Page 17 of Driftwood Daffodil 2

“Immensely,” I smiled back at him.

“Fantastic,” Gio bent over and growled in my face. “Now, do what you were fucking told.”

If I hit him, would someone hit me back? It might be worth it. Unfortunately, I doubted that anything would help me get out of this. My fate was decided, and the walls were closing in. There was nowhere to go and nowhere to hide.

Gio sat back, rested his forearms on the arms of the chair, and I instantly wanted to shrink back from his stare. There was a darkness burning in his emerald eyes that sent a shiver up my spine. This wasn’t the same as his usual menacing glare. He was enjoying my humiliation, a little more than he should be.

“I’m waiting.”

I looked up at his arched brow and resisted the urge to shuffle back.

My act of defiance didn’t seem so satisfying anymore. I kind of wanted to have a do over and crawl again. Take my time, instead of bolting over like a mad woman in a horror movie. Now, I was trapped between Gio’s very large legs, with no more excuses, or a way out. It was judgment time, and I had to show how much I was willing to pay.

Okay, Nova, you can do this.

The first thing I noticed when I rose to my knees and carefully placed my hands on Gio’s jean-clad thighs was how warm he was. Then again, maybe I was just cold. Despite my best efforts, my body continued to be wracked with shivers. Either way, Gio’s warmth seeped into me like a dangerous blanket that caused the pit in my stomach to swirl.

It took everything I had not to stumble when I slowly shuffled closer. And even when my thighs met the cool fabric of the chair, I still didn’t feel steady. I couldn’t stop staring at the silver buckle of his belt. I knew what was under there. I’d seen it before. I also knew what I had to do. But I couldn’t bring myself to reach out for it.

I looked up at Gio and whispered, “Do they have to watch?”

Not having so many eyes on me might help me bolster up enough courage to do this.

His jaw ticked. “Yes.”

Not sure why I expected anything else. Gio Mancini enjoyed watching me suffer. Though there was something tugging on his expression that made me think he wasn’t very happy about this either. That knowledge was enough to give me the strength to reach my trembling fingers out and start to unbuckle his belt.

I ran through the motions like a checklist of things to do.

Slide the belt through the loop…

Check.

Unhinge the clasp…

Check.

Pull it through the buckle…

Check.

Each action got marked off until my fingers touched the top button of his jeans. That’s when I noticed Gio’s hands digging into the arms of the chair so hard that his knuckles were turning white. Not only that, but his breathing was heavier. Every exhale he let out tickled hotly across the top of my head. He wasn’t angry. He was turned on. By me?

There was an odd power in that. Until I remembered, I had no idea what I was doing. What if I couldn’t finish the job? Or what if I utterly sucked at sucking a guy off? Would Kato be punished for my inability?

“Listen,” I let out a breath. “I can’t guarantee this will be any good.”

“Shut the fuck up and do it.” Gio hissed through gritted teeth.

Alright.

I hesitantly popped the button of his jeans open. That’s when fear really took hold. There was no longer a blanket of denim hiding the large bulge of his erection from my sight.

I don’t know why, but I looked up at Gio. Maybe I was hoping to find some kind of sympathy in his stare. As stupid as it was to seek solace from my tormentor, I still did it. Of course, I didn’t get what I hoped for.

The only thing I got was an angry grumbled, “What the fuck are you waiting for?”

As much as I wanted to argue with him, a bigger part just wanted to get this over with. So, I sucked back what remained of my pride, leaned forward, closed my eyes, and pulled his black boxer briefs out of the way.

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