I didn’t think I’d been that early, but it was a long time before he finally joined me.
Roughly grabbing my arm, he turned me toward the door before leading me to the waiting car.
It was a struggle to keep up with him, but I was able to not fall at least.
He forced me into the car, then sat beside me while the driver rushed around to take up the front seat. Without a word, he pulled out of the driveway. Matteo spoke to him in Italian. The driver nodded and the car sped up so I assumed we were running late. At least it wasn’t my fault. I didn’t think so, anyway, as I’d been waiting on him.
I stared at my lap for the entire drive while Matteo spoke on his phone or used his thumbs on the screen.
Finally, the car pulled to a stop and the door opened to expose a white, clinical-looking building. Matteo surprised me by offering a hand to help me out of the car. With an arm around my waist, he ushered me in through a wide glass door.
A small room filled with chairs was waiting for us on the other side, but he moved straight to a woman sitting behind a desk and spoke with her in a quiet tone.
Upon hearing his name, she jumped up from her seat and opened one of the two doors and Matteo had me follow her.
“In here. The doctor will be right with you,” the woman said before quickly disappearing again, shutting us into the small room.
“Sit on the table,” Matteo instructed me before he sat in a chair with his back as straight as could be. He hadn’t looked at me once since we’d entered the car, and I wanted to ask if I’d done something to upset him.
However, I didn’t, since it was probably about the night before, and I didn’t want to talk about what had happened either because it would likely lead to a punishment I wasn’t ready to endure.
A man in a white coat entered the room shortly after.
“Okay, let’s see these hands Mr. Rossi told me about,” the man said, skipping all pleasantries as he sat on a stool, then wheeled over so he could examine my hands closely. “Must have been quite the fall and you must have quite the pain tolerance to not have complained about these before. The damage is quite extensive and will be difficult to repair after so long.”
“Can it be done, though?” Matteo stood and glowered at the man.
“Y…yes, it can. It takes some time to recover from as well, and she’ll need to take care of them until they are fully healed.” The doctor glanced from Matteo to me, but settled on focusing on Matteo since it was obvious he was the one in charge.
“When can you get her in for the surgery?” Matteo asked, pulling out his phone. When the doctor didn’t immediately answer, Matteo looked up and lifted an eyebrow like he expected the doctor to have his schedule memorized.
“I, uh, I’ll have to check with my secretary. Please give me just a moment,” the doctor said, rushing out the door. He was back after a moment. “We can do it this afternoon. I have moved around some of my patients to make room for her.”
“Excellent. We will see you this afternoon.” Matteo shook the man’s hand, and I saw the subtle exchange of a white envelope into the doctor’s palm. “Thank you, doctor. We will set everything up with your secretary.”
The man nodded and tucked the envelope away as discreetly as he could. In the waiting room, Matteo told me to get in the car and he’d join me in a moment. I did as I was told, scooting over to the far side of the seat. When he joined me, he patted my knee softly, but it was the only attention he gave me through the rest of the ride.
By the time we returned home, it was just after eight. Matteo told me what time to meet him in the afternoon, then left me alone in the hallway.
I debated going up to my room, but instead headed to the kitchen for some food.
Aida looked up when I entered.
“Getting surgery, eh?” she asked.
“I think so. They didn’t really say exactly what was going to happen,” I admitted.
“Well, I suggest you stay in your room, as Monique is in a mood because Matteo didn’t ask her opinion on the matter,” Aida said, then flapped a hand to tell me to leave the kitchen.
I grabbed a handful of fruit and followed her advice. The free time was nice, so I could read through the magazines about gardening again. It seemed no matter how many times I read them I’d find something new. Before I knew it, it was time to go.
Sitting in the car again with Matteo, I was on edge. I didn’t know what was going to happen or why he was forcing me to go through with it in the first place. He didn’t even seem to know I was in the car with him, so the fact that he was taking the time out of his day to escort me to and from the doctor seemed strange.
The car didn’t pull up to the same building as it had in the morning. Instead it was a massive building that had to have been a hospital. Everything seemed hazy as Matteo handled all the details, and soon I was in a room where a nice woman told me to strip down and put on the gown they provided.
She looked at Matteo as if expecting him to give me privacy to change, but he pushed the door shut in her face.
“Put the gown on,” he told me, leaning back against the door with his arms across his chest.
I swallowed and nodded. Unzipping my dress, I shrugged it off my shoulders before folding it and setting it on a chair. Next I lost my bra and panties, then finally my heels. I stood there naked in front of him, reaching for the faded cotton gown. Even though my eyes were down, I could feel him looking at me. The heat of them burned me and turned me on in the most inappropriate moment.
Once the gown was on, I sat on the edge of the bed with my hands folded on my lap.
He opened the door and allowed the nurse to enter again so she could put in an IV and other various things to prep me for the procedure.
“We are going to start with a medication that will make you feel a bit loopy and sleepy, and then once we get you in the room, we will knock you out completely for the operation,” she informed me as she pushed a vial of something into the tubing of my IV. “Relax and I’ll be back in just a few moments to take you in.”
