Diavolo (Devil’s Playground #1)

14. Chapter 14

14

The moment Elyse made her choice known, it bound them together like an unbreakable spell. Its seductive force enveloped her. Those six words— I choose to stay with you —appeared to have a potent effect on Alessandro as well. Emotions flickered across his features, disappearing from one second to the next until his pupils grew round and black with desire.

Fiercely, he demanded, "You will not leave? Truly?"

A lump formed in her throat. "Trust me, I'm not going anywhere."

Within the expanse of her clipped response, Elyse grieved everything she would be losing. Her career. Her freedom. Her identity. But Elyse also reflected upon all that she might gain. A new beginning with a beautifully complex man who was unlike any other she'd met. Supposedly, he would protect her. Supposedly, he would care for her. Supposedly, he was her best option in this clusterfuck of fuckery.

Supposedly.

Supposedly.

Supposedly.

Elyse prayed she'd made the right call. That she wouldn't end up like the abused girlfriends and forsaken mistresses and dead wives that Stefano and Mikey had often mentioned in her presence.

"If I share my secrets with you," Alessandro whispered, "how do I know you will not run again?"

"Neither of us knows what the future holds," she replied, placing a gentle hand upon his face, "but I promise you. I have no intention of running now."

"Women lie all the time," Alessandro grumbled as he shot her a pointed look. "Especially the intelligent ones."

"Men lie, too, regardless of their intelligence level."

Alessandro chuckled low and deep. "I suppose we are equals when it comes to bullshit."

Elyse cocked an eyebrow. "You'll have to learn to trust me as your woman. Just like I'll need to learn to trust you as my man."

He gazed upon her intently. "Is that what you want for us?"

"Yes."

"I feel the same way."

"In truth," she drawled, "only time can strengthen our bond."

He sighed. "Your reasoning is flawless. But another matter weighs on me quite heavily."

"Tell me."

"You made me look weak in front of my men tonight, Signora Vitale , and for that," Alessandro rolled on top of Elyse with a smirk, trapping her beneath the muscular barrier of his body, "you must be disciplined."

She eyed him with a flicker of defiance. "I dare you to threaten me again."

With an evil-sounding laugh, Alessandro didn't waste any time locating the generous swells of her breasts. His calloused palm felt rough against the soft, rounded smoothness of her flesh, kneading her tits firmly in his hand. His head dipped down to catch a nipple between his teeth. Alessandro sucked on the pebbling tips until Elyse sighed with pleasure. As Alessandro continued to roll and tease her nipples around his tongue, Elyse reached down to fondle his hardening cock, but she only managed to give him a few quick tugs before he pulled away, rising from the bed to retrieve something from the floor.

He returned to her side with a black leather belt in hand. Elyse's heart sped up. "Oh, fuck."

"Are you game, Signora Vitale?"

"Depends on the rules."

He climbed toward her on the mattress with a knowing gleam in his brown and blue-gray eyes. "These rules have everything to do with trust."

"Trust?"

"I am providing an opportunity for us to strengthen our bond."

She eyed his belt with trepidation. "But trust must work both ways."

Alessandro met her in the eye. "Exactly. Once you must surrender to me, I will confide in you."

Elyse's breath hitched as her skin flushed with heat. "You expect me to surrender?"

He nodded. "Are you willing?"

"Yes," she whispered.

He proceeded to use one hand to wrap his fingers around her wrists. Both hands lifted over her head. Then, he pinned them down. Alessandro held her in place with ease, positioning his cock against her folds. Grunting happily, he slid the underside of his length along her clit, back and forth, back and forth, several times. The blissful, silken friction made her shiver.

In dark, foreboding tones, Alessandro murmured in her ear, "Prepare to be bound and punished, Signora Vitale , until your cunt memorizes the shape of my cock and weeps with sadness whenever I am not balls deep inside— fucking you —to oblivion. You will scream and gasp my name as I edge your pretty, little hole to the brink of release, over and over again, with vengeance. I want you to suffer before your salvation. And when I finally let you come—then and only then will you see why hell can feel like heaven."

?Ay, Madre de Dios! Oh, Mother of God! Elyse's eyes shot wide open as she gazed up at him helplessly. Need coiled within her core. His wild, wicked words were sending her into a frenzy. She already felt wet and wanting. To mask her desperation, she taunted in condescending tones, "Don't make promises you can't keep."

