She was more trusting of him after that; she couldn't tell if it was feigning or even accurate. For she still tried not to shudder when he was close to her. But she would give it to him; he was doing his best, his hands around her, staring into her face when she woke up. If anyone had told her Maestro could be this person, she would have slammed a door on the liar's face and melted them with acid. But here she was, in Maria's cozy pink room, everything looking unreal. It was how he didn't go too intimate, no matter what shade of undress she was; sometimes, he covered her with the sheets and turned his face to the other side. Like Dora would say, "We make ourselves happy, Maya, 'cause the world isn't a happy place," and she knew firsthand how bad it could be. She was going to let him woo her. Give him a chance as he asked, and even though she knew he was going back to the monster once this personality was exhausted, she was going to enjoy it while it lasted. "Hey," she felt a hand
Emotions screaming no and reasoning whispering yes, she stood staring at his hands, weighing her options. Here he was, asking her when he could have just taken it like he did the last time without giving a damn about her feelings. But he was asking, waiting for her permission, and in a way, weren't they married? Wasn't it the right thing to do? She stammered, "It's going to hurt, right?" He smiled, shaking his head, "The last time was..." He was finding the right word: "I got mad you were still in your dress and..." When he saw the fear returning in her eyes, he stopped and said, "You'll feel the pleasure this time, Maya. It goes both ways." She pressed her lips against each other and swallowed hard before nodding. And that was all he needed. She watched him pull off his suit jacket, letting it fall to the floor, before working on his buttons, snapping them open at a time. He came for her, bare torso and all, but his suit pants were still on him, and her eyes stuck on him while
Lina was asleep when the slow creaking of the door pulled her out of the fantasy her brain was working on. She frowned in her slumber; it couldn't be morning yet, could it? She was no longer using an alarm since waking up naturally at five came easy. She turned to the other side, pulling the sheets over her breasts. If it was Maria with her silly needs, she wasn't standing up. While waiting to hear Maria call her name, she sighed happily when nothing came. Pulling the pillow perfectly, she smiled, her dream resuming. She felt breath on her face and then whispers, "Lina, baby." She frowned at the familiar voice; where was the dream taking her that she heard Luca's voice in the manor? What kind of fantasy was that? A hand tapped her cheeks. "Baby, open your eyes." And she did one lash after another, catching her breath at seeing him. "I dreaming?" she asked unbelievably. He chuckled, pulling her up to wrap his arms around her. Oh, how he missed her. So badly. Though she hugged
Maya's POV"Sir Derinem," I was shocked and confused seeing him in the manor, my frozen pupils refusing to waver as it stuck on him, who was in a black polo, hairy muscular legs in a black pair of shorts.I let my focus return to his face, where he stood still, staring at me. Heat rose to my cheeks and forehead; the air suddenly felt hot against my nose, and I swooned.Behind me, Lina coughed very loud. Hearing her voice, I suddenly realized why she was fidgety when I knocked on her door. Luca had been inI turned my head to the counter, praying he would shift his gaze from my body. His scrutiny was heavy, and it was all over me.He then walked past me to the sink, smelling of fresh soap, grabbed a mug, and poured a dose of coffee, pulling the plug out of the socket.The quietness in the kitchen was getting me nervous; I seriously needed to get out of there before maestro came in; if he ever would, the kitchen was a place you'd never find him in.We were widths directly apart, but he s
Authors POV. Things got better after that; Derinem stayed away, and she and maestro got along, though she wouldn't lie that she was doing more of the getting along with him, for recently he came back with some darkness hovering around him and more blood stains on his clothing.Making love was more intense—pleasure mixed with a bit of pain—and, as Lina had said, sometimes she yearned for it while staring at his naked torso, Looking down and blushing profusely when he caught her.He usually smiled. Confident he was in his sexual prowess, and he had a right to be, from an innocent, he made her a sex-crazed, embarrassed "Cagna," getting her to accept it.And she, well, she could feel her confidence roaring, knowing she was stringing him along with sex and whatever kink he had at the back of his head when he saw her in her red lace nightie. He just never got enough of her.But it wasn't always about the sex; she was atop his hard frame; he'd wrapped his hand around her till the following d
Luca was in a foul mood once Damon was out of the door, pacing and looking at everything, Derinem excluded. They had watched her leave with Damon, and even though he wanted to do something about it, he knew it would only bring her disapproval. He ignored Luca, going over to the mini bar counter, grabbing a glass, poured himself a healthy dose, and was bringing it for a gulp when Luca said "So that's it? You put her in a big mess, and you are just going to drink," he said; Derinem turned to see him looking disgusted. "I expected more from you." Derinem glared at him, "Don't start with me, ma'am; my hands are twitchy." Luca knew what that meant, and knowing it was just a threat, he continued angrily. "You don't blame her for rejecting your help; you've noticed that every time you help her, you put her in trouble." That made him snap, "Fuck that." He pushed the cup away with way more force than he intended, and it crashed. "The only reason she's still here is that she's naive and
After that, it was hard to even see him, much to her relief. The only time she saw him was when he packed his car and got into the manor, and happy was she when he left immediately. Now they were seeing Greta and Maria off at the airport, returning to Calabria. He had his hands around her shoulders, looking anxiously at his phone. The continuous vibration of his phone told her he was ending a call he didn't want to pick up, at least while Greta was right there kissing them goodbye. Once Greta was gone and everyone else had left, he left her shoulders. He picked up the phone and scowled, "Allysia, I told you now wasn't the time." She couldn't say whether he had done that on purpose for her to hear it or not, especially when he moved further away and made the rest of the call. She had turned away from him and got into the car, where George sat in the driver's seat, watching her face from the rearview mirror. She looked down at the ring on her finger and then out of the window, sig
With Maria and Greta gone, the manor felt lonely and very awkward. Felt like she was the only one in it, she and his men.His avoidance of her worsened to the extent that he never went out with her anymore; somehow, she felt useless just sitting and speaking to Lina. This wasn't the life she had planned for herself.Getting up in the morning was a chore; she hated seeing the rising sun, reminding her she was still in the manor.She knew he was punishing her, withholding his attention so she wouldn't feel substantial enough.And she had felt that, along with the hope that he might snap one day and throw her out.No matter how long that was going to be, she was going to wait for it.She snapped out of her thoughts when Lina tapped her shoulder, dragging her out of her usual overthinking."You look pale," Lina noticed.They were outside in the garden; Lina was plucking herbs in her little square garden that Maya had just discovered. Maya didn't need to be told that this was the herb she u