Matteo (Dark Erotic Mob Romance) (Rossi Family Book 1) (13 page)

The next thing I knew, I was waking up in a white room. My wrists were restrained, and I cried out as I tried to yank on them.

“Hey, shh,” a lovely lady said, rushing to my side. She rubbed a hand over my forehead and hair. “You’re okay. We only tied your wrists down so you don’t move and hurt your fingers.”

“No,” I croaked out. Swallowing a few times, I tried again. “No restraints. I’ll behave.”

It wasn’t that I necessarily minded being restrained, but I didn’t know where I was and who was around and it reminded me too much of the cold-eyed man in the basement.

“Okay, okay. Calm down and I’ll take them off,” she spoke in a soft, soothing tone.

I nodded and shut my heavy eyes. When I opened them again, I found myself in my own bedroom. Startled, I sat up and looked around quickly. It couldn’t be. I just had surgery and they wouldn’t release me to go home this soon, would they?

“Lie back down.” Matteo’s voice came from the side of my bed.

I looked over at him in surprise, but did as he said.

“We have a nurse who will be coming to take care of your hands. I couldn’t stand the thought of you in the hospital any longer than necessary,” he said.

I frowned. After months of neglect and everything since, I didn’t think he cared for me at all. Something in the back of my mind said I’d forgotten something important he’d said to me before the surgery, but I couldn’t pull it from the depths of my mind no matter how hard I tried.

“Okay. Thank you, sir. I’ll be happy to get back to my chores as soon as possible and complete them much faster than I have been able to recently,” I responded, biting down on my lower lip. I didn’t know how else to thank him for fixing my hands. No one had told me how long it would take to recover from the surgery, but I would push to make it go faster than they said because I wanted to show how thankful I was.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, surprising me.

I was still frightfully skinny, but eating was never a priority for me. I ate when I was hungry and only a quick bite of whatever was handy before resuming my chores or escaping to my room.

“No, sir.” I shook my head. All I really wanted was to sleep and hope the next time I woke the new, throbbing pain in my hands was better.

“Would you like something for the pain?” Again, he surprised me with his question.

“No, thank you. I will be just fine, Matteo,” I said. After everything I’d been through and not had anything to help, the surgery pain was barely a blip on the scale.

“Very well,” Matteo said with a nod. He stood and stared at me for a second before leaving the room.

As it turned out, I would have a nurse come to change my bandages and help keep the surgical wounds clean. Once they healed enough, she would help me do exercises to regain the mobility of my stiff fingers.

It took months before I finally was relieved of her care. My wounds had healed nicely; my hands looked almost the way they had before, minus the scars of course. Best of all, I could move them as I hadn’t been able to for a long time. I nearly cried the first time I could make a fist again. Little steps seemed so much bigger when they were all I had to focus on. The only thing that gave me reason for waking each day.

I only left my room to retrieve my own food and was ushered quickly out of the kitchen each time by Aida. She was hiding something, I thought more than once.

When I was free and able to work again, I skipped to the kitchen the next morning. I would almost take a punishment because I felt so good I didn’t think I’d even feel it. There was no punishment for the skipping. Instead I was greeted by a grim-faced Aida as soon as I entered the room.

“Sit. We need to talk,” she said. “Starting tomorrow you’ll be taking over in the kitchen. I am having surgery and Matteo doesn’t want to hire someone else to take care of the house while I’m recovering so you’ll have to learn fast and on your own. I have written most of my recipes down for you. I’ll have you help me serve dinner tonight to give you some tips, but you still have your chores to complete today.”

I nodded once. I’d never cooked so it was bound to be a complete mess, which meant I’d be getting in trouble. However, knowing that Matteo trusted that I could handle it was encouraging.

I finished my chores in record time and loved that I had full range of motion of my fingers again, which made everything so much easier. When I entered the kitchen, Aida was waiting in her chair. She walked me through how to make the meal and plate it; then it came time to serve them. I hadn’t seen Matteo since right after my surgery. Excitement mixed with nerves since I didn’t know who was dining with him. There were only two plates to serve so I knew there’d only be one other person.

Even though I shouldn’t have been surprised, I was when I saw Monique seated next to Matteo. There was a slew of papers spread out before them on the table, but they were pushed away when they spotted me.

“Finally,” she sighed, clearly annoyed.

“Thank you,” Matteo mumbled when I placed the plate in front of him.

I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. As I walked out of the room, I heard Monique speak to Matteo.

“We are halfway through the wedding thank you notes, let’s just finish and then you can go do whatever has you looking at your phone every few seconds.” Monique was clearly unhappy he wasn’t as invested in the cards as she was.

When I entered the kitchen, I put my chin to my chest and took a few deep breaths. Tears burned in my eyes. They had gotten married while I’d been recovering from surgery. It was like a hot poker to the heart and a blaring reminder that I was nothing more to Matteo.

