I bite down on my tongue as I remind myself over and over again that his wife got more enjoyment out of tasting me on her tongue than what she would get for spending her long nights with this fat bastard flopping around on top of her. And no matter what he does to me, he will never be able to take that knowledge away. So who really holds the power here?
Giovanni’s gaze sweeps over me again, inhumane, cruel, and callous, looking at me like an object rather than a human with a heart and soul. “Remove your dress.”
Horror ripples through me, more so than it had last night when his whore of a wife had asked the same thing, but this time, I know better than to refuse an order. The nausea swirls through me as I reluctantly slip the straps of my dress down over my arms and let the flimsy fabric fall to the ground as tears fill my eyes, knowing that every security guard that lines the room is taking me in like a fucking object, like trash they get to walk through and use at their disposal.
Humiliation washes over me as I stand before him, my lacking body showing off my barely-there curves. Giovanni moves in closer, scanning over me from every angle like he was checking the engine on an old, run down car.
My gaze rests on the marble tiles between us until his fingers curve around my chin. He tears it up and forces my stare on his. “You’re the daughter of Maxwell Mariano?” I swallow hard and nod, too afraid to speak up. “He promised a full figure, plump tits, and a nice ass. You’re nothing at all like the photograph he supplied. You’re weak, pathetic. There’s not an attractive feature about you.”
Anger pulses through my veins. “Guess that’s what happens when two vile assholes get together and make a deal. You’re both going to get screwed.”
His hand whips back and slams hard against my face, so damn hard that my whole body spins from the momentum and I crash to the ground. A loud cry tears out of me and Giovanni crouches down. “You and your father will not get away with ripping me off. You’re worthless. You barely scratch the surface off the debt he owes.”
“Take it up with him,” I spit, blood pooling inside my mouth as I yank my dress out from under his expensive leather shoes. “Send the bastard my regards.”
Giovanni stares, fury rippling through his gaze as he slowly stands. A glint of silver catches my eye as he pulls a gun from the back of his pants. Knowing this is the end, I shrink away from him. He holds the gun out, the barrel pointing right between my eyes, and just as he’s about to pull the trigger, Marcus sighs. “Really, father? And to think I was the dramatic one of the family. Sit down so we can eat. I’m bored of this.”
Giovanni holds my stare before curiously glancing toward his son. “Why are you protecting her?”
Marcus shrugs his shoulders as a lazy grin flutters across his careless lips. “What can I say? The whore is a good fuck and has a skilled tongue. There’s value in her still. I’ll get rid of her once I bore of her tight cunt.”
Giovanni glances back at me before finally holstering his gun and walking toward the table, leaving me an absolute mess on the ground. I hastily get to my feet and pull my dress back over my head as I wearily watch the leader of the DeAngelis family stride across the room and take his seat.
He starts with a sip of wine before scrunching his face in disgust and turning back to me, throwing the contents of his glass all over me. “This is horrendous. Go and fetch something worth my time.”
My gaze flicks toward Levi directly across from me and he quickly nods, telling me to get a move on and I quickly turn on my heel before bolting toward the door.
“I’m disappointed,” I hear muttered behind me. “I thought you would have trained her better than this. She’s been here for four days and you’ve allowed her to run rampant in your home. The girl has a loose tongue and there’s barely even a bruise on her. Get a handle on your whore or I’ll be forced to step in. This is unacceptable.”
Fucking hell. That was just perfect.
I step outside of the dining room, and the second the massive doors close behind me, I take a deep breath and sprint right up the stairs until the hardwood door of my new bedroom slams shut behind me.
The door rattles on its hinges and I quickly lock it before dropping my back against it and sinking to the ground.