by Mya Black
Italian Billionaire’s Black Love
BWWM Pregnancy Romance
By:
Mya Black & Nicki J.
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Table Of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter One
“Carla there’s no way on God’s green earth I’m ever letting you set me up again.” Eve had a smile on her full lips to soften the sting of her words.
Carla’s laugh echoed through the restaurant and other patrons turned in their direction. “Come on, girl, you can’t hold Terrence against me. How was I supposed to know he was into,” she leaned over the table so no one else could hear and whispered, “baby stuff.”
Eve felt her skin heat with the flush of embarrassment. “Calling it ‘baby stuff’ is kind of an understatement, Carla. The guy was wearing a diaper and asked me to go to the bathroom with him to change him.” She sat back and took a sip of her Chablis.
“Yeah, but he was hot. I bet the sex would’ve been off the charts.”
Eve narrowed her eyes at her friend. “The only time I plan to have sex with someone in diapers is when I’m in diapers.” The women looked at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter. She loved her best friend, she truly did, but she had the worst taste in men. Not that Eve had such great taste, either; she’d chosen the worst men possible. An abuser, a scam artist, and an aspiring actor were among those on the list.
“You can’t stay single forever, Eve.”
She arched one perfect copper eyebrow at her friend. “And why not? Is there a law somewhere saying I have to be part of a couple?”
Carla took in a deep breath and let out her frustration before she spoke. “No, but be honest Eve. You’re not going to be single forever. Are you?”
She shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know. I have rechargeable batteries to take care of my needs, and honestly, I’m too busy to deal with what one has to deal with when it comes to men.” She was definitely too busy. She’d just opened up her fifth hair salon, this one in Beverly Hills, and she barely had time to sleep. She needed to hire a manager for the new location and approve plans for the sixth location in Diamond Bar. A man would bitch about not being her top priority, about her not making dinner every night, and about her utilitarian approach to sex. She definitely didn’t need the headache right now.
“Well, a hair salon isn’t gonna keep you warm at night, is it?” Carla knew her friend had gone through some bad relationships and had witnessed too many horrible ones in her childhood, but she had her life together now and a good man would only add to it. She stared pensively at her beautiful friend. She had long copper waves that she, despite owning a half dozen hair salons, always wore in a bun she called a chignon. Her eyes were an amber color like honey, flecked with gold so it was easy to get lost in them and her lips were oddly symmetrical and kissable. She’d seen both men and women hit on her petite friend and they were all shot down with that same forked tongue and sharp wit.
“A hair salon will pay the bills so I can stay warm at night. Besides, who needs warmth when you have four hundred thread count sheets?” Her laugh was flippant because she was tired of this conversation even though she knew Carla was just trying to help.
Drink finished, Carla summoned the waiter for another bottle of wine and smiled. “I love you, Eve, I really do. But I hope your batteries die on you at the most inopportune moment.” She stuck her tongue out and laughed just as the waiter approached.
Eve frowned. “You bite your tongue, Carla! That’s an awful thing to say to the woman who does your hair.” She raised a challenging eyebrow at her friend, daring her to respond to that.
Carla sat back with her arms crossed. “Hairdressers in L.A. are a dime a dozen,” she shrugged, but it was uneasy. “Besides, I’m hoping you’ll be too busy with Alessandro to do my hair.” Her smile was big and bright, making it hard for Eve to get upset.
She shook her head again. “Nope. No way. You say he’s a real estate developer and I hear ‘slum lord.’” She refilled both glasses as she continued, “Besides, how did you meet an alleged billionaire?”
This made Carla grin, and she went on to explain how she was supposed to be meeting a client to show him the office building she thought would be perfect for his new business.. “Alessandro owns the building and he just so happened to be there making sure all the recent repairs were done correctly.”
“So, he’s obscenely rich, gorgeous, and hilarious, but you want to give him to me? No, I’m not buying it,” she said skeptically.
Carla hid a sheepish smile behind her wine glass. “Well…”
“Give it up, girl. You know I’ll find out eventually.”
“Okay fine,” she huffed. “He’s a little serious for my taste, but I figured you could be serious together.” She shrugged innocently.
Eve could tell by those guileless blue eyes that her friend was hiding something. “And,” she prompted, nearly out of patience.
“And, he has a younger brother, Valentino,” she blushed at his name, “who is just as mouth-watering, and incredibly charming with a killer smile. He flirted with me the whole time and we’re going out tonight.”
