Matteo (Dark Erotic Mob Romance) (Rossi Family Book 1) (12 page)

A few weeks passed and with each day I managed to get a bit faster with a little more time to spend on the garden. Once a week, I’d be gifted with a couple new magazines. All of them were about gardening, and I cherished each and every one of them.

My hands never stopped hurting, but like everything else, I grew used to it and learned how to accomplish everything I wanted to.

The garden was starting to look as beautiful as I once remembered, and I felt like I wasn’t a complete imbecile fumbling around when I spent time on my knees in the beautiful, hot sun.

I was returning from my gardening when Aida stopped me.

“You need to wash up and get changed into a clean dress,” she told me.

“I’m sorry?” I asked. She hadn’t spoken to me since the night she’d given her advice. I’d spotted her numerous times looking like she was in pain or ill, but never asked about it.

“Hurry. I need you to get presentable and serve dinner tonight for the guests. I’ve made everything. All you have to do is take it out to them,” she said, collapsing into a chair I hadn’t noticed had been pulled into the kitchen.

“Yes, ma’am,” I sputtered before walking quickly to my room. I washed in the sink as much as I could and pulled on a nicer dress than the ones I wore for cleaning. I eyed the fancier dresses I’d never gotten to wear that still hung there. They wouldn’t be fitting for the staff to wear, so I went with one of the plain but dressy ones with a pair of flats.

“Here. Gently place a plate in front of each guest. Do not speak. Do not look at anyone. Simply drop them off and get back in here as quickly as possible,” Aida said, thrusting two plates in my direction.

I didn’t understand why she didn’t do it herself like she normally did, but I wasn’t going to question it. I gathered two plates and went to the dining room. There were at least a dozen people gathered around the table, so it would take a few trips to get all the plates out. After setting down the first two, I quickly returned and dropped off the next few. By the time I was halfway done, I heard murmurs from some of the guests.

“I knew she looked familiar. She was the woman Matteo brought to dinner the one night,” the woman said followed up by a snicker. “And now she’s the help. Poor little thing. Thought she could hang with the big girls.”

“She must have done something right to snag Matteo even for a night,” another woman added.

“Probably lied about who she was or maybe she just gave a good blowjob,” the first woman scoffed.

I ducked my head, embarrassed that no matter what they said, I was worse than they could think. I wasn’t hired help. I wasn’t even in his bed because I wasn’t good at anything sexual. When I returned with more plates, I tried to ignore their voices.

“Wonder how Monique feels about having her around,” said a new woman, joining the conversation.

“She has him under her thumb. He’s not sleeping around with the help,” the apparent leader answered.

“Oh, please, all the men have a mistress along with a wife around here,” one of the other women said.

“They aren’t married yet,” Allegra added loudly. I hadn’t realized she was there, not that it mattered. It did embarrass me that the only person I’d met that I thought could’ve possibly been a friend saw me as the help, though.

“They will be soon enough.”

That’s when it hit me. Matteo and this Monique woman were engaged. My vision grew fuzzy as I returned to the kitchen. I don’t know how I managed to make it through the rest of the dishes, but I did and collapsed back against the counter when I was done.

“Help me get the next dish ready,” Aida demanded as she struggled to stand up from the chair.

I did as asked. She had a hard enough time standing that I figured she’d made me serve because she couldn’t have walked around that much.

She dished up one plate and then sat back down expecting me to do the rest based on the one she’d made.

While I could clean any part of the house with my eyes partially closed, I had never worked in a kitchen, and it took me a long time to get them all even remotely close to the one she’d made.

She huffed in disgust when she looked over the plates.

“It’ll have to do.” She waved me off to get the dirty plates and then deliver the next course of the meal. Thankfully, the conversation had turned to another topic and I made it around the room without feeling faint, like the rug had been yanked out from under me.

In fact, it wasn’t until I was in my bed later that night, after serving all five courses and putting what dishes I could in the dishwasher and hand washing the rest, that I finally thought about what I’d heard. It explained why I was no longer in his bed. He had replaced me with a brighter, shinier model.

I’d caught numerous glances of the woman who sat next to him during the meal. She’d made sure to keep her left hand on the table, where the massive rock on her finger glinted in the light, catching my eye every time I walked passed.

