Page 15 of The Christmas Con
She pouts. “He wouldn’t have said yes. You’re going to leave soon and I’ll be left with my stuffy family and fake friends who want to use me for Instagram followers and parties. You just want my brother’s dick, so I know where your loyalties lie.”
“That’s offensive. You can’t talk to people like that. You can’t take people. I’m not even dressed.”
I step out of the blacked-out car and it’s like she’s realizing for the first time that I’m wearing a swimsuit. “Oh, well, we are in Bora Bora you don’t need clothes anyway.” She looks at the guard closest to me. “Well, don’t stand there, untie her hands.”
To me, she says, “Admit it, that got your heart pounding, didn’t it?”
I swallow hard. “It did. Where was Luca’s security? Does he know I’m gone?”
She giggles and takes a bottle of wine and her cup from the car and tells me to follow her. There’s an elevator that leads up to their house, and we ride up multiple floors before she answers me. “I anticipate he’ll be calling over losing his head completely. Wait till you see Luca angry. Dad gets fired up too. It’s funny to watch.”
“That does not sound funny, Gabby.” I pet the dog leaning against my leg. “It sounds scary. You should probably call him.”
“Nah, it’s better this way. Consider this a grand game of hide and seek.”
Damn, rich people are fucked up. There’s no other way to describe it. They have their own rules, their own way of thinking. A life so elevated that the feelings of others are rarely taken into account. Once we’re in the large kitchen, trying to stay out of the staff’s way as they prepare a late dinner, she gives me some of her wine. I try to cover my chest, and my barely covered ass when we pass by people who have no idea one of their bosses just took me by force from the neighbor’s house. Gabby forces a new drink into my hand as we pass by a tray of champagne flutes. “Why is it always champagne?”
“Oh,” she says, like a light bulb clicking on. “Do you prefer something else? I can have them make you whatever you want. Gin? Vodka? Tequila shots?”
“No, no. It’s just you were drinking it earlier and it’s… everywhere.”
“Gams loves Dom. Facts of life. Want some more wine instead?”
I shake my head, sipping the bubbly. “What did you have planned? Hopefully something outside by the pool or the ocean or you’re going to have to give me something to cover myself up. My butt cheeks are on display.”
“The guys will love it. Come on.” Gabby makes me more nervous by the second and for the first time, I wonder if she’s on something other than alcohol. The security guards follow her around like a puppy. To save her from herself, no wonder. Gams is wearing a gold robe, holding a bottle of Dom when we pass a living area. She uses the bottle to bump my ass, tops off my glass, and tells me that Luca is lucky to have such a fine piece of prosciutto in his grotto. Eyes wide, I try to process that while I follow Gabby into a dark room that is full of… cages. And men. Naked men.
“Guys, this is my friend Lizzy. Lizzy, this is my animal garage! Welcome!” Birds squawk, monkeys swing from actual trees, and there’s an honest to God, full-sized tiger in a cage. The guys, who all look like beefy male models greet her by going on their knees. Instead of a she-shed like the average middle-aged American, Gabby has some weird sex dungeon filled with exotic animals.
“What. The. Fuck.” I didn’t realize I spoke out loud.
Gabby pets a blond man crouching next to her who has a parrot on his shoulder. “Do you see anything you like? You can have whatever or whoever you chose.” When she actually takes a good look at my face she says, “Luca won’t mind at all. These guys are well paid and super clean. Squeaky clean.”
I drain my alcohol and set the empty down on the edge of a mantle. There isn’t a fire in the fireplace, though. A goddamn boa constrictor is in its place, hissing like it knows how fucked up this is. My stomach leaps and I lay a hand on it. “Gabby, this is really awesome, but I’d rather go back to Luca’s.” The fact that she makes him seem normal is abhorrent. “This is a little much.”
The blond man stands, his boner at full attention, and his eyes ravaging my barely clothed body. If I wasn’t icked out before, now I’m horrified. “Lick her, Toby,” Gabby commands. “Do that snake thing with your tongue. On her neck.”
“Oh, no, no. That’s okay. No snake things, thanks. Not really a fan of reptiles.”
“Trust me. He’s so good at it,” she says back. “Do it.” Her order is firm and I’m reminded that she’s accustomed to getting anything she wants, and won’t react well if I go against her wishes. As I look around, my heart pounds out of my chest. Is this another thing where I’m just supposed to go with the flow? No plan. Just do it, Lizzy. Shay wouldn’t even believe me if I told her this story. A brunette man is jacking off in the corner. He’s wearing a sash like Tarzan, and nothing else. The glass ceiling is bowed up and the moonlight casts an ominous glow. Like, maybe these royals can only truly be themselves at night because their preferences are so gauche and odd. I don’t even have my cell phone to snap a photo as proof. Just my knotted stomach and rapid breathing.
Toby leans in, his hands on the bare skin on my lower back and flicks his tongue against my neck. There’s a crash in the other room—glass breaking, furniture being thrown and a furious voice echoing the hallway.
“Oooooh. Luca is here,” Gabby squeals and claps as she kisses Toby’s cheek, then frolics over to pet the tiger and another guy’s dick at the same time. Luca blows in the room, masculine rage pouring off him. His gaze flicks to mine and then darts to the guy holding me possessively. The blond guy backs away, but it’s not far enough for Luca’s liking because he storms over and shoves him until he stumbles on his feet and lands on his back, balls meeting the moonlight above.
“What the fuck Gabby,” Luca yells. The tiger lets out an annoyed roar as Gabby stands, wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. “You don’t just take people. I watched it on the security cameras when I realized she was gone. What were you thinking? Or you weren’t, were you? You never use your brain.” He’s seething, and I scoot back away, toward the fireplace, but then remember what’s inside there, so I head for the door. “You live in this fucking fantasy world where you pay everyone to do what you say. She’s off-limits.” His eyes narrow to slits. “How could you not know she was off-limits? You out of all people should know.”
“I had some idea, but how could I really know when you don’t tell us. Or her. Since when do you care about what I do with your playthings? I was bored and I wanted some female company. You’re making a really big deal out of this for nothing. Gams was even happy to see her.”
“You had your guards physically remove her from my property and restrain her. How else did you think this would end? Is it a war you want?” He bangs a fist on his chest. He screams out a ton of Italian I can’t understand, but it’s easy to read between the lines.
“Not everyone can be as business savvy as you, Luca. Don’t talk shit about how I fill my time. I don’t judge you. It was just a game. I wasn’t going to hurt her. She was having a good time before you barged in here and ruined our party.”
Luca glares at me, eyebrows high. “You having a good time in here then? That the truth? Ready to fuck a tiger, are you? I’ll give you a tiger to fuck if that’s what you’re after. Let’s go.”
I cross my arms. “I’m not into bestiality,” I say, rolling my eyes, playing at a joke to lighten the atmosphere.But wait, is Gabby into animals like that? Oh, God, I really need to get out of here.
Luca is seething as his chest heaves. His gaze cuts to Toby on the ground. “I’d wager that’s a lie. You want him?” His eyes flash back to me.
