Chapter 76: Mind Games

▪ J A D E▪

It had been almost two weeks and I had been slowly biding my time,

planning the best way for Cristiano and myself to escape.

I had been doing my best to hide my deteriorating mental state.

Although things were going well considering, my grip on reality had

gradually begun to fade over the last few days.

I tended to unconsciously answer the voices in my head out loud, earning

me strange looks from Cristiano and the others at times. However, I simply

brushed it off.

It was easy enough, especially as José and his men thought that the stress of

the situation was finally beginning to get to me.

Good!

Let them think that I was getting weak. All the better for when it was time

to strike!

Obviously, I needed to be careful with these mind games I was attempting

to play. One false move and everything would be over before I could even

put things into place.

Not wanting to waste any opportunities, I decided to make myself

comfortable around the house.

I mean, why not?

Just because I was being held captive did not mean that I could not have a

little fun as well. And I intended to do just that!

Using my wit and charm, I often pushed my boundaries to see how much

the bodyguards would let me get away with. While many of them were

pretty strict, some were eager to please me, running out to get my favourite

snacks and other little trinkets.

Even José indulged me at times.

The Cartel boss and I would spend every night together, talking over drinks

and playing checkers, sometimes in his office, other times out by the pool.

A few innocent touches had passed between us and his lips would linger

longer than necessary when he kissed the back of my hand before bidding

me goodnight.

I could tell that he was holding himself back, wanting me to make the first

move. But I knew it was only a matter of time before things would have to

transition into the next phase.

Roberto on the other hand had remained impenetrable. It was obvious to me

that the Fuentes twin was patiently waiting to kill Cristiano and myself. As

a result, whenever he was within the vicinity, I made sure to be extra

vigilant.

I could slowly feel the stress getting to me.

During this last week, it was not hard for me to notice the effects from the

withdrawals of my medication.

For the time being, I had been continuing to do a good job of hiding my

symptoms. I was on edge, even jumpy at times but even though it was easy

to pass off as me being scared of what would happen to me, I did not know

how long my façade would hold up.

Truth be told, it was the voices I was most afraid off.

I had no time to engage in hallucinations! I needed to keep a clear head as it

would only be a matter of time before José, Cristiano, and the others knew

that something was wrong.

Only three people knew of my secret and they had always been around to

ensure that I was okay. I figured I had another two weeks before things

started to get bad and I could only hope that Cristiano and myself would

make it safely out by then.

I was enjoying the sunny Miami weather and decided to go relax by the

pool.

Cristiano had been summoned to the study by his father. So, at the moment,

I was lying near the water by myself. Since being in captivity, every day

Cristiano was forced to learn more and more about the business from José

who was clearly grooming the young man to be a part of his organisation.

With a contented sigh, I stretched.

My skin was now very tanned as a result of the hours I spent outside by the

pool each day. I laid on my stomach in the lounge chair wearing a red thong

bikini, the skin of my back exposed as I had purposefully undone the straps

of my top.

I would sneakily use my daily routine of relaxing by the pool to note the

movements of the guards that walked around the premises. I paid special

attention to the large men by the edge of the waterfront, noting how often

they went for bathroom breaks. As well as who seemed to be the most

irritated as they moved to the various gazebos that lined the edge of the

property to take a break from the heat.

My body glistened in the sun, thanks to a mixture of sweat and sunblock. It

was a warm, glorious day, perfect for lounging by the swimming pool. I

could have stayed inside, but I did not hesitate to take advantage of the

weather, especially as José would be on the premises all day.

I wanted as much of my skin exposed so that I could distract the men who

walked around while also trying to piss off the Cartel boss. Like Dominic,

José hated it when I walked around scantily clad.

The Mexican's possessive behaviour made me realise that he had a lot of

similarities with the Calvetti mafia boss.

It were those parallels that I used to try and find a weakness to attempt to

make his desire consume him so that he would be forced to snap. I knew

that José was keeping himself in check when he was around me. His arousal

did not go unnoticed, but as he had promised, he would not force himself on

me.

José wanted me to willingly go to him, but I would be damned if I did not

make him submit to me first!

