Matteo (Dark Erotic Mob Romance) (Rossi Family Book 1) (8 page)

When the door finally opened, I was so weak that I barely managed to get off my cot and onto my knees before Matteo walked across the room.

“I see your time down here is starting to get to you,” Matteo stated as he set down a bowl of soup and a small cup of water within in my reach. “Drink it slowly.”

“Yes, sir.” I picked up the water first, eager to quench the horrible thirst clawing at my mouth and throat. Following his directions, I only took a few small mouthfuls before setting it down. I did the same for the soup before also putting it aside and resuming my position in front of him without finishing either.

If he was going to leave me down there again for a long period of time, I wanted to savor the food and water for longer than I had the first time.

“Tell me,
bella
, why are you down here?” Matteo asked, crouching down in front of me as he hooked a finger under my chin.

My eyes met his and without hesitation I answered.

“Because I could not follow the directions my master gave me. Not just once but numerous times. I have been a bad slave that deserves punishment until Master deems me fit to be in his presence again. Until then I shall be locked away from anyone that I might embarrass my master to.” The words rolled off my tongue without thought. I’d spent much of my time thinking about why I was being punished and how I could avoid it in the future.

As angry as I had been when he’d first put me in the basement, I came to terms with the fact that I had indeed not been trained to be the slave he wanted and I had much to learn to fit into his life the way he wanted me to. He’d treated me well upon my arrival and it was only my fault that I’d been taken from the large, comfort-filled room that I was free in. I had to earn that room back by showing I understood how lucky I was to have it.

“Very good,
bella
. You will endure one final punishment and then, if you behave you will be allowed to return to your room. Would you like that?” Matteo pushed to his feet as he asked the question. Not waiting for me to answer, he pulled something from his pocket and held it close to his dress pants so I couldn’t see it with my eyes down.

“Yes, sir, very much so,” I said, nodding for emphasis.

“Then get on the bed on your back,” he instructed.

I moved the heavy chains with me as I climbed back on the rickety cot.

“Arms up. Hold on to the top of the bed. Bite down on this so you don’t hurt your mouth.” He held out a piece of leather that appeared to have been rolled lengthwise. Once I opened my mouth, he placed it between my teeth, and I bit down lightly to hold it in place. Stepping back from me, he pulled a rod of some type from his jacket and plugged the attached cord into the wall before moving to my side again. “I won’t lie,
bella
. This is going to hurt.
Bad
.”

Just hearing him warn me about the pain made the anxiety I’d already been feeling shoot through the roof. My body trembled uncontrollably even though I silently begged it to hold still.

My eyes were drawn to the end of the rod in his hand as it turned from black to bright red, then even brighter. I could feel the heat radiating off it even though it wasn’t close to me…yet.

Matteo slid a finger down my cheek, bringing my eyes to his seconds before he pressed the tip to one of my hips.

Pain ricocheted through my body as the smell hit my nose and made me gag. My teeth dug deep into the leather band as I fought to keep from moving. Time slowed, and I felt my vision fading as I fought to breathe through the agony.

Finally, he removed it and it felt like the skin was yanked from my hip as he did it.

“Only one more to go,” he said while somehow changing the end of the mechanism that had caused the most pain I’d ever felt. Even the wand he’d used the last time didn’t compare.

My breath rushed through me as I felt panic overwhelming me that I would have to endure the same torture once more. The first time had been bad enough. Before I could prepare myself or catch my breath, he was pressing the hot end against my opposite hip.

Even knowing it was coming, I couldn’t fight the tears running down my cheeks as I bit so hard on the leather I feared I’d bite through it and crack my teeth. However, the pain was all-encompassing and every thought left my head. My vision once again dimmed around the edges before going completely black as I passed out.

When I came to, I found that I was no longer in the basement on the hard cot, but back in my room upstairs. The soft bed I had started to become accustomed to before my basement punishment felt wonderful against my weary body. I didn’t know how I’d been moved from the basement to the room, but it didn’t matter. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to avoid the basement again. The hunger, the silence, the pain I’d experienced while down there was enough to make me do anything Matteo asked of me. Not that I wouldn’t have before, but there was a much clearer understanding of why and how much I wanted to avoid upsetting him.

