C115 How You Make Me Feel

Annabelle had never seen anything like the massive racecourse before.

It stretched out in front of her like a dream.

It was a dazzling expanse of winding tracks, sharp turns, and gleaming fences, all bathed in the golden light of the rising sun.

Even though there was no competition ongoing on the course at the moment, she could almost hear the roar of engines and feel the tang of rubber in the air.

It was like a scene from one of the action-packed movies where she had seen things like this before.

For a brief moment, her nervousness and fear were replaced by unrestrained excitement.

She fleetingly wished she could sit behind the wheel and feel what it would be like to soar across the track.

As wind tore through her hair and adrenaline pumped through her veins.

But just as quickly, reality reasserted itself.

Her heart leapt to her throat when she spotted Dante standing in front of one of the most powerful race cars she had ever seen.

The sleek black-and-red vehicle gleamed dangerously, and so did the man beside it.

Dante looked like a vision out of those same movies, dressed in a fitted racing suit that accentuated his broad shoulders and lean frame.

His dark hair was slightly mussed by the wind, and his intense eyes locked onto hers the moment she stepped out of the car.

Her legs felt shaky as one of his men opened the door for her.

She wasn’t sure if it was from nerves or the magnetic force of the man waiting for her.

It hit her then as she walked toward him.

Angelo had been right.

Despite all her efforts to shield her heart, Dante had slipped past her defences.

He had claimed her in ways she hadn’t even realised until this moment.

Her heart ached with the knowledge that it was now irrevocably his.

And yet, the reality of who he was made her chest tighten.

She’d willingly given her heart to someone who could crush it without a second thought.

Dante’s expression shifted as she approached, his glowering stare softening for just a moment.

It was so brief that Annabelle wondered if she’d imagined it.

His gaze scanned her from head to toe.

It lingered on her hair, which the breeze had tousled.

And then to her fitted top and skirt, which left little to the imagination.

For a split second, she thought she saw desire flicker in his eyes.

But just as quickly, his face hardened into that infuriating blank look.

“Glad you could finally join us,” he said mockingly, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Annabelle clenched her jaw, refusing to let him see how his words hurt.

She steeled herself, keeping her face neutral as he added, “You look mighty fine for a…transaction.”

Her stomach twisted, but she refused to flinch.

Transaction.

The world shimmered in her eyes.

But she locked her knees, straightened her spine, and gave him nothing.

If he was trying to provoke her, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

He would have to try harder to make her show her pain in the face of his cruelty.

His lips suddenly quirked into a devilish smirk.

“Ever been in a race car before?” he asked casually.

She shook her head, unwilling to say more.

“Well,” he said, gesturing toward the car with a dramatic flourish, “You’re about to have the ride of your life.”

There was something in his tone.

An edge that suggested he wasn’t just talking about driving.

Annabelle suppressed a shiver and followed him toward the car, her heels clicking against the asphalt.

She wouldn’t let her nerves get the better of her, not now.

Whatever this was, she’d face it head-on.

She barely had time to buckle her seatbelt before Dante gunned the engine and tore down the track.

The car shot forward like a rocket, the force pinning her back against the seat.

Wind whipped through the small gap in the window, tangling her hair as the world outside blurred into a dizzying rush of colours.

Annabelle’s hands gripped the seatbelt strap, so tightly her knuckles turned white.

She bit her lip, refusing to scream even as every sharp turn and sudden acceleration made her heart race wildly.

Her hair whipped around her face, and for a fleeting moment, she hoped it would fly into Dante’s eyes and blind him.

But then she thought better of it.

She wasn’t ready to die in a fiery crash today.

Instead, she glared at him through the strands of hair in her face, silently plotting her revenge once they were safely back on solid ground.

He drove like a madman as he took the course at breakneck speed.

He completed lap after lap with the car hugging the curves and roaring down the straights as if it had a mind of its own.

Annabelle held on for dear life, her pulse pounding in her ears.

When he finally veered off the track and drove into a secluded area far from the starting line where his men waited, she felt like her heart was about to burst from relief.

The car skidded to a stop, kicking up a cloud of dust around them.

Dante killed the engine and turned to her, his dark eyes blazing with intensity.

Annabelle was too breathless to speak, her chest rising and falling as she tried to calm her racing pulse.

She quickly removed the restraining seatbelt.

“How was your first ride?” he asked mockingly, his voice low and smooth.

Annabelle glared at him, trying to summon words, but her breath still hadn’t caught up with her.

“Not so much fun?” he continued, smirking as if he found her speechlessness amusing.

Then his tone shifted, turning cold and sharp. “That’s how you make me feel every fucking day.”

Her heart softened at his words with a flicker of understanding sparking in her chest.

But just as she opened her mouth to respond, his expression hardened again.

“And according to our agreement,” he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, “I can take you whenever and wherever I damn well please.”

Before she could react, he reached over, unbuckling her seatbelt with a swift, forceful motion. She gasped as he pulled her toward him, his hands gripping her hips possessively.

So saying, he pulled her from her seat, and it didn’t take much for him to rip off her thong and plunge his finger into her.

To her mortification, Annabelle realised she was wet.

His look and tone had done that to her.

Her fingers tightened against his shoulders as if confused about whether to push him away or pull him closer.

“What the…”

Annabelle was still gasping and shaken when he pulled his finger out of her wet core.

Then he rammed himself so deep into her that she felt her eyes crossed.