Page 4 of Wanton

Dio.I have to get out of here right now.

I test the limits of my restraints, wobbling on my feet. I thought I was trapped like a rat in my bedroom, but I might as well be in a snake's enclosure here. I can't run or hide. I can barely move more than a couple of feet.

Aside from the nightstand, there's nothing within reach. I stretch to open the drawer of the nightstand, cursing under my breath when I come up empty-handed. There's nothing at all in it.

I reach for the lamp, trying not to sob when I realize it's built into the nightstand.

The bulb.

I stretch forward as far as I can, grasping for the top of the lamp. The only way I can reach is to lift my left arm high over my head to give a little slack on the chain on the right arm.

I work quickly to unscrew the bulb, biting my tongue to keep from sobbing in frustration.

The bulb comes loose in my hand.

"What, precisely, are you planning to do with that, Miss Genovese?" Luca Valentino asks from behind me, his gritty voice soft.

The bulb slips from my hand. I watch in horror as it plummets to the hardwood at my feet…and rolls out of reach.

The frustrated sob I've been holding back escapes before I can stop it. Defeat crashes through me like a tidal wave, a tangle of emotions following in its wake.

I spin on Luca, terrified, confused, and angry.

My breath stalls in my throat at the sight of him. I knew he was beautiful—all the Valentino brothers are devilishly handsome—but I'd never seen him in person before. I've only ever seen him on the news. Perhaps that's why his voice is so familiar to me. His dark hair sweeps back from his forehead, tousled as if he's run his fingers through it. Dark brows slash above arresting, deceptively kind dark eyes. The amused smirk on his full lips infuriates me.

His tie hangs loose around his neck, the first two buttons of his dress shirt undone. The sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, showing the thick, corded muscles of his forearms. Even disheveled, he's formidable, a king among men.

And I'm chained to his bed in my nightgown and a robe, completely helpless.

"Come any closer, and I won't need a weapon," I growl anyway. "I'll kill you with my bare hands."

"Ah," he says quietly, his smirk growing as he pushes the door slowly closed.

The quiet click as the latch catches makes me flinch.

"So you heard us outside, I presume."

"You mean heard you saying you were going to deal with me?" I demand, inching closer to the nightstand as if it offers even an ounce of protection. It doesn't. But I'd far rather stand my ground in front of it than beside the luxurious bed. "I swear I won't be easy todeal with, Luca Valentino." I glare in fury, refusing to show him just how terrified I am. I'm aprincipessa. If he's going to kill me, I'll die on my feet, screaming defiance.

"No?" His smirk turns mocking, his expression hardening. "You're chained to my bed,principessa. Seems easy enough to me."

Oh, I hate him. He's exactly like my grandfather. A monster.

"Does that make you feel powerful?" I snap. "Is that what you enjoy? Taking helpless women against their wills?" I run my gaze up and down him, filling it with as much contempt as I can muster. "I guess the rumors about you are true, after all."

"What rumors?" he growls, his smirk slipping.

I snort instead of answering. He knows what rumors I'm talking about. Everyone in our world whispers about Luca Valentino and the places he frequents. Sex clubs. BDSM playgrounds. Places promising pure hedonistic paradise for men like him. And yet he's never been linked to anyone. Nothing has ever been confirmed. It's always been unsubstantiated rumors. I don't think they're entirely wrong, though. Not if I'm here now.

Mattia Agostino didn't just bring me to him to keep Rafael Valentino's hands clean. I'm not just chained to his bed for the fun of it. He wants something, and he intends to use me to get it. Well, too bad for him because I don't much care to be used.

"The thing about rumors, Miss Genovese," Luca murmurs after a moment, striding deeper into the room. He moves like a lion, graceful and sure. "They're never entirely accurate. Take the ones about you, for instance. Rumor has it that you're never seen without an escort, and yet here you are."

Oh, he's infuriating.

"Yes, here I am. Because I was kidnapped from my own property. I wasn't aware I needed an escort to get a little fresh air on my own property, but I guess your family no longer plays by the rules," I snap.

"You mean the rule your grandfather violated when he kidnapped Rafe'sregina?" Luca quirks a brow. "Or would that be the one he violated when he tried to have her kidnapped from Rafe's home?"