Pain and Pleasure by Callie Vincent

25

Esmeralda

I awake with a pounding headache.

Every time I open my eyes, I'm faced with blinding sunlight. I put my hand over my eyes and feel something hit me as I try to rub my face. It's heavy and sharp and as I open my eyes once more, I gasp at what I see.

On my left ring finger, lies a diamond the size of quarter. It is pear shaped and looks like a giant, glittering teardrop.

What in the actual fuck?

I sit up abruptly, feeling around the bed for Dante but coming up short. Where the hell is he? What happened last night? The last thing I remember was eating scallops from Dante's fingers, even dancing is a blur.

I'm going to marry you one day, Esmeralda.

The memory hits me like a freight train. Or is it a memory because it feels like a dream. I look at the diamond once more. There's no way. There is absolutely no way.

"Dante!" I shriek.

He runs into the room suddenly, a towel wrapped around his waist as he exits the bathroom. His hair is dripping wet and he looks worried. His eyes snap to my hand and the anxiety leaves his eyes as a small smile flirts with his lips.

Mother fucker. This better be a joke. A cruel, sick joke.

"What the fuck is this? What happened last night?" My voice is panicked, and he picks up on it.

He goes to sit at the edge of the bed, the towel opening up to show me a glimpse of his tan skin. If I wasn't so pissed and confused, I'd be aroused.

"Tell me this isn't a goddamn wedding ring, Dante," I hiss. He looks sheepish and it makes me even more angry.

"It's not a wedding ring, mi ciela. It's an engagement ring." Oh thank God, but still, what the fuck?

"Why am I wearing an engagement ring?" I ask through clenched teeth.

"Because I didn't have time to get you a wedding ring, but don't worry. The paperwork we signed at the chapel last night has already been sent off to be processed."

Paperwork? Chapel?

"What paperwork, Dante?" My face is so hot, I feel flames coming out from the side of my head.

He moves his hands from his lap, crawling to me to hold my hand in his, his finger tracing the massive rock on my finger.

"Our marriage certificate, mi amor."

I rip my hand away from his, jumping from the bed. I'm still in my lingerie from yesterday so I take a sheet and wrap it around me, feeling vulnerable, confused and enraged.

The bastard married me without my consent.

"You mean to tell me, that while I was incapacitated last night, you decided to take matters into your hands and marry me without my consent?" I'm near screaming at him, my voice is raised and loud and sounds so foreign to me.

He gets up from the bed, his hands raised in defense.

"You consented. You told me you couldn't wait to marry me. You're the one that picked the chapel. Your signature is on that certificate too." He gets in my face, towering over me.

"I was drunk for fuck’s sake, Dante! I don't remember any of that! My wedding night was not supposed to be a blackout! I never even got a proper proposal from you!" I yell in his face, my hands shooting up in the air.

I catch the reflection of my wedding ring in the light and pause. When did he have time to get a wedding ring of this size? I've been with him every minute since we've gotten into Vegas.

"Is this ring...was this someone else's?" My voice is quiet, but it is laced with venom.

He better fucking not have.

"Is this the wedding ring of your dead wife?" My voice cracks and I try my best not to crumple to the floor.

His hands immediately shoot out and grab my shoulders, gripping me tightly as he shakes me while he speaks.

"It is yours, Esmeralda. I picked this ring out just for you. For only you. I would never do such a thing." His voice is so low, but I can't focus on it.

If he got this for me, then that means that he's had it since before we got to Vegas. Which means he's been plotting this. Another secretive plot that he's not informed me about. Once again, I am left in the dark except this time, I am irrevocably bound to him.

"You've...you've planned this?" My voice is shaking, and he hangs his head, his nose rubbing against mine.

I'm shaking so hard that my teeth chatter. He's not denying me. He's not saying anything and it's making me tremble with rage.

"It's the only way I could keep you safe," he murmurs quietly.

