Blackmailed Merger

by Kelly, Marie

  With a gasp she had remembered the others, groaning softly.

  “Kate and Bella will be worried” she had mumbled turning to face him, seeing the look on his face.

  “Stay the night.......with me” he had whispered seductively; as she had felt the sensations once more rise within her as his fingers had gently trailed down her arm. With eyes so unsure he had watched as she had fought with her need to be there and her loyalty to her friends, seeing finally the small smile light her lips, a small nod seeing her agree. Reaching out she had lifted the phone on his bedside table, quickly calling Bella’s mobile number. There had been relief on the other girls voice as she had heard her friend.

  “Geez Sam we were wondering wither we should call out the guards or something” Bella never having known Sam to stay out later than she had agreed. Sam had apologized, her voice full of embarrassment as with a nervous cough she had told Bella that she was planning on staying over at Dante’s. She could sense the surprise on the other end of the line before hearing muffled sounds, with Kate suddenly appearing on the line.

  “Samantha...are you OK?.....if there is a problem, just say Tuesday if there is...we can have the police right up there”.

  Sam had stifled the laugh at the serious concern in her friend’s voice, and the assumption that she had met with foul play.

  “Kate...honest I’m fine” she had chuckled.

  “I just ....want to stay here tonight...that’s all”.

  Hearing the relief from the other side, she had heard more muffled noises as Kate had continued, her voice full of innuendo and laughter.

  “Really!!...well just remember lover girl, that Bella and I want details” Sam flicking her eyes over to Dante who was watching her as she had laughed back, wishing the two a good night.

  She had heard the rumble of his laugh.

  “I am guessing that there are going to be questions asked” feeling as his hand had moved her back down onto the bed as she had nodded laughing back.

  “In that case Miss Trey” he had muttered sexily.

  “We had better make sure that the answers are worth hearing” his mouth once more covering hers.

  That night Dante had taught Sam how to please him, just as he had her. He had found her to be an enthusiastic pupil and a quick learner, finding himself never tiring of her body. Hours later, the two had finally fallen into an exhausted sleep, Sam so happy as his arms had wrapped around her shoulders, her head dropping onto his chest, the sound of his heart the last memory she had before sleep had taken her.

  Waking up in the morning, Sam had stretched languorously, feeling as her muscles had complained, smiling at the memory of the previous evening as her eyes had fluttered open. Frowning she had sat quickly upright finding herself alone pulling the sheet around her as she had looked around with panic for any sign of Dante. Just at that moment the door had opened, the man on her mind moving back into his bedroom wearing jeans and a casual shirt unbuttoned to show off his hard belly, Sam feeling the groan of want rising within her as she had remembered running her tongue there feeling as her body had reacted just to the sight of him. In his hands he held a tray with coffee and what looked like toast, Samantha smiling widely at him.

  Dante had stopped as he had entered, his eyes drinking in the woman before him. She sat in the middle of the bed, her knees drawn up before her, the sheet pulled around her wonderful body as her hair hung around her like a glossy curtain.

  “Oh My God....you are beautiful” he had said, seeing as she had blushed shyly at him, that large smile on her face sending strange sensations throughout him. Once more moving forward Dante had placed the tray on the bed reaching over to kiss her, a long lingering kiss their eyes locking.

  “Good morning” she had whispered sensually against his mouth, as he had felt the overpowering desire to pull her back down onto the bed, as she had looked over to where the tray sat.

  “You cooked” she had grinned, her voice teasing, as he had pulled back to offer her one of the mugs of coffee.

  “Yes, be very honoured” he had chuckled, admiring her again.

  “I did not know if you took milk or sugar” he had said gently pointing to the jugs on the tray, Sam shaking her head.

  “No this is fine” the sudden realisation hitting her that they knew nothing about each other. That after knowing this man only 3 days she had jumped into bed with him, feeling as her cheeks had become warm from this knowledge.

  “What are you thinking?” his soft voice had interrupted her thoughts, as he had noticed the way she had blushed.

  “I guess I just realised that we don’t know anything about each other” she had stuttered, wondering what he thought of her, what he thought of a woman who jumped into bed with a man so quickly, knowing that he had expected to take her home the previous evening, not drinking with her.

  “Do you regret what happened?” he had asked, seeing as her eyes had flown to his.

  “No...I just don’t want you to think....”her voice had disappeared as he had groaned softly.

  “I did not expect it Sam, but God I wanted you just as badly. I just didn’t want to push you”.

  He had moved closer to her.

  “What happened between us was I really feel meant to be”.

  His hands had lifted to tilt her chin to look up at him.

  “Do not ever regret what happened and never feel that I have anything other than the highest respect for you”, feeling so strange once more at the glow that had lit her eyes, those beautiful green eyes.