“Don’t stand there wallowing. Get going on the dishes. There is only the one course tonight. You have it easy. Get them cleaned and wait until the Mister and Missus are done eating to pick up the last of them. Then you can return to your room,” Aida told me as she pushed to her feet. “I’m leaving; don’t screw this up.”

I watched her hobble away until she turned the corner. The dishes helped distract me for a bit, but when I peered back into the room and noticed both plates had been moved aside, I knew I’d have to face the happy couple again. I took a fortifying breath before moving to collect them from the table. Neither spoke to me as they took turns signing the cards before exchanging them for the other to sign.

In the kitchen I quickly washed the two plates, then headed to my room. I lay in the bed staring at the ceiling, completely unnerved by the unexpected news. Somewhere deep inside, I’d hoped he wouldn’t go through with marrying the woman. I wanted him to want me. The way he touched me and teased me, the thoughtful little things he did made feelings bloom that I didn’t understand, but after hearing they were married, I was crushed. There would be no exploring those emotions.

Finally, I rolled off the bed and took a shower. It felt good to wash the day away and when I stepped out, I felt refreshed. However, when I walked into my room wrapped only in a towel, I found Matteo sitting on the edge of my bed, waiting for me.

I dropped to my knees, palms at my back in greeting.

My towel dropped around me, revealing my bare body to him.

He stayed quiet for a long moment as my palms started to sweat.

“
Bella
,” he whispered as he stepped in front of me. His fingers moved over my cheek and I couldn’t help but nuzzle my face into the touch.

I’d missed him, even if he’d gone off and gotten married.

“Lie on the bed,
bella
,” he said in a quiet voice.

I did as he asked, lying on my back.

“Pleasure yourself,” he instructed.

My fingers slid between my spread thighs to tease my eager body.

He gripped my thighs and yanked my bottom to the edge of the bed, forcing my feet to move wide to stay on the mattress, which spread me even more open for him.

“You need to get waxed again. I don’t like all the hair covering your beautiful pussy,” he noted as he watched my fingers slip into my opening.

“Anything for you, Matteo,” I panted, moving my fingers in and out, revealing how wet I was to his view.

“
Cazzo, bella
.” He shook his head, then moved quickly to undo his pants. They dropped to the floor only seconds before he was pushing into me along with my fingers.

I started to remove my fingers, but he grabbed my wrist to stop me.

“Leave them. Move them with me,” he said. His hips slammed into me repeatedly before he bent over me to place kisses along the column of my neck. We were both out of breath as he continued to fill me, but he managed to whisper a few words into my ear. “Don’t make a single sound.”

I nodded even though I wasn’t sure I would be able to hold back my cries of pleasure. My arms slipped around his neck to hold him close as my body grew tense, on the edge of release.

His palm covered my mouth as he moaned softly, then sank his teeth into the base of my neck. He shivered against me, grunting quietly as pleasure burst through me at the same time.

I pieced myself back together as he lapped at my new wound.

He ran his nose up my neck before nipping at my earlobe.

“I missed you,” he whispered huskily before placing a soft kiss on my cheek and withdrawing from me.

I watched, stunned, as he pulled his pants back up and walked from the room.

What on earth had just happened? He was married, but still sneaking into my room. It didn’t make sense to me. 

Little did I know more than one thing was going to be changing… and soon.

Chapter Thirteen

I discovered why Aida seemed to constantly be cooking when the next morning I found a list of her chores. Everything from answering the door, making sure Matteo (and any guests he may have) had beverages and food if it was appropriate, to serving three meals a day to Matteo and Monique. If Matteo, or Monique, were going out of town, I would be left a list of dates and times for when they left and needed to be picked up. It was my responsibility to make sure there was a car waiting for both.

After reading through the list, I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage to juggle both her job and my own, but I’d have to find a way.

There was a massive stack of recipes, all handwritten, left by Aida. I hadn’t expected her to leave me so many details and pieces of information, but was thankful for anything that would help me find my way around the new position.

Looking at the clock, I found I had a bit of time before I figured I needed to start preparing breakfast, so I started on my own chores. Since I wasn’t used to having to watch the clock, I was late getting back to the kitchen and had to rush to prepare an omelet for Matteo and one for Monique. I burned the first one, undercooked the second, but managed to finally get the third one right.

By the time I delivered them to the dining room, Matteo was glaring at me while Monique made a fuss about how hungry she was and how she didn’t understand why she had to wait for food in her own house.

I dropped the plates off and returned with coffee, then returned to the kitchen to attempt to make fresh-squeezed orange juice. When I took the glasses to them, they were both mostly done with their meals. I heard a scoff from Monique, but scurried back to the kitchen, hoping to avoid any more embarrassment.

