The Italian

by T L Swan

  “That’s him.”

  “Who?”

  “Enrico.”

  “What? Which one.”

  “The tall one at the back.”

  Her eyes widen as she eyes the perfect specimen. “That’s… him?”

  He towers over everyone. He’s wearing black jeans that fit in all the right places, and a slim cut black T-shirt. His shoulders are broad, his jaw is… fuck.

  Nat stares at him, wide-eyed. “That’s him? That god there is the guy who you met in Rome?”

  I nod.

  Her mouth falls open. “The rich one?’

  “Yes.”

  “Holy fuck, no wonder you were heartbroken. I’m a bit in love with him myself. He’s gorgeous, Liv.”

  I can’t take my eyes off of him, and unexpected excitement rushes through me.

  He’s here.

  “Talk about a trifecta,” Natalie whispers. His two friends are gorgeous too. “Now that is one Italian sandwich. Who’s he with?” she whispers.

  “I don’t know. Neither are his brothers. I met one in Rome.”

  “You met his brother?” She frowns.

  “Briefly. He was out with his brother on the night that we met.” One of the men has honey-colored hair and is wearing a white collared shirt with blue jeans. The other is dark like Enrico, wearing a sports coat over jeans. All three of them are super handsome. Every woman around them does a double take.

  But it’s Enrico that I can’t take my eyes off. My stomach rolls with nerves as I look down at myself. I’m wearing a tight black strapless dress and sky-high stilettos. Do I look okay?

  “Go over there. Go over there right now,” Natalie whispers.

  “He’s an asshole, remember.”

  “Who cares when he looks like that?” I laugh. “Tell me he fucks as good as he looks,” she whispers with her eyes glued to him.

  “You have no idea,” I reply as we continue to watch from our spying spot across the pool.

  “Right, here’s the plan,” she says. “Walk past him, let him know you’re here.”

  “You think?” I frown.

  “Yes. Definitely.” She shoves me in his direction, and I start to walk around the pool to the bathrooms. A gorgeous redhead stops to talk to him. She says something and he laughs out loud, as if he knows her. They begin to talk. I immediately turn back to Nat.

  “He can walk past me. I’m not chasing him. Maybe we should go to another club?” I turn my back to him.

  Natalie narrows her eyes as she watches them over my shoulder.

  “Is he still talking to her?” I ask as I sip my drink.

  “Yes.” She rolls her eyes. “She’s getting all touchy and putting her hand on his chest.”

  “Stupid bitch,” I whisper.

  “Yes, hands off, mole.” She frowns.

  “What’s happening?”

  “She grabbed his hand.”

  My eyes widen. “What?”

  “Oh no.”

  “What’s happening?”

  Natalie puts her hand on her chest and sighs in relief.

  “What?”

  “I thought they were going to kiss.”

  “Are you kidding me?” I snap as I spin toward them. The redhead is wearing a white dress that’s super low cut. She has the best body I think I’ve ever seen—huge boobs and a tiny waist. She looks like a sex kitten on crack. “Fuck this,” I whisper. “I’m not standing here and watching him with her. I’m going inside to the bar. Do you want another drink?”

  “Yes, please.” Her eyes are glued on them. “I’ll stay here and keep watch.”

  “You do that. Push her in the pool if you need to.”

  “Copy that.”

  I drain my glass, put it on a table, and walk inside. I want to waste some time. I go to the bathroom and walk around the club looking at all the bars and lounge areas. This place really is amazing.

  Don’t let him get to you, I remind myself. I eventually head to the bar and stand in line, which is huge. I’m going to be here for a while. I text Nat,

  Line is huge

  A text bounces back.

  Oh my God.

  He knows you’re here.

  He watched you walk inside.

  My mouth falls open.

  What?: Are you sure?

  A message comes in.

  Positive.

  Excitement runs through me. Oh, this is ridiculous.

  MAYDAY.

  Ahh, he’s coming inside.

  Look Fucking Sexy!

  I’m in such a fluster that I go to shove my phone in my bag and completely miss it. The phone falls on the floor in the darkness.

