Gia quietly closed the heavy door behind her and sighed in relief when she realized that she had managed to escape the madness of the masquerade party downstairs. Her outfit was suffocating her and her black butterfly face mask was digging painfully at the backs of her ears.

It was as official as it could get that she loathed parties like that from the bottom of her heart. However, she had no say in it because her father happened to be one of the most prominent members of the society and he had to attend such charades. Another reason was that Gia had come to the age where she was expected to settle down with a good boy from her community. The women in her community didn't have much of a choice when it came to settling down. It was always done in a way that both families benefitted from the marriage.

Love had no part to play in Gia's reality.

"Goddamit, this fucking corset is killing me." She growled as she tried to loosen the ribbons behind her that were holding her corset together. The bloody thing pinched her delicate skin and left her black and bruised all over! Every time she kept up appearances and did a little fake laugh or took a breath, the death trap tightened even harder around her as if taunting her of her non-convincing act.

Gia mused about how she would have just allowed her nana to tighten it even more so that she was literally left out of breath and died that night. Death sounded much more entertaining than the life that her father had chosen for her.

The fact that she was the only Moretti child and that her mother died right after she gave birth to her made it even more stressful. Even though it was against the community rules, her papa and her zio taught her the business ropes. Every other family member frowned upon discovering what they were doing because they felt that their sons had a better chance of inheriting the business from Andrea Moretti when the time came for him to step down. No woman was allowed to ascend the chair provided she had living male relatives that could inherit on her behalf.

Some went to the extent of trying to assassinate Andrea to get the fortune he built from the ground up. Gia was terrified when she learned that her papa's life was in danger and that they could also target her and her zio, Matteo. Despite all the threats, her papa never backed down. He stood proud and indestructible, especially after his close friend and business partner, Domenico Accardo found out what was happening and as the strongest family in the country, he made an oath to hunt down and kill anyone who threatened the Moretti family.

Gia was grateful to Domenico Accardo and she had met the man one too many times in the gatherings. He had very distinct features that made him stand out in a room full of other people and when she saw his piercing brown eyes, she shivered. Domenico passed his distinct features to his two sons, Sabastien and Rome. While his sons were out of the kingdom for most of the year, whenever they returned, the town buzzed with excitement because they were the most powerful sons in the kingdom.

Gia went and lit the desk lamp that she used one too many times and looked around her papa's office. It was an ancient room with lots of shelves and old books but it was always kept neat and airy. She loved that room because whenever her cousins or her other family members came over to discuss business, Gia escaped into that room. After all, she knew no one dared to enter it without her papa's permission. She loved the smell of leather and old books. Her papa was a book lover like her and as soon as she started showing interest in books, Andrea gathered as many books as he could for her.

Andrea was absent from her life for the most part because of the business but she couldn't say that he neglected her. Whenever he had the time to spend with her, he made the most of it. It was always quality time and it made Gia anticipate those few moments with her papa. Gia spent most of her time with her zio, who was also her bodyguard instead. Her zio, Matteo, never had a family of his own so he took Gia as his daughter. Though he tried to appear menacing and brutal, Gia had a special part of his heart. His brown eyes always softened when he spoke to her. He laughed at her cheesy jokes and sympathized with her whenever the existence she was forced to live became overbearing. He was the solid wall that kept her grounded and she was grateful to have someone like him beside her.

It was a different scenario with her other zio because they had sons that they wanted to see sitting in the seat of the head of the family. Gia's cousins made it known as broad as day that they didn't like her. Though they went to the same schools, she was an outcast and most of the time spent the recess hours alone because people were threatened if they ever tried to befriend her.

It was a bit different when she started college because she went a little out of town. She experienced life skills, sex, and heartbreaks at college but that changed in her final year when she met two people, Quinto who was from Accardo's minor family, and Lorena who was a girl with a normal background. The three of them became friends very quickly and at one point Gia started having feelings for Quinto because he was very different from the men who surrounded her. She knew when the time came, her father would have agreed to the relationship because it was with the second strongest family and it would have brought the Moretti family even closer to Domenico Accardo.

She sighed softly as she searched in my father's drawers for his envelope opener to sever the codes that were cutting off her air supply.