They might not be happy with the wait, but I was impressed I’m managed to pull it off. After washing the dishes I’d used, I returned to the dining room to collect their plates and glasses. Monique was gone, but Matteo was waiting, arms crossed over his chest.

“Not a promising start,” he said, pushing his chair back from the table.

“I’m sorry, Matteo. I will work to get better, I promise,” I said with my head down. When I went to move around his seat to grab the other plate, he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me into his lap.

“I think you’ll need a reminder as to why you need to work harder,” he said before trailing his tongue up my neck.

I shivered as heat flooded me. Turning my head, I gave him better access to the sensitive skin.

Instead of teasing me more, he shoved the chair back farther and had me bent over the table in a second. He stood and I heard the snap of his belt being yanked from of his pants. Casually, he flipped my dress up and over my bottom before landing the first blow of the belt across my panty-clad behind.

I cried out from the unexpected pain, but he held a hand firmly to my lower back as he doled out a dozen blows.

Once he was done, he fixed my dress.

“Now you’ll remember why you should hurry and make sure you are on time when cooking for me,” he said as he fed his belt back into his pants.

“Yes, sir. I will do my best not to let you down again,” I assured him.

“Excellent. Now bring coffee to my office, I have work to do.” He left me staring after him.

I wasn’t used to so much interaction with him. While my bum burned and my face was red from embarrassment, I also couldn’t deny I liked getting to interact with him more, get to see him more outside of the bedroom.

Dropping the plates off in the kitchen, I filled a clean mug with coffee and went to his office. There was a large burly man sitting across the desk from Matteo.

He looked up at me and winked, then spoke in Italian to me, but Matteo put down his phone and spoke harshly back to the man in Italian before I could admit I didn’t understand him.

I placed the mug at the head of the desk for Matteo, then turned to his company.

“Would you like something to drink?” I asked, lowering my head.

“No. He will be leaving soon,” Matteo answered instead.

I nodded and returned to the kitchen to finish the dishes. Once done, I went back to my own chores. I managed to juggle the dual responsibilities the rest of the day without making a mistake and delivered the food on time. Every time I sat down or knelt I felt my bottom smart from the spanking I’d received after breakfast.

Matteo didn’t come to me that night or the next. It wasn’t until I had to arrange for a ride to the airport for the Missus and noted she wouldn’t be returning for a full week that things changed. After setting up the car with the contacts Aida left for me, Matteo stopped me in his office when I’d refilled his coffee for the second time.

“Stop. Shut the door,” he told me when I’d made to leave.

I did as he asked and turned toward him, not meeting his gaze. I didn’t have to see his eyes to know he was looking at me — I could feel them.

“Is there something I can help you with, sir?” I asked after a pause.

“Yes,” he answered, but didn’t embellish.

“I’ve already arranged the car to the airport for Mrs. Rossi,” I said, hoping that was what he wanted to speak to me about.

“Fantastic. I knew you’d fill Aida’s position well. Can’t say I don’t like having a lovely piece to look at every meal as well,” he added as he walked around the desk.

“I’m trying the best I can,” I said, folding my fingers together in front of me. I was nervous to be alone with him in his office. He was different when he was conducting business. Not the same man who came to punish and fuck me some nights. Not the man who spanked me over the kitchen table. He was more like the dark, cold, dead-eyed man from the basement. Ruthless, callous, and unfeeling.

Since I’d taken over for Aida, I’d slip in to give him his coffee and make sure it stayed full, but he never spoke to me or even acknowledged me. Most of the time, he was on the phone or computer with a crease of concentration on his forehead. The few times someone had come over, he’d demand the door be closed behind me, but oftentimes I could hear him yelling or scolding whoever it was. It was the opposite of the composed, calm man I knew, even when he’d been upset with me.

“My wife will be gone for a week, which means I will be requiring your company at night. Be waiting for me every evening after dinner,” he said. Rising from his chair, he closed the space between us. He pinched my chin, lifting my head so I was forced to meet his gaze.

We stared wordlessly at each other.

Slowly his hand slid over my jaw and down my throat. His fingers wrapped around it as he yanked me forward, our lips meeting in a heated kiss.

I gasped from the unexpected connection, and he used the opportunity to slip his tongue into my mouth. His flavor burst over me and a moan escaped me, only to be captured by his lips.

His grip tightened and cut off my airflow, but he continued to explore the cavern of my mouth, not caring that my vision was slowly dimming. His tongue flicked and licked at my lips before he bit down hard enough to draw blood from the lower one. It was his turn to moan as the coppery tang mixed with our kiss.

Releasing my throat, he wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me close enough to feel his solid erection against my stomach.

“I look forward to tonight,” he breathed against my ear before nipping it.

The moment was shattered when there was a soft knock on the door.

