| |
Regina
––––––––
I’m floating at the edge of sleep when the sound of my bedroom door opening sends my eyes flying open. Mary is carrying a breakfast tray with eggs, toast, bacon, a small carafe of what smells like coffee and two small pots of cream and sugar. She sets it at the edge of the bed with a smile.
“I purchased some basic toiletries for you. Please let me know if you require different brands and what else you need. I’ll make sure it’s here when you and Dominic are back from going shopping and seeing the wedding planner. You have a half hour to eat and get ready. He’ll be in his office when you’re ready.”
“Shopping?”
A small nod. “Dominic thinks your clothing should get an update.” Another smile and she’s gone.
Update? I sigh as she closes the door behind her. Looking around the room, I can see she’s been in here since I fell asleep, picking up after me. A glance at the small alarm clock on the bedside table tells me it’s one thirty. Weird, after a single night of staying up with Dominic I hadn’t been able to fall asleep at my usual time of midnight.
I’m a night owl, but for some reason I hadn’t been able to fall asleep until I heard Dominic come back this morning. Only minutes after I heard the beep from the elevator and Dominic walking down the hallway toward his room, I finally relaxed and fell asleep.
Why did I think of it that way—relax? Shouldn’t it have been the other way around? Especially after seeing the damage Dominic did to the wall as he talked to Johnny. I had jumped, hearing the crash, yet was too afraid to find out what it was. Once I knew Dominic had left to go down to his club, I crept out of my room to find Marco on the phone in front of the hole, talking to someone about coming to repair it.
First the blood on his sleeve, and now the hole in the wall. Shouldn’t I be afraid of him? At the confirmation of the violence within him, the dark side the three-piece suits, blue eyes, and dimples distracted the casual observer from seeing? I flop back on the bed. I should be, but I’m not. I am so fucked.
I need to get away from him, today. It has to be today, any longer and... I squeeze my eyes shut. I might never want to leave. What’s the matter with me? Rolling over, I bury my face into the pillow and scream in frustration. I feel like I’m going crazy. Knowing I shouldn’t want Dominic Sabatini doesn’t mean a damn thing, because I want him so badly it’s starting to scare me a little.
No, I force myself off the bed. Today I’m going to find a way to get away from him.
***
Regina
––––––––
Dominic is sitting at the dining-room table sipping coffee and reading the newspaper when I come out of my room. He looks up at me, almost through me. “Ready?”
I nod. “Where is my bag?”
“You mean where’s your wallet, birth certificate, and passport? I’m keeping them safe for you, princess. Don’t worry, you’ll get them back. Eventually.” His smile is mocking.
It takes everything in me not to slap his smile off his face. How the fuck can I go anywhere or do anything without them? Fuck him. I’ll figure it out.
I’m doing my best to smile and make-believe I can’t wait to go shopping, that I’m excited by the idea of planning my wedding. But fuck it’s hard, especially when Dominic is being cold and distant. His hand is still swollen from the punch he threw into the wall, but it doesn’t affect his grip on my arm as he marches me through the exclusive store.
A tall, pregnant, dark-haired woman with soft gray eyes and a saucy smile is waiting in front of a long rail of clothes.
Dominic smiles widely at her with his dimples flashing. He lets me go as she comes close to him, her arms going around him to give him a hug. I see red, anger churns in my stomach at how comfortable they are with each other. Has he fucked her?
“Lydia, thank you for your help today. As always, you are looking beautiful.” Dominic kisses her cheek.
Her hand lingers on his chest. I want to smack her, hard. “Such a liar you are. I’m due any day. I should be home with my feet up except I couldn’t tell you no, you asked so nicely. That and Ella and Ben are more stressful than being here with you.”
Laughing, Dominic shakes his head. “Now who is the liar? You are too nosy not to get the first look at my fiancée.”
Dominic’s hand goes around my back, drawing me forward. “Regina Conti, this is Lydia Decker. She’s the best stylist there is. Beware, she will have you divulging secrets you had no intention of sharing.”
There is a warning in his eyes. I force a smile as I hold out my hand, even if I want to smack her for the hand she still has on his arm. Does she see it? Her hand slides off Dominic and she grins wide.
“Of course, you’re beautiful, nothing but the best for Dominic Sabatini. A little young, Dominic. That’s good, though, the optimism of youth will help you both once you get out of the honeymoon period.” Tugging me toward her, Lydia draws me toward a long rail of clothes.