A single knock on the door had me pushing up to my elbows, and the movement caused pure agony to shoot through my abdomen.

“Ah, she finally awakens,” Aida grumbled as she entered the room, kicking the door shut behind her. She held a tray in her hands that she set on the empty side of the bed before moving around to the side I lay on, breathing hard. “I see you are still suffering from your branding. Serves you right for upsetting Matteo after everything he’s done for you, you ungrateful girl.”

I couldn’t think of a polite response, so I didn’t say anything.

“I brought you some food. Eat it slowly and only little bits at a time or you’ll just make yourself sick after the time you spent without anything. Now come, we must clean the burns and keep them clean so they don’t get infected.” Aida turned toward the bathroom and left me to get up on my own.

Normally, I had no problem, but it was much harder since I tried to keep from using my stomach muscles as much as possible. When I finally made it to my feet, Aida stood in the doorway glaring at me.

“Hurry up, lazy girl. I have other things to do than care for you,” she huffed letting me know just how happy she was to be helping me out.

In the bathroom, she had set up the supplies she needed. I tried to peek at myself in the mirror, but she tugged on my arm impatiently and went about yanking off the gauze that had been taped over each hip.

I bit down on my bottom lip to keep the yelp of surprise from escaping.
Thanks for the warning!

With brisk efficiency, she cleaned the wounds with a rag, then ointment, followed by clean gauze.

“There. Now eat and get yourself cleaned up. Matteo will be around sometime today to check on you so don’t bother dressing,” she stated before exiting the room.

My hips hurt more than they had when I’d first moved. She’d not been gentle at all with the sore, bright red scar tissue. I hadn’t been able to make out what he’d ‘branded’ me with as she said, but I knew I would in time and didn’t want to risk taking the gauze off. Anything to avoid another
cleaning
like the one she’d just given me.

Slowly I made my way back to the bed and stood on the side near the tray she brought. I ate the fruit off the tray, chewing it slowly, savoring each bite much longer than I normally would have. My body begged me to sit because I was still so weak, but I was putting off having to bend or move in any way that would tug at my abdomen.

After eating the fruit, I decided to skip the rest of the meal and chose to clean myself up. I filled the basin with warm water and used a washcloth I found to clean my arms, chest, and face as well as I could. My hair needed washing, but it would have to wait. Taking a few deep breaths, I fortified myself against the oncoming agony before bending to wash my legs and between them. Lastly, I cleaned my back and bottom as much as I could reach, then drained the water and returned to the room.

I stared out the large window for a few moments before giving into my aching body and crawling back into bed. It was painful, but once I got situated the pain lessened enough that I found myself dozing off.

When I woke, it was dark outside, and I looked around to see what had startled me awake. Matteo was in the doorway staring at me. I wanted to watch him as he walked closer, but knew that even without lights, he might be able to see my eyes, so I lowered them.

I heard him discard his coat, then the slide of his belt through his pants followed by the metallic zing of his zipper being undone.

“On your hands and knees,” he finally spoke.

I rolled over, careful not to knock the tray that still rested next to me on the bed. Pushing up, my stomach screamed out from the stretching, but I was too attuned to what Matteo was doing to think about the pain.

He moved onto the bed behind me, pushing my knees farther apart. A palm slid up my spine until he pushed all my hair over one shoulder. His lips brushed my nape before I felt the familiar glide of his leather belt around my neck.

“Not a word,” he growled before tightening the strap enough I could only manage short, shallow breaths. In one swift move, he filled my dry pussy. “Damn, I love shoving into you when you’re dry. You make me work for every inch. Make me fight my way inside you just the way you make me fight to control you. Just like with everything else when it comes to you, I win every time. My hard cock will fill you, stretch you and make you come because you love the way it feels.”

As much as I was scared of him and the many things he’d done to me, I couldn’t deny that it did feel good when he was inside me. I liked the roughness when he forced himself into me. The way his voice grew raspy as he talked to me when he did it. I loved that I knew I had every ounce of his focus at that moment. It was the only time I knew there was nothing else on his mind, no one else taking his attention from me.

“See? I’m not even all the way in and your pussy is already getting wet for me,” he groaned, thrusting again. “Have you seen your brands yet? My initials. You’ll always be mine now. Nothing can ever change that,
bella
. Marked as mine. Even thinking about them makes my dick so fucking hard.”