He stared at me, both of us breathing hard, before stepping around me to see who was beckoning him.

“Baby!” Monique squealed in a pitch that made me cringe. She looked around Matteo to see I was in the room, and her face darkened and a frown took over where her smile had been. “Oh.”

“I was just making sure Gia had set up your ride to the airport so you wouldn’t have to worry about dealing with any of that. She was just leaving,” Matteo said pulling Monique against his body and moving them farther into the office so I could escape. “Close the door.”

“Yes, sir,” I choked out as I pulled it closed behind me.

Before I could get it closed, I heard Monique giggle then moan.

“Come on, babe. Let me make love to you before you leave,” Matteo uttered in a husky voice. “Feel how hard you make me.”

“You are so disgusting sometimes. I already showered and did my hair,” Monique answered just as the door clicked closed, shutting off the rest of their conversation.

I was in the kitchen preparing lunch when she breezed by looking like she’d given in to his prodding. Her hair was disheveled and she was muttering under breath about giving into the pigheaded man.

The front door slammed shortly after, announcing that she’d left on time.

I tried not to think about what’d they’d done in the office only moments after he’d been kissing me and rubbing against me. She was his wife, after all, and I had no right to be jealous of the woman. 

Once I finished the chores, I rushed out to the garden to check on my babies. They were all growing well since I had learned a bit of how to care for them from the magazines and regained full function of my hands. The dual lists of duties kept me busy most days, but I still tried to spend a few minutes a day with the garden I’d come to think of as mine. It was my own little piece of heaven and the only place no one ever bothered me.

After confirming the plants were okay, I went to shower and wait for Matteo as he’d instructed. I doubted he’d come by after he’d been sated by his wife earlier, but I wasn’t going to risk not being prepared if he did.

I was just climbing into bed and arranging my hair so I wasn’t lying on it when the door opened. Spreading my legs, I made sure I was positioned the way he’d told me to greet him so long ago.

Matteo walked in and stood at the foot of the bed staring at my pussy, which grew more damp the longer he drank it in. Finally he shifted and stepped out of his shoes before shrugging out of his suit jacket. He draped it over my chair, still staring at me as he calmly undid his cufflinks. After placing them on the table, he walked closer to me, unbuttoning his shirt one button at a time, leaving his tie on. There was absolutely nothing hurried or rushed in the way he moved. The entire time he kept his eyes on me, a slight grin tugging on his lips.

Once his shirt was unbuttoned, he moved to undo his belt, pulling it from the loops and setting it on the table next to his cufflinks. His pants were unbuttoned and unzipped, but left to hang low on his hips as he finally knelt on the bed next to me.

“We are all alone,
bella
. No one to catch or interrupt us. No one to keep me from enjoying my little treasure. I plan to take all night doing everything I’ve been dreaming up for you,” Matteo said, sliding a hand from one wrist above my head, down my arm, over a breast to cup between my legs. “I hope you are ready.”

“Yes, sir. I’m always ready for you,” I sighed contentedly.

His smile turned wicked just as his palm collided with my pussy in a harsh slap.

I moaned and arched my back.

“Have you missed me?” he asked, then continued before I could answer. “Show me. Be as loud as you want.”

I could do that. I could do anything as long as he was with me.

He let his fingers feather over my nipples and stomach, stopping just before he touched me where I wanted him most. Instead of continuing, he rose from the bed and dropped his pants, then grabbed his belt. Moving back to my side, he straddled my torso. His erection was pressing out from his black briefs, begging for attention.

I licked my lips, hoping he’d move forward more so I could take it into my mouth, but he slowly shook his head in denial.

He set the leather strap next to me before tracing up both my arms with his palms until he reached my wrists. Clasping them both in one of his large hands, he snatched up the belt and deftly wrapped it around them before securing them to the headboard. He sat back, smirking with satisfaction that I wouldn’t be able to move.

Resting back, his weight pressed down into my abdomen as he tugged on his tie. Once the knot came undone, he pulled it from around his neck.

“Hope you don’t mind being blindfolded,
bella
,” he said as he covered my eyes with it and tied it behind my head.

I
didn’t
like being blindfolded. It reminded me of the time I spent trapped in the dark of the basement while hunger gnawed at me, but he obviously had thought about what he was going to do to me so I went with it.

He whispered to me in Italian. His hot breath wafted over my skin as he placed kisses along my neck and torso. Taking his time, he kissed almost every inch of my skin, even my legs, before I felt the bed shift and the loss of his heat all together.

When he came back, I felt a soft tickling sensation over my nipples, then it skimmed along my arms, legs and stomach. Except for the single brush against each nipple, he avoided all the most sensitive points, especially the one that was begging for attention between my spread thighs. He hadn’t even placed a kiss there in his earlier exploration.