Chapter 15: Chapter 15

We lay there for a while, only slowly catching our breath, while my arms started to hurt and I still didn't dare to lift them above my head.

"Are you alright?" Dario asked at some point in the silence and pulled himself out of me, then quickly got up completely and grabbed his boxer shorts from the floor. My gaze swept over his trained, tattooed back, but when he turned to me waiting for my answer, I immediately looked caught at the white ceiling above me and took a deep breath.

"I think so," I replied, putting my hands out in the hope that he wouldn't start typing again, which luckily for me he didn't.

"Did you like it?" he asked curiously and was about to fasten his belt before he came over to me and sat down next to me on the edge of the bed. Before I could even answer, he caught a glimpse of my eyes before carefully placing his hands on mine.

Very gently he removed the tie from my wrists and then looked at them carefully as if he were looking for something. He probably just wanted to make sure I didn't get any wounds and that Gino could discover them.

"So?" he asked again and I raised my exhausted upper body to pull the blanket tight around it, because I somehow felt exposed to him despite our lovemaking.

"I liked it," I reassured him honestly, then watched absently as he picked up his shirt that was lying on the floor in front of him and pulled it on, his eyes on his watch.

"Dario?" I breathed in embarrassment and looked at him questioningly with red cheeks while he turned attentively to me and buttoned his shirt. "What is that?"

"Was?"

"Well, this?" I explained uncertainly and he smiled gently before blowing a kiss on my forehead, which made me stare at him in shock. Didn't it say he wouldn't get too close to anyone?

"Don't worry about it. Just enjoy it and trust me," he said confidently and, after a brief but intense exchange of views, got up to put his shoes on as well. He was about to take a step towards the door when I suddenly remembered about the condom. I quickly put my feet on the floor and wanted to approach him, but then I got caught in this fucking blanket and almost flew over.

.but Dario saved me from falling and grabbed my waist to pull me protectively.

"Have you always been this clumsy?"

"Theoretically no, practically yes," I told him with a slight smile and then positioned myself in front of him to look up at him nervously while he hesitantly removed his hands from my hips. "What about birth control? You shouldn't have done that without it," I accused him, watching as he seemed to worry about it himself.

"I'll get you the morning-after pill now and also the regular pill. Well, if that's what you want at all."

"I thought I had no say," I asked curiously and he immediately looked at me with a horrified expression.

"How did you come up with something like that? I would never do anything against your will, Ludovica. My pleasure is solely your pleasure," he explained seriously and when I then nodded, he looked at me irritated.

"Then please get this pill," I said confidently, not yet realizing that my whole world would very soon be turned upside down by this decision.

He smiled briefly and turned to the door again, so curious about his reaction, I tested my limit and grabbed his forearm, but he immediately jerked it away and gave me a warning look.

"Don't touch!" he warned menacingly, adjusting his tie while I just stared thoughtfully at his hands.

"Why not?"

"I don't have to explain that to you, just accept it."

With a serious expression on his part, I now knew that there were indeed borders that I already didn't like. He was my first and only one and when I thought about being intimate with him more often and never being able to touch him, a feeling of disappointment arose deep inside me that suddenly tried to pull me to the ground. I felt like this was all just too much for me and just wanted him to leave, so I padded past him, blanket wrapped around me, to open the door and take a look around the hallway outside .

"You can go. There's no one outside," I let him know without looking at him, fighting back the tears that were fighting their way into my eyes, but I didn't want to let them. At least not in front of him.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked sympathetically and seemed overwhelmed by my actions, but I just pointed stubbornly at the open door and held the blanket with the other hand.

"I just need some rest, I think. It was all a lot for me."

My voice was only a soft breath, but he understood that something was breaking out in me that I couldn't explain myself.

Before I could think about it any further, he slammed the door next to me and then stood right in front of me, lifting my chin slightly.

"Tell me what's going on," he demanded, and I just shook my head in embarrassment as he let his eyes dart across my face.

"I don't understand why I'm not allowed to touch you. I don't understand why you're doing this to me either. After all, you're engaged and so am I," I said, startled by this fact and looked up at him questioningly.