I tried to focus on his words, but the lack of oxygen I was able to suck in was starting to make my vision dim. I didn’t want to pass out again, not since it was the first time he’d come to me after finally being released from the dungeon.

“Having a hard time breathing? Good,” he laughed darkly, but the pressure around my neck eased enough for me to draw in a few deep breaths. His hips slapped against mine roughly as he continued moving in and out of me.

I could feel the wonderful gathering of my release coming together low in my stomach. My body clenched; pain from the brands only seemed to make the pleasure more intense as he once again tightened the belt. The lack of oxygen seemed to only increase my swift rise toward orgasm.

A loud groan and Matteo’s fingers digging into my hip pushed me over the cliff.

My body convulsed uncontrollably while I flew higher than ever before. Ecstasy filled me for long minutes as my body continued to shake and clench around Matteo.

Slowly, I started gaining feeling in my body to find that he’d rolled us to our sides. His arm wrapped around my stomach, holding my back to his chest as we both struggled for air.

“Fuck,
bella
. That is why I can’t ever let you go. You are too perfect for me,” Matteo whispered into my hair.

When I slid my hand over his forearm, he jerked and pulled away from me. Without a word, he removed the belt from my neck and redressed before exiting the room.

Falling onto my back, I realized he must have swept the tray from the bed at some point, but I didn’t recall hearing it hit the floor. I’d upset him somehow. It was the only reason I could come up with for his hasty retreat after he’d held me for the first time. Being in his arms had felt wonderful. I wish he touched me like that more often, and maybe if I showed him how good I could be, he would.

I was going to do my best to prove I deserved more soft hugs and no more time in the basement, but it would prove to be harder than I anticipated.

Chapter Eight

It took me over a week to regain my strength. Matteo would often visit me for a short, hard pounding, only to leave without a single word spoken. When I felt strong enough, I knelt in my room waiting for Matteo to visit again.

He opened the door and stopped briefly before closing it behind him.

“Not in the bed,
bella
?” he asked, surprised, since it was the first time I hadn’t been waiting the way he’d told me to.

“Sir, I would like to ask you a question.” I kept my head down and palms together at my lower back. I knew I was likely to get punished for not sticking to protocol, but I figured this was my best shot at getting his attention.

“Go ahead,” he said, stepping closer.

“I’d like to resume my chores, sir. That is, if you’re okay with it. I feel much stronger now and feel that I can be of more service to you by helping keep your house clean for you. Please, sir, let me show you that I can be trusted again. I want to show you that I have learned the errors of my ways,” I said, bowing my head lower. When he didn’t respond for a moment, I slid my hands down in front of me, resting my forehead to the floor.

“You don’t want to go back to the basement? Are you sure you don’t want to play with the Violet Wand again? Maybe you need another brand to help everything really sink in,” he said, spreading his feet shoulder-width apart in front of my hands.

I shivered, but not from the cold of the floor against my forehead.

“No, sir. I would do anything to avoid any of those things again.”

“I’ll consider it. Now bend over the bed for your punishment for not waiting how you are supposed to,” he said in a flat tone.

I scrambled to the bed and put my chest and head on the mattress. The punishment had been expected, but it had been worth being able to voice my desire to try to please him outside of the bedroom again.

He rummaged around in the bathroom for a minute before coming up behind me. He didn’t leave me waiting. A breeze moved over my bottom before a hard, unyielding, round item slammed against me.

I lost count as he repeatedly brought the item in contact with my bottom. Not once did I yelp or cry out, not even when my skin felt like it was on fire or about to split open and bleed from the torture. Tears didn’t escape my eyes. No, I could handle it and would take anything he was willing to give me at that point.

Wood clattered against the ground seconds before I heard the telltale clicking of his zipper being undone.

He rubbed the head of his cock against my opening a few times.

“Yes,
bella
, you like it rough, don’t you? Already so wet for me even though I just spanked you with your own brush. Tell me, do you want me to fill you? Fill you with my come again or come all over your beautiful red ass?” Matteo continued to tease me with his tip, sliding it up and down my crease. He even made sure to bump against my tight bundle of nerves that made me arch my hips toward him, begging for him to stop teasing. “Speak,
bella
. I want to hear your lovely voice telling me all the dirty things you want me to do to you.”

