Chapter 5

KINLEY

I had just stepped out of the shower, wrapping a fluffy towel around myself as the door opened.

I yelped in surprise, Gianni stood at the door.

"Have you never heard of knocking?" I asked, both terrified and annoyed.

He wore a black dress shirt with black slacks that complimented his tanned skin.

Really, Kinley? Checking out your kidnapper now?

He smirked at me, "How are you feeling today?"

"I was feeling just fine until I saw you."

He walked over to me and I willed myself not to begin shaking.

He backed me up against the cold tile wall, his fingers slowly trailing up and down my arms leaving a trail of goosebumps behind.

"You smell good," he brought his face to the nape of my neck and I trembled.

I was both terrified and sickly turned on by this man.

It made me feel sick.

"Join me for lunch?" he asked, his lips brushing against my skin as he spoke.

"It's not as though I have a choice."

"Of course you do," one of his hands dropped to my thigh, lightly running his fingers along my bare leg.

I gulped. He was my terrifying captor, and here I was, my body betraying me to his looks.

Why did he have to be so sexy?

He ran a hand over the towel, and I was thankful it was so thick or he would have seen my n¡pples harden.

I felt a wave of embarrassment.

Wrapping his hand around my throat, he pulled me against him, his head bent with his lips close to mine.

His hold on my throat was not tight enough to choke me, but the pressure sent a ripple through my body.

His lips brushed against mine and the panic began to set in.

"W-what are you doing?"

He paused, suddenly releasing me and taking a step back.

"I'll have Talon bring you down for lunch in ten minutes. Wear something nice." And with that, he walked out.

I exhaled before pushing myself from the wall, taking a moment to look at my reflection in the mirror.

My dark hair was still wet from the shower.

My eyes were already beginning to get dark rings around them and I looked utterly terrible.

I had always been a bit on the pale side, but this was a different kind of pale.

I looked drained.

My mind went back to Talon's words and I forced myself not to start crying.

The thought of being held captive here forever left me feeling scared, and I knew if I allowed myself to dwell on it I would soon have another anxiety attack.

Taking in a deep breath, I forced myself to hold my head high as I returned to the room to get dressed.

I picked my clothes out and got dressed in a simple black shirt and jeans before slipping on a pair of sneakers.

I deliberately ignored the stunning dresses and heels in the closet because Gianni had told me to wear something nice.

As scared as I was, I planned to hold my ground and show him that just because I was his prisoner I wasn't about to bend to his every whim.

I waited on my bed until the door opened and Talon walked in with a smile on his face.

"Hi, how are you feeling today?"

"I'd be a lot better if you all stopped asking me that."

"Sorry," he glanced down at my clothes, "You look great, but Gia prefers dresses."

"I don't care what Gia prefers. This is what I'm wearing, whether he likes it or not."

Talon sighed, "He's not going to respond well to this."

"Again, I don't care. He will not break me."

"Very well."

I followed Talon out, noting that we took a left before going downstairs.

Once we reached the bottom, we went right, into a large kitchen that had a beautiful stainless steel island in the middle.

I didn't get to inspect the kitchen though as Talon steered me outside.

I was surprised by the beauty of it.

The back garden seemed to go on forever with stunning green grass, it seemed there may have been a rose garden further down but I couldn't be sure as it was so far.

The walls were high and covered with shrubs.

There was also a huge crystal-clear swimming pool a few feet away.

I briefly wondered why he needed such a mansion.

We walked over to a patio that held a round glass table and four chairs.

Gianni was seated in one of them, a pair of sunglasses on his face.

He took the sunglasses off and placed them on the table while looking me up and down.

"I asked you to wear something nice."

"I'll wear what I want to wear, Gianni."

He smirked, leaning back in the chair, "Very defiant. Take a seat."

I sat down opposite him, trying my hardest not to let my glare waver under his scrutiny.

Talon dropped a hand to my shoulder before leaving us.

"What do you think of the place?"

"I've seen better," that was of course a lie, but I wasn't about to let him know I was impressed.

I watched as he poured two glasses of red wine, the only items on the table.

"Would you like a tour of the place?"

"No. I'd like to eat and return to my room."

"The food will be served shortly."

I didn't respond, an awkward silence falling over us.

"Kinley, you are new here so I understand that you don't know how this works. But I assure you, I have no desire to harm you."

"Then why keep me prisoner?"

"Because Dom owes me money. I planned to kill him, but you being there gave me an opportunity."

"My cousin owing you money has nothing to do with me. You claim you don't want to hurt me, so why keep me here?"

"Dom does not know that I won't hurt you. I am hoping he will do the right thing and get me my money."

"And if he doesn't?"

He smirked, "Then you will stay."

