by Zoey Parker
“No,” I said, opening my eyes and staring Dante down. “That was a joke. I’m going out. Are you coming or staying here?”
Dante shrugged. “Do I really gotta choice?”
Chapter Five
Katia
Dante trailed me as I shopped. This time, I was so conscious of him following me that I wasn’t able to buy a single thing. He was a real ass about the whole thing, too; he kept sighing and checking his watch whenever I’d been inside of a store for more than five whole minutes.
“Are you going to do that the whole time?” I whined with my hands on my hips as I turned to face him. “Don’t you know that a lady has to spend a lot of time in a store to be acquainted with her options?”
Dante rolled his eyes. “I’d forgotten that little tidbit,” he said sarcastically. “Are you gonna be done soon, princess? I’m starving.”
I sighed and ran a hand through my long blonde locks. People were staring at us, and not in a good way, either. Dante was attracting a lot of attention; nearly every woman who walked by glared at him. I couldn’t blame them. In the boutiques of Rodeo Drive, he stood out like a sore thumb.
“I’ll be done when I’m done,” I replied tartly. “If this is bothering you so much, why don’t you just go home?” I rolled my eyes. “I mean, I’m sure there’s an issue of Popular Mechanics that’s just calling your name!”
“I can’t just leave you here,” Dante said gruffly. He stepped closer, making people stare all the more. “That’s not part of the deal.”
“And what happens if someone breaks in while I’m gone?” I cocked my head to the side and stared at him. “Then what?”
“My job ain’t protecting your house.” Dante snarled. His azure eyes flashed with a blend of menace and intensity that I couldn’t help but find sexy. “You’re my job. Not your fuckin’ Barbie condo.”
Just as I was about to reply, I felt my phone buzz against my hip. “Give me a minute,” I said, dismissing him as I pulled it out. “My assistant is calling me.”
“My assistant is calling, ooooh, I’m so important!” Dante said in a high-pitched voice. He clasped his hands against his chest. “I can’t imagine what she wants!”
“Hi, Anya,” I said dryly. “I’m really liking this guy you picked out. Dante is a real joy to be around.”
“Katia, are you okay?”
“What?” I squinted at the phone in my hand. “Of course I’m okay. Why? What’s wrong?”
She paused.
“Come on!” I demanded. “Tell me!”
“Well, I was checking my email, and someone just sent me some pictures…” Anya trailed off.
My stomach lurched, and I felt a thin layer of sweat break out on my brow.
Oh, no . More of those same creepy drawings. What the hell is going on?
“Like, drawings? Or what?”
“No,” Anya said. “Katia, they were pictures of you. And Dante. Together. You two are kissing, and it looks like you’re standing in the middle of your living room.”
I blinked as my cheeks went bright red. “Um,” I stammered. “Uh…”
“What’s going on?” Dante asked, shifting into professional demeanor. I shook my head at him, still gaping from the shock.
“They were taken today,” Anya said hastily. “The timestamp is on the photos and everything. Look, I want you to get someplace safe immediately. And I want you to take Dante with you, okay?”
I glanced at him. “He’s already with me. Anya, are you going to call the cops?”
“I already did. But they’re not taking me seriously. No one’s exactly making threats on your life.”
I scowled. “Someone’s watching me, through my windows!” I snapped. “Of course they’re going to want to harm me!”
“But there’s no threat in the email,” Anya said sadly. “Just the pictures of you guys kissing.” She sniffed. “And Katia, you might want to think a little more carefully about what you’re doing with Dante. He isn’t your boyfriend, you know.”
I could have reached through my iPhone and strangled her.
“I know,” I said coolly. “And look, I’m fine. Thanks for your concern, Anya.”
I hung up before she could say another word.
“What happened?” Dante stepped closer. His brow was creased, and for a moment, I thought he was actually concerned about my well-being. “Is everything okay?”
I nodded. “Anya got an email,” I said quietly. “Someone took pictures from the outside of my house…” I paused. “… of us kissing.”
Dante’s eyebrows jerked up. “Are you okay?”
I bit my lip. “I’m freaked out,” I said honestly. “This whole thing—it’s too much for me.”
Dante wrapped a muscular arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. I was tempted to push him away, but I couldn’t deny that it felt good to have someone hold me like this. I felt his heart beating through his chest, and his strong, warm body against mine was making me feel safer by the second.
“Just breathe, Katia,” Dante whispered into my ear. “Everything’s going to be okay. You know that, don’t you?”
I nodded. “I’m just scared,” I said softly into his ear. People were streaming around us like a smelly river. They were all staring, but I no longer cared. The only thing I was thinking about was Dante, and the way his arm felt around my thin shoulders.
“I’ll protect you,” Dante said. The sensation of his breath against my earlobe was enough to make me shiver. Between my legs, I felt a warm, buzzing sensation. I was getting wet from the way he was comforting me!