  The two had sat back together eating their breakfast, as Samantha had looked at surprise at the time – six in the morning, realising that the two of them had had little sleep, wondering why they were up so early.

  Chuckling Dante had grinned wickedly at her.

  “Because, I have to leave by 8 and I wanted to make sure you got home first safe and sound, and.......” his eyes had let the rest of that sentence finish, as he had lifted the tray depositing it off the bed.

  Sam had wrapped her arms around his neck looking deeply into his eyes.

  “mmmm ... you should have skipped breakfast then” she had murmured sensually, hearing his low throaty laugh as he had pushed her back onto the mattress, the two of them once more losing themselves in the need for the other.

  As they had lain once more in each other’s arms, both fighting for breath, something he had said had bubbled to the surface of her brain. Frowning slightly she had looked at him.

  “Where are you going?” seeing as his face had looked down on hers apologetically.

  “I have to go back to the mainland. Truth is Sam, I really should not have returned...but I wanted to see you”.

  “Oh” had been all she had been able to say, the sinking sensation filling her that this was his way of saying goodbye, that despite his words, he could not wait to be rid of her.

  “I...I understand” she had said sadly, “and like I said last night........I knew what I was getting into.

  Seeing the expression on her face, he had rolled over, once more lying over her, his hand tracing the curve of her mouth.

  “No, it is nothing like that. It is unfortunate that our meeting coincided with a work emergency, but I will return in a few days”.

  Sam had nodded.

  “It ...its fine Dante, please really I understand” thinking him even sweeter for trying to let her down so gently.

  With a small groan of frustration, he had looked deeply into her eyes.

  “You are not listening Samantha Trey”, giving a large grin.

  “The ONLY reason I am returning in a couple of days is to see you”.

  At this she had smiled widely, knowing him to be speaking the truth, her heart beating so fast in her breast that she was sure that he would hear it.

  “And now my darling” he had said, the words filling her with happiness “we should get ready”.

  As Sam had slipped silently into the villa, she had heard the sound of two sets of footsteps on the r
oof above, both running from their rooms down the stairs.

  “OK spill” Kate had cried being the first to reach her, Bella breathlessly nodding behind her.

  “All of it!”

  Sam had laughed, her eyes sparkling as the other girls had not allowed her to go up to her room.

  “But I only had 3 hours sleep” she had wailed, seeing as the other two had gasped, Kate declaring how lucky she was, as they had dragged her over to the couch.

  Her whole body exuding happiness she had told them of the evening, Bella making awww noises at all the right points, as Kate had groaned declaring them both to be harlequin rejects.

  At this Sam had grinned over at Bella, her eyes all soft.

  “It really really was” feeling the pillow hit her as the three had collapsed together laughing. As they had calmed down Kate had taken her hands, her face suddenly so serious.

  “I am so glad your first time was so special Sam” she had said.

  “But please.......do not expect too much.... I know you, you are going to fall madly in love with him...and well he may not even come back”.

  Samantha had given her a hug, nodding her head.

  “As I told him Kate...I am not a little girl...........I understand the situation. It is a holiday romance...nothing more”.

  Feeling a cold sharp stabbing in her stomach at voicing these words, with a large yawn, she had then risen, feeling her whole body so tired, all the girls once more returning to their beds.

  It was the loud banging on the door that had woken Sam, her dreams so pleasant filled with images of Dante holding her, kissing her, groaning as she had tried to roll over and ignore the sound, not wanting to wake she had finally giving up as the pounding had continued. As she had made her way sleepily down the tiled stairs, she had seen Bella already there, talking with a man before closing the door she had held up a box, her eyes looking at Sam in surprise.

  “It’s for you” she had said, Sam skipping down the final steps her curiosity piqued.

  Opening the box she had gasped seeing the top of the range mobile phone, Bella also gasping.

  “Oh my God Sam.......I have soooo wanted one of them” she had chuckled, as Sam had pulled it out reading the note inside.

  Now we can stay in touch

  Dante

  She had felt herself grinning remembering the conversation in the car as he had taken her home. He had asked for her number, Sam informing him that she had not brought her phone as both Kate and Bella had theirs, not prepared to admit that she could not afford the roaming charges of using it. He had seemed put out, wondering how he was to talk to her, scowling as he had refused to take Kate’s number instead. Saying goodbye he had dropped a final kiss on her lips mysteriously whispering softly that he would find a way, Sam too happy to even ask how. Now she knew and plopping down on the couch she had opened up the expensive device finding both a text message and his number already programmed into it. Sam had laughed reading the text message...Told you I would find a way. Kate chuckling as she had finally made it down the stairs reading the message over her shoulder.

  “Maybe it isn’t over yet” she had chuckled, her eyebrows wiggling full of innuendo.

