Chapter Five
Vanessa had always hated parties. When Maureen had been with her, she would often ask her nanny if she could make excuses for her not to attend. Stomach bugs could only be used sparingly.
Her nanny was never allowed to attend the parties. Maureen was to never be seen by anyone, and Vanessa hated it. She couldn’t help but wonder why, especially now as she was older. She figured her parents were just snobs, but that didn’t seem right to her. Something had to be going on because other families’ nannies had been seen. Most parents wanted to shout at the nanny, punish the nanny if the child was naughty, or something along those lines.
She wondered if Diago would be able to find anything out about her nanny. The last thing she wanted to do was hire him, but when it came to Maureen, she was in the dark. She missed her nanny, fiercely. That was incorrect, she missed her friend. Maureen hadn’t just been her nanny, she was and would always be her friend.
The moment she saw her father heading toward them, she gripped Diago tighter. She didn’t want to let him go. She wasn’t afraid of her father, but knowing he was using the charity to fund his own means made her hate him a little more. Her father had given her a lot of reasons to hate him.
“Diago,” her father said. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Her father kept looking at her and frowning.
“Are you not going to say hello to your daughter? She has only been gone a month, and already you’ve forgotten what she looks like?” Diago asked.
“My daughter?” Her father looked at her, and she had the oddest urge to pull a face and stick her tongue out, but she resisted. She didn’t make a fool of herself, although it would have been easy to do so.
“Hello, Father,” she said. She was amazed at how confident she sounded, because the truth was, she didn’t feel that way at all.
The man before her went red in the face. “You shouldn’t be here,” he said, turning his glare back toward Diago. “You’re bad for business.”
Diago chuckled, but even to her own ears, it sounded forced. She couldn’t understand this man at her side. He confused her. “Bad for business. You mean, people are less inclined to give to a man who doesn’t have a charitable bone in his body. I wonder if they’re even aware that this money will help fund many of your parties.”
She watched her father and knew Diago spoke the truth. How had she ever imagined him being a good man? An honest man? She couldn’t even believe it herself. She hated herself for feeling this way.
“You need to leave.”
“What I need to do is take my date onto the dance floor,” Diago said, and without another word, he walked her onto it. There were only a couple of people dancing.
Vanessa was still too distracted to think about his hand on her waist or her palm placed within his. Diago was a good dancer. She didn’t know why she was so surprised. The man was an expert in every field she’d seen him in. Admittedly, that wasn’t a lot, but she was intrigued by him.
“Why are we here?” she asked.
“To enjoy ourselves.”
Tilting her head, she couldn’t help but feel the warmth of his palm at her waist. She hadn’t been held like this in a very long time, if at all. She licked her lips and waited, trying to get her reactions under control.
“Why is my father a target of yours?” she asked. “What do you need me for with regard to your plan?”
Diago stared at her.
“Or am I to be punished as well?” She looked at him and even as her heart raced out of fear, she couldn’t seem to bring herself to stop, nor did she want to. “Or are you happy at the thought of me being ruined? I imagine to many, I’m already ruined.” She nibbled her lip and waited.
“They would have expected me to have already taken you, of that you’re not mistaken.” He leaned in close and Vanessa knew people would be whispering about them. She didn’t want to be the hot topic of conversation. “They’ve already imagined I’ve taken your virginity. Slid my cock right past that little hymen of yours.”
Vanessa gasped. It was the first time he’d been so … she didn’t even know what he was being with her, but it certainly made her glance around to see if anyone else had heard what he said. They were getting weird looks, but that had been happening since the moment they walked in.
“They already consider me damaged goods.”
He tutted. “We both know differently. We know that no man has touched you. No one has wanted to.” His lips brushed against her ear. “But I do.”
“This is all for revenge against my father, isn’t it?”
“What if I were to tell you a little tale, Vanessa?” he asked.
She tried to jerk away but her reactions were no match for his. He was in complete control. She wanted to argue with him, but instead she waited. She didn’t have much of a choice.
“I’m a little old for bedtime stories.”
“Ah, but you see, this little bedtime story is far more enjoyable.”
She wanted to argue with him, but instead she stood there and listened. Her anger began to travel up her spine.