I scooted back and lay on the bed on wheels I was sure would be my mode of transport to the operating room. The medicine kicked in quickly; she’d described it. I felt like I was floating in a light, fluffy cloud where nothing could touch me.
Even in my cloud of blissful nothingness, I swore I felt Matteo sit next to me on the bed. His fingers swept over my cheek to slip along my lips. The words he spoke were just as muffled as the touch I swore I felt.
“My bella. I’m so sorry you have to live with a monster like me. I will fix you and make you as beautiful as you once were. Repair the last of the damage done that horrible night. I wish I could tell you that it wasn’t just you who suffered that night, but me too. There are too many secrets and problems in my life for you to ever be what I wish you could be. All I can do now is try to keep you as happy as I can and hope that it makes up for all the horrible things I’ve done to you and still want to do to you,” Matteo’s voice floated in a bubble in front of me like it was a cartoon and written out.
Reaching out, my finger hit the bubble of his speech and popped it; it vanished. How very strange, I thought. Had he really said that?
The next thing I knew, I was waking up in a white room. My wrists were restrained, and I cried out as I tried to yank on them.
“Hey, shh,” a lovely lady said, rushing to my side. She rubbed a hand over my forehead and hair. “You’re okay. We only tied your wrists down so you don’t move and hurt your fingers.”
“No,” I croaked out. Swallowing a few times, I tried again. “No restraints. I’ll behave.”
It wasn’t that I necessarily minded being restrained, but I didn’t know where I was and who was around and it reminded me too much of the cold-eyed man in the basement.
“Okay, okay. Calm down and I’ll take them off,” she spoke in a soft, soothing tone.
I nodded and shut my heavy eyes. When I opened them again, I found myself in my own bedroom. Start
led, I sat up and looked around quickly. It couldn’t be. I just had surgery and they wouldn’t release me to go home this soon, would they?
“Lie back down.” Matteo’s voice came from the side of my bed.
I looked over at him in surprise, but did as he said.
“We have a nurse who will be coming to take care of your hands. I couldn’t stand the thought of you in the hospital any longer than necessary,” he said.
I frowned. After months of neglect and everything since, I didn’t think he cared for me at all. Something in the back of my mind said I’d forgotten something important he’d said to me before the surgery, but I couldn’t pull it from the depths of my mind no matter how hard I tried.
“Okay. Thank you, sir. I’ll be happy to get back to my chores as soon as possible and complete them much faster than I have been able to recently,” I responded, biting down on my lower lip. I didn’t know how else to thank him for fixing my hands. No one had told me how long it would take to recover from the surgery, but I would push to make it go faster than they said because I wanted to show how thankful I was.
“Are you hungry?” he asked, surprising me.
I was still frightfully skinny, but eating was never a priority for me. I ate when I was hungry and only a quick bite of whatever was handy before resuming my chores or escaping to my room.
“No, sir.” I shook my head. All I really wanted was to sleep and hope the next time I woke the new, throbbing pain in my hands was better.
“Would you like something for the pain?” Again, he surprised me with his question.
“No, thank you. I will be just fine, Matteo,” I said. After everything I’d been through and not had anything to help, the surgery pain was barely a blip on the scale.
“Very well,” Matteo said with a nod. He stood and stared at me for a second before leaving the room.
As it turned out, I would have a nurse come to change my bandages and help keep the surgical wounds clean. Once they healed enough, she would help me do exercises to regain the mobility of my stiff fingers.
It took months before I finally was relieved of her care. My wounds had healed nicely; my hands looked almost the way they had before, minus the scars of course. Best of all, I could move them as I hadn’t been able to for a long time. I nearly cried the first time I could make a fist again. Little steps seemed so much bigger when they were all I had to focus on. The only thing that gave me reason for waking each day.
I only left my room to retrieve my own food and was ushered quickly out of the kitchen each time by Aida. She was hiding something, I thought more than once.
When I was free and able to work again, I skipped to the kitchen the next morning. I would almost take a punishment because I felt so good I didn’t think I’d even feel it. There was no punishment for the skipping. Instead I was greeted by a grim-faced Aida as soon as I entered the room.
“Sit. We need to talk,” she said. “Starting tomorrow you’ll be taking over in the kitchen. I am having surgery and Matteo doesn’t want to hire someone else to take care of the house while I’m recovering so you’ll have to learn fast and on your own. I have written most of my recipes down for you. I’ll have you help me serve dinner tonight to give you some tips, but you still have your chores to complete today.”
I nodded once. I’d never cooked so it was bound to be a complete mess, which meant I’d be getting in trouble. However, knowing that Matteo trusted that I could handle it was encouraging.
I finished my chores in record time and loved that I had full range of motion of my fingers again, which made everything so much easier. When I entered the kitchen, Aida was waiting in her chair. She walked me through how to make the meal and plate it; then it came time to serve them. I hadn’t seen Matteo since right after my surgery. Excitement mixed with nerves since I didn’t know who was dining with him. There were only two plates to serve so I knew there’d only be one other person.
