Page 9 of Hostile Secret
My chest tightens, and my cheeks burn as resentment prickles over me. That realization makes me feel lonelier than ever.
“And you can stick that ice cream up your ass.” I add, scratching at his wrist for freedom.
Inky pupils engulf serene green. “Or I could insert it somewhere inside of you and lick it clean. Is that the sort of fun you had in mind for my kid brother, Mat?” Straight white teeth sink into his bottom lip, as if he’s imagining that very act.
The sound of his sonorous voice mixed with filthy intentions turns the solid floor under my sandals to quicksand. I swallow hard as anticipation fizzes within me.
I haven’t felt such a potent rush of adrenaline in my life. Not even when I’d won my last tournament and held the trophy to the roaring crowd, so Reno could see it.
“Oh, come on, Gio,” I say coolly to distract him from the flush coloring my cheeks. “I grew up around Dré. If you want to shock me, you’ll have to try harder. Anyway, you don’t strike me as the type of guy who’d eat ice cream.” My voice projects confidence, even though my pulse is skipping. “Then again, its coldness would match your mood.”
His left eyebrow subtly arches. “You know nothing about me, niñita.”
Before I have time to go off again about his insulting name for me, he grabs my waist and effortlessly slings me over his shoulder. The whoosh of air around us is charged like a breeze after a thunderstorm. When I squeal from the surprise of being roughly manhandled, a large hand swats my ass. Hard and firm.
“That’s what happens to bad girls who fuck with me.”
Collectively, the heated imprint of his hand and that comment tingles all the way down my spine in a string of fireworks.
Inwardly, I’m floundering in silence and embarrassed by the unnatural places my mind runs to. I’ve never been spanked before––but I kinda liked it.
Giovanni’s dark vibrations echo an extraordinary way in my veins. His brutality both scares the shit out of me and thrills my innocence. There’s a sorcery to his quiet dominance and I’m foolishly snared by it.
Bending his knees a little, he easily scoops up my weighty duffle bag and proceeds to march out of the villa.
“What the fuck have you got in this bag?” he mutters.
As I hang upside down, I can hear his voice, but it's muffled by the surge of blood rushing to my head.
“Toys… and clothes,” I say truthfully.
“Toys? Like what––Barbies? Fuck… are you really that wholesome?”
“Don’t be a dick, Gio. I’ve never played with dolls.” I wriggle and thrash. “You’ve made your point. Put me down… this is stupid.”
Daenis’ claws clip the sunbaked wooden planks underfoot, somewhere behind us. The temperature drops a fraction as he continues to carry me under a palm lined pathway leading to the landing strip.
“You had your chance to behave. This way I can ensure you get on the jet without any hassle. Don’t forget who came out on top earlier.” The arm wrapping around the back of my legs tightens. “I won’t think twice about teaching you a lesson or two if you test me, India.”
“Oh, so you do know my name, after all.” A grunt of indignation escapes from my throat.
“If you’d prefer to be addressed by your name, then turn around and climb on board like a good little girl.”
He slides me down his chest until I’m on my feet at the metal steps of a sleek private jet. It absorbs all the sunlight and resembles a polished silver bullet.
I whistle to Daenis and wait for her to join me. “I might be little, but I can defend myself if needed. And maybe I’m fed up with being a good girl.”
Turning away from him, I shamelessly bend lower, knowing my skirt will rise high enough to show my lacy panties. And then I pick up Daenis and take each step ahead of him, feeling a tingle of excitement as a breeze agitates the fabric in front of his eyes.
When I reach the top step, a professionally presented flight attendant greets me, her wide lipped smile bold red.
I glance over my shoulder when her eyes light up; her gaze focused outside. “Sir…”
If she could push me out of the way to reach him, she would. I guess I should be used to this behavior. Stupid women who can’t help craving the attention of the bad guys who dominate my life. But for some unknown reason, the fact she’s happy to see Giovanni pisses me off––or maybe it’s because he sees her––as a woman, someone who he’d touch and fuck––not just wrestle with like a kid sister.
I sigh loudly and keep on walking ahead through the aircraft. The inside is plush and luxurious, with a scattering of cream leather seats, a couch, and flat screen TVs. A younger me would be excited to hitch a ride on a private jet. Nowadays it’s like taking the bus.
Every summer, Reno and I would fly off to a different part of the world, Souza style. Just one of the perks of my brother being André’s head of security. Wherever he went, Reno always went too. And if it was a long distance, I’d go along for the adventure too.
