Chapter 14
F allon
The room was as garish as every other I’d walked into, but also very cold.
Lavishly decorated in shades of royal purple, the room appeared designed for a king. For several reasons, I wondered if Navarro had selected this room himself or had simply picked one with the intention of limited sleep.
There were no photographs on the internet of his place of residence in Barcelona, which made me wonder what his home would look like.
With guards outside the room, I was going nowhere. And in truth, I was finished with attempting to escape. Seeing the cut on Navarro’s face, the bruise that was forming just above his cheekbone was a limited but definite illustration of how violent the attack had been.
It was also a reminder of the life I’d been swept away from.
I’d walked in on my father accidentally, witnessing his brutality toward a man who worked for him. Up to that point, I’d thought my father was just like every other kid’s. I’d heard rumors, even at my age, but nothing had mattered because up to that point, my father had walked on water.
It had been my mother who’d sat me down, explaining that there were rooms in the house that I wasn’t allowed to go into.
That had been three weeks before she’d… never returned home.
Shivers were continuously trickling down my spine and I headed to the windows. I’d never felt so alone or so out of touch with reality. Of course the phrase was overused, but in my case, the statement was the best way to describe my emotional state.
Cold.
Alone.
Unsure of who I was.
Of whom my father was.
And I was very much afraid.
A slight squeak of hinges drew my attention first. I was able to gather Navarro’s scent before I laid eyes on him.
He smelled of musk and testosterone, of blood and sweat, gunpowder and leather.
The combination was far too indulgent. There was something even darker and more commanding that indicated danger.
I shouldn’t feel any attraction let alone the deep grinding and highly toxic vibrations continuously sweeping through me.
Yet I couldn’t deny the powerful draw we shared.
Finally, his silhouette appeared, highlighted by the moon and the single lamp I’d turned on after being escorted to my prison that was much nicer than before.
He was completely silent and the only sound I heard was the rapid beating of my heart. As soon as I turned to face him, he closed and locked the door behind him. With the even darker look in his eyes, the simple act appeared sinister.
His jaw was clenched and as he walked closer, I sensed he was still determining how to handle my punishment.
I had no doubt that since taking my wallet he’d discovered everything about me as I’d tried to do with him. It was only a matter of time before he knew portions of my story were a lie. While several were little white ones, he had enough power and influence to put the pieces together.
And I’d seen the look of recognition in his eyes. I’d noticed he was racking his memory banks in search of when we’d met before. What I wasn’t prepared to do was to offer him keys to the past. Maybe because in doing so I’d be forced back into the life somehow. Some way.
I certainly couldn’t trust him even though something deep inside allowed me to continue believing that he had nothing to do with my sister’s kidnapping. But I wanted to.
“Why are you such a control freak?” I demanded as soon as he was close. Too close.
He stopped long enough to debate his answer. I could easily tell by the intense scowl on his face he had no intention of delving too deep into his corrupt and jaded conscience. “Because that’s what is required in my world.”
“Your world sounds repulsive.” I knew that well enough.
“Are you certain about that?”
When he took another step, I looked away. “Please leave, Navarro. I just need some time. I’m sick with worry.” Although only a small part of me, the tiny portion wanting normalcy and conscientiousness wanted him to vacate the room. The other was far more egregious in her desires.
The way he was looking at me was unnerving, but his dark eyes weren’t undressing me or even attempting to determine whether I was lying to him.
He was trying to remember.
“Not until you tell me everything, Fallon. Hence the need to be a control freak. You’re holding out on me and the missing pieces are the only way to solve this dangerous mystery. They’re also the only way I can keep you safe and alive.”
I sidestepped him successfully, moving to another location in the room. If I could make it to the door, I stood a chance.
At what? At leaving again? Who was I kidding? There was no escaping this lavish prison. I’d played my last escape plan and lost. He was right in that I had nowhere else to turn and no one who could help me.
With a grin on his face, he took a step closer.
I shifted away, never taking my eyes off him.
He narrowed his eyes, his chest rising and falling as he studied me for a few seconds. When he took another step, it felt as if we were playing a game of chess and he was well on his way to making the last move.
Check mate.
