Carnevale and Subterfuge Read online

  Diego pulled out a small plug on the side of the wrist computer and connected it into the monitor on the door. “AI, bypass the security systems, please.”

  “Fine, fine, whatever you want, sir,” the AI grumped.

  The screen flickered and then dimmed to black. A small click indicated the lock was undone. Diego slipped into the darkened room. “This is so much more fun than conning the rich and stupid at the Silver Ball. And much more interesting than fucking dumb socialites so I can get their gems.”

  “Hey, you have to fuck them. I have to watch,” the AI whispered. “You better turn me off when you’re doing whatever it is you’re about to do her.”

  “I wouldn’t do that to you. Besides, for her I want privacy.”

  “Really? You’re gonna treat her like a person instead of a warm body? Nice. What’d you do, grow some feelings in the last few minutes? Last I checked, you’re still a conman right?”

  Diego said nothing. Something about this woman intrigued him. He couldn’t tell whether it was the horror he had witnessed on her face at the bar when she’d been mistaken or the fact that she wasn’t like the spoiled brats he normally wooed and conned. Something about her made him want to see what was under the surface. He snorted silently to himself. Perhaps the AI was right. She wasn’t just a warm body to him.

  He slipped carefully through the suite. He’d been in rooms like this hundreds of times. He’d never kidnapped a person before. He’d stolen large statues, large paintings, and even a suit of armor with ten arms, but never a person. He prayed his first kidnapping would go smoothly.

  In the dark, with his cybernetic implants, his night vision was activated, and he saw large landscape paintings that could be found at any other high-end hotel. Diego refocused his attention on the task at hand. He was going to give the intriguing Anarrae the night of her life. With great care he passed through the sitting room, bypassed the kitchenette, and went into the bedroom, avoiding discarded boots, a uniform, some gloves, a com/GPS unit, a bra and some underwear.

  “Oh, saints alive, she’s naked.” Diego’s cock pressed against the fly of his pants. He groaned as his stomach clenched. The pace of his heart increased as excitement rose within him.

  “Get a grip, you moron. Focus and don’t let your dick do the thinking,” the AI said through a small com unit in the mask.

  With a deep breath, Diego refocused his energy on getting to the bed. The soft rustle of sheets was like a gunshot in the silent room. He stilled and strained his cybernetics to hear her breathing patterns. Slow and steady. Relief washed over him and he began to move again. She wasn’t getting up. One single scream would send the sensors in the suite into panic mode, and security would be up to her room in flash, ruining his kidnapping attempt.

  He approached her bed and paused to take in her sleeping form. The smell of jasmine from Earth, along with the barest hint of arousal, perfumed the air. It was a heady combination.

  “Only screams and moans tonight,” he whispered before pulling the sheets back and scooping her body up in his arms. Then he stopped.

  “She’s naked, idiot,” his AI said.

  “I know.” Diego gazed down her body. She was fit, with small high breasts, flat stomach, and wide hips. Just gorgeous. Even her toes were perfect.

  “Stop staring. Cover her up and then get out of here. Did you forget that you are wanted in three galaxies? Get her and get out of here, Casanova, or you’re dead meat.”

  Diego pulled a sheet from the bed, laid her down on it, and wrapped her body up before picking her up again. She moaned but didn’t stir. It must have been the Nastro azzurro ale she had had at the bar. The alcohol on Il Doge was at least a hundred times more potent anywhere else in the galaxy. If she hadn’t eaten she’d be out for a while.

  “This would be so much easier if you just woke her up and told her to get dressed,” his AI said.

  “She’ll scream. Now find me the best route to get out of here. Also, screw with the security systems again.”

  “Fine, fine. But when I get my body, it better be the best one they have. I want it all, you got me? I won’t be some freaking metallic monstrosity, with those weird-ass eyes and mechanical voice.”

  “Yes, yes, whatever. Work your magic,” Diego said.

  “Security system off. I’m logging off for the night.”

