Thin Lies (Donati Bloodlines #1) (19 page)

“Stand.”

It
was the only thing Emma heard before the sound of a door opening somewhere
behind her echoed in the darkness. She had been blindfolded when the red lights
stopped blinking, directed out of the circular room, and put in another where
she was made to sit again and wait.

At
some point, Emma had gone numb.

Maybe
it was when the man speaking into the speaker had announced the bids had
crossed the million-dollar threshold. Maybe it was when he said it crossed the
two million mark.

Emma
didn’t know.

But
she couldn’t feel the tips of her fingers, anymore. Her mouth was flooded with
the metallic taste of blood, as she couldn’t stop biting her cheeks and tongue
long enough for the bleeding to quit. Her fingernails had cut into her palms.

She
still couldn’t feel a thing.

She
still couldn’t breathe.

Emma’s
eyes stung from holding back tears and her throat was raw from keeping the
panic at bay. Someone had purchased her like a piece of meat at the market less
than thirty minutes before. She was someone’s something, now.

Well
done
,
the old woman had said afterward.

Like
she should be proud.

Like
it was
good
.

Who
were these people?

Uncertain
of her fate, Emma stood like she had been told. Being blindfolded left her
shaky and unsure of her position in the room as squeaks and soft murmurs echoed
around her. She couldn’t discern enough about the voices, but something was
familiar.

Cologne.

Woodsy,
deep, and warm.

A
man.

Emma
knew that smell. She was sure she did.

“Tradition
for the new clients,” a man said, the one from earlier who had taunted her
about the bidding war. “Other bidders almost enjoy seeing a taste of what they
lost out on. She didn’t quite break the record, but she came pretty damn close
at the two-point-two mark. Another two hundred, and she would have.

“Congratulations.
Remember the remarks in her information, she needs to be out of the state by
morning.”

Emma
shuddered, and finally, her body began to feel again. Pain constricted her
chest, squeezing tight and making her ache. Her palms stung and her eyes
watered. Nausea caused her to sway on the spot. A hand grazing her shoulder
with the softest touch grounded her to the floor instantly.

Not
a second later, a door closed.

The
scent of the man surrounded Emma, making her feel strangely comforted and maybe
even safe. She wasn’t sure why, but his gentle touch on her skin and the smell
of his cologne was familiar enough to lull her out of her panic.

“Tradition,
he said.”

Emma
stilled.

No
way.

It
wasn’t possible.

“Control
your face, Emmy,” came the dark, calm murmur along the shell of her ear. “You
wear those emotions on your sleeve, remember?”

Calisto
.

Emma’s
heart might as well have jumped from her chest. More than anything, she wanted
to reach out to find Calisto, grab him tight, and not let go until she was far
away from this place and these horrible people.

She
tampered the need down.

Calisto’s
next words helped a little. “People are watching, so be mindful and follow
directions. Seems this room looks a lot like the last room you were in with
mirrors for windows.”

Tradition
.

What
did that mean?

What
did the people want to see?

“Okay,”
Emma breathed, barely letting her lips move at all.

“You
scared the hell out of me.”

“Sorry.”

“I’m
sure you are, now. Had you not gotten mixed up in this mess, I doubt you would
be saying the same thing.”

Emma
didn’t know about that. She’d made a rash decision, hoping to get out of a
marriage, and look at how she ended up.

Not
much better.

She
felt the softness of Calisto’s suit jacket as he moved around her slowly. The
tip of his finger stayed pressed on her skin and dragged over her shoulder,
across her collarbones, and up her neck to her chin.

At
her mouth, he swept the pad of his finger over her parted lips.

“I
never told you this, but I like your mouth the best,” Calisto murmured.

Emma
shivered, unable to stop the reaction. It was entirely inappropriate, and not
the right time, but her body heated at the sound of sex in his tone.