  I bend down and feel around looking for it. Oh hell, where is it? A man steps on my hand.

  “Ah!” I cry out. I find the phone, stand, and come face to face with Enrico Ferrara.

  He smirks right at me. “Hello, Olivia. We meet again.”

  13

  Olivia

  “What are you doing here?” I blurt out.

  “Looking for you.”

  I frown. That’s not the answer I was expecting. “You’re looking for me?”

  “Yes, and here you are.”

  Thump, thump, thump goes my heart.

  “You look beautiful.” He takes my hand and holds it out as his eyes roam up and down my body. “Very nice,” he purrs.

  “Thanks.” Nerves steal my breath as I stare at him.

  “Next!” the bartender calls. I turn and step forward, and Enrico comes up snug behind me.

  “I’ll have two margaritas, please,” I tell the bartender, totally distracted by the man behind me. Enrico’s hand goes to my waist and electricity shoots through me. “Do… do you want a drink?” I ask him over my shoulder.

  “I’ll have an Amaro, please.” He digs out his wallet and hands his card to the waiter.

  “That’s not necessary. I’ll get it,” I say.

  His hands fall to my hips, instantly silencing me. He bends and puts his lips to my ear. “You will get it.” Goosebumps scatter over my skin at the feeling of his breath on my neck. “But I’ll get this one.”

  Oh jeez…

  I stand and watch the bartender make the drinks as Enrico’s hands stay fixed on my waist. The heat from his touch feels like it’s starting a slow burning fire.

  Shit, shit, shit, shit.

  The waiter puts the drinks on the counter.

  “I’ll help you carry them,” Enrico says. He picks up two and I pick up one. He follows me outside.

  Natalie glances up as I approach. Her eyes widen when she sees him behind me.

  “Here you are.” I smile awkwardly and hand over her drink.

  “Thanks.” She smiles.

  I turn to Enrico. “Natalie, this is Enrico, a friend I met in Rome.”

  Enrico’s eyes hold mine for an extended beat and he raises a brow. Finally, his manners surface, and he smiles. “Nice to meet you, Natalie.” He shakes her hand and then passes me my drink.

  Natalie goes back to the man she was talking to, and Enrico bends to whisper in my ear. “So, I’m your friend?”

  “What would you prefer I introduce you as?”

  He sips his drink with a straight face. “Not that.” Unable to help it, I smile over at him and he smiles back. “How has your week been, Olivia?”

  “Good. Yours?”

  He shrugs. “Okay.”

  “Just okay?”

  “Just okay.”

  We fall silent, and I don’t know what to say. He makes me so nervous.

  “Let’s go and sit down.” He gestures to a bench seat beneath a canopy.

  My eyes flicker to it. “Okay.”

  I follow him over to the corner of the courtyard. It’s darker here, but the space is lit with fairy lights. We find our spot and sit beside each other.

  “Closer, bella.” He grabs my hips and drags me to him. The dominance of the act starts a series of memories to flood my mind. The way he moved me while we made love. He just flipped me
around like a feather. My body was at his disposal.

  “Tell me why your week was just okay,” I say.

  He smiles as he looks out over the other clubbers. “Let’s just say that having you in town is very… distracting. I’ve been unable to focus on anything knowing you were so close.”

  Hope blooms in my chest. I don’t know what I’m hoping for, but it’s most definitely there.

  I look out over the club, searching for something intelligent to say. “I’m sorry about your father,” I whisper. “I was so shocked when you told me, I didn’t offer my condolences.”

  A soft smile dusts his face.

  “I wish you’d told me back then,” I say softly.

  He clenches his jaw and stays silent.

  I twist my fingers in front of me. “Do you come here often?”

  We turn back to each other, and his dark eyes hold mine. “No.”

  “Oh.”

  An awkward silence falls over us. I have to concentrate to remember to breathe. He’s not chatty like he was before. He seems more intense, or am I imagining it?

  “You’re different,” I whisper.

  “How so?”

  “You’re quiet now.”