I step away from him, tears forming in my eyes. He did this because of my father's plan. He did this so that the other man couldn't marry me. He didn't do this because he loved me so much that he wanted me to be his wife. I should feel thankful that he thought of something brilliant, but instead I feel dejected because it isn't genuine. This giant inexpensive ring on my finger is nothing but a safety net when all I wanted was pure, genuine love.

"You didn't do this because you wanted me to be your wife. You did this so that I couldn't be forced into another marriage. You did this for yourself." My voice cracks and I cover my eyes, unable to look at him.

"I did this so that I could keep you safe! Everything I do is for you!" His voice is raised, but he's not denying my claim. Which means it's completely true.

This wasn't for genuine love. For a lifetime partnership that I've dreamed of. This is just another result of this fucking war between him and my father. I wipe at my eyes, feeling the wall I had once between us come right back up again. My heart breaks behind it.

"He can still get me, you know. Just because he can't force his men to marry me, he can still take me and have them use me." I narrow my eyes, but I can see his anger rise.

His face is so mad, filled with rage as he reaches for me. I step back and away from his touch, clutching the sheet to my cold body.

"He will never get to you. He will never touch you. You're mine, Emmie. Forever."

Usually those words would melt me to my core, but they are empty words now. The only thing they do is make my heart crack a little more.

"Yeah well, you made sure of that now didn't you, husband?" I hiss the words at him before I walk to the bathroom.

"Get back here now!" he yells after me.

I stop and sigh, staring up at the ceiling as my hands grip the sheet tighter to my body. I turn around slowly, meeting his dark eyes as I speak.

"What's done is done, Dante. You got what you wanted and like always, I have no choice but to comply. Now please, give me some space while I shower. I'm not really in the mood for a honeymoon." The words bite, but I don't care.

I walk into the bathroom and slam the door behind me. Dropping the sheet to the floor, I take off my lingerie and turn on the shower. As soon as I step in, I let the tears that I was holding back finally flow free, mixing with the water, my sobs leaving my body to go down the drain.

* * *

The rest of our trip was tense. I ignored him for the next two days, shying away from his touch and barely responding to anything he said. At first, he rebuttled. But after several failed attempts to get at me, he gave into my silence.

We're on the plane ride home and all I can focus on is the constant tapping of his Italian leather shoe against the floor. I'm annoyed by it. Quite frankly, I'm annoyed at everything he does now. Which is a shame, because I'm still madly in love with him.

And now we're married. Now, there's no escaping him. Love’s a fickle little bitch, isn't she?

We touch down and I immediately get up from my seat, but Dante stops me as I stand to walk away.

"Emmie, wait." His voice is low, dark and gravelly. "Nobody but Oscar knows of our arrangements. Please don't mention anything until the timing is right."

I smirk at him, but it holds nothing but venom.

"And here I thought we were going to have a reception." I take one last look at him and step off the plane.

As soon as I walk down the steps and onto Dante's front yard, I feel something hard and metallic press into the skin of my back.

"Hi, mija. Did you miss me?"

My father.

I turn around slowly and come face to face with Juan Carlos. Behind us, two men have guns pointed at both Dante and Benjamin’s heads. I swallow audibly, dread creeping into my stomach at a rapid pace.

"Don't move, baby," Dante growls, and the man holding him presses his gun harder to Dante's head.

Tears slip from my eyes.

No, not like this. It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

"That's a nice wedding ring you have there, Esmeralda. It's a shame that I wasn't invited to the ceremony. Though I'll admit, I wouldn't have been too keen to give you away to this blood sucking bastard of a man. James would've been a much better pick."

His shoulder lifts in the direction of the man that's holding Dante. I get a better look at him. He's around Dante's age, and I can tell that he's American. His eyes are a pristine shade of blue and his dirty blonde hair falls around his face. He's ruggedly handsome, like a cowboy. But right now, he's holding a gun to my husband's head and I want nothing more than to rip his fingers from his hand, plucking them one by one.

