LuciaI couldn’t spend much time with Elena at the cafe because she had to get back to her shift. I didn’t want to leave, but I would only distract her from working. I took an iced coffee to go and had Stan bring me back to the house.After putting away my things that I brought from John’s, it dawned on me that this was my reality, I was going to be my home, but this didn’t feel like home. Even though Lorenzo says I’m not a prisoner, I know I am.After putting away my things, I went to the library and spent the rest of the day reading, and by dinner time, when I got to the dinning table, I half-expected Lorenzo to be at the end of the table just like he was last night.“I see, I’m having dinner alone,” I muttered as Maria placed a plate of pasta in front of me. The disappointment in my voice leaked out despite my best efforts to hide it. Why did I care that he wasn’t here? I’m supposed to hate him, not miss him.“Yes, he rarely comes home at this time,” Maria said, completely unaware
As Lorenzo captured my lips with his, a soft gasp escaped me, but I didn’t pull away. I couldn’t. The kiss was possessive, and demanding, and I found myself responding in ways I didn’t think were possible. My hands gripped his shoulders as he deepened the kiss, his lips moving against mine with an intensity that made my knees weak.A soft moan escaped my lips, betraying me, and every ounce of reasoning I had disappeared as he slid his tongue past my lips and I granted him entrance, mimicking his action.Lorenzo lifted me as if I weighed nothing, my legs wrapping around his waist instinctively, my arms clutching him closer. His strength was intoxicating, his body solid beneath my hands as he pressed me against the cool wall, his mouth never leaving mine. My heart pounded wildly in my chest, my body betraying the hate I knew I should feel for him.He broke the kiss just long enough to trail his lips down the side of my neck, his beard grazing my skin, sending sparks of sensation through
LorenzoThe taste of her, the way she softened against me, was nothing short of addictive. I can’t get it out of my mind—how her breath hitched, how her lips parted for me, inviting me to take more. She has no idea what she’s doing to me, no idea how close I am to unraveling.I want her in ways I’ve never wanted anyone before. I want her wild beneath me, desperate and undone, so lost in pleasure that she forgets who she is, who I am. I want her to come apart in my arms, to lose every piece of that careful composure. But I have to be patient. I have to play this right, keep her wanting. I’ll pull every thread until there’s nothing left but raw need.As I leave her this morning, I can still feel her lingering presence, a phantom ache that follows me. It’s maddening. The self-control I pride myself on is slipping, and for the first time, I’m finding it hard to care.As I stepped out of my car and took in the sight of the old, secluded warehouse, I tried to push the image of my tempting w
LorenzoThe traffic is heavier than usual for this time of day. As we slowed to a stop at a red light, Lucia turned to me, her gaze dropping to my hand. She murmured something under her breath, too low for me to catch, but I caught the concern in her eyes.I leaned back, watching her rummage through her purse. When she pulled out the salve she placed in it earlier, I raised a brow, curious about what she planned to do.She took the ice she had earlier placed on my knuckles and set aside in the champagne bucket in the car without a word, took my hand gently, and squeezed some of the salve onto her fingers. Then, with a surprising tenderness, she began applying it to my busted knuckles.Her touch was careful, almost reverent, and it did something to me that I couldn’t quite explain. No one had ever taken care of me like this except they were getting paid to do it. It was just a busted knuckle, I had been through worse. Yet, here she tending to me like it was a bullet wound. A lump forme
“I’m so tired of this,” I whispered into the phone, my voice barely holding back the frustration as I spoke to Elena, my best friend. “John is taking me to another one of those stupid parties.”Her reply crackled on the other end, her voice filled with anger. “Another party, Lucia? Seriously?”“Yeah,” I replied with a sigh as I glanced at the black dress John had thrown onto the bed earlier, the one he insisted I wear. It was barely enough to cover anything, he loves parading me in such skimpy dresses.Mom married John when I was six, just a year after Dad died in a car crash. At first, John seemed decent—he played the role of the caring stepfather well enough. But it didn’t take long for things to spiral out of control. After losing his job, he started gambling, and our lives became a living nightmare.To make things worse, he got involved with the mafia, running errands for them, and eventually, he started using the drugs he was supposed to deliver. The more he used, the deeper he s
After several minutes, John's car pulled up to 'Club Neon. A tall building that towered over the street. The line of luxury cars parked outside was a clear indication of the kind of people who frequented this place-people with money,and influence. It was my first time coming here.As I stepped out of the car, the cold night air brushed against my skin, doing little to calm the nerves that fluttered in my stomach.John walked ahead of me, his steps confident, but there was an underlying tension in his posture. He may have been a big man at home, but here, at Club Neon, he was just another pawn in a game far bigger than he could ever control.The entrance to the club was guarded by men who looked like they had seen more violence than anyone should in a lifetime. Their eyes were cold, scanning each guest with an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine.As we stepped inside, the club was filled with a sea of people—beautiful women in expensive dresses and men in tailored suits, it is
