22. Aria
Chapter twenty-two
Aria
Our shoes knock endlessly on the tiled floors as we make our way to the DA’s office.
Finally!
I nearly whooshed when Samantha told me she would be heading up here today. This is just the news I needed to hear, especially since I’ve been worrying my head off, wondering what Elio and my father must have spoken about while I was in the kitchen.
Any mistake and my father’s eagle eyes would have deciphered that my relationship with Elio is fake.
Since Dad hasn’t said anything yet or requested to see me urgently, my guess is that Elio probably didn’t mess up and Dad believes that our relationship is real.
As for Joan, I haven’t bugged her about docket systems throughout the past weeks. But I’ve been plotting. And in each plot, I need access to login to the internal docket system. I still haven’t gotten access, but today, I’m seizing the chance, without Joan’s or anyone’s knowledge, to shadow Samantha and find something.
Samantha makes her way briskly ahead of me as if she cannot wait to be in and out of that damned office. Her blonde hair is pulled into a tight bun, a few stray strands clinging to her forehead where sweat is beginning to bead. The DA had called and asked that she bring some case files he forgot to the courtroom, and I quickly followed, hiding under the guise of an intern’s curiosity.
This is the only chance I can actually get to find solid evidence on that bastard Pascal.
My eyes dart around the office space, taking in the dull gray walls, the gleaming fluorescent lights, and the rows of closed office doors. My pulse thuds in my ears, but I keep my face composed. She should feel it any minute now.
“You shouldn’t be here, so stay close,” she says under her breath, her words clipped. Her hand tightens on the coffee cup I handed her earlier.
“You’re overthinking it, Sam,” I reply, my tone breezy, though my stomach churns with guilt. “Just say you quickly needed me to help. Who’s going to care?”
She presses her lips together but doesn’t argue. Her focus is divided now, her steps faltering slightly.
The coffee is working.
This wasn’t the best option; I didn’t want to do this. Samantha has been nothing but kind to me since I started at the DA’s office. But I really need this moment, this opportunity, and she would never let me take it on her watch.
A pang of regret flickers through me as I notice the sheen of sweat above her upper lip. “You okay?” I ask, feigning concern.
Her eyes widen slightly, and she shakes her head. “I don’t feel… great. Must be something I ate…” She stops mid-sentence, doubling over slightly, her hand pressing against her stomach.
I reach out, steadying her with a hand on her elbow. “Sam?”
She grimaces, her face contorting into a series of creased lines. “I need… I need the restroom. Now.”
My heart races, but I force a look of sympathy. “Go. I’ll get the file for you.”
Her hesitation is brief. “It’s on the desk. Don’t touch anything else, Aria.” Her words are forced, and out of desperation, she turns around, hurrying to the restroom, clutching her stomach.
She disappears around the corner before I step into the DA’s office, my hands trembling slightly.
The room is spacious, dominated by a large oak desk littered with neatly arranged papers and pens. My feet move in quick strides, closing the gap between the desk and I.
My eyes dart across each file until I find the one Samantha has come for. My fingers reach tentatively for the doorknob, pulling it closed behind me before making my way to the desk. The sudden brightness of the computer before me stops me from rummaging through the other files. And to my surprise, it is unlocked, too. So either someone was using it until just now and they’d be back any minute, or they actually forgot to lock it or turn it off. Either way, it’s my lucky day because I believe Mario’s file should be in here somewhere.
My ears turn toward the hallway, listening for any sign of her or anyone else’s return. For now, there’s nothing but the muffled hum of office chatter.
The swivel chair creaks slightly as I lower myself into it, my fingers brushing the keyboard instantly. The screen springs to life, displaying a cluttered desktop filled with folders.
I click on search and input the words: Mario Abruzzi. When a file pops up, I nearly scream with joy.
My throat tightens. This is it.
Click.
