Heartless Prince by Brook Wilder
Chapter 17
Leda
I dropped the towel and slid on the teddy, tying a black ribbon at my breasts. The material was sheer, just like most of the things in the wardrobe, with ribbons that held the bodice together. Would Valentino even bother untying those ribbons? Or was he going to rip this like he ripped all of my other clothing?
“Leda.” I closed the wardrobe. “Get. A. Grip.”
That bastard. He shouldn’t make me feel like this. I was sex-starved now, and it wasn’t like I had a whole lot of other experiences up until now.
Really, it was all just too overwhelming.
I held onto my virginity, waiting for the right moment and not wanting it to be some drunken encounter in the back of a bar or a club. I wasn’t naive in the act or any foreplay that came before it, but letting a man touch me somewhere so intimately?
Well, that wasn’t something I had experience in. The closest I had come was with my last boyfriend, Frederick. A French model that lasted four months. First a rebellion against my father, until a bag of money and a not so veiled offer of a choice in broad daylight sent him running back to Europe.
Yes, Carmine D’Agostino either paid off my boyfriends to keep them from ruining me for my future husband, or had them disappeared altogether.
It wasn’t something I ever wanted to know. The first time I learned about this arrangement was when an unfortunate boy—too young and foolish—chose to turn down the money.
I locked myself away for days after finding out what my father did to him.
I shrugged on a short robe from the end of the bed, and walked out onto the balcony, letting the sun warm my face. Now that it was daylight, I could see the town below. It was a typical upstate New York town. Small enough to feel cozy, but somehow big enough to accommodate a couple of apple orchards, pumpkin patches, and two breweries.
And all on Valentino’s payroll.
The house was surrounded by woods on three sides, and the grounds were carefully manicured and. I realized now that there was no way for me to escape in the dark. But after our interaction from a few hours ago, I didn’t know if I truly wanted to.
My lips pursed at the thought. Of course I wanted to. This line of thinking had to be some sort of traumatic issue that any kidnapped person ran across. I didn’t want to stay here.
I wanted to be free. I wanted to enjoy my life as I saw fit and not as others did. I wanted to take my life into my hands and figure out what made me happy—to find what I needed.
To make that happen, I had to get out of here.
Which meant I needed to take down Valentino—or at least give myself a big enough distraction so I could escape. I had to either play to his conscience, or find a way to bring him to his knees so that I could control him somehow.
A man like him would probably recognize the signs of somebody trying to control him. This wouldn’t be easy.
I grasped the railing, and closed my eyes, letting the breeze fall over me.
I was a survivor. I wasn’t weak. I wasn’t going to give up so readily to Valentino or anyone else that came into the picture, especially not if I wanted this life to be mine.
Right now, all I had done was trade whoever was going to be my husband for the mysterious Don Valentino that I knew nothing about. Truth be told, either option would probably have taken on the same course of events as last night.
So where did I stand? What was I dealing with? What could I turn to my advantage?
One, as much he affected me, he was equally—if not more—affected by me. He wanted me last night. The way he filled my mouth and emptied himself down my throat told me everything I needed to know right there.
Two, he didn’t want me to touch him. Now, that was curious. I wanted to say that it was because he wanted that sense of control, to show me how powerless I was. But the way he practically jumped when my fingers brushed his cock.
Almost as if he was about to lose control.
My eyes flew open, and my lips curved in a smile.
Maybe that was the answer.
If I could touch him when he was exposed to me, then that could be the moment where I’d find my chance. The moment where I’d find his weakness.
Would it work? My heart raced with my shuddering breath. Could I make him lose control? Did I really want him to lose control?
My monster purred at the thought, and I felt a flush rise to my cheeks.
What choices did I have?
“You can do this,” I whispered to myself.
Valentino was going to rue the day that he came up against Leda D’Agostino.
And when I was done, I’d put him on his knees.
