hips, drawing out slightly, then slamming back into me, thrusting me forward. Again and again, he fucked me like it was punishment.
As the expert of all things physical, he tilted his pelvis upward with each stroke, hitting my clitoris.
The sensation was too much to bear against my sensitive flesh when I hadn’t yet had a chance to recover from the first orgasm.
He wove the fingers of one hand through my hair, grasping me at the scalp and pulling me upright. My hands reached for his hips behind me as he pounded into me. His other hand massaged one of my breasts, pinching my nipple.
“Oh, God,” I moaned. Time stilled when he turned my head and sealed his lips over mine. His kiss was suffocating and relentless—proof that I could never escape him.
He changed positions, sitting on his haunches and taking me with him. I bounced on his lap while using my knees for leverage, impaling myself on his massive length.
“I never tried to kill you in that alley,” I panted. “You have to believe me. Please, Lazaro. Believe me.” I needed to be free from this accusation—to never have it used against me again after tonight if I were to remain in his possession.
“Shh, bella. ” He nipped the back of my shoulder with his teeth. “I believe you.”
The shock of his words thrilled me, winding me up with limitless energy.
I fucked him harder and faster. My tits bounced in tandem with the bed.
His hand snaked down to my clit, rubbing me deliciously. Nerves fired like firecrackers, and my body exploded as I came. He held me as the tremors took hold, following me into bliss with his own release.
Before I could catch my breath, he tossed me off of him, and I landed on the bed on my back. My arousal slicked my inner thighs, mixing with the sweat that coated my body.
Lazaro’s hooded gaze maintained the laser-like focus of a man on a mission as he held my knees apart.
“I can’t orgasm anymore,” I begged. I felt like I was going to die from exhaustion as my heart pounded against my ribcage.
“You can, and you will,” he commanded.
His tongue descended on me again, cleaning up the mess he had caused while creating a whole new one. My vision blurred.
“Lazaro,” I moaned, as he ruined me over and over again.
Thank you for reading CAPTIVE. If you loved Antonella and Lazaro, and want more, be sure to look out for their full novel coming Summer 2026. The plot twists will be extra twisty and the steam will be even hotter! To be the first find out when their book will be available and read more sneak peeks, be sure to sign up for my newsletter .
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XOXO, Victoria