He cooed huskily, "I promise to deliver the purest fucking paradise. It will be unlike anything you have ever felt."

Air hitched in her lungs.

"This is how we learn to trust each other."

Elyse arched an eyebrow at him. "By fucking?"

" By fucking ," confirmed Alessandro.

Their gazes met. Heat and humor sparkled in his eyes. Softly, she mused, "Why does it feel like I'm making a deal with the devil?"

Alessandro grinned. "I am no diavolo . I will take care of you. Like a fucking angelo ."

Yet, there was nothingangelic about his demeanor. Elyse studied him with caution. "What if I no longer wish to play before you're ready to end our game?"

Alessandro pledged solemnly, "Then I will release you at once."

This was comforting to know. Alessandro seemed well versed in this arena while she barely spoke the language. She resented it. Elyse wanted to dominate him in the same way he'd rule over her. Yet, intrigue soon overshadowed her reservations. More than anything, she wanted to see where this rabbit hole might lead.

He supplied in Italian, "Io sono tua."

Confusion marred Elyse's face as she repeated, "Io sono… tua?"

The Italian sounded clumsy and far less refined on her tongue.

"It means— diamond ," Alessandro translated with a mischievous look. "Use it whenever you need a breather from our game."

This bullshitting bastard. Io sono tua didn't mean diamond at all. It meant— I am yours . Elyse blushed. "I-I see."

She knew he was messing with her. But Elyse couldn't call him out without revealing that she'd been studying Italian on the sly. Before she could find a way through this dilemma, cool leather wrapped around her wrists. Within the same second, the strap tightened, not painfully so, but enough to restrict her movements.

Alessandro's voice drifted toward her in mesmerizing and lulling tones, "Ready? "

Pulse fluttering, her mouth went dry. When Elyse found her voice, it sounded too hoarse and eager to be her own, "Yes, sir."

"Good girl," he praised.

Alessandro leaned over the mattress to retrieve his black tie. Anxiously, Elyse asked, "What's that for?"

He smiled at her but said nothing, moving toward her with an enigmatic expression on his face.

"Sir?"

He hushed her. In slow, winding increments, Alessandro used the length of the satiny fabric to cover Elyse's eyes, shrouding her vision in darkness as he tied a masterful knot behind her head. Elyse was now half-bound and completely blind. She possessed no idea as to what might be in store for her. Never had she given up control like this to any man.

She demanded again, "Sir?"

The bastard still didn't respond. Elyse could only hear the rustling of bed sheets and the opening and closing of drawers as he moved around her. At last, he broke his silence. "I purchased a few gifts for you after arriving in Paris."

"What kind of gifts?"

"A game needs toys, no?"

With both hands immobilized above her head, Elyse waited on the bed, sightless and aroused, in utter suspense. Her heart began to pound harder and faster. She then heard a light mechanical click . It was followed by the sound of a steady buzz . She swallowed a few times to calm her anxiety, or was it—anticipation?

"You are not to move," Alessandro commanded over the soft humming of the vibrator. "You are to lay as still as possible for as long as possible."

Elyse gulped. "What?"

A light slap hit her thigh. "Every time you fuck up, there will be consequences."

It didn't hurt or sting, but the suddenness shocked her sensibilities. "I—"

Her words disappeared when she felt his fingers ghost along her inner thighs. She couldn't see what Alessandro was doing, but he seemed to be hovering near her sex. A second later, she felt his touch upon her lips, dipping into her folds. Alessandro's mouth soon descended upon her delicate flesh. The warm slickness of his lips and tongue teased her opening for several pleasurable minutes. Elyse sighed and closed her eyes and allowed herself to melt into the euphoric sensations.

Then, without any warning, Alessandro ceased his ministrations and pulled away from her core. She felt a pinch on her clit. Elyse gasped and nearly leaped off the bed when a sweet, thrumming vibration made contact with her little nub. Another slap on the thigh. This one stung a bit more. He growled warningly, "Stay still."

Elyse winced. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting—"

Alessandro began to play with her folds as the vibrator on her clit buzzed away. His fingers lingered and dawdled between her thighs, caressing her with featherlight touches, but they never breached her entrance. Elyse moaned softly with need. A moment later, his mouth closed around her nipple as he continued to tease her pussy. She grew slick and wet. Alessandro sucked hungrily. His tongue swirled and danced around her nipples until the rosy tips hardened into pebbles. He took care to alternate between her breasts, leaving trails of kisses and love bites across her skin every time he switched to the other.

