Page 6 of A Sixpence For Your Shoe (Revenge Brides #6)

CHAPTER SIX

Vincent

M y luck is like the eye of a storm. Silent, surrounded by chaos, and perfectly timed.

I can’t believe she was just sitting there at the laundromat.

And I happen to have agreed to meet my son here today.

What are the chances? I never come here.

I usually make them come to me. But today I felt like a drive and wanted to get out.

See something different. And I found her.

Was it luck - or was it fate then?

The universe dropped her into my lap. My dark little raven.

Masaccio and Tuomo are talking but I’m not listening, sitting in their office thinking about her and her indescribable beauty. And tomorrow she is moving in with me.

Unless - I sit up suddenly, angry with myself for not having someone follow her home - what if she only agreed to everything to get rid of me?

I should expect the unexpected with her in order to stay one step ahead of her.

That was fucking stupid of me - to assume I had the upper hand simply because of the amount of money I’ve offered her.

But it is a shit load of money. I made sure it was too good to resist because I have to have her.

She can’t say no to it.

“Dad?” Tuomo asks, his brows knotted. “Is everything ok?”

Masaccio and Tuomo are both looking at me in confusion.

“Fine.” I snap. “Hurry up, I have things to do.” I settle back into the chair, rolling my neck to ease the tension building.

Tuomo pulls his mouth tight and shifts, glancing down at the document in front of him before he drones on again about the laundered profits.

She’ll be there at ten. I am confident. Nervously confident, but confident, nonetheless. I really fucking should have had one of my men follow her home though - just in case.

My watch is taunting me as the minute hand seems to not move at all. It’s been nine thirty for an hour already.

I can’t help the fact that I’m pacing my penthouse. Up and down, going crazy as I wait for her.

What if she doesn’t come? What if she really tricked me and I never see her again? I know nothing about her, and it was complete luck that I saw her at the laundromat yesterday.

“Fuck.” I mumble, getting more and more worked up as the seconds don’t seem to move by.

My doorbell chimes, letting me know that security downstairs is trying to reach me.

I bolt towards the intercom system.

“Yes?” I snap, coming across angry and abrupt.

I clear my throat and close my eyes for a moment, retrying. “Yes?” I say more calmly.

“Mr. Vece, you have a Miss. Blake here to see you.”

Blake, still using that surname. “You can send her up.”

“Yes, sir.”

The smile that stretches over my lips is wide enough to make someone uncomfortable.

I won. She’s here. Unlocking the front door, I leave it open and go sit down on the sofa with one of my legs spread comfortably wide.

I grab today’s newspaper which was delivered hours ago and open the pages as though I’ve been reading it - not waiting anxiously.

I hear her come in, but I don’t look up from the paper.

I hear her set something down on the floor, but still, I don’t look up.

She clears her throat softly.

I keep reading.

“Vincent?” She says, sounding a little nervous.

“Mr. Vece.” I correct her, my eyes finally rising over the top of the paper, settling on her in every inch of her beauty.

“Sorry. Mr. Vece. Good morning.” She smiles.

My brows knot together as I notice one small duffel bag next to her. “Where are your things, little raven?” I ask, folding the paper and setting it aside then standing up and walking towards her. She pushes her shoulders back, proud, defensive, standing taller. “These are my things.”

“All of it? I can have the driver collect anything you’ve left behind?—”

“No, this is all of it.” She says, getting agitated. “It is a problem?” She snaps.

I chuckle. “No, my pet, it isn’t a problem. We can get you anything you need for the penthouse.”

I walk around her as she stands tensely in the middle of my living room.

It’s easy to tell that she isn’t sure how to act because last time she was here we were playing - equals.

And this time she is here as my worker - I own her.

The dynamics have changed, and she still needs to work out what they are.

I trace my hand down her back when I walk behind her, and she shivers a little.

Her dark hair is neatly braided from the top of her head in a straight line down her spine.

Glossed in the morning light, shining and thick.

The curve of her hip catches my eye as I walk around her side, wanting to shove her face down onto the carpet again and fuck her.

Patience. I have her.

“I can start right away, Mr. Vece.” She says quietly.

I step in front of her again and look down at her. Those bright green eyes tug at my soul, reminding me of the past, of someone I once was.

“That won’t be necessary, little raven. I will show you your room and you can take a week to settle in and get to know my routine and how I like things done. Then you will start working.”

She furrows her brows. “A week? I really don’t need a week to settle in?—”

In a flash I wrap my fingers around her jaw and tilt her face up towards mine. “Are you already questioning me, my pet?” I growl slowly, my cock stirring.

