Kingpin's Property, page 20
“The thought had crossed my mind, yes,” she admitted, her attempt at a breezy retort ruined by her husky desire.
“And what did you hope to gain through this little seduction?” I eased the robe off her shoulders. It slid to the floor, leaving her bronze flesh on luminous display for me.
“You mean other than an orgasm?” Her attempt at rolling her eyes was ruined when I captured her tight nipples in a sharp pinch. A harsh cry left her lips, and she arched toward my punishing hold to alleviate the sting.
“Am I not providing you with sufficient orgasms, greedy pet? Have I left you unsatisfied?” I rolled her nipples between my fingers, tugging cruelly on the tender buds.
“Please,” she whimpered, pushing at my wrists in an effort to break my punishing hold.
“Hands on the counter.” I barked the command, and she immediately complied, pressing both palms flat against the marble in front of her hips.
I released her nipples and rubbed the abused peaks, drawing a moan from her chest. She melted against me, her head dropping back. Her crown shifted, and she reached up to prevent it from slipping.
Her gray eyes were wide on mine in the mirror, her lush lips parting on a little wary gasp when she realized her disobedience. I’d commanded her to keep her hands on the counter, and within seconds, she’d defied me to secure her crown.
I held her in a steady stare, allowing her to read my rebuke in each nuance of my features rather than issuing a verbal correction. Slowly, she lowered her hand back to the marble, her fingers shaking slightly until she pressed them against the hard stone. I allowed several long, heavy seconds of silence to pass, forcing her to fully observe the extent of my control over her.
“You will never need to seduce me,” I promised, pressing my erection against her pert ass. “And if you think you can bait me into delivering pleasure on your terms, you’re mistaken. I will always make sure that you are more than satisfied, little pet. But you are not in control.” I roughly cupped her pussy, grinding my palm against her clit. “I own you.”
“Stefano!” The tormented way she groaned my name sounded too much like a protest for my taste.
I hooked my thumbs around her lacy panties, roughly shoving them down her legs so that she was completely stripped for my pleasure, naked save for the crown marking her as my captive queen.
My hand returned to her hot cunt, my fingers sliding through the warmth of her silky arousal. Her lashes fluttered as I stroked her swollen folds, teasing around her clit.
“This hot little pussy is mine. You’re mine, Carmen.” The declaration left me on a hungry growl, my own lust ensnaring my mind and threatening my control. My cock ached to drive into her wet heat, my desire keen enough to set my teeth on edge.
But this was a battle of wills, and I would not surrender until Carmen gave me everything I wanted.
“Say it,” I prompted on a hiss.
“Stefano…”
I locked one hand around her nape, forcing her to bend over the marble counter. My other hand left her pussy, cracking across her ass in a sharp, punitive blow. She shrieked as I painted her bronze skin a warm shade of red, ensuring she felt the stinging burn of my displeasure.
“You do not use my name as a protest,” I corrected her with savage heat. “You can whimper it as much as you like, but never with the intent of denying me.”
I landed a harsh swat directly on her slick labia, and she threw back her head on a howl, grabbing at the crown before it could tumble over her brow.
Her wide gray eyes fixed on mine, wild with alarm. I knew I was pushing her hard, forcing her to witness her breathtaking submission to me. But I needed to hear her acknowledge how important I was to her. She surrendered so beautifully when I exerted my influence over her, and I wouldn’t allow her to hide from the full truth of our relationship anymore.
“Easy, pet,” I soothed her, stroking her enflamed flesh. She shuddered, and more of her slick arousal coated my fingers. “There’s no need to be frightened. You like being mine. See?” I brushed my thumb directly across her clit, and she bucked against my hand.
My shaft throbbed, my balls aching to empty inside her.
I gritted my teeth and forced down my base impulses. Carmen would surrender fully before I fucked her.
“Tell me you’re mine, and I’ll let you come.”
Her teeth sank into her lower lip on a whine, and her pale eyes pleaded for mercy.
