ANTONIOErica looked rapt as she watched the actors on the stage. We were in an opera theatre. And unlike other times, I didn’t have it booked just for me or threw other spectators out. Keeping her dislike for that particular act, I only had Ephraim empty out the upper floor where now I was sitting with my little devil, who looked so beautiful and fûcking tempting in that baby pink dress with a faint flush on her cheeks that looked permanent now since she drank two glasses of red wine. And, while she enjoyed the performances of one of the finest theatre actors the city has to offer, all I could do was sit here and watch her and want her with every breath I was taking. I wanted to undress her right here and now and do all the dirty things to her. The need I felt for this woman was indescribable.But I kept my patience, because I knew I’ll get the chance to do all those filthy things I wanted to, later. I’ll unwrap her when we go back to the penthouse, knowing that she belonged to me in

ERICAThe moment we entered I saw why it was named red velvet. The whole place had only one colour as its theme, and even the waitresses with trays in their hands wore red skirts and tops. My eyes went from one place to another, taking everything in. There was a raised dance floor where a crowd was swaying to the beats of music, compared to them I looked the odd one out with the dress I was wearing as with each step I took it trailed behind me, dragging on the floor like I was on a red carpet. And everyone was wearing black while the staff was in red uniforms, the only bright splash of colour seemed to be me as I walked beside Antonio.People started to notice us as we passed, a man in a black suit interrupted us and looked at Antonio as he asked, “Should I clear the VIP section for you, sir?”I looked at where he pointed and saw that there was another level with couches and a small dance floor with four poles where the women in skimpy lingerie were dancing. Antonio was telling the ma

ERICAMy head felt like it was on the verge of splitting open and everything would spill out. With a groan, I turned on my back and when I opened my eyes it took me a moment to understand where I was and what had happened. My hand patted the sides of the bed as I was in the middle and the cold touch of mattress told me that Antonio had left the bed quite some time ago. Closing my eyes, I skipped through my memories of last night and even though most of it were hazy, I remembered our visit to opera theatre and Antonio dancing with me... And our pretend... With a gasp I sat up and lifted my left hand as I started at it, but there was no ring on my ring finger. And yet I could've sworn that there was a blurry memory of Antonio putting one on when we were pretending and saying our 'I dos’. I shook my head as once again I looked down at my hand, turning it around like the ring would appear somehow that my mind had conjured up. But apart from the bracelet that blinked in the sunlight comin

ERICAI still felt half drunk from last night and the cold had me wanting to hide in the bed with Antonio’s arms tightly wrapped around me. Even as we stepped down from the chopper, I leaned into him as it was colder here on the cliff than it was in the city. I wanted to hurry inside the castle but Antonio seemed to have other ideas as his steps slowed and then I felt the tension entering his body. Before I could ask him what was wrong or even understand what was happening, my attention went to the figure that appeared at the door of the castle. It was a girl.And then she was running towards us with a big grin on her face. I wasn’t even ready for the words she yelled and the way Antonio stepped away from me, I almost stumbled without his support as I was half tucked into his side. There were so many thoughts running through my mind at seeing the girl but none of them came close to what she could mean to Antonio and who was she, until she gave me the answers with her excited squeal,

ERICAAntonio kept his arm around me as we entered the dining hall. For some reason, my mind pulled out the memories of the first time I had stepped into this room. It brought up a smile on my face to remember that that time I had been so fucking angry and I really hated Antonio for being so conceding and a cruel arsehole to kidnap me and treat me like an object. He had taken my choices away and no matter how much I had fought him he had made me surrender to his demands. Looking back at that it felt like I had stepped through a magical door that changed my feelings. Now, even as hurt as I was in the moment, I didn’t hate him, far from it and it was the reason why my chest ached so much as it did. Antonio walked ahead and pulled out a chair for me but before I could sit, Gianna slipped between us and kissed his cheek. “Thankyou, papa.” I took a step back from them but crashed into someone else. When I looked back, Ephraim stood behind me and arched a brow. I smiled at him, feeling mys