Page 16 of Dirty Little Sins

"If you are once again implying that I had anything to do with those pictures of us in Italy, you need to get something straight. For the last time I had NO prior knowledge about any cameras in my villa. Nor were they set up by anyone else at my request. Is it ultimately my responsibility that it happened? Yes. Did I intentionally allow it to happen? Fuck NO." I took several steps closer to her until my bare chest was only inches away from her beautiful tits. "We need to get this straight right now, Zia. That never should have happened."

"Then why are you ultimately responsible if you didn't orchestrate it?"

I took a deep breath and watched the pulse beat erratically against her throat. She would never admit that having me this close again reminded her of a lot more than those pictures.

"Because you were in my home, entrusting me with your safety. Offering your submission. Something I don't take lightly under the circumstances. Underanycircumstances," I repeated, my mouth nearly at her ear. Tension radiated from her and it took an exorbitant amount of control not to scrap my teeth along her neck. The idea of her melting under my touch almost too much to bear.

"I have a hard time believing you," she breathed, her words choppy with arousal.

"No one can make you do or believe anything you don't want to. Not even me. But what we shared in Italy is without question far more important than a silly game of photography. Do you honestly think I need a picture to remember what you looked like on your knees in front of me?"

She started to respond and I covered her mouth with my hand to stop her. "No. Don't say something we'll both regret later and I'll be forced to punish you for. I had absolutely nothing to do with those pictures, but I am willing to take the responsibility for them. However," I paused, taking a moment to lower my voice. "It's time to forget about them and put them in the past. Today they no longer matter."

She wrenched free from my hand and stared daggers at me. "Punish me?! How dare you. I knew you had an ego, but holy shit this is ridiculous. You seriously expect me to forget everything that happened and fall down on my knees and beg for your dick, don't you?"

When I said nothing right away, the heat of Zia intensified.

"You fucking asshole! I suppose you had nothing to do with the blackmail either then," she said acidly, every syllable a burn into my soul. "God, I hate you. It's fucking evil what you helped him do. Hell will freeze over before I forgive you."

I reared back as if slapped. "What?" I roared, a sudden burst of anger exploding through my veins. "You were blackmailed? Over those pictures?"

She rolled her eyes as some of the tight rigidity of her muscles began to melt a moment before a sardonic snarl pulled at her lips. "Don't. Just don't. I can't handle playing games with you. Not tonight. Not ever." Her chest rose and fell several times as she tried to calm her breathing. "I'm trying to get past this. I need to forget and get on with my life. Without you in it."

I paused a moment to take a deep breath and give us both a moment to settle. I could see that if I didn't change tactics I would lose this battle as well. And while I had every intention of winning the war, it didn't mean I wanted to take a beating at every encounter. Arguing could be fun under the right circumstances. These were not it.

Fuck.

The idea that someone had blackmailed her. There would be hell to pay for this. And then some. I was going to bury the fucker responsible.

First, though, I needed to hear all of the details. Learn what I could from what she knew before I set a new plan in motion that may or may not include bloodying my hands again.

"I need you to tell me what's been going on, Zia. Right now," I gritted through clenched teeth. I don't know if it was the tone of my voice or she saw something on my face I didn't even realize was there, but her eyes widened and she took another step back.

I reached for her arm and pulled her back. "Don't." It was my turn to insist. I needed her close or I was going to lose control and well, no one would like the results of that. "Tell me," I demanded.

She looked down at the spot where my hand gripped her above the elbow and I acquiesced to her silent demand by loosening my hold without letting her go.

"You want me to believe that you don't know what I'm talking about, but I don't. I don't trust you, Vincent nor do I wish to stay here in your presence. I'm going to the kitchen to finish this farce of a party because my job here probably depends on it. Thanks for that by the way. Then I am going to expect you to respect my wish to be left alone. We don't have to see each other again because we have no reason to. You steer clear of me and I'll do the same. Once the restaurant opens I'll be back in New York and we can forget all about this."

The last she whispered between clenched teeth, ensuring I understood she meant every word. However, that didn't mean I accepted it. Hell, any of this. She still had a lot of explaining to do and neither of us were going anywhere until I knew everything.

Although I was starting to get the picture. Ironically enough. Our encounter had not ended back in Italy like I'd thought. Nor had my assumption that those pictures were meant to hurt me somehow been correct. Whoever had sent those pictures were somehow using them against her. But why?

My mind fired question after question at me and without an answer to any of them. I was going to go insane.

"Let go!" She bared her tiny teeth and I finally got the stomp of her foot I'd been expecting, except I hadn't predicted that lethal heel would land dead center on my bare foot.

"Shit," I grunted, letting her go the moment the pain radiated up my leg. "That was not nice."

She smirked, lifting a shoulder at the same time. "Neither was you grabbing me without consent."

I wanted to laugh. Probably would have if my foot didn't hurt so damned bad. Little spitfire had even more spirit than I remembered. Now if only I could get her to use itwithme and not against me.

"You still haven't told me what's been going on," I half grunted. "You should know I'm not letting you go until I get some answers."

Her hands went to her hips a moment before she cocked her brow at me. Any other time I would have taken a moment to appreciate it, but the anger had returned with a vengeance and I needed some fucking information.

I was on the verge of an explosion.

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