  He felt the AI go offline. The slight buzz that usually went through his body was gone. Taking a deep breath, he left the suite and took his time going down the stairs, mindful that he had Anarrae in his arms. He managed to make it safely out of the hotel. It was Carnevale. No one would think twice about the sight they made. It was normal for this time of year. He carried her five blocks to his flat overlooking the river Rivergaro.

  He managed to get into his building without the AI’s help and up to his apartment. Once there, he laid her carefully down on the bed, stripped her of the sheets, and shackled her to the iron headboard and footboard.

  Her hair was spread out like a dark brown halo against his dark red, silk pillows. Her milk chocolate skin looked decadent, like an offering, surrounded by red and black striped silk. Diego couldn’t wait to feast on every inch of her body and make her scream and writhe in pleasure.

  “You want a Carnevale you will never forget, bella? You got it,” he murmured, stripping out of his coat and throwing it on a nearby chair. For the next half hour he took great care choosing his implements of arousal for her. When she finally woke up, he grinned at her confused and sleepy eyes.

  “Hello, bella, are you ready to be fucked within an inch of your life?” Diego asked in a gruff voice.

  Chapter Two

  Anarrae opened her eyes and lifted her head. Her gaze wandered around an unfamiliar room. Her mind felt swathed with cotton. She remembered checking into the hotel and feeling very sleepy. After that, nothing. Now, standing at the foot of the bed, was the man from the bar, shirtless and holding what looked like a riding crop. Her heart hammered against her rib cage as fear slammed into her.

  She knew she was in trouble. Real trouble. Her breath came out in small pants. She struggled to get up from the bed only to find her ankles and wrists bound in leather cuffs. Tears welled in her eyes. There was nowhere she could go. Ana opened her mouth to try to scream, but all that came out was a strange, hoarse sound.

  “Please,” she finally managed.

  “Shhhhh, it’s OK. Relax. I’m not going to hurt you if you don’t want me to. I promise.” The man moved to sit down on the bed, still holding the riding crop. “You wanted a gondolier and here I am.”

  Ana swallowed. “How…?” She had to stop; her voice was still hoarse. “Water.”

  “Oh, sorry about that.” The man put the whip on the bed and dashed out of the room.

  Ana’s head began to pound and she moaned. The day had gone from humiliating to worse. Now the man from the bar had kidnapped her…to do what, exactly? She didn’t have time to dwell too much on his reasoning. He returned with a small cup of clear liquid. He placed it on the nightstand and unshackled her wrists.

  “Drink this slowly,” he said.

  The soft, roughness of his voice, edged with an indefinable accent, sent a shiver of warmth through Ana, despite her unease. A cool breeze on her skin caused goose bumps to rise, and she realized she was naked. She squealed and looked down at her body. Not an inch of her was covered.

  “Drink, and then we’ll discuss rules. I added a bit of something to help with the alcoholic aftereffects. I crushed up a food pellet, I assure you, not some sort of drug.”

  Ana took the cup and drank it down without protest. For some reason, she trusted him. A glance into his olive-green eyes set her at ease. There was something there that made her relax despite him being a perfect stranger.

  “I should tell you right off, I’m a very well-known con artist,” he said. “The reason I say this is because I looked you up. I know why you’re here, and I want to give you what you need. That is, if you still wish to continue with th
is holiday?” Uncertainty clouded his gaze, and Ana shifted uncomfortably at his confession.

  “So,” she tested softly, relieved to find her voice was no longer hoarse. The pounding in her head had also disappeared. “You’re an admitted con artist, you hacked into my information, and you want to give me the holiday I wanted. I’m not going to ask what you saw, or how you know why I’m here, because I honestly don’t want to know. But I will ask you this: why are you doing this for me? I don’t have a lot of money, no gems to steal, and I’m not related to anyone important.”

  The man ducked his head. Thick waves of midnight hair slid forward to cover half of his masked face. “I have my reasons. So, do you want to have a go, or don’t you?”