“Yes, Matteo, fill me, come in me, on me. Make me yours,” I groaned when he slipped just the head of his cock into my slick passage. I swallowed hard and tried to pull together all the things I’d heard him murmur to me the numerous times he’d come to me. “Fuck me so hard my raw ass jiggles and bounces against your thighs. I want to feel your balls slap against my clit as you stretch me wide open for that beautiful cock.”

“Fuck. That sweet voice saying such naughty things. I love it. Maybe I’ll have you talk to me more often when I fuck you. Keep talking,
bella
,” Matteo groaned as he slammed all the way into me.

My ass burned from the rough impact of his hips against it, but I smiled at his words.

“Yeah, remind me of the punishment you just gave me. Show me who my master is and how hard I make him,” I said before groaning as I felt my own pleasure growing.

“You are so tight and wet around my dick,
bella
. It feels so good.
My
pussy feels so damn good. My cock is the only one to ever fill it, stretch it, come inside it. Soon you’ll be carrying my child, my offspring.” Matteo carried on, roughly slamming into me.

All the pleasure I’d been feeling fled as his words sank in.
Pregnant?
The thought scared me more than going back to the basement.

With a final roll of his hips, he gripped me tightly as he shot his release deep into me. He held me still as he continued vibrating from his orgasm for long minutes. Pulling out of me, he slapped my sore ass, then stood next to the bed.

“Stay just like that,” he told me before moving to fix his clothing, which he hadn’t bothered with removing. It was rare for him to disrobe since sex was fast and hard, and apparently it wasn’t worth the effort. “Tomorrow morning you will have a list of your chores and you will now be expected to share dinner with me a few nights a week. I will note it on the list, along with what you are expected to wear.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, Matteo,” I said, smiling into the bedding. He’d given me exactly what I wanted and more. I listened to his footsteps as they moved toward the door. They paused on the threshold.

“You do look delicious just like that,
bella.
” He hummed his approval of my ass in the air, probably taking in the clear view of my pussy covered with his come. After another silent moment, he opened the door and closed it quietly behind himself.

I collapsed on the bed and rolled to my back. I still couldn’t get over the idea of being pregnant. I had never once in my life contemplated having a child, nor did I want one. I’d never been around children and didn’t know how to care for one. The few times I’d heard one crying when I’d run errands for Madam, the shrill sounds annoyed me more than anything.

The rest of the night was spent staring at the ceiling, all of what he’d shared with me spinning in my head. If I got pregnant, would I become his wife? Or was I still trying to earn that back?

One step at a time. I was going to be allowed out of my room, and I was going to do the best I could to make sure I didn’t let him down again.

When the light peeked through the curtains, I was up and out of bed in a second. I rushed through my morning shower and stared in the mirror at the pink scars on each of my hips. He’d burned his initials into me, and I lovingly touched them with my fingertips. They were still sore, but it just reminded me of the hard man I was working to win over. It gave me comfort knowing he wouldn’t just throw me away. Not since he’d forever marked me.

Pulling on a simple cotton dress and a pair of panties, I rushed down to the kitchen in my bare feet to find a sheet of paper with my chores on it. Aida was nowhere to be seen and that didn’t bother me at all. She’d not grown nicer to me as I’d hoped. Instead she’d only grown rougher and harsher with each time she had to help me keep my burns cleaned. I’d been thankful when, just the day before, she’d declared I didn’t need to keep them covered anymore, but still had to be careful to keep them clean. I’d picked up enough to be able to do it on my own.

Folding the paper into a small square, I slipped it into the band of my panties so I wouldn’t have to return to the kitchen again. After grabbing an apple from the fridge, I quickly gobbled it down and started on my list.

I didn’t stop until the list was completed, not even for lunch. Aida had even gone out of her way to let me know it was ready, but I refused, saying I wasn’t hungry. She shrugged and left me alone the rest of the day.

My presence wasn’t requested for dinner so I made a sandwich when I was finished cleaning. I scribbled a short note on the chore list stating that everything had been completed before taking my sandwich to my room.

