Princess in Lingerie (Lingerie 12)

I couldn’t picture that day ever coming. I couldn’t picture myself falling in love with a woman I met at a bar. I’d never had a deep connection with anyone—except Mia. She spoke of a purely physical relationship and a friendship, like that was all she wanted. Unlike other women who wanted more from me, Mia never did. There was a twinge of disappointment, but it didn’t make any sense because I wouldn’t want it to be any different between us. After what I did to her in the beginning of our relationship, it shouldn’t be surprising. Why would she want me? I chained her up to a wall and treated her like a slave for weeks. I was going to beat her and rape her until she talked me out of it. Maybe I was good to her now, but it hadn’t always been that way.

“Did I say something?” she whispered, her eyes shifting back and forth as she looked into mine.

I hadn’t realized how far I’d drifted away with my thoughts. “No.”

“Okay.” She smiled before she moved into my chest again. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

“No need to be sorry.” I kissed her forehead. “You never have to be sorry.”

Eleven

Mia

I counted down the days until Luca would be in my arms.

I almost couldn’t believe it.

He was eight years old now. Three birthdays had come and gone. I missed all of them. I missed his first day of school too. I didn’t take a picture of him before he walked out the door with his backpack. I didn’t get to hear about his friends and his schoolwork.

That had been taken away from me.

I still wanted to kill Egor for what he did to my son and me. But I had to let the vengeance go and find peace without murdering him. He deserved to die, but it was unrealistic to think I could pull it off. Carter was the only one who could, but I refused to ask him to do that for me. He’d already done enough.

My life in Carter’s home was simple and peaceful. I took regular trips to the store and the market to prepare our meals, and I cleaned the enormous house and made sure there wasn’t a spot of dust anywhere.

It was nice.

At night, Carter fulfilled my fantasies, and I fulfilled his.

There was nothing more I could ask for.

I wasn’t sure how I got so lucky. My life could have been quite different. As I aged, Egor would have gotten tired of me and replaced me with a younger version. At that point, he would have killed me since I had no other purpose to fulfill. My son would have been an orphan for the rest of his life, and I would have turned into fish food.

But then Carter came into my life—and gave me a second chance.

I would never be able to repay him for what he had done for me. Being spanked and whipped at night was the least I could do. The night before, he had me on my back while he fucked me in the ass. It hurt because he was so big, and he got off on the sight of my tears, but I still did it anyway because that was what he liked.

To fuck me in kinky ways.

That morning, Carter worked out and then met me in the kitchen with a bag over his shoulder.

“Are you going somewhere?” I blurted.

“I need to do some work in Milan. We’ve worked on a new schematic, but we need to fine-tune the details. I’ll only be gone for about two days. I’ll fly there and back. Easier than driving, as much as I enjoy driving my cars.”

I stared at him blankly, unable to process what he’d said. “So…I’m going to be here alone?”

“You’ll be fine, sweetheart. I’ve got an alarm system and a few guns. I told my father you would be here alone, so he’ll keep an eye on things.”

It would be the first time I was completely on my own. Even when I had Luca, I was never alone. Now I would be in an enormous house with no company. Before Egor, I would have been fine, but now everything was different. With Carter around, I always felt safe. But if he was five hours away, anything could happen.

Carter must have seen the terror on my face. “Sweetheart?”

“Can I come with you?”

“Back to Milan?” he asked incredulously. “That’s not a good idea. I can’t risk anyone spotting you.”

I’d forgotten about that.

“I know you can handle this, sweetheart. You’re tough.”

I didn’t want to be weak, but now that I had the luxury of a man like Carter, it was hard to picture my life without him. “I’m sorry…I just don’t like it. You’ll be five hours away, and that scares me. Anything can happen. What if someone tries to break in?”