91 – New Boss

91 – New Boss


Leonor…

No matter how hard I try to escape, Damien keeps me trapped in this horrific environment. He must be feeling all-powerful with his father out of the way. No, not feeling. Worse than that. He’s certain I’m his prized companion.

I need to know what’s written on that note, and he doesn’t give me a second of peace. It’s not like I can run anywhere. We’re on a ship. What does he think I’ll do? Jump into the water and swim all the way to shore?

And he has that look on his face, the one he gets right before committing an atrocity. That’s his face. Then he does something worse. He gives a small, almost imperceptible half-smile. I breathe slowly, bracing myself for what comes next.

“You must know who my protected one is. Someone very important, meant to handle certain matters outside the home,” he says to a man posing as all-powerful.

“I know how to recognize an heiress from afar,” the man replies, and my entire body turns to ice. Maybe this “all-powerful” man really does hold some power here.

Damien gently pulls me by the hand, kisses it, and I take the remaining steps until I’m nearly pressed against him. His hand slides from my shoulder down to my waist, and for a moment I think he’s going to grab my ass in public.

His hand settles at the small of my back. It’s simple. Coming from him, it’s loaded with meaning. It was also how his father used to guide me. He doesn’t even flinch at the idea that I might have been exposed.

“You should also know that in addition to being responsible for our heiress’s safety, we’ve managed to reunite the two divided sides of the family.”

The man doesn’t seem shaken by Damien’s words. Not at first. After a few seconds of staring, though, the first signs of realization appear. He’s beginning to sense the danger closing in.

I know that danger well. It’s surrounded me my entire life. The difference between us is that I’m here to be protected. The predatory way Damien looks at his opponent suggests something else entirely. He looks like he intends to crush him like a minor inconvenience.

“I am responsible for the heiress. Just as I am responsible for tonight. I suggest a little more caution when referring to us a second time.”

Each word sends a shiver across my skin. His naturally deep voice takes on an even stronger, more authoritative tone. He doesn’t need to raise it. Damien’s authority does the work for him.

I swallow hard. It works too well for my liking. His broad shoulders suddenly seem perfect for me to cling to.

Mercy.

What am I thinking? I must be losing my mind to desire this man at a moment like this.

The note hidden between my breasts burns against my skin, a reminder of a secret I have to keep from him. A secret that clearly has something to do with him.

A few people nearby watch our interaction. All men dressed in black. Not the usual kind that follow me around all day. These are businessmen. Every single one of them looks unfriendly, like they could snap a neck faster than breaking a toothpick. Their gazes tell me they’d do it to me without hesitation. The threat is enough to make me certain I wouldn’t survive years of practice breaking necks like these men have.

The room falls completely silent.

Damien scans the room, still holding me like his possession, shielding me from all of them.

“Does anyone else have something to say? I’m giving you the chance to speak to my face. No? That’s what I thought,” he says, and one by one, eyes begin to lower.

A few brave souls try to hold their ground, but no one in their right mind would challenge Damien. Except me. And even I’m afraid of what he might do right now. On one hand, I’m scared. On the other, I’d love to flirt with the danger.

“Sir,” one of them begins, “you must understand that we’re confused by this whole situation, with the Don’s sudden disappearance.”

Damien turns toward him. He picks up a glass, smells it, tastes it, then sets it back down on the table. It takes only seconds, but it’s done to make everyone uneasy. It feels like an eternity.

“I’ll be in command temporarily while my father handles other matters. If that wasn’t clear before, it should be now. Treat me as you would him,” Damien replies.

He doesn’t look pleased by the comment. And the man isn’t even a man. He’s a boy. One of the youngest here.

The night is brought to an end after that. A few more questions about the Don’s return are asked and answered evasively. Every sharp, incomplete response only makes me want to be alone with Damien more. I swear that if we’d stayed in that room a few minutes longer, I wouldn’t have cared about the audience or the whispers about what I might do to him. I might have done it right there, in front of everyone.

I rein in the sinful thoughts. He messes with my head. One moment I’m worried, hating him. The next, I want to be in his arms.

On the way back to the room, he grips my wrist with veiled aggression. Just enough pressure to drag me along without hurting me. My twisted mind is desperate for him to pin me against the wall of the deck corridor instead of waiting.

Damien reacts as if he heard the thought. He looks around, checking if we’re alone. When he’s sure, he presses me against the wall and crashes his mouth into mine, invading me with his tongue. He demands space. No, he doesn’t ask. He orders me to open myself to him and his desires.

For a moment, I forget about the note hidden between the fabric of my dress and my breast. I let his fingers roam over my clothes, provoking me. Almost too late, I stop his hand. I act quickly, guiding it between my legs. He doesn’t seem suspicious.

“If you keep provoking me like this, I’ll fuck you right here on the deck. Is that what you want?” he asks, gripping my face with the hand I tried to redirect.

“I didn’t want it to be like this, but watching you take control in that room made me want to put my hands on you.”

“Just your hands?” he asks again.

“My hands and my mouth,” I reply, trying to lower myself toward his pants, already betraying his barely contained erection.

Damien stops me mid-motion. He drags me the rest of the way without explaining what changed. He regains his composure and reaches for the door.

“Go to the room, Leonor. Close the door and behave. If you do that, you’ll be well rewarded later.”

I turn without questioning him, obeying the authority in his tone, and I hate myself for it. Of course I don’t close the door. I leave it slightly open to listen to the conversation between the two of them. I take the chance to pull the note from my bodice when I hear Damien’s voice.

“Send it to my house and stay alert. I’m considering dismantling the operation,” he says, and I don’t understand the half-information.

I move closer to the door, trying to make sense of it, but it’s too late when I realize he’s coming back. He must have noticed the door wasn’t closed like he ordered.

I get rid of the note still in my hand, stuffing it between my clothes in the first drawer I find. The pajama drawer.

He enters the room, shaking his head in disapproval.

“I told you to close the door, my love,” he says, and I almost defend myself. Almost. Until I remember the conversation.

I refuse to pretend nothing happened. Everything is happening at once. Everything bad. Damn it.

“What did you receive?” I ask, and he doesn’t look like he plans to answer me. Much less with the truth.