The file opens, filling the screen with text. My heart drops when I do a quick skim and I see that the document is heavily redacted. Of course, the DA wouldn’t leave sensitive information lying around on his computer. My eyes hurriedly scan the words, my heart thundering in my chest. If I can just find-–
I’m so close. I just need a minute to make out the words.
Footsteps.
My stomach lurches.
I jab frantically at the keyboard, opening file explorer and navigating my way to clear my recent activity. The screen returns to its home page just as the doorknob twists.
“Aria?”
Samantha’s voice is sharp, suspicious. I snatch up the physical file she asked for and stand, forcing a casual smile as she steps into the room. She looks less pale but her eyes narrow as she takes in the scene.
“You got it?”
My head moves in a nod, holding up the folder. “Right here.”
Her gaze flicks to the computer, then back to me. For a moment, I think she’s going to say something, but she just sighs. “Let’s go. I don’t want to stay here any longer than we have to.”
As she walks out, I follow suit, my legs steady, though my hands feel clammy. My mind races as we walk back down the corridor and inside the elevator. Samantha leans against the wall. I risk a glance at her, guilt reaching up to my throat again, but I shove it down.
Something other than guilt is gnawing at me relentlessly. The document was redacted, yes, but I could have still seen motion information, filing dates…anything; but I got nothing. Fuck.
I was this close, yet I walked away with nothing. My fingers tremble as the scene replays in my head. It seems that if I want to see everything…all the information—I indeed would have to gain access to, and search, the internal docket system. Everything feels like a failure, weighing heavily on my chest. Mario must be so disappointed in me right now.
The corners of my lips rise in a fake smile as we both walk out of the elevator and Samantha heads straight out of the office building, hailing a cab to the courthouse.
The feeling of hurrying back to the DA’s office seizes me immensely, but I fight it off. If anyone catches me, that could be the end of my career.
As I make my way back to my office, tears pool in my eyes, blinding me momentarily. My feet pause in their tracks as my chest rises, filling my lungs with air to calm me down.
“...we are live at one of New York’s biggest hotels known as The Grand Empire, where a shooting has taken place at their casino…”
The words suddenly float to my ears from a big TV screen in the lobby.
My eyes fling open.
Shooting at The Grand Empire? That was the hotel where Elio proposed to me… that’s his hotel!
Without thinking, I rush out of the building and hail the first cab before me, heading straight for the Donatelli mansion.
***
The familiar scent of cedarwood and musk hits me as I step into the mansion. He has to be in here, somewhere.
“Elio!” My voice rings out across the halls, but there is no response. Instead, a young lady in a plaid uniform walks up to me with her head bowed and hands clasped together.
“Mr. Donatelli is in his study, Miss Aria,” she says politely.
The urgency in my being leaves no room to respond as I make my way down the hall to his study.
“Elio?” The door squeaks lightly as I push it in.
“Come in,” his gruff voice responds.
He’s seated at his desk, tie loosened, sleeves rolled to his elbows, revealing his barrel-like forearms. Papers are strewn all over his table, one of them held down by a glass of whiskey.
When he looks up at me, the bags under his eyes seem to pull the strength from his gaze.
“Aria,” he calls again, straightening himself in his chair, “You’re supposed to be at work. Did you just miss me too much? I heard you yelling all the way from outside.”
He manages to give me a smirk as I roll my eyes.
“There’s no time for jokes, okay? I heard about the shooting at the hotel. Are you okay?”
His nostrils flare as he releases a deep breath. “The police took care of it already. Thankfully, none of my men were arrested or injured.”
Relief washes over me, but by his tone, I can tell that’s not what has him seated so dejectedly. Something else is eating at him.
“Despite that, you don’t seem okay,” I venture, crossing my arms and lowering myself onto the edge of the desk.
He shakes his head, his lips pressing into a thin line. “It’s not the hotel that’s bothering me. Most of those patrons are fools, and my men know how to handle them.”
“Then what is it?”
