Alessandro (Members From Money Book 21)

by Katie Dowe

  “But you did not listen.”

  “I did not. I persisted until in exasperation she went out with me and we never looked back.” He leaned forward and took his daughter’s hands. “Your mother and you are the finest looking women I have ever come across no matter what Sister Shelby says about her own daughter.” They laughed at that. “I admire the fact that you like to make plans and stick by them and I am so proud of the way you turned out! But sometimes we have to be flexible and turn with the time. Don’t get involved with Brother Winston because it is what is expected of you. Get involved with someone because you are head over heels in love with them! You are going to have to wake up every morning and look at the same person, be very sure it is someone you will want to see every single day or it is going to be very hard! I am in love with your mother every single day. I have seen every side of her that there is to see and I still love her because I love her inside out and that has never changed.”

  “Thanks, Daddy,” she whispered as she squeezed his hands.

  “You are welcome,” he said with a smile. “How about popping over to the house and eating some of that delicious fried chicken and coleslaw your mother prepared before she left for church?”

  “You read my mind.”

  *****

  Jayda stood in front of the mirror and stared at herself. She unwrapped the towel slowly and examined her body. She did not put much stock in her looks even though she knew she was considered to be a beautiful black woman. She had washed her hair and blow dried it and now it hung past her shoulders in thick waves, the ends making a striking gold contrast against her skin. She had always wanted height and wished she was at least a foot or more taller than her five feet one but she compensated by wearing high heels. Her breasts were generous and were something that she often moaned about. Her waist was tiny and her hips generous. Her eyebrows were thick and she had tapered them a little bit to keep them in shape. She did not wear much makeup because she did not need it. Suddenly he came to mind and she stepped back from the mirror, hurriedly wrapping the towel around her nudity. She moaned a little as she felt her nipples tighten. This could not be happening to her! He was a total stranger and was very far out of her league! Even if he was not she was sure he had women banging on his door to be with him! What was she thinking? She hurried into her bedroom and dug out the oldest nightgown she could find before going underneath the sheets. It was just a crush for a beautiful man, she thought as she closed her eyes.

  *****

  Alessandro prowled the length of his living room with a glass of wine in his hand. It was almost midnight but he was too wired to sleep. The memories kept coming back and he could not get rid of them. It had been a balmy night in Italy and he had been at a party and was on his way back to his apartment when his cousin Domenico had challenged him to go to another party that was not as lame as the one he had just come from. He had accepted the challenge and had gone much to his regret. He had seen things at that house snug in the wilds that he wanted to blot out from his mind. He had thought that having connections with the mafia was something romantic and wild and he had gone along with the things they did until he had witnessed what they really did for a living! Alessandro tossed back the rich red wine and put the glass on the table top. That was his past and his future was here with his family. It was time to forget!

  Chapter 3

  Jayda walked the perimeters of the lavish grounds and tried not to appear too impressed but she could not help herself! She had seen the house in the magazines, especially the rose gardens but seeing it up close and personal she had to say it looked better seen up front. She made little jottings where she was going to be putting tables and the tents. She figured she could put the raised dais right against the tulips and dandelions. The pool glittered with light from the sun and there was a natural clear water fall cascading over rocks making pleasant babbling sounds and running into the pool. Lounge chairs were dotted around the sides of the large pool and there were cabanas settled side by side not far from the water.

  Neither Isabella nor her parents were home but had instructed the staff to give her whatever she needed. She had decided to come by this afternoon after she had finished up with a client who was planning a luncheon for some businessmen she was entertaining from overseas. She was so deep in what she was doing that she did not see him at first.

  “Ms. Walker?” Her head snapped up at the deep voice with the slight accent that sent shivers up and down her spine. He was wearing a light sports jacket over faded jeans and his jet black hair was untidy as if he had run his fingers through the strands.

  “I was just trying to decide where everything goes.” She sounded a little defensive as if she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “Your sister knows I am here.”

  “I am sure she does.” His tone was a little amused as he looked at her. She was wearing a floral cotton dress with thin straps and had teamed it with a light waist length jacket. She had taken off her strappy high heeled sandals and left them in the car and was wearing flats which made her even smaller. “How is it coming?” He had walked over to her and Jayda wished he had kept his distance. His presence was overwhelming her and she was having a hard time concentrating. He was beautiful, she thought achingly as she stepped back automatically.

  “It’s coming.” She turned away and looked over the wide expanse. “It’s so beautiful.”

  “I agree.” He was standing next to her and smiled a little at how petite she was. His mother was just as small but she made up for it by the way she ran their lives. “Have you been offered refreshments?”

  “I just wanted to finish up here and go home,” she said hastily.

  “I am sure you have time for some juice.” He lifted his head as a maid came forward. “Set it up over there, thanks.” He nodded as the woman came bearing a tray with juice and thin delicious looking sandwiches.