“Uh - no—” She says tightly. I can see it in her eyes. The way her pupils dilate and the sharp spike of desire that shoots through her.

Half of my mouth curls into a smile.

“Good. We wouldn’t want to start off in trouble on our first day.”

She presses her lips together to hide her own soft grin. Cheeky. Very cheeky.

“Follow me, little raven.” Stepping away from her I head to the guest room. Of course, I thought about making her sleep in my bed, but I shall first give her the illusion that this is an actual job.

In reality though, I have nothing for her to do.

She is here as my pet. Nothing more. I want to watch her walking around my house, wearing beautiful things. Things that I will choose for her. I want to watch her crawling on all fours on the floor with her ass tilted towards me. I want to command. To desire. To own.

“This is yours.” I say, stepping aside at the open doorway of her bedroom.

She furrows her brows. “It’s gorgeous, but um, where is the actual door?”

“I had it removed.” I reply casually, as though it is the most normal thing on the planet.

“Why, I need my door?” She asks, stepping into the room.

“You can earn your door - if you behave.” I explain.

“I have to earn my privacy?” She snaps in shock, her tone rising.

I tilt my head towards her in warning. “Excuse me?” I say slowly, daring her to talk to me like that again.

“Are you seriously saying I have to earn my privacy?” She says again, just as sassy as before.

I step into her room, backing her against the wall.

Our bodies press together, and she lets out a soft gasp as I pin her there, glaring down at her.

“Misha, the first thing you will learn is to never question me or my requests. If you do - you will be punished.”

“Ok.” She whispers softly, but without a trace of fear in her eyes. Defiance, yes. A glint of challenge, definitely. But no fear.

I step away from her, my cock growing hard and me not wanting her to see. Not yet.

“Get settled in. Come out for breakfast when you’re ready.”

She nods. “Yes, sir.” She whispers. The way those two words roll from her mouth, brushing over the soft, pink skin of her lips - my cock goes rigid.

Turning quickly away from her piercing eyes, I leave the room without another word.

Shaking my head at myself, smiling again as I head down the passage back towards the living room.

I’m still in disbelief that she is mine. That magnificent creature is going to be my death - and what a beautiful death it will be.

I know about ravens. They have fascinated me since I was young.

They are brutal creatures that tear the eyes out of the dead, stealing their souls from their bodies.

They will pluck baby birds from nests of other species without a moment’s hesitation.

When you do wrong by a raven, they will hold a grudge against you for generations to follow. You should be wary of angering a raven.

But once you earn their trust, it is an unbreakable bond. One to treasure. A unique connection that no one else might understand and a certain one that defies what we know about this world and the darker, ethereal forces that dwell in it.

I’ve always wanted a raven of my very own.

And now I have one.

The most perfect little raven I could ever have imagined.

Sitting on the sofa again I pull my phone from my back pocket and open my security app, flicking to the hidden camera in her room. Yes, the door is permanently open, but I can’t exactly stand there all day watching her. So, I made sure I had other ways.

She is walking around the room. A room, I imagine is much larger than she is accustomed to. Her delicate fingers trace over the top of her dresser and she steps back to count the number of drawers. I watch her turn to glance at the bed where the bag is sitting, looking empty.

She bites at her lip and sighs.

Her belongings won’t even fill the top drawer. And she still has several cupboards in her room that sit empty and waiting for her to make use of.

She won’t be in that room for long. I have already cleared cupboard space for her in my walk-in closet attached to my room, but that is something she doesn’t need to know yet.

In the meantime, she is going to learn what it’s like to belong to me. A little sample of what her life could be like if she was an obedient little pet. Or perhaps I don’t want her to be obedient. At least not all the time.

Misha walks over to the bed and tugs the zip of her duffel bag open, she hauls her clothing and a few personal items out of it, then picks them up in one armful and angrily shoves them into the top drawer. She pushes the drawer closed and sits down on the bed, unsure what to do with herself.

I let her simmer for an hour before I arrive in her doorway.

“Come with me. We are going shopping.”

“Yes, sir. What for?” She answers curtly.

“Anything you want.”

“For me? I don’t need anything.” She comments, confused.

With my eyes narrowed I turn to glare at her. Those perfect breasts pressed against the thin fabric of her worn T-shirt. The curve of her hip, the slight flush of her cheeks.

“I worded that incorrectly. We are shopping for anything I want you to have.”

She bites her lower lip, sending a thrill of excitement through my entire body. Misha nods and I gesture for her to follow me.

Yes, this little raven will be the death of me.

But what a beautiful death it will be.