Mr. Mysterious In Black

by S. Ann Cole

  At the voice, I spun around to see Natalio standing on the balcony bearing an anxious expression. His shirt, shoes and socks were ridded of and he wore only his trousers. Then I realized that I’d forgotten about him once I walked inside the house and wandered off.

  “Yes,” I answered. “It’s lovely.”

  His shoulders relaxed as he smiled. “Good. Because I had it redecorated, hoping you would like it.”

  So I’d guessed right then.

  A stumpy, bald guy dressed in a dark suit appeared at the sliding doors. “Sir, all the items are in. Should I send up Rosa?”

  “No. I’ll be down with Miss Francé to familiarize her with the staff in a minute. Shut down. I won’t be leaving for the night.”

  The man nodded and jotted off.

  I raised my eyebrow at Natalio. “Don’t tell me you live with a host of people who cater only to one man.”

  “No I don’t. They have their own space below,” he deadpanned.

  Succeeding at not rolling my eyes, I walked into his arms and we stood looking over the balcony at the choppy waves of lighted buildings, cars and people. “What’s your obsession with glass homes?”

  Natalio chuckled. “It was my brother’s fascination, actually. I no sooner became entranced, too. I don’t know,” he shrugged. “It’s just different. I like different.”

  “Trevillo, the one in real estate? He built this?”

  “Yep.”

  Should I be anxious about meeting his aristocratic family? Maybe I should. But I wasn’t. Because it wouldn’t to me matter is his family liked me or not. As long as Natalio wanted me, loved me, I was good. I wrapped my arms tighter around him, wishing I’d never have to let go.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, tucking a lock of hair behind my ears.

  I thought about it. Was I okay? A few days ago I wasn’t. A few weeks ago I wasn’t. Heck, a couple of years ago I wasn’t. I’d never thought in a million years that I would’ve recovered my memories, let alone see Natalio again. And when I did, my pride had caused me to push him away. Now he was here in my arms. And he wanted to marry me, with the same eagerness he had seven years ago. Wanted to make me his forever. Wanted to fulfill his promises that I was once led to believe were empty. I believed in love again, because of the same man who’d introduced me to love. Made me feel love, received love and gave love. I believed in love. “Yes. I’m okay.”

  Natalio turned, leaning his back against the rail with his hands still circled around my waist. The cool night air ruffled his hair as he bent his head and kissed me softly before saying, “I love you, Sadie. The feeling is frightening. I have you, but it’s like I don’t have you enough. So I hug you, but when I do, it’s like you’re not close enough. So I kiss you, and still I can’t get enough. So I make love to you. And yet, my hold on you doesn’t feel secure enough. Then I lay my head on your pillow and I worry. I worry that I’ll lose you again. I worry myself to sleep. And it’s not long before I awake with wide eyes and a pounding heart, hoping you’re still there. I would sigh with relief at the feel of you in my arms. Your warm, sinuous frame against mine, your soft sighs as you dream of me, calling my name. And I watch you, peacefully, until you’re awake.” His eyes grew intense as he pinioned my eyes with his. “This why I want to marry you. I don’t ever want to lose you again.”

  A lone tear fell from my lashes. “I promise you, Natalio, I’ll never leave. I love you.”

  He pulled me closer and pressed his lips in my hair. “Death can.” The words whooshed out as if they stole every bit of vigor he had.

  Wooden became my frame. Was Tevin’s death taking a toll on all of us? “Why are you thinking about death?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve just been thinking about all the bad things that could happen. I’d rather be the one to die. Because I know if you do and leave me behind, I’ll take my own life, just to be able to lie next to you in the grave. That our souls may continue in love. You see, there is no other for me, Sadie. For seven years I’ve had the money, the houses, the cars, and every material thing one could dream of. But none of it made me happy. Just…thoughts of you. Just you. Only you.”

  My eyes burned and I couldn’t repress the tears. “Please stop talking such bull. Nothing will happen. You make me happy, too. Just you. Only you.”

  I knew I sounded like one of those golden-haired, sing-song heroines from the fairy tale books. But I didn’t care.