She didn’t know what kind of mess Diago was hoping to find for himself by going to a charity event that had nothing to do with helping others. She didn’t like what she had come to learn about her father, not that she’d been liking him for a while now.
“Well, my tale begins seven years ago, where there is a young woman. There are prospects for her marriage, as she is beautiful, sweet, and of course, young. Virginal. I do believe in your world, there is value on that little cherry prize.”
He was talking about her.
“Anyway, something bad happens, and she is taken, and her parents are distraught, and during that time, there are so many offers to help. Monetary offers, as well as … other offers. During her captivity, the young woman is hurt, and what her world valued the most is considered taken from her. In one brutal act, this young woman no longer has any prospects, but don’t worry, as we all know, the young woman is rescued. But all is not well, you see, her rescuer learned some hard truths in recent months.” He leaned in a little closer and it became harder for her to focus because his lips felt so good. “Like the person who organized her kidnapping was none other than her father.”
This made her gasp, and if it hadn’t been for Diago’s firm hold on her, she knew she’d have fallen or caused a scene, and right now she didn’t want to do either.
“You lie.”
“No, I don’t lie. I wouldn’t even justify any of this with a lie.”
“He … he … what?” she asked.
“Your father organized your kidnapping. He saw the interest placed in you as a young woman, and it made him want to exploit it, so he hired a couple of amateurs to take you. You were only supposed to be gone for a short time. Nothing bad was meant to happen. During your stay with them, things went wrong, and your father loved the concern, the center of attention, and he tried to utilize it. The men he’d hired were fucking idiots, but knew they were being played. It’s why you weren’t raped, but they wanted to punish him, which is why they hurt you.”
Vanessa couldn’t believe it, but then he’d staged this elaborate event to gain money for people for a charity that didn’t exist. He’d used her for money, but it had all crashed and burned around him. No one wanted her afterward. He’d ruined her.
“Can we go?” she asked.
She didn’t want to stay anywhere close to a man who would use her in that way.
****
Diago had already taken a long, hot shower, and he stood in his office enjoying a glass of whiskey. It was rare for him to enjoy this kind of pleasure, as he didn’t like to have anything in the way of his focus. Alcohol was not good for the senses.
He couldn’t help but smile when he heard a knock at the door. He should have known his little truth tale would spark her interest.
“Come in,” he said.
The moment they entered his home, Vanessa hadn’t even said good night. She’d gone straight to the stairs and ran away from him. He figured he’d give her the night, but soon she’d come to him.
She entered his office, complete with a carton of ice cream and a spoon. All the makeup Susan had used on her was gone, her hair damp from her shower, and she wore an oversized shirt with a rubbed-off slogan he couldn’t quite make out. She also wore a pair of socks.
He didn’t know how she could look so cute and sexy at the same time. He wasn’t used to anyone seeming so familiar to him. People feared him and he relished it, and did everything he could to enhance that fear.
This was refreshing and he didn’t know if he liked it or not.
“I can’t believe my dad would do that.” Then she snorted. “I don’t even know why I’m shocked. He was always so angry when men refused to marry me. It was like he didn’t realize the walls were thin. How does a guy like my dad, a mafia man, not have money?”
“He lives outside of his means,” Diago said.
“It’s all the parties, right, and the crap, and all the other stuff in between.” She removed the lid off the carton and pressed the spoon into the ice cream, only for it to be rock solid. She growled. “Typical. You know, I was banned from eating this stuff. And pasta, and potatoes, and from living my life because I’m so fat and ugly.”
“You’re not fat or ugly,” he said.
She pointed to the scar at the side of her face. “Don’t you know, this is what defines me? This is all people can see, all they want to fucking see.” She gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth. “I just said a naughty word, but there is no one here to reprimand me.” She giggled. “That felt good.”
“Are you drunk?” he asked.
“No. I’ve never drunk alcohol.” She glanced down at his glass. “I’ve never been allowed to drink alcohol, but seeing as my parents are not here to tell me no—”
“I’m not giving you drink.” He was rather entertained by her sudden anger and irritation, but that didn’t mean he was going to give her anything more to help ease those inhibitions.
She wrinkled her nose. “Whatever. I’m going to eat this whole carton of ice cream, and I am not going to care if it goes straight to my ass, and I’m going to say naughty words. Ass, bitch, fuck, asshole.” She slapped a hand over her mouth. “I think I’m going a little giddy.”