  He smiles sadly. “I just….” He stops himself from saying more.

  “You just…?”

  He shrugs. “Words escape me sometimes.”

  I smile as I catch the first glimpse of the man I met. “Did you organize for me to come to Milan?”

  “Yes,” he confirms without hesitation. “And you weren’t ever supposed to find that out. Damn Giorgio and his big mouth.”

  I smile. “Why did you want me here?”

  “I needed to see you.” His eyes hold mine.

  “Why didn’t you just call me?”

  A frown crosses his brow. “Because I knew you wouldn’t come for me alone.”

  Does he even know me at all?

  We stare at each other and I feel this connection that just shouldn’t be there. Not after this long—not after the way he treated me.

  “What are you thinking?” he whispers.

  “I don’t know.” Thump, thump, thump goes my heart. “What are you thinking?”

  He leans toward me. “I’m thinking that you’re the most beautiful fucking woman I have ever seen, and I……” His voice trails off.

  “And you what?”

  “I need to kiss you.”

  I stare at him as the air swirls between us. “So, do it.”

  He frowns and his eyes lift to the people around us. “I can’t. I can’t kiss you here.”

  “Why not?”

  He gives a subtle shake of his head and clenches his jaw. “I don’t get to choose what I do in public anymore.”

  Fuck, he doesn’t want me.

  I fake a smile and stand. “That’s okay, I get it.”

  He frowns and stands abruptly. “You get what?”

  “I’m not playing this game, Rico. You don’t have to say pretty things. You don’t have to kiss me. I’m not going to beg. How pathetic do you think I am?”

  “You think I don’t want you?”

  I roll my eyes. “Just leave it.”

  He grabs my hand and pulls me through the club quickly. “What are you doing?” I cry out. We cross the dance floor, walk through the hall, and we enter another room. I glance around to see we’re in an office of some kind.

  Enrico slams me up against the back of the door. “I said I can’t kiss you. Not that I didn’t want to.”

  His lips take mine aggressively. His tongue slides through my open lips, and I melt against him. He pushes his hard body up against mine as he moans into my mouth. We lose control. My hands are in his hair when he slams me harder against the wall. I feel his hard length up against my stomach. He bends and runs his hand up my thigh, under my dress. His tongue seductively dances with mine as he pushes my panties to the side.

  We fall silent as his fingers slowly circle through my dripping wet flesh.

  “Solleva la gamba, lasciami entrare.” Translation: lift your leg, let me in.

  “What?” I pant.

  “Wrap your leg around me.”

  I slowly lift my leg, and he pushes two thick fingers inside me. My head falls back. Oh, fuck.

  “Cazzo, sei un fuoco” Translation: fucking hell, you’re on fire.

  His grip on my hair is painful. His tongue in my mouth mirrors his thick fingers, pumping to a slow, erotic dance. The sound of my wet arousal hangs in the air.

  His teeth slide down my neck with a sharp hiss.

  “So… wet… fucking tight,” he whispers, accentuating the Ts. “I’ve missed you and this beautiful cunt.”

  Oh God.

  He really begins to work me, and I hold onto his forearm as my mouth hangs open. Our eyes are locked, and I can feel the muscles in his forearm contract. Oh yes, it’s been too long.

  I shudder, and he immediately pulls out.

  “Don’t stop,” I plead.

  “You won’t come here.” He kisses me again, but this time it’s slow and deliberate. Then, as if the last five minutes didn’t happen, he regains composure. He straightens my dress, pulls it down, and drops it back into position. He runs his fingers through his hair, and before I can protest, he’s pulling me out of the room. He drags me back through the club, and my mind is a blur. How is he even functioning right now?

  I’m so close to coming that the smoke machine might set me off. My body is contracting as she searches for those fingers. I grit my teeth as I try to focus on where he’s taking me.

  “Olivia, please meet my friends.” He presents me with a cool, calm, and collected smile. “This is Matteo, my brother, and Fabien, my best friend.”

  I smile as I look between them. I’m flushed and messed up. Can they tell that their friend has just finger fucked me in an office?

