Chapter 28 You Must Stay Within My Reach

For all those nights, I had been dreaming of that insurmountable debt of eighty million.

As I fretted over the balance of less than fifty thousand dollars in my bank account, I realized the grim reality of my situation. I had no formal job, yet life had to go on—meals, travel, living expenses—my bank balance would only dwindle further. But I had to gather the eighty million to pay Antonio, to finally be free from the contract and his control.

"Time for breakfast," Antonio said, buttoning up his shirt with one hand and draping a smoke-gray suit jacket over his arm from the wardrobe. He was urging me to hurry. Today marked my sixth day in Philadelphia, yet under the watchful eyes of Antonio and his bodyguards, escaping the hotel remained an unachievable feat.

After a busy week, Antonio finally had a day off and intended to drag me out with him. I dawdled in the bathroom for thirty minutes; I had no interest in shopping, I just wanted to leave. Antonio stood by the bathroom door, his amber eyes emotionlessly fixed on me, making my scalp tingle uncomfortably.

"I don’t want to shop," I said, turning off my phone screen and finally meeting his gaze directly. "Let me go, Antonio. I won’t run away again. I'll keep in touch; you can contact me anytime."

"Keeping in touch, staying within my reach, isn’t that your obligation?" Antonio’s rough fingertips brushed my chin slightly forcefully. "You’re negotiating, but I see no sincerity, Sienna."

I gripped my phone tightly. My mother had finally called back last night, but I dared not answer with Antonio sitting right beside me, busy with his work files. She must be worried, bound to call again, asking about my whereabouts and why I hadn’t come to see her for so long. She might even confront my father, a man of two faces—arrogant and proud with his family. Her questioning would wound his pride, and he would lash out in anger, speaking ill of me, including the accusations of me being a mistress. Well, he wasn’t entirely wrong.

Damn, I had no idea where my father was now; his phone had been off all this time. My emotions struggled against compliance with Antonio, as obedience would only make him think I was easy to manipulate, but my rational mind feared provoking Antonio, a cruel mafioso. His loss in killing me would merely be like losing a pet he somewhat enjoyed playing with.

I couldn't tell him these thoughts, as they would become leverage for him. I took a deep breath, mentally prepared myself, and took a step towards Antonio. Reaching up, I hooked my arms around his neck. He was tall, requiring me to stand on my tiptoes to kiss him, his cologne enveloping me.

"Please, give me some time," I whispered against Antonio's lips, pleading softly. "Let me go to that engagement party, and I’ll come back. If you're not too busy, we could even see a midnight movie together."

Antonio deepened the kiss, refusing to let me pull away, his hands tightly imprisoning me in his embrace, his tongue skillfully coaxing mine in a deep, entwining kiss. I struggled for breath, clutching his shirt collar, my body trembling under his touch, "Antonio..."

I swallowed the mingled saliva, a moan of arousal escaping me as I collapsed weakly into his embrace, powerless against his caressing. I heard the sound of my skirt’s zipper being pulled down, his hands, inflamed with desire, deftly slipping under my skirt, teasingly brushing the soft flesh at my waist.

A wave of tactile pleasure surged through me at the stimulation of my private parts, moisture gathering as I rubbed my thighs together, lost in the provocation of Antonio's soothing touch. The kiss ended, and my mind was blank, unable to think as I lay in Antonio’s arms, carried into the bedroom like a child.

I lay limp on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Antonio returned from the bathroom with a hot towel, lifting my skirt and removing my damp underwear to clean my moist private area.

"Stop..." As the towel brushed against my sensitive clit, it felt like tiny electric currents surged through my body, my breathing shaky. I struggled to escape, but Antonio's large hand held me down.

He played with my clit with his fingertip, eliciting a moan from me, seemingly pleasing him. "If you like, we can go to the midnight movie tonight."

He kissed my cheek, my eyes clouded with desire, my heart nearly leaping out of my throat. Antonio opened the wardrobe, half-filled with his shirts and suits, the other half with various women's T-shirts, lace blouses, jeans, sportswear, and skirts, all bearing luxury brand logos and fitting my size perfectly. Antonio tossed me a pair of white lace-trimmed panties, commanding me to change into them. I picked up the panties, the thin fabric connected by a slender string, barely covering my private parts. Wearing them felt no different from being naked.

This was utterly humiliating. Tears welled up in my eyes as my body trembled uncontrollably. This wasn't just underwear; it was a new method for Antonio to manipulate me.

I glared at him, tears rolling in my eyes but refusing to fall. "If you disagree, just say so. Why do you need to humiliate me?!"

"I agree," Antonio said as he took off his shirt, the silver-gray fabric wrinkled from my grasp, and tossed it casually into the laundry basket. He then took a new shirt from the wardrobe and put it on. With his back to me, I couldn't see his expression. "Put it on, come out with me, and ensure you obey my commands today, and I might consider fulfilling your wish."

I didn't trust Antonio. Negotiating with a mafioso whom not even the law could constrain seemed far from sensible. But did I have any other choice?

Antonio elegantly buttoned his shirt, the well-tailored fabric accentuating his broad shoulders and narrow waist, the material stretching to subtly reveal his well-defined abs. Clutching the panties in my hand, I felt my ears burn.

Realizing I was developing feelings I shouldn't have, I quickly averted my gaze, looking down at the floor, pretending to seriously consider Antonio's proposition.

"Mafia's patience is measured in seconds, Sienna," Antonio lifted my chin, his thumb rough with calluses, forcefully rubbing my swollen lips.

He was warning me; I was taking too long to decide, and he could change his mind at any moment.

I despised Antonio's coercion; I felt like a weary deer, unable to escape the predator that chased me relentlessly.

Yet, I had compelling reasons to agree.