As I sighed again and closed my eyes as I made myself comfortable on the

lounge chair by the edge of the pool. I felt myself drifting off, the cool

breeze soothing my tense body.

Some time passed before I suddenly felt large, rough hands slowly stroking

my back.

"You'll burn your skin laying out in the sun like this," José said as he gently

rubbed sun screen on my back.

I let out a sigh as he touched me.

"What have I told you about not having your top tied when out here? And

where the hell did you get a thong bikini from anyway? I did not buy this!"

his voice stern.

Curving my back slightly so that my derriere stuck up in the air a bit more, I

replied, "Are you sure? I found it with the other bikinis. Maybe one of your

shoppers picked it up on accident when you had them fill my closet?"

In reality, I had gotten one of the younger bodyguards to get it for me.

His name was Felipe and he was not that much older than myself. Felipe

was one of the few guards that I did not mind being around as, while he was

a flirt, he was always very polite. It was obvious that he had gotten caught

up in the life as there had been no other option for him. The young man

worked for the Cartel so that he could provide for his mother and his

younger brothers and sisters.

I had promised Felipe that I would wear it for him, which I did today.

Allowing myself to have a bit of fun earlier, I had given the young

bodyguard a nice view as I walked up and down the length of the pool,

bending over frequently pretending to test the water with my fingers. It had

all been a part of my plan in terms of trying to see which of the men were

more pliable than others.

José grunted a response as his eyes fell to the skin of my backside.

"Are you just going to stare, or are you going to apply some sun-screen

there as well?" I taunted as I wiggled my hips.

"I know what you're doing, Jade, and let me tell you right now that it won't

work!" José huffed out, even as his hands moved over the firm globes of my

buttocks.

When he was done with the area and finished the back of my legs, I then

turned around pretending to prepare myself for him to do the front of my

body. The movement caused my top to slip off as I intentionally stretched

my hands above my head, making no attempt to cover up as I allowed him

to look upon my naked breasts.

"I'm confused, what am I doing exactly?" I enquired innocently.

It was obvious that I was attracted to men with power and the wicked glint

in my eye suggested that I thoroughly enjoyed making José uncomfortable.

I had done it in the past with Dominic and Aleksandr, and now I was testing

my boundaries with the Cartel boss.

"What the fuck are you doing? Cover yourself!" José hissed as he moved

his body to shield my exposed chest from the prying eyes of the nearby

bodyguards.

"Aren't you going to cream the rest of me first, Papí?" my voice was

playful.

Hearing me call him 'daddy' in Spanish seemed to cause something within

him to snap as he roughly pulled me up against his chest, my breasts

pressed against his dark silk shirt by his sudden movement.

"¡Mira qué cabrón!" José said harshly, our lips nearly touching.

His tone warned me that I was pushing my limits. The Mexican's breathing

deepened as his nostrils flared while his eyes roamed over my face before

settling on my mouth.

"I'm not trying to be a smartass," I replied to his outburst, then purposefully

licked my lips before pouting, my eyes staring into his.

The Cartel boss exhaled loudly, his self-control slowly weaning. I could feel

his breath on my skin and I observed the way that his pupils dilated before

he lost control and leaned down, intending to touch his lips to mine.

In that moment, the voice in my head suddenly decided to make an

appearance.

Yes! Kiss him!

My breathing hitched slightly at the sudden intrusion. As José leaned closer,

I did my best to push the disturbing thought away.

Before his mouth could connect with mine, I managed to turn my head

slightly just in time. In the end, his full lips ended up kissing the corner of

my mouth instead, his moustache tickling my skin.

"Cream me up first..." I teased, regaining control of my thoughts.

José grunted as he pulled away slightly so that he could shift our bodies. He

was now leaning back in the lounge chair as I straddled him, while one of

his hands moved from my waist to grab the sunscreen.

He applied a generous amount to his hands before he began rubbing it

across the tops of my breasts. As I sat on his lap, I could feel his thick

arousal and I cocked my head to one side, watching as his brows creased in

concentration while he began to play with one of my nipples.

Bringing my hands to his shoulders, I thought about how easy it would be

to kill him.

