Page 53 of Liberated By Sin
“Breathe,” I whispered. “Rein it in and get through another night.”
The elevator to the second floor seemed to ascend slower than usual, prolonging the inevitable. Blaise met my eyes when the doors split open, catching me off guard because the red rooms weren’t his usual posts. Santino had taken him and Ash on as private security. But I supposed it made sense, considering my boss was nowhere to be found. Maybe he’d gone home for the night, discouraged by my decision. Or perhaps the reality of who and what I was had finally sunk in.
A stripper. Not exactly the kind of woman he’d bring home to his mother.
The large man offered a slow smile and reached for the door handle.
“You know what to do if there’s any trouble. I’ll be right outside this door,” he assured me.
I nodded and exhaled before the second mask fell into place—the one I used when I dipped into my own reality, where nothing and no one could hurt me.
Shadows bathed the room, red lights streaking from above, illuminating the darkness just enough. I followed the glowing scarlet trail until his expensive leather shoes came into view.
Italian, I was sure.
Italian.
My eyes rose up the length of the man’s long legs to a fitted white dress shirt tailored to perfection. The first three buttons had been undone, showcasing a muscled chest, inked with a canvas of interconnected tattoos.
Panic flushed hot up my neck when I thought I’d entered the wrong room until I recognized the face of the man staring back at me.
“Santino? W-what are you doing here?”
It was then I noticed his arms pinned behind him and the clinking of metal, suggesting he was cuffed or chained in place.
Again, my blood thrummed, and I scanned the room, my body shifting into a defensive stance. “Who did this to you?”
“You did,” he deadpanned.
My eyebrows knitted. “What are you talking about?”
“Mi stai facendo impazzire,” he said, tugging at his restraints. “You’re making me crazy.”
“That explains nothing.” I hugged my body, as if trying to keep myself in one piece. But I was slowly coming apart for him.
“You have no idea how many times I’ve wanted to drag you off that fucking stage.” His jaw tightened. “Those men—they don’t deserve you, Amara.”
Ruined. Tainted.
I sighed and shook my head. “And you think you do?”
A slight smirk ghosted over his face.
“No. But I’m a selfish man. And that’s why I’m here.”
My pulse was wild, beating like a drum.
“What do you want, Santino?” I asked, drawing closer, unable to resist the pull.
His chest rose and fell to the tune of his quickened breaths, and oureyes locked through the darkness.
“I want you to dance for me,preziosa. Only for me.”
Closing my eyes, I swallowed down the pangs of uncertainty and doubt.
“And why are you tied down?” My voice was breathy, hopeful.
“No touching the dancers. That’s the rule, right? But I don’t trust myself to be good. Not with you.”