“Okay, my dear, talk to me. What kind of clothes do you feel comfortable in? I’m well aware of your bossy orders, Dominic: long hem lines, none of her chest uncovered. I get the order, my goodness I miss having breasts that big and perky, enjoy them while you have them. It will stun you the way they change after a baby.” To Dominic, “Go sit down, I got you your favorite scotch.”
Dominic chuckles as he follows her instructions, settling into a leather chair and pouring himself a measure of scotch.
Lydia pulls out a few things from the rail. “Dominic gave me your stats already. He has a good eye, and he was right, you have great legs. Too bad he doesn’t want to let you show them much. We can get around that a bit. Not enough to make him mad, we wouldn’t want to make Dominic Sabatini mad.” She winks. “Just a bit, to poke him.”
I follow her into an enormous dressing room, the size of a studio apartment. She hangs up the dresses she selected then turns to me. “Are you okay?”
Shaking my head, “No, I need your help. I don’t want to marry Dominic. He’s keeping me against my will. Can you please help me get away from him?”
She tilts her head as she studies me. Tension is increasing inside me with every second that passes before she finally shakes her head.
“If I thought that was what you really wanted, I would. The problem is, if I helped you, you’d regret it every day of your life.”
How could she say that?
An eyebrow goes up. “Sweetie, if looks could kill I’d be dead right now. I saw you when I hugged Dominic, and when my hand lingered on his arm a little too long.” The bitch is chuckling at me.
“Sorry, I wanted to know if I was imagining it or not. And I so wasn’t. Maybe you should stop thinking with your head and go with your heart. I get that it’s scary, that Dominic is scary. I would trust the man with my life. There is no doubt if you trust him, really trust him, he’ll spend the rest of his life making sure you never regret it.”
I’m shaking my head, only I can’t find the words to argue with her.
“Come on, my dear girl, let’s spend a lot of money and get Dominic to growl at how gorgeous we make you look.” Lydia’s words are firm. She isn’t going to help me.
I give in and change into the first dress simply because it’s beautiful. A sigh escapes me, it is so pretty, and in it I’m pretty. At Lydia’s urging I step out of the dressing room. Dominic is on his phone, sipping his scotch. When he sees me, he goes still. Those ice-blue eyes run over me, then he gives a nod before going back to his phone.
A stab of pain hits me in the chest. This is a waste of time. I shake my head, refusing to cry. I’m done crying over Dominic and this fucked-up situation. He’s a bastard and he doesn’t deserve it.
“What’s the matter? Why are you getting dressed?” Lydia asks loudly.
I search for my purse. “I don’t want—”
The door of the dressing room opens, Dominic fills the doorway.
His eyes flick to Lydia. “Give us a minute.”
I back away, shaking my head. “This is a waste of time. You can’t put lipstick on a pig—”
His hand clamps down on my chin in a punishing grip. “I warned you. One warning is all you get.”
Then I’m turned around, oh my god, he’s bending me over the arm of the chaise lounge. I don’t even have time to draw in air before a hard hand comes down painfully on my ass.
“No, Dominic. Please.” I hiss at him, terrified Lydia can hear it when it sounds loud to my ears. His answer is to do it again on my other—ouch, oh god, it hurts, so why the hell am I so fucking wet? Another and then he yanks me up against his hard body.
“Are you deaf, little girl? Are you not paying attention? What did I say? Tell me what I fucking said, Regina.”
A hand goes around my neck and squeezes the words out of me. “You said not to say I was fat. I’m sorry, Dominic.”
I’m yanked across the dressing room, Dominic turns me to face the trio of mirrors. They are on all sides of us. He growls and holy fucking shit, he rips the long maxi dress down my body. An arm goes around my waist, melding me to him, I gasp at the feel of his hard cock pressing into my ass.
“This is what you did to me the first moment I saw you in that god-awful dress. Even when you looked like you were going to a funeral, you made my cock hard and hungry for you.”
His lips graze over the shell of my ear. “I’m going to need for you to pay close fucking attention and sear this into your brain. I think you are cock-achingly, breathtakingly gorgeous.”
The hand loosens from my jaw, trailing down my neck then over my arm. It’s only now I realize I’m only in my bra and panties in front of him. Yet I’m not ashamed, not when I see the way his eyes roam over my body. Air flees my lungs as his cock jumps against me.
