Chapter Fifteen

Benecio

She. Was. Magnificent.

She stood tied to the wall in my private cellar after I drove around my island for hours to confuse her. The night vision goggles I wore gave me a good view of her. She never broke, never gave in, and my dick craved to get inside of her, to reward her for fighting, for protecting not only Domino but me as well. I couldn’t help but acknowledge it, but the darker side of me knew it would only last until the pain began. Until she realized there was no way out, and then she’d give up everything to stop the agony.

I knew all about that.

I shifted, pushing away memories that were better left in a past that had ruined me. By the end of our time here, I’d prove she wasn’t anything to me. With each bruise on her skin, I’d remind her I was in control and that was all there would ever be between us. She’d scream and claw at me, but nothing would stop what happened.

“This will hurt. I’m not some John on the street. Things would be easier if you’d just bow down.”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she lifted her head and spat at me. Beautiful. I lunged at her, wrapping my fingers around the sides of her head, and slammed her into the wall behind her. A gasp ripped from her throat, but she didn’t cry out. I wanted her to cry, to scream. To know I was breaking her. I dug my fingers into her scalp and pulled the strands of her hair. She couldn’t stop me from doing it, and I loved that. Especially when I yanked her head back, forcing it to meet the wall again before I forced her down to her knees. Tamatha struggled against me, her chest heaving. I wanted nothing more than to stick my dick down her throat and come while she gagged against my flesh.

But I had other plans.

“Fine.”

I left her there, crouching on the floor, confused, and left the holding area. I continued and started up my boat. She wouldn’t be able to hear me when I went back to the other side of the island, and I’d be able to monitor her from there. I’d have to ensure Nathan had Domino sequestered far away for a good length of time. His mother seemed she would prove harder to break.

*

Domino got to see Europe because his mother fought me for two fucking weeks. Through sleep deprivation, noise attacks, and psychological warfare designed to bring trained soldiers to their knees, she held on. She never spoke a word from what I could gather from monitoring her and listening. My hands shook as I forced myself to turn away from the monitor. She wouldn’t give me up, and I was breaking. There were parts of me that wanted to scoop her up, bring her home, and kneel at her feet. More of me wanted her to break to prove I was right.

She should have snapped already. I should be in my office, smiling with glee that I’d proven, once more, that happiness and love were only fantasies. Nathan and Rene were beholden to me, and we were a family bonded by blood and circumstance. Years had proven their loyalty to me, but what they could do for me wouldn’t risk my fortune. A wife? That could be a dangerous mix.

You’re lying to yourself.

Fuck you.

There were no such things as happy endings. And women didn’t know how to love. They took what they needed—more, if you let them—but the minute the chips were down, they ran. I hadn’t taken anything away from her, especially that special hold she had on me, and until I did, she wouldn’t break. But what was it, and why did something in me shatter a little at the prospect? Stiffening my spine, I got up from my desk and headed to my bedroom. This game had gone on long enough. Jerking jeans and a dark hoodie with black netting over my face out of my closet, I got myself ready. I wouldn’t hold myself back from touching her. I grabbed my most important tool for today, a pair of vampire gloves, and tucked them in my tool bag before heading out. The gloves, made of supple black leather and studded with silver spikes over the fingers and palm, were works of art. It had cost me a fortune for the handcrafted item, but I would never give them up. They were dull enough to not break the skin, unless I used them harder. I wanted to see just how far Tamatha could go.

The trip back to the other side of my island didn’t take long. By the time I reached the private pier, my heart pounded and my blood pooled with anticipation. I made sure the lights in Tamatha’s holding room were off so she’d be blinded by the sudden opening of the door. With no human touch or interaction for a couple of weeks, she’d be looking for some sort of connection. I opened the door with a loud squeak, and Tamatha, covered in sweat and grime, lifted her head to the door. She’d been fed after the room was gassed to put her to sleep, so she never saw me come and go. Now her wild eyes searched the light for a figure, some sort of connection. I saw the desperation in her eyes.

“Are you in a better mood?” I asked, pulling the gloves out of my duffle bag.

She licked her dry, cracked lips. “I don’t have anything to tell you.” Her voice was hoarse.

I slipped my fingers into my gloves and stretched the leather. Her eyes widened in fear. “Tell me yes.”

“Yes?”

“I like the sound of that on your lips.”

I stalked toward her and brought the duffle bag with me. As I knelt before her, she watched every move I made, a bird trapped in a cage. My cage. It made me feel powerful, in control, and I needed it. I took the first relieved breath in a long time. Then I had water, a bar of soap, and a washcloth in my hands.

“First, to clean you up.”

