Pain and Pleasure by Callie Vincent
6
Esmeralda
We'reout of the shower and in my closet.
The scalp massage he gave me nearly put me in a trance and coupled with the warmth of the shower, took away all of my nausea. I'm never smoking again and I'm going to lecture Ricky as soon as I get the chance. My mother came into my room to tend to my mess while Dante cleaned me. It seemed fitting after all the times I cleaned up her vomit off our floors.
“What do I wear for tonight?” I ask him.
He’s completely clothed as he walks up behind me, putting his large hands on my bare shoulders. He skims his nose along my throat as he sweeps the towel from my body, the cool air making my nipples rise.
“Whatever you want, pequeña. As long as it’s not too revealing. I have male guests in attendance tonight, and I’m not in the mood to bark at them for ogling.”
He kisses up to my ear and I laugh from both the contact and his comment.
“What exactly would they be ogling anyway?”
He bites my ear lobe, sucking into his mouth. I gasp in response, my legs turning to jelly.
“Something I want to devour a whole lot more than dinner.”
He bends to kiss my collar bone, distracting me. I try to pull away, but both of his hands shoot out and wrap around my naked waist, pulling my body against his. I feel his erection, it’s unmistakable and delicious.
“I have to go help Javier with said dinner. I will need to be clothed in order to do that…”
He keeps kissing and biting at me, one of his hands traveling from my stomach to the juncture of my thighs. I’m already wet and it makes him growl in approval. My head falls back to his shoulder, and I lock eyes with him as his fingers find my clit, making me whimper needily in response.
We stay like that as he fingers me, eyes locked and lips a whisper apart. His finger moves faster, nearing me towards my release until he pulls away, teasing me. I pout at the loss of contact, but he rewards me by shoving two of his fingers inside me. It makes me stand on my toes and cry out.
“Look at yourself, Emmie,” he mutters, his shoulder nudging my head up so that I can look at our reflection in the mirror before us. I keep my eyes on his, and his other hand goes to my jaw, turning my head towards the direction of the mirror.
“I said fucking look.” He growls at me and it makes my whole body shake, quivering apart as I lock eyes with him in the mirror.
His hair is wild and his eyes are that of an animal as he watches me come apart on his fingers. I scream out as the first wave of my orgasm hits me, and he smiles as my voice echoes through the room. It’s so fucking hot that I nearly black out, needing him as my anchor so that I don’t fall to the floor.
Once I catch my breath and my body stops spasming, I open my eyes to find him sucking my wetness off his fingers, staring at me the entire time he does it. He offers one to me and my eyes widen.
“Suck.” He demands and I do. I take his finger into my mouth and lick my juices off his skin, swallowing them down with a moan that makes him growl. He kisses my jaw and smooths my hair back before releasing me.
“I suppose you can find something to wear now, but make sure it’s easy to take off. I want my dessert immediately after my dinner.”
He bites my lip and walks out of my closest. I don’t realize that I’ve been holding my breath until I release it when he shuts the door of my bedroom. He’s an aphrodisiac, that man. A tall, dark, sexy pain in my ass that I realize I’m beginning to crave as much as he craves me.
He was right all along. We can’t deny this attraction between us. It is thick and persistent and overtakes all my senses. I look at my reflection, my skin is flushed and there’s a smile on my face. For the first time since we’ve been together, I find that I am not feeling dejected after he touches me, but rather...happy. The thought should scare me, but I don’t let it as I walk to pick out an outfit for tonight.
He had one of his guards bring my clothes here and they are all put away neatly except for the bag of lingerie sitting next to my underwear drawer. I laugh because I can see the look of a confused man trying to decide whether or not to touch my unmentionables. I put them away neatly in my drawer, sorting through and trying to find the best set for tonight. His promise of taking me fuels my decision.
I pull out a silk and lace set that I can see him liking. It is black and has garter clips, something I’ve never worn before in my life, and I realize that as I pull a pair of black thigh highs up and try to connect them to the clips. After minutes of struggling, I finally attach everything and look at myself in the mirror.
I look...sexy and I feel like a goddess. I can see his eyes darkening at the sight of me tonight and it makes me feel giddy as I search for a dress to match. I choose a floor length, strapless black gown that has a slit on the left side that travels up to mid-thigh, revealing the smallest amount of lace from my stockings. Once I deem it worthy of tonight, I take it off and swap it for a pair of lounge pants and a sweater. I have no desire to get any of my cooking mess on my nice clothes, so I lay the dress out on my bed with a pair of black heels for when I am ready to change.
I blow dry my hair and brush it out, the volume of it making it bounce against my shoulders. I apply a quick swipe of mascara, a small amount of blush and a coat of lip gloss before walking out of my bedroom and making my way towards the kitchen.
Javier is at his usual spot at the counter, chopping vegetables and smiling at me when he sees me. Ricky is sitting on a stool across from him at the counter, chatting at a speed that makes my head spin. He’s still in his swimsuit and his hair is wet. He spots me and gives me a devious smile.
“I see you’ve taken my advice.”
I roll my eyes at him as I tie an apron on, flipping him off when I tighten the ties behind my back.
“I may have taken your advice, but I’m not taking anything else from you after this morning. I’ve been sick since I left the pool.”
He throws his hands up in defense. “It’s not my fault you’re a weakling and can’t handle a bit of green. I’m assuming Mr. tall, dark and handsome took care of you?”
I feel embarrassed because Javier is listening to this, but he pays no mind as he transfers the vegetables he chopped from the board into a bowl. I ignore Ricky and turn my attention to Javier.
“What would you like me to help with today?” I ask him. He points over to the pantry in response.
