The Price of Freedom

Dario’s smile is agonizingly slow and heavily calculating as he stares down at me kneeling on the floor. His presence dominates the cramped space of the VIP room, suffocating the stale air right out of my lungs. He leans in closer, dropping his voice into a lethal, quiet murmur.

"Whatever it is you're hiding, if they find out... You. Are. Dead."

A severe shudder of pure fear runs through my spine. I flinch backward, the rough fibers of the carpet scraping against my bare knees. I know with undeniable certainty that he is telling the terrifying truth. The mafia does not forgive traitors. The moment the Famiglia discovers I am still breathing, they will send their enforcers to hunt me down like an animal. My mind flashes straight to my tiny, rundown apartment on the cold edge of the city. I cannot leave Dante alone in this unforgiving world. I refuse to abandon my sweet boy to a life of misery. He needs me, and I will endure hell itself to protect him.

Dario watches the terror bloom across my features. He studies the panic swimming in my wide eyes, and a sick sense of satisfaction settles over his sharp, handsome jawline.

"So you better just tell me why. Why did you run away, Serafina?" he says, dropping his voice to a softer, more dangerous register.

He leans down further until I can feel the radiating heat of his skin. His dark eyes lock onto mine, tracking every microscopic twitch of my facial muscles.

"Were you scared I was going to hurt you? Was it fear—after breaking my trust—that made you run away?"

I am desperate for any possible way out of this locked room. His gaze is a physical weight pressing me into the floorboards. I recognize the taunting glint shining in his dark pupils. He wants me to admit defeat. He wants me to validate his supreme power and stroke his twisted, mafia-bred ego. I force myself to swallow my shattered pride. I nod my head in silent agreement, trembling under his intense scrutiny. I avert my gaze, staring blankly at the polished leather of his expensive shoes.

"Good."

He smirks in dark satisfaction. His large, callous fingers reach out and roughly tilt my chin up, forcing me to meet his stare once more.

"I like your fear."

He licks his lower lip, and the atmosphere in the room immediately shifts into something intensely dangerous and degrading. Without a single warning, he drops his hands from my face. His long fingers find the thick leather belt wrapped around his waist. The sharp, metallic click of the heavy buckle echoes off the soundproof walls. Then comes the slow, grating sound of his zipper descending.

He reaches into his tailored slacks and pulls his penis out, exposing himself right in front of my face. It is thick, hot, and rigid with arousal, the heavy veins bulging prominently along the length of his shaft. The sheer terror hammering in my chest instantly morphs into a suffocating, degrading trap. I am frozen in place, my breath catching in my tight throat as I stare at his erection hovering mere inches from my nose.

"Be a good girl and open up."

His large hand moves to the crown of my head. His fingers tenderly yet falsely brush through the messy strands of my hair, feigning a sickening sort of affection.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I ask him, my voice barely a low, broken whisper as the horrific reality of the situation sets in.

"Why don't you give it a little lick and see how it tastes? I remember how much you loved sucking me off. I mean, what are your options, really? I'm giving you a choice. Do you want to go back to them like a traitor, or are you going to go back as my whore? You can only have one."

I kneel on the floor in stunned disbelief, trapped in a waking nightmare. My stomach churns with sour nausea. I am cornered, with his exposed dick practically brushing against my cheek with every breath he takes. All of his options sound like chewing on broken glass. I look up at him, pleading for a shred of mercy that I know deep down does not exist in his cold heart.

"If I do this, you let me go? It's already humiliating enough that I have to do this. But if I submit to you right now, give me your word that you will let me go. Just go back to your life and forget about me."

"I don't know about that, but let's see how talented you are at this. If you can get me to come in your mouth, then I'll honour your deal." He negotiates coldly, his eyes devoid of any mercy.

"Open up." he commands.

His dick is already slick and leaking pre-cum, hovering just a breath away from my lips. He steps half an inch closer, asserting his physical dominance over my kneeling form.

"Take your tongue out."

Fighting for my own life and for Dante's freedom, I obey. I part my trembling lips and extend my tongue. He grips his own shaft, using his thumb to smear the clear, salty pre-cum directly onto my wet tongue.

"Swallow."

I swallow the bitter fluid, fresh tears prickling the corners of my eyes.

"Open up. Suck the head, just like that..." he instructs, his voice thick with building lust.

I take his penis into my mouth. I start with just the tip, then force myself to take in more and more, pushing the thick head deeper past my teeth. He lets out a harsh, guttural groan. Both of his large hands grab fistfuls of my hair, gripping the back of my head with a bruising force to anchor himself in place. I look up at him from my knees, feeling exactly like a trapped animal. I am forced to watch his face as he uses my mouth.

His breathing turns into ragged, heavy gasps tearing through his nostrils. There is no gentleness in his expression, no trace of lingering affection from our shared past. His dark eyes swirl with a terrifying mix of raw, animalistic lust and deep-seated rage. Before I can even brace my neck, he forcefully thrusts his cock deep into my mouth.

I gag as the blunt force hits the sensitive back of my throat. He thoroughly dominates my mouth, setting a punishing, ruthless rhythm. The brutal friction burns my lips. My jaw aches with a dull, throbbing pain, feeling as though it might lock out of joint at any second. He draws the degrading act out, sadistically savouring every torturous moment of my submission. Each time he nears the edge of his climax, he pulls back, teasing the pacing, prolonging my physical suffering. He thrusts his hips forward again, filling my mouth to the brim, forcing me to take every agonizing inch of his erection.