  “Thank you,” Jayda murmured as she went to the table to take a seat. He poured and handed her the glass. His fingers touched hers as he handed her the glass and she trembled from the slight touch. She had to get away from him! She had spent her entire life focused and committed to the task at hand and had never allowed anything to rattle her but ever since she met him she could not keep still! He was evoking feelings inside her that she had never experienced before.

  “This is very good,” she murmured as she drank down the delicious pine juice with a touch of ginger.

  He turned and looked at her for a moment before he nodded. “My mother’s concoction.” He smiled slightly. “Every summer she would try out something else.” He broke off for a moment and then looked over at the pool. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked her suddenly. “I am heading to the club and just stopped by to drop off something for Bella.” He got to his feet and so did she.

  “Yes, of course,” she murmured.

  He nodded and then without another word he left her standing there. Jayda watched him as he took long graceful strides that took him far away from her. He looked so aloof and cynical as if he had seen things he could not stop thinking about! She blinked her eyes and sat back down heavily. She was not the one to save him but how she wanted to be!

  *****

  “This is very nice!” Isabella wandered around the apartment slowly taking in the elegance and starkness of it. She had called and made sure her brother would be there before coming over. He had been over to the mansion three times since he had been back and she was worried about him. Her father told her that he had been working long hours at the office working on some idea he had come up with but she knew something was wrong. She had no idea what he went through when he was in Italy because they had not told her much.

  “Thanks,” he said briefly as he handed her a glass of wine. They were Italian, more Italian than American even though they had been born in this country so they appreciated good wine and partook in it every chance they got. “I thought you would be out painting the town red. You are almost an adult now so you should be cele
brating,” his voice was softly amused as he stared at her. She and his mother were the people he missed the most when he had been away and he was glad to see that she had grown up into quite a woman.

  “I have been.” Isabella sat on the bottom step of the spiraling stairs and crossed her long legs as she looked up at him. “I decided to take a break to see what my big brother was up to.” She leaned her head and stared at him. “What are you up to?”

  “Work.” He shrugged elegantly and joined her on the step. “I am actually enjoying it. The creating and the learning about the chocolate industry. It’s pretty interesting.”

  “I am happy for you.” She turned and placed her legs on his lap. “I remember Mother and Dad despairing of you ever taking your rightful place at the company and I can see that they are finally happy.” She moved her legs restlessly and he placed his hand over them to hold them still. “I am quite happy to come to work, starting as a lowly advertising rep and putting our products out there but sometimes being a Rivera has its own cross to bear. Sometimes I wonder if I was gently pushed into the direction I am going into.”

  “What would you rather do?”

  She shrugged a little and sipped her wine thoughtfully. “Maybe a lawyer or who knows a nurse?” She wrinkled her straight nose a little bit.

  “You cannot stand the sight of blood. You got a scrape when you were four and you screamed bloody murder,” her brother reminded her dryly. “You also said that all lawyers should be dumped and boiled in very hot oil.”

  “So true,” she said with a laugh. “How about you? What would you rather be doing?”

  He emptied his glass and placed it on the marble floor next to him. “Maybe an engineer.”

  “Can you tell me what happened in Italy?” she asked him suddenly.

  “Nothing happened, Bella.” His voice was a little sharp as he moved her feet off his lap and stood up. He picked up his glass and went to the side table to pour himself some more.

  “We are blood and as your only sibling I have the right to know why my brother has this hard edge of unhappiness around him.” She had come up to him and held her glass out for a refill. He poured the wine and walked to the piano in the middle of the wide open space next to the living room. He sat around the instrument and fiddled with the keys offhandedly picking out a tune. Isabella joined him and placing her glass on the top she complemented his playing as she joined in. They played for a few minutes before he closed off with a crashing crescendo!

  “Italy was a boiling pot and one that I have no intention of stirring up.” His dark eyes met hers for a moment. “I am getting past it, Bella, just leave it at that.”

  “I love you.” She reached up and touched his hair roughened jaw gently. “I also worry about you. Maybe you need some woman in your life.” She stopped and laughed at the expression on his classically beautiful face. “Okay, fine, let me rephrase that, Cara: a woman who is going to love you and take that sad look off your face.”

  “You are hardly old enough to be giving me relationship advice,” he told her dryly as he closed his hand over hers. “I am not interested in settling down right now. How about you? Who are you seeing?”

  “The name Rivera scares people away,” she told him dryly. “I was seeing someone in college and I got suspicious when he started asking me about my net worth. I ran the other way and did not look back.”

  “Good decision.” He bent forward and kissed her cheeks fondly. “How about some dinner?”

  “Italian?” she asked him cheekily as she got to her feet and pulled him up.

  “I was thinking pizza,” he said with a laugh.

