Page 43

Rachel

I hadn’t been able to look at Dante when he pulled out of me. As soon as we were finished, the humiliating way I had begged him to fuck me came flooding back to me, and pride wouldn’t let me meet his eyes.

For all the back talk I had given him, he had forced a surrender from me with an ease that was humiliating. And not only that, but he also had me begging and pleading for more.

I’d shuffled out of the room with a mumbled goodnight and hurried to my bedroom, still throbbing with pleasure. I heard his cruel laughter behind me, and I had wanted to hit him.

Now it was morning, and I was still too embarrassed to leave my room. So much for slicing him open if he so much as touched me again.

The orgasm he had wrung from my body was like nothing I had ever experienced before. As it was building, all I could do was shake my head in denial of the pleasure I had felt coming over me.

I buried my head in my hands and groaned as I remembered getting him to chase me. How he had seen right through my act and knew exactly what I had wanted.

And that mouth.

Fuck me.

I had always, always fallen victim to a filthy mouth, and he had known just what to say to get me worked up.

And his tongue… my god, his tongue. My thighs clenched together as my pussy responded immediately to just the memory of it deep inside me.

At least I had the justification that he might be able to wring a response from my body, but he had no chance of ever getting any response from my mind.

A shag was a shag, and bodies were designed to respond to being touched a certain way.

He was a talented fuck, knowing which buttons to press, but that was it.

I didn’t want him as a person. I wanted his body. I still hated him as much as ever.

Which brought me the reminder that I still had to get some sort of revenge for the stunt he had pulled at my mother’s house.

She could rebuild, and it would probably do her the world of good to realise that nothing in that house had any meaning, but that didn’t mean Dante could go unpunished for it.

The whole dildo scene wasn’t enough. Especially as he had enacted his own revenge later that night. I had to make him pay more.

And so long as I was here, I may as well play judge, jury, and executioner.

A knock at the door pulled me out of my thoughts, and I jumped out of bed, pulling on the hideous nightdress once more – I hadn’t been able to sleep in it.

Every dream I had was of Dante, and I woke hot and bothered too many times to count to keep it on.

I cringed as I pulled it over my head, smelling my arousal on it, smelling Dante on it.

Fucking hell, why must I always be punished like this?

“Come in,” I called, dreading seeing his large frame on the other side as the door opened.

“Hi,” a small voice giggled, her head popping around the gap, giving me a big, toothy grin. “I brought you breakfast.” She pushed the door open further with her shoulder and came towards me with the biggest smile, pride shining in her eyes.

I couldn’t help but grin back at her, my eyes scanning the wooden tray she carried.

“Here, I’ll get that,” I hurried forward and took the tray from her arms, closing the door with my foot as I nodded towards the bed and sat down next to her.

“Thank you, Bee,” I grinned, noting the pancakes with the toppings turned into a smile. “This is amazing. Did you do it yourself?”

“I had a little help,” she admitted, her thumb and index finger coming together with the tiniest gap in between, showing me how much help she had.

“That little?” I faked a gasp. “Well, in that case, I am extra thankful. But I don’t think I can eat all of this on my own. Are you going to stay and share with me? I’d hate for you not to benefit from your hard work.”

She happily accepted my invitation, and I smiled down at her as her chubby hands grabbed at the bacon that had once been the pancakes smile and shoved it into her mouth.

“Bacon is life, am I right?” I laughed. “Try this,” I gently grabbed the last piece of bacon she had clenched in her fist and dipped it into the eggs for eyes and held it out to her.

“I love bacon,” she said with her mouth full. “But Papa always eats it all. Daddy says he’s a greedy fat bastard, but he always smiles when he says it, so I don’t think he’s really that mad.”

“Is that right?” I laughed again, ripping the pancake in half, and offering her the biggest slice before I folded it in half and shoved it into my mouth.

I didn’t bother correcting her swearing.

She wasn’t my child, and if she had learnt that word, she had learnt it from her own family. Let them tell her off.

“Best pancake ever,” I smacked my lips together, drawing a giggle from her as she did the same.

She was a charming little thing, with huge, bright blue eyes, and hair as dark as a raven’s wing spilling down her back and ending at her hips.

There was a small dusting of freckles on her nose, and a small cut on her chin – other than that, her skin was absolute porcelain, and it didn’t take much to realise she was going to grow up to be a phenomenal beauty.

A small part of me wondered if she looked like her mother, but I squashed that thought.

I refused to compare myself to anyone else, and I knew that’s where my mind would have gone.

I especially refused to compete with a dead woman.

I would never, ever see another woman as an enemy.