"Or I could just die here of asphyxiation!" She snapped softly at herself when she couldn't find the bloody opener. She didn't know what possessed her into thinking it was a good idea to wear such an outfit but then recalled Quinto's expression when he saw her in it and a smile tugged across her lips. Quinto was the reason. Though she always dressed smartly because of her status as the only Moretti daughter, that outfit allowed her feminine curves to show.

However, that fond memory quickly turned deadly when she saw him darting towards Lorena after politely greeting her. Her heart suddenly felt like it was about to explode in her chest when Quinto placed a kiss on Lorena's cheek and Gia saw the way Quinto's mother fondly patted Lorena's hand. Did Quinto introduce Lorena to his parents? Did he have feelings for her all that time that they were together?

That was the reason why Gia was up in that office trying to get that blood outfit off her body. She was frustrated and the alcohol coursing through her veins made it even worse because the longer she thought about Quinto and Lorena being a couple right under her nose the tighter the unshed tears clogged her throat.

"Goddamit!" She cried in frustration in the dimly lit office as she pushed the books and papers that were on her father's desk to the floor. She tried to blink back the tears but they flowed down her cheeks from the back of her mask. "I wish I could just tear this dress off. Fuck, I hate it!"

A shadow suddenly moved from the corner of the room where the heavy drapes hung open to allow the moonlight to filter into the room. A scream made its way to her throat as she helplessly watched the large figure move slowly towards her. A glass of whiskey clanged softly on the desk, and Gian caught sight of the long, lithe fingers that made her body tremble. He was tall with broad shoulders and he wore black which made him blend in well with the shadows.

Gia couldn't find her voice when the man stood right in front of her and looked down at her ghost-white face. His scent made her mind reel into a haze of lust and confusion. She could smell the whiskey with a hint of cigarettes and a heady musk that was bloody expensive.

His suit was the kind that one would get hand-made at your house. It had shimmering thread embroidery in the lapels and his black shirt left a hint of skin around his neck. The man must have loved the outdoors because his skin was bronzed.

Gia swallowed back her scream as her body fired up. The man's face was hidden behind the full black mask of the devil with his horns long and curled above his head. Only his olive-colored eyes were visible. His eyes were intense as they looked down at her.

The man raised his hand and Gia saw the simple yet alluring rose-gold ring the man had on his index finger and then the Rolex around his wrist. He nudged her to turn around and when she did, she felt him push her against the table. Gia let out a muffled sound of surprise as the man removed a pocket knife.

"What?" Gia panicked thinking that all the threats that she and her father received were finally going to be carried out that night.

Instead, the masked man touched the ribbons of her corset and sliced them like butter. They easily gave way to the sharp knife and the relief that Gia felt was almost immediate. She collapsed against the desk and sighed contently but she didn't know the action rubbed her ass against the man's crotch.

He groaned softly as he grabbed her hips to keep her from moving. The action made Gia's core clench painfully inside her. She was never the person to be sexually charged by masked strangers yet that particular man made her want to rip off his suit and have him ravish her in that office. She didn't care anymore because the man that she wanted was in love with her best friend. She wanted to hate the two of them but she couldn't because all the while she was waiting for the right time to confess to Quinto about her love for him, he was falling in love with someone else.

Gia breathed in hard when she felt the erection against her ass. Alcohol was a major component in that entire situation. He must have been as overwhelmed as she was to lock himself in that office. She wondered how he got there and how it was that no one in the house stopped him from straying from the hall downstairs. The only people who were allowed to come upstairs were the immediate family members.

"What are you doing up here alone, bella?" The thick and velvety voice muffled behind the mask washed over Gia and at that moment she knew she was not leaving that room with her dignity intact.

From the sound of his voice, she could tell he was young and he might have been at that party because of his parents like her.

"Same as you, hiding from everyone," Gia answered as she tried to straighten but the corset fell off and left her chest in nothing but a lacey bra.

Gia caught the sight of herself in the window in front of her with the stranger behind her. A smirk appeared on her face when the stranger saw the tattoo of butterflies running down her spine. Everyone always thought that she was the perfect Moretti daughter but she had her way of rebelling against the family.

The stranger groaned softly as he ran his warm fingers down the length of the tattoo. "I wasn't hiding." He sighed as he pushed her back down the desk. "I was planning on burning this house down. Too noisy."