Alessandro was still taking his sweet time exploring her outer folds. She wanted him to thrust inside. She needed his tongue. His fingers. His cock. Everything . Elyse groaned with frustration, but she was careful not to move her hips, keeping her bottom firmly planted upon the mattress, even though the urge to writhe and wriggle closer to his hand nearly overwhelmed her. His mouth lifted from her breasts. A low, wicked chuckle drifted toward Elyse. "What is wrong, Signora Vitale? You seem uncomfortable."

Waves of pleasure continually spiraled through her, but it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.

" Please ," Elyse panted, "I want you to..."

"Use your words. What do you want from me?"

" More ."

He teased two fingers inside her before pulling out again. "More... what?"

Elyse whimpered, "Your fingers. Inside me. Now. "

"Does your pussy need to be fucked?"

"Yes."

"Yes, sir ," Alessandro corrected as he pushed his thumb inside her.

"Yes, sir!"

"Good fucking girl."

He began massaging the upper walls of her vagina with his thumb while using his fingers to press the vibrator even more firmly to her clit. Again and again, his thumb circled and rubbed against her sweet spot, her breaking point, while his mouth returned to suckle on her tits. This incredibly thorough onslaught on all of her pleasure points—clit, cunt, nipples—sent Elyse spiraling toward an orgasm. Right when she was about to ascend beyond the apex of her release, however, Alessandro removed his hand from her sex. He pulled away from her breasts and detached the vibrator from her clit.

Elyse gasped desperately, "Please, no!"

"I have suddenly decided ," he observed with cool indifference, "that you will not be allowed to come unless you come around my cock."

"Fuck you," she growled, " sir ."

Alessandro placed the vibrator back onto her clit. She groaned appreciatively. He merely laughed. " There . I have shown you mercy tonight."

Pleasure began mounting within Elyse again as her clit hummed with delight. She heard him shuffle toward her on the bed. A hand brushed against her cheek. It guided her mouth toward something large and warm and very, very hard.

"Now," he murmured, "it is time for you to repay the favor."

At this moment, the thought of sucking Alessandro's cock suddenly made Elyse's mouth water. Her pussy also throbbed in agreement. Immediately, her tongue slipped out to lap at his head. He grunted and rocked his length toward her. She swallowed him between her pouty lips and began to suck and swirl her tongue around his tip. Alessandro released a gasp of approval and started fucking her mouth with short, shallow, controlled thrusts.

"You feel divine," he gasped as she took him deeper into her mouth, "I want to fuck you forever."

His cock, however, had different ideas. Less than a dozen strokes later, the steely organ throbbed and pulsed as Alessandro heaved and groaned and shot his pleasure down her throat. Not long after, Elyse felt Alessandro reach behind her head to undo the knotted necktie. He unraveled the blindfold from her eyes, tossing the scrap of fabric aside. Green eyes fluttered open. Alessandro gazed down at her. A tender smile rested on his face. He then reached over her head to unbind her hands from the leather belt. Ever so gently, Alessandro brought her wrists to his lips to kiss the red marks and angry indentions that had been imprinted upon her skin. "Youareperfect."

Elyse whimpered happily, wretchedly, in response. Speech escaped her for an instant. Alessandro's words filled her soul with honey even while her body continued to strain with desperation. The tantalizing device remained locked on her clit, but her orgasm kept dancing just out of reach. It felt impossible to focus on anything else.

Alessandro stretched out beside Elyse and pulled her into his arms. He reached down to pluck the vibrator from her clit, replacing it with his hand, letting his fingers dip in and out of her body in a pleasing, sensual manner.

"How badly do you want to come?" he asked.

"Not enough for you to fuck me," she grunted.

Alessandro arched an eyebrow. She hadn't known that a man could appear so amused and annoyed at the same time. His cock seemed to twitch in protest as well beside her hip. "You are only punishing yourself."

Elyse nodded with a faint smirk. Moments ago, she'd offered herself to him in one of the most susceptible ways a person could submit to another. It was time for him to give back. She wouldn't budge until he offered something more substantial than sex in return.

"You play your game," Elyse grumbled, "I'll play mine."

His hand was still between her thighs, teasing her. He chided, "Stubborn woman."

