by Kitty Thomas
Faith thought she was safe with him? She was a fool. If he couldn’t keep the beast in check, she’d find out how much of a fool she was soon enough. Wanting to be with him? She had no idea what she was asking. Neither woman did.
With the gag in place, it was safe to take his time to wring out every ounce of agony he could take from the woman who had stupidly put herself in his hands. Although it was lightweight, the steel cane was more harsh than the rattan. It would be dishonest to say he’d chosen the steel only because it was collapsible and fit easily into the bag.
The welts and bruises he’d left on her that morning were more visible than before, so he moved on to an unmarked area on her thighs. She screamed around the gag, as if she was dying with every stroke, the tears streaming down her face.
When he’d marked all of her he could safely mark, he collapsed the cane and returned it to the bag. He watched the relief fill her and then drain back out again when he pulled a whip from the bag.
“It’ll hurt more if you’re tense.”
She whimpered behind the rubber obstruction. The display was pitiful enough for him to show some mercy. What was more, it wasn’t a calculated act meant to control him. It was real begging. After the cane, when she was still overloaded from the soreness of earlier in the day, her distress was genuine.
Leo unsnapped the leather from the gag and pulled it from her mouth. “Tell me, what did John have to say about the welts and bruises on your ass? Do you think he realized it was me who put them there?”
“I didn’t let him see them. I was on top so it wouldn’t hurt and he wouldn’t notice.”
“Ashamed?” Shame didn’t fit on Caprice. He’d always envied her that.
“He wouldn’t understand.”
“I see. So it appears I’m not the only one dipping a toe into the vanilla pool.”
Even in pain, she rolled her eyes, breaking the spell of the few moments he’d had with her before. “Andy is an old friend. We went to school together. We ran into each other in a bar. We were lonely. It just happened.”
Leo put the gag back in her mouth and started on her back. When he drew blood, he moved on to a fresh area until she was marked to his satisfaction.
Half an hour later, he cursed himself as he surveyed the damage. She would heal. He hadn’t done any permanent harm, but if she went into a nasty streak, she had evidence to show the police. There were witnesses placing him here. Just another example of how she held all the power and why he didn’t want this.
If Leo wanted to break free of Caprice, it wouldn’t be until after the holiday when she was home. He’d have to be more careful about leaving marks the rest of the week. As vindictive as she could be, she would use what had been consensual to put him behind bars. He didn’t do well caged.
He untied the ropes and unsnapped the gag, placing everything carefully back in his bag. There would be time for other toys another day.
“Why are you stopping?”
“Stretch out on your stomach and don’t question me. The rules are still in place.”
“Yes, Master,” she managed.
Leo removed a smaller bag from the larger one and unzipped it to reveal bandages and ointment. He went to the bathroom to wash his hands, then he smoothed the cream over each of her whip marks and welts and bruises. After the ointment he sprayed a soothing antiseptic spray, then applied bandages.
When he was finished, he undressed and got in the bed, pulling her against him and cradling her, much as he had Faith a few hours before.
“You don’t want to be with me, Caprice. You like the idea of me. The reality is never quite as good.”
“That’s not true,” she said, her words muffled against his chest.
“Yes, it is.”
Chapter Fourteen
Faith wore a glitzy black evening gown and some of the jewelry Leo had given her for Christmas. When she’d first unwrapped the dress, she couldn’t figure out when or where she would wear such a thing, but as it turned out, Leo’s New Year’s Eve party was more of an affair than Christmas.
The party was black tie optional, and some took the optional seriously. Mariella, Leo’s seven-year-old niece, had decided to wear her princess Halloween costume, including tiara. Leo’s Aunt Mimi sported something almost as creative: a red dress that had feathers coming out of it, along with a matching feather boa and headpiece. She had glittery red shoes, long gloves, and a cigarette popping out of an old-fashioned cigarette holder. Quite possibly a Halloween costume, too.
“I hope you don’t think you’re smoking that in the house,” Leo said, appearing from nowhere in a classic tuxedo.
“No respect for elders anymore,” Mimi lamented. “Relax, Leonardo, it’s part of my look.”
Leo’s grandmother had opted for more casual attire: gray pajamas with puppies on them—in complete defiance of the occasion. “I’m dropping right into bed after this,” Grammie had announced loudly after her fourth glass of champagne, which was technically supposed to be for the New Year, not the hours leading up to it. But Leo had been prepared with plenty of alcohol. He’d said Grammie’s tolerance was legendary.
On one table were glass champagne flutes with bottles of champagne, and on another were plastic champagne flutes with bottles of sparkling white grape juice for the kids. A large cheese tray occupied a table in the middle.
Most of the kids wore party hats and played with noisemakers. Angelo, Davide, and Uncle Sal sat in a corner in black suits with their hair slicked back like they were on mafia business.
It was half an hour until midnight. Netting with red, black, and silver balloons was strung below the high ceiling of the dining room. Hanging close to the ceiling was a long, clear, plastic bag with red confetti inside. There were two pull cords against the wall, one that would release the balloons and another that would release the confetti.
