IT’S BEEN A long day, and I can think of nothing better to do than curling up in my warm bed and getting a good night’s rest. My hands are aching after the brutal beating I put on our wayward dealer, but I can rest easy knowing Harold will never fuck up again. If he wants to live anyway, that is.
As I’m ascending the stairs, it dawns on me that I won’t be sleeping alone tonight. I can’t even remember the last time I had anyone in my bed, and then I realize that’s because the answer is never. It will be a first for me. And it’s not because I haven’t had my fair share of women. It’s because none of them have had the honor of stepping foot inside my bedroom or even sleeping in the same bed as me. Nightmares often plague me, and they can sometimes cause me to wake up volatile. But more than that, I just haven’t trusted a woman enough to let her see me in such a vulnerable state. And we are the most susceptible when we’re sleeping or unconscious.
Earlier in the day, Sofia, one of my housekeepers, had informed me that Aria was taking a shower, and I’d instructed her to give Aria some of her clothes to wear since I had nothing readily available for my new guest.
A grin graces my lips as I reach the landing of the top floor. I wonder if Aria will be sleeping after her shower or if she will be pacing the floor, waiting for whatever depraved things she thinks in her pretty, little head that I’m going to do to her. Even though I have no intentions of touching her, the sick bastard in me can’t help but hope for the latter.
Walking down the hallway, I pause at my door, my hand on the knob, patiently waiting, listening. I hear nothing on the other side, and so I enter, expecting to see Aria fast asleep.
When I walk into the room; however, I see quite the opposite. Aria is standing on the other side of the room by one of the dressers, wide awake. Her eyes widen when she sees me, and I can practically smell her fear as I close the door behind me and remove my suit jacket. Tugging at my tie, I turn towards her and check out her current state.
She’s dressed in a black t-shirt and matching leggings; and her hair is still damp from her shower, the long strands hanging over her right shoulder. My eyes scour her petite form, and I’m pleased by Sofia’s choice of clothing and the fact she kept it easy and comfortable for our new guest.
“I’ll order you more clothes soon,” I inform her.
“Whose clothes are these?” Aria asks, and I can hear the tremble in her voice. I don’t know why, but it fucking turns me on that she fears me so much.
“Sofia’s,” I explain.
“Was she one of your whores? Did you buy her too? Is she dead?” She spits out the questions in rapid succession.
A deep chuckle escapes me. “She’s one of my housekeepers, and I assure you she’s very much alive. I figured you two were around the same size, so I asked her if she would lend you some of her clothes.”
Silence fills the room as I continue to undress. Her honey-colored eyes are narrowed as she watches my every movement like a little bunny would watch a big, scary wolf. I walk over towards the walk-in closet, undressing completely inside of it before slipping on a pair of dark gray sweatpants, forgoing a shirt. Usually I sleep naked, but I figured Aria would rather I didn’t tonight. When I emerge from the closet, I’m surprised to see that Aria has moved closer to the bed.
I stare at my little prisoner. Aria’s hands are tucked demurely behind her back with one leg crossed in front of the other as she bites her lip nervously. She looks so damn young and innocent in that moment, and it takes everything I have in me to tear my gaze away from her.
“I’m sorry I’m not going to be much up for conversation tonight,” I tell her bluntly. I’m beyond tired. The past thirty-six hours haven’t been the easiest, and I haven’t even had time to dwell on the outcome of having Aria here with me. I don’t have a room prepared for her, which is why she is staying here with me. Although the thought of her being somewhere else in the compound makes me nervous. It’s not that I don’t trust my men. I trust most of them with my life. But when it comes to pussy, they all have a one-tracked mind. And considering I haven’t put a claim to her yet, they might see her as fair game.
Aria swallows hard at my words and gives me an imperceptible nod, and once again the smell of her fear has my cock twitching in my sweatpants. Why do I like the fact that she’s afraid of me? I suppose I’m just twisted like that.
Without waiting for a response from her, I walk over to the bed, pull back the comforter and lay down. “Are you coming?” I ask her. I don’t want to play games. I just want to go to sleep.
She gives me a nod, and I can see her hand trembling as she peels back the blankets on her side of the bed. Slowly, she climbs in, staying on her knees.
My brows furrow as I stare up at her. What the fuck is she doing? Before I can form another thought, she crawls over to me, getting closer and closer. My cock throbs in my sweatpants. I never thought she would be a willing participant in bed. Well, really, I haven’t thought much about it or what I’m even going to do with her. I bought her, but I’m still trying to wrap my head around the reasons behind it. I’ll deal with the consequences tomorrow when I’m more rested and clearheaded.
“Aria,” I whisper as she plants her thighs on either side of mine and straddles my lap. “Fuck,” I growl, as she rests her covered pussy against my hardening cock. Just the thought of sinking inside of her and taking her virginity has my dick roaring to life. I was dead tired before, but now the adrenaline pumping through my veins has me wide awake.
Ever so slowly, she leans forward. I stare at her sexy mouth, her bee-stung lips begging to be bitten and sucked on. Even though I know the kiss is coming, I’m not ready for the jolt I feel between us when our lips finally touch. It’s barely a kiss, leaving me wanting more. So much more.
Suddenly, an explosion of pain hits me right in the abdomen, and I quickly push her away from me as I try to find a source for the pain. Looking down, I see a shard of glass that’s currently lodged into my side.
“Que mierda?” I shout, scrambling out of bed to stand and assess the damage. “You fucking stabbed me?” It comes out sounding like a question rather than an accusation. I just didn’t think she had it in her to do something like this. She looks so sweet and innocent. And now I know I gravely underestimated her. She’s not a docile, little doll like I first thought. She’s a goddamn tigress.
Gritting my teeth, I angrily grab the large shard and slowly pull it out of my side. Aria watches in horror as I do this. But I don’t know if she’s more horrified by the blood or the fact that I’m not dead. She clearly wanted to do me bodily harm, and she definitely achieved that goal tonight. I just hope it’s not deep enough to have stabbed any of my vital organs.
I watch as blood begins to gush out of my wound. Quickly, I cover it with my hand, putting pressure on it. “Fuck. Look what you’ve done,” I tell her, shaking my head as a red river cascades down to my gray sweatpants, soaking the fabric. Stalking over to her, I close the distance between us in three long strides.
“You should’ve gone for the throat,” I tell her before wrapping my bloody hand around the column of her neck. She stares up at me with a frightened gaze. My thumb brushes across her full lips, painting them in crimson. And there’s just something about seeing her covered in my blood that drives me wild. But when I begin to sway on my feet, I know that I’m losing too much blood too damn fast. Taking a step back, I grimace not from the pain but for the pity I feel for Aria. She has no idea what is to come next, the consequences of her actions here tonight. Calmly, I step away from her and push a special panic button on my watch, which never leaves my wrist for this very reason.
Within seconds, I can hear my men’s footfalls running up the stairs and towards my room. Aria panics and starts looking around for what I’m assuming is a quick and easy exit. But there’s nowhere for her to go. I don’t even have windows in my room for this very reason — someone attempting to hurt or kill me.
Ignacio enters the room first. He takes one look at my wound, and then he announces in Spanish for the men filing in behind him to capture the girl.
Aria screams and struggles as they surround her and take her from the room. I hear her crying out my name, begging for my help. But she just sealed her fate. Even I can’t save her from what is about to happen.