He holds my gaze, and I can see the hesitation in his eyes. I roll my eyes. “Not trusting me is a waste of your time. I’ve helped with two of your big cases now.”
His lips part to release a groan as he yanks his fingers through his hair. “That guy you discovered…Mendez. He’s gone missing.”
The news catches me off guard. “Mendez? Missing? How does a guy like that just… vanish? He doesn’t seem like the type to up and disappear, especially since he’s in a lot of debt.”
Elio’s eyes darken, and I can almost see his frustration bubbling to the surface. “That’s what’s suspicious. Mendez has lived at his address for ten years after leaving prison. If he’s suddenly disappeared, someone helped him… or forced him to.”
My eyes pry over him, watching the way his hand clenches into a fist on the desk and the set in his jaw as he stares blankly into the distance.
“Elio,” I say softly, stepping closer. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You always do.”
He glances at me, his expression softening for just a moment. “I’m trying, Aria,” he says quietly. “But it feels like everything’s slipping through my fingers.”
Something in his voice breaks me. I’ve seen him angry, commanding, and ruthless. But this? This raw vulnerability? It catches me off guard.
That’s when it hits me. Hearing Elio finally confide in me about what he had gone through in his childhood ?or rather lack of it? made me see beyond his cruel facade. It made me stop seeing him as just the author of this tangled mess I’ve stepped into. I think, deep in me, I truly want him to be okay. More than I ever thought I could wish for someone.
I push the stray thought aside, swallowing hard. Now isn’t the time for feelings. I just need to make sure he’s fine and head right back to work.
“You’ll be okay.” My fingers reach up to caress the sides of his smooth face. He stands to his full height, hand clutching onto mine, holding it in place on his cheek.
“I have something to show you,” he grumbles. Before I can protest or ask what it is, he places one arm underneath my thighs and the other one around my back, lifting me from the desk, carrying me all the way up the stairs to his bedroom.
It’s the first time I’m going into his bedroom. I’ve never seen a more masculine space.
Plush, charcoal gray carpeting covers the entire floor, causing his feet to sink in, muffling his footsteps. A sturdy, king-size orthopedic bed dominates the center of the room, dressed in crisp, white linens.
He plops me onto the massive bed and reaches out for a drawer in his nightstand.
My mouth falls open when he draws a big, black dildo from it.
“Is…is that?”
A mischievous smile curls up his lips. “You’ve been a good girl all your life, Princess. Haven’t you?”
“That’s…that’s…that’s a dildo,” I stutter, goosebumps climbing up my hands as my heartbeat fastens. The folds in between my legs are already growing moist, just from the thought.
“You don’t like the idea? I can just do away with this. I thought you would like the idea of being a little naughty.”
My eyes widen as I sit up and see him sliding the drawer open again. “No, no! I mean…I like it…I just...I haven’t done this before…”
“I know, Princess,” he eases onto the mattress behind me, wrapping an arm around my clothed breasts and nuzzling my ear with his teeth. Shivers practically run down my spine the minute his hands close over my flesh. “I’m just going to give you a lesson in the pleasure department, and if you don’t like it, I can stop.”
My head bobs up and down frantically, as if his words are fuel to my starving soul.
“Alright.” His hands guide me to lie down on the bed, and in a swift movement, he’s on top of me. He reaches for the waistband of my black pants, pulling them off from under me.
A groan escapes his lips as he places his head in between my legs, sniffing my wet, black thong and my throbbing pussy underneath it.
“Fuck, Princess, you’re dripping wet already. So receptive!” The smile on his face turns dark as he slides his hands under my chiffon blouse, dragging the material above my head in the process. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time, Princess. Waiting to show you all the things I want to do to you.”
As his hands brush against my breasts, an involuntary melody escapes my mouth. My back arches, pressing into his sturdy torso.
“ Sì, amore mio (Yes, my love), touch me like you own me, Princess. Because I’m all yours now.”
As if driven by that single command, my arms, which were initially above my head, close down on his neck, pulling him even closer than he already was.