"I know what you're thinking, " Juan Carlos says next to my ear. "How did we get here, where's the security, blah blah blah."

He lights a cigarette with his free hand, blowing the thick cloud of smoke into my face.

"James, my man, is extremely talented with technology. It took him all of twenty minutes to crash every single server that your lover has. Most of your men, Dante, are still on their way here and the others are busy trying to fix the mess we just made for you. You'd think you could spare at least one guard to stand outside while you return home. But then again, I can tell you don't think much at all."

"Now, my sweet daughter. It is time for you to come home with me. I'll make it easy on your lover. James is a great shot and it'll be quick and painless. Say your goodbyes and we'll be out of here in no time. Your new life awaits you." He drops his gun from my head and pushes me towards Dante.

I stare into his wild, amber eyes. I'm so sad that the last two days we've had with one another have been spent in anger. I love this man with every fiber of my being, and it kills me to see us like this now. I rest my hand on his chest, staring up into his eyes, showing him every ounce of love that I feel for him. He stares back, his eyes heavy and sad. I press a chaste kiss to his lips, leaning back on my heels as I stare at him one last time.

"Over my dead body," I say quietly, though everyone heard it. Especially Dante, whose eyes are wide with terror.

"Emmie, no!" he yells out as I swing around, elbowing Juan Carlos hard on his nose. I feel it crack against my skin before he rumbles to the ground, howling out in pain.

I hear a gunshot ring out and I look behind as blood pools on Dante's chest. I am about to cry out, but then I notice the blood is not his. It's pouring from James’s hand, who is now screaming in pain, clutching his bloody and wounded palm as Dante grabs the gun and shoots the guy holding Benjamin in the hand. I look over my shoulder to see Sergio standing at the front door, gun in hand and pointed in our direction.

"Go, Emmie! Now!" Dante shouts and I run from the men, their guns pointed at my father.

I make it about two steps when Juan Carlos reaches out from below me and pulls me to the ground, climbing on top of me and pinning me to the ground. I hear more people rush outside. Gabriela is screaming and Ricky is crying. My father's hands are wrapped right around my throat, choking me as I struggle to break free from his grasp.

"Don't shoot! You'll hit her!" Dante yells.

I see hands pulling Juan Carlos from me, but his gun is out and aimed in my direction. He cocks it back and aims it for my head. I hear my mother's scream and see her bright hair flash before my eyes. A gunshot rings out and I brace myself for the pain. I hear several more and wait. Everything is happening so fast, but I wait for the darkness of death to pull me under.

But it doesn't come. I'm still greeted with sunlight. I feel the heavy weight of my father on me and then something warm and sticky pools on my skin.

He's dead.

Dante shoves him off my body, shooting him one more time before he lifts me up. I take in my surroundings. There's so much blood everywhere, but none of it is mine. As I sit up, I see the lifeless body of my father and one of his men.

As I continue to look around, I see blond hair on the ground next to Juan Carlos. I get up and crawl to it.

"Emmie…" Dante whispers, but I don't stop.

I crawl and crawl until I am hovering over my mom's lifeless and bloody body. There's a bullet hole in her head, her green eyes wide open.

I don't even try to bite back the howl that escapes from my throat. More follow and within moments I'm screaming and wailing, clutching my mother's dead body as her blood paints my hands.

"Emmie, let's go inside. Please, get up," I hear Dante say but I press my head to my mother's chest, desperate to hear her heartbeat, but coming up short.

"Dante, Gabriela is gone. We can't find James either," Sergio says beside us, but all the voices around me sound fuzzy. Everything is a blur and all I can hear are the cries of anguish ripping through my throat.

"Fuck!" Dante yells and I feel his hands pulling at me, ripping me away from my mother’s body as I scream and kick in protest.

He hauls me over his shoulder, and I bang my fists against him, but he ignores every blow. I scream and kick and punch until my fists are sore and my throat is raw. Until everything around me goes dark.