Balia was still in that position for over thirty minutes. The ropes had done a number by sinking into her skin. It hurt like crazy, and she was sure it would leave an angry mark on her skin. Her ankles felt the same way.She looked up to the four-poster bed at each corner, where the rope was attached to curved brass rods, strong enough that even her weight couldn't pull off.She was wise enough not to try to swing. It wasn't going to be to her benefit. She imagined herself turning from left to right to get the rod off. It would only make the rope sink deeper into her skin and cause her more pain.When she couldn't take it anymore, she began to whimper. Hot tears ran down the side of her face as she sobbed and weakly called out for someone to get her out of there. She wondered where the vile man had gone.Was he going to leave her here for the rest of the night? Was he going to make her his prisoner? What the hell had she gotten into tonight? She beat herself up for not apologizing wh
“I didn't catch your name, red hair," Senna said as she caught the dress he tossed at her.Balia ignored him and walked towards the bathroom to get changed. If he wanted to know her name, he'd have done that politely over a drink or after asking her to strip for him.These were the perks of being a stripper. The bad perks. Men could make nasty comments about you, slap you in inappropriate places, and even ask for sex, and all you had to do to keep your job was grin like a fucking Cheshire cat and do whatever you were asked to.She wondered who this man was and where he had come from, making him feel he had authority over her. What had she gotten herself into?She hadn't. The universe was against her this evening because she had done nothing to warrant this harassment from this strange and devilishly handsome man. As hard as it was to admit, he was an attractive man. She knew he was older than she was, probably in his early forties. But she hated him still.When she got to the bathroom
The drive was a long one. They drove from the city to the more sophisticated part, which was less noisy and commercial. Here, there were large mansions, beautiful houses, and aesthetically pleasing stores. Balia distracted herself with this. She had only been to this part once when she had considered modeling as a career. Well, that didn't go as planned.All she knew about this Oriental part of the state was that it housed millionaires, billionaires, celebrities, and people who came from generational wealth, and from the looks of it, Senna belonged here. It made her wonder what he did for a living.Business tycoon? It looked like him. He looked like a rich, handsome Italian who had either come from old money or had built himself up over the years. But still, he screamed wealth.For most of the ride, he was on calls, speaking to different people and cussing them out, and this made Balia wonder what kind of working environment his employees had to survive.They finally got to a gated es
Senna kept pacing around his master bedroom as he waited for whoever the fuck was on the other side of the phone to pick up the call.He had tried calling a few times, but there was no answer. The call ended with an annoying beep, and he stifled the urge to toss his cutting-edge cell phone across the room to crash. He had been doing that lately and getting new phones every week. Now was the time to change and be fucking disciplined.Just as he was about to dial the same number, a call came in. It was from Diablo, and Senna hoped it wasn't bad news. He had been the bearer of bad news late, which wasn't what he needed on a night like this."Batista," Senna began in a terse voice. "I wasn't expecting your call.""I also wasn't planning on calling you tonight. Something's up.""And what could that be?" Senna asked as he stopped in front of his bay window. He stared down at the gardens, taking in the dusky colours as the lights surrounding the area shone warmth on them. "Marchetti. He s
He was gone as soon as he said those words, leaving Balia staring at the door in shock with her fork still hanging in the air."What the hell?" She muttered to herself. Things seemed to get worse as time went on. It was barely a day, and he was ordering her around.Dread filled her as she was taken back to earlier tonight. She remembered how he had possessed her like she was a plaything. He had rough-handled her like they were enemies in her past life.She let her fork clatter to her plate, not minding if it was going to chip the edge of the ceramic plate. The food in her mouth now tasted like chalk, and the beautiful walls of the dining room looked gloomy.Tina came into the dining room with a pitcher of water. She was smiling, but it soon faded when she noticed that the dining room was quite empty."Balia, why is Senna not here?" She asked as she placed the pitcher on the dining table and picked a cup to pour for Balia. "Did he go out to pick one of his weird calls again?"Balia had
Balia slept with tears in her eyes. She had been so tired that she could barely remove her clothes right after, and when she woke up at midnight, she did the needful and threw on the tank top and shorts. It was far more comfortable than the outfit, even if it was tight.She had taken a seat by the window to think. But no tangible thoughts came in. No good thoughts, no positive thoughts. Just memories from her young days, when she used to live with her family before she was finally able to move out and find her place. She had to be harassed by perverts and married men who could not keep their eyes in one place.All her life, she had lived in misery. Having to deal with her brother, Luca, who had involved himself in illicit drug activities, had drained her of the money she had saved several times, and he always went back to the same thing. It was like he enjoyed ruining her. He always forgot that he had a sister, only remembering her when he got into a mess that could claim his life.Si
