Chapter 13: Not slept with him, yet

Belle Rose

I wake up, trapped in his arm. I squirm, trying to escape, but he just growls and pulls me closer.

I never thought he was the cuddling type. Maybe he isn’t, but why is he making me sleep in his bed?

I can’t say I hate it. The past few nights I’ve spent in his bed, my nightmares have been less frequent, less terrifying.

“Sir?” I whisper, nudging him awake. He punishes me if I use his name. I don’t think he minds it, but he enjoys finding reasons to punish me. He’s an ass man. He likes to spank me.

I turn in his arms to face him. My hand reaches up to touch his face. He looks so peaceful, so warm and innocent. So handsome.

He doesn’t wake up, so I press my lips to his, hoping for a reaction. His eyes fly open, and he kisses me back, his tongue forcing its way into my mouth.

His tongue dances with mine as he rolls on top of me, pressing his morning wood against me.

“I need to use the bathroom,” I mumble between kisses. He pulls away, smirking, and rolls to my side.

“Go, then,” he says, slapping my ass to get me moving.

When I come out of the bathroom, he’s waiting for me, a smirk playing on his lips. He pulls me to him, towering over me, looking straight into my eyes.

“You kissed me awake,” he says, raising an eyebrow. “Wake me up like that every morning,” he orders. His hands grab my ass, giving it a light squeeze. “And we can do more.” I pout at his words, and he smirks. “You want me to do more, don’t you?”

“No,” I mumble.

“Liar,” he teases, a hand coming up to cup my cheek. “Lying to me is disrespectful. What does disrespect earn you?” My eyes widen at his words.

Suddenly, his hand comes down on my bare ass—my shorts had ridden up from our close contact. “I’d love to do more, but we have to go. Get dressed.” As soon as he releases me, I hurry away and change into a shirt and skirt.

After another meeting about Alfonso Moretti, my uncle, Enzo dismisses me. He needs to talk with his brothers. I decide to eavesdrop from the next room.

Ranger is standing guard outside their door, so this is as close as I can get. I can barely make out their faint voices.

“Father... tomorrow... fucking Moretti... meeting...” I press my ear closer to the wall. The walls are thin, so there’s only a thin layer muffling the sound.

“When father comes tomorrow, he’ll be expecting results.”

“We need to find that fucking mole.” There’s a mole? Who? Oh, no. Someone here is working for Alfonso, and if they mention me, my appearance, my name, he could figure it out. I’ll be dead.

He’s been trying to find me for years, seeking revenge for his brother, my father. And now I’ve made it easier for him—or rather, Enzo has—by kidnapping me. I’m so unlucky.

Sure, my life wasn’t great before, but I was safe from the criminal world, hidden.

But now, if Tony Calabria, Enzo’s father, sees me, he’ll know instantly. He’s met me before, when he and my father were arranging my betrothal to Enzo.

“How’s your little ~gattina~?” one of them asks. Are they talking about me?

“Don’t talk about her.”

“She’s very clever, isn’t she? She speaks multiple languages fluently.”

“You have to bring her to the meeting tomorrow. Father will want to meet her.”

“I don’t need a translator for the meeting, so she doesn’t have to come.”

“She doesn’t have to come. But you can make her. She sleeps in your bed, she attends confidential meetings, you trust her. Father will want to meet her,” Luca, I think, explains. Please disagree, Enzo. Please.

“You’re right. She’ll come,” Enzo agrees. I have to get out of this. I really have to get out of this. But how? If he wants me to come, I have to come. How can I say no and make him listen? I can’t tell him.

Christian and Alfonso Moretti are his biggest enemies. And I’m a Moretti. He’ll kill me himself. And if he doesn’t, and he sends me away with Alfonso in town, Alfonso will find me and kill me, especially since there’s a mole.

I back away and run out of the room, only to be stopped by Ranger as he pulls me into another room.

“What were you doing, Belle?” he asks, releasing me quickly in case someone sees. “You were spying on them.”

“I wasn’t spying. I was just... curious,” I lie. He doesn’t scare me like Enzo does, but he’s big and intimidating.

“Belle, don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not lying. I just heard my name. They want me to go to some meeting,” I explain. He narrows his eyes at me, then nods slowly, letting me go. I hurry to the kitchen, where Sofia is chopping vegetables. She smiles when she sees me, and I decide to help her.

“Didn’t the boss change your job?” Gia sneers, joining us.

“I have nothing else to do today,” I reply, ignoring her tone.

“Belle,” Ranger calls, a worried look on his face. I sigh, put down my knife, and go to him. “Boss wants to see you.”

“What does he want?” I ask, narrowing my eyes. Ranger cocks his head at my tone, but I stand my ground.

“How would I know what you two do together?” he retorts, a hint of a scowl on his face.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” His tone is a bit harsh, almost like he’s jealous.

“Nothing. You belong to him,” he says flatly, and I can’t help but scoff.

“I still don’t get what you mean by that.”

“Like I told you, it’s nothing,” he snaps back. “Come on. He’s in his office.” I trail behind him as we navigate the hallways.

“What’s your deal?” I ask, annoyed by his icy demeanor.

“I don’t have a deal.”

“You obviously do,” I shoot back, stopping in my tracks. He halts too, turning to face me.

“Keep moving, Belle,” he commands.

“You’ve been acting weird with me for days. If you have an issue with me, just spit it out,” I insist.

“I thought you were tougher than this,” he blurts out.

“I don’t follow.”

“You’re sleeping in his room, in his bed, with him. Belle, I thought you had more backbone than that. He dictates your every move and you just let him. Why didn’t you leave?”

“It was a setup.”

“It doesn’t matter. You didn’t want to leave. He abducted you, Belle, he’s keeping you here against your will and yet you willingly choose to sleep with him,” he says, his voice rising.

“I haven’t slept with him,” I retort angrily, and he steps back, looking puzzled.

What’s his problem? “I didn’t leave because I knew it was a setup. I knew you were a fraud, I know all men are the same. You’re unbelievable. I let him control me? I don’t have a choice. And you’re no different from the rest of them. Now you’re judging me?” I scoff, fighting the urge to slap him but I hold back.

He’s Enzo’s right-hand man. He’d have me punished for it. “Why do you even care? He’s your boss. And I’m his. You should want me to do whatever he orders.”

“Keep moving, Belle,” he mutters, placing a hand on the small of my back and nudging me forward. I reluctantly comply, abandoning my questioning and heading to Enzo’s office, ignoring Ranger.

I walk in to find Enzo waiting impatiently.

“~Gattina~,” he says, his voice laced with frustration. What did I do now? “I told you that you’re not a waitress anymore and yet you decide to work in the kitchen.” He moves away from his desk and pins me against the nearest wall by my throat. His grip isn’t tight enough to choke me but it’s still painful. “You love defying me, Belle. You want me to hurt you?”

“No,” I whimper weakly.

“Then why defy me, ~gattina~?”

“I didn’t mean to. I was just trying to help. I wasn’t doing anything else,” I stammer. He glares at me, stepping closer, backing me further into the wall and pressing himself against me.

I can feel his arousal against my stomach and I know he’s aware that I can feel it. Maybe Ranger is right. Because I’m responding to his advances, I’m giving him what he wants.

But I suppose I want it too. He hasn’t done anything sexual unless I’ve wanted him to. He knows that. And I guess Enzo is right. I do push him, more than what’s wise.

“Watch yourself, ~gattina~.” He releases me and storms out of his office.