Gia chuckled as the man's hands ran down her back and hips. "Changed your mind?"

"I'll do it right after I fuck you." He jerked his hips hard against Gia's ass and she bit back a cry of ecstasy.

"And what makes you think I will allow you to fuck me? I don't know you." Gia rolled her ass against the man, teasing and enticing him further.

"All the better..." he bent over and his cool mask touched Gia's ear causing her skin to crawl as he whispered. "That way, I will haunt your dreams for the rest of your life."

Gia rolled her eyes and chuckled. "That whiskey must have gone too quickly to your head. I think it is the other way around. If you manage to have me tonight, you will never find satisfaction in any other woman."

"Then I will search the ends of the world, to make you mine." Gia felt him push up the fabric of her gown to reveal her trembling legs inside her gartered lacey underwear and net stockings.

"You must be someone with the power to have such confidence...aaah..." Gia's eyes fluttered closed when felt the man's lithe fingers run down the cream-soaked lips of her sex. Her entire body quaked as he teased her with the sure strokes of his hand.

It was exciting and forbidding at the same time. Gia wasn't some airhead heiress who appeared in front of her family. She loved thrills and excitement because they were the things that kept her mind from running mad.

She had her adventures before meeting Quinto and Lorena. Afterward, she tried to play it safe because of what she felt for Quinto, but it was all for nothing. There were times when she found herself in a situation where making out was the outcome but she always chose to walk away though she enjoyed the interplay right before the deed.

That particular night, however, she let the interplay lead to something she knew she would question afterward. She didn't know what she was capable of until that night in that office with that man. For all she knew, he could have been some psychopath or someone's father—but taking into account the way his hands felt against her skin and the sound of his voice, she knew he was someone as desperate for a distraction as she was.

"Close your eyes, bella." He instructed her and Gia gave him a side glance.

"We both have our masks on. I will not recognize you even if I meet you in the streets again." She assured him but noticed the way he slipped the black silk handkerchief from his breast pocket and wrapped it around his palm.

"I can't kiss you with this mask on."

"You don't have to kiss me." Gia let out a cry of pleasure when she felt his thumb kneading lightly on the bundle of nerves that made her quiver with desire.

"I want to brand your mind with my lips so that you will never experience another man's touch like the way you experience mine." He whispered hoarsely.

"Well, that is very selfish of you." Gia purred with approval as he continued his onslaught. "My eyes are closed."

The man released Gia and carefully wrapped the handkerchief around her eyes. Gia heard the shuffling behind her, as he placed his mask on the desk beside her. She heard him unzip his pants and heard foil being ripped by his teeth.

She quivered with anticipation as he rubbed the head of his erection up and down the folds of her sex. It was mind-numbing because anyone could try to enter that room.

The members of the family knew that whenever the door was locked, Gia was hiding inside. Most of the time they would leave her alone but on a night such as that, when her papa wanted her to meet as many unmarried young men as she could, they were not going to leave her alone. It was as if she was a prized cow being displayed in front of rich bidders and her papa would not want to miss out on the best because she was not the only one in the market. Many of the other girls' families were out there searching for potential husbands for them too.

While her father was chatting to potential partners and families, she was getting railed in his office. The aspect made her laugh.

"What is so funny?" The stranger asked her. His voice was clearer and sexier.

"How would you feel if your future wife was locked up somewhere in this house about to get fucked by a total stranger?" She asked him.

Warm fingers wrapped themselves around her slender neck, with just enough pressure to make her soaking wet and the cream dripping down her inner thigh. "I would wring her little neck—like so..." he growled against her ear as he thrust deep into her and had both of them moaning at the same time.

Gia bit hard onto her lower lip because the stranger's girth was thick and her core struggled to adjust to him. She clasped him tightly into her and from the way he twitched and groaned behind her, she knew that he too felt the pleasure of her tightness.

With every stroke and every movement the stranger did, Gia felt it to her core. He knew what he was doing because there were no awkward movements in his gait. The angle at which he pistoned into her made her delirious with pleasure. It was a new experience because from the guys that she dated before her crush on Quinto was never satisfying like that particular stranger.

She was surprised at her body and wantonly accepted each thrust. Hot lips branded themselves down her spine and sent goosebumps racing across her skin. Her nipples tightened painfully in her bra and her core clenched, earning a growl from the stranger. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably and she felt like she was about to lose her balance when the stranger suddenly scooped her up. Her world was black but that only heightened the rest of her senses.