“I know. That’s what I hired you to do.”
“I mean it.” He grunted. “This guy, whoever he is, he’s just trying to scare you, Katia. Don’t let this bother you. He knows your weak spots, and he wants you to feel like he can exploit you. I’m willing to bet anything that his bark is worse than his bite.”
I sighed. “I’m terrified,” I admitted. All kinds of horrible thoughts were running through my head. No matter which way I thought about it, I was terrified. It seemed like everything was going in the worst direction possible, and I had no idea what to do in order to fix it.
“It’ll be okay.” Dante glanced down at me. “Why don’t you go shop some more? It’ll take your mind off things.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You think I’m just a dumb blonde.” I rolled my eyes as much as it stung, but I didn’t want Dante to know that. “Like shopping would fix world hunger or something.”
He sighed. “I didn’t mean it like that.” His voice was softer this time. “But I know how much you enjoy it.”
His words did make me feel a little better. I wished I could do something about the raw arousal that was threatening to gnaw a hole in my lower belly. It was so distracting, like Dante himself was the one behind the way I was feeling.
“Okay,” I mumbled. “I guess I could do some more shopping.”
Dante followed close behind as I trailed through the rows of luxury stores. Nothing caught my eye, at least not until I made it down the row to La Perla. They had a beautiful satin mint-colored chemise in the window, and I noticed Dante’s eyes lingering on it from a distance.
“You like that?” I licked my lips.
Dante shook his head. I could tell he was embarrassed that I’d caught him looking. “I’d look terrible in that,” he said wryly. “But you, on the other hand. . .” He trailed off. For a moment, just a split second, I thought I saw a blush appear on his cheeks.
“You wanna see me in it?” I raised my eyebrows and laughed. Suddenly, the hormones were raging through my body, and I couldn’t think of anything other than what it would feel like to drag Dante close to me and kiss him until my lips were sore. I wasn’t sure what it was, maybe a reaction to the stress I was feeling, but I was hornier than I had been in ages.
“Come on,” I said to Dante without waiting for an answer. I grabbed his hand and dragged him into the store. As always, a sales associate flitted close to me and han
ded me a basket. I piled it with tons of lacy, pricey lingerie without even thinking about it: Cosabella, Stella McCartney, everything that I saw with a three-digit price tag and sheer coverage.
“You’re not really gonna buy all that stuff,” Dante drawled. He glanced down at the basket in my arms. “That’s like a grand’s worth of pricey underwear.”
“Well, I’ve got to try it on first,” I replied saucily. “You wanna peek?”
Dante stared at me. His lips were parted, and I could tell his breath was coming in damp pants. His blue eyes were so dark that they almost looked navy, and his skin was flushed. I stared right back at him. I wanted to pull him close, shove my tongue in his mouth, and wrap my legs around his waist and never let him go.
Without saying anything, I turned on my heel and carried the basket into a changing room. I pulled the velvet curtain across the rod until I was almost completely sealed off from the rest of the store. When I saw Dante’s boots peeking out from the bottom of the fabric, I grinned and slowly slid it open just a few more inches.
Pulling my clothes off, I stretched and pulled on a midnight-blue bra in lace and satin. The cups barely covered my nipples, and I pouted and vamped at myself in the mirror. When I glanced over my shoulder at the crack in the dressing room curtain, I noticed Dante’s eyes were fixed on me.
I stared at him, waiting for him to speak. While his eyes said all the intense things that I wanted to hear, his mouth didn’t even open. I held his gaze with mine, staring into the dressing room mirror until I thought I would make it fall to the floor and shatter into a million pieces.
“Should I buy this?” I wondered aloud. Knowing Dante’s eyes were still locked on my half-nude frame, I slid my hands over my body, moaning slightly as my fingers grazed my breasts. Since it was almost my time of the month, they were more sensitive than usual. I threw my head back, letting the ends of my blonde hair graze the skin of my back.
Dante didn’t reply. When I looked at him again, his eyes were black with lust. His face was filled with lust, and I could tell that he wanted me just as much as I wanted him. At that moment, it took all of my willpower to turn around and unfasten the bra from my body.
Easing the fabric away from my breasts sent a sensual tingle through my limbs. As I picked up the next piece of lingerie, I turned around to face the curtain. My nipples were stiff from the cold air of the dressing room, and I knew my perky breasts looked amazing. My stomach was tan and toned from millions of hours spent doing barre work, and my panties barely covered the thin patch of blonde pubic hair growing over my pussy.
“Well?” I asked softly. “Should I buy that bra, or not?”
Chapter Six
Katia
The next morning, Dante was crankier than usual. I drank my cappuccino in silence punctuated with sighs as I flipped through my emails.