"I don't understand what brought me to you either, but I can promise you that I will always treat you with care, Ludovica," he whispered and kissed my cheek again, which calmed me down a bit. "But touching is not up for discussion. But I can assure you that it has absolutely nothing to do with you."

He sounded genuinely sincere and when I nodded my agreement after taking a deep breath, he let go of my chin and took a step away from me to give me a questioning look.

"Are you alright now?" he demanded and I nodded again, still fighting back tears, but I pulled myself together and managed a reassuring smile, whereupon he came to my side and took the door handle in his hand took.

"You're a miserable liar and if I didn't have to go to an important appointment right away, I certainly wouldn't just leave it like that," he turned sternly to me and then opened the door to, after a last exchange of views, down the hallway disappear while I closed the door behind him.

In one fell swoop everything came back into my mind that I had been trying to suppress for the last hour. I was no longer free, no longer my own person. On the contrary. I would soon become the wife of a narcissist and gave myself to a man who would not allow me to touch him. Who seemed just concerned with enjoying my body and my obedience.

Was I actually still quite close to giving him permission to get me the pill?

I quickly crept into the bathroom and faced myself in the mirror overwhelmed with myself while the tears diminished and I wondered what kind of chaos had erupted inside me.

And even now, so overwhelmed and confused, I wanted nothing more than to be near him again, even though I didn't even really know why..

Was it because he gave me the opportunity to put my thoughts and decisions in his hands?

Was it because he wanted me so much that under his touch I felt like the most beautiful woman in all of Palermo?

Or was it the need to belong to someone? I lost my parents early, so I never really belonged anywhere, but with him I felt like I had something like an anchor, even if now, so shortly after this act, my world collapsed for a short time.

"Oh, Ludo," I said to myself, stroking my straight black hair several times before wiping my tears from my face and heading to my bed.

Sleep would be good for sure.

-

Waking up in the middle of the night, I immediately remembered dreaming about Dario, which made me smile mildly. I looked at the window, which allowed me to face the night, until my eyes widened and I noticed something on my abdomen that made me jump in panic.

"Buongiorno, tesoro (honey)" Gino whispered from behind me and immediately grabbed my waist to pull me close to his body.

"Gino, please let me go," I whispered in panic and only then noticed that I had only put on my panties to sleep and was lying practically naked next to him.

"Now don't be like that. You agreed," he whispered into my ear while licking my neck, sending an uncomfortable shiver down my spine. "So you're mine now."

"You know what," he struck up a conversation, rolling me onto my back by my shoulder to bend slightly over me, making me look at him with fear. "I really wasn't in the mood for a woman by my side, but I'll probably get involved."

He said he bent even further down to kiss my collarbone wildly, while the smell of cigarettes and whiskey filled my nostrils.

"Gino!" I became louder in panic when I suddenly felt his hand on the waistband of my panties and quickly yanked the blanket protectively around my half-naked body, but he ripped it away again with such violence that silenced me.

"Stai calmo (take it easy)" he whispered with a snarl and roughly cupped one of my breasts to run his tongue over my nipple, so overwhelming I felt like I was completely losing myself.

"Please stop," I tried pleadingly, but I didn't get more than a "Shhh" from him, whereupon a few tears ran down my cheeks, which couldn't even remotely express what I was feeling.

He turned his striking face up to me, almost piercing me with his dark eyes and paused for a moment when he realized that I was crying and shaking because of him and his demanding actions.

I thought maybe he would understand me. Show understanding towards me, but he didn't.

"Fuck off!" he blurted out angrily, after which he pushed me roughly out of bed and looked at me completely upset. "You don't want my cock, then go away and don't waste my time with your childish behavior!"

He got out of bed and it was only then that I realized he was completely naked, causing me to immediately drop my eyes to the floor and wrap my arms protectively around my knees while wishing I could vanish into thin air.