Even though I shouldn’t have been surprised, I was when I saw Monique seated next to Matteo. There was a slew of papers spread out before them on the table, but they were pushed away when they spotted me.
“Finally,” she sighed, clearly annoyed.
“Thank you,” Matteo mumbled when I placed the plate in front of him.
I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. As I walked out of the room, I heard Monique speak to Matteo.
“We are halfway through the wedding thank you notes, let’s just finish and then you can go do whatever has you looking at your phone every few seconds.” Monique was clearly unhappy he wasn’t as invested in the cards as she was.
When I entered the kitchen, I put my chin to my chest and took a few deep breaths. Tears burned in my eyes. They had gotten married while I’d been recovering from surgery. It was like a hot poker to the heart and a blaring reminder that I was nothing more to Matteo.
“Don’t stand there wallowing. Get going on the dishes. There is only the one course tonight. You have it easy. Get them cleaned and wait until the Mister and Missus are done eating to pick up the last of them. Then you can return to your room,” Aida told me as she pushed to her feet. “I’m leaving; don’t screw this up.”
I watched her hobble away until she turned the corner. The dishes helped distract me for a bit, but when I peered back into the room and noticed both plates had been moved aside, I knew I’d have to face the happy couple again. I took a fortifying breath before moving to collect them from the table. Neither spoke to me as they took turns signing the cards before exchanging them for the other to sign.
In the kitchen I quickly washed the two plates, then headed to my room. I lay in the bed staring at the ceiling, completely unnerved by the unexpected news. Somewhere deep inside, I’d hoped he wouldn’t go through with marrying the woman. I wanted him to want me. The way he touched me and teased me, the thoughtful little things he did made feelings bloom that I didn’t understand, but after hearing they were married, I was crushed. There would be no exploring those emotions.
Finally, I rolled off the bed and took a shower. It felt good to wash the day away and when I stepped out, I felt refreshed. However, when I walked into my room wrapped only in a towel, I found Matteo sitting on the edge of my bed, waiting for me.
I dropped to my knees, palms at my back in greeting.
My towel dropped around me, revealing my bare body to him.
He stayed quiet for a long moment as my palms started to sweat.
“Bella,” he whispered as he stepped in front of me. His fingers moved over my cheek and I couldn’t help but nuzzle my face into the touch.
I’d missed him, even if he’d gone off and gotten married.
“Lie on the bed, bella,” he said in a quiet voice.
I did as he asked, lying on my back.
“Pleasure yourself,” he instructed.
My fingers slid between my spread thighs to tease my eager body.
He gripped my thighs and yanked my bottom to the edge of the bed, forcing my feet to move wide to stay on the mattress, which spread me even more open for him.
“You need to get waxed again. I don’t like all the hair covering your beautiful pussy,” he noted as he watched my fingers slip into my opening.
“Anything for you, Matteo,” I panted, moving my fingers in and out, revealing how wet I was to his view.
“Cazzo, bella.” He shook his head, then moved quickly to undo his pants. They dropped to the floor only seconds before he was pushing into me along with my fingers.
I started to remove my fingers, but he grabbed my wrist to stop me.
“Leave them. Move them with me,” he said. His hips slammed into me repeatedly before he bent over me to place kisses along the column of my neck. We were both out of breath as he continued to fill me, but he managed to whisper a few words into my ear. “Don’t make a single sound.”
I nodded even though I wasn’t sure I would be able to hold back my cries of pleasure. My arms slipped around his neck to hold him close as my body
grew tense, on the edge of release.
His palm covered my mouth as he moaned softly, then sank his teeth into the base of my neck. He shivered against me, grunting quietly as pleasure burst through me at the same time.
I pieced myself back together as he lapped at my new wound.
He ran his nose up my neck before nipping at my earlobe.
“I missed you,” he whispered huskily before placing a soft kiss on my cheek and withdrawing from me.
I watched, stunned, as he pulled his pants back up and walked from the room.
What on earth had just happened? He was married, but still sneaking into my room. It didn’t make sense to me.
Little did I know more than one thing was going to be changing… and soon.
Chapter Thirteen
I discovered why Aida seemed to constantly be cooking when the next morning I found a list of her chores. Everything from answering the door, making sure Matteo (and any guests he may have) had beverages and food if it was appropriate, to serving three meals a day to Matteo and Monique. If Matteo, or Monique, were going out of town, I would be left a list of dates and times for when they left and needed to be picked up. It was my responsibility to make sure there was a car waiting for both.
After reading through the list, I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage to juggle both her job and my own, but I’d have to find a way.
There was a massive stack of recipes, all handwritten, left by Aida. I hadn’t expected her to leave me so many details and pieces of information, but was thankful for anything that would help me find my way around the new position.
Looking at the clock, I found I had a bit of time before I figured I needed to start preparing breakfast, so I started on my own chores. Since I wasn’t used to having to watch the clock, I was late getting back to the kitchen and had to rush to prepare an omelet for Matteo and one for Monique. I burned the first one, undercooked the second, but managed to finally get the third one right.