Chapter 13 Grace
GRACE
Iescaped from one prison only to end up in another.
I'm still in disbelief as I stare at the rock on my hand. I don't know why I keep winding up in these situations. Just when I find a moment of peace, everything shatters.
But something is different about the disappointment I feel now.
Instead of sinking into a state of acceptance, I feel a fire burning inside me. It demands that I rebel.
"It'll be a marriage in name only," he says. "You won't have to do anything except attend occasional dinners and events with me.”
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I barely recognize my own voice.
"You have nothing to lose and everything to gain," he says. "Think about it."
"You're right," I say. "I have nothing to lose, except my dignity."
Something flickers in his eyes. I don't want to read into it, because I've been so wrong about this man. I can't believe I thought even for a moment that he was different from people like my mother. He's a monster like the rest of them.
"This isn't just about what you want. It’s also about survival,” he tells me. He looks like he wants to say more, but he holds back.
It's pointless to argue with him.
But I'll be damned if I let another person tell me what to do, especially a man.
Looking him dead in the eye, I take the diamond ring off my finger. And before I can overthink it, I fling it into the ocean below.
"I can promise you right now that I'm going to make your life a living hell," I say, giving him a sweet smile.
"I don't doubt that," he says, appraising me with new eyes. "In fact, I look forward to it."
"You're sick in the head," I tell him.
"If only you could hear every depraved thought in my mind,” he replies.
He lifts his hand and flicks his wrist. Without him having to say a word, all the staff leave the restaurant, closing the door behind them.
My heart starts racing in my chest.
This is it. My final moment.
"Are you going to take my life?" I ask, lifting my chin.
"Where's the fun in that?" he says. "I like having you around."
"If you're going to do it, make it quick," I say.
"I prefer to take my time," he says, his eyes dropping to my lips.
With just a glance, he lights me on fire. There's a deep tug inside my core. I try to hide it, but I can see from the smirk on his face that he noticed the shift in me.
It takes me right back to last night.
The darkness in his eyes. The filthy words he whispered into the night. The way he had my panties wrapped around his big, hard cock as he watched me.
"You can throw every diamond ring into the ocean, but it won’t change what’s coming,” he says. "And when we're out in public, you will show me respect. What you just pulled won’t be tolerated.”
"You're a fucking monster," I say, taking a deep breath.
He stands and closes the distance between us.
I rise to my feet too, but he towers over me. The rush of emotions coursing through my veins is confusing to say the least. My heart is soaring. Every drop of blood inside me sings his name. My body aches for his touch.
“Yet it doesn't stop you from wanting me, does it?" he asks.
"I don't want anything to do with you,” I say.
He moves toward me, sealing the remaining inches between us. I take a step back until my back is pressed against the railing.
Our bodies are flush together now.
"Your mouth says one thing, but your body says something else altogether," he says, sliding his fingers into my hair and tugging on the strands. "Can't you make up your mind, piccola?"
His eyes roam down my body. I follow his gaze. Heat rushes to my face when I see that I'm arching into him, pushing my breasts against his muscular torso.
He leans down and brushes his mouth against my ear.
"You're so tiny against me," he says. "I bet you’d fit around me like a fucking dream."
"You're a sick man," I say. But there's no fire to my words. I can hardly think straight because I'm so consumed by my desire and his danger.
"And that turns you on, doesn't it?" he says. "It's why you're so drawn to me. You know that only a man like me can give you what you need."
"I want nothing to do with you," I clip out.
He wraps his thick forearm around my waist and spins me around. His hard length is branded against my ass now. I can feel it pulsing with need.
"Let's check, shall we?" he says.
I'm pinned between his body and the railing. He bunches my white dress in his fist and tugs it up my thighs. My entire body is trembling now. I can't hide the way my body reacts to this man.
He slides his hand between my thighs and squeezes my pussy in his calloused grip.
Both of us groan at the same time.
I'm a mess between my thighs, and there's no way for me to hide it. He pushes my panties to the side and slides a thick finger over my slit. I have to bite down on my bottom lip to keep myself from moaning.
"You're allowed to like it, little bird," he says. "It's okay for you to enjoy being touched by a corrupt mafioso."
When his hand brushes against my clit, I nearly implode. My breasts feel so heavy. I can feel his cock getting even bigger.
"You say that you don't want me, but your body sure knows what it wants," he growls from behind me. "This sweet cunt sure knows who it belongs to."
His crude words should offend me, but they only make me ache more. They only make me want him more.
"Admit it, little bird," he says. "My darkness turns you on. You know that only a man like me can make your darkest fantasies come true. You know that only someone like me can use you like a rag doll and then kiss you like a princess after."
