Anger surged through me. If he was tired of me flinching away from him, then maybe he should stop being so intimidating.
“Turn around.”
I did as he ordered, and the sharp intake of his breath made me regret it instantly. He moved closer and I felt a gentle tug on the bow that was holding my panties up. ‘A present to unwrap. How could any man possibly resist?’ The words of Luca’s stepmother popped unwantedly into my head. I knew that below the bow the top of my butt would be in the open. Say something to distract him from that stupid bow over your butt.
“You already bled for me,” I said in a shaky voice, and then almost inaudible. “Please don’t.” My father would be ashamed of my open display of weakness. But he was a man. The world was his for the taking. Women were his for the taking. And we women were always supposed to give without protest.
Luca didn’t say anything but his knuckles brushed the skin between my shoulder blades as he raised the knife to my corset. With a hiss the fabric came apart under the blade. I brought my hands up before that barrier of protection could fall as well and pressed the corset against my chest.
Luca wrapped his arm across my chest possessively, trapping my arm under his and gripped my shoulder, pressing me against him. I gasped when something hard poked me in the lower back. That wasn’t his gun. Heat flooded my cheeks and fear gripped my body.
His lips brushed my ear. “Tonight you beg me to spare you, but one day you’re going to beg me to fuck you.” No. Never, I swore to myself. His breath was hot against my skin and I closed my eyes. “Don’t think because I don’t claim my rights tonight that you aren’t mine, Aria. No other man will ever have what belongs to me. You are mine.” I nodded, but he wasn’t done yet. “If I catch a man kissing you, I’ll cut out his tongue. If I catch a man touching you, I’ll cut off his fingers, one at a time. If I catch a guy fucking you, I’ll cut off his dick and his balls, and I’ll feed them to him. And I’ll make you watch.”
He dropped his arm and stepped back. From the corner of my eye, I watched him stride over to the armchair and sink down in it. He reached for the bottle of Scotch and poured himself a generous amount. Before he could change his mind, I quickly walked into the bathroom, closed the door and turned the lock, then cringed at how stupid that was. A lock wasn’t any protection from him, neither was a door. Nothing in this world could protect me.
I scrutinized my face in the mirror. My eyes were red and my cheeks wet. I let the remains of my corset drop to the floor and picked up the nightgown that one of the servants had folded on the chair for me. A choked laugh escaped my mouth after I’d put it on over my bow panties. The part over my breasts was made from lace, but at least it wasn’t see-through; unlike the entire middle of the nightgown. It was the finest gossamer I’d ever seen and it didn’t leave anything to the imagination. My bare stomach and the panties were on display. It ended above my knees with a hem of more lace. I could just as well walk out of this room naked and be done with it, but I wasn’t that brave.
I washed my makeup off, brushed my teeth, let down my hair, and when I couldn’t prolong the inevitable any longer, I grabbed the door handle. Would it be so bad if I slept in the bathroom?
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped back into the bedroom. Luca was still sitting in the armchair. The scotch bottle was almost half empty. Drunk men were never a good thing. His eyes found me and he laughed without humor. “That’s what you choose to wear when you don’t want me to fuck you?”
I flushed at his crude language. It was the Scotch talking, but I couldn’t tell him to stop drinking. I was toeing the line as it was. “I didn’t choose it.” I crossed my arms, torn between staying on my feet and slipping under the covers of the bed. But lying down felt like a bad idea. I didn’t want to make myself any more vulnerable than I already was. But standing in front of Luca half-naked wasn’t the best choice either.
“My stepmother?” he asked.
I nodded simply. He put down his glass and rose. Of course, I flinched. His expression darkened. He didn’t say anything as he walked past me into the bathroom, not even when I gasped as his arm brushed mine. The moment the door closed, I released a harsh breath. Slowly I approached the bed, my eyes finding the light red stain. I perched on the edge of the mattress. Water was running in the bathroom, but eventually Luca would come back out.
I lay down on the edge of the mattress, turned on my side and pulled the covers up to my chin, then squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to fall asleep. I wanted this day to end, even if it was only the beginning of many hellish days and nights to come.