HELENA'S POV
I heard Dante's accompanied footsteps long before the door to his large board room pushed open, and immediately it felt like the room exploded with tension. His expression darkened instantly, his jaw tightening, his eyes flashing with a mix of fury and something else – something else that I couldn't quite put my hands on and satisfaction spread in my belly from the darkened expression on his face.
I slowed my movements, turning to face him fully. I didn't say a word, just kept my gaze steady, daring him to do something, to react. My chest rose and fell with each breath, and I could feel the adrenaline coursing through me. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, his eyes trailing down my body, lingering on every exposed inch of skin. I could see it-the internal battle waging inside him. He wanted to be furious, but he couldn't look away. He wanted to control me, but in this moment, I held all the power.
A slow, subtle smile crept across my lips. I knew exactly what I was doing.
"Leave," Dante's voice was low, quiet but commanding but he wasn't talking to me. His eyes never left mine as he spoke to the men in the room. I hadn't even noticed they were there, too caught up in the tension between us. "The meeting's over. Now."
I saw the two men that flanked him exchange looks between themselves but none of them daring to leave a lingering look on my body, they wouldn't dare, even I could smell the simmering rage radiating off Dante's body. I was pushing him the edge, so gently I was going to tip him off into the wild, I wanted to prove to him that I wasn't the same naïve girl that was sold to him five years ago to seal an alliance deal. I was different now, more refined and hell if I wanted to dance, he didn't have to right stop me, wife or not.
But my heart pounded still, waiting in anticipation of what was going to happen next.
Dante waited until the door closed behind the last man, and then the silence in the room became suffocating. I could feel him watching me, his gaze burning into my skin, the heat of it spreading like wildfire through my veins. I stood still, refusing to move, refusing to back down even though the tension in the air was palpable-heavy, almost tangible, like it could suffocate me.
He crossed the room in long strides, and before I could react, his hand was on my arm, gripping me tightly. The suddenness of his touch made my breath hitch, but I forced myself to hold his gaze.
"You keep pushing me, Helena," he growled, his voice low and dark, filled with warning. "Pushing me beyond my limits. What the hell are you doing dressed like that in my boardroom?"
My heart pounded in my chest, the space between us charged, but I squared my shoulders, refusing to let him see how much his words affected me. "I wanted just one thing, and you denied me that" I snapped back, my voice shaky but strong enough to meet him head-on.
"I just wanted to dance, what's so difficult about that?"
"Oh you think you're so smart?" he growled and we stood like that, locked in a battle neither of us wanted to lose. His dark eyes flickered down to my body, lingering, and I could feel every inch of his gaze. He was devouring me without even touching me, and I hated that I wanted more. I hated that I needed him to keep looking at me, to want me.
His eyes finally returned to mine, and the fire in them burned hotter. "You defiled me," he said, voice thick with anger.
"How?" I spat back
"I told you to stay away." His grip tightened on my arm, but not enough to hurt. "And here you are, parading yourself like a circus clown."
My heart twisted at his words. "I'm a dancer," I shot back, lifting my chin in defiance.
He leaned in closer, his breath hot against my ear. "Even circus clowns are fully dressed."
The insult stung, but there was something else in his voice-something deeper. I could feel the weight of his desire in those words, and it sent a shiver down my spine. I didn't back down, though. I couldn't let him win this, not when everything in me was fighting against being controlled.
"You defiled me Helena, and I'll have to punish you" Heat flooded my body at his words, and I couldn't stop the sharp intake of breath. The thought of him punishing me should've scared me, but instead, it sent a thrill coursing through me. I wanted him to peel away every layer, to leave me bare, exposed in front of him. But at the same time, I was terrified of what that would mean-of losing control, of falling into his dark web that he had intricately designed to keep captive in his snare of desire.
I didn't say anything. I couldn't. My body was frozen, but my mind was spinning, I wanted to see how far he would push me.
Dante didn't wait for an answer. He pulled me toward the head of the table, the place I was sure was meant for him and without warning, and he laid me across his lap. The cold wood of the table pressed into my skin, but all I could focus on was his body beneath mine, the way his hand gripped my waist firmly, holding me in place. My shorts rode up, leaving my ass exposed, vulnerable.
My breathing quickened, ragged and uneven. The anticipation was unbearable, and I wasn't sure if I wanted him to stop or to continue. I hated myself for wanting this-for wanting him to do whatever he had planned.
Then I felt it-his hand lifting in the air-and before I could brace myself, the sharp sting of the first spank hit. A whimper tore from my lips, the pain radiating through my body. It was raw, hot, and it left me breathless.
"You have to learn to listen to me, Helena," Dante said, his voice controlled, steady.
I barely had time to process his words before the second spank came, harder than the first. Another whimper escaped me, louder this time. My entire body tensed, the shock of it mingling with something else, something deeper. There was a pull in my belly, an ache that I couldn't deny.
"Are you going to listen to me from now on?" he asked, his voice low and firm but no words escaped my whimpering lips
"Then I'll have to teach you, if that's what it'll take"
The third spank was even harder, the sound of his palm against my skin loud in the silence of the boardroom. My ass was sore, the heat of the pain searing through me, but it wasn't just pain anymore. Attraction coiled in my belly, a fire that grew with every hit. I wanted him. I wanted him more than I'd ever wanted anything, but I couldn't have him. I wasn't allowed to have him. We weren't allowed to have each other.
And yet, I knew that if he spanked me again, if he pushed me just a little further, I wouldn't be able to keep my rules intact. I wouldn't be able to hold back.
Just as I felt his hand lift again, I couldn't take it anymore. "I'll listen!" I cried out, desperation lacing my voice. "I'll listen to you from now on."
There was a pause, a beat of silence, and I could almost feel his satisfaction. I could almost see the smug smile on his face, though I couldn't bring myself to look at him.
"Good girl," he said finally, his voice dark and rough.
He let me go, and I stood up slowly, my body shaking, my ass throbbing and red from the punishment. I didn't know what to say, didn't know how to feel. I had never been more conflicted, my body at war with my mind.
"Get dressed," Dante said, his voice hard and unyielding. "You're coming with me, I can't trust you to leave you on your own"
And then, without waiting for a response, he walked out of the boardroom, leaving me standing there, breathless and aching, my world spinning.