At the sound of footsteps crossing the floor, I hurriedly slip on the dress. It fits like a dream. Rosetta calls out to me and then opens the door only to stop short upon seeing me.
“Bellissima!” She claps her hands as though we’re two young girls getting ready for prom. Not that I would know what that’s like, but I have seen it in movies. Rosetta’s delight is infectious, and despite my best efforts, I give her another half smile. “You look better than I imagined,” she says. “I’ll see to your hair and then give you a tour of the house. Yes?”
I nod and then sit on the footstool she retrieves from inside a nearby closet. Rosetta chatters on about different things while she trims, dries, and styles my hair, and the entire time, I feel like I’ve entered an alternate universe where the events of the night before never took place. The red lines on my backside say otherwise, and periodically I shift on the seat to alleviate the discomfort. When I walked past the belt lying innocently on the floor earlier, I wasn’t sure whether to be upset or enticed. Getting spanked was the last thing I expected to enjoy, and though it stung, the pleasure that came after was incredible.
“Maximus is a very fortunate man to have such a wife,” Rosetta says. “Indeed, his brothers will be jealous, but it won’t matter because Maximus is the baby of the family and the most protective of his treasures. And you are definitely that. Now come along,caro. The tour will take a while if we do it correctly.”
I look at myself fully and rise, causing the material to flutter about my knees. I don’t recognize the woman before me except for the shining uncertainty in her gaze. That is familiar. But the rest? This can’t be me. She’s sophisticated yet sensual and…beautiful.
For once, I catch a glimpse of what other people see.
While I wasn’t denied clothing, my father only provided the bare minimum when it came to my wardrobe. Not that it mattered to me. In fact, I care very little for material things. They are lovely to have, but knowledge is what I thirst for. However, I can’t deny I really like this dress.
“Do you…” I clear my throat and try again at Rosetta’s encouraging nod. “Do you think I’ll be allowed access to the library or a computer?” My words leave me in a rush, their speed catalyzed by the need to explain my position so I’m not denied the mental escape I desperately need. Learning is my coping mechanism, the only thing that brings me joy in my dreary life. “I want to have something to read, and I don’t plan on doing anything I shouldn’t. It’s just I really like to study and research interesting topics. I won’t be in the way, and I’m happy to do it in my room…wherever that is. I promise.”
Rosetta places a hand on my shoulder. The touch is light, but I stiffen anyway. I guess I’m not completely over my aversion to touch, and that should apply to Maximus, but the fact it doesn’t bothers me.
“I will see to it that you have the things you need,caro. Now come along.”
This time, I give her a full smile. It’s not big, but it’s more than before. “Thank you.”
She leads us from Maximus’s room, and on the way out, my gaze lands on the nightgown I arrived in. It’s symbolic in a way. I entered this place full of innocence, and now I’m leaving it without the delicate lace representing my fragility, the youthful hue denoting my naivety, and the length of my gown as a symbol of my sheltered mindset.
Maximus
Ilet Emilia sleep in my bed.
I swore I’d never let a woman sleep there, especially not a whore.
Yet sleep there she did, with me beside her, watching her until I fell victim to a restless sleep.
My curses aren’t loud, since I have no desire for my brothers to overhear me. They’re here to discuss business, particularly an upcoming trip to France, but I know for certain they’ll want information concerning my bride. I’m not sure what to tell them either.
What I won’t say is I’ve broken one of my rules. Not only will I never hear the end of it, but then they’ll question me and demand an answer.
I don’t have one.
Even when I woke to find her nestled, as much as the bindings would allow, in the blanket I’d covered her with, I still couldn’t conceive why she was there. Emilia looked like a siren with her raven locks spread across the pillow and her face turned to the side, exposing the graceful slopes of her profile. Her curves weren’t fully on display but still able to be seen from the way the sheets hugged her body and clung to her figure. My cock grew hard, and the very thought of it between her rosy lips, parted slightly with her even breaths, was enough to have me ignore my brothers’ arrival. Just like I had to jack off in the shower after not taking Emilia’s cunt last night, I had to do it again at the sight of her sleeping peacefully this morning.
I walk into my office and find Tristano and Rafael helping themselves to my decanter. Each of them is dressed in expensive clothing; however, Tristano looks every inch the refined businessman he is, complete with a suit and tie. Rafael, on the other hand, wears jeans and a plain gray T-shirt, and his hair is disheveled. He constantly says he doesn’t need to be the professional one, since he’s not the head of the Silvestri family like Tristano, but I think he’d still rebel and dress in whatever fashion he wanted.
If Tristano is a rule maker, then Rafael is a rule breaker.
And I’m somewhere in the middle, having looked up to both my older brothers my entire life.
“It’s about fucking time you showed up,” Rafael says. He lifts the tumbler in my direction and raises his brows. “You look like shit, by the way.”
I fold my arms and lean against the edge of my desk. “Poor me one and shut the fuck up.”
He grins at me while Tristano watches the exchange over the rim of his glass. My eldest brother is always observing and thinking, which makes him dangerous to our enemies.
“Here.” Rafael hands me a drink. “So how’d the wedding go?”
I shrug and take a healthy swallow. “As expected.”
Rafael groans, and Tristano cocks his head. “And how is that exactly?” he asks. “You need to provide us more details than that.”
“That’s right,” Rafael says with a pinched expression. “You know what this revenge means to us, and not being able to witness Caruso lose his shit when you took his daughter is still something I’m pissed about. The least you can do is tell us everything.”
