LOGINThe car moved through the city like a black predator, silent and swift. I sat rigid, my back pressed into the cool leather, every nerve in my body screaming. Dante didn’t speak. He didn’t look at me. He just sat there, a coiled force of silence, his long fingers steepled in his lap. The scar on his jaw caught the occasional streetlight, glowing like a brand.
My mind raced. Escape. Fight. Scream. But the men in the front seats were impassive, their hands resting just above their laps. I didn’t need to see the weapons to know they were there.
We entered a private underground garage beneath a towering skyscraper. The elevator was seamless, silent. When the doors opened, it wasn’t to a hallway, it was to his world.
The penthouse.
It was a monochrome dream of glass, steel, and shadow. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the entire city, a glittering abyss below us. The space was vast, minimalist, yet every surface screamed wealthy, Italian marble floors, a single abstract sculpture that probably cost more than my family’s estate, a grand piano in the corner. But there were no personal touches. No photos. No warmth. It was a fortress. A throne room.
And I was the prize dragged into it.
Dante stepped out first, then turned and offered me his hand. Not in kindness. In command.
“Welcome home,” he said, his voice a low, velvet threat.
“I am not your home,” I spat, refusing his hand. I stepped out on my own, wobbling slightly in my heels. I wouldn’t let him see me weak.
He chuckled, a dark, rumbling sound. “You are. Whether you like it or not.”
He walked past me, shrugging off his suit jacket, revealing a crisp white shirt stretched tight over broad shoulders. He poured himself a glass of amber liquid from a crystal decanter.
Take off the heels,” he said, not turning around.
“No.”
He turned then, slow, deliberate. His eyes raked over me, the silk gown, the trembling hands, the defiant tilt of my chin. “You’ll ruin the floor. Take. Them. Off.”
My fingers fumbled with the straps. I kicked the heels away, standing barefoot on the cold marble. It felt like surrender.
“Good girl,” he murmured, taking a slow sip. “Now, the dress.”
My breath caught. “You’re joking.”
“Do I look like I'm joking, Alessia?
He set the glass down and walked toward me. I backed up, my spine hitting the glass wall. The city lights stretched behind me, endless and indifferent. He stopped inches away. I could smell the whiskey on his breath, the musk of his skin. His presence was suffocating. Overwhelming.
“Take it off,” he repeated, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Or I will.” “I’d rather die than undress for you.” His hand shot out, not to strike, but to grip my hair. He tugged, not hard enough to tear, but enough to make my scalp burn, to force my head back. I gasped.
“You won’t die,” he said, his lips brushing my ear. “But you will obey. And you will learn to enjoy it.” With his free hand, he reached behind me, found the delicate zipper of my gown, and pulled it down in one smooth, cruel motion. The silk slithered down my body, pooling at my feet. Now I stood before him in nothing but my lace bra and matching panties, my skin pebbling in the cool air and from the heat of his gaze.
“Beautiful,” he murmured, his eyes tracing every inch of me. “Frigid. Haughty. But beautiful.” He didn’t touch me. Not yet. He just stared, like I was a painting he was deciding how to deface. “You think you’re untouchable,” he said.
“That your blood makes you superior. But you’re just flesh. Just a woman. And I’ve broken stronger than you.” “I’m not afraid of you,” I lied.
He smiled. That slow, terrifying curve of his lips. “You should be.” Then he moved.
In one fluid motion, he spun me around, pressing my front against the cold glass. One hand pinned both my wrists above my head with terrifying ease. The other slid down my spine, over the curve of my ass, then hooked into the delicate lace of my panties. “No,” I gasped, struggling. “Don’t!”
“Shhh,” he soothed, his voice a dark caress. “This isn’t about pleasure. This is about power. This is about teaching you who owns you now.”
He yanked the panties down, tearing the lace at the side. They fell to the floor. The cold glass against my bare breasts. The city lights blurring below. His hard body pressed against my back.
The humiliation burned hotter than any flame. His free hand trailed up my inner thigh, slow, torturous. I squeezed my legs together, but he pried them open with his knee.