"My family has money, let me call them, they will give you the money."

Of course, I wasn't sure if they would. They did disown me after all.

I hoped that with the severity of the situation, they would still be willing to help me.

"I'll think about it."

A woman walked out, she wore a plain and simple dress, bringing food to the table.

I glanced down at the lunch, it was simple, roast pork pieces with vegetables in cheese and a side salad.

I would have liked to refuse the food, but I was hungry and food was certainly my weak spot.

I ignored his glances while I ate, hoping he would not try and strike up any further conversation with me.

After lunch, I stood, hoping to go back to my room.

I would have preferred to be anywhere but in his company.

"Ah, where do you think you're going?" he asked, grabbing my wrist.

"Back to my room?"

"You don't want to see the roses? I saw you staring at them when you first came out."

I glanced back in the direction of the roses. Deciding I should make the most of my time I was allowed out of the room, and I nodded.

He didn't let go of my wrist as we walked along the cobblestone pathway in silence.

Once we reached the roses, I realized it was much more than a simple garden.

The rose bushes grew taller than both of us, creating a large thick wall with an entryway.

"What is this?" I asked as we walked in, it reminded me of a maze, the ground here was dirt and the rose bushes made pathways which he currently pulled me down.

"A garden." He responded.

"I can see that, but-" my mouth dropped open. I was astounded by the beauty of the scenery before me.

We had reached a clearing, also surrounded by roses.

A simple stone bench sat near a beautiful fountain flowing with sparkling water.

Surrounding the fountain were more flowers, a colorful contrast to the dark red roses.

"My mother loved this fountain, when she died I had the roses placed in her honor."

"It's beautiful," I walked over to the fountain, pulling my wrist from his grasp.

Kneeling down, I ran my hand through the water.

"You should see it at night, it's exceptionally beautiful under the stars."

"Could I come back here? You can have someone follow me, I just... It's so calming." The moment I had laid eyes on the fountain I had felt a calmness that I had not felt in a very long time.

I was sure it would be a great spot to come to when feeling anxious.

"You can."

I was surprised that he agreed so willingly, "Thank you."

"My mother suffered with her mental health too."

I felt strange talking about this with him. I felt as though, at this moment I could forget who he was and I didn't like that.

"It's not easy... How did she pass?"

He looked down at the fountain, "My father k¡lled her."

My head shot up at his words, I wasn't expecting that.

"Oh, I, uh, I'm sorry."

He glanced at me with a small smile, "Thank you, Gattina."

I wanted to ask him what happened to his father but I felt it would be too intrusive of me.

"I have some work to do. I will have Talon join you. Feel free to move freely around the mansion today, he will be with you. I will find you tonight for dinner."

He walked away and I returned my gaze to the fountain.

I supposed I should have been grateful to him for allowing me out of the room.

After spending the day with Talon by the fountain I had returned to the room to get dressed for dinner.

Talon would not take me to Gianni until I was changed.

It annoyed me but Talon seemed nice enough and I didn't want to get him into any trouble, so I agreed.

I put on a simple white dress that fell to my knees and held my form well, pairing it with black heels.

Talon had told me I should wear heels.

I hated heels but I complied.

When he led me to a dining room down a few halls, I found Gianni in his black suit.

"You look beautiful."

I almost automatically thanked him, but I remembered my position and shut my mouth firmly.

"Talon, is it ready?"

"Yes, boss."

Is what ready? I wondered.

Gianni took hold of my hand and pulled me from the room, down the hall, and out a door into another section of the backyard.

It took me a moment to realize he was leading me back to the fountain.

There sat a table with different foods on it along with a bottle of wine.

He had certainly been right about it being stunning at night, under the stars with the moon out it felt almost magical.

GIANNI

I watched her closely as she took in the scene I had created in the rose garden.

A part of me was confused, why was I doing this?

Why did I have this intense desire to keep her safe and impress her?

I could have any woman I wanted, yet I wanted her, one of the few who would never want me.

She went over to the table, taking a seat.

I had made sure it was close to the fountain, she had seemed to enjoy the fountain earlier that day.

"What do you think?" I asked as I took my seat opposite her.

"It's beautiful."

"I imagine it hasn't been easy being stuck here, I hoped this would help you."

She refused to look at me, her eyes falling to the fountain.

"Well, I hope you enjoy the meal."

She again didn't speak while she turned to the food.

Suddenly she sighed, "I'm being held captive, locked up. A nice meal isn't going to fix that."

"I have a meeting tomorrow, would you like to join me?"

I could see the confusion on her face, "A meeting?"

"I have to pick some things up. You could come with me to change the scenery."

"Okay."

I leaned back in my chair, again asking myself why I was doing this.

I had never in my life felt such a desperate need for a person to like me.