Fallen From Grace [Married to the Mafia Novel] novel Chapter 5

It’s still dark when I come to, but that’s probably because of the blackout curtains. I have no idea what time it is or how long I’ve been out. I’d guess maybe a couple of hours. What am I doing on the bed? I could have sworn I was outside on the couch.

Someone must have carried me to the bed.

I don’t recall much after Luca escorted me to this room. I remember having a panic attack but what happened after that is a blur. I haven’t had a panic attack that severe in years. I make a mental note to ask Dante for permission to purchase some meds. In my hurry, I left everything back at home, my phone, wallet, everything.

“Wait,” I mutter to myself, my voice sounding hoarse from all the screaming. I remember being injected with something. I lift my arms from under the blanket to inspect it, only to see the blood has been wiped off. What remains are only the angry red scratch marks courtesy of my scratching.

Luca must have given me a sedative. My brain still feels foggy as if coming from a long dream. It would also explain the grogginess. I fight through it, ignoring the throbbing headache, and drag myself out of bed. I need a shower.

I manage to make it to the bathroom in one piece. Just like the owner, the bathroom is pristine. My body yearns to soak in a warm bath, but I opt for a quick shower, just to clean myself of the blood and dirt.

I watch the bloody water drain and furiously scrub to get everything off my body. When I’m done, the skin, red and raw, the scratches stinging once again.

When I exit the bathroom, I find a shirtless Dante on the bed, leisurely drinking a glass of whiskey. I grasp the towel a little too tightly to my chest. I didn’t expect somebody would be here. Stupid, Jean.

I don’t make a sound but I feel Dante’s eyes on me. Studying me from the tips of my toes to the way the water drips from my hair. I’m too scared to move or speak, but I needed to grab the change of clothes placed at the foot of the bed.

“Come closer.” It wasn’t a request, but an order that I find myself following willingly.

I pad across the room and stop before him, beads of water trailing behind me. My eyes are lowered but I feel his gaze on me making me self-conscious. He gets up from where he’s seated on the bed giving me a full view of his sculpted body. My eyes track every edge and dip of his muscles, my mouth dropping slightly at the sight of the indents on either side of his hips that disappear into his pants.

No one should be allowed to be this attractive.

My head is lifted up by a finger placed below my chin. Dante lifts my head, my eyes meeting his. My cheeks turn red in embarrassment. He totally saw me ogling him.

Dante doesn’t seem to mind, rather he seems rather amused judging by his smirk. I don’t get a chance to explain because a piece of paper is shoved in my direction.

I scanned through the document, it’s simply a contract between him and me.

“Read it carefully, then sign it,” he says as he downs the rest of his whiskey. “I won’t accept any whining later on because you didn’t read the fine print.”

There isn’t much to read as the contract is pretty straightforward. My eyes linger on the words that I “owe a favor to be returned when Party A demands it.” Party A, being Dante.

“It’s pretty straightforward,” I say and hold my hand out for a pen.

Straightforward but can easily be exploited. But I don’t say anything.

“No objections?” Dante asks as he hands me the pen. I look at him and I’m surprised to see that he’s skeptical of me. As if he couldn’t believe that I would easily agree to an unfair contract.

“You own me,” I reply simply, signing my name at the bottom of the page. “What right do I have to refuse?”

I hand him the pen and the document back and step away from him. “All done.”

Dante doesn’t speak as he places the document on top of the nightstand, beside his now empty glass.

“Is that why you’re being so obedient?” His voice takes me by surprise. Is he angry? The tension in the air is palpable. In the next second, my back hits the bed, my body bouncing from the force Dante exerted to shove me down.