He raised his glass to her. This is the most anyone had ever spoken to him at one time. Even Susan didn’t speak to him this much.
“So, you’re the one that saved me?” Vanessa asked.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“For payment.” He didn’t take the payment, but Vanessa didn’t need to know that.
“That … it’s a little foggy. I don’t know, everything was okay, you know, when I was first taken. They were kind of sweet, I think. I mean, I’ve looked back and had to wonder if I imagined it all, you know?” She frowned.
“I know.”
“Then it went bad, and then I got cut, and it was just a nightmare.” She blew out a breath. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be talking about this. My parents have been telling me for years to just shut up. That it was all in the past. Those men are dead.”
“They are dead.”
“Because you killed them.” She laughed. Did you even realize you were doing my dad a favor by killing them?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“This sucks,” she said. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what is happening here. Even if you do give me back, I don’t want to go back. I’ve got absolutely nothing to offer you. How did I get here?”
He didn’t like this. Diago stared down into his glass and finished the final shot of whiskey.
“Did I do something wrong?” Vanessa asked.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.” He put his glass on the table and walked toward her, lowering himself onto the coffee table opposite her. “I have a solution.”
“You do? Is it anything better than hoping a whole carton of ice cream will land on me and take the decision out of my hands?”
“Marry me,” he said.
Vanessa had the spoon in her mouth and stared at him. “Marry you?”
“Yes.”
“But, how is that going to solve anything?”
“It won’t solve all of your problems, but it will be the start of a new life for you,” he said.
She frowned. “But … do you even want a wife?”
“No, I don’t want a wife, but I’ll take you.”
She laughed. “Oh, wow, this is insane. Really, you want me to accept your marriage proposal in that way?”
“I’m offering you a good deal here. You do not have to return to your old life. You will not be at the mercy of a man you don’t know.”
“I don’t know you.”
“I won’t beat you. I won’t force you. You can have your own life.”
She frowned. “I can have my own life, but there must be a catch to this. What do you want in return? I’m not a fool, I know this comes with a cost.”
“You will submit to me. You will be my wife, and you will not question me. You will not fear me, nor will you ask questions. I’ll give you the world, but you must give me yourself in return.”
Vanessa looked at him and he expected to see her frown, but instead she just stared at him, lips slightly pursed, and he knew she was considering it.
“Does this mean sex?” Vanessa asked.
Now this did surprise him.
“Yes. I will expect to fuck my wife.”
She put the spoon back into the carton.
“Okay, but what about … being faithful? Will you be out with other women?”
“No, and I will kill any man who thinks he can touch you,” he said.
“So, in a way, we will be in a relationship that works for us. I won’t have to worry about you selling me off, and in return for safety and security, you want me to be your wife in all the ways I can be?”
“Yes.”
“But, how do I know you won’t kill me?”
He leaned in closer and she didn’t back away. Diago didn’t know if that made her foolish, to not fear him. Most women in her position should fear him. He wasn’t a good man. “Betray me, and I will slit your throat. Be loyal, submit to me, and I’ll give you the world.”
Diago waited, allowing his words to sink in, and Vanessa forgot about her ice cream, and for the longest time just looked at him.
He wished he knew what was going on inside her head, but it was unclear what she was thinking.
She licked her lips and frowned, and then nodded her head.
“Yes, yes, I agree with you, but … I don’t want to lose my virginity on my wedding night. I don’t want a big wedding. I want it to be just us, and whoever we need to verify it, and then I just want us to live our life.”
This was strange.
“And … I’d like you to kill my father,” she said. Vanessa got to her feet. “Where do you want to do this?”
“I’m not fucking you tonight,” Diago said. “Why don’t we get back on track with why you want me to kill your father?”
“He sent men to hurt me. He is the reason I’ve got this scar, and he has gotten away with being a monster for too long. I don’t know what else he has done but if he is willing to set up charities to steal money, then I know he is into far worse. You asked me not to ask questions, not to badger you. I want you to kill my dad, and I want you to make him hurt.”
Diago got to his feet and cupped her face, tilting her head back. “Your father is already on my list, Vanessa. The first time I fuck you will be on our wedding night.”