He led me back through the halls of the expansive home, and down to my captor’s private suite, where there was an elaborate array of food set out on a table, and Mr. Marcello sat at the head like a proper spoiled king.
“Welcome,” he greeted me. “You look lovely.”
I didn’t respond. As I entered the room, he stood up from his chair, pulled mine out and waited with a sly smile. I settled into the chair as he pushed it up to the table, and then he returned to his seat and started to load the plate in front of him with food. I silently swore at my stomach for growling in the face of the variety of meats, fruits, and pastries in front of me, and instead sat without eating anything.
“Dante,” the thug said gruffly as he loaded some bacon onto his plate. “My name is Dante.” I remained tight-lipped. My attention had moved from the glorious table of food, to the way the sun flooded in through the window behind Dante and cast a golden halo around his dark, swept-back hair and square jaw. He looked like a Greek god. It was distracting and annoying. “You don’t want to eat?” Dante asked.
I shook my head and refocused myself, crossing my arms and throwing on my best indifferent expression. “I do, but I’m not dumb enough to eat anything you give me.”
The corner of Dante’s lips tipped up in amusement. “Do I honestly look like the kind of guy who would drug a woman to get what I want?”
“You look like the kind of guy who would kidnap a woman to get what he wants, how far could drugging be from that?” I spat back, only earning myself a curt chuckle from Dante. “What do you want?” I asked finally.
Dante shrugged. “I would think it’s pretty obvious. Since I first saw you on the runway in that fashion show, all I could think about was stripping those designer clothes off of you. I want you in my bed. I want to do things to you in my bed. I want you to do things to me.”
I scoffed. “Don’t hold your breath. Even if I wasn’t a virgin, I wouldn’t sleep with a man who thinks he can literally take what he wants. If you want yourself a whore, there’s a whole district where you can buy one. I will never be yours.”
Dante’s small smirk grew into a full grin. “For an intelligent woman, that wasn’t a very smart thing to say. Do you not realize that saying you’re untouched makes me want you more?”
“I don’t care,” I hissed back. “You need to let me go.”
Dante folded his hands together. “No I don’t.” He tilted his head to the side. “If you’re so concerned about drugs, tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll send someone to go and get it for you.”
I rolled my eyes. “I wouldn’t trust your men any more than I would trust you. I’ll agree if you let me go and get it.”
Dante sat staring at me with intrigue for a while. Finally, he popped a piece of fruit into his mouth with another absent shrug. “Fine. What will you go get?”
I was slightly shocked. I didn’t expect him to agree. Did he honestly expect me to just go out and come back willingly. “Really?”
He nodded. “Of course. If that’s what you wish.”
I sat back in my chair, the confusion probably clear on my face. “O-okay. Well, then I want a Big Mac, a fried apple pie, and a strawberry shake.”
Dante’s eyes widened, and his face even read a bit of disgust. “Seriously? Why would you want to eat that junk?”
I glared at Dante, not a fan of his judgment. “I have to starve myself most of the time. Occasionally, I get cravings for my pre-model days’ meals, back when I was in college.”
Dante watched me carefully, his golden eyes reading me. He placed a hand to his lips and blew out a whistle. The door to his suite opened and the guard who’d previously been watching me stepped in. “Sir?”
“Please take Miss Sadie to the nearest McDonalds for a Big Mac, apple pie, and strawberry shake,” Dante said.
The body guard’s eyes widened and eyebrows raised. “Take her with me? Are you sure?”
Dante’s lips curved into a mischievous smile as he stared at me. “Positive.”
Dante
I was perfectly okay to let Sadie make her best escape attempt, if for no reason other than to help her realize just how much power I truly had. I knew she believed if she could get out of the house, she could run, but I have every bit of faith in Brix. I had zero concerns she would get away. Thinking of the horrendous food she claimed to want to put in her body made me sick. I wondered briefly if what she said was accurate, about occasionally eating the food of her college days? Sounded terrible to me. I continued to munch on the spread in front of me to put the greasy thoughts out of my mind and waited for the inevitable hellstorm that was certain to return shortly.