MasukAva's POV I gasped, my hand fists as I tried to keep myself from falling on my weakened knees. Lorenzo was indeed a monster wrapped in an expensive suit, just like he had me wrapped around his finger. He pinched my nipples sharply before rolling it between his fingers. My body trembled, instinctively leaning backwards into his arms. His other hand slowly left my breast and then down my stomach. I could feel the fear and anticipation running through my veins like lava, hot and fast. “Lorenzo!” I bit my lips, fighting any sound from coming out as he ran his fingers through my wet folds. “As ready as ever,” he whispered in my ear, and then a light chuckle. He continued the slow torture, pinching and fondling my breast while his fingers moved lazily between my legs, playing my clit like a harp, his lips kissed its way down my neck to my shoulders until heat radiated through my body.The slow, gentle and tender touch elicited something darker and undescribed in the pit of my stomach.
Ava's POV I stared at the closed door of the bathroom, the sound of running water mocking the frantic pounding of my heart. I had demanded equality, but in Lorenzo’s world, equality wasn't a seat at the table—it was a blood pact. I stood in the center of the bedroom, clutching his oversized suit jacket around my tattered dress, trying to draw oxygen into lungs that felt filled with glass.When he finally emerged, he had stripped away the grime of the club, dressed in a fresh black shirt that made him look like the very shadow of death I had married. I made a move toward the bathroom, desperate to wash the literal and metaphorical blood from my skin, but his hand shot out, catching my shoulder. "Our package has arrived," he murmured, his voice devoid of any warmth. The words hit me like a slap to the face. The blonde girl. He wasn't just bringing her here to talk; he was bringing her here to be a lesson.He didn't give me a choice. He interlaced his fingers with mine—a gesture th
Ava's POV The metallic tang of Alberto’s blood was still thick in my throat as Lorenzo’s hand clamped onto my upper arm, his grip a searing brand against my cold skin. I tried to wrench myself away, my body vibrating with a primal, jagged terror that made every muscle scream, but he was an immovable force of nature. Before I could even draw breath to protest, he lunged forward, catching me around the waist and hoisting me over his shoulder like a sack of grain. The world tilted sickeningly; I saw the crimson-stained marble of the VIP floor, the slumped, motionless shapes of the men who had just been bidding on my life, and then Martin’s polished shoes as he stepped into the wreckage. "The car is ready for the meeting with the Senator, sir," Martin said, his voice as level and professional as if he were announcing a dinner reservation instead of standing in a slaughterhouse. Lorenzo didn't even break his stride, his shoulder digging into my abdomen. "Cancel it. I’m heading back t
Ava's POV The silver tray didn’t just slip; I hurled it.The crash of crystal against the marble floor was a lightning strike that fractured the heavy, bass-laden air of the VIP lounge. Shards of glass skittered across the floor, some catching the neon light like diamonds, others slicing through the oppressive silence that followed.The girl between Lorenzo’s knees vanished. I didn’t see where she went, only that one moment she was there, and the next, Lorenzo was sitting back, his eyes snapping open. He didn't jump. He didn't flinch. He simply transitioned from a state of cold lethargy to that of a predator scenting blood.His gaze found me instantly. It traveled from my face down to the backless silk of my dress, lingering on the exposed curve of my hip and the height of my stilettos. I saw the flash—a dark, turbulent cocktail of raw anger and twisted lust that made my skin prickle.“Well, well,” one of the men at the table whistled, a thick, oily sound. He leaned forward, his eye
Ava's POV The silence in the car was shattered by the sharp buzz of Cage’s phone. He answered it on the second ring, his posture stiffening into a salute even though the person on the other end couldn't see him."Yes, boss," Cage said, his voice clipped. "We are in transit. No, boss. Understood. I’ll see to it immediately."He didn't have to say the name. The atmosphere in the car changed the moment he picked up, a cold, oppressive weight filling the small space. Lorenzo. I didn't bother asking what the conversation was about; I was too busy staring out the window, nursing the bruise on my ego and the lingering tremors from the alleyway.I expected us to head back to the villa, but Cage took a sharp turn toward a high-end shopping district. He led me into a sprawling, multi-story mall that felt like a cathedral of glass and steel."Choose something," Cage said, gesturing toward a rack of evening wear in a boutique where the price tags probably cost more than my first car. "You need t
Ava's POV The master suite was a masterpiece of Italian craftsmanship, gilded mirrors, silk-tapestried walls, and a balcony that overlooked the terracotta rooftops of Rome but to me, it was nothing more than a high-end cell. By the time the afternoon sun began to dip, casting long, honey-colored shadows across the marble floor, my skin was crawling with the need to move. Lunch had been a silent, miserable affair at the villa's dining table, with Cage standing like a gargoyle at the door. I had spent the last three hours pacing, my mind a frantic loop of Lorenzo’s cold eyes and the suffocating weight of his ‘protection.’ I wasn't a child. I wasn't a piece of property. And if this was the only time I’d ever get to see Italy, I wasn't going to spend it staring at the four walls of a bedroom, no matter how expensive the wallpaper was. When Cage knocked to announce dinner, I was ready. I had traded my heels for a pair of supple leather flats and pulled my hair into a tight, prac







