“Frankie, you’ve never…”
“Take what you want. I want you to. I can swallow or-”
“You don’t have to do that unless you want to,” I say, softly, stroking her velvety smooth cheek. She’s my wife. I may want to do dirty things with her but not until she’s ready for them.
For some reason, she seems angered by my restraint. “No, I don’t have to be your good girl. Show me how to suck cock like a bad girl. I want to please you.” She strokes my cock harder, making it nearly impossible to think.
“You’re still very inexperienced. I shouldn’t-”
“Maybe I want to be corrupted by you.”
A roar of primal lust takes control at the very thought of corrupting Francesca. Who am I kidding trying to hold back? I’m a killer. I torture other killers until they cry for their mommies. If she wants this, I’ll enjoy teaching her, corrupting her for all my days.
Lunging forward, I pin her to the sofa and capture her lips in a harsh kiss, one full of fiery need and the dark desires I intended to hold back until later. She kisses me with equal fervor, her lithe body twisting under mine, driving me insane. There’s a triumphant smirk playing on her swollen lips when I’m forced to breathe. Precum leaks from my cock when I shove my pants the rest of the way down.
“You may have trouble singing tomorrow. I’m going to fuck your throat hard, the same way I want to fuck your pussy and your ass. Lay back with your head over the arm of the sofa.”
She scrambles to do as I say, but her stunned expression has me quickly rescinding my order.
“Wait.”
The word cost me more effort than I would’ve thought possible. I stroke her swollen bottom lip and trail my fingertips along the column of her throat. She swallows hard, and I see the trepidation in her blue eyes I’d allowed myself to ignore a moment ago.
“You don’t want it that way. I’m not sure you want this at all.”
“I do! I want to go to Juilliard… or will you trick me again?”
Ice settles in my stomach like a heavy weight hanging from my heart. She expects to be tricked by me. I thought I was so clever two nights ago, but I don’t want that to determine our entire marriage.
“Those things are not meant to be connected. If you want to go to school, you’ll go. If you want to touch me or for me to touch you, it can’t be because of that.”
“It can,” she argues. “I’m trying to establish our rules. Quid pro quo. You can take what you want if you… I thought if I gave you what you wanted…” She trails off, growing emotional, but not before each word hits me like a sledgehammer.
“And I once told you a little girl like you could never hurt me,” I mutter, turning away.
Sadness is not an emotion I indulge often. I prefer rage. After pulling my pants and underwear back up, I stalk over to the liquor cabinet, pouring myself a strong drink while she continues to kneel naked on the sofa, looking confused and so very young.
“Go to bed, Francesca. I’m not in the mood for these games tonight.”
She opens her mouth and then closes it, perhaps realizing how close I am to a very different explosion than the one she’d expected. Clambering to her feet, she races up to the bedroom. A handful of broken sobs float down the stairs soon after.
I want to tear my goddamn hair out hearing her crying. I have to get out of here. Slamming down the glass, I grab my coat and leave.
26
Francesca
Iwake up shivering from another nightmare a few nights later, and the emptiness I felt when I fell asleep hasn't faded. I wonder why Carlo’s words haunt me in a way the memories of Rocco can’t.“And I once told you a little girl like you could never hurt me.”
How couldIhurthim?I have no power in this marriage. Even when I tried to grasp for a handful, he wouldn’t have it.
“Is that what you want? A transactional sex life with your husband?”Cat had asked me yesterday when I’d called her. I’d felt ashamed for admitting my plan. Even if part of me insists I hang on to my anger when it comes to Carlo, I don’t want to be miserable either.
“I just despise the imbalance of power.”
“I know. I do, too, sometimes.”
“Alessio worships the ground you walk on.”
