Chapter 3 Fooling With Affection

• Elena glanced at the photo once more. The girl in the picture seemed to plead with her, asking to be remembered. A face that looked like hers… yet freer, more alive.
• With trembling hands, she folded the photo into a tiny square and slipped it into her bra, pressing it close to her heart beneath the satin layers of her gown. She faced the mirror again, took a deep breath, and tried to restore her calm expression.
• When she returned to the table, Dominic was staring out the window. His silhouette under the soft flicker of candlelight resembled a sculpture, but to Elena, that form no longer looked majestic. It was intimidating.
• She took her seat slowly, and for the first time since the evening began... she looked at Dominic not as a husband, not as the only person she knew in this strange world,
• But as a warden.
• And perhaps, a liar.
• “Feeling better?” Dominic asked without turning, his voice warm but ever in control, as always.
• “Yes,” Elena replied softly, forcing a natural tone.
• But her heart pounded faster. She realized now she could trust no one but herself.
• Dominic finally turned to face her, his eyes probing. “You look pale.”
• Elena offered a faint smile. “Just a bit tired.” She met his gaze, and for the first time... it wasn’t the look of a wife to her husband. It was the look of a woman awakening to the truth behind the tenderness that had caged her.
• Dominic smiled, though a slight crease formed on his brow.
• “Eat some more,” he said. “You’ll need your strength.”
• “Strength?”
• “Yes… We’ll be spending the night here.”
• Elena swallowed, trying not to let her discomfort show. Physical intimacy wasn’t new between them, but something about this night, after her brief encounter with the mysterious waitress, felt different. Wrong.
• “Enjoy. I’ll be waiting in the room,” Dominic said, rising from his seat. “Lucas will bring you to me later,” he added before walking away.
• Elena watched him go, then glanced around. Several waiters and bodyguards stood respectfully nearby, expressionless.
• “Where is that woman?” she murmured.
• She scanned the room, searching for the server who had slipped her the clue, but the woman was nowhere to be found.
• Minutes passed. The food before her remained untouched as her thoughts grew more restless.
• “Ma’am…” Lucas approached gently. “Are you all right?”
• “Yes… just a little dizzy,” Elena said as she rose to her feet.
• "Let me take you to Mr. Marino.”
• A sharp breath escaped her lips. Just hearing his name made her feel caged again.
• ..
• The hotel suite was dimly lit and expansive, the walls dressed in dark wood panels, and the golden glow from the chandelier bathed the room in a warmth that somehow felt suffocating.
• Dominic stood by the open balcony, a glass of champagne in one hand, a thin cigarette in the other. The scent of fine tobacco mixed with the night air, filling the space with his signature dominance.
• Their eyes met.
• Dominic gave a slow smile. “Didn’t take you long to join me,” he said, his voice husky, eyes gliding over her from head to toe.
• Elena walked toward him with graceful steps each one a performance she didn’t choose to act in. But tonight, she had decided she would begin writing her own script. One that led her to freedom.
• “I didn’t want to keep you waiting,” she replied sweetly, closing the distance and settling into his lap with deliberate tenderness.
• Dominic chuckled under his breath, one arm circling her waist. He kissed her temple, then trailed his lips down to her neck. “Couldn’t resist me tonight, could you?” he whispered.
• Elena smiled, feigning a shy blush, and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
• “Of course not,” she whispered. “I’m your wife, aren’t I?”
• His brow lifted, intrigued by her coyness.
• “I’m your wife… but sometimes you treat me like a secret. Strangely enough… I find that thrilling,” she whispered against his ear.
• His smile faltered for just a moment, his eyes shadowed.
• “But I like it,” she added quickly, running a hand along his jaw before placing a kiss on his lips. “You're the only one I need. The best.. Thanks for the beautiful night."
• “You know that, darling…” Dominic muttered. He placed the glass down a little too hard and pulled her in, kissing her with sudden hunger.
• Elena closed her eyes, meeting his kiss with practiced passion. But when his hand brushed her chest, close to where she had hidden the photo, her instincts kicked in.
• “Honey…” she murmured, pulling back gently. “Let’s try something different tonight. Over there… facing the city lights.” She pointed toward the glass wall.
• Dominic’s lips curled. “Really?”
• “Yes… I think it’d be exciting,” Elena said, wrapping her arms around his neck. “A new kind of thrill.”
• “Anything for you…”
• In one swift motion, he lifted her, her legs wrapping around his hips. He kissed her slowly, carrying her toward the window.
• "You want a new style, right?"
• Dominic leaned Elena's body against the wall, then crouched down her dress, quickly lowered her g-string and kissed the bottom.
• "Huftt!" Elena struggled, holding Dominic's head, slightly raised her right foot.
• Dominic quickly grabbed Elena's right foot and placed it on his shoulder, slightly tilting his head so that his tongue could reach deeper part of Elena's paradise.
• "Hmm ... Dominic ..."
• Elena could not hold her sigh, until a few moments later Dominic stood up and kissed her while releasing his pants zippers, removing his sacred objects that were so tense.
• "Please ... I want now, don't play too much!" Elena begged, but behind all that she wanted all of this to end and Dominic immediately slept, letting her try to find freedom.
• Dominic raised Elena's right foot, almost reached his shoulder and raised her dress, then immediately thrust his sacred object in the paradise.
• "Ugh!" Elena gasped.
• Dominic pushed back his hips with cits, then kissed Elena's neck with a wild.
• "Oh baby ... you perfect!"
• "Yess ... Harder, Deep!" Elena groaned, closed her eyes in pleasure until it returned to panic when Dominic was about to kiss her chest. "Please, Kiss Me!" He begged, cupped Dominic's cheeks, and kissed him.
• As Dominic’s breath traced her collarbone, Elena stared at their reflection in the towering glass two figures entwined, a picture of passion to any outsider.
• But she no longer saw passion.
• She saw a woman on the edge of her own story.
• Her fingers tangled gently in his hair, her body pliant against his but behind her stillness, her mind raced. The photo pressed against her skin like a heartbeat not her own. A reminder. A whisper.
• 'You were someone before this. And you will be again.'
• Dominic's grip tightened possessively. “You’re mine, Elena,” he breathed.
• She smiled faintly. “For now,” she murmured.
• His eyes flicked to hers in the glass, confused, but she kissed him again, slow and sweet, to distract him.