“Open,” he commanded. “No!” He slapped my ass, sharp, stinging. I cried out. “Open.”
With a sob of rage and shame, I let my legs fall apart. His fingers found me. And I hated myself. Because I was wet. His fingers slid through my folds, slow, probing. I shuddered.
“Look at that,” he murmured, his breath hot on my neck. “Soaking. So ready. Even now, your body betrays you. You hate me, Alessia… but your pussy loves me.”
“Shut up!” I choked, tears burning my eyes. He didn’t. He circled my clit with his thumb, once, twice. A jolt of pleasure, sharp and unwanted, shot through me. I whimpered.
“You feel that?” he growled. “That’s your body admitting the truth. You want this. You want me.”
“I want you to die,” I sobbed.
He laughed. “Eventually, maybe. But not tonight.” Then he was behind me, his hand still pinning my wrists, the other now slipping two fingers deep inside me.
“Oh God!” I cried, arching against the glass.
He didn’t go slow. He fucked me with his fingers, deep, relentless, curling upward, hitting that spot inside me that made stars explode behind my eyelids. My breath came in ragged gasps. My hips moved involuntarily, grinding back against his hand.
“That’s it,” he praised, his voice thick with dark satisfaction. “Take it. Take my fingers like you’ll take my cock. Moan for me, princess. Let the city hear how much you love being owned.” “No… I won’t…”
But I did. A low, broken moan escaped my lips as he stroked that spot again and again. My body was on fire, betraying me, aching for more. My thighs trembled. My vision blurred.
“That’s right,” he whispered. “Come for me. Let go. Surrender.” And then it happened.
My body clenched around his fingers, a violent, shattering orgasm ripping through me. I screamed, my forehead slamming against the glass, my body convulsing against his hold. He didn’t stop. He kept thrusting, milking every last pulse, every drop of pleasure from me. When it was over, I collapsed, panting, tears streaming down my face.
He slowly withdrew his fingers. I heard the soft, obscene sound. Then, I felt his thumb brush across my lower lip.
“Open your mouth,” he said. “No…”
“Open.”
Trembling, I parted my lips. He slid his glistening fingers inside, forcing me to taste myself, and him.
“Good girl,” he murmured, watching my face twist in humiliation.
“Now you know what you taste like when you come for me.”
He released me.
My legs gave out. I slid down the glass, crumpled on the floor, naked, exposed, violated.
Dante stepped back, adjusting his cufflinks as if nothing had happened.
“There’s a bedroom down the hall,” he said, his voice cold again. “You’ll find clothes. You’ll bathe. And you will not try to escape. If you do, I won’t just punish you.”
He knelt in front of me, cupping my chin, forcing me to look into those storm-gray eyes. “I’ll make you beg to come back.”
Then he stood, walked to his decanter, and poured another drink.
And I knew, as I sat there, shivering on the cold floor, that this was only the beginning. The breaking had just begun. And the worst part? Somewhere, deep inside the wreckage of my pride…I wanted him to break me again.
The sharp trill of Dante’s phone sliced through the quiet of our bedroom like a knife. I groaned, still heavy with sleep, burrowing deeper into the pillow. My body felt deliciously sore in all the right places from last night’s “punishment,” and the last thing I wanted was to open my eyes.Dante shifted beside me, warm muscle and steady heartbeat. He reached for the phone on the nightstand without sitting up, thumbed it to the speaker, and dropped it between us on the sheets. His voice came out rough, edged with irritation.“Is it when I cut off your balls before you stop calling me early in the morning?”Liam’s voice crackled through the speaker, apologetic but urgent. “Sorry, boss, really. But it’s urgent.”Dante pinched the bridge of his nose. “What is it? Is my house on fire? Shipment missing?”“Haruto Suzuki. He wants you to be present for the first official exchange. Our container ship is docked in Yokohama at midnight their time. To make the handoff smooth and lock in the long-
“Before the punishment begins,” he said, voice low and deliberate, “stand up and take off your clothes. Strip.”My breath caught. Heat bloomed low in my belly, instant and fierce. I was already feeling it, the slow throb between my thighs, the way my nipples had tightened under the soft fabric of his oversized sweater the moment he’d carried me up the stairs.I rose from the edge of the bed on unsteady legs. He didn’t move closer; he simply leaned back against the dresser, arms crossed, watching me with that predatory patience that always made my pulse race.“Keep your eyes on me,” he commanded.I did.I lifted the hem of the sweatshirt, his sweatshirt, and slowly pulled it over my head. The soft cotton dragged across my skin, raising goosebumps. My hair tumbled free, wild around my shoulders. I let the sweater fall to the floor.His gaze never wavered. It roamed, hungry, possessive over my bare shoulders, the swell of my breasts still covered by a thin lace bra, the dip of my waist.
