Page 23 of Prideful Union
Before I can reply, Santino enters the room. All the women immediately look like the picture of perfect innocence as they bat their eyes at him.
“Ladies,” he says to them. “How are you enjoying my wife’s company?”
“She’s wonderful,” Alexandria says. “You’re a lucky man, Santino.”
My jaw drops. This bitch. She treats me like a maid one moment, calls my mom a slut the next, then acts like we’re besties because my powerful husband showed up in the room.
The urge to cry hits me so suddenly, I can barely hold back my tears.
I’m not a crier, so it shocks to me to be doing it right now.
“You need to leave,” I tell the women.
“Lucia, be nice.” Santino scolds me.
“I’m not feeling well,” I say and hurry out of the room before I can cry. As I leave, I hear the laughter of the women following me.
CHAPTER 7
Lucia
Santino finds me in one of the many bedrooms his mansion has. Of course, he does not look happy with me. “You were rude,” he says. “You invite the wives of my men over only to run away. You embarrassed me. You embarrassed yourself.”
I curl deeper into a ball. I’ve spent the past five minutes crying, and Santino doesn’t even care. “They were the rude ones.”
“They were your guests.”
“They were rude,” I repeat. “But you wouldn’t understand that because your behavior is consistently rude, and you don’t even realize it.”
He storms over to me. “You don’t get to talk to me that way.”
“Well, you don’t get to talk to me that way either.” I pause. “You didn’t even ask why I ran away. You haven’t even noticed I’m crying.”
He inhales deeply. “It doesn’t matter why. When you invite guests over, you put aside your own feelings and show them respect.”
“You’re so full of shit,” I snap back.
That makes him angry. Santino grabs me and flips me onto my stomach.
“What are you doing?” I ask, trying to scramble away from him.
“I’m teaching you a lesson.” He pushes up my dress and yanks down my underwear. I’m in so much shock I barely even realize my naked ass is exposed to him. We’ve only shared a chaste kiss at our wedding. What is Santino thinking?
When his hand makes contact with my backside, I understand. The freaking bastard is spanking me. Me!
“Hey,” I object, but he doesn’t listen. He just spanks me again. And again. And again. Each time hurts more than the last until my ass is on fire. “Stop it. Santino. I said stop!”
“No. You need to learn some manners, and if this teaches you, then so be it.” He spanks me so hard I have to grit my teeth to keep from crying out.
“Please, stop.”
“What? You can’t handle a little bit of pain, Lucia?” Spank. “I should’ve done this the moment I met you.” Spank. “With your attitude.” Spank. “Thinking you can do whatever you want.” Spank. “Well, not anymore.”
“Just stop it!” I clutch the bedsheet and try to wiggle away, but Santino doesn’t let me go anywhere. “You’re a monster. You’re horrible.”
He only laughs as he spanks my butt a few more times. He’s breathing heavily once he stops as ifhe’sthe one who just went through a lot of pain.
I quickly pull my underwear back up. “I hate you.”