"Are you hard of hearing?!" he yelled at me angrily, yanking the door open to hurry back towards me. His hand gripped my hair and with far too much force he yanked me to my feet, sending pain through my entire body and gasping for breath. He pulled me towards the open door and pushed me out of the room, causing me to immediately cup my hands to my chest and turn to face him.

"Tomorrow you can work at the club. You should be shown what false pride can do."

"Gino, wait," I wanted to try to persuade him, but he slammed the door in my face and didn't respond to my knock, which made me cry and look around the dark hallway. "Gino!" I knocked on the door again, but again no reaction, which made me cry bitterly.

I was already imagining the worst consequences. Saw the disgusting faces of the old men from the bar and felt their disgusting hands on me as I pounded desperately again on the dark wood in front of me.

"Bitte!"

"My God!" I suddenly heard a woman's voice next to me and quickly covered my bare breasts to turn wide-eyed to Giovanna, who was standing in front of me in a breathtakingly beautiful black nightgown. "Can you play your games quieter?! Other people are trying to sleep!"

She turned on the light in the wide hallway and looked me up and down while I could see something akin to glee on her face.

"Just say he locked you out," she grinned superiorly and I would have loved to wipe my tears from my face, but then I would have had to take my trembling hands off my breasts, which seemed even more uncomfortable.

Either way, I'm more ashamed than ever.

"What's going on?" I heard Dario, who came out of the room behind her, sleepy and only wearing boxer shorts. My gaze darted briefly over his upper body before I turned to his face in tears.

"You shouldn't take a whore into the family, that's the thing," Giovanna laughed and when Dario's gaze finally met mine, he looked at me completely stunned for a moment, while I was slowly really wishing that Enzo would just let me shot in the head.

"It's all right," I said, shaking, turning to the locked door in front of me. "Gino! I get it!" I yelled, just hoping he would put me out of this torment of humiliation.

"Ludovica," I heard Dario's worried voice next to me, whereupon I closed my eyes crying and gasping for air before turning to him questioningly. "I'll get you a shirt."

"Excuse me?" Giovanna snapped at him, but he ignored her and disappeared back into his room. "You can be glad that some people have something like pity," she added bitingly and crossed her arms while Dario reappeared and came towards me.

But before he could stop in front of me, the door suddenly opened and Gino put his arm around my shoulder to grin at his brother.

"Ai, Dario," he said amused and pinched my cheek. "Mind your own wife. I just wanted to punish my fiancée for her stubbornness, you must be the one to know that."

I looked confused at Dario, who seemed visibly uncomfortable with this topic, and when my eyes fell on Giovanna, her questioning expression immediately made it clear to me that she was probably the only one who didn't know what Gino was talking about at that moment.

"Well, good night my loves," Gino said goodbye to both of them and pulled me back into the room, where I immediately sat down on the edge of the bed, crying.

"Stop crying. I beg you. I don't like things like that," Gino let me know, pulling a pair of jogging pants over his boxer shorts before giving me another critical look. "And I hate repeating myself even more," he added when he heard me sob, but no matter how hard I tried, the tears just wouldn't stop streaming down my cold cheeks.

"I.I," I tried to say something, but I couldn't get a decent sentence out of sobbing.

"Oh Dio," Gino moaned in annoyance and crouched down next to me, putting his hand on my back. "Is there anything I can do to stop this howling please?"

I shook my head apologetically and took several deep breaths, only to pull myself together completely in front of him afterwards. I realized that Gino would sell me to old men without batting an eyelid, which I couldn't let my already cracked psyche do, no matter how hard it was.

"It's okay," I breathed, wiping away the rest of my tears as he got up and walked over to the closet across from us. He pulled out a black shirt and held it right in front of me, then watched me without expression as I pulled it over my head, shaking.

"Just let it sleep. I've lost my appetite."

He dropped into the bed next to me, eyed me expectantly and without really wanting to, I gave in and hesitantly lay down next to him, which immediately made him pull me to his chest again.

I snuggled up to his well-trained body looking for security, but when I closed my eyes and, completely exhausted and exhausted with nerves, tried to fall asleep, it wasn't Gino who occupied my thoughts. but the man who just with the stunningly beautiful Giovanna.