“You are lucky your arrangement was with Rio and not one of his brothers,” Romeo says suddenly, surprising me.
I snort.
“Lucky would be not being shipped off away from my family to a place I know nothing about with a man I barely know.”
My face pales and I cover my mouth. I can’t believe I just said that out loud. He shrugs like he doesn’t care.
“There are worse things, Principessa. Some of the Sanchez men have tastes far worse than Rio’s. Be grateful he is the eldest heir.” He says that statement and Saul looks back at him, nodding his head in agreement. Both of them share a look of disgust. My thoughts immediately travel back to the night at the club. The woman Rio’s brother had with him that wouldn’t speak. A chill runs down my body and I’m not sure I want to wonder what happened to her.
The crowd erupts with cheers, pulling me from my thoughts and I see Rio appear inside the cage. He’s shirtless, muscles on full display and I watch as every tattoo flexes while he moves and stretches. The cheers from the women in the audience are loud and obnoxious. Why does that man have to be so good looking? Why am I being tortured with attraction to a man I should despise?
“What happens to the loser of this fight?” I ask with fear. I never thought about that when agreeing to this.
“What did you bet?” Romeo asks.
I just look at him and don’t answer. I’m not going to tellhim what Rio plans to do to me. I don’t think I can say it out loud. The fight starts fast. There’s no lead up. Just both men trading hits back and forth. Rio’s opponent lands a hit, then another, and I cringe inside.
‘Is it wrong for me to want him to win and lose at the same time?’
The man grins, blood trickling from his lip, as he lands another hit on Rio, splitting his eyebrow open. Blood pours down the side of his face.
“Are you sure he’s going to be okay?” I ask with sympathy that surprises me.
Rio’s eyes find mine through the cage, and he smiles wide, his teeth red with blood. He runs his tongue along his teeth, slow and deliberate, and I feel something coil inside my stomach. How is this man terrifying me and turning me on all at once? Romeo watches with a little smirk.
“Fuck, principessa, what did you offer him if he wins? He looks like he’s going to eat you alive.”
I flush all over. I can tell now, Rio is putting on a show, letting the other guy land a few hits, before slamming him to the mat.
“It’s always a show when Sanchez fights. He lets them hit him for fun. He drags it out too long,” Saul mutters.
“You’re just mad you lost to the Russian,” Romeo jokes.
Saul turns to look at him with a glare.
“Fuck off. Next time you fight him then.”
“Maybe,” Romeo shrugs with a smirk.
The fight ends with a chokehold that has the other man passing out with his face purple. The crowd loses its mind, half booing, half cheering, all clearly wanting more blood to spill. Rio wastes no time as he exits the cage and stalks toward the VIP section. Toward me. He doesn’t bother acknowledging the people shouting his name or the girls trying to grab him. His eyes are completely locked on me, and there’s a wild, ferallook in them. I stand, shaking, because I know what’s coming and I’m terrified. I'm also slightly turned on and that confuses me even more. He reaches me, grabs me by the waist just as I try to step back, and yanks me against his body.
“Oh Datura,” he whispers, lips pressed to my ear. “You don’t plan to back out now, do you? We had a deal.”
“Everyone’s watching,” I say low.
“That’s the point.”
“Rio, you can’t be serious. You really intend to…to…”
“To fuck you in front of everyone?” He finishes my sentence, loud enough for Romeo and Saul to hear. “That was the deal, wasn’t it?”
Romeo whistles and turns his chair so he’s facing us. He nudges Saul.
“This should cheer you up. We get to watch Rio fuck his Italian princess. I can’t wait to see how beautiful she looks when she comes.”
Saul doesn’t smile, but I see the way his eyes flick to me, slightly amused. Rio’s hand snakes down my back, fingers digging into the flesh just above my ass as he looks over at Romeo with annoyance. He seems to be deep in thought for a minute before he starts to drag me out of VIP.
“Where are you going?” Romeo calls out with a laugh.
