Bend Me, Daddy
Chapter 71

VEDA

Four days.

I only had four days to make Luca change his mind.

I paced the hall upstairs, the book in my hand forgotten. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe it was something else they were talking about. It was totally possible, right?

But no, I'd distinctly heard Mario's name. And how many Marios could there be? Well, there was only one way to replace out.

Taking a shaky breath, I peered down over the railing, looking for Lisa, but I didn't see her. Hoping she'd gone on an errand, I snuck quietly down the stairs on bare feet and tiptoed down the hall to Luca's office. As I approached, I saw the door

had been left open and I could hear voices inside. I stopped as soon as I was close enough to overhear what they were saying, balancing on the balls of my feet and ready to run into the closest room to hide as soon as they stopped talking. "... sure we can trust your connection? He's not bringing an army with him?" Luca was asking.

"I would bet my life on it," Tristan answered. "Matteo has his own reasons to take Mario out."

"What would those reasons be?"

"I'm sorry, Luca. It's not my place to tell you what they are, but I trust him completely."

There was a pause. "Then that's all I need to know," Luca said.

If I lived through this, I was going to replace out who the hell this Matteo dude was and make him rethink his life choices.

"So, we get there a little early, scope out the place," Tristan said.

I could tell by the change of volume in his voice he was looking in my direction. My pulse pounded in my ears, making it harder to hear. Sweat trickled down my spine, and I had to fight the urge to flee. He couldn't see me. And I heard no footsteps. He was probably just confirming with Enzo. But my muscles stayed tense. Ready. Just in case.

"We'll let you know when it's safe to come in with Veda. And at the appointed time, you come in and do what needs to be done. You know the rest."

I didn't know the rest. What the hell is the rest?

My heart was now beating so loudly that I was positive they could hear it. Surely, this couldn't be happening. I firmly believed that Luca was not as cold-blooded as he tried to make everyone think. Even though he'd been pulling away from me these last few weeks, I've seen him. Really seen him. Deep down, he feels things. He was not a monster.

I had to believe that. I had to believe that, or the terror would overwhelm me.

"I'll be ready," Luca tells him. "And so will she."

No. No, I won't. My feet were moving, heading toward his office, not bothering to try to be quiet anymore. I found myself standing in the doorway.

Three sets of eyes swung my way, but I only saw Luca. "What exactly is it that I'll be ready for?" I asked him.

"Leave us," Luca told Tristan and Enzo without taking his eyes from me. "Take the night off. We'll talk about this more tomorrow."

They walked out of the office without a word, Enzo closing the door behind him. "But who will watch me tonight?" I asked him. "Aren't you afraid I'll throw myself from the balcony or something?"

"I will," he told me.

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I walked closer to him, stopping just out of his reach. "What's happening in four days, Luca?"

He stared at me in silence, his blue eyes cold as steel. No matter how hard I searched, I couldn't replace any part of the man I'd gotten to know within them.

I shook my head, refusing to believe I'd been so duped. He was in there somewhere. He had to be. "You can't really mean to go through with this." My voice was little more than a whisper.

"I told you what this was right from the beginning," he finally said. "Don't stand there and act like you didn't know this was coming, Veda. Nothing has changed."

I took a step closer. The book I'd found was still in my hands. I wanted to knock him over the head with it. "How can you say that? Everything has changed."

"Not for me."

His words hit me hard, knocking the air from my lungs. The room around me went in and out of focus. The book fell from my hands, landing on the floor with a thud. Neither of us so much as looked at it. "Nothing has changed, Veda," he said again. His voice was cold. His demeanor perfectly calm.

All of my efforts, everything I'd done, everything I'd given, meant absolutely nothing to him. I could see this now. And with that realization, the terror I'd managed to keep at bay up until now took over. Tremors began in my hands and moved up my arms, spreading through my body until I stood there trembling uncontrollably. The game had been turned around on me. I hadn't moved him. Didn't change his mind. The only one who gave a shit here was me. Turning on my heel, I walked out of his office, refusing to let him see how he was tearing me apart.

"Veda."

I heard him call my name, but I didn't respond. I had to get to my room. Had to be alone so I could try to process what was about to happen. So I could get my affairs together. I didn't know exactly what Luca had planned for me. I only knew I wouldn't live through it.

In four days.

Lost in the world of this story? Make sure you're on Ñel5s.org to catch every twist and turn. The next chapter awaits, exclusively on our site. Dive in now! "Veda!"

I started to run, but not toward the stairs as I'd originally planned. I needed air. I couldn't breathe. I had to get out of this house. The dam inside of me burst and I choked on a sob, tears blurring my vision as I smashed into the front door, my shaking hand fumbling with the locks.

Finally, I managed them and yanked the door open, only to get hit hard from behind. The door slammed shut again as I was thrown against it, knocking the breath from my lungs as my face bashed into the wood. Luca pressed against me as I gasped for air. And in some sick part of my head, I realized I could feel the hard length of him against my ass through my pajama shorts.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" His voice was deceptively calm. "You think I'm just gonna let you run out there barefoot, wearing what you're wearing, for my men to replace you? Because that's what would happen, amore. You wouldn't get halfway to the road before they had you rounded up. The only thing that would keep them from shooting you on sight is if they decided that sweet ass was worth having first."

"Just let me go," I pleaded. "I don't want to play anymore." He pulled me away from the door, turning me in his arms and holding me close against him. I realized I was still trembling. With fear? With desire? I had no way of knowing anymore. "Shhh..." he told me. Leaving one arm around my back, he ducked down and caught me behind the knees, lifting me effortlessly into his strong arms.

Wrapping my arms around him, I tucked my face into his neck. "I don't want to play anymore. Luca, I don't want to play anymore..."

I repeated the mantra as he carried me up the stairs and into his room. I whispered it as he stripped me of my clothing, his hands touching me everywhere, like he was trying to memorize my body from the top of my head all the way to the soles of my feet. I moaned it as his lips found my breasts, teasing my nipples with his tongue and teeth. I screamed it as he laid me on the bed and spread my legs, his mouth hot and wet on my cunt.

It was only when he rose up and pressed his way into me, forcing my body to accept him, that I stopped pleading and wrapped my arms and legs around him to hold him close to me.

Knowing our time together was running out.

***