Page 65 of Breaking Rosalind
Piercing blue eyes shine down on me like beacons of malice, contrasting with the shadows cast by his angular features. He looks disheveled, with his jaw covered in stubble and wavy strands of hair framing his face like tendrils of darkness.
Shivers run down my spine, and every fine hair on my body stands on end. I meet his gaze with indifference, refusing to show any signs of weakness.
“What did you do to Miranda?” I ask through clenched teeth.
He yanks my hair, jerking my head to the side. “I’m the one who asks the questions.”
I swallow.
“What did you do while I was unconscious?” he asks.
“Remember that chance you had to interrogate me, and you wasted it by sticking a gag in my mouth?”
He sucks in his cheeks, his features twisting into a smirk. “Annoying as ever.” After releasing his grip on my hair, he walks toward a table at the other side of the room. “Lucrezia will convince you to talk.”
I seize the opportunity to take in my surroundings. We’re in a replica of the pool house’s playroom, with all the BDSM furniture. There’s no sign of a window and the lack of circulating air suggests we’re in a basement.
Six feet behind the table I’m strapped on is a security door with a biometric scanner. My only way out is to overpower Cesare and escape using his fingerprints or retina scan.
He returns with the curved knife and runs the flat edge over my breasts. “Lucrezia is aching to try Lingchi.”
“Death by a thousand cuts,” I say, forcing my voice to remain even. “That’s unoriginal, even for you.”
His grin falters, and I know I’ve struck a nerve.
“You carved your initials into my side boob, and I got that fixed. Take a look if you don’t believe me.”
His gaze doesn’t flicker, telling me he already tore off the bandage and examined the healing wound.
“You misunderstand me,” he says through clenched teeth. “Lucrezia wants to cut you piece by piece until all that’s left is a torso I can fuck.”
The weight of his words sink into my bones, leaving behind a sickening chill. Tension fills the playroom, and the air becomes too thick to enter my lungs. I know the difference between a promise and a threat. I also understand Cesare’s brand of predator.
He enjoys the thrill of the chase and toying with his squirming prey. I need to convince him he’ll lose interest the moment he starts chopping off body parts
“How will you hunt me if I don’t have limbs?” My voice wavers, betraying a hint of anxiety.
I won’t rest until I find out what he did to Miranda. I can’t escape if I don’t persuade Caesar to allow me to remain intact. Fretting over her fate will have to wait until I can secure my survival.
“There are places I can slice that won’t affect your ability to run... Much.”
“Labia sashimi is old news,” I say with a shaky chuckle, “But you have my full consent to eat my pussy.”
His eyes flash, and he bares his teeth. “That kind of attitude will get you killed.”
“I could say the same to you,” I reply.
He grabs my throat, sending tingles of anticipation down my spine. A surge of heat settles between my bound legs, igniting the flames of my arousal. His gaze bores into mine as he leans in so close that our noses touch.
“Have you forgotten,” I rasp. “Breath play is my kink?”
“One of these days, I’ll squeeze too hard.”
“That will be a good day to die.” I raise my head a fraction to bring our lips together.
He flinches, his lips twisting with contempt.
“I’ve been trained to withstand torture,” I say. “All these implements on your racks are nothing but foreplay. If you want what’s in my head, you’ll tell me what you did to Miranda.”