Lifting her head out of the water, she ran her hands across her face and gasped.

Gino was inside the door.

“I’m pleased to see you’re not trying to hang yourself or slit your wrists.”

“I’m not going to kill myself. Besides, there’s nothing here to use.”

“You looked?”

She crossed her arms over her chest, trying for modesty. “Only to see if there was something to wash with.”

“Stand up.”

“Excuse me?”

“Do we need to continue this power struggle? I’ve got it all. You’ve got none.”

She gritted her teeth.

Gripping the edge of the tub, she stood up. Keeping her hands at her sides, she waited. As she stared him in the eye, Gino smirked, and his gaze traveled down her body before moving back up to her face.

“You’ll do.”

He put down a towel. Much to her surprise, he began to strip out of his clothes.

“What are you doing?”

“That bath looks too good to pass up.” The jacket was gone, and she saw the gun inside. Next, his shoes were gone.

He was stripping fast, and she couldn’t think.

“I will be done soon.”

“And I want to join you.”

She sank down into the water, scrambling her brain to think of what to say to stop him from trying to join her. Nothing came out. Her mind was a complete blank. There was nothing to say, and as he removed his boxer briefs, she couldn’t believe the size of him.

The only experience she had was one lover. That was it.

The night she lost her virginity was the one and only time. That alone didn’t prepare her for this.

Gino wasn’t a small man. He was all man and then some.

This was so far out of her comfort zone.

He climbed into the tub, and she curled her legs against her chest, trying to get as much distance between them as possible. Gino didn’t seem to care. He spread his legs down either side of her, his feet touching her.

She stared past his shoulder, trying to think of a million other things than what was going on at this moment.

“You can ignore me all you want.”

“Will I be able to go home? Grab some of my things?”

“No. The life you had before is gone. You’re not going to get it back. I’ll have some things brought to you.”

“I’m to stay locked up here?”

“You’re to stay here for as long as it amuses me. You’re my plaything and consider this room your shelf.”

She wanted to claw his eyes out. She didn’t believe in violence though, and she stayed perfectly still.

“How about we make a deal?” he said.

“A deal?”

“You can earn certain privileges.”

“I’m not a child.”

He didn’t say anything.

“How can I earn them?” she asked. She couldn’t even believe she was contemplating this. It was ridiculous to her. She was a grown woman. There’s no way she should be entertaining this man. Of all the people her father could have gone to, Gino Mazza should have been the last person.

She wasn’t going to cry, even though her tears were so close to spilling. The only way to survive this was to do as this man wanted and to not cry.

She wasn’t weak and hadn’t been for some time. Her father always said she was a strong woman and only the right kind of man would ever be good enough for her. This man wasn’t it, and just because he’d caught her unawares, didn’t mean he had all the power here.

So long as she held her own, kept him entertained, her father would be fine. She had to believe that.

Lifting her head, she met his gaze head-on. Slowly, she lowered her legs, leaning back. She wanted to cover her chest from his gaze, but that wouldn’t do.

This was a risk. What was Gino looking for in a toy?

She had to play each interaction with him to capture and to keep his attention. There were more experienced women, more beautiful, more everything. Either way, she wasn’t going to change who she was.

He smiled.

“Good behavior, orgasms, pleasure, and even pain, will get you the passes you need. You won’t ever be allowed to wander my home freely. I’ll be your guide.”