God it would so easy to end his life! I wish that I had my switchblade on

me. As I thought about stabbing José repeatedly in the side of his neck, his

voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"Arch your back for me. Yes, just like that!" he rumbled as I did as he

commanded.

The Mexican man wasted no time as his hands stroked and cupped my

heavy breasts which filled his palms nicely. I squirmed against his touch

and as he squeezed and cupped me with his hands, he cursed softly in

Spanish as he groaned low in his throat.

Caught up in the heat of the moment, the Cartel boss did not care that we

had an audience in the form of the bodyguards.

Leaning his head down, he flicked his tongue against my nipple and I found

myself being particularly fascinated with watching his gold canine teeth

pressing against my flesh. My nipples involuntarily hardened under his

touch and a small shiver passed through me as I closed my eyes and thought

about needing to do what was necessary in order to get back to Dominic.

Taking deep breaths, I held myself back from pushing José off of me.

Instead, I allowed myself to think about Dominic while my nails dug into

the Cartel boss.

Before things could go any further, the sound of Roberto's voice suddenly

interrupted us.

"Patrón! Teléfono!" he said, holding a satellite phone.

Reopening my eyes, I could feel that the skin of my cheeks was flushed as I

watched José raise his head and watch me, his breathing ragged.

He growled softly for two reasons I assumed. One, he realised that he had

been manipulated into submitting first as he had lost control over his

desires. The second was that he hated that we had been disturbed.

It was clear to me that José was enjoying the taste and feel of my skin and

wanted more.

The Cartel boss would have ignored Roberto, but seeing that the Fuentes

twin held the satellite phone, from the look that appeared on his face, it

seemed like it was an important call from Sonora.

Without a word, José used his thumb to stroke my bottom lip, murmuring

softly in Spanish at how beautiful I was.

He then placed a towel around my shoulders, covering my nakedness,

before gently kissing my forehead. The softness of his touch surprised me

and after audibly exhaling, José unhurriedly moved me off his lap.

Standing up slowly, he turned his back to adjust his erection in his trousers.

José then ran a hand through his long dark hair, trying to smooth it back

into place before he walked over to Roberto. He then proceeded to harshly

reprimanded the Fuentes twin for interrupting us. With a snarl, he grabbed

the phone and disappeared into the house.

Roberto clenched his jaw as he approached me, "You think just because he

seems to adore you that it means something?"

"I think he more than adores me..." I smirked.

In reply, his nostrils flared.

Looking up at Roberto, I continued, "From the shocked expression he had,

coupled with him scolding you like a child as well as the pissed off look on

your ugly face right now, I'd say that what just happened was a big deal."

The man remained silent, his hands tightening into fists at his sides.

I taunted, seeing that my words had struck a nerve, "What? Your boss

doesn't normally lose control like that?"

Roberto's upper lip curled into a sneer as he said, his eyes trailing over my

exposed legs, "Just wait, you bitch, your time will come. He'll get tired of

you just like the others, and when he does, I'll have my fun!"

My eyes followed him as he went back into the house. Exhaling, I shook

my head slightly to clear the voices so that I could focus.

Since being here, I had observed that no matter what time of day, Roberto

always carried at least three weapons on him. They consisted of two guns as

well as a machete, and I would often daydream about using one of them

against him.

The Fuentes twin was never far, always lurking and keeping an eye on me.

Frowning, I put back on my bikini top, knowing without a doubt that if I

had any hope of successfully escaping, I would need to kill Roberto.

Yes, kill Roberto!

Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

The voice in my head seemed to chant the word, threatening to seduce me

as I did my best to fight against the sudden urge to run after the Fuentes

twin and stab him in the neck with his own weapon.

"Yes, I know! The fucker needs to die!" I suddenly shouted at myself.

"Jade?" Cristiano's voice startled me.

I was so caught up with my thoughts that I had not realised he had walked

up to the poolside. With his eyes staring down at me full of concern, I

immediately began to fidget and I wrapped my arms around myself.

Cristiano's brows knitted together as he asked, "Who are you talking to?

Who needs to die?"

Shaking my head, I said, "It's nothing, just rambling to myself..."