The spanking continued and all I heard was a humming noise in my ears. Everything was a blur, my mind reeling. How could I enjoy this? How could I tolerate this… man doing anything to me?
“We are finished,” he said almost in passing as he eased me from the hood, tugging down my dress and pressing his rugged hands against my shoulders. “Now, I suggest you go to the car and get inside. Then I want you to act like a lady. Are we clear?”
“Yes. Yes. Sir.” Now the words came out like acid, a slickening hiss pushing past my lips.
But again, I did as I was told, struggling to move toward the car, my legs wobbly.
When he returned to the car, he sat quietly for a full minute before moving back onto the road. “I think we need to start over, princess. Why don’t you tell me about your enjoyment of playing music?”
The man was acting like nothing happened. I licked my lips and with every wiggle in my seat, my bottom burned. I took several shallow breaths, resigned that small talk was better than another round of embarrassment.
“Fine. I started playing piano when I was three, taught by my mother. By five I’d learned the violin and by seven the cello held my interest. I’ve been playing ever since.” The memories were so sweet, music my only solace.
“Mmm… A prodigy. Your father must be proud.”
“My father couldn’t give a shit,” I snapped. “I’m sorry. Music means everything to me.”
“I can understand. You play with an orchestra?”
“When I’m allowed,” I said in such a timid voice, embarrassing the hell out of me. “He has threatened more than once to take away or destroy my beloved cello. That’s not going to happen. I would just as soon kill him first.” I gasped after saying the words. I’d never muttered them to anyone before and I certainly couldn’t trust a man I didn’t know. “Shit. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Miguel chuckled, his eyes dancing. “Perhaps your father is the pig and you are allowed to say anything around me. There is no love lost with your father in my eyes.”
I shook my head, biting back several nasty words. “I’m even featured on a CD as a soloist, but he doesn’t care.”
“You mean the CD Santiago was playing tonight? Perhaps he does care.”
“Show and glow for all the guests he wines and dines. Nothing more.”
The tension was palpable. What was I supposed to say to the man? We had nothing in common. He was a complete stranger I was supposed to entertain. I was sickened at the thought. I knew what the man wanted. It was the same as every other man I’d known my entire life.
“Where would the lovely lady enjoy going?” he asked, his full lips accentuating every syllable. He allowed his gaze to fall to my cleavage, forcing another shiver to skate down the back of my legs.
“Dancing,” I blurted out. A public place where I could likely slip out of his grasp. “I assume you actually know how to dance? I never know about you Americans. You seem to have no rhythm, let alone anything else decent.”
Whether my nasty words bothered him or not was impossible to tell. In fact, even in the hint of moonlight, I was able to see the gleam in his eyes. He thought this was funny.
“Dancing it is. I assume you know the right location.”
I knew exactly where he was going to take me, the poshest nightclub in town. If I had to spend time with the pompous creep, he would spend lots of American dollars on me. While I wasn’t a club girl, only going out on rare occasion with my friends, I couldn’t think of a better spot to try to get through the night.
I noticed the same set of headlights behind us, able to keep up. I’d seen the two men waiting like mindless soldiers in my father’s house. “Are you afraid of someone, Miguel? Do you always have bodyguards with you?”
He merely shot me a look as he gripped the steering wheel. “There will always be enemies, Valencia, men who would enjoy ending my life. I see fit to stay amongst the living.”
I chuckled to myself, folding my arms and staring out the passenger window. Who did this man think he was?
The bright lights of Havana came into view, the sizzling night just beginning to come alive.
When he came to a stop in the middle of the road, I was surprised. Even more so as he gave me a lust-filled gaze. “Where are we going, princess?”
Another wave of anger rushed into my system, stilting the words as I issued an address. He merely nodded, giving me another intense sweep of his eyes before stepping on the accelerator. Within a few minutes, he’d pulled the car directly in front of the club, leaving it running as he jumped out. I noticed his swagger, as if he was some kind of an important man and huffed.
How was I supposed to get through this night? There was no way my father knew what kind of man he was.
While the valet opened the door, Miguel pushed the man aside until he had his fingers wrapped around mine. There was no question about whether we’d be allowed entrance. Miguel simply waved his hand at the bouncers as if he owned the joint, walking past the line of those hoping to gain entrance with flair.
While my father rarely allowed me to date, those who’d taken me out certainly didn’t have the clout or the arrogance.
“Would you like a drink?” he asked as he scanned the facility.
“No. Not yet. And when I do, I only drink champagne. I need to dance.” I didn’t wait for him, taking the opportunity to break away and move onto the vibrantly hued dance floor. Neon light pulsed all around, including the expansive tiled floor. The music was electric, the Latin beat exactly what I needed.
I was surprised to find that he hadn’t trailed behind me like a lap dog, instead taking a seat at a table closest to the dance floor. Within seconds, he was approached by a waiter and all the while, he kept his eyes pinned on me. Fine. I knew the man wouldn’t be able to dance. Assholes never did.
I began moving to the beat, allowing my body to sway in time to the music as I closed my eyes. I could feel the heated bodies surrounding me, crowding my space. When I finally opened my eyes once again, there were several men watching, hungering.
Including Miguel, his commanding presence drawing his own attention from admirers. He was formidable in every manner, his suave appearance completely separating him from other classes. While his expression was one of amusement, everything else screamed of domination.
Ownership.
To him, I was nothing but a prize for the taking.
I’d never been a tease, had been bred to be a sophisticated lady, but tonight all the rules needed to be broken. And so I danced in a provocative manner, throwing all precaution to the wind. I gave him my most seductive smile, inching closer and closer to the railing separating the dance floor from the seated area. As I grabbed onto the thick metal, using it as a prop and gyrating my hips, he seemed more intrigued, easing forward in the chair.
I licked my lips in an exaggerated fashion as I brushed my palms down from my breasts to my hips, all the while keeping perfect rhythm. My bottom continued to throb but for some crazy reason, the discomfort only added to my seductive moves. There wasn’t a man in the room who wasn’t paying attention, all hoping for an opportunity for a dance. They would have to wait their turn. If the man wanted a show, I’d give him one.
I allowed my dance moves to become even more enticing, finally beckoning with a single finger. His reaction? The same hard, cold stare as if looking straight through me, ready to unwrap the candy inside. I knew exactly what he was thinking.