She fit in his life much better than I ever would. It shouldn’t have been shocking. He’d said he needed a date because he was being pressured by his father. Did I expect him to stay single or marry me to get out from peering eyes? Not likely.

I couldn’t help but wonder if his father touched Monique the way he’d touched me. From what I’d seen of her interacting with the other guests, I doubted it. She wouldn’t even let Matteo touch her without making a face and moving his hand. Not that he did it often. I’d only spotted him touch her hand twice, and she’d pulled away like she was disgusted.

None of it made any sense to me. Was he really keeping me around as a maid? Why was he marrying someone who didn’t even appear to like him? Was she another ploy to escape his father?

In the end, it didn’t matter. I would do what I was told and that was all, because that’s what I was trained to do… or else.

The morning after the dinner, Aida wasn’t in the kitchen, but Matteo was.

“Gia. Come,” he said, holding out a hand.

I walked up to him, but stayed far enough back to not crowd him.

“Take my hand.” He moved the hand he was holding out up and down impatiently.

I placed mine on top of his, unsure of what to expect.

He pulled my hand closer to him, and I had to shuffle closer. After a moment of staring at my hand, he looked at my face.

“Why didn’t you tell me your hands were so messed up?” he asked.

I swallowed and shook my head. I didn’t know how to answer.

He sighed loudly.

“These have to be fixed. It explains a lot,” he said.

“About what, sir?” I couldn’t help but ask what he’d seemed to figure out.

“Why you are slow to complete your chores. Why you use a shovel to pull weeds instead of your hands…” He trailed off. “Just a lot. Skip your chores and return to your room. I have some calls to make.”

“Yes, sir,” I said.

He didn’t release my hand for a long moment though. When he did, I walked calmly from the kitchen.

Chapter Twelve

If I’d been confused the night before, I was really baffled after what he’d said. Did he really think I would bring up something like damage left behind from what he’d done to me? How did he know I didn’t have the strength in my hands to pull the weeds out, at least not the bigger ones that had stable roots.

He had to have been watching me when I was in the garden. The thought made me smile. Somewhere deep inside he had to care for me a little bit.

Did he really care about my messed up fingers? I still completed what he asked me to so it didn’t make sense that he’d care they were mangled and unsightly… but he did.

I was sitting in my chair, looking at the garden when my door opened a while later. Standing, I turned to face Matteo before dropping to my knees, hands at my lower back.

“I have spoken to a doctor about your hands. You will be going in for a procedure tomorrow to fix them so be ready at five AM sharp by the front door,” he said from the doorway.

“Yes, Matteo,” I said, keeping my head down.

He stood there for a moment before stepping into the room and closing the door softly.

“Over the bed,” he breathed out.

I stood and bent over the mattress without hesitation.

“Lift your dress up. Bunch it around your waist.”

I did so, and he groaned quietly.

“No panties?” he asked.

“I haven’t gotten used to wearing them again,” I answered, voice muffled from my face against the bedding.

“Play with your pussy. Tease your clit,” he said as if I hadn’t spoken.

I pushed a hand down between my thighs to slide a finger over my slit. I squirmed awkwardly. While he’d played with me before, I had never touched myself. Never in a sexual way. Closing my eyes, I tried to remember the way he’d done it.

The tips of my fingers teased my hair-covered lips, tickling them. Pushing one between them, I found the nub that made me instantly arch my back and push my body against my hand. Again and again, I bumped against the bud as it grew firmer, pulsing under my touch. Once I felt pleasure starting to gather, I moved further back to push my middle two fingers into my wet opening.

A strangled moan left my lips, swallowed by the blankets still against my face. Sliding them in and out slowly, I brought my other hand between my body and the mattress to flick against the hard bump of pleasure at the front of my slit.

It didn’t feel nearly as good as it did when Matteo touched me, but knowing his eyes were on me while I did such a forbidden and naughty act turned me on enough to move faster and more surely than I would have alone.

“Faster,” Matteo demanded as he stepped close enough for me to feel his body heat radiating against my thighs. His hands rested gently on my hips.

The burning heat of his touch coupled with the movement of my own fingers amped the pleasure higher.

My fingers moved faster simply from his word, and I couldn’t help but move my hips in tandem with each stroke, forcing them deeper and harder.

