CHAPTER 9
DOVE
I’m surrounded by a mixture of luxury goods and practical presents along with enough wrapping paper and ribbons to make it look like Christmas exploded. I have no idea how to feel about it. The gifts are amazing and this is the best Christmas morning I can remember.
But it feels wrong accepting all of the gifts surrounding me. They feel like charity even though I’m sure Angelo doesn’t see them that way.
I can’t remember waking up to gifts under the tree when I was growing up. Most of the time there wasn’t even a tree. Even after I went into the system, the best I got was a stocking with a few practical gifts inside. It was nothing like this.
“You did too much,” I try to argue with Angelo. Again.
Angelo only smiles softly at me. This man is infuriating. Part of me wishes I could refuse all of these gifts, but the other part wants to keep them all.
Because the gifts surrounding me are gorgeous.
There are a few coats which look like they were tailored to me. Knowing Angelo, even if only for a short time, I wouldn’t be surprised if they are. The man has definitely put in the time memorizing my body so I’m sure he could figure it out.
There is clothing, a lot of clothing. It’s not all fancy stuff either, there are outfits here to fit every scenario and season. I’m not sure how he managed to get fresh summer outfits, but he did. I’m sure he just paid for the privilege to get access to items early which aren’t even in stores.
It feels like something he would do for sure.
Jewelry sparkles in small, expensive boxes around me as well. There are a few pieces, including a necklace with our initials hanging from it, perfect for everyday wear. Then there are gems far bigger than I’m comfortable with that should only be worn at some fancy event.
I’m not exactly the kind of girl who goes to a lot of fancy events. I certainly have the jewelry, dresses, and shoes to attend one of those events now.
There’s no way I’m giving back the shoes. They’re all mine now. I can’t even fathom how much money was spent on them.
There are all types too. Heels. Boots. Sandals. Platforms. Flats. Tennis shoes. I’m practically drowning in shoes. And I love them.
Fuck, don’t even get me started on the purses. They’re gorgeous and so soft. I shouldn’t accept them, but I also just want to spread them all over the bed and sleep with them. That’s how amazing they are and how much I love them.
As I’m looking at everything around me, my heart sinks.
“You shouldn’t have done this,” I try to tell him again.
“I tried to get you something yesterday, but…,” my words trail off as my eyes widen and I look over at Angelo to find him staring at me intently.
I wave my hand, trying to dismiss my words, “Forget I said anything.”
“Oh, la mia pace,” he admonishes me when one side of his mouth tips up into a smirk, “you don’t really expect that to work, do you?”
He moves closer to me, his muscles banking all the power of a predator. His gaze has locked onto me and the intensity of it has my breath catching in my throat.
Fuck me. I wish I could take the words back, but Angelo probably already knows all about what went down at that snooty fucking store. He was probably waiting for me to bring it up.
And I didn’t.
I’m going to blame the high of opening all of these gifts. My whole system is out of whack because of it. I’m not used to this feeling inside of me. It’s a delicious mix of safety and comfort which seems to make my lips far too loose about things I shouldn’t be talking about.
I let out a low groan as my head falls back on my shoulders and the expensive as hell presents surrounding me, which include tablets, a new phone, and a laptop, are momentarily forgotten.
“I see you figured out that I already know, Dove,” Angelo’s voice is a low, seductive rumble that shoots straight through me. “Still, I’d like to hear it from you.”
There’s no hint of demand in his voice, but it is one all the same. A demand I’m powerless against.
“It’s not that big of a deal,” I try to argue with him, but the look on his face tells me he would like to be the judge of that.
When I huff and roll my eyes, his gaze darkens and I’m positive he’s thinking about spanking me again. I have a feeling my ass is going to be pink before those cinnamon rolls go in the oven. Hopefully, I’ll be able to sit down to enjoy the breakfast he promised me.
Not that I really mind.
I danced among the stars the other day when Angelo bent me over the island and spanked my ass before fucking me hard and filling me with his cum.
Being spanked or fucked never felt so good. But I’m learning that things with Angelo are special. There is no way that I’m able to compare things with him to my experience with anyone else.
