What We Left in the Dark

Ten

We sat on a bench in Flushing Meadows Park, the shade of a tree providing a little respite from the afternoon sun. Giancarlo and I had picked up some takeout on the way—quick bites we could share. We ate quietly, enjoying the peaceful moment away from the rush of the city.

I was mid-bite when I noticed Giancarlo watching me, a teasing glint in his eyes.

"You've got something right here," he said, pointing to the corner of his mouth.

I tried to wipe it away, but he shook his head, smirking. "Missed it," he murmured, leaning in closer.

Before I could react, his lips brushed against mine, his tongue flicking out to catch the spot of sauce. The sensation sent a shiver through me, my heart pounding as I stared at him, caught off guard.

His hand moved to my leg, squeezing gently. "Not here, Cat," he whispered, his voice full of promise.

I nodded, trying to calm my racing heart. The world around us seemed to fade away, leaving only the heat of his touch and the tension between us.

Present

The memory slipped away as I found myself back in the dimly lit bar, the present wrapping around me like a shadow. The taste of the wine lingered on my tongue, grounding me, but the echoes of the past still tugged at the edges of my mind.

Luca's hand was on my leg, his fingers resting there with a familiarity that made my breath catch. The grip was firm, not unlike Giancarlo's, but there was a different energy behind it—cool, calculated, as if he knew exactly what he was doing and how it would affect me.

He squeezed gently, just enough to make his presence known, to remind me that I wasn't going anywhere.

"You're more valuable than you realize, Catalina," Luca said, his voice smooth and measured. "Not just to Gilded, but to everything connected to it."

I frowned, trying to ignore the way his hand was making my pulse quicken. "What do you mean? I'm just an attorney. My role is- was to provide legal counsel for your company."

He shook his head, a slow smile curving his lips. "It's more than that. You see things, understand things, in a way that most people don't. You're not just a lawyer; you're an asset. And assets like you... they're hard to come by. They're worth investing in."

His words sent a chill down my spine. "Luca, I'm not sure what you're implying, but I'm not interested in anything outside of my professional responsibilities."

Luca's smile widened, but there was no warmth in it. "I think you'll find that your responsibilities are about to expand, whether you like it or not. Gilded is just the beginning. There's a much bigger picture here, Catalina, and you're already part of it."

My heart pounded as I realized this wasn't just about Gilded; this was about something larger, something darker.

"Why me?" I asked quietly. "What makes me so special?"

Luca's gaze softened slightly, but the intensity remained. "Because you're smart, capable, and—most importantly—you're loyal. You wouldn't be here if you weren't."

His hand moved slightly on my leg, a reminder of the control he had, of the decisions that were no longer entirely mine to make.

"You can't leave, Catalina," he continued, his tone firm but not harsh. "Not now. Not when you're so valuable to what we're building. You might not see it yet, but you will. And when you do, you'll understand why walking away was never really an option."

I swallowed hard, the weight of his words pressing down on me. I had thought I could leave, sever the ties and move on. But now, sitting in that dark bar with Luca's hand on my leg, I realized how wrong I was.

Luca's words settled over me like a heavy blanket, suffocating and inescapable. My heart pounded in my chest, the weight of his expectations pressing down on me. I could feel my face growing pale, the reality of the situation sinking in. There was no easy way out, no escape from the path that Luca had set before me.

He must have noticed the change in my expression because his demeanor softened. He moved closer, his hand leaving my leg to gently brush through my hair. His touch was surprisingly tender, almost soothing, as if he were trying to reassure me after the gravity of what he had just said.

"I didn't mean to worry you," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to my temple. The gesture was intimate, disarming. "You'll always be protected under my care, Catalina. You're valuable, and that means something to me. It's a debt I owe to your services—a protection better than any insurance you could ever buy."

I blinked, trying to clear my head. The second glass of wine I had moved onto was making my thoughts fuzzy, dulling the sharp edges of my fear and confusion. Luca's words, once heavy with foreboding, now seemed to carry a strange allure, a promise of safety within the dangerous world he was drawing me into.

His voice was low, almost hypnotic as he continued, "Say you'll do it, Kitten."

The pet name jolted me, bringing a flash of clarity. "Kitten?" I repeated, surprised by the unexpected intimacy of it. No one had ever called me that before.

Luca smiled, and this time there was a hint of warmth in it, though it was laced with something darker. "Yes, Kitten. You're fierce, but you've got a softness to you that's just waiting to be coaxed out. Don't you want me to make you purr?"

My pulse quickened, the atmosphere between us thickening with a charged energy. The fog in my mind from the wine, the lingering tension, the weight of his words—it all combined into a heady mix that made it hard to think clearly. But I wasn't interested in stopping him. I wasn't interested in anything other than what he might do next.

Luca's hand moved back to my leg, his touch firm but not demanding, a silent command that I found myself unable to resist. The nickname, the suggestion, the way he looked at me with those dark, knowing eyes—it was all too much, and yet not enough. I wanted more. I wanted to see where this would lead, even if I knew deep down it might lead me somewhere I couldn't come back from.

I leaned into him slightly, my resolve slipping away with each passing second. "And what if I say yes?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Luca's smile widened, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. "Then you'll see just how good it can be, Kitten," he whispered back, his voice like velvet, wrapping around me and pulling me in.

In that moment, I knew there was no going back. I was in this now, whatever this was, and there was no denying the pull I felt toward him, toward the dark promises he made without words. I had stepped into Luca's world, and as his hand moved higher on my leg, I realized that I wasn't interested in leaving. Not anymore.