I had none left.
“You’re being very stubborn, kitten,” I chided roughly. “Nothing bad will happen if you admit it. In fact, I’ll make sure you feel very good once you do.”
“Stefano—” Her lips slammed shut, her eyes flashing with alarm as soon as she realized her error.
A low growl slipped between my teeth, a ruthless vow that she would regret her protest.
I pressed my desire-slicked fingers against her asshole, clamping my other hand more tightly around her nape to restrain her. Her entire body tensed, but she didn’t thrash or try to fight.
I applied steady pressure, penetrating her tight ring of muscles in a deliberately slow claim. I kept her locked in my hungry stare, imposing my will on her.
“Every inch of you belongs to me.” I began to slowly pump in and out of her ass, stimulating her taboo pleasure points. Her inner muscles clenched around my fingers, and a broken sob wracked her body. “Tell me you’re mine, Carmen.”
She shuddered, her entire body shaking. “Please.”
“Admit the truth, and I’ll let you come.” I released her nape so that I could play with her clit, mercilessly stoking her arousal.
Her eyes were wide, shining with a hint of desperate tears. The stricken expression revealed her anguish, and my chest tightened. She wasn’t resisting out of obstinate pride; my kitten was afraid. She was scared to be so vulnerable with me.
I eased back slightly, shifting my teasing hands from her most sensitive flesh to bracket her hips. I pressed my face closer to hers, nuzzling her cheek while I met her gaze levelly in our reflection.
“It’s okay, kitten. I’m yours, too.” I hadn’t intended to say anything like that, but the admission was pulled from somewhere deep inside me, a confession drawn from my soul to ease her distress.
“I’m yours,” she whispered, my show of vulnerability triggering her surrender more effectively than any ruthless manipulations could ever manage. “I’m yours, Stefano.”
A savage snarl caught in my throat, a sound of harsh triumph and tormented desire. I fumbled at my belt, hastily freeing my cock. She was wet and hot for me, prepared by my cruel game. The birth control shot she’d accepted yesterday wouldn’t be fully effective yet, but I would provide her with a precautionary pill later. Stepping away from her now to grab a condom was out of the question.
I needed to brand her pussy with my cum.
I drove inside her tight sheath in one brutal thrust, my shout of primal pleasure mingling with her ecstatic cry. My fingers returned to her clit, stimulating her with merciless intent.
She shattered on a sudden scream, her inner walls rippling around my dick as I pounded into her. She held one hand braced on the counter, and the other clutched at the crown on her head, her fingers tangling in her glossy hair as she clung on to the glittering adornment that marked her as my queen.
“Say it again,” I demanded, pressing my thumb into her tight little asshole as I claimed her in brutal thrusts. “Scream my name, kitten.”
“I’m yours!” Her entire body thrashed as her orgasm crested, and I released her clit to grab her hip, holding her steady so I could continue rutting into her. “Stefano!”
I came apart on a feral roar, my fingers biting into her tender flesh and trapping her quivering body in place. My cock jerked inside her, my hot seed marking her cunt.
Carmen Ronaldo was all mine.
Chapter 22
Carmen
Three Days Later
“Don’t pout, kitten.” Stefano rubbed his thumb across my lower lip. “I know you don’t like being left alone up here, but I’ll be back soon.”
I blew out a sigh and leaned into his hand, no longer caring to conceal how much I craved the comfort of his touch. “I know. I’m just ready for it to be Friday already so that I can finally get out of this damn penthouse.”
He gave me a wry smile, but his eyes tightened with strain. “I thought you were starting to feel at home here.”
I trailed my fingertips along his jaw, soothing his tension. “I am,” I reassured him. “But I haven’t gotten any fresh air in weeks, and I’m used to spending a lot of time outdoors. I’m starting to get claustrophobic.”
“As soon as we hold your coronation, you can come and go as you please,” he promised, reiterating the plan we’d agreed upon. “I don’t want to risk your security until we’ve made our alliance public. No one will dare to touch you once we’ve established our new regime. Just two more days, and then, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. What about Playa Mazunte? You like the beach, don’t you?”