“For some insane reason you don’t see what I see. That’s why we’re here. Lydia will help you see, put you in the clothes that will show off your numerous assets. But classy, so I don’t have to kill anyone for wanting you the same way I do.”
His hard body against me is turning my skin hot and too damn tight. I can’t stop from pressing into him, trying to assuage the pain against the cool silk of his suit.
With the shake of his head, he doesn’t allow me to move. “When you walked out of the dressing room I wanted to pull you into my lap and fuck you until you screamed. Only I couldn’t do that because I’m a civilized motherfucker. Have no fucking doubt you are always beautiful. The dress only helps you and others see what I already know. Got it, Regina?”
I meet his eyes in the mirror. Turbulent, bluer than blue churning deep in the ocean, I’m going under and I don’t care anymore. I nod.
“No, I need you to say it.”
“I’m beautiful.”
“Again, princess.”
Turning in his arms, I press against him. The arm around my waist tightens until I can barely breathe, only it’s not nearly tight enough.
“I’m beautiful.” I exhale the words as Dominic lowers his lips to mine.
“Good girl,” he whispers. He presses a kiss to the skin where my neck meets my shoulder then he sucks slowly, deeper and deeper to the very edge of pain, and I’m shivering against him. I watch as he studies the skin. I know a bruise will show soon, his satisfaction is clear. Then he’s gone.
Lydia is back and her look of concern disappears when she sees me. She grins knowingly. “I told you so.”
Gradually over the next hour I find myself actually having fun, especially when Dominic does indeed growl a few times at the dresses Lydia puts me in. Long after I thought I had more than enough clothes, we’re still going. I think we’re done but no, we’re moving onto panties and bras, then shoes. Then finally Dominic checks the time. It’s time to meet the dressmaker Lydia called in a favor with. My stomach drops at the idea of a wedding dress. At how the words thrill me.
Dominic’s phone rings and he tells me he has to take the call, to give him a minute. The moment his back is turned I scan the store, wondering if there’s an exit close by. I have to go today, or I never will.
“Don’t, Regina.” Gone is the smiling Lydia. “I get the fear, but don’t. He’s a Sabatini. Yes, they can be assholes, yes, they are ruthless as fuck, and yes, Dominic and Tony have spilled blood. They also love deeply with every fiber of their being. Once they finally give in to admitting that love. Even when they aren’t ready to admit it, though, they’ll protect you from the whole wide world, including themselves.”
It scares me all over again how badly I want to believe her.
“I know you don’t know me. You do know Dominic, even if it’s only been a few days, you know deep down what I’m telling you is the truth. I think that is what is scaring you. Don’t let it. Be brave, you deserve to be loved the way he’ll love you. And Dominic,” she sighs, “he needs your love. He won’t think so, he’ll try and deny it.” She shakes her head. “Don’t let him.”
I close my eyes, fighting for control of the rioting emotions inside me.
“Regina?” Dominic is watching me. “It’s time to go.”
Nodding, I take the hand he holds out to me. His hand is so big, warm, yet gentle as he holds mine.
“I’ll be looking for my wedding invitation in the mail,” Lydia teases.
“You’ll receive it soon,” Dominic assures her.
Down on the street, Dominic opens the car door for me, but he doesn’t get in. “Marco and Dario will be with you. I have business I have to see to. Be a good girl, Regina.”
It’s a warning. I nod.
At the dressmaker Marco warns me, he’ll be outside of the front door and Dario is going around to the back door.
It’s a nightmare. The dressmaker, Callie, is eager to please. The dresses are gorgeous, frothy, romantic, and I want them all. Callie says it’s cute the way Dominic sent her dresses he liked and envisioned me in. How he told her he wanted me to have the dress of my dreams. She had never spent so long talking to a groom as she had with Dominic. If this were the wedding of my dreams, then this would be a dream come true. It isn’t, I try to tell myself. Until she tells me that Dominic told her on our wedding day, I would go from being his princess to his queen, and he wanted me to feel that way.
Those words stay with me through the long appointment as she tries to incorporate Dominic’s desires as well as my own in a dress. For a long moment I allow myself to forget the reality of how I came to be standing in front of the mirror in a beautiful white wedding dress with actual gold stitching throughout the delicate bodice. It’s a dress fit for a queen, and I feel just as beautiful in it as Dominic told me I was.