“God,
bella,
tell me how it feels. Does it feel good? Your hot, wet, beautiful little pussy. Are you imagining it’s me touching you? My fat, hard cock stretching you open? I remember just how amazing you felt wrapped around me, sucking me in, begging me to give it more,” Matteo said as his hands smoothed over my ass and pulled my cheeks apart. His hot breath gushed against the dampness seeping from me, telling me just how close he was. He must have kneeled behind me to get his face that close, but I couldn’t concentrate enough to care.

My body tensed just before pleasure erupted through me and I cried out, lifting my face from the bed. I jerked again when I felt Matteo’s hot mouth against my fingers and opening, lapping up my release.

Stepping back from me, he yanked me up from the bed by my hair before spinning me. His mouth lowered to mine, his tongue forcing its way into my mouth.

I dropped my hands to my sides, since I doubted he’d be okay with me touching him. Maybe he wouldn’t mind. I didn’t know, but I didn’t want to do anything to stop the kiss. Having his taste on my lips, him touching me again, it was heaven. He wasn’t hurting me. He was being gentle with me, holding me close to his hard chest.

I’d missed his scent, his feel… his everything.

Suddenly though, he stepped back and glared at me.

“
Tentatrice
,” he whispered harshly as he swiped a hand over his mouth and stomped out of the room, slamming the door.

Temptress
. He’d called
me
a temptress. I hadn’t meant to tempt him.
He
had come on to
me
.

I went through the time he’d been in my room over and over for the rest of the day and well into the night. No matter how much I thought about it, I still couldn’t make sense of how he came to believe I’d been at fault for him kissing me.

When I glanced at the clock, I saw it was close enough to the time for me to meet him that it was pointless to continue trying to sleep, so I began getting ready. I’d never met a doctor, not in their official capacity anyway. The idea of having to go out of the house and be exposed to someone who might get me into trouble or expose Matteo’s secrets scared me. I wanted to beg for him to leave my hands as they were, that I could manage, but I knew better than to go against his wishes. If he wanted to take me to a doctor, then I would go.

Once I was dressed in one of the nicer dresses he’d bought me, I put on a pair of heels and practiced walking around the room for a few minutes until I felt I could make it down the hall and stairs without making a fool of myself. When I reached the door, he wasn’t there, so I waited, hands behind my back, head down.

I didn’t think I’d been that early, but it was a long time before he finally joined me.

Roughly grabbing my arm, he turned me toward the door before leading me to the waiting car.

It was a struggle to keep up with him, but I was able to not fall at least.

He forced me into the car, then sat beside me while the driver rushed around to take up the front seat. Without a word, he pulled out of the driveway. Matteo spoke to him in Italian. The driver nodded and the car sped up so I assumed we were running late. At least it wasn’t my fault. I didn’t think so, anyway, as I’d been waiting on him.

I stared at my lap for the entire drive while Matteo spoke on his phone or used his thumbs on the screen.

Finally, the car pulled to a stop and the door opened to expose a white, clinical-looking building. Matteo surprised me by offering a hand to help me out of the car. With an arm around my waist, he ushered me in through a wide glass door.

A small room filled with chairs was waiting for us on the other side, but he moved straight to a woman sitting behind a desk and spoke with her in a quiet tone.

Upon hearing his name, she jumped up from her seat and opened one of the two doors and Matteo had me follow her.

“In here. The doctor will be right with you,” the woman said before quickly disappearing again, shutting us into the small room.

“Sit on the table,” Matteo instructed me before he sat in a chair with his back as straight as could be. He hadn’t looked at me once since we’d entered the car, and I wanted to ask if I’d done something to upset him.

However, I didn’t, since it was probably about the night before, and I didn’t want to talk about what had happened either because it would likely lead to a punishment I wasn’t ready to endure.

A man in a white coat entered the room shortly after.

“Okay, let’s see these hands Mr. Rossi told me about,” the man said, skipping all pleasantries as he sat on a stool, then wheeled over so he could examine my hands closely. “Must have been quite the fall and you must have quite the pain tolerance to not have complained about these before. The damage is quite extensive and will be difficult to repair after so long.”

“Can it be done, though?” Matteo stood and glowered at the man.

