Page 24 of Hearts Of Darkness

“Come for me,” he orders, and I do just that, crying out as I convulse around his fingers, clutching at his hand to prolong the sensations as I’m consumed by every shade of fire.

My face is still tightly pressed against his chest as a solitary tear rolls down my cheek. I’m terrified by this man’s ability to turn my emotions inside out, making me dismiss allreason and doubt the second his skin touches mine.

“Now, about that dinner,” he purrs, his hot breath like a soft caress against my ear lobe.

“I haven’t agreed to anything yet.”

He smirks and grasps my upper arms, tipping me backward onto the bed before reaching for his belt. “Then, I’ll just have to persuade you a littleharder…”

He keepsme in bed with him for hours, but the more pleasure he gives me, the more I’m despising my own body. He’s right. It keeps betraying me in the worst possible way by screaming out in ecstasy whenever he puts his hands on me. My lust and my hate are so tightly intertwined that all the edges are blurred.

I can’t hope to have any perspective while he’s dominating me like this. I have no sway over what happens to me here, from my choice of clothes down to the food I eat. The only things I’m allowed to keep for myself are my thoughts, but he seems hell-bent on gunning for those as well.

He’s sleeping now. His chest is pressed tight against my back and one arm is thrown carelessly over my hip, holding me close to his body. I may be motionless in his embrace, but my mind is spinning wildly. My gaze is fixed on the bedroom door. He kicked it shut earlier, before he removed the last of his clothes, but he never locked it. Either he’s getting careless, or there really is no escape from him, but I’m feeling reckless enough to find out. A few minutes. That’s all I need. Just a brief reprieve from my prison cell to sharpen my senses and harden my resolve again.

My breathing is sharp and shallow at the thought of what he’ll do to me when he finds out. His rage will be terrible—my retribution, swift and savage.It will be worth it to taste fresh air and freedom, though.

Heart pounding, I work to free myself from his embrace, slowly removing his arm and slithering sideways out of bed. He grunts and rolls over onto his front. I crouch there on the floor, immobile and staring, temporarily transfixed by his sleeping beauty; intimidated by the sheer length and breadth of him sprawled out across the mattress. His carved features are softened by sleep. There’s no rigidity in his expression anymore, only peace. A lock of black hair has fallen over his face, and his olive skin is stretched tight over his thick forearms and biceps. This man could snap me in two if he wanted, and the thought sends an unpleasant shiver up and down my spine.

He’s much older than me, but there are no gray hairs in those dark waves. Still, the faint lines on his forehead suggest hardships and struggle. This man hasenduredto reach this bedroom with me.

I dress swiftly, throwing the dress back over my head and scooping up my panties from the floor. He grunts again and I freeze. Any minute now, those eyes are going to spring open and blind me with their darkness.

Backing out of the room, I find myself in a hallway filled with doors. There’s a curved staircase at one end, and I take the steps two, three, at a time. My descent seems endless. Everything in this house is super-sized, and there’s an old colonial-style feel to it—from the polished wooden floors to the stark whiteness of the walls. Like his bedroom, there are no pictures hanging anywhere, just more of the same darkfurniture. The only movement in the whole place comes from the white muslin drapes at the window as the gentle afternoon breeze whips the material into formless shapes.

At the bottom of the stairs, there’s another door—solid, wooden.Open?I test out that possibility, pushing the handle down as I hold my breath. To my relief, it springs toward me with a soft click…

“Hey, stop!”

I swing round, my face frozen in terror. The same girl who’s been delivering food to my bedroom is standing right behind me. She’s wearing a red dress, and her copper hair has been tied back in a loose ponytail. There’s a bunch of white lilies in her hand.

“Does Señor Dante know you’re here?” she demands, looking me up and down.

So, she does speak English…

I feel a flash of anger as I recall all the times I pleaded with her, only to be met with blank ignorance.

“I said, does Señor Dante know you’re here?” she repeats, more urgently this time. Her eyes keep darting to the empty staircase.

Her raised voice attracts another woman from the same room. She’s of a similar age. Hispanic too, pretty, with a round generous face. Her welcoming smile fades when she sees me cowering by the door.Who the hell are all these women?

“Keep her there,” snaps the first girl. “I’m going to fetch Señor—”

“Calm down, Valentina,” comes a deep voice. “I’m right here.”

My stomach drops as my captor slowly saunters down thestairs barefoot. He’s still pulling on his T-shirt, benefitting all three of us with his hard and unforgiving body. I risk a glance at the other two women. Judging from all the floor gazing going on, they’re not immune to his beauty either.

“Eve’s exploring her parameters again, aren’t you, my angel?” he drawls, but that dangerous snap has returned.

Shooting me a hard look, he prowls over to the sideboard, picks up a gun and jams it into the front waistband of his jeans. Walking back over to me, he grabs my arm and yanks me out of the way as he opens the door.

“Let’s take a walk, shall we?” he says, pushing me out onto the porch and slamming the door behind him. “It’s high time I showed you just how gilded the bars of your cage really are.”

10

EVE

There is so much beauty in the sight that greets me, but there is so much ugliness and disappointment too. He’s right. My new world is a cage, a beautiful terrible cage, that’s bordered by a dreamy blue ocean, reams of barbed wire and armed guards stationed every few yards apart.

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