“I
like your mouth the best because your top lip is just a little too big for your
bottom lip, and your teeth peek out, even when you’re not smiling. It makes
your mouth look ready and open to be filled by something—a cock, preferably.”

She
sucked in a sharp breath when his finger ghosted back down her neck, between
the valley of her breasts, covered by the white chemise, and stopped below her
bellybutton.

“I’ve
been told they can’t hear what we say in here, but for safety’s sake, I will
keep my voice down until they’re satisfied.” Calisto sighed deeply and she felt
his finger skim under the hem of the chemise. He continued his slow trek around
her still body, lifting the bottom of the chemise and letting it fall across
her skin as he went. Oddly, her skin was sensitive enough for the soft fabric
to feel like it was caressing her. “I was pissed off at you for running—for
fucking this up for me. My life for yours, Emma. That’s what would have
happened if I had to go back to New York without you. So yeah, I was pissed.”

“And
then?”

Her
question came out breathy.

She
didn’t understand why.

Pressing
her legs together in an attempt to soothe the ache between her thighs, Emma
tried to figure out a way to calm down. She shouldn’t be turned on right now.
Not knowing what she did and being where she was.

“And
then I was scared,” Calisto admitted so quietly she strained to hear. “But
there was a reason Affonso decided to let me watch you, and my ability to find people—should
the need arise—was at the top of his list. Seems it came in handy, after all.”

She
felt three of his fingers ghost along the swell of her ass.

Emma’s
entire body lit up under the touch.

She
wanted to see him; see his eyes, his face, and what he was doing. She didn’t
like the darkness, or the fear still edging around her senses.

“What
are you doing?” she asked.

“Touching
you. They want to see something, Emmy,” Calisto told her. “Something to make
their loss of cash in the bidding war worth their time and effort. I don’t want
them to see a fucking thing—I don’t even want Affonso to see a goddamn single
inch of you, but I don’t have a choice. You don’t know this, but I’m a
monster.”

“You’re
not.”

“I
am, but I’m not so much of a monster that I would force you into doing
something that you don’t want. I won’t take anything from you, but I have to
make it believable. I’ll keep the blindfold on. All you have to do is feel,
dolcezza
.”

Emma
wondered what he meant, but not for long.

“Wider,”
Calisto demanded. “Open up for me. Show me what I bought.”

His
palm snapped against her thigh. The sting heated up her skin, shocked her
still, and made her pussy clench all at the same time.

What
was wrong with her?

“Emma,”
he said lower, “do not make me take it from you, please.”

She
widened her legs, still shaky and confused. “I want to leave.”

Calisto
was there.

He
found her; saved her.

Somehow
.

Why
couldn’t they leave now?

“I
know,” Calisto said, offering nothing more. “Do you know how much you went for
in there?”

“Two
million.”

“Two-point-two.”

He
practically growled the number.

Emma
swallowed hard. “Oh.”

“Straight
out of my offshore bank account, Emmy,” Calisto said.

His
hand landed on her ass with a hard snap. Emma jumped in the heels she wore,
shocked at the pain that seemed to travel straight from her backside to her
sex. She shouldn’t like this, not at all, but she did.

And
she couldn’t deny that she liked Calisto.

Then,
his palm slid down her ass, kneaded the flesh with enough force for it to hurt,
and traveled lower, between her spread legs. His hand cupped her sex through
the lace panties, and Emma held her breath.

“You
can’t even begin to understand the shit I had to go through today to find you.
You
scared
me.”

How
many times had he said that?

She
didn’t have to know what he’d done for her.

His
voice said it all.

“Thank
you,” Emma whispered.

Calisto
let out a quiet hum before his fingers rapped along the seam of her panties.
She felt the light touch everywhere.

Fucking
everywhere
.

“You’re
wet,” he said softly.

Emma
dropped her head, feeling both ashamed and turned on.

“And
hot,” he added deeper.