I push through the hot tears spilling down my cheeks. I endure the intense, humiliating agony by focusing on the only thing that matters in my miserable life. I am fighting for Dante. I pray for Dario's release so I can earn my freedom and return to my son.

His pace turns frantic. His grip on my hair tightens to the point of tearing the roots from my scalp. He grunts loudly, his hips snapping forward in rapid succession. I brace myself for the hot flood of his climax against my tongue, ready to swallow his release to secure the deal.

But right at the very edge of his orgasm, he cruelly pulls his cock out of my mouth at the very last second.

I gasp for air, my chest heaving, only to feel him ejaculate thick ropes of cum all over my face. The hot, sticky fluid splatters heavily across my cheeks, my closed eyelids, and the frayed ends of my hair. He groans in deep, masculine satisfaction as he finishes emptying his balls over my skin.

Shocked, trembling, and profoundly disgusted, I sit back on my heels. I keep my eyes tightly shut, too stunned to move as his thick release drips slowly down my chin and neck. The metallic, pungent scent of his semen fills my nostrils. I wipe the sticky fluids from my eyes using the back of my arm and the cheap fabric of my uniform.

I wait in utter silence, listening to the abrasive sound of his zipper closing. He adjusts his tailored slacks, putting himself back together with casual, arrogant ease.

"So, are we done now? Are you going to leave me alone?" I ask eagerly, my heart hammering against my ribs in a desperate rhythm.

He lets out a low, victorious chuckle that chills my blood and freezes the marrow in my bones.

"Not even close. I am never letting you go, Serafina, ever."

Frustration and pure rage boil over inside my chest, snapping the fragile thread of my patience. I scramble to my feet, glaring at him through the sticky remnants still clinging to my flushed face.

"What do you mean? You promised me! You told me if I get you to come, you were going to let me go. You said you would never go back on your word." I scream, accusing him of breaking his explicit promise.

His predatory laugh only sends worse shivers down my spine. The wicked glint shining in his eye tells me I have walked straight into a manipulative trap.

"You should really pay attention, Serafina. I said if I come inside your mouth, I would let you go. And as we both witnessed, I didn't come inside your mouth. So no, I'm not letting you go." He mocks me, his voice a low, triumphant rumble.

"I... you... You tricked me." I stammer out, the heavy weight of despair crushing my lungs.

"You should have hung onto my dick in your mouth a few minutes ago. If you had, you would be as free as a bird right now." He laughs again, a dark sound that proves he is amused by my sheer devastation.

"Fuck you, Dario!" I spit viciously, my voice cracking as I fall to pieces.

I sob aloud, the fresh tears mixing with the slick cum drying on my cheeks. I am a ruined, broken mess standing before him. But he remains unfazed by my crying. He watches my breakdown with a detached, chilling calmness.

"I'll be enjoying doing that to you every day, in every way. So, here's what you're going to do. Listen very carefully, Serafina. I'm going to give you two hours. In these two hours, I want you to quit your job. And then I want you to go back to your crappy little apartment and pack a bag. Take only the essentials. If something looks like crap, leave it. A man will come to your apartment to pick you up and bring you to the airport. See you in two hours." He issues his emotionless, final decree.

"No, wait! I'm not going back home. I can't go back there." I cry out, frantically shaking my head.

I wipe the remaining stickiness from my face with my bare hands, terrified beyond rational thought. He smiles, a slow, predatory curve of his lips, and takes a deliberate step toward me. He reaches out and pats my wet, ruined hair.

"Do not worry, Serafina. I'm not taking you back to mommy and daddy. I'm going to give you one of my apartments, and you're going to stay there and be my beautiful little toy. I'm going to give you everything you ever wanted. Jewellery, money, clothes, anything you ever want. And in exchange, you'll stop using your head, you'll stop using your strength. All I want you to do is look pretty and let me fuck you in any and every way."

"That's not what I want!" I shout at the top of my lungs.

"I already told you, you have two choices—to die or to have a luxurious life where you pay for your sins on your back. Which one is it going to be?" He coldly reminds me.

He does not wait for my answer. He decisively turns his back to me and walks toward the exit. His large hand grips the cold brass doorknob. Pure panic overtakes my logic. He is leaving. He is going to send his ruthless men to my home, and they will find Dante. He doesn't know the most crucial detail that makes running impossible.

"Wait! I have somebody who depends on me. I can't leave them." I cry out desperately from the floor, my voice thick with dread.

He scoffs loudly, not even bothering to turn around. His broad shoulders tense under his dark suit.

"What? A boyfriend? What are you going to say next? That you're married?" He laughs mockingly, treating the idea of a ruined woman like me having a lover as a hilarious joke.

"No." I bite out.

"Then who is it? And don’t you dare try to run away. From now on, you’re being watched. If you try to run, you’ll pay for it in blood. So don’t even think about it. I’m not losing you twice." He snaps impatiently, his voice thick with irritation.

I swallow hard. My throat feels like it is lined with crushed glass. I am backed into a dark corner with no way out. The truth is a dangerous, lethal weapon, but it is the only shield I have left to stop his men from kicking down my front door. I squeeze my eyes shut and finally let the dangerous truth slip from my trembling lips.

"I have a son."