My patience was frayed, but my eyes wouldn’t leave her. I should be focused on business. But instead, I found myself staring at her. She didn’t belong here, yet here she was, standing in the middle of a situation she shouldn’t have seen.I forced my gaze back to John, the pathetic bastard groveling at my feet. The idiot had been one of my workers for years, but he had caused me more trouble than he was worth.Always in debt, always making promises to pay, and the minute he managed to scrape together enough to cover his losses, he went right back to gambling. The bastard loved to gamble more than he loved his own life. And now he owed me too much.“I’m sure you know what happens to men who owe me money, John?” I asked, my voice cold and devoid of any emotion.John looked up at me, his face pale, his eyes wide with fear. “Please, sir,” he begged, his voice trembling. “I just need more time. I swear I’ll pay you back. You know I always do. Just give me a little more time.”Time. That’s a
This was my life. At twenty-two, I was getting pawned off to a man against my will, but I couldn’t do anything about it, I couldn’t say no. John had finally gotten what he wanted.I had never envied a dead man more than I did the one lying in Lorenzo’s office. At least he didn’t have to worry about debts he never incurred or the nightmare of trying to survive in this wicked world. Right now, death seemed like the better option. I almost wished Lorenzo would just end it for me—anything would be better than living like this.Tears freely flowed down my cheeks as I followed him out of the club into the cold night air. I heard him firing off instructions to his workers as the valet brought a black escalade around, but I was too dazed to actually listen.So this was my reality, I was Lorenzo’s property for a week, to use however he wanted, and then what? I would get tossed over to the next man that John owed. This had to be a nightmare. My whole life was a nightmare, one that I needed to w
LorenzoThe traffic is heavier than usual for this time of day. As we slowed to a stop at a red light, Lucia turned to me, her gaze dropping to my hand. She murmured something under her breath, too low for me to catch, but I caught the concern in her eyes.I leaned back, watching her rummage through her purse. When she pulled out the salve she placed in it earlier, I raised a brow, curious about what she planned to do.She took the ice she had earlier placed on my knuckles and set aside in the champagne bucket in the car without a word, took my hand gently, and squeezed some of the salve onto her fingers. Then, with a surprising tenderness, she began applying it to my busted knuckles.Her touch was careful, almost reverent, and it did something to me that I couldn’t quite explain. No one had ever taken care of me like this except they were getting paid to do it. It was just a busted knuckle, I had been through worse. Yet, here she tending to me like it was a bullet wound. A lump forme
LorenzoThe taste of her, the way she softened against me, was nothing short of addictive. I can’t get it out of my mind—how her breath hitched, how her lips parted for me, inviting me to take more. She has no idea what she’s doing to me, no idea how close I am to unraveling.I want her in ways I’ve never wanted anyone before. I want her wild beneath me, desperate and undone, so lost in pleasure that she forgets who she is, who I am. I want her to come apart in my arms, to lose every piece of that careful composure. But I have to be patient. I have to play this right, keep her wanting. I’ll pull every thread until there’s nothing left but raw need.As I leave her this morning, I can still feel her lingering presence, a phantom ache that follows me. It’s maddening. The self-control I pride myself on is slipping, and for the first time, I’m finding it hard to care.As I stepped out of my car and took in the sight of the old, secluded warehouse, I tried to push the image of my tempting w
As Lorenzo captured my lips with his, a soft gasp escaped me, but I didn’t pull away. I couldn’t. The kiss was possessive, and demanding, and I found myself responding in ways I didn’t think were possible. My hands gripped his shoulders as he deepened the kiss, his lips moving against mine with an intensity that made my knees weak.A soft moan escaped my lips, betraying me, and every ounce of reasoning I had disappeared as he slid his tongue past my lips and I granted him entrance, mimicking his action.Lorenzo lifted me as if I weighed nothing, my legs wrapping around his waist instinctively, my arms clutching him closer. His strength was intoxicating, his body solid beneath my hands as he pressed me against the cool wall, his mouth never leaving mine. My heart pounded wildly in my chest, my body betraying the hate I knew I should feel for him.He broke the kiss just long enough to trail his lips down the side of my neck, his beard grazing my skin, sending sparks of sensation through