“How do you know that?” He was right, of course, but I hadn’t shared that fact with him.
He shrugged. “You had a rather large painting of a seascape in your bedroom on your family estate. I’m sorry it was destroyed in the fire, kitten. I can buy you a new painting to replace it.” He grinned, arriving at a solution. “Or better yet, we can buy an oceanfront property with a picture window. How does that sound?”
“It sounds extravagant.” I masked my shock with a dry comment.
The extent of Stefano’s obsession with me no longer disturbed me, but it still caught me off guard at times. The reminder that he’d committed even the smallest details about me to memory for over a decade was jarring. All this time, I’d hated him with every fiber of my being. Apparently, he’d thought of me with equally passionate intensity, but his fixation hadn’t been fueled by hatred.
“Extravagant is appropriate, in this case,” he replied, brushing a kiss over my forehead. “I’ve kept you caged for too long, and I’m going to make it up to you. I know you don’t like being left alone, kitten. You won’t be alone for much longer.”
I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck, anchoring him to me. “I know,” I declared fiercely, my words holding so much more weight than simply discussing the next few days of isolation. “We have each other now, Stefano. I…I’m glad about that.”
I swallowed the words that had been teasing at the back of my tongue for days. As much as I cared for Stefano—and I fully believed he cared for me—I would be a fool to think he was capable of romantic love. If I said I love you, I suspected he would say it back because he would want me to be happy.
But he wouldn’t truly mean it. Not in the way I did.
The prospect of hearing him say the words but knowing they were a pretty lie was far more painful than simply accepting the reality that love wasn’t an option with Stefano. He was obsessive, possessive, and attentive. His strange brand of affection was overwhelming enough. I could live without I love you.
I swallowed against the lump in my throat, berating myself for my unreasonable grief. Finding contentment and safety with Stefano was more than I ever could have hoped for in my life. Getting sentimentally weepy because he didn’t fit some cookie cutter version of a happily ever after was beyond ridiculous and self-indulgent.
“I’m glad we have each other too, kitten.” His dark eyes burned into me for a few intense heartbeats before his lips quirked in a sinful smirk. “I should have captured you years ago. I’m sorry I waited so long.”
I rolled my eyes. “You could have just asked me on a date, you know. Normal men don’t kidnap women when they want to fuck them.”
He chuckled. “I’m not a normal man, pet. And I want so much more from you than just a good fuck.” He pressed a kiss against my lips before nipping my lower lip. “But you already know that. I think you just want to hear me say it again.” His stubble lightly scratched my cheek, and he whispered a dark promise in my ear. “I own you.”
A small shiver raced over my skin, and my core heated. The proprietary words had become a visceral trigger, and I was developing an unhealthy addiction.
Being owned by Stefano meant that I was safe. It meant that I wasn’t alone anymore.
“I own you, too,” I reminded him breathily.
The concept was still somewhat bizarre. I never would have imagined that sociopathic Stefano Duarte would be capable of admitting that he belonged to anyone else. I wasn’t certain if he fully understood it himself, but I suspected that I wasn’t the only one who’d been lonely over all the awful years that had separated us.
“Yes, you do, you saucy minx.” He admitted to my ownership with a sharp bite to my earlobe. “That doesn’t mean you’re in control. But you already know that, too. You’re getting very transparent in your attempts to bait me. If you want an orgasm, you could always simply beg for one like a good little pet.”
Heat pulsed between my legs, and my nipples tightened to hard peaks. “Never,” I hissed, catching the shell of his ear in a vicious bite of my own.
His fingers tangled in my hair, lighting up my scalp with sparks of pain. My lips parted on a gasp, and he plundered my open mouth in a punishing kiss. He kept me locked in his cruel embrace for long minutes, finally breaking away when I became so lightheaded that my knees sagged.
