CHAPTER FOUR: WINTER
My heart pounds quickly in my chest as I stare at the strange man before me.
He's extremely tall, even taller than Giovanni. His dark hair compliments tan skin and a cheshire smile as he stares at me. A fitted suit hugs his built frame and as the man strolls further into the room, there's a mischievous, yet dangerous air about him that has me scooting further back on the bed.
Pain radiates through my skull when my head smacks against the headboard of the bed. A thunk vibrates through the room as it collides with the wall.
The man lets out a tsk, his grin growing as he moves closer. "There's no need to be scared of me, Little Mouse," he says as he gets to the end of the bed. The mischievous glint in his eyes instills more fear in my heart. He stops before he can come any closer, yet with the breadth and power of his presence it's almost like the man is sitting directly beside me. "I am not going to do anything to you that you won't enjoy," he says. “At least not today.”
A shiver runs down my spine. I stare at him, clutching onto the pillow with all my might as I keep my gaze on him. His eyes trail to the pillow before moving around my face to my hair. He lets out a small laugh and mutters something under his breath that I don't quite catch.
He takes another step closer and I move to the opposite side of the bed, sliding as far away as possible. The man simply raises a thick, dark brow, before adjusting the cuffs of his shirt. I take in the stubble along his jaw before my gaze moves to his eyes. Something about him is distinctly familiar, but I know that there's no way I could have seen him before.
I've made sure to do everything in my power to stay away from the mafia and illegal circles, and that's where I'd have to have seen the man, because everything about him screams criminal. From the tattoo I can see peeking beneath the collar of his suit to his wide shoulders to the way he watches me like prey, like prey he wants to devour and spit out with only the bones still intact.
"Now, now, Little Mouse, we can make this easy or we can make it... hard." His lips twitch and I don't miss the innuendo or the implications.
His eyes drag to my chest and he lets out a soft hum.
Hopping out of the bed, I back away from him, colliding with one of the big dressers. Things rattle around on top of the dresser, but I don't dare to turn around and look at them.
The man tilts his head to the side slightly as he huffs out a laugh. "I see you are mistaken, Little Mouse. I do enjoy the chase and running from me is only going to make me come after you harder." He lets silence hang between us for a moment as if he's waiting for me to say something. I remain quiet and he gives a small nod. "Okay then," he mutters. "That is the way it must be."
The man rounds the bed and in the same instant I realize the mistake I made by backing myself into the corner. I try to jump on the bed and cross it, but with the space of the room it's no help and I'm far too late as the man reaches out for me. I let out a grunt as his thick fingers wrap around my ankle. Kicking out, I try to get him off of me, but his grip remains tight and steady.
My eyes meet his as I struggle and when I see the look of delight in them, my heart starts to beat even quicker.
This man is different from Giovanni. Looking into his eyes, I know that when he hurts me, it's not only going to be because he's trying to get me to do what he wants, but also because it's something that he enjoys, causing others pain.
Causing me pain.
A scream rips from my throat before I can help myself, but I know that it's useless, know that the man isn't going to release me, nor is anyone going to come and try to help me. I'm in a castle of monsters and there's no one near brave enough to slay the beast who plans on tormenting me.
The man's grip tightens on my ankle and he shakes his head. "Now, none of that," he warns me. His grip loosens slightly to the point of it not hurting, but I still can't pull free no matter how hard I struggle.
"Let me go!" I shout at him.
His eyes sparkle and his smile widens. "Ah, so you can talk, good to know. I do want you to be able to scream my name out after all."
Nausea takes over and as my vision swims, I feel my body roughly tugged up the bed. I wriggle, trying to make his grip loosen or fall away without success.
"Now, now" he says when my butt reaches the edge of the bed. My legs and ankles are hovering over the floor and his hands are now gripping my hips. I reach up, throwing a punch at his face.
I know what I told myself, know that I said I wouldn't try to fight and that I would just take what happened and try to survive it. But I can't not try to get away from this, try to get away from what this cruel man wants to do to me.
I scramble and fight, throwing fists at the man's face. Not a single one lands on target and it's not on the lack of effort on my part. The man effortlessly swats my hands away any time they get near him. And as I continue to put up more and more of a fight, a light enters his eyes and he lets out a malicious laugh. "That's right, Little Mouse, don't let me take what I want, make me fight for it." One of his hands leaves my hip and I flinch away when it reaches for my face.
I scream loud, thrashing so much that I nearly miss what the man is doing. When I feel something as light as a feather grazes along my face, the scream halts in my throat. I stare up at the man, blinking, thinking that I must be going crazy. And yet the man's head is tilted to the side slightly and as his hand moves in front of my gaze, I catch sight of the dark curls within his grasp. A distant look is in his eyes as he says something in another language that I can't understand. I expect it’s Italian, though I can't be sure. His brown eyes snap to mine and he gives a sudden tug at the strands, a pinch of pain screaming through my skull.
"Beautiful," he says sharply, in English this time. And then he lets go of the curl. It drops, flopping helplessly against my skin.
The man's hand still gripping my hip tightens and as he leans forward my body shoots back into alert mode. He’s positioned right between my thighs and his hand is pressing my hip down into the mattress so hard that I can't move. The brief softness from a moment ago is gone.
A whiff of cologne hits my nostrils when the man leans so close that his stubble brushes my cheek. My heart feels like it's about to jump out of my chest.
His breath fans across my face and he takes a sharp inhale. "You smell delicious, Mouse, I wonder if you taste as good as you smell. I think I'm going to have to find out." This time when he nuzzles his head into my neck, a shiver runs down my spine. The thick stubble scrapes along my skin and the man lets out a dark chuckle, his warm breath heating me up.
I shrink away when something wet touches the skin just below my ear. "Ah, yes, delicious, but I know what will taste even better. Just remember when you start screaming, don't yell for God or Jesus, yell for Max-"