11. Aria
11
ARIA
I saw the way Carlos's eyes lit up when I offered my convenient bit of advice to him. It's what makes sense to me, to merge the finances of the businesses those men own in order to save the weaker ones by leaning on the strength of the ones doing better. I've heard my father speak of this before. It's a crutch to get the at-risk company through the worst of the decline while tapping into capital elsewhere, though it's not typically done unless the business owners are entirely on board with a full merger.
Now at home, all I can think is how easy it will be to convince Carlos that he doesn't need his brother's leadership, that he's more than capable of assuming that authority and power. And, of course, how strange it is that Tito gave me only the deepest respect after that moment at tonight's party. He was a changed man, ushering me around from couple to couple, introducing me to his family and doting on me. It's like something in that conversation sparked pride in me or something.
I step into the flow of water, my party clothes left in the hamper. The water is steaming hot, relaxing away my fatigue. As soon as we got home, I came up here to shower. Tito's cologne clings to the clothing and my skin, and while it's not the worst scent in the world, it just reminds me that there are too many things I don't hate about him. That I'm really not the one with the power in this relationship.
I soak my hair and add a bit of shampoo, lathering it up before rinsing it out. Sometimes, I don't know what I’m doing here, like I'm being torn down the middle. My family supports me, and if I told them my plan was to wait until my father's businesses were running well, then somehow find Tito in breach of the contract, they would support that. Dad and Jasper would caution me against anything too nefarious for fear that Tito would harm me, but they would at least help.
At times, I think my mom really wants me to hang in there, hoping that Tito will be to me like my father is to her now, years after my parents’ marriage. I can't ever see Tito being like that. Tonight, all I wanted was to stay on his arm where I felt safer, because I know him and I don't know his family at all. He pushed me away. I wasn't allowed to hear his "business talk", apparently, but when I did, it wasn't like I stole family secrets. And he was impressed by my knowledge, or that’s the way I see it.
And for that reason, I feel like maybe I'm wrong about Tito. Maybe there is more to him than just really good sex and a nasty, controlling attitude.
The door creaks, and I look over to see him walk in. He's halfway undressed, his coat and tie somewhere else. Bare feet pad across the white tile floor as he undoes his belt and slips his slacks off. I cringe as I realize he's going to shower with me. He has no idea I've been attempting to lure his brother into an alliance with me to push him out. I suppose for the time being, that's good for me. I'm not in danger, and Tito's magical fingers can make me feel things no other man has ever made me feel.
" Mia cara ," he mewls as he steps into the shower, letting a burst of cooler air into the glass surround. It's something my father calls me, so it feels odd hearing him say that. I must really have charmed him with my intellect this evening. He doesn’t compliment me like this.
I turn my back to the water and face him as he moves in. His hands rest on my hips and make me tingle with desire. He's not just here to get cleaned up. His dick is half chub and there is a sea of lust in his eyes. He's staring at my tits, water droplets racing across my creamy skin.
"My God, you look incredible." His tight grip pulls me in, and I rest my palms on his chest.
"Am I supposed to thank you for that?" I ask in a sarcastic tone. I'm not sure why, but this feels different from normal. He's pushy and demanding, not complimentary and seductive. But his hips sway against mine, and his thickness squeezes between our pubic bones, making my groin pulse with ache.
"You don't have to say a thing. You were fabulous tonight." Tito leans in and nips at my earlobe. The rumble of his baritone tickles my ear as he continues, "Not only is that ass of yours fantastic in those pants, but you impressed my family." He scrapes his stubble along my jawline as he sucks on my earlobe and then grinds his dick against my pelvis.
"I'd have thought you were going to smack me for being stubborn and mouthy." My instinct to push back just never goes away. I'm sure if he were a man I fell in love with, I'd feel much differently about this interlude in the shower. Besides, Tito is acting weird. One of us needs to be normal.
He chuckles, a deep, growling sound that threatens to melt my insides. His chest rumbles mine, and my fingers itch to claw at his shoulders and push him lower to where his mouth meets my core.
"You are sassy, I'll give you that. And a little sass is a good thing." His lips trail down my jaw to my mouth, where he captivates me in a breath-stealing kiss. My hands lazily walk up his chest and lock together behind his head. It's getting so hot in here, I can hardly breathe.
"Mmm, so you like when I talk back? You could have fooled me tonight." I arch my head back under the water as he nips at the skin on my neck and throat. His hands knead my hips, pulling me against him then gently pushing me away in a steady rhythm. I feel his dick getting harder by the second.
"A woman has to be strong, Aria. You are anything but weak." That's his nice way of saying I'm a bitch, and I'll own that. I am, and I don't intend to be anything other than that to him.
I press on his shoulders, hoping he'll go lower, but he sucks on the tender bit of skin just inside my collar bone as one hand slides up to my left breast to pinch my nipple. I shudder and moan softly, letting the water rush over my face. He knows how to draw pleasure from me no matter what mood I'm in.
"I think you and I would be amazing together, you know?" he asks, pulling away. He slides his dick between my legs where it can caress my slit and spread my moisture but not penetrate me. "We would make a perfect team, husband and wife, leading our organization to be the biggest in the nation. You just can't seem to respect that about me, but hopefully in time, you will."
He is all talk and no game, and right now, he's driving my pussy mad with desire. "Are you going to shut up and fuck me, or do I have to use the shampoo bottle to get off?" My snark knows no bounds. He smirks at me and kisses me again, this time letting his lips trail lower and lower.
