She watches, fighting against me as I cuff her to the bed.
“You can’t do this!”
I put the key to unlock them into my pocket and straighten. “I just did, sweetheart.”
She slips off the bed, tugging at her wrist and before I can walk away, she brings her free hand to my face, digging her nails into my cheek.
“Take this thing off, you bastard!”
“Christ.” I catch her wrist and pull her hand away, but not before she’s broken skin. “You want me to get rough? Is that it?”
“I want you to let me go! I have every right to be at that meeting and you know it. I won’t let you destroy our business. Our name.”
“If you’d just listen, you’d know I’m only protecting you.”
“Maybe the one I need protecting from is you!”
My phone rings this time. I have no doubt it’s Ares wondering where the hell I am. I’m about to reach into my pocket to grab it when, in that moment of distraction, Persephone’s free hand wraps around my neck and she rams her knee up into my balls.
“Fuck!” I double over as an almost electric pain shoots through me.
Shock registers on her face and with a gasp, she scoots backward on the bed, says something but I don’t hear her and when I look at her again, her eyes have gone huge as she waits for my reaction.
I swallow back the pain, straighten to my full height. Move in on her as she backs as far as she can from me, plastering herself to the headboard. I splay the flat of my hand across her chest, seeing how it spans almost the whole of it.
Her hand closes over my forearm and I ease my thumb and forefinger away from her throat.
“You’ll answer for that,” I say, my voice low and deep. I ignore my phone which is ringing again. Ares needs to calm the fuck down. “We’re not playing a fucking game here. You are so far out of your league you don’t even see playing field. We’re doing this my way. Hell, we’re doing everything my way. You signed a contract. Two in fact. I own you. Get clear on that. Get clear fast.” I turn to walk away.
“And if I don’t give you what you want, you’ll take it by force whether it’s the company or me? Is that what you mean?”
I stop dead in my tracks, the words, their implication, the accusation in her tone, this second time she’s made it, hitting me like a brick.
“Isn’t that what you’re doing?” she adds.
I turn back to face her. “Are you finished?”
“Look at me. I’m cuffed to your bed. You’re stronger than me. Might makes right, isn’t that the saying? Isn’t that what men like you believe?”
“Men like me?” I almost laugh but it’s an ugly thing because her words cut sharp. “If you knew what your own father was capable of—” I cut myself off, shake my head.
“You don’t know anything about my father! Look at us. Look at me.” She makes a point of trying to lift her cuffed wrist. “You’re no different than Jonas!”
Something in my expression must change because she winces, staring back at me like she’s wondering what the fuck she just said.
“Is that what he did? Force you?”
She doesn’t answer. Doesn’t blink. Doesn’t even breathe.
My phone rings. I need to go.
“We’ll continue this discussion when I’m back but just so we’re clear, I do not force women. In fact, all I’ve done is try to take care of you since I’ve been back. You’ll stay here. You’ll eat breakfast. You’ll wait for me. You will not leave this room, understood?”
“I’m cuffed to the bed so yeah, I understand. Asshole.”
I walk out of the bedroom and through the living room into my office. I take a moment to go into the bathroom there and splash water on my face because what the fuck just happened? I look up at my reflection, see the little crescent shapes where her fingernails broke skin.
I think about everything, I think about why I’m doing this. Why she’s here now. I think about last night, what I overheard Jonas ask her. I think about her comment. I think about my stepbrother with his hands on her.
And I think about paying him a visit.
Because I want to know exactly what it is he’s afraid she told me.
23
Hayden
I step off the elevator to find Peter anxiously waiting for me. I notice the bead of sweat on his forehead as I greet him, taking in the members already seated and having breakfast at tables in the restaurant.
His eyes grow wide when he sees the damage on my face.
“It’s nothing,” I say before he can say anything. “Where are they?”
“Your brother and,” he clears his throat, “his guest are in the boardroom.” He’s clearly very uncomfortable.
“What time did his guest arrive?”
“About ten minutes ago. His wife is with him. And there are quite a few men.” Again, he clears his throat and signals to the two standing by the entrance of the restaurant.
“Relax, Peter.” I reach into my pocket and take out the key to the cuffs. I hold them out for Peter. “In about twenty minutes, get breakfast sent up to Persephone. She’s cuffed to the bed so she may be…upset. Uncuff her. See what clothes she wants sent over and get someone out to her house to get them but she’s not to leave my rooms.”
“Yes, sir.”
“In fact, keep her shoes down here just in case she gets any ideas.”
He nods.
“Coffee’s been sent into the meeting?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank you.”
I walk to the boardroom doors, nod to Benedetti’s man standing just outside it.
He reaches to open the door for me, and I step inside, meeting my brother’s gaze across the room. No one is seated yet.
Ares has his hands in his pockets, his suit jacket open, watching the scene before him.
Three more men, Benedetti soldiers I presume, stand along the perimeter of the room, one of them looking me over before shifting his gaze away.
I recognize Dominic Benedetti from the papers. He’s bigger in person though, every bit head of the family.
He’s standing in the middle of the room talking to the woman, his wife, I guess, who has her back to me.
When I walk in, he lifts his gaze momentarily from her to me before wrapping a possessive hand around the back of her neck and turning her toward the door.
I see the bump then. She’s pregnant. Maybe four or five months along.
He whispers something to her, and she nods, looks up to meet my gaze but doesn’t smile.
She’s striking and the two of them together are interesting to see. I think this may be a side of Dominic Benedetti not many witness.
“I’m not scared of that man,” she says loud enough for me to hear.
“I know you’re not,” Dominic says. “But you will keep the extra guards, Gia. You try to send them away again and we have a problem.”
She exhales, purses her lips. “You know I can handle myself.”
“No one is questioning that,” he says, and when he splays his hand over her softly rounded belly, I shift my gaze away, the moment a very private one. “I won’t take a chance with either of you. This isn’t up for discussion.” He straightens, nods to one of his men who steps forward.