  *****

  Jayda checked and rechecked the sound and the lighting. The party had started at ten and there were wonderful iridescent blue and white lights all over the palm trees swaying gently in the breeze. The day had turned out to be slightly cooler than the days gone by which made it a perfect weather for a party. Jayda was impressed by the amount of big wigs present and had never seen so many powerful people in one place before! She had gotten a little anxious at the beginning but had mellowed out as soon as the night progressed. The wives were gathered in one clique by themselves and she noticed how polished and sophisticated they all looked. She had discreetly checked out their designer outfits and admired every single one! She had scoured the entire grounds for him and had seen him walking out, stopping to chat with some people. She had checked him out. He was wearing faded denims that molded his slim hips lovingly. His black shirt was opened at the chest and she could just imagine resting her head on his chest and him holding her close, maybe kissing her and making love to her by the pool! She shook herself and taking a deep breath went about her job. The music was playing at a rate that was acceptable and the food was going well. She had decided against heavy servings and had opted to go with some light finger foods and tons of delicious fruit juices along with the cases of expensive Italian wine and ones from Costa Land. The birthday girl was in her element and Jayda smiled as she looked at the incredibly beautiful girl dancing on the lawn, her seventies skirt flying around her slim body. Isabella had told her that the party was going well into the night so she should feel free to take off if she felt tired.

  “I never leave an event until it is finished,” she had told the girl firmly.

  “Are you sure? You don’t seem like the party until dawn type.”

  “I am not but I am the see the work through to the end type.”

  “I get it.” She had laughed.

  But Isabella was right. She had spent most of her time in church and even in college when her friends and dorm mates were partying up a storm she had stayed in her dorm and buried her head in a book. She was beginning to feel a little wilted but she was determined to stay and see it through.

  She took a break and went to get something to eat and went to a section where there was no one there. Along the basketball court a very lively game was going on and the huge pool was filled with people frolicking and playing some sort of ball game.

  “Ms. Walker, not enjoying the party?” She had been so engrossed that she had not heard him come over.

  She took a deep breath before answering. “I am just getting a little quiet time and having a meal. Care to join me?” She had issued the invitation at the spur of the moment and almost took it back when he stared at her.

  He sat on the edge of the chair next to her. “This is good planning.” He nodded at the amount of people there and the merriment. “My sister and her friends seem to be having fun.”

  “Are you?” she asked him quietly. Her appetite had disappeared and her skin felt as if it was on fire!

  He turned to look at her, his dark eyes inscrutable. “Parties like this are not really my scene,” he told her enigmatically.

  “What exactly is your scene?” she persisted.

  His eyebrows shot up as if he had not expected her to be asking him something so personal. “A lot of heavy booze and naked women,” he said deliberately hoping to shock her and shut her up.

  “Want me to arrange something like that for your birthday?” She angled her head and looked at him. “When is it?”

  He laughed softly in amusement and Jayda caught her breath at the sight of his white teeth against his dark skin. “December 12th.” He leaned forward and peered at her. “What about you? Is this your scene?”

  “Not particularly. I grew up in church, a pastor’s daughter, so I kind of stay away from parties.”

  “So you are a good little girl who became a party planner.”

  “Event coordinator,” she corrected him.

  “Event coordinator who plans parties like these.” He gestured vaguely.

  “I am very good at planning and I like to make people happy.”

  His eyes wandered over her beautiful face. Her hair was caught up on top of her head and twisted into an intricate style that left her surprisingly long neck bare. She was wearing large silver hoops and he noticed her dimples when she smiled. “Who makes you h
appy?”

  “I am naturally happy,” she said softly. With regret she realized that it was time to rotate the music and sort out the games part of the function. She got to her feet and stumbled, landing into his lap! He caught her against him and for a moment Jayda stayed there, looking into his face. Alessandro stared down at her broodingly feeling her petite body against his.

  “I have to go,” she said huskily but she did not move. Suddenly she did something she never dreamed in a million years she would ever do! She reached up and cupped his face, bringing it down to hers. He was caught off guard for a moment before his lips met hers, brushing lightly, and his breath fanning hers. Jayda’s mouth opened beneath his, her movement hesitant as her tongue searched and found his. She knew she was bordering on insanity but she did not care! Ever since she had seen him the first day she had felt something and it had only gotten stronger! She wrapped her hands around his neck and deepened the kiss, her heart racing as she pressed her body against his! Alessandro fought the urge building up inside him as his mouth moved roughly over hers! What the hell! He somehow found the will to push her off him and stumbled to his feet. He stood there staring down at her for a while before he turned and without a word left her standing there staring after him!

  *****

  “You want to tell me why you are leaving when you practically just got here?” Isabella demanded as she dragged on a robe over her miniscule red bathing suit and followed her brother out to his car. He had signaled to her while she was in the water and she had come up only to be told by him that he was taking off.

  “I decided to make it an early night.” He clicked his remote to disengage the alarm and pulled the door open. “I will see you tomorrow. I hope you like your present,” he said with a slight smile as he tweaked her wet hair.

  “I am not ten anymore, Alessandro,” she said impatiently as she stepped in front of him and the vehicle. “What’s going on with you and why are you running away?”

  “I am not running.” He lifted her out of the way and got into the vehicle. “Go and have fun. It’s not every day you turn twenty-one.” He gunned the motor and she moved away feeling a little lost. “I love you.”