Page 24 of De Luca: The Sinister Game

I’m not sure if it pisses me off more that she got me into this mess or the fact that she thinks it’s preposterous that any man could ever find me attractive, let alone two. As much as it annoys me, I agree with her even though I won’t admit it to her. The biggest reason is because my experience has always been that men are into me until they see my sister. So them having the choice to have her, but choosing me instead is different.

Okay, they didn’t really choose me.

It’s not as if they are in love with me, I know that. Still, they fucked me instead of Nicole. That’s a first and I’ll take it even though I don’t understand it.

“So you fucked them both?”

I nod with a giggle, “Yeah, I did.”

My sister, who will ‌fuck anything that moves, looks at me with disapproval, “Pig and slut,” she says under her breath, knowing full well I can hear her.

Her dark gaze stares at me suspiciously. “What do they want, though? I don’t get it.”

I shrug because I don’t know why, either. “Me, I guess.”

Nicole leans forward as if she’s going to tell me a secret. “No. That can’t be it. There’s something you're missing. That can’t possibly be the reason.”

Any normal person would say my sister is a bitch and disregard everything she says to me. That would be the logical reaction. I’ve always been far more emotional than logical. So her words hit me in the heart. She’s right, there has to be a reason. They had Nicole after they took her. Guaranteed, she would’ve fucked them because this is Nicole, after all. I know they didn’t do anything with her because had they, my sister would be happy to throw it in my face. The bigger question is, why do I care? Drake made it clear that they’d fuck me until they were done. When will they be done? And will I survive it?

* * *

Drake

We mostly trust Natalia to do as she’s told, but that didn’t stop us from having eyes on her when she met with her sister for breakfast. My guy has followed her all day long. She took one bite of a muffin and then pushed it away. She ate nothing for lunch. I won’t ignore the fact that she’s not taking care of herself. She’ll be punished. And fed. After I feed her my cock, she’ll eat food for nourishment.

After meeting with her sister, she went to a pharmacy and purchased several items. I don’t have a problem with most of her shopping spree. All of them were fine except for one.

Razor blades. Sneaky little girl.

That will bring an even harsher punishment than not eating. The punishment I will administer isn’t one of shaming her or making her feel worse than she already does. The pain I’ll deliver is exactly what Natalia needs. My pretty little pain slut.

I pull up to the club where she’s performing tonight. Dante was called to help Damian and Domenic with a shipment issue, so I’m on my own with our girl. Not exactly a hardship. I walk into Bellissima, the club Domenic bought a little over a year ago. People might think that’s how Natalia got this job, because of her connection to my brother's wife, but it’s not. Our sweet girl is talented in her own right. She doesn’t need the De Luca family to pull any strings for her. While I know enough about her, I’m aware playing the piano and singing was not her dream. She’s made the best of it. She’d prefer to be dancing across a stage with a ballet company. Her injury broke her heart. Natalia is resilient. She may have been knocked down, but she picked herself back up. She’s stronger than she knows. By the time we're done with her, she will be a fierce woman who knows her worth. We’ll leave our girl better than we found her.

Walking into the club, I nod at the doormen. Normally, there’s a cover charge‌ however, as a De Luca brother, of course, I won’t pay one. I walk through the set of double leather doors and make my way to my table. Most of the club is decorated in dark blue. To my right is a black bar with matching tall leather chairs. There are about two hundred round black tables. Each one has a hurricane candle as the lone decoration. Domenic wanted to keep things simple and elegant. My favorite part of this entire establishment is the shiny black grand piano where my girl will sit and play for the packed club. I glance at my watch as I take my seat at my small table and see that she’ll be out in approximately two minutes. Under normal circumstances, I have incredible patience. Nothing rattles me. Yet waiting for her does. I haven’t seen her since she left this morning. I’ve had eyes on her, but it’s not the same. My nerves of steel are long gone by the time she makes her way to the piano. Like the planets have finally aligned, I can breathe a sigh of relief when I have her in my sights.

CHAPTER 20

NATALIA

There’s that part in romance movies when the female character can’t see the male character, yet she knows he’s there. Their connection is so strong she can feel him. That’s how I feel right now. I know Drake is here. His presence is larger than life and he exudes power. Maybe it’s not that we have a connection, but it’s just his way. Maybe everybody can feel him this way. However, when I take a seat at the piano, I turn my head and immediately I’m locked in his gaze. My eyes travel from his stern expression down to his white button-down shirt, the first few buttons undone, exposing his colorful skull tattoo at the base of his neck. He smirks at me as my gaze moves back up to his face. I watch as an attractive blonde waitress with a perfect body approaches him. He speaks to her, but his attention stays on me completely. It’s as if he sees no one other than me. I won’t let it go to my head though, because this is probably one big power trip. That’s why he wants me, only because he can control everything. I force myself to focus on the piano as my fingers strike the keys.

I think the reason I’ve been successful in this career is because most pianists that play in clubs simply perform well-known songs. However, I wrote my music mostly, with the occasional cover thrown in. While people enjoy hearing songs, they know the crowd has become familiar, so a lot of my songs are no longer new to them. Some of my songs are instrumental, but more than a few have vocals as well. The people who come to see me seem to enjoy it. I don’t call them fans even when I know they come for me. That seems uppity and pretentious, two things I never aspire to be. Closing my eyes, I sing about love and loss while the crowd sits quietly, as if they are focusing on every single word that flows from my mouth. When I look out at the people, most of them have eyes on me, but not like Drake. He stares at me with an intensity that nearly melts me to the core. His gaze makes me feel exposed in a room full of people, as if they can see every part of me, even the parts I desperately want to hide. I take a deep breath and focus on the keys. Every note, every chord, the emotions, the words that come from my broken soul.

Cuts so deep.

Watch me bleed.

Feel the pain.

See me die.

A little each day.

Broken in pieces.

Nothing left to mend.

You took the only thing I need.

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