ELAINEThe hard oak of the office table was digging into my chest. Still, I could care less about the discomfort because Giovanni was pounding into my core from behind and releasing wave after wave of pleasure.I tried to keep my moans inside, but it felt so good I had no control over them, and they slipped through my clenched mouth.My body proved to be forever traitorous as it enjoyed everything Giovanni to me, even when deep down, that's the last thing I wanted.A tear involuntarily slid down my face as I moaned when Giovanni thrust deeply. Deep in his pleasure, he muttered a few words I couldn't catch but sounded Italian.My mind repeated what he said earlier as I sniffled back the rest of the tears.He’d called me a worthless little thing and told me that besides Lia and Adrian, I had no one in this world.The fact that there was nothing but truth in those words hit me like a ton of bricks, and I had to bite my tongue to keep the sob in my throat.Unfortunately, I was too slow,
ELAINEIt was now dark—the day had long since turned to evening.As Giovanni had said, a lady did come to the mansion—she introduced herself as Ava, my personal stylist—and we went on a shopping spree with Giovanni’s black Amex. And it wasn't the cheap stuff we got.With Ava doing the actual shopping and me acting as her footman, she piled on dozens of designer dresses, skirts, and blouses for me to try.By the time I was done trying on the clothes and she’d selected the ones she thought flattered me, I was exhausted. When they rang up our bill, I had to stop my jaw from dropping at the exorbitant price. Never in all my years had I spent six figures on clothes, which led me to wonder what Giovanni's endgame was.Why was he spending so much on me when I owed him? This whole arrangement was to pay off a large sum of money, not accumulate it. Why did he care that I looked nice at this ball?The contradicting thoughts created such dissonance I began to feel weird. And then I realized he p
GIOVANNI“It’s quite pleasing to see the turnout for this event, don’t you think, Mr. Enrico?”This came from André Cassini, the host of this event and the head of the Cassini Mafia family. He was a tall, greedy man with thinning gray hair and spoke with a thin voice that grated on my nerves. If he wasn't already my enemy from holding onto a territory I wanted, his voice alone was enough to put him on my wrong side.Elaine, André, his wife Marie, and I were standing to the side of the boisterous party, having a conversation.“Of course, Mr. Cassini,” I agreed, forcing my lips into a friendly smile I didn't remotely feel. I took a sip of whiskey from the glass in my hand. I tried not to show how much I wanted to shoot him and his wrinkly wife, who carried the distinct smell of mothballs, even though it was apparent she’d over-sprayed her perfume to cover it up.I wondered why I hadn't just sent one of my men on this scouting mission instead of coming myself.“Who doesn't like a good pa
ELAINEMy mind was whirring as I flushed the toilet and stepped out of the stall.Stepping up to the gleaming blue sink, I turned on the water and thrust my hand into the cold stream to calm my racing head.It had been a very hectic evening, and to say I was tired was the understatement of the year.I couldn't believe I had to go back to the party when all I wanted to do was hop in the first car that’d take me back to Giovanni's mansion and my bed. Even though the mansion was its own special brand of misery, at least in my room, it was quiet.Turning off the water, I gripped the sink to steady my raging nerves.I knew I was being naïve, but I hadn’t expected the ball to be filled with the same caliber of people my father associated with. It was stupid, but I thought Giovanni had been invited to a normal ball for charity, a fundraiser, or something equally benign.But no. I was thrust into another hellhole filled with people who reminded me of my father for the sole purpose of being so
GIOVANNIFury and rage were the only emotions I could feel.My anger was reminiscent of a volcano as it bubbled and raged in my chest, threatening to lash out at anything in my line of sight.I was in my Jeep with an unconscious Elaine lying across my lap. She looked so small and vulnerable in her beautiful black dress with my water-soaked white handkerchief pressed against her blood-splattered forehead. Her eyes were closed like she was merely asleep.As the car raced back to the banquet hall, I fumed uncontrollably at what she’d been reduced to.While the car zoomed at breakneck speed to reach our destination, I recounted how I first noticed her missing.I watched as André stretched his hand out for his wife as an invitation to dance. Marie giggled like a schoolgirl and accepted her husband’s hand.They left in the direction of the dance floor, and I was finally blissfully alone.With nothing else to do, I turned to one of my favorite pastimes: alcohol.At the bar, I ordered another
ELAINEWhen I opened my eyes again, all I felt was a dull ache in my head and the need to pee.I sat up and tried to take stock of my environment.Confusion quickly flooded me as I took in the empty bed and the rest of the dimly lit room.I tried to recall what had happened prior to waking up, but I was drawing blank and increasing the ache in my head.I squinted to try to make out any details about the room, but everything was unfamiliar.My gaze landed on what looked like a vanity. On top of it was something sparkly. Through the faint sliver of light from the sliding doors that seemed to lead to a balcony, I could make out the shape of the diamond pendant that Giovanni had given me.All at once, the memories came flooding back.Leaving Giovanni’s mansion, the party, the gun pressed to me as a man forced me into the Jeep and the accident.I gasped in fright as my hands immediately flew to my neck and wrists, feeling for bruises. In the insufficient light I couldn’t see anything. I co
GIOVANNI“Nothing much. I’m trying to be there for you just like you’ve been there for me.”I’d been through a lot of dangerous shit and stared death down numerous times, but never in my life had one single sentence unnerved the hell out of me.My indecision and shock caused me to freeze as Elaine’s arms remained firmly wrapped around me.I looked at the smooth, creamy skin of her arms. For a second, I was tempted by the idea of accepting what she freely offered—to give into the vulnerability I was feeling deep down.But it was only for a second before I snapped out of it.Laughing, I drank some more whiskey.“Don’t be stupid, Elaine,” I told her as I tried to free myself from her hold.It was futile. She only tightened her arms. “I’m not letting go.”I let out a hiss at how unwaveringly stubborn she could be, but otherwise, I stopped trying to remove her.Silence descended between us, only our breaths punctuating the air.I took this quiet time to make some plans. I needed to contact
GIOVANNIWhen I opened my eyes, the sun was on full blast, throwing warmth and light through the expansive hotel room.The entire room was in disarray, but that wasn’t what caught my attention.Still asleep with the white sheets barely covering her curvaceous body was Elaine. My arms were wrapped snugly around her as she slept without a care in the world.As I removed a lock of dark hair that’d fallen across her face, I realized that this was the first time I’d spent an entire night in her bed and woken up with her. It was my usual practice to leave right away or send her out.What’s more? This was also the first time that I’d slept without being plagued by the recurring nightmare that haunted my sleep. It was a nightmare stemming from one of the worst days of my childhood. The day that changed me completely and shaped the man I am today.I could still remember it like it was yesterday.Her pain-filled screams for mercy, the bang of the gun as the bullet was delivered straight into he