She felt his whiskey-tainted breath fanning against her cheek and felt his warm arms cradle her against his chest as he walked around the desk. The cologne that he wore engraved itself in her mind. It was a scent that she knew she would dream of for a long time because it was distinct and captivating, luring her in like a moth towards the deadly light source.

The stranger settled down and had Gia straddled over him before he eased into her. Gia grabbed his shoulders as the length of him pushed itself into her. She whimpered as the pain-pleasure sensations lit her body with a fiery desire like nothing she had ever experienced. Her entire body was alive and she wanted everything that the stranger had to offer that evening.

She felt his teeth nipping on her jaw and down her neck as his hips ground slowly against her butt. The languid movements had her mind reeling out of control with pleasure. Only the lower part of his body moved and his large hands held her hips down tightly so that he was able to ground himself deeper into her.

Gia cried out in pleasure as her body arched back and the bundle of nerve brushed softly against his skin until she thought she was going to explode into little pieces. She braced herself against the desk behind her as the stranger carried her off to a place that was entirely new to her. She had orgasms before but that particular man knew how to prolong her pleasure to the point that she knew the orgasm was bound to cripple her.

Gia felt a cold metal against her chest and when she felt her bra snap into two she knew that the stranger must have used his knife to cut it off. He was a dangerous man, one who did not flinch in the face of a perilous situation because he believed in his ability to take care of himself. Gia felt like she was being fucked by the devil himself as she recalled the two horns on his mask. The thrill of how dangerous that man was to her only heightened her desire for him.

A scalding hot mouth lurched itself against one of Gia's nipples and she cried out in ecstasy. He rolled the little berry around his mouth with his tongue and Gia felt the action in her bones. She was forever scarred by the ministrations that she received from that stranger. He was right. She was going to dream of him for the rest of her life.

He took the twin nipple and did the same. Gia was soaked through and through with the intoxicating pleasure that she received from him. She was a slave to that shadow that blended seamlessly in the room's darkness.

Darkness suited him because the wicked things that he did to her belonged in the shadows. Gia allowed herself to be carried away with everything he introduced to her and when she finally reached the peak of her orgasm, he didn't stop. Gia thought she was going to lose her mind when he prolonged it to the point of having her body arch up from his lap and tremble uncontrollably against him. He wrapped an arm around her waist and held her down until she finally stopped convulsing and slumped against his chest. Their hearts thudded loudly against their chests and she felt him thrust once more into her before he reached his peak as well.

Gia blindly touched his face and felt the stubbles on his chin. "Don't tell me you are as old as my papa."

She felt his grin as he turned his face into her palm and placed a kiss there. "If your father fucks this good then I will allow you to address me as such."

It was satisfying for Gia to hear his voice without the mask. "Eww."

"I still have a house to burn down. I have to go—promise me one thing." He said.

Gia reluctantly nodded. "What is it."

"That you will not remove the blindfold until I leave this room." He added.

The silence between them was so thick but Gia cleared her throat because something painful was choking her.

"Will you come to the next party?" She asked but the stranger didn't answer. Instead, he placed a kiss on her forehead and said.

"Goodbye, bella." He hefted her from his lap and settled her on the desk. She heard him roll out the condom he used and clean himself before he zipped up and walked around the desk towards the door.

Gia felt a sudden coldness and loneliness that she never expected. The lock to the door clicked and the door swung open before he walked out and closed the door behind. Gia tore the blindfold from her eyes and turned to the door. Everything in her told her to run after him and at least know his name but she promised to stay put.

A tear made its way down her cheek as the events of the night came crumbling down onto her shoulders. Her chest hurt because she was heartbroken. She had just spent the most amazing night of her life with a total stranger but the sad part was that she was never going to experience that again and her world was going to go back to the insignificant existence she had been living since she was born.

A boy from a good family was going to be chosen for her to marry and she was going to spend the rest of her life bearing children and smiling at the Sunday Church as if everything was alright. She looked down at her torn dress and naked torso and a hiccup of tears choked her.

"I fucking hate this dress." She cried quietly into the night, trying to get all the pain and sorrow that was embedded in her heart out.