Chapter 3

The freezing marble bit through the thin silk shirt, sending a violent shudder down Giana's spine. She gripped the edge of the sink with both hands and tried to push herself up.

Cornel stepped into her space. He forced his knee between her thighs, pinning her hips against the stone counter. She couldn't move an inch.

"Let me go, you psycho!" Giana yelled. Her calm facade shattered. She raised her right hand and swung it toward his face.

Cornel caught her wrist in mid-air. He twisted her arm behind her back and shoved her chest flush against his. A cruel smile touched his lips.

"Women who try to slap me in this city usually end up at the bottom of the river," he whispered against her ear. His breath was hot, but the words froze the blood in her veins.

The memory of his past cruelty flashed in her mind. Her body went completely rigid. She stopped fighting.

Cornel felt the strength leaving her body. A dark sense of satisfaction spread through his chest. He continued to press her arms behind her back and reached for her phone with his other hand.

Giana twisted her torso, trying to get away from his hand. It was useless.

He pulled out her cracked iPhone.

"Passcode," he demanded. He shoved the screen in front of her face.

Giana clamped her mouth shut and turned her head away.

Cornel scoffed. He grabbed her right hand, isolated her thumb, and pressed it hard against the home button.

The phone unlocked with a soft click.

He tapped the screen rapidly. A second later, a custom black phone sitting on the bathroom counter began to vibrate.

Cornel ended the call. He typed something into her phone and tossed it onto the sink next to her.

Giana looked down. The screen showed a new contact saved. The name read: Little Trouble.

Her stomach churned with disgust. "Little Trouble? You are Nauseous."

"Nauseous?" Cornel grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "You weren't calling me sick when you were begging under me last night."

Humiliation burned in Giana's chest. She opened her mouth and sank her teeth into the thick muscle of his hand, right between his thumb and index finger.

Cornel frowned, but he didn't pull his hand away. He stood perfectly still and let her bite him.

The taste of copper filled Giana's mouth. The fact that he wasn't fighting back terrified her more than his anger. She slowly opened her jaw and let go.

"Done?" Cornel looked down at the deep, bleeding teeth marks on his hand. His eyes were entirely black.

He ducked his head and crashed his mouth against hers. He tasted his own blood on her lips. He kissed her with a punishing, suffocating force.

Giana couldn't breathe. She pounded her fists against his shoulders, but hitting his solid muscle felt like punching a brick wall.

The temperature in the small bathroom spiked. Cornel slid his hand up the back of her thigh, gripping bare skin.

"No... I have to go..." Giana choked out against his mouth.

A single tear spilled over her eyelashes and dropped onto the back of his hand.

The warm drop of water hit Cornel's skin like acid. He froze. He pulled his mouth away and stared down at her red, watery eyes. His chest heaved. He fought the violent urge to throw her on the floor and take her again.

"Get out," he growled. He stepped back, dropping his hands to his sides.

Giana grabbed her phone. She didn't look back. She scrambled out of the bathroom and ran for the suite door.

The heavy door slammed shut.

Cornel stood alone in the bathroom. He looked at the bloody bite mark on his hand. He slowly lifted his hand to his mouth and licked the blood off his skin.

He walked out of the bathroom,He picked up his black phone from the counter and dialed a number.

"Dave," Cornel said, staring out the window at the Manhattan skyline. "A girl just left my room. Put eyes on her. Find out everything."