Balia's POVI was soon naked before him. I covered my arm over my chest to hide my breasts from his view. He was yet to turn back to face me. A call had come in seconds ago, and he spoke in low tones with whoever was over the phone.I felt the morning chill wash down over my body. I was annoyed that he had left me this way, like I was an exhibition or a mannequin waiting for someone to notice it and clothe it. Or otherwise.I pushed from one side of her foot to the other as I waited for him to gaze upon me finally, and when I heard his phone going to sleep, my heart lurched.He turned towards me, his eyes on mine as he drank me in. He was expressionless at first, but then his eyes began to rake down my body with painstaking slowness. I stifled a yell of frustration, digging my fingers into my palm and feeling like I could draw blood from my skin.How could a man upset me this much and make tiny waves of desire course through my veins? It was irritation, and then it was lust and attrac
Balia's POVAs soon as he was done, I moved away from him with shaky legs. He didn't care if I orgasmed or not. He was a selfish man, only pursuing his own. I wished there was a way I could kill him while he was still in climax. I heard that men were the weakest at those times.But there was no way in hell I could do it. Not when Tina was around the corner. Not when his house was surrounded by guards and locked up from the inside out.My dress lay in a pile close to the bed, and I rushed towards it, picking it up as I hurried towards the bathroom. Tears flowed down my cheek as I closed the door behind me and rested my back against the door.Pushing my fist into my mouth, tears ran down my cheek. I tried hard to control my sobs from pouring out, but it was close to impossible. I couldn't. My body shook as I cried and cursed the day I decided to work at that club.I knew he had left from the sound of his door banging, and that was when the tension left my body. I stood weakly, supportin
Seven months later...BALIA"I want my husband!" I screamed amidst the searing pain that threatened to tear through my body. "Where is he?""He's on his way, ma'am." A voice I couldn't make out said to me.I lay stretched out on a fucking stretcher, and I could only feel the slight movements and bumps as we moved higher. Soon, the wheeler stopped, and another sharp pain tore through me, moving from my abdomen up to my head. I grabbed the ends of the stretcher tightly, sinking my teeth into my lips until I drew blood."Senna! Where is he? I want him now!" I cried as the sound of doors opening permeated through my ears."You need to calm down and focus on the pain. Your contractions are getting longer by the minute," A feminine voice came. It was firmer than the first, and she sounded hurried. "Get her out of the stretcher and gently place her on the bed. Make sure her legs are wide open enough. Her labour is drawing near."I wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. The pain
SENNAIt had taken a lot for me actually to do this. I had a lot of time and nerves because I could feel the thud of my heart threatening to tear out of my ribcage.It was unlike me to feel this nervous. The last time I felt that way, I'd been twenty years younger, so why was my palm sweaty?Tina assisted in preparing the table, and we decorated it to the best of our ability. And now, it was almost dusk and the perfect time to bring her out here. Just as I walked towards the kitchen, I heard Tina and Balia talking excitedly, and my chest was filled with so much warmth that spread around my body. When I got to the door, I leaned against the lintel, one arm folded over the other as I watched them both before deciding that I was giddy enough not to wait anymore. I cleared my throat, and she turned immediately, smiling as she walked towards me. "Hey, Darling." "Hi, there. You look different...good." She said right when she stopped before me. a "Know something else that loo
BALIASenna had his men drop off the luggage in my room before going to get a few things from the car trunk.I still had the bouquet. Tina took them from me, but not after pulling me into a tight hug and shedding a few tears.I walked into the house, noting how things had slightly changed. New decorations were up, and the house had more life to it. I smiled, happy that he wasn't home wasting away and just doing nothing.I was standing by the window when his arms snaked around my waist and pulled me into him. He buried his head into my neck and inhaled deeply. "I'm happy you're back. I was afraid for most of last month." "Why?" The tip of my fingers brushed his knuckles softly. He sighed. "I thought you were going to leave me. I don't deserve you, Balia. I don't. It would help if you didn't even want me after everything that happened. I ruined your life from the onset. Why should you want to be with a man like me?" I twisted my body to face him. "Because I want to be? I wan
