AllFreeNovel
Share Us
With a sigh, I vacate the shower and dry off, approaching the vulgar gilded mirror that is one of many in this fucking museum. If I thought I’d look different after what just happened, I don’t. There is no awakening of the soul, no shift in direction, just the cold, hard eyes of a dead man walking, getting on with his day.
Chastity is dressed already when I head back into the room and is drying her hair as she sits on the floor in the corner by the window. The sunlight filters through the heavy drapes and catches on soft highlights in her hair that I never noticed before. I'm seeing her in a whole new light and discovering things about her I never paid attention to before.
She catches my eye and grins, the impudent smile of a woman who knows she is free. She lives life on her terms and I’m a little in awe of that, which is ironic when I consider the contract I made with her. Succeed or die.
I’m a fucking fool because I already know I will never harm this beautiful creature. However, if she fails, it won’t be me pulling the trigger. It will be the bastard I put in the same room as her.
Second thoughts aren’t something I’ve ever had, but they’re here now and I don’t like how I feel about them, so I revert to the bastard I am and say roughly, “I’ll meet you downstairs.”
She raises her eyes. “So, you don’t dress for dinner in this house.” Her smirk almost makes me smile when I realize I’m still wearing the towel.
“I don’t take all day like you.” I bite back. “I’ll be ready inside five minutes.” I say, dropping the towel and noting the lust in her eyes as I stare at her with a similar one.
“Unless…” I say slowly, my cock already ready for round two, but she merely shakes her head and turns away, effectively shutting me out.
As I dress, I think about the power this woman has. Nobody has ever turned me down before. Any woman faced with that offer is on her knees, greedily sucking my cock before I even finish my sentence. Not Chastity, though. She can apparently take it or leave it, depending on her mood. I’m not sure if I like that and realize I am learning some harsh lessons since she played her way into my world.
However, she sleeps in my bed tonight and I already know there won’t be a lot of dreaming involved. No, I have plans to fuck her out of my head before she slides her way into my heart.
CHAPTER13
CHASTITY
As soon as he leaves, I can breathe again. My heart is thumping so hard, I may not make it to dinner. What just happened has shocked me–a lot. When he offered me round two, I wanted to leap at the chance, but my mind took over and shot him down. I’m in self-preservation mode right now because a man like Leonardo Ortega isn’t here for the romance. He’s here to fuck and leave and I already realize that the more fucking involved will be extremely bad for my heart.
I combout my damp hair and reach for my make-up, making sure to erect my mask to hide behind once again. This dinner will be difficult for a number of reasons, and I wonder how I can act out this drama like an Oscar-winning actress when I am so vulnerable.
That woman is a disgusting excuse for a human being, and I am relishing the opportunity to end her life, if I get one, that is. The way she looked at Leo made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It was with a sense of ownership, as if they had something special that only they would ever understand. They belong to a secret club with only two members, and she pitied me for what was bound to happen. She doesn’t view me as a threat, just a minor inconvenience, which is good in a way. I can hide behind ignorance knowing I amnotthe ignorant one but one thing I must do at my peril is to underestimate the woman who is circling like a demon about to strike.
Before I leave the room, I search it for hidden devices. I’m surprised to find none, which makes me wonder if I’m losing my touch. I sweep it again but find zero, which causes me to smile because it appears I have been duped. That fucking bastard used it as an excuse to get me naked against him and now I know, I can have fun with this.
As I leave the room, I give silent thanks to Ruby, who has packed a closet of outfits that pretty woman would be proud of. I am wearing a white figure-hugging body con dress with simple white sandals, my hair tied in an elegant ponytail, and huge oversized glasses perched on my head.
As I make my way downstairs, I shudder at the gaudy décor that would be more at home in a museum for bad taste and head to the terrace, where I see a table has been set under a huge white canopy.
Leo and Ryan are both there already and glance up as I approach. Ryan is obviously amused at something, but Leo appears angry, and I wonder what happened to paste that frown on his face.
Ryan jumps up and pulls out my chair, and I don’t miss the pulse working in Leo’s jaw as he turns to look away.
I smile my thanks at Ryan, who drops me a cheeky wink and as I reach for the pitcher of orange juice, I hear a soft, “Leo.”
We all look up and note Diana walking toward us, a vision in pale yellow with her hair falling around her shoulders in soft waves. She could be the girl next door, and I feel slightly more formal in my own choice of clothing. I am contrived where she is natural, and yet Leo merely nods before turning to Ryan.
“Have the men settled in?”
Ryan nods. “All is good.”
Diana takes the seat bedside Leo and gazes at him with soft adoration.
“Your men are welcome here. This is their home,yourhome, despite what happens at the reading of your father’s will.”
I sense Leo stiffen as she places a gentle hand on his knee and leans in and whispers, “You will always have a home with me, darling.”
Leo pointedly removes her hand from his knee and says sharply, “Just so you know, Diana, ifIam the beneficiary of my father’s will, there will benohome for you here.”
She recoils as if he punched her and I’m enjoying the show as I watch a power play before me of an unusual kind.
We are interrupted by Mrs. English wheeling out a trolley laden with food and if I weren’t dining with piranhas, this would be an extremely enjoyable experience.
