Chapter 40
CHAPTER FORTY
Dmitri
"On your knees," I murmur against her lips.
She sinks down immediately. No hesitation. Her hands reach for my belt.
"Look at me," I command.
Her eyes lift.
I thread my fingers through her hair. "You're so beautiful like this."
She flushes. Her tongue darts out. Wets her lips.
"Did you wear what I told you to wear today?" I ask.
She nods.
"Show me."
She stands. Turns. Lifts the hem of her dress slowly.
There. The rose gold vibrator.
"Good girl." I pull her dress back down. "Back on your knees."
She drops again. Her hands work my belt. My zipper.
When she frees me, her breath hitches.
"You want this?" I ask.
"Yes."
"Then take it."
She leans forward. Her tongue traces the length of me. Slow. Teasing.
I groan. My grip tightens in her hair.
She looks up at me. Those dark eyes holding mine. Then she takes me in her mouth.
Heat. Wet. Perfect.
My other hand finds the controller in my pocket.
I press the button.
She moans around me.
"Fuck." My head falls back.
She takes me deeper. Her eyes water. But she doesn't stop.
I press the button again. Increase the intensity.
She gags. Her eyes roll back. But she keeps going. Keeps taking me.
"That's it," I breathe. "Just like that."
Tears stream down her face. But she's moaning. Wanting more.
I push deeper. She gags again. Her throat constricts around me.
"You're perfect," I tell her. "So fucking perfect."
She whimpers. The sound vibrates through me.
I press the button again. The highest setting.
Her whole body shudders. She moans louder. The sound muffled.
"You like that?" I ask. "Like being filled everywhere?"
She nods. Or tries to. Her eyes are glazed. Tears running freely.
I pull her closer. Push deeper. She gags but doesn't pull away.
"Good girl," I murmur. "Taking everything I give you."
Her hands grip my thighs. Nails digging in.
I can feel her trembling. Feel her getting close.
"You're going to come like this," I tell her. "With my cock in your mouth and that thing in your pussy."
She moans again. Desperate. Needy.
I press the button. Off. On. Off. On.
Teasing her. Pushing her.
Her eyes meet mine. Pleading.
"You want to come?" I ask.
She nods frantically.
"Then come." I press the button. Hold it. "Come for me, solnyshko."
Her whole body convulses. She moans so loud. Gags. Her throat working around me.
The sight pushes me over the edge.
I hold her head. Keep her in place. "Take it. Take all of it."
She does. Swallowing. Tears streaming. Eyes rolling back.
When I finally release her, she gasps for air. Her lips swollen. Face flushed.
"Beautiful," I breathe. "You're so fucking beautiful."
She looks up at me. Dazed. Satisfied.
I pull her to her feet. Kiss her hard.
I pull back from the kiss. Her lips are swollen. Red. Perfect.
"Turn around," I command. "Face the wall."
She obeys immediately. Her breathing still ragged.
"Lift your dress."
She reaches down. Gathers the fabric. Pulls it up slowly until her ass is exposed.
"Higher," I say.
She lifts it to her waist.
I step closer. Press against her back. My hand finds her throat. Pins her to the wall.
"You're going to take my cock now," I murmur against her ear. "And you're going to be quiet. Can you do that?"
"Yes," she breathes.
My other hand reaches between her thighs. She's soaked. Dripping.
"So wet for me."
I remove the vibrator slowly. She moans. Her body trembling.
I set it aside. Position myself behind her.
"Lift your leg," I order.
She raises her right leg. I catch it. Hook my arm under her knee. Hold her open.
My hand tightens on her throat. Not choking. Just controlling.
"Ready?" I ask.
"Yes. Please. I need—"
I thrust inside her. Hard. Deep. All at once.
She cries out. Her hands slap against the wall.
"Fuck," I groan. "You're so tight like this."
I don't give her time to adjust. I pull back. Slam in again.
Her whole body jolts forward.
"Dmitri," she gasps.
"That's right." I thrust again. Harder. "Say my name."
"Dmitri. Oh god. Dmitri."
I set a brutal pace. Each thrust drives her against the wall. My hand on her throat keeps her in place.
"You feel that?" I growl. "Feel how deep I am?"
"Yes. Yes. Don't stop."
"Never." Another thrust. "You're mine. This pussy is mine."
She moans. Her walls clench around me.
"Say it," I demand. "Tell me who you belong to."
"You. I belong to you."
"Damn right you do."
