switch when a deep, reprimanding voice made me stop dead in my tracks.
“Stop,” the voice ordered. Following its source, I became aware of a large male figure sitting on a chair in the dark corner.
I did as I was told and stood still, waiting for him to turn on the light and approach me. Instead, he remained sprawled on the chair. For a few moments, nothing happened.
“Strip!” he uttered another abrupt order, and I shuddered.
I clenched my hands into fists at my sides and fought to keep my breathing steady. This was happening. This was really happening. I was about to have a cheap one-night stand with a man in exchange for my freedom. Everything in me screamed this was wrong, vile and dirty. Some inner voice warned me I would never recover from this and there had to be another way. Trying to suppress these dangerous feelings, I reached behind my back to unzip the dress with trembling hands. My fingers froze on the zipper, and I panicked. “Lorenzo, I can't,” I said miserably. “I'm sorry.”
“Why?”
“I don't know why. I just can't,” I admitted. “I'll do anything...anything else, just not this. Please—”
“No,” he declined in a cold tone. “Strip.”
I still hesitated. Convinced this was a mistake, I wondered if I should just bolt out the door, but knew there was no going back. I was past the point of no return. If Alessandro found out about this, he would kill both me and my entire family.
Lorenzo rearranged his body on the chair and I could tell he grew impatient. My doubts were confirmed when he raised his voice. “Now!”
Realizing there was no other choice than to go through with this, I pushed away my fear to the best of my ability, and undid the zipper on my dress. It slid to the ground slowly, and I was left in my underwear. Soft moonlight fell on my exposed skin, uncovering it for his gaze. In an instinctive reaction, I wrapped my arms around myself because I felt vulnerable, but Lorenzo had no mercy.
“All of it,” he requested.
I swallowed hard and peeled off my underwear. I had made such a mess of it, and it took forever because my hands shook so badly.
“Turn around,” Lorenzo murmured in a husky voice when I was naked.
I drew in a deep breath and did as he told me. He rose to his feet and advanced toward me. Every step he took in my direction intensified my shivering. I hid my nudity from him and made myself as small as possible. Nothing could erase the unexpected feelings of guilt and shame, but I had to live through this. If I endured just one more night of hell, I would be free. Lorenzo had given me his word. All I had to do was close my eyes and make my mind drift away until it was over.
But it was hard to hold onto that thought because Lorenzo stood right behind me, ready to make me honor my end of the bargain. He settled his strong hands on my shoulders and I couldn't stop myself from wincing. My knees turned to jelly and I was sure I would have crumbled to the ground if it weren't for his supporting grip. Then, he let his fingers slowly slide down my trembling arms. I thought I was hallucinating, but when he laid a kiss on my neck, the touch felt familiar. I could even smell that spicy cologne which could have only belonged to one man. My mind played tricks on me. I was sure of it. “L-Lorenzo,” I uttered his name, searching for reassurance while fighting to suppress the awareness that something was very wrong.
“No, tesoro,” the deep voice that I finally recognized whispered in my ear. “Not Lorenzo.”
Completely terrified, I wheeled around in slow motion and stumbled away on the verge of despair. “A-Alessandro!” I faltered as blood drained from my face, leaving me cold and pale.
My husband switched on the light and strode over to me in three swift steps.
I couldn't make myself realize that he was truly there, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans that hung around his waist. His eyes wouldn't look away from mine, and I fell into a full-on panic attack. Staring at the face of the man I was sure would be my executioner in a matter of moments, I gasped for air that wouldn't travel to my lungs. On the other hand, Alessandro was completely calm and collected. My