AntonioI have come across many men who hold grudges as far as to sabotage the lives of their opponent. And I’ve had fair share of such men and yet none of them had managed to slip under my skin, not like Erica. It has been four days since we came to the castle from Milan and she had shown her contempt towards me at every turn she could, that too while keeping silent. And I was impressed by her tenacity. She hadn’t spoken a word to me, at least not one that wasn’t forced with a threat hanging over her head. It was in several ways that she let me know how much she hated me. If she was sitting in a small library and I’d enter, she would stand up from her spot on the high back chair and leave without a word. If she was having a late breakfast at the dining table— because she had quite clearly told Mario that she wouldn’t be joining me and Ephraim for our usual breakfast on the terrace, and I didn’t force her— and I stepped in the hall, she would stand up and leave her half eaten breakf
AntonioAfter finishing my drink and locking my office, I made my way downstairs to the dining hall and looked around for a second before I pressed my fingers along the lines near the mantle for the secret passageway. The wall gave away and a set of stairs that would leave downstairs to the old cellar appeared. I stepped inside and made sure to secure the opening. There was a low warm glow coming from the single bulb downstairs that gave enough light to see the shadows of the steps as I descended the stairs.When I came downstairs and passed the two doors that remained closed unless I had someone to törture to deàth for information. The third door was open from which the light was coming and there in the middle of the only large room here stood Ephraim.With his head down, hands behind his back he was a perfect picture of someone who was about to be disciplined. I saw the way his muscles rippled as he heard my footsteps. I wasn’t trying to be silent and he wasn’t trying to appear unfa
EricaIt's been four days since we came back from Milan, since that horrifying experience that Antonio forced me to go through, but my anger on him was still a breathing and pulsing thing between us. And I was too happy to take cover in itI wasn’t going to forgive him, although I knew that he had attempted to apologize to me as much as a man in his position could. But I didn’t care, I was just counting his sins against me and then before I leave I’ll make him pay for them all.Until now I had ignored him and kept my distance from him, not even staying in the same room with him, but I knew sooner than later I’d have to face the devil. And the worst thing was, half of the reason behind me keeping distance from him was the effect of him over me. Even though I was furious and hurt from what he made me go through, I knew that my body was still hungry and begging for what kind of pain and pleasure he could bestow on it. Apart from what happened after the dinner on the hotel terrace, that e
EricaSummer was right. My curiosity always leads me where I shouldn't be.I never would've thought I would be standing here and defending Ephraim while asking to have the punishment for myself. I didn't want Ephraim to get punished because of me, because Antonio didn't like that his supposed captive was favoring Ephraim. I didn't want someone else getting punished because of something I did. Especially Ephraim because he had been nice to me, unlike the arsehôle standing in front of me.But then there was this perverse side of me that perked up when his predatory golden gaze fell on me after my demand to exchange places with Ephraim. And as much as I hated Antonio for hurting Ephraim because of me, I also wanted to be the one at the receiving end of that pain. It had been too long since I felt the sharp edge of the blade, and red lashes marking Ephraim’s chest and back were calling to me like a flame to a moth.“Think again, Erica. It’s not a blade that you can control and mark your s
Erica“Ready?”“Yes.”But I wasn’t ready.Even before the sound of the whip cutting through the air could register in my mind, I felt the biting pain of it on my back as the whip left a burning trail on my flesh.My lips parted and an involuntary scream left my lips as I sucked in a lungful of air or tried to, but it seemed the pain travelling through my skin, deep into my flesh and settling in my bones wasn’t allowing me to do so.“Hush...” Antonio whispered into my ear, his big hand caressing my hair as his other hand curled around my waist. “Don’t let it consume you, let it be a part of you.” The back of his knuckles slid down my spine, making me arch my body, my breasts thrusting out.And I realised with not a little bit of surprise that shook me, that my nîpples were hard against the fabric of my brà. His palm spread on my stomach settled warmth inside me and I felt myself tingle like his touch set the butterflies free. His thumb caressed the inside of my brà, and a soft gasp lef
Antonio.I walked away from her. From them. Leaving her there in the care of Ephraim, because I knew he would take care of her. For the first time, I felt like someone bruised my fûcking ego. I was the kind of man who didn't care what anyone thought of him. I was known to be cold and ruthless, and what I just did proved it to be true. There wasn’t a woman out there who wouldn’t drop down on her knees for me because my name was enough. They knew I was the man of power and wealth, and unfortunately or vainly most of them were attracted to that. But this little woman just over five feet had stood there taking the lashes from the whip and refuted state the truth. She fûcking refused to give in, to say the words that we both knew were the truth. She held her truth back and like an arsehôle that she was fond of calling me, I left her there tied and in pain.Fûck that.She had gotten under my skin, making me so fûcking angry and annoyed with her that I left without giving her an aftercar
EricaThe tables have turned.After that day in the cellar Antonio has been ignoring me like I was the sole person carrying plague and has the ability to destroy the world.I wasn’t going to talk to him or apologize for that matter. I didn't know why even thought of the latter I wasn’t the one that should be doing any kind of apologizing. But that twisted little submissive part was whispering nonsense like I should've given in. That I should’ve told him the truth. The truth, that as much as I was there for Ephraim, I was there for myself too. Because I wanted the pain he was giving to Ephraim for myself.But what does it matter to him and why does he think I would give in after what he did. And yet I wanted to. There was this moment, when I had looked into his eyes and seen the need there for the unsaid words. And the bîtchy side won out as I held back what he wanted while he stood there demanding for it. And at the end we both didn't get anything. He was an arsehole, a stubborn jerk.
AntonioI sat in my car as the driver picked me up from the private hanger and pulled my phone out and checked the recent emails. The first made my jaw clench. I would've to do something about the Sokolov bastardo, he was getting on my nerves. In the last few weeks he had managed to hijack three of my shipments and that too the legal ones. If the word got out, people would start to question my ability in running one of the most lucrative businesses and would speculate my position that I had made for myself.I sent a reply to arrange a meeting with my local dealers and distributors before I opened the next email. It was from Clint and there was an attachment with it. A video.As soon as I opened the video, I was glad I didn’t have an audience. The video opened on press conference. It was a clip from a news broadcast from London and there sat a very angry looking Gabriel Wolfe and beside him was his wife that looked like she had been sick for a few weeks at least, with several microphon