“I—”

Calisto
stopped her next words by grabbing under her throat. Emma felt him tilt her
head up like he was putting her face on display as his chest molded to her
back. His fingers between her thighs began to stroke without warning, sweeping
back and forth overtop the lace panties, harder with each swipe.

Emma
gasped in a gulp of air, shuddering when Calisto’s fingers rolled against her
clit again and again. It felt so fucking good, and terribly bad at the same
time. She wanted more, but she knew people were watching, and she didn’t want
that at all.

Still,
she rolled her hips into his hand.

Like
a little whore.

She
wanted more.

“Fuck,
feel you,
ragazza
,” Calisto said in her ear. “You want this, huh? And I
don’t even have my fingers buried inside you, yet.”

Jesus.

His
lips brushed her skin, tantalizing and wicked.

Promising.

“Please,”
Emma managed to say.

She
wasn’t sure what she was asking for. More of his fingers, more of his touch.
More of his words, more of his breath against her skin. Maybe for him to stop,
to get her out of there, to make the watching eyes go away.

“I
have thought about touching you since I saw you sitting on that sink in the
restaurant that day,” Calisto told her, his tone husky. “You jumped down, your
dress rode up, and I wondered … And your mouth, of course. I’ve thought about
that. I dreamed about you being on your knees, sucking me so deep into your
throat that your eyes watered and you still wanted more. I’ve thought about a
lot, Emmy.”

Emma
whined, unable to do much else.

“Let
me do what they want,” Calisto said. “Let me do what I fucking want right now,
because I won’t get another chance.”

He
wouldn’t, she realized.

He
saved her.

Calisto
saved her, but he had to take her back. New York was calling her name. An
arranged marriage was waiting for her in just a few days. He saved her, just to
give her away.

Emma
stopped thinking.

She
felt instead.

Three
of Calisto’s fingers slipped under the lace panties, swept along her hot,
sensitive slit, and then plunged inside with a hard, deep thrust. Emma
practically fell into his hand, lost in the sensation of his digits filling
her, stretching her open, and fucking her hard.

Over
and over.

Her
wetness smeared to her inner thighs. She heard the sounds of his fingers
thrusting in, pulling out, and taking her again. She could smell her sex in the
air.

The
chill was gone.

She
was hot all over.

“Just
like I thought,” Calisto said against her neck. “You feel like fucking heaven.”

Emma
opened her mouth to say something—anything—but nothing came out.

Calisto’s
hand on her neck trailed higher until two of his fingers were pressing between
her lips. She sucked his digits in as his fingers fucked her even harder.

She
was going to come.

On
a bidding block.

With
a blindfold on.

In
front of God knew who.

But
Calisto wanted it, he had said so. Emma gave it to him.

Emma

Calisto’s
fingers pulled from Emma’s mouth. The wet digits dragged down over her lips and
chin to her neck, where he grabbed tight. She swallowed against the hold,
feeling her throat constrict from the firmness in his grip.

The
sensations traveling through her nervous system was wicked and sinful, intent
on driving her fucking mad. Calisto didn’t let up in the hard thrusts of his
fingers. When he started curling them on every drive, seeking and searching,
Emma started trembling.

Panting.

Needing

Wanting.

Her
fingers twisted into the sides of her chemise, fisted tight, and she bit down
on her tongue to try and keep her sounds quiet.

It
didn’t work.

“Stop
fighting it,” Calisto said darkly.

Emma
wanted to fight it; she wanted to push aside the desire to come, the want for
her release. Not here. Not with people watching. As much as she loved it, as
much as her body betrayed her, it scared her, too.

But
she still came.

Hard,
fast, squirming in Calisto’s arms, and crying out.

Emma
managed to keep the scream of his name from coming out with the rest of her
wailing, but barely. It stuck in her throat, trying to claw its way out as
bliss and shame warred through the rest of her body.

“There
it is,” she heard Calisto whisper in her ear.

Emma
shuddered all over.