  “Hi,” I offer.

  “Hello.” Matteo smiles as he kisses my cheek.

  “Lovely to meet you.” Fabien smiles, too. “Do you live in Milan?”

  “Yes, I’m new here.” I glance over to Enrico. With his dark eyes locked on mine, he brings his fingers up to his nose and inhales.

  The air leaves my lunges in a rush. What the fuck?

  I watch on as he slowly puts his two middle fingers deep into his mouth and sucks them clean. His eyes flicker with arousal at my taste, and he licks his lips as if savoring every last drop.

  My stomach flutters. Good God.

  I lose the ability to speak. All coherent thought leaves my mind, and my sex begins to throb. Hell, I need him. I need all of him. I don’t give a damn about Mafiosi or tomorrow or anything to do with reality.

  I need Rico tonight.

  “Do you live here?” I ask Fabien, distracted. I get a vision of Rico naked… in my bed.

  Fuck, yes.

  His friend keeps talking but I can hardly hear them over the heat of his stare on me. I can’t speak, I can’t do anything. My body is in complete meltdown.

  It’s on a mission to fuck.

  I glance over to see that the man Natalie was talking to now has his hand on her hip. She’s looks settled for the night. I can’t stand here like this for one moment longer.

  It’s now or never.

  I crook my finger, and Rico leans in. “Let’s go,” I whisper.

  A dark smirk crosses his face. “We’re leaving,” he announces immediately. “See you tomorrow.”

  Before I can hardly say goodbye to them, he’s pulling me by the hand over to Natalie.

  “Hi.” I smile as I get to her.

  “I’m going to get something to eat with Rico,” I lie.

  Nat smiles mischievously. “Sure.” She looks over to Rico. “Take care of her.”

  Rico eyes hold mine. “I intend to.”

  We walk through the crowd and my body starts to hum. I know what’s coming, and goddamn it, I can’t wait. We arrive at the front doors of the club and he drops my hand.

  “My car is this way.”

  I f
ollow him down the steps, and I go to grab his hand again.

  “Don’t,” he whispers, discretely pulling his hand away.

  I frown. “Why not?”

  He looks across the road to a parked car with men sitting inside it. “My security guys are here. I don’t feel comfortable being affectionate in front of them.” He begins to walk faster.

  “Oh.” I nearly have to run to keep up as my eyes dart around. “Is that why you wouldn’t kiss me inside?”

  He nods once, and we arrive at a black sporty-looking car. He opens the door for me, and I get in. I look around at the black leather interior. It has that new car scent with all the bells and whistles inside. Wow, this thing is swanky.

  He gets in, and without a word, he starts the car and pulls out into the traffic. Once alone, he grabs my hand and lifts it to his lips. He kisses me tenderly as his eyes come to me.

  “That’s better.”

  “Where are we going?” I ask.

  His eyes go back to the road. “My place.”

  “What’s wrong with my hotel?”

  “Nothing,” he replies casually as he turns the corner. “It’s just safer at my house.”

  I frown, safe from what? “Why do you have security now?”

  “It’s a necessary evil.” His hand slides up my thigh and he inhales sharply. “Let’s talk about how fucking edible you look in that dress tonight.”

  I smile and glance behind us to see the two cars trailing behind us. We drive on in silence. He seems lost in thought, and my mind is on the security cars behind us. Why are they here? Is he in danger of some kind? I turn again and look out the back window to make sure I’m not imagining it.

  Two cars both filled with men trail at a safe distance behind. “Where do you live?” I ask

  “In the Magenta District. It’s not far.”

  The farther we drive away from the club, the more a little of my sanity returns.

  Shit, what am I doing?

  I told myself to stay away from him, yet here I am on my way to his house. I get a vision of us in that office and how incredibly hot he felt. How dominant he is… hard. Damn my body and her carnal needs.

  Horny bitch.

  He pulls into an underground parking lot and the cars pull in behind us. I feel like I’m in a James Bond movie or something. He parks the car, and then comes around to open my door.