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With a heavy sigh, I let go of her, rolling onto my side. As fast as lightning, Ella jumps out of bed and escapes into the bathroom, followed by her little four-legged crew. The door lock sounds followed by the sound of running water. I wonder if she’s having a cold shower to freeze out the heat I ignited in her. I sure need one.
Seducing her into giving me what I want would have been easy. All I had to do was drown her in my passion until she was mindless and at my mercy.
But a promise is a promise.
I just hope I have the strength to keep it.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ella
AfterIrecoveredfromthe shock of waking up in Gualtiero’s arms yet again, I make my way to the kitchen, followed by my procession of puppies. They’re never fail to put a smile on my face.
I grab a cup and pour myself some licorice tea from the pot that’s always ready for me. Sitting down on the barstool, I watch Helena, Gualtiero’s chef, prepare an omelet for me just the way I like it, with kale and parsnip.
My thoughts drift back to when I woke up. It’s becoming harder and harder to resist Gualtiero. Especially when he looks as delicious as he does in the mornings, with tousled hair and dark stubble. And he smells so goddamn good. It really should be illegal.
His touch still ignites a fire in me, probably more so than ever before since I won’t let myself enjoy it. I pretend it does nothing to me, but I’m sure Gualtiero sees through my charade. He’s biding his time.
He knows I’ll cave, eventually.
Part of me is actually considering it. If I’m stuck here, I might as well enjoy it until my opportunity to flee presents itself.
But I know I’d get hooked further, which would make it that much harder to leave. I can’t do that to myself. So I’ll have to stay strong.
Please God, help me stay strong!
The rest of the morning flies by. After my morning run, I play with the puppies in the garden. They’re exhausted now and rest in the shade of a tree. I lean against the trunk as I stroke their soft fur. I’m already attached to them. Undoubtedly, that has been Gualtiero’s intent all along. Another hook to keep me here.
But I mustn’t let my joy with my four-legged friends distract me from preparing for my escape.
I’m working on my fitness levels, but the question of money is foremost on my mind. Without it, I won’t get far. And when I say money, I really mean cash. Because that is the only way not to be tracked.
A few days ago, Gualtiero gave me a credit card to use for my shopping expeditions, which, to my horror, had my name printed in bold letters as Mrs. Ella De Marco.
I threw the card in his face, asking him if it was some sort of sick joke, but in true Gualtiero fashion, he calmly informed me that he sees me as his wife already and that it’s just a matter of time before the formalities are taken care of.
Don’t you have to produce some kind of identification to get a credit card? How could he use a name that doesn’t legally exist? But I guess that’s not a problem for a mob boss. Fake IDs are probably child’s play for him.
Before he left, he also told me that this hadn’t been his proposal, and that he’d do it properly when the time was right. Namely, when I voluntarily returned to him.
My mouth hung open for minutes afterward.
His intentions are clear. No second-guessing possible.
And to my dismay, a part of me likes it… actually likes that he’s wants to marry me.
Ella De Marco… it has a nice ring to it.
Jeez, what am I thinking?!
I shove that unruly part of me to the bottom of a bottomless pit. I can’t let myself be roped in like that.
But back to my money issues. I’ve gotten into a habit of always carrying the credit card on me, because you just never know when an opportunity to run might present itself. Not that I’m leaving Gualtiero’s mansion often, but I want to be prepared in case we go somewhere spontaneously. So nowadays, I only wear clothes with at least one pocket I can slide the little black card into.
But how will I get cash? ATMs are the obvious answer, but here the banks limit each transaction to two-hundred-and-fifty euros, which won’t get me far.
Of course, I can stop at various ATMs and get more money out, and as far as I know, I don’t have a limit on this card. But obviously that would leave a track to follow, and above all, it’s time-consuming. Time, I doubt I can afford to lose.