  He placed his finger under my chin, tilting it upward to kiss my lips. “I. Love. You. These simple words don’t hold it all. They are used by anyone and everyone flippantly, but so few people truly know the meaning.” Then he kissed me again. A soft, caressing kiss that bled into a hard tongue thrust and possessive fever. Through the valleys of his taut, honed pecs I trailed my fingers, shivering at the heat that seeped through my pores. I tried to part but he glued me to the kiss, not wanting to let go. He groaned into my mouth when I bit his tongue and capitulated. “You little devil,” he raggedly whispered.

  Flashing him an impish grin, I kissed his neck which he gracefully offered to me, tilting his head back. I sucked at his flesh, bringing forth a lovebite. My tongue traveled down to his firm sternum, and as I swirled my tongue around his nipple he jumped his well-built chest. Cocky ass.

  “No need to show off, bad boy,” I said, then bit his nipple. The subsequent jump of his chest was not deliberate, much to my satisfaction. Take that.

  My kisses meandered down his body until I was soon on my knees, my fingers twirling in his silky trail while I one-handedly unbuttoned his trousers and freed his rock-hard, vein-pulping erection. It was heated, red with blood and felt impressively sturdy in my hands. I peered up at him through my lashes while he leered down at me with hooded blue eyes. Then he flashed a lopsided smile and twitched his shaft in my hand. Again. And again. Cocky, cocky ass.

  Okay, Mr. Nelson, have it your way. Let’s see how long you can keep your eyes open.

  With my eyes glued to his, I took his crest in my mouth. His lips parted, and he tried to make his ensuing sighs imperceptible. He knew I was challenging him and I knew he’d put up a fight.

  Licking around his blood-filled crest, I slid through the split that sprouted pre-cum. He emitted a shuddering sigh this time, but still kept his gaze transfixed on mine. I took him in, inch by inch, going lower and lower until I felt his crest touching me tonsils, my lips wrapped tightly around his base.

  Natalio slammed his eyes shut and his head fell backwards. “Shhhhhhhiiiiiit.”

  Oh yes, Nelly. I can take it all. I’m a badass.

  Then I began to move, pleasuring him with my mouth, sheathing my teeth and sucking him hard. Occasionally releasing him with a ‘pop’. Whenever he tried to flex his hips, I’d tighten my fingers around the base of his shaft, stymieing him from orgasm. I was in control.

  “Dammit, Sadie. Please,” he begged.

  Because he was famous for being merciless in bed, I tormented him a minute longer, reveling in his gabbling and the way his body shivered as his hands helplessly gripped the railings.

  Ending the torture, I uncurled my fingers from the base of his shaft, grasped him with both hands and pumped while I sucked. My hands and mouth moving in synergism. He swelled and grew harder, his hands fisted in my hair. “Shit…about to…hot…damn…no…hell,” he gabbled.

  Knowing he was about to climax, I took him all the way in, shoving his swollen steel-hard shaft to the back of my throat, as far as I could go without choking.

  “Ah Chrisssssssssttt!” he growled as he reached his apogee and sent his fluids squirting down my throat. His shaft pulsed, effusing.

  Expended, he slumped back against the railing, simultaneously lifting me to my feet. His lips came down to mine, kissing me hard.

  He wrenched his lips away. “How did you—” he curtailed and shook his head. “Don’t you ever goddamn leave me. You understand?”

  I nodded.

  “Promise me.”

  On my tippy toes, I smacked h
im a kiss. “I promise. I’ll never leave you, Natalio. I love you too much.”

  He slammed his lips on mine again and evacuated all the air from my lungs.

  “Stop fidgeting, Sadie. I’ve told you repeatedly, you look wonderful. Breathtaking,” said Natalio, holding open the door of his white Hummer, waiting for me to climb in.

