Chapter Five
M y intention wasn’t to force myself on her, but now that I’m on top of her, I don’t want to stop. There’s no way in fucking hell I’m going to let her be free of me. As I grind my hips into her, I see the pleasure on her face. Aribella can deny it all she wants, but her body is loud and clear.
Keeping my hand firmly around her throat, I smile down at her. This woman has me in knots.
“If you do as I ask of you, everything will go smoothly. You’ll have nothing to fear.”
I bend down and kiss her, licking her lips. The more I touch her, the worse my obsession becomes. She’s a goddamn drug, dripping into my veins.
Trying to regain the upper hand, I growl at her. “Fight me, and although I won’t force myself on you, you will regret it.”
Getting up, I smooth my jacket and catch my breath as I look at Aribella. There’s a blush on her cheeks and she’s trying so hard not to moan. Her legs move together and her back arches. Fuck, I want her.
Walking away, I curse myself. If I don’t leave now, I’ll end up fucking her. She’s nowhere near ready for that. Hell, she barely knows how to kiss. I tell myself I’m doing the right thing by leaving, but my cock is putting up a damn fight. He wants to be deep within her cunt.
Locking her bedroom door, I put my head against it, giving myself time to let my cock soften. I make my way downstairs to my office. It’s time to do some research on mi peque?a reina . There’s something not quite adding up with the way Carlos was making her live.
It’s a surprise to me that Mossimo isn’t here, demanding to know why I am going to all this trouble over some pussy.
I sit down at my desk. I pull up every asset known to Carlos and Aribella. By the time I’m done with my search, I’m pissed off.
Carlos let Aribella think they were broke. Fuck, I watched with my own eyes as Aribella worked like a goddamn dog while Carlos did nothing but gamble it all away.
The anger explodes inside me as I transfer everything to a new savings fund for her. Once that’s done, I wipe all traces of Carlos and Aribella Tremaine away. Aribella Domingo emerges from the dark web rich and able to care for herself.
Forging a fake marriage license, I smirk. Sure, it’s not real and won’t hold up in a court of law, but there won’t be a reason for any of that. Besides, I own this town. No one is going to fucking tell me no.
Transferring half my money into the fund as well, I know that she will be taken care of if anything happens. Aribella may think I’m a beast, but I did her a favor. Her brother traded her to me for a debt. She’s better off without him.
“Miss Terrington, did you get everything needed for the animal in the basement?” I ask my housekeeper.
“Yes, Mr. Domingo. Espresso is well taken care of and Mossimo is feeding him now.” She raises an eyebrow at me as if to tell me she isn’t done.
“Ms. Tremaine’s medication is on the table with a glass of water.”
“It’s Mrs. Domingo, thank you.”
Miss Terrington laughs, but I ignore it. “Can you make her favorite dish, coq au vin?” Did I research every last thing about this woman? Bet your damn ass I did. Instagram is a beautiful thing. She had so many pictures of food but I found one with a heart around the dish with the caption stating, “my favorite dish in the whole world.”
“Of course I can. You finally give me something worthy of my talents.” She pats my shoulder and turns toward the pantry. “If your father knew that you insisted on eating out every night, he would turn over in his grave.”
If the old bat wasn’t loyal to me, I’d have killed her years ago for her smart mouth. Instead, I pay her an exuberant salary to stick around and cause me grief. Looking at the medicine, I wonder if Aribella is going to be difficult when I give it to her.
Looking up, I see Miss Terrington smiling at me. “Did you call the...”
With a wave of her hand, she dismisses me. “Son, I’ve been a housekeeper since before you were born. I know the duties. As far as the girl is concerned, I have a team coming to pamper her.” She rolls her eyes at me and I can’t help but laugh.
“The hairdresser will be here in twenty minutes. After that, the manicurist is coming to do her nails and toes.”
Miss Terrington looks at her watch and whistles. “We have a waxer and makeup artist coming in as well. Once they are done pampering Ms. Domingo , the stylist will take over. Is there anything else you’d like me to handle?”