His eyes were black with lust, his hard cock pressing into my belly. A triumphant smile twisted my lips, even though I was in an equally needy, frustrated state.
“Now you know how I feel.” I declared my breathless victory. “Have a nice day, darling. And hurry back to me.”
He barked a laugh, insanely delighted by my ruthless game. “Naughty kitten. I’ll have to think of an extra-special punishment for this. You’ll get your wish. I will definitely hurry back to you as soon as possible. Although I’m sure you’ll be cursing me for hours before I finally let you come.”
The erotic threat made my skin pebble, but I managed a smug smirk. “Whatever you say, dear.” I was certain I could break him of his plans to delay my orgasm.
Well, not immediately. But I doubted he would last hours. Stefano liked seeing me scream in pleasure far too much to deny himself for that long.
His laugh was roughened by a groan. “You’re going to kill me, kitten.” He petted my hair, his lips softening in a fond smile. “Death by Carmen Ronaldo. What a way to go.”
My heart swelled in my chest, and I crushed my mouth to his, the only way to prevent the words from forming on my tongue; I love you.
Eventually, he extricated himself from my arms. “I’ll miss you today, too,” he said, unashamed of his admission. “Behave while I’m gone. Bandit will keep you company.”
“I’m sure he will, and I make no promises about my behavior.”
He shot me a rueful grin and stepped into the elevator. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, my mischievous pet.”
My wide, silly smile faded a few seconds after the silver doors closed, hiding him from my sight. I really did hate being cooped up by myself all day.
Bandit bumped against my ankles, immediately offering me companionship in the absence of his deranged master. Sighing, I bent down and scooped him up, carrying him over to the couch with me. I arranged his furry little body on my lap and picked up the tablet Stefano had given me, resolving to make the final selection for my coronation gown.
Less than an hour passed before the elevator doors opened again. My heart leapt for a moment, anticipating Stefano’s return. It dropped back to my chest when I noted Marisol’s pinched features.
She wasn’t alone.
I scrambled to my feet, sending Bandit flying. Before I could consider making a dash for the bedroom to retrieve my phone and call Stefano, Daniel Vera raised a weapon and fired directly at me.
Marisol’s soft cry sounded over my shocked gasp at the punching impact with my shoulder. Dread weighed on my gut as I recognized the familiar sensation of the tranquilizer dart injecting insidious drugs into my system, rendering me helpless to defend myself.
I stumbled forward two steps before I dropped to my knees, panic clawing at my heart as my entire body slowed despite my desire to fight.
“Why did you do that?” Marisol demanded, rounding on Daniel. “You said you were helping us escape. She would have come with us willingly.”
My limbs turned to jelly, and the room tilted. I blinked slowly, looking up at Marisol from where I lay sprawled on the floor. I tried to lift my hand to pluck the dart from my flesh, but I couldn’t get my body to respond to my commands.
“You don’t know that for sure,” Daniel sneered. “Miguel told me she’s nuts. I wasn’t going to risk my neck for some crazy whore.”
A block of ice solidified in my heart, and I searched wildly for Marisol, willing the world to coalesce around me so I could beg her for help.
“Don’t…” I forced my tongue to reason with her. She thought she was rescuing me, but she had somehow become involved in a scheme to take me to Miguel, my worst nightmare.
“I want Stefano. Please…” A low, animal moan left my chest as my muscles went lax and a soporific fog clouded my mind.
“This isn’t what we talked about.” Marisol’s uncertain words were fading out. “You said Carmen’s friend wanted to help her. If that’s true, why are you drugging her?”
The sharp smack of a hand slapping flesh was followed by her pained shout.
“Just follow through with your end and tell Duarte that I’m the one who took her. Arturo will be waiting to ambush him at my place, and then, that arrogant fucker won’t be your problem anymore, either.”
Terror engulfed my senses, following me down into darkness.
Ice encased my bones, and the scent of perpetual damp made my stomach lurch. I shuddered and reached for Stefano, desperate to shake off the old nightmare.
