Chapter 5

It’s still dark when I come to, but that’s probably because of the blackout curtains. I have no idea what time it is or how long I’ve been out. I’d guess maybe a couple of hours. What am I doing on the bed? I could have sworn I was outside on the couch.

Someone must have carried me to the bed.

I don’t recall much after Luca escorted me to this room. I remember having a panic attack but what happened after that is a blur. I haven’t had a panic attack that severe in years. I make a mental note to ask Dante for permission to purchase some meds. In my hurry, I left everything back at home, my phone, wallet, everything.

“Wait,” I mutter to myself, my voice sounding hoarse from all the screaming. I remember being injected with something. I lift my arms from under the blanket to inspect it, only to see the blood has been wiped off. What remains are only the angry red scratch marks courtesy of my scratching.

Luca must have given me a sedative. My brain still feels foggy as if coming from a long dream. It would also explain the grogginess. I fight through it, ignoring the throbbing headache, and drag myself out of bed. I need a shower.

I manage to make it to the bathroom in one piece. Just like the owner, the bathroom is pristine. My body yearns to soak in a warm bath, but I opt for a quick shower, just to clean myself of the blood and dirt.

I watch the bloody water drain and furiously scrub to get everything off my body. When I’m done, the skin, red and raw, the scratches stinging once again.

When I exit the bathroom, I find a shirtless Dante on the bed, leisurely drinking a glass of whiskey. I grasp the towel a little too tightly to my chest. I didn’t expect somebody would be here. Stupid, Jean.

I don’t make a sound but I feel Dante’s eyes on me. Studying me from the tips of my toes to the way the water drips from my hair. I’m too scared to move or speak, but I needed to grab the change of clothes placed at the foot of the bed.

“Come closer.” It wasn’t a request, but an order that I find myself following willingly.

I pad across the room and stop before him, beads of water trailing behind me. My eyes are lowered but I feel his gaze on me making me self-conscious. He gets up from where he’s seated on the bed giving me a full view of his sculpted body. My eyes track every edge and dip of his muscles, my mouth dropping slightly at the sight of the indents on either side of his hips that disappear into his pants.

No one should be allowed to be this attractive.

My head is lifted up by a finger placed below my chin. Dante lifts my head, my eyes meeting his. My cheeks turn red in embarrassment. He totally saw me ogling him.

Dante doesn’t seem to mind, rather he seems rather amused judging by his smirk. I don’t get a chance to explain because a piece of paper is shoved in my direction.

I scanned through the document, it’s simply a contract between him and me.

“Read it carefully, then sign it,” he says as he downs the rest of his whiskey. “I won’t accept any whining later on because you didn’t read the fine print.”

There isn’t much to read as the contract is pretty straightforward. My eyes linger on the words that I “owe a favor to be returned when Party A demands it.” Party A, being Dante.

“It’s pretty straightforward,” I say and hold my hand out for a pen.

Straightforward but can easily be exploited. But I don’t say anything.

“No objections?” Dante asks as he hands me the pen. I look at him and I’m surprised to see that he’s skeptical of me. As if he couldn’t believe that I would easily agree to an unfair contract.

“You own me,” I reply simply, signing my name at the bottom of the page. “What right do I have to refuse?”

I hand him the pen and the document back and step away from him. “All done.”

Dante doesn’t speak as he places the document on top of the nightstand, beside his now empty glass.

“Is that why you’re being so obedient?” His voice takes me by surprise. Is he angry? The tension in the air is palpable. In the next second, my back hits the bed, my body bouncing from the force Dante exerted to shove me down.

My hands instinctively fly to secure the flimsy towel around my very naked body but Dante’s large ones cover mine and yank both above my head.

He pins me there, one strong hand around my wrists while the other traces the towel covering my breasts. With the rapid rise and fall of my chest, I feel the towel loosen but I don’t have time to worry about that. Dante is on top of me, eyes burning in anger. Or is it a desire to mirror my own?

I mentally slap myself for thinking such things. I should be afraid of him and what he’s capable of doing to me. Torture? I’m sure he’s done that many times. He could hurt me in more ways than Serafino Regis could. So why am I reacting like this?

Dante straightens and watches me, his other hand playing with the knot. With one swift movement, he yanks the material off my body, exposing my nakedness to him. A gasp leaves my lips and my eyes trail down his body. He’s hard. I’m not sure why but my body grows hot at the fact that he got hard at the sight of my body.

I lay there in silence, trying to control my rapidly beating heart. It feels like a full minute passes with Dante just staring at me and I preen at his appreciation. I anticipate Dante’s next move, he reaches forward to touch my face, and I’m surprised at how gentle he is.

I feel somewhat ashamed that I thought he’d be rough since he’s probably manhandled several men twice his size.

Dante traces a finger from my jaw to my mouth which parts subconsciously. Dante’s stormy gray eyes hold my amber ones while he inserts his index and middle finger inside my mouth. The pads of his fingers graze my tongue and his mouth drops open starting to feel hot as well.

“You say you don’t have a right to refuse? I’m not doing anything,” he pushes his fingers deeper and I take it. “You’re allowing this because you want it. Not because I asked you or forced you. Your hands are not bound yet you keep them there. You can push me away and fight me, but you’re not.”

Dante leans forward, strong arms braced on the mattress on each side of my head, trapping my body with his. His bare chest touching mine. I’m sure he could feel my pebbled nipples touching his chest. As sure as I am of how fast his heartbeat was.

I can’t speak. I’m too caught up in what’s happening right now, and I have no idea how to process the bomb that Dante just dropped on me.

Our lips are so close I can feel his breath on my cheek. He rocks his hips once as if to tell me how hard he is. I made him feel that way, and it wouldn’t take a genius to know how wet I was for him.

He inhales deeply and God am I grateful for taking a shower.

When Dante speaks next his voice is barely above a whisper, “I don’t own people, Jean.”

My breath catches at the sound of my name. It was the first time he had used it. The way he says it shoots sparks through my body. Why does he feel so familiar yet feel like a stranger at the same time?

“I do favors, and in return people owe me. Just like how you owe me something in return for dealing with Serafino. Which wasn’t easy I might add.”

And just when I thought Dante would go all caveman on me, he pulls away.

Am I disappointed?

I shake my head to dismiss the thought. There’s absolutely no way.

Dante gets up from the bed and retrieves a shirt from a dresser on the opposite side of the bed. It fits his figure remarkably.

What the fuck just happened?

I’m still panting as Dante makes his way to the door.

“So what do I owe you?” I call out after him, sitting up on the bed and trying as much as I can to regain my composure.

He doesn’t look back when he answers, “You’ll know when it’s time. For now, get dressed.”

I look down at my body and sure enough, I was still as naked as the day I was born. I gasp as I scramble to cover myself up.

The last thing I hear before the door closes is Dante’s soft chuckles and for some unknown reason, that makes me smile.