“Y…yes, it can. It takes some time to recover from as well, and she’ll need to take care of them until they are fully healed.” The doctor glanced from Matteo to me, but settled on focusing on Matteo since it was obvious he was the one in charge.

“When can you get her in for the surgery?” Matteo asked, pulling out his phone. When the doctor didn’t immediately answer, Matteo looked up and lifted an eyebrow like he expected the doctor to have his schedule memorized.

“I, uh, I’ll have to check with my secretary. Please give me just a moment,” the doctor said, rushing out the door. He was back after a moment. “We can do it this afternoon. I have moved around some of my patients to make room for her.”

“Excellent. We will see you this afternoon.” Matteo shook the man’s hand, and I saw the subtle exchange of a white envelope into the doctor’s palm. “Thank you, doctor. We will set everything up with your secretary.”

The man nodded and tucked the envelope away as discreetly as he could. In the waiting room, Matteo told me to get in the car and he’d join me in a moment. I did as I was told, scooting over to the far side of the seat. When he joined me, he patted my knee softly, but it was the only attention he gave me through the rest of the ride.

By the time we returned home, it was just after eight. Matteo told me what time to meet him in the afternoon, then left me alone in the hallway.

I debated going up to my room, but instead headed to the kitchen for some food.

Aida looked up when I entered.

“Getting surgery, eh?” she asked.

“I think so. They didn’t really say exactly what was going to happen,” I admitted.

“Well, I suggest you stay in your room, as Monique is in a mood because Matteo didn’t ask her opinion on the matter,” Aida said, then flapped a hand to tell me to leave the kitchen.

I grabbed a handful of fruit and followed her advice. The free time was nice, so I could read through the magazines about gardening again. It seemed no matter how many times I read them I’d find something new. Before I knew it, it was time to go.

Sitting in the car again with Matteo, I was on edge. I didn’t know what was going to happen or why he was forcing me to go through with it in the first place. He didn’t even seem to know I was in the car with him, so the fact that he was taking the time out of his day to escort me to and from the doctor seemed strange.

The car didn’t pull up to the same building as it had in the morning. Instead it was a massive building that had to have been a hospital. Everything seemed hazy as Matteo handled all the details, and soon I was in a room where a nice woman told me to strip down and put on the gown they provided.

She looked at Matteo as if expecting him to give me privacy to change, but he pushed the door shut in her face.

“Put the gown on,” he told me, leaning back against the door with his arms across his chest.

I swallowed and nodded. Unzipping my dress, I shrugged it off my shoulders before folding it and setting it on a chair. Next I lost my bra and panties, then finally my heels. I stood there naked in front of him, reaching for the faded cotton gown. Even though my eyes were down, I could feel him looking at me. The heat of them burned me and turned me on in the most inappropriate moment.

Once the gown was on, I sat on the edge of the bed with my hands folded on my lap.

He opened the door and allowed the nurse to enter again so she could put in an IV and other various things to prep me for the procedure.

“We are going to start with a medication that will make you feel a bit loopy and sleepy, and then once we get you in the room, we will knock you out completely for the operation,” she informed me as she pushed a vial of something into the tubing of my IV. “Relax and I’ll be back in just a few moments to take you in.”

I scooted back and lay on the bed on wheels I was sure would be my mode of transport to the operating room. The medicine kicked in quickly; she’d described it. I felt like I was floating in a light, fluffy cloud where nothing could touch me.

Even in my cloud of blissful nothingness, I swore I felt Matteo sit next to me on the bed. His fingers swept over my cheek to slip along my lips. The words he spoke were just as muffled as the touch I swore I felt.

“My
bella
. I’m so sorry you have to live with a monster like me. I will fix you and make you as beautiful as you once were. Repair the last of the damage done that horrible night. I wish I could tell you that it wasn’t just you who suffered that night, but me too. There are too many secrets and problems in my life for you to ever be what I wish you could be. All I can do now is try to keep you as happy as I can and hope that it makes up for all the horrible things I’ve done to you and still want to do to you,” Matteo’s voice floated in a bubble in front of me like it was a cartoon and written out.

Reaching out, my finger hit the bubble of his speech and popped it; it vanished.
How very strange
, I thought.
Had he really said that?