  In his office Dante Durant had sat back, exhausted from the many meetings and countless discussions which had ran late into the night. Pulling out his phone he had smiled seeing the latest text from Samantha, feeling as it had revitalised him the joke making him laugh out loud, before he had responded with one of his own. Her regular updates of the holiday had made him smile, although his own detectives had captured the moments more fully, emailing him regularly with images of the girls, Dante inexplicably happy to see that she had been nothing but honest with him.

  His mind had again returned to the evening they had shared, his body once more humming at the mere thought of how she had made him feel. With a frown he had once more questioned why the experience with her had been so intense, finally rationalizing that it was the thrill of what was to come, knowing how close to his revenge he was. The niggling feeling of guilt that he was using Sam had come and gone, as he had reminded himself of the lie she had told “they were from different worlds” his mouth setting at her attempt at deception.

  The problem with a foreign consortium had been planned to take two days, but it had already ran on three, with Dante not prepared to accept their terms, sticking rigidly to his plan, his ruthless ability to bend others to his will starting to pay off. By the end of the next day the problem would be resolved, or his company would walk away, Dante knowing that they could ill afford him to do that, not caring if they pled that it was a chance to build bridges for the future. The bottom line was that it was his way or no way, and he could feel as they had started to cave in, smiling with satisfaction.

  Flicking through the pictures on his computer he had stopped at one showing Sam laid on the sand, her head resting on the palms of her hand as she had stared out to sea, a soft whimsical look on her face, that lovely beautiful face. His eyes had moved to follow the way her back had curved to her perfect bottom, her long legs stretched out on the beach towel. Giving a small groan he had flipped the machine off, rising slowly. He needed sleep, the sound of an incoming text making him smile on the way to the lift as he had dialled her number suddenly so badly wanting to hear her soft voice.

  On the fourth evening the three girls had agreed to once more go to the night club, the previous evenings having happily settled for talking to different groups they had met at the local taverna. Kate, however, had begged them that night to go, pouting as she had dramatically declared that she was young and needed to dance, Bella and Sam finally giving in to her, smiling as they had rolled their eyes at their friend. Sam had been suspiciously aware that it had taken very little for Bella to agree to go, so unlike her. As Kate had moved to get ready, she had looked over at Bella.

  “Do you think Philippe will be there?” she had asked, seeing as Bella had looked guiltily back at her before shrugging her shoulders.

  “None of my business if he is” she had said as matter of factly as she could Sam laughing softly.

  “Of course it isn’t she had replied” her eyes looking knowingly at her friend. With a sigh Bella had looked to ensure that Kate was out of sight.

  “I really liked him Sam” she had said with a hint of sadness in her voice, “and he has not even tried to phone me, I guess he was just being polite, or else....” her voice trailing off as a soft blush had tinged her cheek.

  Sam had looked at Bella seriously.

  “I saw the way he looked at you Bella, he was not being polite” Bella giving a small sad sigh.

  “Well then I guess he found a better offer” she had muttered moving up the stairs giving Sam a last sad look.

  “Shame, he actually seemed like a decent guy, guess you can never tell”.

  That night the girls had enjoyed themselves, dancing with different men all evening. Kate had settled on one, a tall good looking German draping herself over the eager man. Often Sam had caught Bella looking around, her eyes scanning for Philippe, although she would never admit it, Sam feeling the tug of sympathy for her friend. As she had politely once more declined a second dance from yet another young man, she had moved back to her table, her eyes resting on the two men who had just entered the club. Grabbing Bella’s arm she had breathed so excitedly.

  “Look, look its Dante and Philippe” seeing the light jump into her friend’s blue eyes before she had seemed to become nervous, her eyes holding anxiety and trepidation as she had looked to where Sam was pointing. Dropping her head Sam had been aware of some inner turmoil within Bella, who had seemed to finally come to a decision her eyes becoming harder.

  The two men had moved towards them, Sam giving a small groan seeing Dante in an obviously expensive business suit, his tie pulled down, top button undone. Her eyes had flicked down him, seeing how well the suit had hung on him, the dark material making his eyes seem even darker, Sam wanting to kiss his throat, shocking herself with
the intensity of the feeling.

  He had smiled warmly as their eyes had met, and unable to stop herself she had ran the rest of the way to him, jumping into his arms hearing as he had laughed swinging her around once before placing her back onto her feet, his mouth dropping to kiss her gently.

  “Did you miss me Cara?” he had whispered softly her head nodding, smiling happily before teasing him.

  “Of course, Kate has been making breakfast, I miss your toast” her quip making him chuckle as he had pulled her in closer for a more passionate kiss, Sam feeling her head spin with the intensity of it, before taking her hand the two had walked back to the table.

  There Bella had sat politely answering Philippe’s questions, the other man looking at her with surprise, sensing a change in her. Pulling off his jacket he had extended his hand to her, asking if she wanted to dance, Sam surprised as Bella had looked back at him her face calm, shaking her head.