PunishingPhoebe by Kit Tunstall Read Free Book Online

was seething with anger
by the time Mrs. Honeywell brought her to a room at the end of the hall on the
second landing.
    She handed Phoebe an old-fashioned key,
patting her hand in the process. “Enjoy your time together, dear. If you want
me to send up a supper tray, just ring the desk.”
    “Thanks.” Phoebe managed a smile that
disappeared the minute Mrs. Honeywell was gone. She unlocked the door briskly,
preparing herself for a confrontation with Luca. How dare he be so highhanded?
    Anger carried her across the threshold in
seconds and she slammed the door behind her, gaining some satisfaction from the
way it made Luca jump. “How dare you?”
    Her anger faltered when he strode toward
her, dying in the face of his. Gone was the cheerful man from this morning, or
even the bossy, but tender lover from last night. Here stood a reincarnation of
the angry man who had entered her apartment yesterday, except his anger had
clearly intensified.
    “How dare you?” he countered. “The minute I
turned my back, you ran.” Luca shook his head. “I can’t believe I was so stupid
as to trust you, even a little.”
    “Wait.” She backed away as he continued to
bear down on her. “I told you I had to go somewhere.”
    “I thought you understood our agreement,
Phoebe. Your body for a large sum of money.” He lifted a brow. “Or did you lie
to me about accepting our deal too?”
    She shook her head. “Of course not. If
you’d just listen—”
    “I’ve heard enough lies come out of your
beautiful, deceitful mouth, mia tesoro .” He said the endearment so
sarcastically she winced. “I wouldn’t believe a thing you said unless God
himself vouched for you.”
    Phoebe hung her head, not sure how to
handle his anger. Even last night, he hadn’t been this cold with her. Any
chance she’d had of reasoning with him, or explaining her actions, had clearly died
in the wake of what he viewed as her flight from him. “What are you going to do
to me?”
    “Tomorrow, we’re going back to New York,
where I’m watching your every move.” He followed her as she backed away, until
she was pressed against the wall. Luca pressed his body against hers. “I’m
going to keep you in my sight until I decide I’ve gotten my money’s worth.”
    “I can’t.” She tried to resist when he
grasped her wrists and brought them over her head, but part of her didn’t want
to. That part of Phoebe just wanted to throw herself into his arms and beg
forgiveness for her perceived sins.
    “Wrong answer.” His tone could have frozen
water, and his unyielding expression granted no mercy as he pinned her hands
above her head, holding them in place with one hand. His other hand roamed
freely under her jacket, seeking out one of her breasts. He tugged hard on her
nipples, making her gasp, but with pleasure instead of pain. Her flimsy plan of
refusing to allow him access to her body died.
    He moved quickly, stripping her with a
single-minded determination that compensated for him using only one hand.
Phoebe knew she should resist, but her body called out for his possession, even
as her mind cringed away from her own actions. How could she so wantonly
abandon herself to Luca, allowing him to use her?
    The ability to think left her when Luca had
her stripped bare. He released his hold on her wrists, and she started to lower
her arms. “Leave them,” he said harshly, making her freeze.
    Her mouth went dry when Luca disrobed, seeming
to remove his clothes at a pace designed to drive her insane. She moved one
hand toward him, eager to assist, and he stopped. Luca grasped the offending
limb and brought it back above her head again. “Don’t move.”
    “Please.”
    He was clearly delighting in her agony as
he finally undressed completely, slipped on a condom and stepped closer. He
hovered just out of range, so she couldn’t feel his body against hers, just the
almost-touch of his skin near hers. “Who do you belong to, Phoebe?”
    She shook her head,