Leo had called five hotels before he’d found one to put Caprice up in. The last thing he’d expected was for The Plaza to have an opening on Christmas day or to have a room available for an entire week block. Sometimes life was funny. He’d set her up in a deluxe courtyard room on the ninth floor. It was the least he could do, isolating her during the holidays as he was. But he didn’t want her around Faith.
He hadn’t bothered calling, and it was coming close to midnight, but Caprice would let him in if she knew what was good for her. He’d caught the floor when he’d made the reservation, but now the room number escaped him. He took a breath and approached the registration desk, trying not to look sinister.
“Could you tell me Caprice Clementi’s room number please?”
“I’m sorry, sir, but we can’t give out the room numbers of our guests. I could telephone her for you if you’d like?”
Leo looked like he was there to whack her, so he couldn’t blame the hotel staff for their concern. And he did intend to whack her, just not in the way they probably thought. He set down his bag and pulled his wallet out, placing his driver’s license and credit card on the marble. “Leo Raspallo. I paid for the room.”
Panic entered the man’s eyes at the name, then his attention turned to tapping keys at a speed that would impress any secretary. He checked the name on the license and the card number against what was in the computer and cleared his throat. “I apologize, Mr. Raspallo. I didn’t know. She’s in room 912. Would you like a key card?”
“I would.”
Why knock if he was paying for her accommodations? He was here to take what he wanted from her anyway, why pretend with pleasantries and knocks on doors that he wasn’t fully entitled to her body until she got on a plane?
The man scanned the card and slid it across the counter with a weak smile. Leo returned a smile of his own, collected his bag, and got on the elevator.
Inside 912, Leo hung his coat in the entryway. A lush master bathroom was on the left. And then further in, toward the back, was the bedroom. He was surprised when he reached the foot of the bed to find Caprice going at it with a strange man-no doubt an old friend she felt justified in catching up with.
“I’m sorry, Caprice. Did you feel it was appropriate to hook up in a room I’m paying for?”
She scrambled off the man she’d been straddling and struggled to cover herself with the bedsheets. The man looked uncertain.
“Hello,” Leo said, addressing the stranger. “I’m Leo Raspallo. Get out, while I’m feeling generous.”
There were moments having that name came in handy. Though his hands were mostly clean of the family business, Leo never hesitated using his name to make an impression.
The man’s eyes widened. “I-I’m sorry. I-I didn’t know she was yours.”
“Hey!” Caprice snapped. “I’m not furniture.”
“Oh, you are if I say you are.” Leo appraised her like a piece of meat he was considering from the butcher. He turned back to the man who was trying to get to his clothing without flashing everyone in the room. “What’s your name?”
“I… uh… um… John.”
“Mm-hmm,” Leo said, not buying that name for a minute. “Well, John, I think it would be better if you put your clothing on out in the hallway.
Don’t you agree?”
“But… I… uh…”
Leo raised an eyebrow. John grabbed his clothes and fled from the room. When Leo was alone with Caprice, he said, “You’re going to have to be punished for being such a rude, naughty slut, of course.”
This would have had Faith huddling in a corner, but Caprice smirked.
“Was that scene necessary?”
He shrugged. “I’ve got a lot of pent-up energy.” “I didn’t know you’d come see me,” she said, pouting. “Like you said, Faith is never going to be enough.” She smiled.
“Same rules as before. Starting now, no eye contact, address me as Master, only. Do you understand?”
Caprice looked down at the pattern on the bedspread. A shuddering breath left her when she said, “Yes, Master.”
“Did you manage an orgasm with him?” Leo asked.
“No, Master.”
“I’m not surprised. You won’t be having one with me, either.” His pronouncement excited her more. Perhaps she saw a challenge in it-or a game. She’d find out soon enough he was serious. The only person coming tonight would be him. Or there would be dire consequences.
This time, he took it slow. There were no guests to get back to, and for better or worse, Faith knew where he was. He spent half an hour tying Caprice up. He wanted her immobile and unable to squirm away, while still being accessible and open.
“Ow! These ropes are too tight, and they’re scratching me.” Leo stepped back to observe his work, ignoring her whining.
“Leo!”
He extracted a collapsible, stainless steel cane from his bag, then with a flick of his wrist, extended it to its full size. He whacked her on the ass, and she let out a squeal.
“What did I say my name was?”
“Master,” she gasped. That tinge of fear was back in her eyes, and remembering herself, she quickly averted her gaze to the floor as the tears started to flow.
Leo went to the minibar and poured himself a drink, then sat in an overstuffed chair, his eyes drinking in his captive.
“Why are you with her?” Caprice asked after a few minutes.
“What kind of question is that? She’s my fiancee.”
“But she’s not like us. I just don’t understand what you see in her. Are you trying to be a martyr? I can give you what you want. If you break off the engagement, I’ll do anything. I swear. We shouldn’t have broken up.”
He downed the rest of his drink and placed the glass on the side table, his eyes narrowing. “You’ll manipulate and connive and cheat and get whatever you want while pretending to be my slave. You’ll play the good girl when I’m watching and do whatever the hell you want when I’m not. I put you up here as my guest, and I walk in to find you screwing another man under the sheets my credit card paid for. We might not be in a
relationship, but that’s tacky by anyone’s standards.” She turned away.
“Well, am I wrong?”
“You want too much,” she said, barely above a whisper.
“Yes, and that was the conclusion we came to the last time we had this conversation when we were breaking up. You gave me an ultimatum, and I told you to leave. The fact that you felt you could give me an ultimatum is 90 percent of the problem. I don’t want to play a game with you!”
“Then why are you here playing one? Is the vanilla suburban wife game going to be any more appealing to you? Missionary position, lights off. Is that better than this? I can’t give you everything, Leo, but I can give you something.”
Two women in his bed in the same night, both promising him half of the whole he craved. It wasn’t enough. From either of them. He rose slowly, alcohol and predation running through his veins and bent to grab the back of her neck.
His face moved in close to hers. He practically growled when he spoke. “I’m not playing into your manipulation again, Caprice. We are not getting back together. If you can’t handle that, I will pack up my things and leave now. I want to hear you say it, say you understand me and you accept the terms of what we’re doing here.”
She glared up at him. “What are we doing here, Leo?”