Fight Me Little Pearl

Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

FRANCESCA

T he car moves through the gathering dusk as it takes us away from Castillo Dimora. The darkened privacy glass is up and I’m seated most indecently on his lap. My back is to his front and his hands are roaming my body unashamedly. I let him have his way because there is no other option. I’ve already declared I physically belong to him, and there’s no going back, especially when he makes me feel this good.

As his fingers tease my nipple through my dress, I arch my back, and a moan falls from my lips.

“Aren’t we being rude by leaving without telling Nonna Isadora? Didn’t she ask us to call on her before we left?” I gasp.

“Ask me if I care,” he whispers in my ear, causing goosebumps to scatter on my skin. “I’d rather make love to you all night than sit through another hour of that shitty party.”

I smile in the dark. “Nonna Isadora isn’t going to like that you called her party shitty.”

“Who’s going to tell her?” he asks, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my neck.

This is a precariously affectionate position, and I struggle with my heart. In this new step of our relationship, I should never forget that it’s always about sex and pleasure. This isn’t love. Valentino will never love me. He craves me, he desires me, and that should be enough.

An image of Thomas at my wedding intrudes into my mind and I frown. How haunted and unhappy he had looked and yet, the truth I’ve never allowed myself to face is, that Thomas didn’t even attempt to fight for me. Not once. When I told him about my impending marriage to Valentino and the circumstances surrounding it, he looked forlorn and lost, but he didn’t try to stop me or ask me to run away with him. Maybe it’s time for me to stop fighting Valentino and enjoy this marriage…

“Are you a little scared of Nonna Isadora?” I ask cheekily.

“Scared?” He chuckles, rubbing his cheek against my hair. “No, bella . I’m not scared of her , but I respect her. She raised me until I was sixteen.”

“Really?” I turn in Valentino’s arms and straddle him. Other than the stories of how lethal he is, I know so little about him. It’ll be nice to know who he used to be before the weight of heading the business fell on him. “I know nothing about you. Tell me about your mother. Who is she? How come no one knows anything about her.”

“My mother was a common prostitute,” he says emotionlessly.

“Oh!” My jaw drops with shock, but even more startling is how detached he suddenly seems to be.

“I don’t know why she carried me to full term, maybe she thought she could be a mother, but soon after I was born, she wrapped me up in a blanket and abandoned me outside the gates of my father’s house with a note to say that I was his bastard son. My father used the services of many whores so he had no idea who she could be, but once the DNA tests came back proving I was indeed his son, he sent me off to live with Nonna Isadora as he had no interest in taking care of an infant.

“So, you grew up without a mother or father?” I remark softly.

“Is that pity I hear in your voice, baby?” He wraps the strand of my hair around his fist and tugs my head back, exposing my neck. His mouth assaults my bare flesh, causing me to soak my panties with pleasure.

“It’s not pity,” I say, pushing him away. “It is interest. I’m not your mistress. I’m your wife. I want to know everything about you.”

He blinks with surprise, then runs a hand through his hair. It’s clear he does not want to talk and would rather be making love to me, but this is important. I want to know him.

“Being raised by Nonna Isadora was like being raised by twelve mothers and fathers. Everything I am today is because of her.”

“I see.” I nod, and let my hair fall like a curtain around my face to hide my expression from him. “Then you should not have shot her grandson, Valentino. It’s the least you could have done for her.”

For a few seconds, there is silence and I raise my eyes up to his. His gaze roves my face before he sweeps my hair to the side and pulls my face within an inch of his. “Listen to me carefully, Francesca.”

I swallow.

“The only reason Matteo isn’t dead is because of his grandmother. Do not forget who you married. Who am I?”

“Valentino Barone.”

“Valentino Barone,” he echoes. “Officially, she is the head of the family, but a few years ago she secretly gave the reins to me. I am the head of our whole familia . It is my job to silence disrespect immediately. It doesn’t matter whether it’s family or not. My position is a precarious one. The smallest slip and my crown will come crashing down. I will maim and destroy to maintain it.” His fingers softly caress my scalp, contrasting the harsh words emanating from his lips. “Everything you’ve heard about me is a lie; I am way worse.”

His voice dips lower, and I’m shocked at how my body reacts to him.

“I live the straight life of a businessman now, inside me lives the Silent Night, and no one is exempted from his wrath. Not even my cousins.”

“Okay.”

“But you…” his gaze drops to my lips, and I wish he would kiss me and stop talking. I am not bold enough to take my pleasure from him yet, so I wait until he graciously gives it.

“I will protect you with my life,” he says. “I will lay it down for you and pick it back up to defend you. Because who are you?”

A slow smile spreads on my face. “Francesca Barone.”

“That’s fucking right. You better act like it.”

The car stops, and I look outside the window to see we’re home. Valentino opens the door and steps outside with me in his arms. Vance and Dutch are already waiting, and I bury my face in his neck shyly. “Put me down.”

“Why?”

“People are watching,” I protest uselessly even as he carries me through the elaborate doors, past the staff working in the grand foyer.

“Why do you care?” he asks.

I keep my gaze averted, my heart fluttering as Valentino transports me up the stairs and into my room. He lays me gently on the bed and stares into my eyes.

“Welcome to your home, Signora. Barone.”

“I’ve been here since yesterday.” I giggle, circling my arms around his neck.

“Yesterday, you wouldn’t even look at me.”