Something
hard and long pressed to Emma’s lower back. The closer Calisto pulled her into
his chest, the harder it seemed to feel.

His
cock.

He
was hard for her, for
this
.

Emma
liked that too much.

His
fingers withdrew from her tender pussy, smearing wetness from her slit and back
over her ass before she felt his hand come to a stop at the small of her back.
It was just the lightest press of his palm on her skin, but it comforted Emma
in a way she hadn’t expected.

“Almost
done,” he said softly.

Emma
didn’t understand what else there was to do. Her mind wouldn’t slow enough to
let her think, and already, she wanted more. She shouldn’t want anything from
Calisto at all.

Calisto’s
hand slid around her hip, down to her thigh, and then he grabbed a handful of
the chemise. Still unable to see because of the blindfold, Emma went off the
feeling of Calisto’s touch to know what he was doing or what he might want from
her.

He
lifted the chemise, she felt his lips curve into a smirk at her neck, and his
fingers drive down her stomach and under the panties again.

Emma
jerked with a whimper the second his fingers came in contact with her hot,
sensitive clit. Then, his hand was gone from her panties and she only had a
second to think before the blindfold was taken off her face, allowing her to
see.

Calisto
spun Emma fast on the spot, nearly making her stumble in the white heels she
wore. She barely had time to take in the room around them, but it looked
similar to the one she had been in for the bidding with glass mirrors, white
walls, a lot of lights, and a high ceiling.

Wide-eyed,
Emma stared up at Calisto. He wore a black mask that covered half of his face,
but it was him. He was fucking unmistakable to her. Especially his soul-black
eyes.

What
now?

Calisto’s
eyes had turned from their usual hardness, to a softer glimmer as he looked her
over. His hand came up to graze her cheek with a light caress. It was brief,
barely there, and then it was gone.

But
she had felt it.

The
coldness was back. His soft touch turned into a stinging burn when he fisted
her hair and yanked downward. Sucking in a hiss of air, Emma dropped to her
knees instinctively. It put her eye-level with his groin. She could plainly see
the length of his rock-hard erection straining against the zipper of his dress
pants. Strangely, her fingers twitched with the desire to reach out and feel
his cock.

Emma
had to get away from that thought, and fast.

She
wondered where his suit jacket had gone to, as he only wore a dark-red, silk
shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Emma’s stare drifted down the
length of Calisto’s arms, following the roped lines of his forearms and the
definition of his muscles. At his hands, her lips fell slack at the thought of
him fucking her pussy deep while he stuffed her mouth full with his other
fingers.

Needing
something else to focus on instead of the way her pussy throbbed and her
arousal soaked her panties, Emma focused on the ruby ring Calisto wore on his
pinky. The golden band glinted under the bright lights. It was the first time
she had ever noticed the piece. It fit his hand perfectly without seeming out
of place.

Where
had he gotten it from?

“I
should make you service me while you’re down there,” Calisto said.

Emma
blinked, her head snapping up fast. “W-what?”

He
wouldn’t.

Would
he?

“Unfortunately,
I don’t have the urge to watch you swallow a load of my come just yet,” he
added with a smirk.

Jesus.

Just
yet
,
he said.

Emma
didn’t miss how he phrased that at all.

“Now
be a good girl, and keep quiet,” Calisto said.

Before
she could even agree, Calisto grabbed for what looked like a white, material
bag hanging out of his pocket. He let go of her hair a second before the hood
was shoved down over her head.

Emma’s
immediate reaction was to scream, but it only came out as a yelp. Panicked, she
threw her hands out to find something and keep her steady, but she only came up
with air. She could breathe through the soft mesh of the hood covering her
head, but she couldn’t see.

“Get
up,” she heard Calisto say.

Emma
didn’t move fast enough, because the hood suddenly tightened around her throat,
cutting off her air.

“Up,
I said.”