The moment I shifted again, he countered me by realizing I was headed for the door. After cutting me off, he wagged his finger at me. “A very bad girl.”
“Coming from a wretched man, that’s rich.”
His deep laugh sent a series of thrills through me.
I watched as he began unfastening his belt. Very slowly. His eyes never leaving mine. There was no expression on his face, no reflection of his thoughts. I stood my ground, barely darting any glances at what he was doing.
Yet my heart was pitter-pattering and my legs were a little shaky.
Seconds ticked by as he began to tug on the thick leather, popping the belt free from one loop at a time. When he’d released it, he took his time folding the strap in half.
“And?” he pressed.
He hadn’t minced words. I realized that wasn’t his style. He also wasn’t used to anyone saying no to him, but that’s what I needed so I could maintain a safety net. “No. At least not yet.”
“No?” he repeated.
“No.”
Before I had another chance to object in a different manner, he had his hand wrapped around my throat, pushing me toward the bed. I managed to get free, even rushing to the door, but that didn’t last long. The powerful man had me in his arms.
Continuing to struggle proved useless, the man far too strong. I tried to trip him by using a taekwondo move, but he was too fast for me. He sat down on the bed, immediately dragging me over his lap as he’d done at the club.
The difference was the belt he planned on using.
“There’s no use in fighting me, Fallon. I was upfront with you that if you tried to escape, you would be punished. That’s exactly what I intend on doing.”
“Fuck you, Navarro. I’m an adult.”
“Then you need to act like one. What did you honestly think you’d accomplish by attacking me?”
He had a good point, but I refused to relinquish what little control I believed I had. I continued fighting him even as exhaustion and desperation all but knocked out my ability to fight.
“Fuck you,” I hissed. The man brought the worst out in me, including losing all rational thoughts. That’s how crazy he made me.
He grabbed the hem of my dress, jerking it up to my waist and exposing my bare ass and thighs. I shuddered audibly as cool air sliced against my skin.
“Have it your way, Fallon. I’d believed we could have a decent conversation, but I can tell you need discipline to help you understand.”
“Understand what?” I threw back at him. “That you’re a criminal and I shouldn’t believe anything you spout from your mouth?” Which was technically true, but even in my frazzled state of mind, I knew it wasn’t in my best interest to poke him as I’d been doing.
The moment he brought the strap down against my backside, prickles danced down the backs of my legs.
I lurched up, gasping for air. I’d thought the spanking he’d given me in the club was painful, but the single lash of the belt was blinding.
Navarro didn’t stop there. He brought the belt down twice more, the brutal slap of the thick leather against my skin as nerve-racking as the entire night had been. I cried out and smashed my fists against his legs.
The anguish was entirely different, searing in a similar way as when he’d fucked me like a wild animal. He was methodical, the snapping of his wrist drawing my attention. Yet when the first strike landed on my upper thighs, I uttered a sharp scream, kicking and fighting to free myself.
He held me tightly against him, cracking the belt three more times. I gasped again, only this time, the sharp cry turned into a woeful moan. Not from pain.
Fuck. From desire.
A whiff of my yearning wafted to my nose and I panted from the ugly comprehension I was completely and utterly aroused. Who in their right mind was ever hot and bothered when receiving a painful spanking?
Emotions as well as sensations surged through me.
Rage and insolence, uncertainty and fear.
But as I’d experienced before, every nerve ending was on fire, so electrified I couldn’t breathe. My cheeks burned from the indignation of the horrible act he was performing, but as I opened my mouth to beg him to stop, I sputtered.
What? What in God’s name was wrong with me?
Every part of me was shaking, but my toes were curled as my core began to heat. To add insult to injury, my pussy throbbed more than before. This brutal man was doing this to me on purpose. He wanted me hot and bothered. Did he think that would make me easier to control?
He was a fool if he truly believed that.
“Fuck you,” I managed, my voice more strangled than before.
His chuckle was dark and disbelieving. The heat in my bottom increased, but the fire between my legs was all I could concentrate on. I continued getting wetter, several moans escaping my mouth at the worst possible time.
My pussy clenched even as he issued four more strikes. While the pain was unbelievable, I was getting wetter with every second and there were intense vibrations that refused to be ignored.