  Ana thought about it as she took in his naked upper body. He was lean, with tribal tattoos covering one entire arm and half of his torso. His dusky pink nipples were pierced with black barbells. His mask still hid half of his face, and he still wore the spiked collar. Now she could see he also had spiked leather cuffs encircling his wrists. He had an air of danger and seduction, but there also something vulnerable about him. Ana found herself drawn to him and couldn’t understand why. She didn’t know him at all.

  She sighed. “If I’m going to get tied up and fucked, I might as well do it with someone I’m attracted to. I’m sure you know the rules I had with the other gondolier, yes? No names, no personal information, although that’s too late. I want to be tied down and fucked. A little pain but not too much.” Ana couldn’t remember what else was on her list.

  “We need a safe word, something that tells me that you want to truly stop,” he murmured, looking up at her.

  Ana licked her lips and thought about it. “I choose ‘jasmine.’”

  “Jasmine,” he murmured. “All right, good.”

  “Um, what do I call you? No names. I just need to know how to respond.” She ducked her head shyly. This was a whole new experience for her, and she didn’t know how to act.

  “What do you like? Do you want to call me Master? Sir? What?” he asked, running his hand through his thick locks.

  Ana noticed he had a large silver hoop in the other ear as well. She stared at that hoop, trying to find a name she might like to call him. “Sir” reminded her of Captain Drogan, and she just couldn’t call him that—too weird. “Master” sounded too intimidating. Names rolled around her head, and she tried to pick one.

  “How about Dodger, after the Earth character from fiction? You are a con artist after all.” She smiled at her sense of humor.

  He chuckled. “I kind of like that. Dodger it is then, love.”

  “Are you going to tell me what you’re about to do? Or do I have to guess?” Ana asked.

  He stood up and looked down at her. “No, you let me be in charge and just get ready to feel. Now lie back down.”

  Ana did so, extending her arms over her head and waited for him to move.

  He shackled her to the headboard again. She swallowed and took in a deep breath. Excitement shimmered through her body, and she closed her eyes. Finally her holiday was going right.

  * * *

  Diego took her cup to the kitchen, drew in a deep breath, and pushed up his mask. He wasn’t sure if he could follow through with his plan. As much as he wanted to do this for her—be the dominant she needed from him—he wasn’t sure if he could carry out her fantasy and not become attached. He ran a hand over his face and sighed. His fingers traced the scar that slashed through his right cheek. He had one just like it on his left.

  A weight settled over his shoulders as he pulled down the mask. Anarrae was innocent. All she wanted was pleasure and he was going to give it to her, but things would change. Maybe not for her but for him.

  No attachments. That’s what he had told himself daily. Now something was forming for her and his number one rule was being broken. When she’d said no names, he’d had to bite his tongue.

  Diego had wanted to give her his so that every time she came it would be his name on her lips. Now he had to deal with being called Dodger. Amusing in one way and annoying in another.

  “I’ll just deal with it,” he mumbled to himself. “After this is all over, I’ll let her go and everything will go back to the way it was. No attachments. Just fuck her and run. That’s it.”

  When he returned to the bedroom, his breath caught in his throat. She lay there stretched out, waiting for him. His stomach clenched and fire flooded his body, pooling in his groin. For a moment he imagined what it would be like to find her just like that every night when he got home. A groan threatened to rise up and he quickly quashed it down. No, no, no. That line of thought would only lead to a place he didn’t want to go.

  He pushed away any notion of what could happen between them. Instead he decided to focus on doing something different with her, something that could get her to trust him and would be pleasurable for both of them. He would have to be the one tied down. His cock jumped at the thought. His heartbeat picked up speed.

  She lifted her head and their eyes met. Fire danced in her brown gaze. He glanced over her body and held back a moan. Golden light bathed her skin, making her look like a decadent treat. He wanted to bite, nibble, feast and flick. One look at her exposed sex had him licking his lips. The plump petals were slick with her dew. The very sight almost made him growl. He clenched his fists as he tried to hold himself back.