  But really, I wasn’t fidgeting; I was actually wrestling the arms of my roiling anger. We were already dressed, offing for his family dinner and I didn’t want to start an argument now. With his assistance, I climbed into his house of a vehicle and bit my lip, willing myself to be…well, at least one of these words on the paper. I glanced down at the squared piece of paper in my hand that Natalio had given me before we came down to the garage. Asking me to at least pretend to be these words, for the sake of a calm and peaceful evening at the dinner:

  Responsive

  Ductile

  Susceptible

  Tractable

  Malleable

  Non-contentious

  Accordant

  Amiable

  Courteous

  Reverential

  I might as well be pretending to be a Submissive in order to be granted access into the house of a Dominant. A huff heaved out before I could stop it. It was past my belief that Natalio would give me this crap. He must have forgotten who Sadie was. I liked my autonomy very much, and no one was going to tell me how I should act. Yes, act was precisely the word, if I were to be anything on this paper.

  “Sadie, are you okay?” Natalio asked after he’d entered the vehicle, buckled his seat belt and started the engine.

  My gaze steered straight ahead, my lips cemented. At that moment I detested him.

  Natalio reached over and held my chin with his thumb and forefinger and turned my face to look at him. “What is it?”

  That I might say something that I’d later regret, I bit my tongue as I tried not to speak.

  “Answer me,” he snapped.

  Oh shit. An angry Natalio plus an angry Sadie could only be summed up as a complete disaster.

  “The hell’s with this list?” I asked. “Am I some kind of a wild animal that has been caught and needs to be trained for you to tell me how I should behave?”

  Natalio sighed and ran his fingers through his loose, ravened hair which bounced right back on his forehead after his fingers’ intrusion. Goodness, the man was…

  No Sadie, stop. You’re mad at him.

  “I’m not asking you to be like this all the time. Just for the dinner. My father’s a censorious old brute. I told you that. He scared away a girl my brother Lovello was in love with once. I don’t want him to do the same to you.”

  “I don’t want t—”

  “Sadie, listen, I’m a man on my own but a boy before my father. If he can make my brothers and me feel like we are nothing, even though we are grown men who have everything we could ever need, I can’t imagine—” He sighed again. “Look, I just don’t want you to get pissed off if he’s rude and take off. That’s what I normally do and then kick myself for letting him get to me.”

  “He either likes me or he doesn’t, Natalio. It doesn’t matter to me either way. As long as you love me, I’m good.”

  Natalio closed his eyes then inhaled deeply, exhaled, then leaned over and kissed me before snatching the paper from my hand, scrunching it and tossing it in the back.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I guess he’s turned me into a wuss. Be yourself. I love you.”

  A smile surfaced, my anger thawed, and I planted a chaste kiss on his lips. “Thank you.”

  Natalio backed out of the parking space, crept off his complex and into the traffic. He laced his fingers through mine and sped off into the exceptionally pleasant, purple-skied evening.

  Seconds after Natalio numbered the security monitor on a red-bricked column, the stately, wrought-iron gates slowly opened. We drove through and down a narrow road passing tall, flourishing trees. Between the intermittent spacing of the trees, I could see acres of verdant land stretching on and on. Two minutes of driving and the house was still out of view. So what the hell did Natalio unlock us into? A park? A community? I retained the patient stance that I’d taken on half an hour ago, for the drive to this residence had turned out to be much longer than I’d expected.

  Natalio halted the vehicle in front of another baronial gate and numbered the security monitor, evoking the gate to a slow open, granting us entrance.

  “All that land behind us belongs to your father?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Are we gonna get to the house anytime this year?”

  Natalio chuckled and drove through the open gates.”We are here.”

  We drove along a sinuous path lined with skyscraping palm trees, and soon, the palatial house was in view. An imposing, three storey, white palace with immense carved columns, French windows and doors—small balconies at each. Put it simply, the place was impressive—in antiquity.

  Natalio pulled up next to a gushing man-made waterfall with chunks of Tonalite rocks that were surrounded by colorful, blooming plants. The residence was peaceful. Beautiful. Eye-popping. So many things calling for my eyes’ attention, I just didn’t know where to look first.

  Natalio switched off the engine, sighed and turned to me. “Are you ready to meet the Nelsons?”

  “I dunno. Am I?”

  He took my hand and kissed my fingers. “Just…don’t be too sensitive.”

  And that was coming from the most oversensitive person I knew. Natalio exited the vehicle, rounded to the passenger side to help me out of his monstrosity of a jeep. Once I was out, he pulled me into his arms and kissed swiftly. “You are so beautiful, Sadie.”

