Page 12 of The Dominator

I nodded. He wasn’t usually the touchy-feely sort. My heart sank. I stepped out onto the porch and saw that Tommy Ferrano was there, parked on the street, waiting for me. I didn’t know if he was just half an hour early or if he hadn’t even left. I didn’t know if I should go to the car or go back inside and enjoy what might be my last thirty minutes of freedom.

“Tia, come! Open your graduation gifts!” Ruby called from the family room.

Damn that douchebag Greg O’Connor. It pissed me off that he’d do this to his kid. Pop had already told me that he’d broken the news to Tia that she wasn’t just a marker to be held temporarily, like her father had said. She was now property of the Ferrano family. My property, if I wanted her.

When I’d seen her in my bedroom it took everything in me to not rip her clothes off, throw her on the bed, and take her. She’d been mine from the minute Pop had told me about her and it didn’t take long for me to feel it down to my bones. I hadn’t even been with anyone since seeing her face that first time. I had zero desire to touch anyone. Anyone but her. And because I typically had pussy at my disposal every single day and it’d been weeks, I was on fire for this girl. She’d be in big trouble if I couldn’t bring this need in me to heel.

I thought about taking my frustrations out on someone else, to lock it down, save her from me, but I didn’t want anyone else. I didn’t even think I’d get hard for anyone else because I was looking forward to having her that much.

She’d stood there looking surprised, then confused, then defiant, and I couldn’t wait to get her back to my place, to my bed, where we could explore a variety of her emotions together. Fear, submission, satisfaction.

Now she was on the porch of the Crenshaw house, staring at me sitting in my car. I tilted my seat back to show her I was in no hurry. She disappeared into the house.

I told Rose, Cal, and Ruby that I had something to take care of and that I didn’t know when I’d be back. Rose and Cal assumed it was just to do with my dad and, as usual, gave me space. Ruby pummeled me with questions.

“I can’t, Ruby. I can’t talk about it.”

“When will you be at the dance? Nick texted me and he really wants to see you.”

“I don’t know. I’ll try. But if I don’t come, don’t worry.”

“If you don’t come? If you don’t come! This is the last hurrah before you become a grown up. What do you mean if you don’t come?”

She was in hysterics. It was time for me to leave.

“I have to go,” I said, pulling her into a quick hug, “I’ll be back ASAP. Okay?”

Mia and Bethany were approaching, so I decided to make my exit tout de suite before the questions started coming at me rapid-fire.

Ruby looked so confused. It wasn’t like me to leave her in the dark. I hated to walk away, and I hoped she wouldn’t follow me. I didn’t know what to say. I was confused, myself!

I left the porch and walked toward the car. Tommy brought his seat back upright and stepped out to open the passenger door. I got in and when he closed it, I glanced over my shoulder at the house and saw Ruby and Rose watching me from the front door with confusion on their faces. Of course they were confused. I was getting into an expensive convertible with a man they’d never met.

I put my seatbelt on. Tommy turned the ignition and drove off. I sat, frozen, numb, not sure what to say or do. Then we approached Nick on the street, jaywalking, heading toward Rose and Cal’s house. He made eye contact with me and then his jaw dropped because Tommy sped up and then swerved to just miss hitting him. My eyes shot to Tommy who was staring straight ahead, a devious smirk on his face. Did he know who Nick was to me?

When we got back to my house, she followed me back upstairs to my bedroom without a word, until the door was closed. Then she dropped her purse on the floor and her fists balled up. Now she was shooting imaginary daggers at me from her eyes.

“Would you please tell me what’s going on?” she blurted. “The story my father told me is very different from what your father told me. And your father didn’t say much. You’ve gotta admit, this is not normal.”

I removed my suit jacket, dropped it on the bed, rolled up my sleeves, sat on the sofa that was in front of the bed, and propped my arms on the back of it. “Sit.”

“I’d rather not,” she said, staring at the ink on my left forearm. She swallowed hard. She was trying to hide that she was intimidated.

Her legs went on for miles in that tight black dress. She wore heels and damn, she had a smokin’ body. The temperature in the room rose as we sized one another up. I undid my top shirt button and moistened my lips.

“What’s going on here is this.” I leaned forward, resting my forearms on my thighs, looking at her face. “Your father owes my father something and he’s paid that debt off using you as currency.” This was all I knew, although I did plan to get to the bottom of it. I shrugged like it was no big deal.

“Why would anyone pay a debt with a person? And I’m not my father’s property; he had no right to agree to those terms.”

I liked how she was looking me right in the eye. I smiled at her.

“So, your father arranged a marriage?” she continued, “And even more strange, you agreed. And my father agreed to this as well?”

I mulled the question over for a moment. “Not exactly.”

“Then what, exactly?”

She was on the verge of losing her temper. I wanted that. I wanted her to lose her temper so I could bring her in line. I could barely stand waiting for that moment of realization – that moment when she got an inkling of what she was in for.

---