I went through three days the exact same way, except one day I was gifted with more magazines. Matteo had written a note saying they were to help prepare me for the next dinner he deemed me fit for. I was just grateful for something to help pass the small amount of free time I had — well, besides starting out the window. I rose before everyone else, ate as fast as I could, and then cleaned until I completed my chores for the day only to take a sandwich to my room and spend the rest of the evening on my own. I spent a lot of time looking out the window, wishing I had a hobby or something that would help me pass the lonely hours, but I wouldn’t dare push Matteo by asking for more freedom than what I already had.

On the fourth day, I had the shortest list of chores I’d had all week, and when I’d finished, the sun was still up by the time I made it back to my room. I loved looking at the garden and wondered what it would be like to be able to sit in the sun for hours, getting dirty and tending to the plants that provided a lot of the fresh produce the house consumed. It was a massive space that always looked well-tended, but I’d never seen anyone actually caring for it. Occasionally, Aida would go out and retrieve what she needed for a meal from it, but she didn’t strike me as a woman who liked to garden. Or do much of anything, really, except scowl at me between cooking meals and doing dishes.

The door to my room opened unexpectedly, and I spun around to find Matteo standing in the doorway.

I walked swiftly to the bed and slipped out of my dress so I could assume my greeting position for him.

“Hm. Nice,” he hummed with pleasure once I was situated. “Anything in particular you’re looking at out there?”

I fought the urge to look at him.

“I was simply admiring the garden, Matteo,” I answered honestly, figuring there was no harm in it.

“Yes, it is quite lovely. My mother greatly adores taking care of it for me. It was hers when my parents owned this house, and she refuses to let it die while she starts a new one at the house they moved to,” Matteo said as he walked to stare out the window. He’d surprised me with his answer. It was rare that he spoke to me when he came for a visit, but it seemed he was in an unusual mood when he pulled a chair up so he could look at the garden. “Come.”

I stood and hesitantly walked toward him, unsure of what to expect.

He reached out and tugged me into his lap, so I sat across his legs.

When he nuzzled his face into my neck, I moaned softly at the gentle scrape of his facial hair against my skin. I felt heat gather between my thighs as he dropped soft kisses from ear to collarbone and back up.

His fingers tickled up my outer thigh and back until one hand gripped my nape and the other my hip. He tugged me until I was sitting with my back to his chest, his thighs between mine.

I moaned, feeling his hard length press against me while his finger slipped between my legs.

He teased my lower lips, sensually dragging along them from the top to my opening, then back up. A finger pressed between them to circle my clit slowly.

I whimpered and pressed back against him while arching my hips toward his hand. The feel of his fully-clothed body against my bare flesh turned me on in ways I’d never experienced before with him. It made me feel like he was fully concentrated on my pleasure instead of only his.

He buried his nose into my hair and breathed deeply while still teasing me slowly. It was completely different than the hard and fast couplings I was used to.

Something in me told me that he needed me to be there for him in a different way than normally. I reached behind my head to slide my hands around his neck while tilting my head to give him better access to my neck.

He groaned softly against me. While dipping his fingers into me, he licked up the column of my neck. His free hand scraped up my thigh and stomach until he found my breast. Fondling it, he suckled on my skin tenderly before plucking at my nipple. When he released it, he plunged into me again and a soft cry slipped out in reaction.

“Yeah, you like when I fill that pussy,” he whispered in a rough voice against my shoulder.

I was too focused on the feel of him in my body and the pleasure that erupted because of it to respond. As his fingers thrust in and out of me, I couldn’t help but roll my hips to their rhythm.

“Yeah, take what you want from me. Show me how you like it,
bella
,” he moaned as his hips ground against me showing me just how turned on he was as well. He pinched my nipple again as he pushed another finger into me, stretching me. His mouth was still on my neck, leaving wet kisses in a path up and down it, biting softly.

“Oh, Matteo,” I breathed as my orgasm drew close.

“Yes,
bella
, come on my fingers. Let me see how good I make you feel,” he said, moving his fingers faster within me.

I couldn’t hold back anymore when he sucked my sensitive skin into his mouth again at the same time as he twisted a nipple between his fingers. White lights shot through my vision as I squeezed my eyes shut and shivered uncontrollably in his arms. Slowly I returned to my body and realized he hadn’t moved at all in order to relieve himself. I couldn’t accept that.

Standing, I turned so I could sit in his lap and face him.