My hands slide into the collar of his shirt, feeling the roughness of the scars on his back.
I guide my hands to the front of his shirt, undoing his buttons one by one, placing my palms gingerly on his chest, eager to feel those perfect pecs and his golden brown chest hair streaked with gray.
My lashes flutter, locking my gaze with his. For a moment, I can see that he meant each of the words he just muttered to me. I am now his, and he, mine.
My lips meet his halfway. There’s a sudden explosion as we both become a tangle of movements, hysterically trying to grab, touch, and feel every inch of each other’s bodies.
His large palms cup my breasts, pressing firmly on them as my hands fumble with the buckle of his belt. As the latch comes off, my hands brush against the hard swelling in his pants.
“Lord!” I groan against his lips as my pussy contracts with desire.
“Bad princess,” Elio mutters, dark desire flashing in his eyes.
He eases me back onto the bed, spreading my knees apart and dragging my panties off my waist in one swift motion.
“Remember, Princess, if you don’t like this, say ‘è un no’ (it’s a no). Understood?”
I nod frantically again. He yanks his belt completely off his pants and uses it to bolt my wrists together.
“And if you like whatever I’ll be doing, say ‘ sì, di più’ (yes, more) . ”
“ Sì, di più.” The words taste foreign on my tongue.
“This is what a teacher does to naughty students,” Elio says, adjusting the buckle on the belt, “and right now, I’m your teacher, Princess! I get to punish you when you’re naughty.” As he’s speaking, he’s rummaging through his drawer again.
Suddenly, something slimy and cold plops in between my legs.
“You know what that is, Bellissima (Beautiful)? That’s lube. It’ll help you stay lubricated so you don’t feel pain as I do all the filthy things I have in mind for you. Would you like that?”
His fingers circle lightly around my folds, tickling my clit. He hasn’t even begun yet, and I already feel like I’m going to cum.
“Words, Princess. If you don’t answer, I will stop,” he grunts, holding my gaze.
“Please don’t stop.” I raise my head to catch his eyes. “Don’t stop, teacher. I want you to teach me all the lessons.”
“Good answer, yet still not the one I asked for. So here’s your first punishment!”
The smack stings my butt cheek before I can ask what kind of punishment, dragging a sharp moan from my lips.
His face relaxes into a grin as he slips the toy between my legs. Pulling it against my clit and then entering it in a steady, rhythmic motion.
“How about this, Princess? Is it a yes for you?”
“ Sì, di più !” I cry, arching my hips to meet with the huge cap of the black dildo. The vibrations travel all the way to the floor of my pelvic region.
My face burns and I can tell that it has become an unbelievable shade of red. The feeling is so intense, my entire body shudders with pleasure.
“I’m going to punish a little harder, Princess. You’re being a really naughty girl with all those sexy noises you make.” His voice has reduced to a whisper, as if he can barely get a hold of himself as he watches me. “Get ready for it,” he groans, and then pushes the dildo in further.
My fingers curl around the sheets as I let out a loud cry.
“Ah…that’s it. I’m going to whip the hell out of you for making me fucking hard. Have you been whipped before, Bellissima ?”
My head shakes against the sheets, causing a ruffling sound. “No…”
“Tell me to stop when you can’t take it anymore. Ready?”
“Yes.”
He hooks his hands behind my knees, lifting my legs from the bed and turning me around onto my stomach. Then he grabs my thighs and pushes them upward until my butt cheeks are hanging high up in the air.
My buckled hands are laid up straight in front of me, and my hair has covered up my eyes so I can’t see.
“The whip is coming at any moment. That’s for being such a naughty girl.”
My heart is thudding uncontrollably in my chest. My ability to think seizes as the whip cracks and lashes on my skin.
“Damn…” I groan, lifting my butt cheeks higher into the air.
“Is that a yes, Princess?”
“ Sì, di più (Yes, more)!”
