Episode 16

Amanda might have been inexperienced prior to his conquest, but she was well aware of the subject they spoke of; despite her lack of intimate encounters, she understood that it was an act many men favored. In his case, she thought he might enjoy it, yet it was more about the ego boost of having a woman submit beneath him for pleasure—an experience she would only concede to under force, though she was curious about the sense of control her school friend once claimed to feel in a similar position with a boyfriend who appeared utterly devoted. The mere thought made her cheeks flush with color.

"By that look, it seems you're not repulsed by the idea, my naughty little nymph," he remarked, eyes narrowing lustfully as they fixated on her lips.

Vincenzo continued to speak, his gaze boring into hers.

"Or have you done such things with one of your little boyfriends?" Vincenzo spat with a jealous anger at the thought of anyone else having had such privileges with her before, despite knowing it was irrational to wish she'd lived like a nun before he found her.

"For all I know, you were untouched before I came along, but there's no proof you haven't tried other things that left your innocence intact," Vincenzo added, pressing against her lips more firmly. Amanda bristled with rage and jealousy as he listed his escapades with Sabrina and then had the nerve to claim her as if he were some manic lover. She needed to know if they had gone all the way.

"So if you didn't get a decent lay, what happened? Did the great mafia Capo, the irresistibly charming Vincenzo Salvatore, fail to perform?" He teased with a sexy, mocking smirk, crossing his arms before him.

"You're hoping I'll confess to a failure, aren't you? That I faltered and sought after the one woman capable of arousing me," he said mockingly. "But I'll disappoint you: I took Sabrina in a way that'll leave her uncomfortable sitting for days." Vincenzo glanced at his Rolex then back at Amanda as he continued his unpleasant account, mentioning 'passionate love' solely to mock her.

"I'm not usually like this, but she deserved it for disobeying my order to visit only when summoned," he concluded coldly. He was right—Amanda felt crushed and seething with envy, having hoped he had returned home yearning only for her. She attempted to rise, but he forced her back down.

"Do you seriously think I'm going to sit here, listening to your lurid tales with that tramp?" Amanda spat furiously, trying to stand again. This time, he restrained her more roughly, insisting she remain.

"I'm not finished, and you'll listen," Vincenzo commanded, grasping the nape of her hair without causing pain but ensuring her attention. "But you want to know why I didn't stumble?"

Her response came quick and sharp, her eyes locked with his. "I haven't the slightest interest."

"Because as I took Sabrina from behind, just as I did you, I shut my eyes and pictured it was you all along," he confessed slyly. "In fact, I may have been rougher than necessary, but it was because I wanted to do the same to you—and I did, as a way to discipline you with my body for defying me and despoiling my home." With that, he pushed her back onto the bed and claimed her lips in a passionate, heated kiss. Yet as he detailed his encounter, rage chilled her response to frigid indifference, even as he kissed her fervently.

After some time, noticing her continued detachment, he resigned. Standing, he raked his hands through his hair angrily.

"Seems I'm becoming a soft fool," Vincenzo muttered, more to himself than her, then raised his voice. "First, to avoid embarrassment with a willing lover, I had to fantasize about a defiant girl who should obey my every whim since she is mine, and now here I am, driven to take you again, yet you play cold to provoke me." Vincenzo glared at her, lying on the bed turned away from him. Amanda stayed silent.

"Fine," he growled in resignation, "I'll take your advice. I've neither the patience nor the time to melt your defiance, so I'll handle my business and then find Sabrina or another who will succumb without the tedious dance. With that, he strode to the closet, grabbed a leather jacket, and shod himself in his expensive Italian shoes.