I wanted her here so fucking badly I forbid her to leave the house. I wanted to protect her. I wanted to watch every expression on her face. Wanted to feel the way she made my blood rise when she stood up to me. And how she made it burn when she was underneath me.
Veda was watching me. Waiting for something. "What?" I snapped.
She shook her head. "Nothing."
Closing the distance between us, I took her jaw in my hand and forced her to meet my eyes. "If you tell me 'nothing' one more fucking time tonight
-"
"You'll what?" She stared up at me in challenge.
The corner of my mouth twitched, as did my cock.
"You're going to come eat dinner with me. I'll tie you to your fucking chair if I need to, but you're going to come and sit at the table. With me. And you're going to eat if I have to force it down your throat."
Apparently, whatever had been making her so sad was forgotten. A switch had flipped inside of her, and she gripped my arm and rose up on her toes until her face was as close to mine as she could get it. "Then you better get the fucking rope," she ground out between her teeth.
"I'm warning you, Veda. I'm not in the fucking mood to play tonight."
She bared her teeth at me. "Who's playing? I told you I'm not hungry. I don't want to sit at the table and watch you eat. And I'm not going to willingly go down there just because you fucking demand it."
Releasing her jaw, I bent forward and threw her over my shoulder. As I went down the stairs with Veda trying her best to get me to release her, I bellowed for Tristan who I knew was standing guard by the front door tonight.
He came in as I reached the main room. "I need something to tie her to her chair."
Without a moment's hesitation, he gave me a nod and disappeared back out the door, returning less than a minute later with a handful of silk scarves. I didn't ask him where he'd gotten them. I didn't really care.
Between the two of us, we got Veda secured to her chair in the dining room as she threw herself around like a wild thing and cursed me to hell and back. "Thank you," I told Tristan as I brushed her hair out of her face. Now that she was secured, she'd stopped struggling, glaring at me. "If you think everything is secure, you can go ahead and lock up and take the rest of the night."
"I'll check in with Enzo first."
He left the room without a backward glance. Picking up our plates, I took them into the kitchen and warmed them up in the microwave. The roast would be a little dry, but it was her own fault for refusing to show up to dinner on time.
Setting her plate in front of her, I moved my own meal, so I was sitting directly beside her and could help her eat. Ignoring her death stare, I sat down and unfolded her napkin, placing it in her lap before doing my own.
Then I carefully cut off a piece of roast beef and held it up to her mouth.
She turned her head. "I said I'm not hungry."
I set down her fork. "Fine. Then you can sit here and keep me company while I eat."
"I hate you," she hissed.
"Do you, though?" I asked her. "Or do you just hate the fact that I won't allow you to sulk in your room?"
"You didn't care before."
"I care now." Slicing off a good chunk of meat, I stuck it in my mouth. The microwave hadn't completely ruined it. Lisa must've cooked it slowly all day, for it fell apart on my tongue. "Mmmm." I closed my eyes for a moment, enjoying my meal despite the company.
Veda watched me as I picked up the bottle of Shiraz in the center of the table and refilled my glass. Holding it over hers, I asked, "Would you like some?"
She shook her head. She seemed to be resigned to sitting there quietly while I ate.
I set the bottle back on the table and continued eating, one hand wandering over to her thigh, unable to stop myself from touching her. Her skin was so fucking soft as I pushed her dress higher with every stroke until the napkin I'd placed there fell to the hardwood floor. She said not a word, even when I brushed her panties with my fingertips. I loved Veda's legs. They were smooth and firm and shapely, fuller at the thigh, like the sirens of old Hollywood. I loved them even more when they were wrapped around my waist.
My cock thickened as I continued to run my palm up and down her thigh, then letting the tips of my fingers skim around to the inside of her thigh, my very favorite part, where she was so soft and giving, I wanted to sink my teeth into the supple flesh.
I had to use both hands as I finished my meal and picked up my napkin to wipe my mouth. Much as she tried to hide her reaction to me, I heard her sigh of frustration. Saw her chest rising and falling with each rapid breath out of the corner of my eye. She tried to deny it, but she wanted me as much as I wanted her.
Pushing my chair back away from the table, I picked up my glass of wine and leaned back in my chair, settling my gaze on the beautiful woman at my table who still hadn't said a word. "From now on, you will eat dinner with me every night unless I let you know otherwise."
Thunder and lightening clashed in her stormy eyes, and her jaw was tense with anger. "Does it matter at all to you what I want? About anything?"
"No," I told her. But then, out of some sort of masochistic need to have my ego bruised a bit more today, I regarded her curiously. "But if I did, what is it that you would want, Veda? Other than to sacrifice your life by running away, of course."
"I can tell you what I don't want." Gray eyes turned icy cold. "I don't want to sit here with you every night. I also don't want to share a room with you. As a matter of fact, I'd like it immensely if you'd just stay as far away from me as possible."
Every word hit me like a knife wound, stabbing me over and over, not that I would let her see it. "Is that so?"
"Yes," she gritted out through her bared teeth.
"Hmm." I took a sip of my wine, my eyes never leaving her face, then set my glass on the table. Reaching over, I grabbed her chair and pulled her closer until our knees touched.
Her eyes widened as I started to unbutton my shirt. "What are you doing?"
"Testing your statement."
The ice left her eyes, replaced by caution. "I have to pee."
I laughed. "No, you don't."
"I really do."
"Then go ahead," I challenged her as I reached the last button and threw my shirt open wide as I leaned my elbows on my knees. "I'll buy a new chair.
As a matter of fact, I'll buy a whole new fucking dining set. A whole new room, including the floor. Maybe an entire house in another fucking country. A castle where I can lock you away in a tower and fuck you whenever I want."
And where no one can ever hurt you again.
When she saw that wasn't going to work, she tried a different tactic. Gazing at me with pleading eyes, she said quietly, "Luca, please don't do this."
"Do what?" My finger trailed up her bare thigh until I reached the material of her dress and lifted it away, tilting my head so I could see what she was wearing underneath. She tried to close her legs, but Tristan had done an excellent job tying her ankles and her movements were limited. My tongue wet my bottom lip when I saw she was wearing virgin white, just like her dress. Mmmm…a virgin to desecrate. It was a nice fantasy, even though I knew better. I tucked the skirt into the waistband of her panties to keep it out of my way.
"Luca, please…"
I skimmed the pad of my thumb over the thin cotton up the center of her pussy. I could feel the damp heat of her, and all I wanted to do was to take her out of that chair and bend her over the table and shove my cock balls deep inside that sweet cunt.
But that wouldn't prove my point. I needed to hear her say it.
And before this night was over, she would.