Crack! Another sting lands on my butt cheeks, my torso squirms with pain. I’ve felt different types of pain, but this…this one is so fucking pleasurable. It’s like a sizzling sensation that releases all the endorphins in my body. Never in a million years did I think I would enjoy being whipped! And by a deadly but oh-so-sexy mafia don, at that.
A grunt of disapproval slips past my lips as he slides the dildo out of my core. I almost beg him to slide it back in when something else, hard and dripping wet, massages my clit.
When I look down, he has the tip of his cock knocking on the door of my pussy.
“This is as far as I will go, Princess. If you want more, you will have to beg,” he demands with that sly smile on his lips.
I waste no time. “Please…please, Elio...”
“That’s wrong! I’m the teacher, remember? Here comes another spank for not getting that right.”
I moan loudly when a harder smack lands on my other butt cheek, leaving me breathless with anticipation and excitement. The dazzling sensation runs shivers down my spine. I can feel all the lines from the whips stinging their way from one end of my butt cheek to the other.
“ Sì, di più …” Another smack, then another, and then?finally?his cock, too hard and too girthy, slams into me, slippery and hot. The sudden switch from the rhythmic vibration to this impatient thrust sends my waist rolling, my back arching.
“Ahhh… I l-love this...” I barely let out the words as I spread my legs even wider to accommodate all of him. I don’t want this to stop...ever.
A feral grunt escapes his throat amidst the loud slap of his balls against my pussy. “Love what, baby?”
“This hard…and fast…” I moan as my center starts to contract until my midsection nearly erupts with orgasm.
“Don’t cum yet,” he orders, as if I can control myself.
He slides out of me, completely ignoring the sounds of protests tumbling off my lips.
“A little deprivation will do you good. You’re going on blindfolds now, you naughty girl.” Everything seems to be happening at the same time, but the weird uniformity of it is glorious. He turns me onto my back before covering my eyes with a silky blindfold, which given its shape and size, I can guess it’s his necktie.
“What do you say, Bellissima? You want the blindfold or not?” Complete darkness envelopes the room as he ties a knot behind my head.
“I…I don’t know.” Something within me wants to keep my eyes open, but the adventurous part of me wants to trust Elio and say a big yes to this.
“That doesn’t encompass any of the answers I want from you.”
Another smack.
This time, the sting is nearly unbearable. That horrible yelp must have ripped from my throat.
“It’s either a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’!”
“S… Sì, di più. ”
Shit! As soon as I realize I did not give the correct answer again, I feel another smack stinging my butt cheeks. Now, it seems like my butt is on fire. “Fuck! Elio.”
He purrs a low rumble that resonates through my pussy before his tongue swipes tenderly on my clit.
“Ahhhh… Lord!”
There’s no controlling the explosion from my pussy as warm liquid bursts out.
Surprisingly, he chuckles, spreading the squirt all over my pussy, then slides in again. This time he angles my leg and rams in with ravaging hunger, releasing heavy grunts as he pins my waist down.
“Damn! Your tight pussy is made for sin!” he grunts, digging his thumbs deeper into the sides of my waist. My hands fly to his back as my thighs begin to tremble again until a heavy knot curls in my stomach.
“Elio!” I scream as another orgasm wracks my senses. I’m barely down from my high when he stiffens inside me and quickly pulls out to spill on my stomach with a loud growl.
Did I just orgasm twice in the stretch of a few minutes?
We remain like this for a moment until he loosens up the knot at the back of my head and tears slip from the corners of my eyes. I’ve only ever heard that good sex can bring you to tears…
My arms instinctively wrap themselves around his neck when he unclasps the buckle on my wrists and secures my waist tightly with his strong arms.
We both collapse to the bed, his sheets wet with our sweat, his cum, my juices and everything in between. My lids flutter open to look at him. He’s looking at me, too, dark eyes piercing as if directly into my soul.
There’s no denying it now.
Elio Donatelli has stolen my heart, and I’m not sure I want it back.