Keeping his bride

Aria

AFTER DINNER, I return to the room I’ve been staying in for the past few days while I’ve been recuperating from my kidney infection. But when I see the cot rolled up in the corner of the room and all of my things missing, I stand there, confused.

“What’s wrong?” Mateo asks, startling me.

I turn to see him leaning against the doorjamb, looking devilishly handsome in his black three-piece suit, like usual. “I just…I thought…”

“What? You thought this was your new room?” he questions with narrowed eyes.

“Yes.”

“This is a medical room. We need it for emergencies.”

“Oh. So, where will I be sleeping now that I’m better?”

“With me,” he says with conviction.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

I just assumed since he was done taking care of my lash marks and my infection is over that he would put me in another room in the house. The fact that he wants me to stay with him, to sleep in his bed every night makes me feel uneasy. We’ve already been walking a very fine line between hostage and kidnapper, and I need to put an end to all of this. “No,” I tell him with a shake of my head.

“No?” He cocks a brow as a smirk forms on his lips. “You don’t have a choice in this matter, Aria,” he says with finality.

Damn it, I hate when he says my name. It sounds so sexy coming from his mouth, especially when he rolls the R with his tongue. “Fine,” I say, storming out of the room and upstairs with Mateo hot on my heels. “It’s not like I’ve had any choices since I arrived here anyway,” I call out when we make our way into his bedroom.

“You always have a choice, Aria,” he says.

Even though I’m sure he’s meaning when it comes to my virginity, I decide to plead with him anyway. I turn around and face him. “Then let me leave,” I implore.

“Well, not a choice when it comes to leaving,” he corrects, and I just want to smack that grin right off of his face.

Rolling my eyes, I go to the bathroom and slam the door shut. I swear I hear his dark chuckle behind the wood. Fuming, I get in the shower. The hot water does little to calm my nerves. And after I’m done and get out, I realize my mistake. I didn’t grab any clothes first. And now I have to do a walk of shame to the closet with nothing but a towel.

Feeling even angrier now than I was before, I open the door and stalk out of the room with dripping wet hair and a towel precariously cinched between my breasts. I can almost feel Mateo’s gaze on my exposed skin as I move to the closet and pull out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. They’re worn with lint balls covering them, but I have nothing else to wear.

Taking the clothes back to the bathroom, I slam the door again. It feels good to slam that door and show a little act of defiance. I dress quickly and comb through my wet hair with my fingers. There are some tangles I can’t get through thanks to not having any conditioner, and it frustrates the hell out of me.

I’m practically steaming by the time I emerge from the bathroom. Mateo is sitting on the edge of the bed, his attention on the cell phone in his hands as he types something quickly with his thumbs. He glances up at me and quirks a thick, dark brow, looking bored.

And that’s when I snap. Holding an accusatory finger at him, I raise my voice and say, “If you’re planning on keeping me here, then I’m going to need things. Like…like conditioner and a hairbrush!”

I expect him to be pissed off by my demeanor and demands, but instead he breaks out into laughter. “You know, you’re really cute when you’re mad.”

Wait. Did he just say I was cute? I’m so taken aback by what he said that I can’t even remember what I was angry about in the first place.

His face goes back to serious in two-point-five-seconds. “Make a list, and I’ll get someone to fetch what you need tomorrow,” he instructs me. And then he stands and walks into the bathroom, slamming the door in my face this time.

With a huff, I climb into bed, staying as far over on my side as I can. Turning over onto my back, I ball my hands into fists and repeatedly strike the mattress under me. Mateo is so infuriating! One minute he’s angry, and the next he’s smiling and…calling me cute.

And then I realize that I have a big, stupid grin on my face. Oh my god, why am I even smiling right now? Because he called me cute? Because he’s going to let me make a list of things that I need? Because he looks so damn handsome when he smiles, which is so rare it’s like catching a glimpse of a falling star in the sky?

Quickly, I grab one of the pillows from the bed and shove it over my face before screaming my frustrations into it. Oh my god, I think I’m losing my mind.

Mateo

IGNACIO LOOKS AT the list incredulously. “All of this?” he questions for what seems like the tenth time.

Aria made the list late last night, using an entire sheet of paper. Front and back. I wanted to tell her no, but I couldn’t go back on my word that I would get her what she wanted. I just didn’t realize she’d want everything but the goddamn kitchen sink.

“Yes, all of it,” I stress. “Make sure you get every single thing even if you have to order it online.”

He shakes his bald, tattooed head in disbelief. “Tampons? Mateo, I can’t go into a store and buy fucking tampons!” he hisses angrily.

Just the thought of my number one walking into a store and carrying out a dainty box of feminine products has me biting back a laugh. “Then take one of the women from the compound with you. Send her in the store with the list and money.”

This seems to calm him down in record time. “Alright, alright. I’ll take Flora,” he says with a renewed attitude and a grin on his face before walking away.

He’s been fucking Flora, one of our housekeepers, for years. Hell, I’ve caught them together in compromising positions more times than I can count. He has a thing for older women, especially maids. Mommy issues perhaps. Hell, I think we all have mommy and daddy issues here. We’re all from fucked-up families with fucked-up pasts. Mine might be the worst of all, however.

On the way to my office, I spot Sofia in the hallway. She’s the one I’ve been borrowing clothes from for Aria. “Sofia, a word?”