“I have a charity event this afternoon, followed by a party in the evening,” I mused out loud. “Are you coming with me?”
Dante glared at me. “You know that’s part of the bargain. You can’t just leave me behind. I’m your bodyguard,” he spat.
“And you were so good at it yesterday,” I said lightly.
I didn’t mention what had happened after we’d come home from the shopping trip. Absolutely nothing. Dante hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of me for the rest of the day, and while I’d wanted to kiss him again, I’d come to my senses right after returning to my condo. Dante stood out among the sea of pink and gold furnishings, and it occurred to me how silly it was that I had such desire for him. After all, he was nothing like the men I was used to dealing with.
I’d always had a type—metrosexuals, usually blonde, blue-eyed, and the kind of guy who would scoff at Ralph Lauren from a mile away. My last boyfriend, Antonio, had been a gorgeous, misogynistic Italian guy. We’d had so much fun together, touring villas of Italy and France, sipping vintage champagne.
I’d hated his comments, and hated his cheating even worse, but he’d actually been the one to break up with me because I refused to give up my career. Now, I wondered whether I was going to be able to find a guy who was able to keep up with me. And Dante definitely isn’t that guy, I realized.
“What do you do, anyway?” Dante asked.
I frowned and blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Like, do you do anything valuable?”
“Of course,” I snapped. “Everything I do is valuable. You know that,” I added in an obvious tone of voice. I gestured around my kitchen, furnished with all of the latest gadgets and technology. “I mean, how else would I be able to pay for all of this? Someone thinks I’m good at contributing to society.”
Dante rolled his eyes. “You’re a spoiled brat. I bet you don’t even know what charity is getting the money from your event later.”
I stared him down. “Of course I do,” I replied. “It’s the Youth Diabetes Charity. I always go to their events.”
Dante snorted. “Yeah, because a bunch of kid diabetics definitely need an ex-beauty queen hanging around. What the hell do you do, cut a ribbon with big gold scissors?”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not that kind of event,” I informed him. “It’s a silent auction, all benefiting diabetes research.” Admittedly, I had little idea about what actually lay ahead this evening. Most Wednesdays, I had an alternate agenda.
I’d been visiting the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles every week for the past five years. I didn’t want to tell Dante though. I hated the idea that he’d probably take credit for my charity. Besides, it was personal.
“Well, I’m sure it’ll be over soon, and then you can get back to shopping,” Dante said curtly. He opened the Los Angeles Times and flapped the paper, so it shook noisily. I cringed; I’d always hated that sound.
“Shut up,” I mumbled. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“Surprise me,” Dante said. He was glaring at me, his cobalt eyes blazing light fire. “Seriously, Katia. I wanna know. Do you have one good bone in that body of yours? Or is everything a fucking game to you?”
I stood up from the table, pushing back with both of my hands. “It’s none of your fucking business,” I snapped.
I closed my eyes and tried to think of Arielle telling me to relax. But even after a series of five deep breaths, I wasn’t feeling better. I flashed my eyes open at Dante and glared at him. Suddenly, this was war.
“What?” Dante joked. “You forget that you have a waxing appointment later?”
I picked up my phone and called Anya. “Anya, you’re going to have to cancel my appearance at the Diabetes event,” I said coolly. “I’m doing my usual Wednesday work this week.”
“Katia, they’ve already sent you a thank you basket for agreeing to attend!”
“Well, send it back. I don’t need another iPhone or meal delivery thing anyway. You know, they’re never really gluten-free.”
Anya sighed. “Katia, are you sure this is wise?”
I didn’t answer for a moment. Instead, I kept my eyes locked on Dante’s, staring at him until he shrank away.
“Yes,” I said confidently. “This is exactly what I want. Now, call the Children’s Hospital and please tell them they can expect me at the usual time.”
“Okay,” Anya said nervously. “But I think you should at least call them or send a note or something, Katia. They were expecting you.”
“I’ll go to the next three of their events, free of charge. You can tell them for me, can’t you, Anya?”
I hung up before she could answer and smirked triumphantly at Dante. Originally, I hadn’t wanted him to know about what I did every Wednesday; at least, I didn’t want him to know why. But somehow, I had this stupid burning urge to make him believe that I wasn’t the spoiled, rotten brat that he thought. I wanted him to know why I was always acting the way I did. I had a feeling that if he knew, maybe he’d understand.
“You don’t know anything about me,” I said to Dante, resisting the urge to gloat. “But you’re abo
ut to find out.”
“Oh, yeah?” Dante rolled his eyes. “Lemme guess, you go to the Children’s Hospital so you can flirt with all the single dads?”
“Shows how much you pay attention,” I said sweetly. “And besides, at least I’m not a criminal.” I raised my eyebrows. “Like you,” I added with unneeded clarification.