I angle my hips. Hit that spot inside her that makes her scream.
"There," she gasps. "Right there. Please."
I thrust harder. Faster. The sound of skin slapping echoes in the room.
"You like being fucked like this?" I ask. "Against the wall where anyone could hear?"
"Yes. God, yes."
She moans. Her leg trembles in my grip.
"You're close," I murmur. "I can feel it."
"Yes. So close."
"Not yet." I slow down. Torture her with long, deep strokes.
"Dmitri, please."
"Please what?"
"Please let me come."
"Beg me properly."
"Please. Please let me come. I need it. I need you."
I thrust hard. Once. Twice.
"Harder," she gasps. "Please. Harder."
Something snaps inside me.
I pull out. Spin her around. Lift her completely off the ground.
Her legs wrap around my waist. Her back slams against the wall.
I drive into her. Brutal. Relentless.
"Like this?" I growl. "This hard enough for you?"
"Yes. Yes. Oh fuck. Yes."
I pound into her. Each thrust rattles the wall. The pictures shake.
"Harder," she demands. "Give me everything."
I grip her ass. Spread her wider. Thrust deeper.
"You want everything?" I snarl. "You want me to fuck you until you can't walk?"
"Yes. Please. Harder."
I lose control completely.
My hips snap forward. Again. Again. Again.
She screams. Her nails rake down my back.
"That's it," I breathe. "Let everyone hear. Let them know who's fucking you."
"Oh god."
I can feel her getting close. Her walls flutter around me.
"Come," I command. "Come on my cock right now."
"I can't. I need—"
My hand slides between us. Finds her clit. Rubs hard.
She shatters.
Her scream echoes off the walls. Her whole body convulses. Her pussy clamps down on me so tight I can barely move.
"Fuck. Fuck. Vittoria."
I keep thrusting. Drawing out her orgasm. Making it last.
She's sobbing. Shaking. Clinging to me.
"Beautiful," I murmur. "So fucking beautiful when you come."
Her walls pulse around me. Milking me.
I'm close. So close.
"Where?" I grit out. "Where do you want it?"
"Inside," she gasps. "Come inside me."
Those words destroy me.
I thrust deep. Once more. Then I'm coming. Filling her. Marking her.
I hold her against the wall. Both of us trembling. Gasping for air.
Her head falls to my shoulder. Her body goes limp.
"I've got you," I murmur. "I've got you, solnyshko."
She makes a small sound. Satisfied. Exhausted.
I carry her to the bed. Lay her down gently.
She looks up at me. Her eyes glazed. A small smile on her lips.
"You okay?" I ask.
"More than okay," she whispers.
I brush hair from her face. Kiss her forehead.
"Good." I pull the blanket over her. "Rest. We're not done yet."
Vittoria
I sit at the long dining table in the Baganov estate, surrounded by Dmitri's siblings.
The silence is heavy. Oppressive. Like grief has weight and it's pressing down on all of us.
Aleksander sits at the far end, his jaw tight. He hasn't touched his coffee. Just stares at it like the answers to everything are floating in the dark liquid.
Oleg picks at his eggs. Pushes them around his plate. His knuckles are bruised. Fresh. I don't ask.
Vladimir reads something on his phone. His face blank. Unreadable. He's been like that since the funeral. A wall.
Karolina sits beside me. She offered me a small smile when I arrived. It didn't reach her eyes. She's trying. I can see that. But the effort exhausts her.
Natalia is across from me. She's the youngest.
She looks like she's carrying the weight of that every single day.
I understand that feeling. The guilt that doesn't make sense but exists anyway.
Dmitri enters the dining room. His presence shifts something in the air. Everyone straightens slightly. Like soldiers responding to their commander.
He's dressed in a dark suit. His hair still damp from the shower.
He moves to the head of the table. Kisses Karolina's cheek. Squeezes Vladimir's shoulder. Nods at Aleksander and Oleg.
Then he comes to me.
His hand finds the back of my neck. Gentle. Possessive. He leans down. Kisses my temple.
"Good morning, solnyshko," he murmurs.
"Morning," I whisper back.
He takes the seat beside me. A server appears immediately. Pours his coffee. Sets down a plate of food.
The silence continues.
I try to think of something to say. Something that won't sound hollow. Empty.
Nothing comes.
Dmitri's hand finds mine under the table. Squeezes once.
I squeeze back.
"Natalia," Dmitri says. His voice cuts through the quiet. "How are you doing?"
Everyone's eyes shift to her.