“I’m going to need some more potatoes and seasoning. We’re having roast chicken tonight, but I need to slow cook the potatoes and veggies with it.”
I nod and make my way towards the pantry, grabbing a bag of red potatoes and his glass tub of seasonings that he has set out on the rack in the pantry.
When I bring everything to the counter, Ricky slaps his hands down on the countertop.
“I’m going to take a nap and get ready for tonight. Once I meet with Marianne, remind me to ask her to borrow some sample clothing to bring here. I know my fashion sense is impeccable, but not appropriate for dinners with the elite.”
Javier and I both chuckle as Ricky leaves, chopping and prepping in silence until he speaks up.
“I know what’s going on between you and Dante, Emmie…”
I freeze from cutting up the potatoes, my knife hovering over the cutting board.
“I’m not here to lecture, sweetheart. I just wanted to see if his...behavior has changed towards you since you were last here.”
It has drastically and it makes me wonder if it’s because of Javier.
“He has been...easier to deal with, yes. Did you say something to him?”
He shrugs as he begins to dress the chicken with butter and seasonings.
“I may have mentioned a thing or two, though I was hoping his actions have changed more because of his self-realization and not my scolding.”
I set my knife down and laugh, my head going back as an eruption of giggles leaves my throat. Javier scolding Dante is a sight that I would love to see. I turn to look at him, love in my eyes as he stares back. I barely know this man, but he’s been looking out for me since day one. I turn to hug him, my arms wrapping around his shoulders as he freezes in surprise.
“Thank you for looking out for me, Javi. It means more than you could ever know.”
His face softens and he hugs me back before pulling away and grabbing the cutting board full of potatoes.
“You’re a bright and loving woman, Emmie. You deserve the world and nothing short of it. Go set up the dining hall for tonight, there’s a tub of event decor by the table.”
I nod as I walk in the direction of the hall, but his voice stops me once more.
“I hear tomorrow is the start of your last semester. I’m here to help if you need to make a restaurant model for your business portfolio. I may know a thing or two.”
He winks at me and I laugh, telling him thank you as I walk into the dining hall. I open the tub by the table and am bewildered by the contents. Apparently, the event decor is just gold trinkets, flatware and candles. I’m pretty sure all of it is real due to the weight of it. I lay out a burgundy table runner on the dining room table and set places with black linens, setting the gold plates and candles all around each setting.
Something is missing and I realize that there is a large, gold vase still left in the tub. I walk out into the garden and cut red roses from the bushes before walking them back inside to place them in the vase, setting it in the middle of the large dining table. I step back and admire my work. It makes me smile with pride and I realize that I can’t wait to open my own restaurant someday. It is all I ever dreamed of, and I’ll be damned if anyone tries to take that away from me. Even if it is members of a drug cartel. I would die for this dream. I’m just hoping I won’t have to.
* * *
I’m touching up my make up in my bedroom when a knock sounds at my door.
Ricky and Marianne enter together and the sight of them next to each other makes me smile. Ricky is in a dark red and velvet suit. His hair is slicked back and he wears a gold chain that hangs over his crisp, white shirt. He looks like a runway model and I just know that him working with Marianne will do wonders for his future. He beams back at me as Marianne lets go of his arm and walks to me.
Her hair is tied up in an elegant bun, some grey peeking through her light brown strands. She wears a simple, dark grey dress, and the diamonds lining her throat and earlobes are unmistakable. She grabs my hands and rubs them softly.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Emmie. I was worried about you after you disappeared the other night. Is everything...are you okay?” She sounds genuinely concerned and it makes my heart melt. These people that I barely know are so watchful of me that it makes me forget about all the times Dante wasn’t. Their empathy was almost enough, even though I still crave it from him.
“Yes, Marianne. I am fine. I appreciate your concern and I’m so sorry I left you the other night. I wasn’t feeling well at all, and I think it's from the stress of school starting tomorrow.”
It’s only a half lie, but she takes it anyway, picking my dress up from the bed and bringing it over to me.
“Great choice for tonight, though I wouldn’t wear those shoes with it, the shade of black doesn’t quite match this. There’s a pair of red bottoms in your closet that would look great with this.”
She smiles at me and Ricky agrees from behind us. Here I was thinking that I actually knew a thing or two about fashion now. I suppose I’ll just leave it to the experts. I go to my closet and dress quickly, pulling the heels she recommends out and stepping into them. They add about a few inches to my height and I wonder if I’ll ever be good at walking in heels. I give myself a once over in the mirror and smile at my reflection.
Ricky and Marianne approve as I walk back into my bedroom. Ricky grabs my arms and ushers me towards the door.
“You look great, baby girl. Now let’s go, I’m fucking starving and in need of a stiff drink.”
Marianne and I laugh and we walk out of my bedroom and towards the dining hall. Once we near it, I see Dante sitting at the far end of the table in his usual spot. Sergio sits next to him and I notice that they are in deep conversation with the others seated at the table. As we get closer, I am able to get a view of the men at the table. I realize that they are the same men I saw at Dante’s party the other night, the same ones that made the hair stand on the back of my neck with their intense stares. I immediately tense and Ricky notices it, raising an eyebrow at me, but I shrug him off so that I don’t appear off in front of them. They’re terrifying men and anyone can feel their power when in their presence.
Their eyes meet us at the same time Dante’s meets us. He eyes me up and down, lust filling his amber irises.
“Glad you could finally join us. Esmeralda, come sit next to me and enjoy some wine.”
The men stare me down as I take my place next to Dante, their gazes causing the hairs to stand on the back of my neck once more.