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He rolls his eyes before heaving another sigh. “Look. He wants you downstairs for dinner. I would suggest you give him what he wants, because if you think this is bad, you have no idea how much worse it can get.”
“I appreciate your advice. But I’m going to sit this one out. Please, send my apologies.”
For a second, it looks like he’s fighting off a grin. “Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face, is all I’m saying. You don’t want to be here? Fine. But don’t make things harder for yourself.”
“Again, your advice is appreciated.”
He lifts an eyebrow. “You’re sure that’s the way you want to do this?”
“Absolutely.” No, it’s not, I’m freaking dying over here, but I need to see this through now that I’ve started.
“Very well.” He puts two fingers in his mouth and whistles—magically, a pair of guards appear in the doorway before barging into the room.
“What are you doing?” Rather than tell me, they show me. One of them hauls me off the bed, walking me around to the headboard where—to my horror—the second guy is wrapping a length of rope around one of the posts.
“What is this?” I manage to get a glance at Jock, who watches with a tired expression. He doesn’t say a word while, between the two of them, they force me onto the bed and tie my hands over my head.
“We’ll do it your way, then,” Jock concludes once they back away.
“So, what? I don’t eat, so you tie me down? That’s not going to help things, you know.” My words fall on deaf ears. Jock takes away the lunch tray while the other two guys follow him out of the room. “This is bullshit!”
Terrific. Now what am I going to do? It’s not going to be long before my hands go numb. I have no hope of getting out of this on my own. What are they planning? To leave me this way all night? Is this how he’s going to get his way? I go on a hunger strike, so he decides to make it so I can’t eat even if I want to?
The sound of footsteps in the hallway makes my heart race. What’s coming next? Who’s coming next?
The last thing I expected was to see Luca Bruno himself carrying a tray of food. “This is how you want it to be?” he asks, striding into the room. “Very well.”
Oh, damn it.
Chapter Eleven - Luca
The sight of her tied up like she is… let’s just say I didn’t expect it to have the effect it does. Her legs are splayed out, almost bare thanks to her skirt riding up every time she moves. Chest heaving with every breath she takes, face flushed, eyes wide and blazing.
I’m of half a mind to say to hell with the food and feast on her, instead.
But no. I understand too well why she’s pulling this act. She’s upset over what happened last night, not to mention the way I treated her earlier yesterday. It’ll be a cold day in Hell before I apologize, but I can’t have her throwing tantrums and disrupting the household when there are more important issues at stake. Her hunger strike was all anybody wanted to talk about today. I’m starting to think my father hired a bunch of gossiping old crones to guard the house.
How much louder will they gossip if I take her here and now?
“What are you doing?” It’s that acid in her voice that shakes me out of it. I guess I ought to be glad she’s like this. My dick can wait.
I move further into the room, carrying her portion of what Nora served this evening. “What does it look like? You can’t be trusted to do what’s in your best interest, so it will be done for you.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Do I strike you as a man who jokes around a lot?” Her lips twitch but she turns her face away. The stubborn little brat. “Don’t tell me you aren’t hungry. I know what this is about, and frankly, I don’t have time for it.”
“Yet here you are, in my room.”
“My room,” I correct. “You are currently sleeping in it.”
“Locked up in it.”
“Semantics.” I lower the tray to the bed, one eye on her at all times. “Don’t even think about kicking this off. My patience only runs so deep. And it would be a shame to waste what’s waiting for you.”
I pull up an armchair and sit beside her, the tray between us. “You’re going to untie me so I can eat?” she asks. The hope in her voice is almost cute.
“No. I’m going to feed you, because I can’t trust you to take care of it yourself.”