She
scrambled to her feet, dazed and unsure. Why did he do that? What was his
fucking game now?

“Well
done,” a new voice said. “She’s quite a prize. I’m sure you’ll have all the fun
in the world training her properly.”

“That
is my hope,” Calisto intoned dully. “Where is my jacket?”

“Right
here.”

Emma
jumped when something covered her shoulders. She suspected it was Calisto’s
jacket. A hand landed to Emma’s lower back and pushed gently, moving her
forward. The touch was familiar enough for her to recognize it as Calisto, so
she followed his unspoken directions.

Almost
done
,
he had said before.

She
was almost out of there.

“Keep
her covered, and you will keep her confused enough to frighten her,” the man
said.

“Compliant
is better,” Calisto murmured.

“That,
too.”

Emma
continued walking, wondering where in the hell they were going to. Soft murmurs
echoed all around—from a dozen different people. High tenors, like those of
women, and deeper ones, like those of men.

She
could also hear sobbing.

Gentle,
breathless sobs.

Emma’s
heart ached.

It
was the first time since she had been brought in the place—whatever in the hell
it was—that she realized that it was a very good possibility there were other
women being auctioned off besides her.

Of
course, there were others.

Her
stomach rolled.

She
had help.

They
didn’t.

How
awful did it make her that all she wanted to do was just leave?

“Everything
is settled, then?” Calisto asked from behind Emma.

“The
payment has been received. You are free to go. Your car …?”

“Parked
along the back of the warehouse.”

“Good,
good,” the man said. “We have control over the area during auctions, so you are
safe to take her out in the open. If you’re concerned about her fighting, we
have—”

“I’m
not concerned,” Calisto interjected quickly. “I do need to get going, however.”

“We
hope to see you again.”

“Maybe.”

Emma
shivered at Calisto’s agreement. Would he seriously come back to do this again?
To buy a slave?

She
didn’t get to think on it for long. She was pushed along again, and the murmurs
drifted away the longer she walked until it was just the sounds of footsteps
surrounding her.

Only
two sets.

Hers.

Calisto’s.

Emma
started to breathe again.

“Like
hell,” she heard Calisto mutter. “Come back. Right. Christ.”

His
hand moved from her lower back to her wrist. He held her with a gentle grasp,
not too tight or too loose. It was just enough to keep her grounded, to make
her feel …  

Safe.

“You
okay, Emmy?” he asked.

Emma
shook her head under the bag.

No,
she was not okay.

She
was simply holding it together.

Calisto
sighed.

“I’m
sorry,
ragazza
.”

“I
ran away,” she whispered. “It was my fault.”

“It
was not.”

“Wasn’t
it?”

She
felt Calisto’s fingers sweep over her skin with tender swipes, almost like he
was reassuring her that everything would be fine.

“It’s
almost over,” he finally said.

Emma
disagreed.

Feeling
him touch her, hearing the concern echo in his voice, and then feeling the
light press of his lips to the side of her head … Her heart was hurting for a
whole new reason. The very same reason why her mind was confused, why her body
hummed with satisfaction and pain, and why her tears finally began to fall.

No,
she disagreed entirely.

Her
hell had just begun.

“Wait
a second,” Calisto said. “Just be still. I have to move something.”

Emma
tried to pull the hood off her head, only to have her arm yanked back down.

“No.”

Anxiety
thrummed deep in Emma’s blood.

“I
want to see,” she said. “I feel like I can’t fucking breathe under here.”

“You
can. They’re made for this. I need you to keep it on for a while longer. At
least for one drive until I can switch vehicles.”

Emma
frowned. “Calisto—”

“Emma,
my God. For once, can you fucking listen to me? Just this once. It is for your
own good.”

She
didn’t respond.

Her
irritation bubbled.

Emma
heard the sound of a car unlocking and a door being opened. Calisto grunted
something under his breath, followed by a cuss. Then, he was back at her side,
and holding her wrist again.