“No, it is you who wouldn’t look at me,” I correct him. “You’ve been blatantly ignoring me since Paris.”

Valentino’s eyes sparkle with amusement. “Was that why you were being so petulant and cantankerous? Because you thought I was ignoring you?”

“I wasn’t being petulant or cantankerous,” I deny hotly.

“Oh yes, you were. You wanted my attention so bad you put enough on my credit card to feed a small town in Africa for a year.”

He sees through me as if I’m made of transparent glass. Guilt and shame course through me and I cover my face with both hands to hide my flaming cheeks.

“If you want my attention, just ask,” he murmurs as his hands slip beneath my body. Lifting me from the bed he unzips my dress. My hands fall away from my face. The sexual tension skyrockets and I can’t wait to feel his hands on my body again. In seconds, he has discarded my dress and lingerie, leaving me naked under his scorching gaze.

I sit up and reach for him, unbuttoning and removing his jacket. His eyes flare with surprise, but he doesn’t say anything. I discard his shirt, too, and then reach for his fly. He stops me.

I push his hand away and unzip his pants. “Why are you trying to stop me?”

“Because I’m trying to take it slow with you.”

“I don’t want slow.” I push him on the bed and slide his pants down his legs, along with his briefs. His cock springs free, and I gasp. I didn’t get a proper look earlier. Wow!

Did that freaking monster of a cock really fit inside me?

In a burst of courage, I wrap my fingers around the silky skin of the thick shaft and pump fast. Valentino growls. “Fuck, baby. Stop.”

He pulls himself away from me, his breath spurting like he’d just run a marathon.

I squint at him. “What’s the matter?”

His mouth twists sardonically. “If you carry on like that this session is going to be over before you know it.”

“Then I want you in my mouth. Your whole cock.”

Valentino groans, a tortured sound. “Baby, you’re not ready for my whole cock down your throat.”

“Why? You don’t think I could be as good as your whores?” I ask defiantly.

He watches me, his dick throbbing hard between us. “My whores?”

“Yes, your whores. I bet you never told any of them they’re not ready for your whole cock.”

He looks at me quizzically, as if he can’t understand me. “You want to be treated like a whore?”

“Well…”

Suddenly, he wraps his hand around himself and pumps. “Get on your knees.”

“What?”

“You want to be treated like one of my whores?” He climbs down the bed and stands on the edge. “Then leave the bed and get on your knees.”

A strange excitement courses through me as I obey immediately, sinking to my knees before him. He stands over me, pumping his dick in my face. I’m soaking wet.

“Mouth open.”

I part my lips, anticipating him. Slowly, he touches the bulbous head of his dick to my lips, and I close my mouth around him. He pulls out, his eyes squinting in amusement.

“Open your mouth, little pearl, and do as I say.”

I open my mouth, and he touches his dick to my tongue again. “Keep your mouth open,” he instructs, pushing himself deeper.

“Good girl,” he encourages. “Just like that.” He fucks my open mouth for a few seconds before pulling out again. He stares at me silently.

“What’s the matter?” I ask .

He sinks his left hand into my hair and yanks my head back. “Nothing. I’m going to fuck you hard, the way I’ve been meaning to do since the first time I saw you. You hear me?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” He grabs his dick with his other hand and pushes himself into my mouth. “Now suck.”

As I suck him, he fucks my mouth until I gag. But it doesn’t matter, because I can see that he has lost all control, and I am the one with all the power. I love his labored groans and how hard his legs quake the harder I suck. He tugs my hair and pounds into my mouth like his life depends on it. Suddenly, he pulls out, picks me up like I’m a doll, and throws me onto the big bouncy bed.

He’s between my legs before I can catch my breath, and I scream when he sucks my pussy into his mouth, lapping my juices like it’s the elixir of life. “Oh God! That feels so good,” I moan, spreading my legs wider.

He slips one finger inside me while sucking my clit and rubbing his face all over my sex. I’m one inch away from a mouthwatering orgasm when he pushes himself up and buries himself entirely inside me. My eyes roll back with pleasure.

Valentino wraps a hand around my neck as he begins to fuck me fast and hard, the bed quakes with the force of his thrusts.

“Valentino,” I moan, wrapping my legs around his waist. “I’m going to come.”

“Come then,” he urges as he captures my nipple into his mouth and slams into me. My body tautens as a massive wave of such pleasure rolls through me that I feel as if I have reached up and touched the bright stars in the night sky. Valentino pulls out of me and falls on the bed, pulling me into his arms.

“You didn’t come,” I say shyly.

“Hmm.” He kisses the curve of my shoulder. “Rest a bit, we have all night.”

I laugh and turn in his arms to look at his handsome face. I cannot believe I’m lying in his arms like this, and all I feel is softness. None of that hate or anger.

“What are you thinking about?” I ask, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“You.”

“What about me?”

“How fucking hard it is for me to stay away from your body.”

“I’m here. Why this thought? Are you going somewhere?”

He smiles and smooths my hair back from my face. “There are still a few things I must do while I’m here so I’ll be gone all day tomorrow.”

“Oh!”

His eyes soften. “Are you going to miss me?”

“No.”

He tweaks my nipple. “What did I say about lying?”

I laugh and slap his hand away. “I’ll miss your cock terribly,” I whisper, reaching for his throbbing erection.

He sucks in a breath. “Francesca…”

“Shut up, Don Barone.” I slide down the bed and take his throbbing cock in my mouth.