I would never see another woman as an obstacle to gaining a man’s attention.

“My mummy had blonde hair like you,” she said, stuffing more pancake into my mouth.

Well, that answered that question.

“Did she?” I asked hesitantly, not wanting to say anything to upset her. I would take whatever information she offered, but I wouldn’t pry.

“Yep. I’ve seen it in pictures.”

Is that why Dante was interested in me? Did I remind him of her?

A feeling stirred in my stomach. It wasn’t jealousy; I knew that much. But I didn’t like the feeling all the same. I just couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was.

Perhaps it was because I knew Bee’s mother was dead, and I had no intention of being a replacement and allowing history to repeat itself and ending up with the same fate.

Jump to conclusions much?

“What are your plans for the day?” I asked her, changing the topic.

“I’m supposed to be doing schoolwork with my nanny.”

That must be what she called her grandmother. I knew enough to know she didn’t have a babysitter nanny. Mary Poppins would not be welcome here.

“Ooft,” I breathed, my eyes going wide. “On a day like this, stuck in with Big Mama?”

She giggled, her little body squirming on the bed. “You don’t have to call her Big Mama.”

“No? What’s her name then?”

“She’s Nanny,” she said, still giggling.

“She’s not my nanny,” I grinned back, unable to resist the urge to reach out and tickle her sides. “I’ll tell you what. How about me and you go and speak to your nanny and see if she will let us spend the day together? I’ve been cooped up in this room for so long. Maybe you could show me around?”

Her eyes grew wide with excitement. “I could show you where Daddy works!”

“Hey, that’s an idea.”

I had no fucking intention of going anywhere near Dante today, tomorrow, or anytime soon. I didn’t have it in me to burst her bubble, though. I’d just steer her away from whatever direction she tried taking me in.

“Why don’t you take this to the kitchen,” I nodded down at the now empty tray. “And give me ten minutes to freshen up, and I’ll meet you there. Then we’ll go find nanny and start our adventure. Deal?”

“Deal!” she squealed, jumping off the bed.

“No running!” I yelled after her, hurrying to the door to watch her sprint down the hallway. “Bee! Steady!” I warned, wary that she had a plate on the tray. Dante would peel the skin from my back if she hurt herself. “I’m not going anywhere. There’s no rush!”

“Promise?” She grinned at me, and that one word hit me like a sucker punch to the gut.

“I promise,” I cleared my throat as I croaked, but Bee didn’t hear it, or if she did, she didn’t pay it any attention.

And why would she? She was a child. She had no idea what was going on in my mind. She heard the word, and that was good enough for her.

But could I actually keep that promise?

The more I bonded with her, the more it would hurt to leave.

I might be a nasty bitch to the rest of the world, but I wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings. No child deserved to feel unloved – it was feeling hated by the world that had caused me to act out as a child myself. I’d protect anyone from feeling the same.

I shrugged, knowing it was pointless to dwell on these things. I was here for the foreseeable future – not because I wanted to be, but because I had nowhere else to go. So I may as well have some fun whilst I could.

I snatched my phone off the side and brought up Dante’s text exchange.

Where the fuck are my clothes? I fired off, whilst making my way down to his room.

Do me a favour, princess, pull up Google Maps. Does it look like America is around the corner? Be fucking patient. He text back within the minute.

I don’t need a geography lesson.

Shut the fuck up and maybe take a lesson on patience.

You wanna play around with learning new things?

It was almost too easy.

I pushed open his bedroom door, and with a hum on my lips, I went around, opening all the draws and cupboards I could find, and gathered all the clothes on his bed. Taking a quick picture of them, I sent it to Dante.

In today’s lesson, we’re learning the concept of consequence. All crimes must be punished. Especially one as serious as arson. With that in mind, what do you think is going to happen to these?

I’m warning you, Rachel.

I didn’t reply, and another message came through.

I can’t be fucked with any more of your shit. I’m warning you, and I fucking mean it.

I warned you first. You didn’t heed my warning. Here are the consequences. Isn’t this a fun lesson? Hey, maybe I am cut out for this motherhood malarky. I’ve already taught you so much, and you’re the most stubborn cunt I’ve ever met!

I found a lighter in Dante’s bedside drawer, so I made my way to the bathroom, dumped the clothes in the bath, and set them alight without a second thought.

Don’t the clothes look pretty when the flames are licking them? I text him, followed by another picture.

He rang me then, but I cut him off and switched aeroplane mode on. Not my problem.

I skipped out of the bathroom and headed to the stairs, another tune on my lips.

Today was going to be a good day.