Chapter 11
ELEVEN
Eliza
Being locked in my bedroom like I'm a menace to society and not a wronged woman who tore a dress takes me close to the limits of what I can endure.
By Friday night at eight o'clock I'm ready to tear my hair out if I don't get a change of scenery.
At least, I would be if Rosa hadn't made such a good job of arranging my unruly waves into an elegant updo that gives me a swanlike neck.
After she finished with my hair, she helped me put on the blue silk dress Adriano requested I wear for the occasion and a pair of Jimmy Choos that are as impractical as they are beautiful.
When I look in the mirror, I barely recognize myself. Well, that's not quite true. I see glimpses of the woman I was when Gabriele used to take me to upscale events. I'm a better version of her now.
At least, I hope I am, though better might be a generous description for a woman who destroyed a silk gown in a fit of anger.
I've been thinking all day about the second consequence Adriano mentioned. Some ideas have come to mind but I haven't wanted to dwell on any of them.
I'm hoping it's not that he's going to thrash my ass with his belt before we go out. The thought of spending the evening in discomfort as my dress chafes my punished flesh doesn't appeal.
From the closet, or dressing room as Rosa prefers to call it, I hear the whir of the lock on the bedroom door.
Every time I hear it I want to scream I know I'm a prisoner. I don't need constant reminders of the fact.
Heavy footsteps head my way.
"Are you ready?" Adriano asks, his eyes scanning me from head to toe.
"Can't you tell?"
I thought I looked amazing but now he has me doubting it. Is my hair not right? My makeup? Are my shoes wrong? What about me suggests I'm not ready?
"Hmm," he muses. "There is something missing."
He produces a box from the inner pocket of his jacket. For a moment I think he's brought me jewelry to wear and then I realize the box is the wrong size.
He starts to lift the lid and even before he opens it I suspect I know what's in there. It's the second consequence. I knew it was coming and I’m still not ready.
He holds out the box to me and I swallow hard. There are two items in there that anyone who's read a spicy romance would recognize instantly.
The first is a shiny metal butt plug that has a pretty pink gem at its base. I guess that could count as jewelry. The second is a black leather collar.
"Which would you prefer?" Adriano asks.
It's a crappy choice. The collar isn't discreet. A black velvet band or a diamond choker could signify the same thing, a private message between a couple. This leather strip with a large buckle looks like something you'd put on a dog.
Wearing it would get me noticed for all the wrong reasons. Still, it's preferable to attending a gala with the great and good of Roman society with a foreign object lodged up my butt.
"The collar," I say, hoping he'll tell me it's just a test and I don't really have to wear either. "I'll take the collar."
"Good choice."
He removes the collar and sets the box down on the dressing table. He walks around and loops the leather around my neck, then fastens it so it fits snugly. It presses against my throat and I won't be able to ignore its presence but it's not unbearably tight.
"How does it feel?" he asks.
"It's fine." I lean forward to examine it in the mirror. So much for my swanlike neck. With this thing on I look like a fucking greyhound.
"Good. I want everyone to look at you and know what you are."
My heart thunders in my chest. "What am I?"
"Mine."
I don't know what to do with that statement of possession but Adriano doesn't give me time to ponder it.
"Now, bend over the table. I want your skirt around your waist and your legs spread."
"What? Why?"
"So I can put the plug in."
I gasp in outrage. "But you asked me to choose between the collar and the plug. I chose the collar."
Adriano shakes his head. "I asked you which you preferred to put on first."
"You son of a…."
His hand whips out and grabs my chin. His grip is firm but not painful.
"Finish that sentence and I'll whip your butt before I put the plug in."
I press my lips together and he releases me.
"Now, get in position, cara."
My legs drag as I take the few short steps to the dressing table. I lift my skirt up around my waist and lean down to rest my elbows on the surface.
Adriano moves behind me and lowers my wispy black panties so he has access to my ass.
"You're not going to put it in dry are you?"
"If you hadn't obeyed so quickly I might have," Adriano says. "But I'm going to fuck your ass soon and I don't want to risk damaging it."
"I'd hate to spoil your fun with my internal injuries," I huff.
Adriano runs a hand over the swell of my ass. "Careful, Eliza. That mouth is dangerously close to getting you in real trouble."
"I'm sorry." For once I manage to sound contrite.
"Good girl." The praise kink I discovered in his office makes its presence known again. I hate that. He bends over me so I feel his warmth on my back and kisses my cheek. "Now, wait right there while I find some lube.”
Did he not bring some with him? Was he actually planning to shove that thing inside me without something to ease its way?
"There's lube in the drawer in the nightstand." I tell him in case he goes searching for some and comes up empty.
"Yes, I know. My decorator seemed to think my guests would enjoy a few additional amenities in their rooms."
Well, that explains the handcuffs and six million condoms in my drawer.
While Adriano goes to fetch the bottle of lube I hold my position.
As the seconds drag on I realize he's doing this on purpose, testing my obedience.
With the threat of an ass whipping on top of everything I'm not about to defy him.
He returns a minute later with the bottle in hand.
"This might be a little cold," he says as he drizzles some between my buttocks.
"You missed your calling as a doctor," I tell him.
"Well, if you're into medical play, I'm sure I can read up on a few things."
"No thank you," I say primly.
Adriano chuckles. He smears lubricant over my ass, then coats the plug in it also. I'm grateful he's being considerate even if this is meant to be a punishment, but I'm still not sure how that thing is going to fit inside me.
He puts a hand on my lower back as he positions the tip of the plug at my entrance. I bow my head.
"No, Eliza," he says sternly. "I want you to watch as I plug your disobedient ass."
I look up at the mirror, my eyes meeting his. They're dark with desire.
He pushes the tip of the plug into me and I whimper. Tears well in my eyes but I spent too long perfecting my makeup to allow them to fall.
The plug slowly enters me. It hurts and my body tries to expel it. Adriano presses firmly and my muscles clench.
"Relax, Eliza. This is going in one way or the other."
I don't want to think about what that means. Breathing slowly, I relax as much as I can and Adriano pushes the plug all the way in.
He draws my panties back up and helps me to stand.
The plug is uncomfortable but it doesn’t hurt. I’ll be aware of its presence all night, though. That’s for sure.
"You did well, Eliza. Now, let's get going. We don't want to be late.”
I’m about to mingle with Roman high society with a collar at my throat and a plug up my ass but sure, let’s worry about being late.
As I take the hand Adriano offers me, I grab my purse with the and glance at myself in the mirror once more.
My cheeks are a deeper red than the blush I applied and my eyes are glazed.
There’s no way people won’t realize there’s something up with me.
Fuck my life.