He cups one of my breasts and gives it a rough squeeze.
"I'm going to teach you how to take care of a man, piccola," he says. "And when I'm done with you, you'll be begging for more."
He tugs on my nipple and plays with my clit at the same time.
I hear voices from the street below. It's a group of tourists, all of them men. The restaurant is located about a hundred feet above sea level, so they're a good distance away.
They glance up at Dante and me. I suck in a breath. It's impossible to hide what we're doing.
It’s impossible to hide the way I flush with my entire body.
"You like being watched," Dante muses out loud. "Do you want to give them a show?"
I shake my head and try to move away, but he's too strong. I can feel the men watching, even though I try not to look at them.
"This pussy never lies to me," he says. "And it tells me that you like being looked at. You like being admired."
It feels so indecent, but he's right.
It does turn me on.
I barely recognize myself. I've never craved anything like this before. I don't understand why I enjoy this older man speaking dirty things into my ear while he touches me wherever he wants.
"They can watch all they want, but this pussy is mine," he says. "But you already know that, don't you, little bird? It's the reason you get wet on command for me. It's the reason your cheeks turn that pretty shade of pink every time I look at you."
He tugs down the front of my dress until my breasts nearly spill out. And then I hear his zipper coming undone. A rush of heat seizes me when I feel his cock against my bare ass.
"I can't resist the temptation anymore, piccola," he says. "You're so sweet and soft for me. It's a miracle I resisted you last night. You were begging for this.”
He drags his hard length along the length of my slit.
I’ve never felt anything like it in my life.
He feels like velvet wrapped around steel, and feeling him bare against me makes my eyelids turn heavy.
There's a groan from deep inside his chest as he starts rocking against me, using my body for his pleasure.
"God, angel," he says. "You like being manhandled, don't you?"
The violent drives of his hips make me rise on my tiptoes. He has one of his arms branded tightly across my chest, keeping my breasts in place. He continues playing with my clit as he rubs up against me.
"So sweet for me," he says. "So perfect. Nobody's going to blame me when I breed you on our wedding night. You're so ripe for it."
The image of his man pinning me to a bed with his cock buried deep inside me is what tips me over the edge.
"Scream for me, angel," he orders. "Let the world know how much you like grinding against my big cock."
My release builds inside me like a volcano. I have no choice but to shatter exactly how he wants me to. My throat is hoarse by the time the pleasure ebbs.
"Good girl," he praises, kissing the side of my neck. "You look so beautiful when you come."
His face is pressed against my hair. His grunts echo around in my head as he takes what he needs from me.
"I can't wait to be inside you, piccola," he says. "I can't wait to feel your tight little pussy strangling my cock."
I thought he was intense before, but it was nothing compared to how rough he gets with me now. Something dark blossoms inside me.
I like his power.
I crave his violence.
His cock brushes against my clit with every rough pump of his hips. I'm sensitive everywhere, and this friction between our bodies pushes me over the edge again. This time, I nearly black out as the release takes me under. It feels like I'm being thrown into a dark abyss.
It feels like I'm free-falling.
"You're such a whore for me," he says, playing roughly with my clit as he rubs his pulsing cock over my sex. "You look so pretty when you're getting ravaged."
With a low grunt, he jerks against me. His hold on me tightens as he comes against my pussy. There's so much of it that it drips down the inside of my thighs. His hand massages it against my flesh, his firm touch nearly making me come again.
"The next time, all of this come is going to be inside you, little bird," he says, pressing a kiss over my temple.
He turns me around in his hold. There's dark possessiveness swirling in his eyes, but there are hints of something else, too. I refuse to even acknowledge it.
He rubs his thumb over my cheek.
I fight the instinct to lean into his touch.
"Don't fight the inevitable, Grace," he says. "You'll see soon enough why it has to be this way."
My chest feels so hollow, like there's nothing inside me. Not even a pulse.
"You say that I need your protection," I say. "But what's in it for you, really?”
"Isn't it obvious?" he asks, slipping his fingers into my hair. "You've captivated me, little bird. It's a tale as old as time. I want you. It's that simple."
"You...want me?"
"You have no idea how much.”
He's about to say something else when his phone rings.
"One moment, please," he says, leaving me near the railing as he walks a few feet away to take the call. I can't hear what he's saying, but he’s watching me.
I stare at the white-blue water until it burns my eyes.
Everything else is the same, but the golden glow of the morning is gone now. The light, bubbly feeling is just a memory.
I used to hope for a day when I wouldn't have to live like a caged bird. I used to dream about freedom and happiness.
I guess it just wasn't in the stars for me.