Page 121 of Cartel King

“Count them, little girl. These are for punishment.”

“I know, Daddy. One. Two. Three.”

I keep counting until I get to forty. He gives me twenty on each side. My ass stings, and I kick my feet as best I can. Each spank pushes me forward, grinding my clit against his pubic bone. I’m getting close.

“You will come this time, Ellie. Normally, I wouldn’t reward you during a punishment. But I need to feel you come. I need to pleasure you after fearing I wouldn’t see you again, then realizing the risk you put yourself in. They could’ve shot you through the window. They could’ve trapped you, leaving you unable to make it to the panic room in time.”

“I’m sorry I scared you, Daddy.”

“I know you are. I know you can defend yourself, but you don’t always have to. Let me protect you. Promise me, please.”

I cup his jaw and brush a soft kiss against his lips.

“Can I promise you forever?”

“Do you mean that, Ellie?”

“Yes.”

“No his and hers, Ellie.”

“Only ours. I want my day to start and end with you beside me. No more wondering if I’ll see you that day because we run into each other. No more saying goodbye. Only goodnight and good morning.”

“That sounds perfect to me.”

He stands and walks into the bathroom, closing the door quietly. He places me on the bathroom counter. We’re away from where anyone can hear us. The hard surface fucking hurts like a motherfucker, but I don’t mind once we move together. I hang on for dear life, one hand grasping the edge and the other holding on to his shoulder.

“May I come?”

“Yes. I can’t last much longer, Ellie.”

“Neither can—I’m coming, Enrique. I’m coming. God!”

“Fuck,chiquita.”

He pounds into me one more time before we still. I lean back against the mirror, and his hands rest behind my hips as his forehead presses the glass above my shoulder. He kisses my neck. We take a few moments to catch our breath before we straighten. We haven’t forgotten about the rest of the world, even if we ignored it for a bit.

“I love you.”

We say it together again, and it’s perfection.

He helps me down, and I follow him into the bedroom. We both change before heading into the hallway. Luis and Margherita step out of their room together at the same time Catalina and Matías come out of theirs. Catalina looks better than I expected. I see no cuts or bruises. She appears worn out, and she’s leaning against Matías.

Enrique wraps his arm around me and whispers in my ear. “I don’t know about them yet,cariño.”

I nod as we all meet at the top of the stairs. I take a tentative step forward. My concern is genuine, but it’s also a test. Catalina doesn’t recoil or sneer. She offers me a smile.

“Do you need anything? Is there anything I can do?”

She shakes her head and leans against her husband more. “Thank you, though. Matías told me what you did earlier. How you got the information to save me. I saw you in the window too. If two sisters is good, then three is better. We must outnumber my brothers by twice as many. They each talk enough for two of us.”

I look at Matías. His face is bruised, and it’s not just from where Gérard or Johann hit him with their gun. I couldn’t see the damage earlier because it was too dark. But the light in the hallway shows someone beat him before we left my house. There’s plenty more to the story. I’ll withhold further judgment of the man until I know all the available information.

The six of us head downstairs to the dining room where Luciana sits with the younger men. All five of them devour a heaping plateful of food, and she looks among them indulgently.

When we enter, her smile falters a little, but she soon plasters it back in place. She must have greeted her sister earlier because when Catalina sits next to her, they merely hold hands. Margherita sits on the other side of Catalina and takes her hand too.

As much as they might have made me feel welcome and a part of this family a moment ago, I’m still an observer. There are no more open seats next to the women. Instead, I follow Enrique as he leads me toward the head of the table, but Pablo pushes back his chair and gestures to it.

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