I don’t think he’s able to make me feel this way just because he has more money than he knows what to do with or because of his name.
He would put in the effort even if he didn’t have any money to his name.
Sure, I wouldn’t be surrounded by the luxury I am right now, but it’s the sentiment that really counts.
And everything Angelo has done today tells me he wants me to have an amazing morning, one unlike any I have had before. He’s spoiled me. It’s not easy for me to accept, but maybe that’s my problem and not his.
“Look,” I start, “I didn’t see a reason to bring it up to you. It certainly wasn’t the first time someone made assumptions or snap judgements about me. It happens to most people every day, whether they realize it or not. Yesterday it simply happened to me.”
“Dove,” the warning in his voice has a shiver working its way down my spine and settling in my gut.
This man causes tingles to overtake my body. And I kind of like it.
“Fine,” I whine with a huff. “I remembered seeing a few boutiques a few streets over. I went over there and was window shopping until I saw a pair of cufflinks. They had a dove inlaid in them and I thought they would make a cute gift for you. I knew I had more than enough cash considering you keep leaving me wads of bills anytime you leave the house.”
Even though he tries to keep his face a mask of neutrality, one corner of his mouth twitches upward. I’m not sure what he finds so funny, but I know he’s not going to let go of this.
I throw my hands up in frustration. “What do you want me to say? They were rude. Not just kind of snooty, but downright rude. The woman who was working rolled her eyes and looked down her nose at me when I asked to see the cufflinks. She told me she doubted I could afford them since they were over a grand. When I assured her that I had more than enough cash, she just scoffed.”
The words came tumbling out of me and I couldn’t stop them. It wasn’t worth trying anyway. I wasn’t going to be able to keep this from him.
“And you left,” he doesn’t pose it as a question, he states it as a known fact. And he’s not wrong.
“Of course,” I agree. “What else was I supposed to do? If they weren’t going to sell me the cufflinks, I was done in there and I wasn’t exactly keen on continuing to be spoken down to.”
Angelo’s arm shoots out and hooks around my waist. When he hauls me into his lap, I let out a yelp of surprise while the purse closest to me topples over.
I push against his chest, unsure about what is going to happen because his face is entirely blank. I don’t like it when I can’t read his emotions. It gives me a better idea of what his men, business associates, and enemies see when they look at him.
When he’s with me, he’s usually so open. It’s allowed me to fall in love with him easily.
At that realization, I freeze in his arms and stop struggling against his hold. I love him? Holy fucking shit. I love him.
I love Angelo Amato.
When the hell did it happen? How did it happen? My gut clenches because I’m more than a little scared this isn’t going to end well and he’ll break my heart.
“You should have called me the moment they gave you a hard time,” Angelo’s voice is strained.
“I can’t call you every time someone has a problem with me,” I point out. “People judge; it’s in our nature.”
“No,” he barks, “you absolutely can call me every time someone has a problem with you.” He eyes me as if he’s looking right through me. “Or it clicks for you that you have far more power than you realize and you begin to wield it.”
My nose scrunches up and my mouth twists to the side while I start to shake my head. “I don’t have power.”
The chuckle that comes out of him is acidic; it’s a sound you should move away from. But I find myself melting against him. This man has done something to me, but I don’t hate it.
I watch as he grabs a long, thick ribbon from the Christmas explosion surrounding us.
He grips my wrists with one hand and uses the other to wrap the ribbon around them, binding them together before I fully register what is happening.
I’m going to blame the present opening high for why I don’t even question what he’s doing.
Or maybe it’s because I love and trust my man.
With my life.
Angelo positions me on my hands and knees. His hand is heavy as he pushes my shoulders until they’re pressed against the floor and I have no choice but to stretch my bound hands out in front of me. It’s the only way my shoulders aren’t screaming at me even though it’s still not exactly comfortable.
I jump a little when his hand brushes the silky fabric of my robe up over my ass until it slinks up my back and exposes my body to his hungry gaze. The heat and intensity of his stare skims along my skin and my pussy floods as my clit pulses.
“Angelo,” his name comes out as a high-pitched whine as I try to rub my thighs together to give myself some friction. With the position I’m in, it’s useless and I groan in frustration.
