Chapter 48: The Devil’s Punishment
The moment six o’clock hit, Ana didn’t wait. She took the private executive elevator directly up to the penthouse floor of the Sterling Tower, her heels clicking with sharp, resolute purpose against the polished marble floor.
Her mind was a chaotic storm.... the suffocating display in the conference room, the lingering chill in her bones, and the heavy, dark weight of Vivian’s poison were pushing her to the brink.
She pushed open the heavy oak doors to his private corner office without knocking.
Damian sat behind his massive desk, his jacket off, his dark silk tie slightly loosened at his throat. He didn’t look surprised to see her.
He simply set his pen down, his dark, eyes tracking her every step as she marched straight up to him.
"What was that down there, Damian?" Ana demanded, her chest heaving as she rested her hands flat against his desk, leaning in. "Taking care of me? Herbal tea? Kisses on my forehead in front of my interns? You made a complete spectacle out of us!"
Damian didn’t answer right away. He stood up slowly, his tall, imposing frame towering over her, cutting off the dim light of the evening skyline behind him.
He didn’t yell. He didn’t lose his temper. Instead, he stepped around the desk, reached out, and gently pressed the back of his hand against her forehead and the side of her neck, checking her temperature.
Ana tried to flinch away, but his grip shifted, his long fingers cupping her jaw to keep her firmly in place.
"Your fever is gone," Damian noted smoothly, his deep tone dropping into a low, quiet register. His thumb stroked her lower lip, his gaze darkening with an intense, possessive heat. "Now listen to me carefully, Anastasia."
"I am listening," she bit out softly, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs.
"You signed an agreement," Damian murmured, leaning down until his lips brushed against her ear, sending an involuntary shiver straight down her spine. "And as part of that agreement, you play along no matter what I do. If I decide to pamper you in front of the world, if I claim you in front of every man who dares to look at you... you will accept it completely. Without question."
Before Ana could process his words, Damian’s hand wrapped around the back of her neck, pulling her flush against his broad chest.
He claimed her lips in a deep, hungry, punishing kiss.
Ana let out a muffled gasp, her hands clutching weakly at the crisp fabric of his dress shirt. The kiss was dark, possessive, and suffocatingly hot... demanding total surrender and wiping away every coherent thought in her head.
His tongue parted her lips, tasting her with a ruthless intensity that left her dizzy and breathless.
When he finally pulled back just an inch, Ana gasped for oxygen, her lips swollen, her cheeks flushed crimson as she clung to his arms to keep her knees from buckling.
"I... I was supposed to get my day off," Ana breathed out raspy, her dark eyes wide as she tried to gather her scattered senses. "You promised..."
Damian’s lips curved into a slow, dark, dangerous smirk. "You will get your day off... after you receive your punishment."
Ana froze, her brow furrowing. "Punishment? What are you talking about? I behaved at the charity gala! I followed your..."
Her voice abruptly trailed off.
The memory of the garden, the stone lily pond, and the dark lie she had spun in the bathtub flashed vividly through her mind. Her eyes widened in sudden, horrifying realization. The color drained from her face, replaced by a suffocating mix of guilt and sheer fear.
Damian mocked her softly, his dark eyes glinting with malicious, satisfied pleasure as he watched the realization hit her.
"Ah," Damian purred against her cheek, his hand sliding down to grip her waist with iron firmness. "So you do realize why you’re getting punished."
"How... how did you know?" Ana whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
Damian let out a low, dark chuckle that vibrated straight through her body. "Did you really think you could lie to me, Anastasia? This is a digital world. At a high-profile society gala, it’s common sense there will be CCTV cameras everywhere. I saw every second of what Valerie did... and I heard every single word of your little cover story."
A spike of panic flared in Ana’s chest. She immediately began to wriggle and twist in his hold, pushing her hands against his chest to create space between them. "Damian, let me go..."
Damian didn’t budge an inch. His arms locked around her waist like unbreakable steel bands, pulling her even tighter against his rigid frame until there wasn’t a breath of air between them.
He leaned down, his dark, dangerous gaze pinning her in place as his lips brushed her shell-pink ear, his voice dropping into a thrilling, terrifying whisper.
"What are you trying to do, Anastasia?" Damian growled softly, a wicked, possessive smile touching his lips. "There is no escape after lying to the Devil."
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"Go wash up," Damian commanded, his voice a low, heavy purr that rattled the very air between them. "And be ready in my bed. Wearing nothing."
Ana’s heart slammed violently against her ribs. She tried to pull back, wrapping her arms around herself, forcing her voice into a raspy, frail whisper. "I’m... I’m still sick, Damian. I’m not well enough to do anything tonight."
Damian didn’t even blink. He simply raised a dark, unyielding eyebrow, his eyes locking onto hers with absolute authority.
"In my bed," he said, every word dropping like a heavy lead. "Fifteen minutes."
Ana glared at him, her face flushed crimson as a string of furious, incoherent mutters escaped her lips. Stamping her foot, she turned on her heel and marched straight out of the living room toward the master suite of their penthouse.
Yet, despite her outward resistance, her body betrayed her. She did exactly what he demanded.
She stripped away the slate-grey pantsuit, stepped into the steamy master shower, and washed away the lingering stress of the day. She dried herself off, threw her hair up, and walked back out into the dimly lit master bedroom completely bare.
Slipping onto the massive king-sized bed, Ana pulled the silk sheet over her lap, sitting right in the center. She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but a strange, thrilling flutter ignited in the pit of her stomach.
Her skin felt sensitive to the cool air, and her heart drummed in a heavy, hypnotic rhythm that echoed in her ears.
Click.
The heavy bedroom doors swung open.
Damian stepped into the warm glow of the room. He was completely bare-chested, a towel slung low around his waist, water droplets glistening on his broad shoulders and hard, chiseled abs. He had clearly showered in the adjacent guest suite.
But it wasn’t his towering physique that made Ana’s breath catch in her throat... it was what he held casually between his long fingers.
A sleek, pitch-black silk blindfold.
Damian walked slowly toward the bed, his dark, dangerous smirk widening as he took in the sight of her shivering, flushed form waiting for him.
"Tonight, Anastasia," Damian growled softly, climbing onto the mattress and looming over her like a dark god, "you will learn how to submit to me blindly."