The next morning I woke to soft kisses on my forehead.Dante was already dressed, dark suit, tie knotted perfectly. He looked tired, like he hadn’t slept much.“I have to handle something downtown,” he said quietly. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. The doctor’s on her way, the same one who patched me up after the accident. If you need anything, call me or tell Clara the head maid.”I nodded, throat tight. “Be careful.”He kissed me again, slow, lingering, then left.Dr. Reyes arrived forty minutes later. She’d stitched Dante’s side and treated his wounds at the warehouse; she treated me like family now.We sat in the living room. She asked the usual questions: fatigue, nausea, fever, appetite. When she asked about my last period, I froze.I counted backward in my head.Two weeks late or more.The realization landed like a stone in still water. Ripples spread outward, cold and fast.Dr. Reyes drew blood, labeled the vial, and promised results within the hour, she had a portable analyzer
Then he pulled me against his side, arm around my shoulders, fingers idly tracing patterns on my thigh. “What other languages do you speak?” he asked, out of genuine curiosity.“Spanish, fluent. Mandarin, conversational but not perfect. Arabic… enough to negotiate and understand most business talk. Polish, my father thought it useful for Eastern European deals. And a handful of others, greetings, basic phrases. French, Italian, a little Korean.”He let out a low whistle. “Damn. Impressive.”The warmth in his voice faltered when my own mood shifted. “My father forced me to learn,” I admitted quietly. “Hired tutors from the time I was eight. Different languages every year. Said it made me more valuable… a better bargaining chip.”Dante’s arm tightened around me. He pressed a kiss to my forehead, tender and fierce. “Don’t talk about him.” His voice hardened, just a fraction. “He trained you well, and still underestimated you.” Then, softer, almost to himself: “Bastard.”I heard it. A sma
The heavy door of the private lounge clicked shut behind us, sealing away the formalities of the deal like closing a chapter. My heart still raced from the hours of careful negotiation, from the way Haruto Suzuki’s sharp eyes had flicked between Dante and me, weighing every word, every pause. When he turned to me at the end and spoke in that smooth, measured Japanese, “Anytime you visit Tokyo, it would be my pleasure to have you as my guest” I felt the weight of his respect settle over me like a mantle I hadn’t earned but somehow carried anyway.I bowed slightly, murmuring. The honor would be mine,” Dante stood beside me, silent and solid after his own handshake, his presence a quiet storm at my back. Then Suzuki spoke again, low and deliberate, and the interpreter translated for Dante: “Mr. Suzuki says you are a lucky man, Moretti. Take care of her.”Heat flooded my cheeks. I understood the words before the interpreter finished, years of tutors had drilled the language into me until
When we arrived at the venue Liam had sent us, the first thing I noticed was how deliberately unremarkable it looked.No signage. No obvious security. Just a quiet building tucked into an upscale district where money moved invisibly and discretion was a currency. The kind of place designed to be forgotten the moment you walked past it.Inside, everything was hushed. Soft lighting. Neutral tones. Men in tailored suits who didn’t fidget, didn’t stare, didn’t waste motion. We were guided into a waiting room and told, politely, firmly, to wait.And we did.Minutes stretched into something heavier. Time here wasn’t measured in clocks but in patience. I could feel Dante beside me, still as stone, his presence coiled and alert. He didn’t look irrit