"Tell me about your ties to the cartel. And the Stidda ."

Alessandro began to circle his thumb around her clit. "What do you want to know?"

Elyse groaned quietly, "As much as you're willing to share."

He slid two fingers inside her slickness as his thumb continued to pleasure her nub with achingly slow and deliberate motions. Elyse gritted her teeth. She felt as though she might explode at any given moment. His hand stilled. She wanted to weep.

"Signor Garcia and Signor Castillo are representatives from my suppliers. My family has been partnering with the Beltrán cartel for many years now."

His fingers found her needy flesh once more. Elyse sighed with relief as he began to fondle her. Her hips began to writhe in time to his movements.

"I believe the Stidda are looking to expand their business dealings in coca ."

Cocaine? Her brain was barely functioning at this point. Alessandro continued to torment her body in the sweetest way possible. "But I have no intention of sharing my market with them, which is why we are often at odds."

"What about your stepsister? Why doesn't she want us to marry?"

He sighed. "Let us save that discussion for another time. I do not want to talk about her. Not when I have you wet and wanting in my arms."

Elyse frowned slightly. She didn't know how to interpret Alessandro's reaction to Valentina. Her future husband's relationship with his stepsister was starting to appear far more complicated than she imagined. Elyse wanted an explanation, but then Alessandro started pumping his fingers inside her in a hard, steady rhythm, and it became impossible to think straight. Her hands gripped his shoulders as pleasure rose and rose and rose—

He pulled away again. She shot him a death-like glare. Alessandro leaned over to kiss her neck with a wry, wicked smile. "You play your game, and I play mine."

Elyse scoffed and shoved him onto his back. Alessandro's eyes shot open with shock, then, with desire, as she climbed over him to straddle his thighs. She positioned herself on his now hard-again cock and started humping her clit up and down his length. His erection was soon wet and glistening with her excitement. She moaned in reverence at the erotic contrast of supple flesh and hardened flesh gliding sweetly upon one another. Alessandro's hands came up to grip her hips as he started grinding himself against her softness.

"I want you," he growled beneath her. "You want me, too. Enough with fucking games."

"No," Elyse gasped as she continued to roll her hips upon him. "Not until—"

Just then, pure, blinding bliss exploded from deep within as Elyse's orgasm erupted from her core, shuddering through her body in surge after surge of contracting, convulsing ecstasy. She slumped over onto him, smelling of sweat and sex and satisfaction, as her body came down from the heights of its earth-shattering climax.

With a curse, Alessandro tucked her into his embrace. He was still hard as a rock against her thigh. Elyse reached down to dance her fingers up and down his length, teasing him much in the way he had teased her earlier. It took but a second for his larger hand to close around her smaller one, forcing her to grip onto his cock. Alessandro began to pump Elyse's hand along his erection, using her to jerk himself off. He came a few minutes later.

In low, strained tones, he rasped against her neck, "I will not forget what you have done, Signora Vitale ."

Elyse murmured sleepily, "Good for you."

"You were not supposed to come without me."

She taunted, "I thought you were in control? You could've stopped me."

His lips brushed against her temple as he sighed, "How could I stand in your way? You overwhelmed me. I am weak when it comes to you. Always."

A small smile graced Elyse's face. Indeed, she'd weakened his iron-like will. For once, he didn't deflect. He's unveiled something about the Beltrán cartel and the Stidda . Not much, granted, but it was a start. She yawned. "If you're not going to answer any more questions, I'm going to sleep."

"Heartless woman," he grunted.

"No," she argued softly, "not heartless."

Alessandro gazed back with expectation gleaming in his eyes. "No?"

Elyse placed a hand upon his chest, right above the steady beat of his heart, and whispered, "If I ever give my heart to a man, it'll be given passionately, wholly, and selflessly."

In gruff tones, he replied, "Whenever you decide to give your heart away, I will be ready."

Elyse smiled some more, a secretive smile, as his heart quickened beneath her palm.

The bastard had been right about one thing. His filthy, little game of trust did bring them closer together. It felt as though something more profound than power plays and sex games had taken place tonight. There was now a touch of obsession in her feelings for him. Alessandro wasn't just an infuriatingly devious bastard anymore. He was her infuriatingly devious bastard. The once tenuous thread between them had been forged into trust, and Elyse hoped Alessandro's regard for her would only continue to grow.