BALIASenna had insisted on sponsoring my vacation to Trinidad and Tobago. It was a dual island in the Caribbean nation, bothering Venezuela.I had taken flights, stopping at different countries and touring most of the time we had there, and when we finally got to the island, we were welcomed warmly into a restaurant with Creole cuisines, tasty and flavourful. After having a fulfilling meal, I took a cab to my hotel and booked a room for a week before retiring to my bedroom.It felt good to be here, away from the world you are used to. Here, the people are different. The atmosphere is different. People don't breathe over your neck or try to snoop into your daily life.Oh well, that's what comes with being a tourist. I could live without having to identify with any community. My first night here was terrific. After I had gotten well-rested, we got a call from the tour guide, informing us that we would be walking to a specific beach. I grabbed a shawl and a jacket, not knowing wh
BALIAMy fingers were shaky when I was done reading the paper in my hands. My eyes brimmed with tears, and joy flooded my whole body."Oh, my God!" I cried, nearly crumpling to the floor, but Senna quickly caught me. I sobbed against him. "You did this for me?"He nodded. "It was a long time coming.""I don't know how to thank you, Senna." She grabbed his shirt and sobbed into his chest. "I don't know what to feel. It's so much joy. So much fucking joy." "I understand, sweetheart. I do."I looked into his eyes and pulled him in for a kiss. He took the paper from my hand and placed it on the desk behind us before wrapping his arms around my waist. His tongue pushed into my mouth, gliding over mine as he scoured every corner. He consumed me. So much that I felt like I was going to burn under the intensity of this kiss, but I didn't. Instead, new feelings bloomed from my insides. With every trail he left behind with his fingers, it sent new sensations, sent new messages to my brain. It
This was a man who had a lot bottled up. Who had kept his cool for several years, not wanting to break because he had to lead people because he had to be strong, or the world would swallow him just like they did to his family? This was a man who had experienced his dark days alone. A man who had lived with the haunting memories of finding his family already bled to death on the floors of their home.He hadn't expected to break down, but this was it. This was it. He was tired of holding in so much emotional baggage, tired of being strong for everyone. Hell, he was tired in every area of his life, and all he needed was to take a break. All he needed was to feel something other than lust, hatred and the need to kill. He needed a dopamine hit. Not the one who got briefly after sex or after a kill. He wanted to feel real love. Real happiness, and he wanted to be loved in return. As much as he had hated that feeling for a long time because he was being avoidant, he couldn't deny that ther
BALIAMy eyes fluttered open, and everywhere was foggy for a long time before my eyes cleared out. I looked around, noticing I was back at the mansion, right in my room. Sighing, I leaned back into the bed and closed my eyes. I was tired. Extremely tired, and the side of my belly hurt like shit.I reached to touch it and retracted my hand immediately, and a sharp pain shot up my head. Looking down at my belly, I realized that my belly was wrapped around with gauze. "Shit. What happened?" I cried softly. Then, the memories returned. Diablo, the bay area, getting raped, and seeing Senna after I was stabbed. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I had failed everyone. Senna was definitely long gone by now. Trey had been the one to help me. I was sure of that, but I was extremely worried about Senna. What if something had gone wrong? Hell, what if Diablo had killed him again? I began to sob softly, only stopping and immediately wiping my tears when I heard my door open. I blinked to
Senna tied up Diablo's body. Gunshots filled the air, and Senna knew his men were having a battle with Diablo's men."Your men don't know when to give up," Senna muttered under his breath as he began to pull Diablo's weakened body against the ground. He dumped him behind one of the containers and crouched to his level. "What are your last words before you die?""Fuck you!" Diablo snapped. Senna burst into laughter. "I should have killed you when I had the chance. I should have killed her when I had the chance, too."Senna sent a blow flying into Diablo's cheek. A blob of saliva dripped from his mouth as his neck whipped to the side. "And yet, you didn't. You have a penchant for keeping people alive so you can torture them, right? You don't ever think of the consequences, do you?" LDiablo leaned to the side, and Senna smiled. "Maybe I do, and maybe I don't. But it doesn't matter in the end. What matters is that I have you here now, and I will not hesitate. No, I won't make life misera
SENNAAs soon as I caught sight of Trey, I roughly grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against his car. He raised both of his hands in surprise before his eyes raked down my body."What the fuck are you doing, man?" Trey snapped, looking at me in confusion."Where is she?!""You are wounded, Senna. You haven't healed at all and you left as soon as you heard that she wasn't home? I am here and nothing is going to happen to her."Rage bubbled up from within me. "Are you doing this to pay back for what you did?!""What the hell are you talking about?" He frowned. "I hold nothing against you. She planned to end things and I had her followed so we could take control of every fucking thing. And you leave your bed the next fuckin moment because you want to save her? You should have called! You're fucking bleeding!"I looked down at my shirt to see that I was bleeding. I was already soaked up in blood. Trey pushed me off and pulled his car door open before coming back with a sanitary pad