“Yes, of course, Mr. Navarro.”

She follows me into my office and closes the door behind her. I sit at my desk and light a cigar. I puff on the end, loving the taste of a real Cuban. These cigars are expensive but worth every penny.

Sofia stands on the other side of my desk, patiently waiting with eager eyes. She’s petite, like Aria, with short, black hair and brown eyes. She’s had an obvious crush on me for years. I don’t doubt that she would bend over on command or suck my dick if I asked her to.

But when I started my empire, I put a provision in place – never fuck an employee. Also, the whole one and done rule that I stick by wouldn’t go so well if I had pussy available to me twenty-four-seven. And lord knows I’ve been in a dry spell since Aria arrived. Hell, I feel like my dick is going to spontaneously combust soon if I don’t get some sort of relief.

“Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Navarro?” Sofia asks, batting her eyelashes.

I’ve been spending more time with her as of late, constantly asking her to borrow clothes for Aria and giving her money to buy new ones for herself. She probably thinks I’m showing her attention for another reason. But she would be wrong. While Sofia is attractive, she couldn’t hold a candle to my little captive. Aria is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. She’s probably ruined me for life, because I doubt if I will ever find the likes of her beauty ever again.

I puff on the cigar, cursing under my breath. This girl is ruining my life slowly but surely, but I can’t even dwell on that right now. “I need to borrow a dress for Aria,” I tell Sofia.

Her face falls. She really thought I was going to request something else. “Oh. Of course, Mr. Navarro. I might have a few in my closet.”

“Bring them to me,” I instruct her.

“Yes, sir. Right away, sir.” She leaves the room in a hurry, and I can faintly hear her saying perdoneme in the hallway.

A few seconds later, Aria enters my office. She looks mad, but I mean, what else is new?

“Did you take my list?” she questions, but it sounds more like an accusation.

I give her a nod. I found the piece of paper by the bed this morning. She must have spent most of the night writing it before finally crashing early this morning. “Ignacio is on his way to buy the things you requested,” I explain.

When Aria steps closer and wrinkles her nose from the smoke in the room, I quickly stub out my cigar in the ashtray. Normally, I wouldn’t give a fuck who was bothered by my cigarettes or cigars; but it was an almost knee-jerk reaction when I realized she didn’t like it. For some reason, she makes me care. Damn it.

Turning my attention away from my five-hundred-dollar discarded cigar to Aria, I notice that she’s nervously wringing her hands and fidgeting like she has something on her mind but doesn’t want to say it out loud. “What is it, Aria?” I ask, doing my best to sound bored and unaffected.

“Who was that girl that just came out of your office?”

“One of the housekeepers,” I answer nonchalantly. I can practically hear the wheels turning in her pretty, little head. “What’s your other question?”

“Is she…is she your girlfriend?”

Her question has me barely constraining a laugh. “Girlfriend? No,” I tell her with a shake of my head. Fuck, I don’t think I’ve ever had a girlfriend. I’ve had lots of women under me, but no one has ever stuck around long enough to be considered more than a casual fuck. And I’ve never been interested in commitment before. Women make you weak. I can practically hear my uncle’s words echoing inside my brain.

“So you two just…” Her voice trails off as she fidgets some more.

“We just what, Aria?” I know what she’s too afraid to ask, but I want to hear the naughty words coming out of her mouth.

“You two…fuck?”

Dios mio. I close my eyes, savoring the sound of that word in her sweet voice and tone. When I open my eyes again, I can see that she’s desperately wanting an answer. “Are you jealous?” I question out loud.

Her eyes narrow. “No, I’m not jealous. I just want to know how many diseases you have. You know, we sleep in the same bed!”

“Yes, we sleep.” I stress the last word.

She opens her mouth to say something, but then closes it. I’ve rendered my little captive speechless. That’s a first.

“I’m clean, by the way,” I tell her. I always wear condoms, and I get tested regularly. With my proclivities, I can never be too careful.

Before either of us can say another word on that particular subject, there is a knock at the door, and I yell for the person to come in. It’s Sofia again, with a few dresses. She gives Aria the side eye before coming straight for me. She holds the dresses up, and I study them. There’s a black one that looks like something a grandmother would wear, a white one that’s delicate and lacey, but reminds me of a doily, and a red one that appears to be more like a scrap of fabric than an actual dress. I motion for Sofia to turn, and then I ask Aria, “Which one do you like the best?”

Aria locks her honey-colored eyes on me for a moment before she thoughtfully considers the dresses. “Red.”

“Red it is then.” I turn my attention to Sofia. “You can leave it there on the chair. Thank you,” I say, dismissing her.

Aria watches the other woman walk out before staring at the dress. “Who is that for?”

“You. We’re going out tonight.”

“What?” she whispers in what I can only assume is disbelief.

“Ignacio should be back soon with everything on your list. I expect you to get ready and wear that dress,” I explain.

She slowly picks up the red dress and holds it tightly in her hands. It looks like she might refuse at first; but when her eyes meet mine, I can see the hopefulness swirling in her honey-colored orbs.

Aria hasn’t set foot outside of the compound since she’s been here, so I’m sure she’s already planning every kind of little escape plan that she can inside of her head. She probably thinks I’ll let my guard down so she might have a chance to run away while we’re out in public. Little does she know that I own this entire city and everyone in it. And soon enough, I’ll own her too.