Page 49 of Sacred Blood

Well, since he put it that way, I was more than happy to comply. “Yes, Tano, I understand.”

“Good girl. Do you want to freshen up?”

“Yes.” As I wobbled away toward the bathroom, I received another stinging swat and yelped.

I spun on my heel, almost falling over. “What was that for?”

“You didn’t say, ‘yes, sir.’”

Hmpf.

“Yes, Sir.”

“That’s my girl,” he responded.

I continued to the bathroom, closing and locking the door. Standing on the edge of the tub, I slid my dress up to look at my ass in the mirror. It had two bright red handprints. I ran my fingers gently over warm skin. My nipples pebbled inside my bra, begging to be tugged.

He wouldn’t know, would he? I stepped back from the floor-length mirror, and turned on the water in the sink. Then I pulled my dress back up and leaned against the cool tile. I bit my lip to keep from moaning aloud as I slid a finger between my slick folds, and with the other gripped my nipple.

For a few precious minutes I wasn't a pawn, a daughter, or a future wife. I was simply Gabriella. I quickened my pace, took my pleasure, and allowed myself to fly free. When my racing thoughts finally settled, I straightened and stared at my reflection.

Who was I becoming?

A nurse.

A wife.

A member of the Vitale family.

The thought should have excited me. Parts of it did.

But another part remembered exactly what it felt like to belong to a powerful family.

For so long, every decision in my life had been made by someone else. My parents. The family. Tradition. Expectations.

Now there was Tano.

The difference was that he cared what I thought.

At least, I believed he did.

Still, caring and understanding weren't always the same thing. Would there be room for my own dreams in the life he imagined for us?

For school?

For a career?

For the parts of myself I was still discovering?

I didn't have the answers.

What I did know was that I couldn't lose myself again. I'd fought too hard for the chance to choose my own future.

When my breathing finally steadied, I grabbed a washcloth, cleaned up, and gathered my toiletry bag.

Fifteen minutes later I emerged from the bathroom feeling far more composed. Tano eyed me suspiciously, his gaze lingering a moment longer than necessary, but he didn't say a word.

The ride back was a lot different than the ride there. Engaged, and thoroughly screwed, I should have been the happiest girl in the world, but two things bothered me. The most immediate was his family. Would they like me, or would they be judging me based on this very sudden engagement and even faster wedding? The other was the obedience thing. It would be in the vows, I had no doubt. Tano, Dr. Vitale, demanded that very thing in the workplace and the staff willingly gave it as he was considered one of the top ten surgeons in all of the United States and of course was the head of the hospital. Also, he paid the staff better than any other hospital and they loved him for it.