His large hand rubs over my ass and I freeze in place as I start to pant with the anticipation of what he’s going to do next. My eyes slide closed and I bite my lip to stop myself from moaning at just the thought of his hand coming down on my ass again.
The silence stretches between us, the sound of our breathing creating a primal rhythm which is doubling and mounting with every breath.
“You are a force of nature,” his voice is deep and steady.
It’s almost as if his words reach inside of my chest and grip my heart. Haven’t I already given it to him? My back arches as I stretch my arms further out in front of me.
Angelo’s grip is firm as he pries my knees farther apart. “You have no idea how sexy you look stretched out for me like this.”
I shriek when his hand lands on my ass cheek. It’s not a gentle, warm-up spanking. This one is meant to sting. And it does. I almost can’t swallow down my moan of pleasure.
“You are so much stronger than you realize.” It feels like he wraps me in his words and holds me close without touching me. My mind stills and it fills with light. Instead of darkness.
Instead of that little voice which has stuck around with me, no matter how many times I’ve tried to ignore it and push against it. It’s always the voice of my mother in her cruelest moments. Even in death, she remains, if only she were worthy of such remembrance.
He spanks me again. “You haven’t even begun to realize your power.”
I shake my head, my mind revolting against his words. “No,” I insist.
“You’re my woman. My queen. If I have power, you have power.
If I have riches, you have riches. If I have people’s fear, you have people’s fear.
I’ll be your sword if it is what you need.
Or I will simply remind you of everything you already are.
” He spanks me with each of his next words, “You. Just you, Dove.”
My mouth opens and closes, but my mind blanks and I don’t know why I’m arguing with him in the first place.
This is what he wants to grant me? This is the give with the take of being with this man?
And the life I will have is one where he demands and I give, but it all comes back to me, and he holds me by his side?
I think I could get used to something like that.
Angelo slips just the tip of his cock inside of me and holds still. When I try to push back against him to feel more of him, to stretch around him, his hand comes down hard on my ass and I freeze in place.
“You are the only woman who can stand at my side.” It feels like he’s hypnotizing me with his words.
He plunges inside of me, filling me to the hilt, while spanking my ass. The sensation of it all at once feels like being thrown overboard. My fingers stretch out from my bound hands as if I could grab something and steady myself.
But I can’t.
The wrapping paper crinkles and I hope we don’t ruin anything he got me, even though he probably wouldn’t care. I push back against him while squeezing his length in the hope of him giving me what I want.
“Careful,” he grits out through his teeth.
But I don’t listen. I squeeze him again and wiggle my hips. My body shudders as he lets out a growl while his hand lands on my ass again.
“Fuck me, Angelo,” I beg, my voice needy as fuck.
The air stills for a moment and then he’s giving me exactly what I asked for. This doesn’t feel like a punishment, not like the other day.
As he punches his hips forward, claiming me all over again with his body, I meet his movements and moan out just how good it feels to be filled by him. He grips my hip with one hand while the other slides up and down my spine with his fingertips.
The way his touch is light but intentional has my body going on high alert. The contradiction of his touch pushes me closer to the edge. As the sound of our bodies slapping together gets faster and louder, our moans do as well.
His groans are masculine and feel like a live wire.
“I’ll keep telling you who you are, and then fucking you until you can’t argue about it,” he grunts. His hand lands on my ass again as I feel his hard cock swell inside of me and his thrusts falter. But I’m right here.
Even though his words are ridiculous, I have no doubt that he wouldn’t hesitate to follow through. I’m not even surprised at this point.
If I’ve learned one thing about Angelo over the last few days, it’s that he’s more than a little unhinged.
And I love it.
He spanks me again as he barks out, “Come.”
My body obeys. The way my pussy squeezes him might as well be me begging for his cum. He lets out a long and low groan as he fills me with his cock and his seed.
When I go limp, he’s there, holding me steady and gently moving me until I’m cradled in his arms. His fingers are deft as he unties my hands and tosses the ribbon like kinky Christmas confetti.
All the presents are still surrounding us, and Christmas day is just starting. Maybe I should start believing in the magic of the season. At least just a little bit.