  “You like bondage, yes?” he asked, surprised at how gruff he sounded. Arousal was unfurling its talons in his gut as he watched her move on the bed. A slow slide against the simple Tunisian cotton made him lick his lips. Diego yearned to taste the salt of her skin, the tangy sweetness of her honey. The ache in his gut increased as blood pounded to his cock. He closed his eyes to push back the need.

  “Yes,” she replied in a soft, husky tone that made Diego bite his lower lip. He had to keep himself from crawling up on the bed and covering her body in biting kisses.

  Diego approached the bed but did not climb on it. “I propose a change. I will be the one tied down, and you get to have your wicked way with me.”

  To keep himself from reaching out, he grabbed his right wrist with his left hand and picked the riding crop back up off the bed. The hardness of the handle helped him focus on something other than the ache of his balls and the throbbing of his cock.

  “You want to be tied down?” There was uncertainty in her eyes and for a moment Diego thought his plan might go down the drain. “I’ve never been in charge before.”

  Anarrae’s gaze wandered over Diego’s body, a heated caress that sent a flush of fire over his skin, made his cock twitch and his heart pick up pace, beating against his chest so hard that he thought it would burst past his rib cage. In his mind’s eye he could see her above him, riding him, kissing him, caressing him—doing things that would blow his mind. He tightened his grip on his wrist and didn’t wince at the pain. Diego had to focus.

  “Haven’t you ever wanted to be in charge during sex? Has any man ever given you that opportunity?” If they hadn’t, he would love to have a word with her past lovers. Just the thought of her giving her body to someone else pricked something in him that made him uncomfortable.

  He pushed the odd feeling away and watched her very carefully. There was a hitch in her breath. Her breasts moved up and down rapidly. She was interested. The idea seemed to amuse her. Her legs slid over the bed, and she gripped the leather straps tightly.

  Diego knew he had to move this along. Need was riding him hard and the night was burning away. In the morning he had somewhere to be. Diego didn’t want to waste any of the time he had with her. He let go of his wrist, undid his pants, and removed his shoes.

  Diego stood before her naked. He ran his fingers over his chest, pausing to circle the pad of his index finger around his nipple. Sensation shot to his groin. When he tugged the barbell that pierced his nipple, electricity shot straight to his cock. He rolled the small bud and groaned as pleasure ebbed through him.

  His cock throbbed with need.
Diego tossed the riding crop onto a nearby chair and took hold of his cock, squeezing just below the wide helmet before moving his hand down to the base and then up again. Slowly, he stroked himself. His eyelids lowered until he gazed at her through a veil of dark lashes.

  “See how the idea affects me? How aroused I am at the thought of being under your control? Let’s try something new. This will only be for one weekend after all.”

  The uncomfortable reminder returned, pricking his mind again. One time only. One weekend to sink into her fantasies and desires. He didn’t like that one bit but there was nothing he could do.

  “And if we do this, will you get to be in charge later?” she asked him. Her face was like a mask, her emotions under tight control. She was trying to hide her reaction from him, and yet he knew her answers. She wanted to be his master in this round.

  Diego nearly moaned. He stroked his cock faster. He wanted her to control him, have her way with him. Never had anyone been given that chance. Always in command, always in control—that was him. You give away control, you lose in the con. For this one time, he would relinquish himself to another person. He just prayed the odd feeling inside him that wanted to get to know her better would go away after he allowed Ana her way.

  “Anything you want, love.” He meant it.

  The odd expression fell from her face and emotions rushed over her features almost too quickly to read. He did manage to catch need, desire, and yearning before she closed herself off to him again.

  “Then release me from my bonds,” she said.

  That sultry sound was all he needed. Diego released his cock and followed her orders. “Qualunque cosa tu possa desiderare da me, sara' tua,” he murmured.