I’ve irked my housekeeper, and I can’t help but find it a smidgen hilarious. She is usually easygoing, but she’s looking at me like I’d better say no to her question.
“Thank you,” is all I say before I grab the medicine and water.
“You’re not welcome. Now get out of my kitchen.”
As I walk up the stairs, I debate with myself about how to approach Aribella about her medicine. When I get to the landing, I notice her door is ajar. What the fuck?
Walking into her bedroom, I put the medicine and water down on the bedside table before I canvass the room. It’s empty, but the windows are still locked. Besides, the alarm would have gone off if she had tried getting out of the house that way.
Pulling my cell phone out of my pants pocket, I pull up the security camera feed. Aribella is walking toward the door that leads downstairs. Sighing, I know exactly where she’s headed—the basement. Smart. She’s too damn smart and cunning for her own good. Hell, there are more words I could use, but I don’t have time to think about them.
I tap Mossimo’s name and send a text.
Me : Aribella is headed your way. Keep her out of the basement.
Shit, I don’t think Mossimo will let her in, but then again, Aribella is very charming.
Mossimo : You got it, Sir.
Would he stop her physically? My gut churns at that idea.
Me : Don’t touch her.
Mossimo : Wouldn’t dream of it.
He knows I’ll kill him if he does. Fuck, I’m so damn turned on again by her boldness and tenacity to disobey me. I hold back a moan as I make my way down to the basement from the north side of the house.
Images of Aribella in the sex dungeon, tied to the wall as I fuck her, fill my mind. My dick throbs so hard, I stop mid-step. Raised voices cause the thought to vanish as I come around the corner.
Mossimo is standing in front of the door, arms crossed over his chest and towering over Aribella. Mi reina is pointing her finger at him, demanding to see her damn cat. Shit, she’s a damn fireball trying to knock down a ten-ton wall.
I can’t help but gawk at the sight. Mossimo shifts uncomfortably as Aribella sniffles and looks up at him with, what I can imagine, are pleading eyes. Interestingly enough, I think he may have a soft spot for women who cry.
“You move from this door, this instant. I want Espresso!”
Aribella could have tried fleeing from the house once she was out of her bedroom. Instead, she’s here, trying to get her pet. If I were a nicer guy, I’d let her have Espresso.
“No,” I reply to Mossimo. “He isn’t going to move.”
Her whole demeanor changes when she hears my voice and I watch her sink into herself.
“I believe I locked your door, mi reina .”
She turns around as I come to stand right behind her. Although she has tears in her eyes, I see the defiance in them.
“And I know how to pick a lock, so sue me,” she huffs and puts her hands on her hips. “Give me, Espresso. That’s all I want.” Her lower lip trembles and even though she’s acting brave, I can see the cracks in her. Her cat means the world to her, so it seems. One day I will be her whole world , my inner thoughts roar. Shit, I’m jealous of the fucking cat. Great.
Sighing, I run my hand along her face as I look over her head at Mossimo. “I see a lesson is in order.”
His eyes shoot to his hairline for a moment, but he schools his features. Slowly moving my hand through her hair, I pull her against my chest.
Aribella jerks against me. “No. Just my sweet baby. I promise to behave once Espresso is in my arms.”
Gripping her hair harshly, I yank her down until she falls to her knees.
“What are you doing?”
I can hear the panic in her voice, but it won’t stop me. Keeping her head exactly where I want it, I use my free hand to put it over her mouth.
“Unfortunately, you won’t be getting Espresso. You’re lucky he’s still alive.”
Hot air hits my hand from her mouth and I smile to myself. That got her attention. “Every time you do something bad or displease me, Mossimo is going to hurt your precious fucking cat.”
I’m lying my teeth off. The damn cat is being spoiled rotten. Mossimo and Miss Terrington bought every damn toy known to the animal world for Espresso. But Aribella doesn’t need to know that. Not until she obeys me, dammit.