The large flat screen from the game room had been rolled in so they could watch the ball drop in the city. Though it wasn’t far from here, the experience of standing in Times Square was for tourists and those who enjoyed adventures in bladder control. Faith was glad the family had chosen to stay inside Leo’s warm fortress instead.
He interacted with his family, laughing and talking while he kept her close, a hand on the small her back as if reassuring himself she was still there. In public, he’d been the perfect fiancé, holding her hand, kissing her at all the appropriate moments, and looking at her as if her existence alone made the rest of his world real and solid. But behind the door of his bedroom he kept his distance, not making conversation, rolling over immediately to go to sleep—when he came to bed at all. If he still wanted her, he was doing a great job of hiding it.
Several nights he hadn’t come to bed until way into the night after she’d already fallen asleep. She knew where he was during those times. Faith didn’t want to speculate about what happened in the hotel between Leo and the other woman. Probably a lot of it was stuff she’d just as soon not do, but the threat of Caprice loomed ever larger in her mind, her stomach now tied in knots by the fear that the other woman wouldn’t go back to Vegas, and the larger fear that being Leo’s mistress wasn’t her end game.
If Caprice didn’t get on that plane, it was only a matter of time for Faith. Though Angelo had started to be nicer to her, she didn’t hold any illusions. Being with Leo kept her breathing.
A few minutes before midnight, Demetri and the rest of the staff made sure a plastic or glass flute filled with the appropriate beverage was in everybody’s hands.
At midnight, Demetri pulled the cords and the balloons and confetti came down. Leo and a few others were smart enough to raise their glass to their lips at exactly midnight to take a sip before pieces of foil drifted into their champagne flutes. Faith had to drink around a shiny bit of red.
Leo took her drink after she’d had a sip and put it on the table along with his, then he pulled her into a kiss she believed with every ounce of her being. It was filled with passion and longing and tender
ness. It was the promise of new beginnings. It was penance. It was everything a kiss could ever convey wrapped into one brief moment of mouths pressed together. She wondered if Leo’s kiss spoke any truth, or if he was that accomplished of an actor. Was he thinking of Caprice as he pulled Faith closer? Was that the reason for his intensity?
She wondered if her own desperation and fear were being broadcast. Did he read as many words and meanings into her kiss as she had his? He pulled away and stared at her until she couldn’t take the intensity of his gaze any longer.
“Well, that’s it for this old woman. I am going to bed, and I am sleeping in. Leo, don’t you rush me out the door tomorrow. I’ll leave after I’ve had some good sleep and some good food. And maybe some hair of the dog.” Alba winked and wobbled on her feet.
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Grammie,” Leo said, enlisting Demetri to help her to her room. Papi was still up and ready to play a game of cards with some of the men.
When Leo and Faith reached their own room, Faith went to the bathroom to change, still not able to disrobe in front of him, not when he represented so much of a threat. As attracted as she was, even with him leaving to see Caprice most nights, she couldn’t bring herself to do anything that might look like an invitation.
What she’d offered on Christmas night still hung over her. The choice Leo would ask about once the family was gone the next day. And she still didn’t know her answer. Some fucked-up part of her brain wished Caprice could settle for mistress. He could do his scary kinky stuff with her, and he could be sweet and safe with Faith. But whether Leo would go for such an unconventional option, she knew Caprice could never be trusted. She wouldn’t stop until she had everything, even if the price was Faith’s life.
Faith came out of the bathroom in her pajamas and hung the black dress in the closet, wondering if she’d be here to wear it next year.
She glanced down at the cardboard box beside the bed. Squish may have bullied Max, but she loved the new kitten, insisting after the first night on sleeping inside the box snuggled with Snowball. The two were already settled in for the night, contentedly purring.
Leo was in bed, writing furiously in a black leather journal.
“New Year’s resolutions?” she asked, feeling stupid for saying anything at all. She was a child next to him. It felt as if everything he did and thought was more sophisticated than she would ever understand. There was something wise and worldly about him. He knew things she couldn’t fathom, and he was probably writing them all down in the mysterious black book for future generations to marvel at.
“Something like that. Go to sleep.”
She was surprised when he turned the lamp off and lay down. What did that mean? If it was Caprice’s last night here, wouldn’t he want to be with her? Maybe she wasn’t leaving. Faith had to know—whether she would believe the answer was another question entirely.
“Leo?”
“Yes, Faith?”
“Is she leaving tomorrow?”
“Yes, she’s leaving. Don’t worry your pretty head about her. She’s getting on the plane with Vinny.”
“Okay.”
***
Faith held her breath at the airport as Caprice handed over her boarding pass. She sent one last pleading look to Leo, begging to stay, but he returned a stern expression and shook his head. It wasn’t until Caprice walked through the gates and the plane took off that Faith relaxed.
It was quiet when they got back to the house, even with a dog, two cats, and a full staff of servants. There were no kids running around screaming, no Gina trying to plan a wedding, no Gemma shooting glares at Leo and complaining, no Caprice scheming to get him into bed. No Angelo or Davide or Uncle Sal or Papi.