LuciaI couldn’t spend much time with Elena at the cafe because she had to get back to her shift. I didn’t want to leave, but I would only distract her from working. I took an iced coffee to go and had Stan bring me back to the house.After putting away my things that I brought from John’s, it dawned on me that this was my reality, I was going to be my home, but this didn’t feel like home. Even though Lorenzo says I’m not a prisoner, I know I am.After putting away my things, I went to the library and spent the rest of the day reading, and by dinner time, when I got to the dinning table, I half-expected Lorenzo to be at the end of the table just like he was last night.“I see, I’m having dinner alone,” I muttered as Maria placed a plate of pasta in front of me. The disappointment in my voice leaked out despite my best efforts to hide it. Why did I care that he wasn’t here? I’m supposed to hate him, not miss him.“Yes, he rarely comes home at this time,” Maria said, completely unaware
I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, the memory of Lorenzo’s lips grazing my ear played on repeat. I could still feel his breath, warm and infuriating, and the way my body betrayed me, responding in a way it had no right to.I was supposed to hate him. I did hate him. And yet, my body didn’t seem to understand that. It felt wrong, so deeply wrong, that I couldn’t stop thinking about him even now, lying in bed, my heart racing at the thought of his touch.After hours of tossing and turning, sleep finally came. But my dreams were filled with him—those dark eyes, that smug smile, his deep voice whispering into my ear, and his breath fanning against my skin. I woke up several times thinking he was in my room and every time I went back to sleep, the dream resumed.When I woke the next morning, groggy and restless, I forced myself to push those thoughts away. Lorenzo was my captor, not someone I should be dreaming about. I threw back the covers and headed to the bathroom, determin
It’s past midnight and I can’t sleep. Sleeping is hard when I know Lucia is just down the hall. Lately, I have been finding it hard to sleep, and it’s because of her. Now I’m wondering if forcing her to marry me was a wise decision.Marrying her was a calculated decision. It wasn’t just about saving her from her father or that mess of a family. No. It was also for the Trello deal.For the past year, I’ve been on a mission to clean up my business. I’ve been working to secure a merger with Trello Group—a heavyweight in oil and gas. They’re my key to legitimacy, a way to leave some of my past behind.But there's a problem, the president of Trello Group is an old-fashioned man who swears by family values. He’s convinced that a man who isn't married can't be trusted. Under any other circumstances, I’d tell him to go fuck himself. But I need this deal.I groan and sit up on the bed staring into the dark. Deep down I know the deal with Trello Group isn’t the only reason I married Lucia. It’s
LuciaAfter Lorenzo left, I remained curled up on the floor, my eyes swollen and sore from crying. The weight of the ring on my finger felt like a shackle, cold and heavy. Every time I glanced at it, the heavy rock reminded me of my cage—the one Lorenzo had forced me into. I wish I could just die.After a while, a soft knock broke through my thoughts. I didn't answer, hoping whoever it was would leave. The door creaked open, and Maria entered, holding a tray of food.“Maria, please leave me alone,” I groaned."Signora," she said softly, her voice full of sympathy. "You need to eat something. It’s almost noon and you haven’t had breakfast."I shook my head, turning away from her. “I’m not hungry, Maria. Please, just leave me alone.”She sighed, stepping closer, and setting the tray on the nightstand. "I understand that you’re upset, but starving yourself won’t change anything.”I closed my eyes, trying to shut her voice out, but it only made the tears return, burning the backs of my ey
LorenzoI think I was about to murder someone and that someone is my right-hand man, Matteo. The fucker has been giving me shit about in love since we left the mansion.“Just fucking shut up,” I groaned as we stepped out of the car to walk into the club.Matteo chuckled, clearly enjoying himself. "Come on, just admit it. You love her. I saw the way you looked at her back there. I never thought I’d see the day Lorenzo Gonzalez would be in love.”I shot him a glare. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I. Am. Not. In. Love.” Men like me don’t fall in love. I’m not wired that way.“Not that I blame you,” he continued, his tone casual, but the words grated. “I mean, have you seen her? Those curves…”Before I even realized what I was doing, I had Matteo by the collar, slamming him against the car. My vision went red, and I could barely hear my own voice as I growled, “If you ever talk about my wife like that again, or so much as look at her, I’ll cut off your balls and feed them to y
I wasn’t supposed to be responding to this. My entire body should be fighting it—fighting him. Lorenzo’s lips pressed against mine, firm yet coaxing, and everything inside me screamed to hate it. To hate him.But then, his kiss deepened, his lips moving against mine with a skill that made my breath hitch. My brain sent out alarms, flashing warnings to pull away, to shove him off, to do something, but my body betrayed me. My lips softened, giving in, responding to the way he kissed me like he knew exactly how to unravel me.No, no, no. This man just forced me to marry him. I should despise everything about him. But my body refused to obey, trapped in the pull of his touch.Lorenzo pulled back slightly, his lips curling into a smirk, his breath warm against my ear as he whispered, “I knew you’d break, Principessa.”His words sliced through the haze, sharp and infuriating. A surge of anger rushed through me, and I wanted to push him away, to scream at him. But before I could move, his st