  “You’re not so hideous yourself, bad boy.”

  Smiling, he kissed me again, then took my hand and started off towards the house. As we neared the white palace, a distant whistle caught our ears. Natalio swiveled his head and gave a boyish grin that I’d never seen before. Curious, I turned my head to where his attention was directed and saw two men at a far distance standing in a rectangular, gray and white gazebo. They were gesturing for us to come over.

  “My brothers,” Natalio grinned. “I calculate they’re boozing up for the insipidity that awaits.” He tugged on my arm as he changed in their direction. “Come on.”

  Looking at the distance from where we were to the gazebo, I sighed and followed where he led. The distance was a never-ending blanket of greenery with sprawling trees, designed shrubs, and manicured grass which wasn’t so pleasant for my heels.

  “Gym,” Natalio laughed when he heard my breath quickening. “You need to work out often. Then excursion like this would be facile. As a matter of fact, you’re gonna start working out with me in the mornings.”

  My eyes rolled at his admonition. I hated working out. But I knew he was right.

  As we neared his brothers, Natalio’s adolescent grin widened. His mood had brightened considerably. He was obviously happy to see them. There was no underlying emotion, his love for them and the frisson of excitement at the sight of his brothers were translucent and palpable.

  We entered the gazebo and the trio instantly joined in an animation of hugs and back slaps and merry greetings as if they hadn’t seen each other in years.

  “What the hell are you two rakehells doing out here?” Natalio ask, replacing his hand in mine.

  “Numbing our veins before we step into that hell-hole,” one brother replied. “Who’s this brown-eyed, pulchritudinous babe?” he asked and winked at me.

  “None of that bullshit, Love,” Natalio warned.

  Even as they talked, my gaze was riveted upon the brother who winked at me. His beauty was…unbelievable.

  Natalio wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him. “This ‘brown-eyed, pulchritudinous babe’ is my soon to be wife, Sadie,” he smirked. “Sadie, these are my two halves, Lovello and Trevillo Nelson.”

  Lovello was the one who I had my eyes transfixed on.
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  Both brothers shared a quick glance and then their eyes circled as they said in unison, “Sadie?”

  Natalio cast his eyes upward. “I know what you’re thinking. Yes. This is Sadie.”

  “Holy hell!” Trevillo exclaimed. Trevillo was the same height as Natalio, with neatly groomed dark hair, high jaws, a cute, upturn nose and pale blue eyes. They were not as bright a blue as Natalio’s, but there was a glint of something mischievous in them. Something wicked. Yes, he was wickedly handsome. “Where’s your halo?” he asked.

  My brows furrowed.

  Lovello butted in. “We’ve been hearing about you since antediluvian times. Finally. You’re actually real and not fictitious.”

  Lovello was beyond, and I mean beyond handsome. He was, hands down, the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. He was as beautiful as a man could ever get without being mistaken for a woman. I cocked my head to one side in appraisal of his glorious face. He had inky, messy hair atop, slate-gray eyes with hints of blue, straight nose, angled jaw, sculptured peach lips and…and everything impeccable. No man should ever be that good-looking. It wasn’t normal.

  “Are you legal?”I blurted. The words were out of my mouth before I could even stop them. Natalio’s hand tightened around my waist. These brothers could easily pass for triplets, with Lovello being more handsome than Natalio, and Natalio being more handsome than Trevillo.

  “Christ, Sadie, you couldn’t have been immune to this jackass’s looks?” Natalio asked apathetically, but his tight grip on my waist belied his calm demeanor.

  “Oh my god. I’m so sorry. It’s just…” I gathered my wits and reached out my hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  After shaking both brothers’ hands, I turned into Natalio’s arms and offered my lips to him. Assuring him that I was his.

  “Okay. Okay, we get it. You two are in love,” said Lovello, holding his hands aloft.

  Trevillo chuckled in good humor, watching us with shrewd eyes.”Aren’t you gonna take a swig, brother?”

  Natalio shook his head.

  “God knows I need it,” Lovello said as he knocked back a cube of amber liquid. “I lost 2.6mil in an over-impulsive investment. I won’t even consider the possibility that Father’s not aware. I just might be the main course this evening.”