Page 24 of His Vicious Vow
“I’m sorry. Did I interrupt you and Carina?” Does she sound hopeful?
“No. I’m getting ready for bed. Carina had a long day. She needed an early night. Hey, why did you pick out the ring you did for her?” I hate that the question comes out of me. Tony was wrong.
“I don’t know.” I can hear the shrug in her voice. “It was the biggest one in the trays. I figured someone like her would want it.”
Closing my eyes, I slow my breathing. “What do you mean someone like her? I told you maybe two things about her.”
“Sandro, come on. Her social media is all you need to know about her. She’s half naked with so much crap on her face you can barely tell what she really looks like. She’s all tits and ass. A slut like her, all she cares about is money and—”
“I don’t ever want to hear you refer to anyone—let alone Carina as a slut. Whether she’s fucked five guys or fifty, you don’t talk like that about her or any woman.” I have never talked like that about a woman.
Yeah, when I was younger I went through a period of having sex often and with many women. However, I respected all women without reserve. I was aware I was lucky they were sharing their body and time with me. Bianca thought I had a room in the hotel to shield her from women because I didn’t respect them. It was because I respected them that I did it. They shouldn’t have to explain themselves and be judged for being with me whether it was just once or for a week.
Her gasp is loud. “Sandro. I didn’t mean it like that.”
How the hell else could she mean it? Unlike I usually do, I don’t rush to assure her everything is fine. Leaving silence to be filled, the way I do with men in my world—like with Carlo. Let them fill the silence and betray themselves.
“Sandro?” The word is filled with fear. “I’m worried about you! If someone like her doesn’t care about her own reputation then she won’t care for yours. Then people will start looking at you. Your safety is important to me. I can’t lose you, San. You’re the only thing I have left.” She begins crying.
The urge to check the cameras in our suite is so strong, I don’t dare do it. After all these years, I know her every cry. The way mothers identified a hungry cry versus a change the diaper cry—I know Bianca’s. It’s fear, but not fear for me, it’s fear for herself.
Closing my eyes against Tony’s words then Bianca’s I do the only thing I can do. I cut the connection without a word, too afraid of what I might say.
Seconds later a text comes through from Bianca.
I’m sorry Sandro! Please talk to me!
I shake my head.
No. I’ll see you Saturday.
For the first time in years, I block her number then the number in our suite. Right now, I don’t know what the fuck to say to her. If I don’t know, I don’t want to fuck up completely and say the wrong thing.
I grab my laptop from my suitcase and plug into the cameras for Carina’s place Valdez gave me access to. I’m relieved to see her arrive home within the time she should have. The cabbie waits until she goes inside before pulling away.
She enters the place with her shoulders tense. Once it’s clear she’s alone she exhales slowly. Relax, loose, she goes into the kitchen. There’s a kettle on the stove. She pours out the water inside before filling it again then setting it on a burner turning the heat all the way up. When she opens the door to the pantry I can’t help but chuckle. An entire shelf is filled with tea tins. Humming to herself she runs a finger along the tins until she finds the one she wants.
Opening the cupboard beside the stove, I laugh long and hard at the various unique cups filling it. There is no way…I catch myself. I was thinking there was no way she could have used every cup, but I would lay twenty grand she has used them all at least twice. A unicorn cup with gilt on the horn of the unicorn is the one she takes down. After she places the tea bags into the large cup, she wraps the strings around the handle.
The tea kettle whistles. With a quick twist of her wrist she turns it off then picks up the kettle and pours the water over the bags. She sets the kettle back on the stove then sighs as she walks away. I wish like hell there were cameras in her bedroom. I speed up until a little more than five minutes later.
She’s wiping her makeup off with a small towel. I fight the way my cock jumps at her in nothing more than an old, oversized t-shirt with Sailor Moon and Luna on the front. Fuck, I hope she’s wearing panties.
Back at her tea she unwraps the strings from around the handle then drops them into the trash. I’m expecting her to go back to her room, but she goes to the large, overstuffed chair in the living room. I watch as she sips deeply on her tea.
There’s no phone in her hand, no television is turned on, she’s simply sitting and sipping tea. I swear I can feel her thinking from here. Carina is plotting her escape. The silly girl has no idea there is no escaping me. No, now that I’ve tasted her mouth, held her body against mine, swallowed her sweet cream, heard her say my name as she begged for her orgasm, I will never let her go.
I don’t know what the fuck happened the moment I laid eyes on her, the only thing I know is she’s mine—she belongs to me. It doesn’t matter who or what came before me, she will never know another man’s touch as long as I live.
A humorless chuckle slides out of me. I thought Luca was a little crazy with the whole taking one look at Bella and losing his shit over her. It feels like the universe is laughing at me, making me pay for doubting him. Now it hit my ass just as hard. Except this woman doesn’t want me. I’m going to have to do the one thing I’ve never had to do, work for a woman. For my wife to trust in me that I won’t hurt her the way all the fucking men in her life have until now.
She stands suddenly then sways a bit. I sit up, worried she’ll fall or something. She blinks fast. Sighing heavily, she takes the tea into the kitchen and dumps it out. She uses the restroom then turns off all the lights in the house before going into her room. Seconds later the lights go off.
I close the laptop then my eyes and fall asleep dreaming of Carina.
CHAPTER 9
Carina