Page 25 of Burning Beauty

"I am no drug dealer, nor do I have anything to do with the drug trade. This is the last time I'm going to discuss this."

"Uh huh." Maria eyed him skeptically. "If you think I'm going to willingly come to your room then you must be on drugs, because that ain't happening. Also, if you aren't into the drug trade, then what the heck kind of mafia boss are you? I thought that's what the mob did, control when and where the drugs go. Franco made it sound like you were a big deal, but I don't get it."

"Maria..." Cassandra tried to interrupt her, but Maria was on a role.

"And another thing, do you kidnap women often or am I special? You have a closet full of women's clothes which suggests you're some kind of serial kidnapper, but they're all in my size and the tags are still on. Did you buy them for me specifically? Because that's creepy, dude."

"Excuse me." Cassandra hurriedly wiped her mouth with the cloth napkin, tossed it next to her plate and stood. "I'm feeling a little... have to go check on my..." She didn't bother to come up with a fully thought-out excuse to flee the dining room, but ran away, her fragrant perfume lingering in the air.

Maria gazed after Cassandra wishing she could go too. She turned back to Nic to find his gaze still on her. He pushed his plate away and was leaning on the table with his elbows. His finger, the one with a tattoo and an ornate ring on it, was brushing against his lip, as though he was deep in thought. She hoped he wasn't contemplating the best way to dispose of his annoying guest's body.

"Are you done?" he asked quietly.

Maria was finished eating, her appetite having fled along with her host's wife. She stared at him defiantly. "No, I'm not. I'm wondering if I'm just another woman in a long string of women that you bring here for your pleasure. What happens when you finish with me? Do I die or do I get sold?"

"So far I haven't experienced any pleasure with you," he stated. She sucked in a breath, a little hurt by his statement. They'd shared more than one kiss and each one had been mind-blowing for her. Apparently, they didn't even register for him. Asshole.

She flinched when his chair scraped along the floor and he stood. He walked to her side and stood next to her, brushing a lock of hair off her shoulder and tucking it behind her ear. He dropped into a crouch next to her chair, bringing himself down to the same level as Maria. The move wasn't comforting though, as it might have been if someone else had done it. Instead, the way he was looking at her, as though he wanted to devour her and kill her all at the same time, and the way he touched her, with a heavy hand on her shoulder, felt like he was about to say something awful to her.

She wasn't wrong.

"You don't need to know what happens when I finish with you." His eyes bore into hers and she could see right into the amber depths. There was no life there, and by showing her the contents of his gaze, he was showing her a probable future, one that could easily end in her death, him as her executioner. Because he didn't care. Not about her, not about humanity. "Just know that your time here can be as comfortable as I want to make it, or as painful."

She licked her lips and swallowed, trying to dispel the sudden dryness in her throat. "You would hurt me?"

"I would take pleasure in it," he answered without hesitation. He leaned even closer to her, his lips inches from hers, his eyes steadily on hers. "It is your decision whether I fuck you staked out to my floor, bruised and bleeding, or in my bed with a mind toward your pleasure."

The sass drained from her and she was left shaken and terrified, not just for her life, but for the pain he could cause her. He stood and she tipped her head back to watch him. He moved his hand from her shoulder to cup the back of her neck.

"The decision is yours." He strode away, leaving the dining room through the same door as Cassandra had gone. He spoke again without looking back. "I'll expect you in my room at 9pm sharp."

Chapter Fourteen

"This is so fucking stupid," Maria muttered to herself as she stood in the closet of her new bedroom. She was wearing a towel and her wet hair was dripping down her back and shoulders. She'd given it a quick pass over with the towel, but she had things to do and places to be. Like the bedroom of her captor.

She was trying to decide what to wear and she wasn't seeing a full suit of armour tucked away in the massive closet. She fingered the drawer full of lingerie, snorted and slammed the drawer shut. Over her dead body.

But she didn't really have anything else, at least not something that belonged to her. Crammed in the backpack she'd brought with her belongings was two pairs of jeans, a pair of leggings, two T-shirts and a selection of socks and panties. While she had been in the dining room, her stuff had been brought up and placed on the bed.

She turned away from the closet and reached for the backpack. She pulled out a pair of panties, the leggings and a loose T-shirt emblazoned with the word 'fiesta' and a cat wearing a sombrero. The tourist shirt had been Ruiz's idea of a joke. He got it at a souvenir shop for her 23rd birthday. She'd laughed at it, but now cherished the memory. If she never saw her brother again at least she would have the shirt. As she pulled it over her head she felt closer to her brother, she felt loved and protected.

Tears started in her eyes. She sat on the edge of her bed swiping at them, trying to get rid of any evidence of misery before she was forced to do the death walk to the master's chambers. Unfortunately, the more she tried to stop crying, the worse it got. The harder she tried to think of anything else, the more she thought about her brother, her family, her dead fiancé. Every tragedy that had fallen on her in the past several years. She was starting to think she had seriously bad luck.

Maria glanced at the clock and jumped to her feet. It was 9:07, she was late. After their botched meal, she decided she didn't want to test the Italian mobster. Not before she found a way out of this bizarre situation. She scrubbed at her cheeks and rushed to the door. She wasn't paying attention and when she opened the door she didn't look, just stepped out into the hallway.

She slammed into a chest so hard she rocked back on her feet. Hard hands fell to her arms and steadied her as she reached out for the door frame. Nic's tall body filled the doorway. She tried to step back, but he held her tight.

"You are testing my patience, Maria," he growled down at her.

She glared up at him. "I was on my way."

"I don't enjoy tardiness."

"And I don't give a shit what you do and don't enjoy," she snapped and jerked back. He let her go far more easily than she thought he would and ended up stumbling back. She saw why he let her go when he stepped into the room and closed the door.

"Doesn't matter," he said, his voice rich and smooth. He reached for his tie and tugged, loosening it from his throat. Her eyes widened and she took another step back as he pulled it off and let it drop to the floor. He reached for the buttons of his expensive looking collared shirt. "Though I prefer the comfort of my room, we can do this in here just as easily."

She stared at him in disbelief. Was this really happening? Was he really going to fuck her against her will? She supposed she shouldn't be surprised. After all, he brought her here for a reason.

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