Asylum

Chapter 27: A Little Light Reading

I was speechless for several seconds.

"This should convince Emilio of the ... particular nature of our relationship, if he had any doubts," Ivan offered.

"Where did you get this stuff?" I finally asked in a strangled voice.

He shrugged. "Amazon."

I pressed my hands to my flaming cheeks. "On the plus side, knowing that everyone's seen these will make it easier for me to remember to avoid eye contact."

Ivan stepped next to me and gently took the bag from my hand, tucking it back into his duffel. "Now are you regretting coming along?"

I sighed. "Not unless you tell me we're using that stuff tonight."

"Definitely not," he assured me, then hesitated. "Unless you want to."

I slapped him on his bare chest. Ivan laughed, folded me in his arms, and kissed the top of my head. "Come on, grab your sandals and that ridiculous book. Emilio is expecting us at the pool, and Sofia has given us the perfect excuse to keep you safely away from the other women on board."

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Sofia played the part of the woman-scorned beautifully. I had thought Elena and the other woman's thong swimsuits were skimpy, but Sofia's appeared to be made of a single piece of hot pink chewing gum, stretched and wrapped around her body with the minimum number of precisely placed passes required to bring the outfit down to an R rating from an X. She was currently draped all over Emilio and complaining volubly about having nothing to do, now that Ivan had brought that – it took all of my control to stop my eyebrows from shooting up my forehead at the Spanish words Sofia used to describe me – onboard.

As for Emilio, he seemed more amused by her complaints than anything, watching Ivan walk on deck with his mortified new submissive in tow. Though I knew that the white bandeau bikini Ivan had bought me yesterday was practically modest compared to what the other women were wearing, I still felt horribly exposed.

The princeling took a puff on the oversized cigar between his thin lips and squeezed Sofia's bare ass roughly, his eyes never leaving his perusal of every curve and dip of my body. "No te preocupes; te mantendré ocupado (Don't worry; I'll keep you busy)," he reassured the other woman. "Ahora ve a Lucia y Elena arriba (Now go join Lucia and Elena up above)."

Sofia slid off his lap, receiving a slap on her lush behind from Emilio as she did, and sauntered over to a steep staircase that presumably led up to the sun deck and hot tub, her eyes shooting daggers at me as she passed.

"A she-devil in heat, that one," Emilio observed as we approached the chaises longues where he was seated. Ivan took the chair next to him and patted its arm, intending for me to perch there rather than take a chair for myself. I did so awkwardly, eyes still slightly downcast. "I can tell why you liked fucking her so much last time," Emilio continued.

I almost fell off the narrow chair arm, heat rushing to my face. Ivan shot out his hand and grabbed my thigh to steady me, then kept it there, stroking it reassuringly, or perhaps, possessively. I tried to calm myself; given the fact the drug lord had spoken in English, I knew that the comment was for my benefit. Emilio was deliberately trying to provoke a reaction from me, and I was determined not to give him any more than I already inadvertently had. I willed the blood to drain from my cheeks and focused on Ivan's strong fingers moving up and down my leg.

"Be careful of Sofia," Ivan warned him mildly. "She bites."

Emilio erupted into uproarious laughter, and I started counting my very slow, very controlled breaths.