Demetri took her coat and hung it in the hall closet while she stood there, not sure what she should do now or where she should go. She’d forgotten how uncomfortable things could be with Leo and no set routine. During the holidays there had been nothing but distraction. And in those moments she’d seen him as more than her captor.
In fact, he’d become her rescuer more than anything. Her protector, constantly keeping her safe, from Angelo, from Caprice, from Gemma. Even from his mom, though the threats from Gina were all well-intentioned.
No matter Leo’s sexuality, he could be kind and caring. He’d taken care of his family, been a good host, given her a kitten. But now the choice hung over her. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t want him.
The feel of his lips pressed against hers and his hand wrapped in hers had been imprinted forever. In brief moments when her guard was down, she’d fallen for him a degree at a time, imagining this was her life and not merely a play for an audience who didn’t realize they were watching one.
She’d expected Leo to demand her answer as soon as they crossed the threshold, as if it were some imaginary line that defined the rest of her life, but he went to the back of the house, toward his office, shattering the importance of the moment. Faith went to the game room and plopped down on one of the sofas in front of the television, trying to decide what to do. She’d assumed he would insist on her answer. Now that Caprice was no longer here to service his needs, she’d thought there would be pressure to do something, but he’d acted as if she didn’t exist at all.
Maybe he didn’t want her anymore. He’d seen what he could have with a woman who could handle him and now he wasn’t interested in a woman little more than a child. Faith angrily scrubbed away an escaping tear. Why should she care one way or the other? None of this had been her choice. It wasn’t as if she’d pursued him. He’d brought her home in the same way he’d brought the kitten home. Like some pet, some animal who didn’t get a choice in where they were going to live, or the conditions they would live in, or the kindness or meanness of their master.
The images on the screen flickered past her, a series of flashing lights with no content her mind could grab onto. Likewise the spoken words were mere noise. She turned off the TV and went after Leo.
She found him in his office, a room she’d been forbidden to enter. He sat at his desk, writing in that damned black book again. He didn’t look up.
“Yes, Faith?”
“Y-you said I could tell you my answer after everybody left.”
He closed the book and spun in his chair to face her, one leg propped on top of the other in a relaxed posture. If this meeting created any emotions, he didn’t give them away.
“Well?” he prodded, after a few moments.
The answer is no. I’m sorry. I’m going to go back to my room in the east wing if that’s okay. “Yes. I want to be with you.”
“Don’t you want to see the dungeon before you make that decision?”
Her eyes went to the floor, unable to stand the way he looked at her. Through her. “Okay.”
She waited for him to give her some kind of instruction, tell her what to do with the rest of her life or just this moment. What to call him? Would she have to call him Master like he’d insisted that first night? The idea was still weird to her, but at least it wasn’t terrifying. Not like the other worse things he would insist upon.
The chair creaked when he got up. “Follow me.”
He took her down several hallways she hadn’t been down because they were forbidden. They were smaller and more ominous, warning visitors away with their lack of light. At the end of one of the hallways was a large metal door. Leo took a key from his pocket, unlocked the door, and pushed a switch on the wall.
A string of LED lights along the ceiling came on, lighting the path of the carpeted spiral stairs that went on and on into an endless abyss, maybe even into hell. And here was the devil standing beside her with a smooth smile and his hand extended like a gentleman toward the waiting doom.
“After you,” he said.
If she went down these steps, would he ever let her back up them again? She chided herself for being so dramatic. They were getting married in June. Of course she’d come out again. Caprice had survived whatever they’d done
together and kept coming back for more. Leo had killed the man who’d abused his sister. Whatever these feelings were, they couldn’t be her worst fears. It didn’t line up with the facts.
She was surprised the dungeon was posh. Like a cave one might escape to in order to read a book if there had been strong enough light.
“Look around. Nothing is off limits. I want you fully informed. No excuses.”
Hesitantly, Faith explored the vast underground room. How it could be so big, so ominous, and so cozy all at once, she didn’t know. There was standard living room furniture and a bed and a small kitchen and a bathroom. Then there were several pieces of black- and red-leather furniture that looked like high-fashion torture equipment. The actual dungeon part had concrete floors, while the apartment area was carpeted, though it was all one, unbroken space save for the bathroom.
Along one wall were several hooks that held mysterious metal objects, riding crops, whips, and paddles. Underneath this section was a tray of sorts that slid out from a slot in the wall and held long pieces of metal and wood. She trembled as she ran her fingers along the top of one of the metal rods. She didn’t know what these rods were called, but she knew Leo hit people with them.
“Those are canes. Why don’t you give one a nice slice through the air? You don’t begin to truly understand it until you hear it.”
Her hand shook as she picked up one of the implements. The sound it made when it ripped through the air would have made her drop it and run if not for Leo’s words interrupting her panic.
“With my medical knowledge, there are so many things I could do to you and bring you back from.”
He was trying to scare her away. There was no other reason to say something so crazy when she was so close to giving him what he wanted.
Faith took a deep breath and placed the metal cane on the tray, but it slipped out of her hand and clattered on the concrete, bouncing several times, the tin sound ringing in her ears. She snatched it up and put it back, sliding the metal tray into the wall slot and taking a shaky breath to steady her nerves. Leo made no move to comfort her.