I moan as his tongue flicks over my clit, his fingers parting my lips to give him better access. He lifts my leg up, and his tongue probes deeper into my aching pussy, drinking every drop of my arousal. His fingers slide inside me, fucking me as he sucks on my sensitive nub, sending me into a tailspin of bliss. The water hits his back and runs across it, leaving us beneath the waterfall of heat and steam
My moans echo off the tiled walls, my power being sucked from my lungs, and I have no way to stop it. The things he does to me make me want him to do them all that much more. And when he does them more, when I moan for him to give me greater heights of pleasure, I offer him more of a hold over my mind and body.
"Oh, God, Tito. That's it. Right there, don't stop," I gasp, my nails digging into his back as he devours me like he's starving and I'm the last woman on earth. He growls against my pussy, his fingers picking up a punishing pace as he sucks harder. My back arches, my core tightening around his fingers as he presses against an unknown spot with his tongue that has me seeing stars.
I press my hands to his hot skin, leaning over him as his stubble scrapes against my sensitive parts. The water hits my head and makes my hair fall like a curtain around my face, but I’m a quivering mess. His fingers work my pussy to a frenzy. I’m melting around him. I can feel the slick juices my pussy makes for him, so much that he can’t even drink them in as fast as I make them.
I'm on the edge and I can feel the orgasm rip through my core, the waves of pleasure crashing against me like a tidal wave, pulling me under its grasp. "That's it, mo miúrín , come for me," he growls against my aching core, and I arch my back as convulsions ripple through every cell of my body. My pussy clenches around his fingers, milking his fingers for all their worth as I ride out the waves of my orgasm leaned against the tiled wall.
He slowly pulls out his fingers, and I can't help but whimper. My pussy still clenches, aching for more of him inside me, to feel him fill me up. He stands up and lifts me up against the wall, my legs wrapping around his waist as he positions himself at my opening. "I'm going to make you mine, Aria, in every single way possible. And when you finally come to the realization that we are better together, I hope it’s not too late for you.”
He lets me slide lower, sinking onto his thick girth. It slips in me easily as far as he can go and pushes into my back wall so hard I’m seeing stars.
He growls, his grip on my hips tightening. "Fuck, you're so tight. You're so fucking tight. I love the way you feel around me, Aria. You were made for this, for me." His thrusts are angrily slow, like he's trying to imprint his presence into my very soul, to brand me as his for all eternity.
My nails dig into his back as he buries himself inside me over and over again, each thrust hitting that spot that makes my toes curl. I can feel the orgasm building up again, and it's too soon. I can't handle this much pleasure so soon after my first one.
"Tito," I moan, grinding my hips into his in a silent plea for him to stop or at least go faster, anything to finish this torment and get it over with before I combust on him. "Tito, please," I beg, my orgasm barreling toward me like a runaway train and I'm trapped on the tracks. His lips find my earlobe and his tongue teases it, his other hand cupping my breast. "Say it, Aria. Say you're mine and I'll finish this for both of us." He whispers hoarsely in my ear, his thrusts a little more harsh, a little harder, making the orgasm that much closer. "Say it, mo miúrín ."
"Tito, please," I whimper, my control slipping fast. This isn't how I pictured my surrender to be, but here we are, him fucking me against a tiled wall while the water washes over us both. His hands squeeze my ass cheeks, pulling me closer to him as he thrusts in deeper, his dick hitting spots I didn't know existed. I can feel every single ridge of his cock on the walls of my tight pussy, creating a delicious friction that's driving me insane.
He lowers his head, sucking on my neck roughly, sending shivers down my spine each time he does it. "Say I own you," he growls against my ear. His hand leaves my ass cheek and travels upward to find my clit. He rubs it in circles that leave me gasping for air.
"Oh, God," I moan loudly, “yes, you own me.”
That's all he needed to hear. His pace quickens, slamming into me with a ferocity I didn't know was possible. He pounds into me mercilessly, his hand never leaving my clit. Lightning-fast bolts of electricity course through my body, his thrusts and his fingers working in tandem to bring me crashing over the edge again. My pussy tightens around him, milking him for every drop as I scream his name. He growls out my name, his hips jerking as he shoots his seed inside me. The hot exchange runs down my inner thigh, and only then do I realize the water is getting cooler now.
He pulls out of me, both of us panting heavily as I let my feet down, tiptoes touching the tile floor. He still has me pinned against the wall, though, kissing my shoulder and neck. His hand trails up my sides to my ribs, and the water begins to wash away the evidence of our sex. For a split second, I'm captivated by him, drawn in by the power and the allure. Tito is the head of his family now, or will be any day when his father finally dies. That is a lot of power, power I'll never have in my life.
"Think of what we could do as we lead both of our families, Aria," he growls again, hands now kneading my tits, mouth hungrily clawing at my skin. But I can't.
I can't let his temptation to usurp my brother's throne and oust my father's wishes get into my head. I push him hard, and he backs away. My hand has a mind of its own, flying up to smack him across the face.
Tito looks stunned as his hand covers his cheek and I slip out of the shower, grabbing a towel. He doesn't even protest my flight. I wrap the towel around my body and rush out into the air-conditioned bedroom. Sobs reach up out of my throat and erupt into the night as I dive into bed and cover myself, dripping hair and all.
Isn't it every girl's dream to have a husband who will love and cherish her? Being his partner isn't what I want, though being the head of my own family isn't entirely a horrible thought, and that is what makes me feel like I'm going to throw up. My father deserves better, and I have danced with the devil himself, and almost sold my soul to him, for that power. I'm not fit to be the daughter of Hector Peralta, not if I allow Tito Ramiro to tempt me into assuming power that isn't my own. No, I can't be his partner. I can't let his persuasion get to my heart. My father needs me to be strong, not to fall apart because a man can fuck me so well I forget who I am.
I have to keep Tito out of my head. My father's life depends on it.