I took my time dousing her with the water from the bottle and using a second and third to ensure a good lather. Then I put the soap to her skin, letting her feel the bite of the vampire gloves with each pass. She hissed, her eyes going wide, and I smiled behind the half-mask.

“Do you like it?”

She shook her head, but I knew her better. She was fighting it, the drag of the cloth and how my touch soothed her. Her trembles stopped under my hand, and she sighed when I crossed over her breasts. She didn’t want to, but my training made her love this. I continued my path down her stomach and to her groin. Tamatha snapped her legs shut, but her strength was depleted during her time without good sleep and regular, hearty meals. It was nothing for me to force her legs wide as I cleansed her pussy. She sucked in a breath, her chest quaking as I swirled over her clit.

“Such a dirty girl,” I praised.

She turned her face away from me, hiding behind her hair, but it didn’t matter. I saw the way her pussy plumped with want. It should have angered me that she could feel turned on when she thought another man touched her, but I also believe part of her recognized me. That she gave in without her mind catching up because she knew my touch on a soul-deep level. I dropped the sodden washcloth to the side and grabbed more bottles of water to rinse her. She sputtered as I poured it over her head and watched dirty water sluice off her body. The golden tan of her skin had faded a bit without her access to the sun, but she was still perfect in every way.

“Now, I want to hear you say yes again.”

“Are you Benecio or Midas today?”

Her defiance made my heart sing, and I grinned like a fucking loon. “You already know. Your body knows what it wants, and he’s turned you into a proper whore. Tell me your pussy is wet. Tell me you want me to fuck you.”

“Fuck you.”

Oh, I would. Raising my hand, I slapped her hip. She cried out, muscles locking up tight. A perfect training tool, and triggering heightened sensations, the vampire gloves were perfect for Tamatha. It wouldn’t take much to slide into the realm of pure pain, and I was sure she knew it.

“Would you like to try again?”

Her chest heaved as she glared at me, unspeaking.

“So be it.”

I lifted both hands this time. She tried to scramble away, but she wasn’t fast enough. I bought both down harder on the sides of her ass.

“No!” she screamed.

“Wrong.”

I dragged my hand down the soft plane of her stomach, and the other up between her legs. She screamed, but my glove came up wet with her juices. She liked what I did to her. The evidence of it, stark and beautiful against the spikes, blew me away. I wanted to see more, for her to feel more. Once again, I pressed my hand between her legs, this time making sure my middle finger caressed her clit in an abrasive push. She bit her bottom lip, a flush permeating her skin.

“You want this, and I could give it to you,” I whispered to her.

“I don’t want you,” she tossed back.

No, she didn’t want Midas; she wanted Benecio. Me. The one so fucked up inside I could barely hold it together. She should be shattered now.

“Semantics. Your body says otherwise.”

I let my gloved hands trail over her skin, from her face down to her toes. She shuddered harder with each pass, until she was releasing little moans that hardened my cock.

“All you have to do is say yes,” I reminded her.

It was beautiful, touching her again, and something clicked deep inside of me. She made me feel, and the emotions pouring through me as I caressed her skin scattered over my nerve endings, prickling me with equal parts remorse, need, and anger. I didn’t want to want her like this, but I fucking did. It made my touch rough on her, and I slipped one hand between her bonded arms and her breasts. Her eyes widened as I pressed hard against her sensitive flesh.

“I’m waiting,” I prompted.

She shook her head, and I pushed harder. When she whimpered, more juices spilled over my gloved fingers as I watched.

“Don’t deny what you want.”

My finger slipped between her folds, and her back went ramrod straight. She was mine to do with as I pleased—to fuck, to hurt, to crave. Her pussy pushed against my finger, but I kept going. She groaned, letting her head loll back and to the side.

“Please,” she whispered.

“Please what?”

“Don’t do this. I belong to Benecio, and—”

Fucking shattered. I ripped my hands from her body, pulsing with ache and sweet longing. I needed her to fuck up, to throw me away. But she didn’t, and I throbbed as I pulled off my hood and tore at my face mask.

“Then say yes to Benecio. Give me your heart.”

We both froze, the only indication she’d heard what I said.

Her smile was sad, her eyes blank. “I already did, and you broke it.”

No!

I gripped her face and brought her closer to me, forcing her to look into my eyes.

“I told you every part of you belonged to me.”

“But you didn’t have my heart. Not until I gave it to you, and you gave it back.”

I would not lose this. I would not. I didn’t like the word no, and denying me a part of her was unacceptable, even the part I thought I hadn’t wanted. So I crashed my lips to hers and denied that my heart cracked a little at the way she cringed.

I’d been so wrong.