She looks up. Startled. Like she wasn't expecting to be addressed.
"I'm fine," she says automatically.
The lie is so obvious it hurts.
"Natalia," Dmitri says again. Softer this time.
Her fork clatters against her plate. She flinches at the sound.
"I said I'm fine." Her voice cracks. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"
"Because we care," Karolina says gently.
"Well, stop." Natalia's hands shake. "Stop caring. Stop looking at me like I'm going to break."
"You're grieving," Vladimir says. "We all are."
"It's not the same." Natalia's eyes fill with tears. "You all got to know him. You had years with him. I killed her. I killed our mother. And now he's gone too and I—"
Her voice breaks completely.
Karolina reaches across the table. "Natalia, no. You didn't—"
"Don't." Natalia stands abruptly. Her chair scrapes against the floor. "Don't tell me it wasn't my fault. Don't tell me she chose this. I know what I am."
She runs from the room.
The silence that follows is worse than before.
Karolina covers her face with her hands. Vladimir's jaw works. Aleksander finally looks up from his coffee, his eyes hollow.
Oleg stands. "I'll go—"
"No," Dmitri says. "Let her be."
"She's hurting," Oleg argues.
"We're all hurting." Dmitri's voice is flat. "She needs space."
I watch him. His face is carefully blank. But his hand tightens on mine. Hard enough to hurt.
I don't pull away.
Karolina drops her hands. "She's getting worse. Not better."
"Give her time," Vladimir says.
The tension is suffocating.
I clear my throat. Everyone looks at me.
"I understand," I say quietly. "What she's feeling."
"My father died when I was thirteen," I continue. "Heart attack. Sudden. One day he was there. The next he wasn't."
Karolina's eyes soften. "I'm sorry."
"I blamed myself for years." I stare at my untouched food. "I thought if I'd been better. Smarter. Less trouble. Maybe he wouldn't have been so stressed. Maybe his heart wouldn't have given out."
"That's not rational," Vladimir says.
"Grief isn't rational." I meet his eyes. "It doesn't care about logic. It just exists. And it makes you believe things that aren't true."
Aleksander leans forward. "How did you stop blaming yourself?"
"I didn't." The admission tastes bitter. "Not completely. But I learned to live with it. To carry it without letting it destroy me."
Oleg sits back down. "She won't talk to any of us."
"Because you're all trying to fix her," I point out. "You're telling her it's not her fault. That she shouldn't feel guilty. But she does. And denying her feelings doesn't help."
Dmitri's thumb strokes across my knuckles. A silent thank you.
"She reminds me of you," he says quietly. "When you talk about Riccardo."
My chest tightens. "Yeah. I know."
Vladimir clears his throat. "Thank you. For sharing that."
I nod. Don't trust my voice.
Karolina reaches over. Squeezes my free hand. "I'm glad you're here."
The words surprise me. Warm me.
"Me too," I manage.
Aleksander picks up his coffee. Finally takes a sip. "We should eat. Before everything gets cold."
It's a small thing. Normal. Mundane.
But it breaks the heaviness.
Conversation starts slowly. Vladimir mentions something about the horses. Oleg talks about a boxing match. Karolina asks about wedding plans.
I answer. Participate. Try to be present.
But my mind keeps drifting to Natalia. To the girl upstairs who's drowning in guilt that isn't hers to carry.
I know that feeling too well.
Dmitri leans close. His breath warm against my ear. "You okay?"
"Yeah," I whisper. "Just thinking."
"About?"
"How grief makes us all liars."
His hand tightens on mine again. "What do you mean?"
"We say we're fine when we're not. We pretend we're healing when we're just surviving. We smile when we want to scream."
He's quiet for a moment. Then, "You're not fine either."
It's not a question.
"No," I admit. "But I'm better than I was."
"Because of me?" There's something vulnerable in his voice.
I turn to look at him. Really look at him.
His eyes search mine. Looking for truth.
"Yes," I say. "Because of you."
Something shifts in his expression. Softens.
He lifts my hand. Kisses my knuckles. Right there in front of his siblings.
"Good," he murmurs against my skin. "Because you're the only thing keeping me from falling apart too."
The confession stuns me.
Before I can respond, Karolina speaks up. "So, Vittoria. Tell us about your family. We've heard bits and pieces, but I want to know more."
I blink. Shift my attention back to the table.
All of them are watching me. Waiting.
Not with judgment. Just curiosity.
"What do you want to know?" I ask.