Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 106948 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 535(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106948 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 535(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
I almost said it wasn’t that bad, but bit my tongue, because it was.
Rolling off of me, he stood up, then leaned down and lifted me off the floor, his body barely straining. “You deserve so much better, and I’m going to make sure that from now on, you get it.”
Chapter 13
Four weeks later, I stood next to Leo in my lime-green, crocheted Valentino sundress, nervously playing with the delicate gold bangles stacked up my left wrist. I had matching gold bangles on my right wrist as well, hiding the bruises on my pale skin that never really seemed to go away. Probably because I’d beg, cry, and pout to get Leo to tie me up and hurt me into an orgasm coma when they did. I liked knowing they were there, liked knowing proof of his obsession with me was visible on my skin, a branding.
My nipples tightened and I threatened my body with no sex if it didn’t behave. This was an important night and I didn’t want to screw it up by acting like a horny bimbo. I’d spent hours going through the massive closet Leo had filled for me with designer duds at his place, finally resorting to begging him to help me pick out what to wear because I had too many choices. He’d happily agreed to. I think Leo had a not-so-secret fetish for dressing me, but he had great taste so I was happy for his help.
While I’d hung out with Leo’s friends—we had them over for various dinners—the elder Cordovas were the closest thing Leo had to parents, and they wanted to meet me.
So basically, Leo was introducing me to his mom and dad for the first time.
Yikes.
The urge to check my hair was strong, but I knew Joy had sprayed the hell out of it after she’d put it up into a high ponytail, secured with a decorative gold band. We’d had an unusually rainy few days and the humidity didn’t give my hair any extra body, just made it look lanky and greasy. So up it went, and I hoped no one noticed the fading bite mark on my shoulder. Joy had commented on it, but we’d doctored it up with makeup while she told me to tell Leo to take it easy on me. If she’d seen my hidden bruises, she would have no doubt freaked.
The creak of the large, weathered oak front door opening drew me out of my thoughts and I clutched Leo’s hand in mine, hoping he didn’t notice how sweaty my palm was.
To my relief, a familiar face appeared and I smiled at Ramón. He’d been over a couple times after the kitchen incident and had been nothing but nice, going so far as bringing me a bottle of wine from his family’s vineyards in El Salvador after we’d talked about it one day. Leo had been grumpy over that, but I ignored him.
I’d learned he got grumpy a lot when it came to men paying me what he thought of as too much attention, even his friends. While I thought it was sweet that he got jealous, I wanted him to know he had no reason to be, so I made sure I touched him in ways that left no doubt we were together and I was his, whenever he felt insecure. Not that I’d given Leo a hand job at the club after some random guy had hit on me, but I did give Leo little touches and maybe a kiss, soothing the savage beast as well as letting everyone know who I willingly belonged to.
And what a magnificent beast he was.
Ramón dipped his head at me, the loose fall of his coal-black hair sliding forward to partially obscure his deeply tanned face. “Leo, Hannah, so good to see you. Please, come in.”
We entered the front doors of the monstrous home perched on the side of Camelback Mountain, the grand Spanish-style foyer, with its gleaming white marble floors with bright sage-green and red tile work around the edges, took my breath away. One wall was covered with an enormous storm-pattern Navajo rug that must have cost a fortune, and the other held a really cool stainless steel and mirrored glass mosaic. This place was big enough to be a hotel, and I marveled at all the corridors branching off the large main foyer.
Leo had explained that Judith and Jose, Ramón’s parents, had built this place large enough that each of their sons had their own wing of the home. Though all their sons had moved out, Judith and Jose hoped that someday this place would be large enough to house all the grandchildren they hoped to have for holidays and parties. It sounded like something I would do if I had the means, and knowing that helped me to relax somewhat.