Eve smiled at her friend’s exuberance. She loved that nothing could keep Carla down, no matter how devastating. Ever since her fiancé died in a car accident five years ago, Carla was on a mission to find true love. She never found it, but it hadn’t slowed her down one bit. “So, is this a double date?”
Carla shook her black curls. “Oh hell no, Valentino is all mine tonight. But I do want you to meet Alessandro. He’s incredibly sexy, successful, and independent. Sound familiar?” When she shrugged, Carla threw her head back and laughed. “Come on, Eve. You guys could be great together. He’s hot, you’re hot. He’s super successful and so are you.”
“He’s a billionaire, Carla. It’s not exactly the same thing.” Eve knew she could be considering nothing but a success. At thirty-two, she owned five successful hair salons with a sixth opening later this year. Her net worth was in the millions and she owned a modest home in the Hollywood Hills. She had made her own way in the world after growing up in abject poverty in the projects of Chicago’s south side. She didn’t know her father and her mother was barely around, spending most of her time with her latest boyfriend who always resembled a Lifetime movie villain.
When Eve was fifteen, her mother had just stopped coming home, but life went on. She went to school every day, picked up leftovers from her fast food job or the soup kitchen, and did her best to keep the lights on. At seventeen, she graduated from high school and headed west to use her scholarship to Stanford. She owned her success, but she was no match for a billionaire.
“If you want to be alone forever, then as your best friend, I guess I’ll just have to sit back and let you.” Carla sighed heavily, one hand to her head for comedic effect.
“Oh, shut up, girl!”
***
Eve rushed through the door, eager to plug her phone into the charger. She’d been stuck in traffic for two hours and she had several calls she needed to make before it
got too late.
She kicked off her stilettos and reached into the fridge for the bottle of Bordeaux she recently bought at a wine tasting. She hit play on her messages and tipped the bottle into her glass when she heard her best friend’s voice.
“Hey, Eve, it’s me. Look, don’t kill me, but I told Alessandro you couldn’t wait to meet him and he’s eager to meet you, too. So, I told him you’d meet him.” She hesitated. “Tomorrow at eight, Nobu. Don’t hate me. Love you. Bye!”
The wine glass stopped halfway to her mouth as the message sank in. “Carla!” Oh, I’m going to hit that woman so hard! Eve sat her glass down and picked up the phone to call her alleged best friend. Voicemail, of course.
She knew exactly what Carla was doing by not answering her phone. There was no way Eve could simply not show up without turning down the invitation, so she had no choice. No choice, but to go to one of her favorite restaurants with a handsome billionaire.
Sometimes life was so unfair.
Chapter Two
Eve was still grumbling to herself as she stepped out of her car and took the ticket from the valet. She still hadn’t been able to get in touch with Carla to curse her out, and now she was at Nobu waiting to meet the mysterious Alessandro. At least, she looked good in the sapphire dress that hugged her figure to perfection and her thick hair cascading down her back in waves. She hadn’t worn much jewelry, either, just the diamond studs she always wore and the matching necklace and bracelet. She felt sexy and confident, and she was ready for something she hadn’t really had in a good long while: fun. She needed fun and she would try to have some fun tonight, even if it was only G-rated.
“I’m meeting Alessandro for an eight o’clock reservation,” she told the stunning blonde hostess. Eve smoothed the dress against her curves and looked around for a heart-stoppingly gorgeous Italian property developer.
The hostess smiled brightly. “He’s already here, ma’am, follow me.”
Eve scanned every table she passed taking in the features of every dark haired man until the hostess stepped aside and her eyes rested on a man so hot her knees almost buckled. As he stood to greet her, she noticed he was tall, very tall, especially next to her five foot nothing stature. And, did she mention he was gorgeous? He stood well over six feet with mahogany waves, dark brown eyes, and deep dimples bracketing his breathtaking smile.
“Eve, hello, I’m Alessandro.”
She smiled up at him and extended her hand. “Hi, Alessandro, nice to meet you.” He smiled and dimples appeared, making her heart stutter. Damn.
“You look very gorgeous, Eve,” he said smoothly as he pulled her chair out for her.
She felt her nipples stiffen at his words. “You’re looking pretty sexy yourself.” His deep laugh rumbled and made her smile, this one relaxed and ready for fun. When he sat, she kept her gazed trained on him. “So, Alessandro, tell me about yourself.”
Alessandro raised an eyebrow at her question. “You don’t know who I am?” If she was acting coy, she was doing a damn good job of it.
She shrugged. “Carla told me you were hot as hell and a property developer. The end.” She took a sip of water. “Why, are you someone I should know?”
His look was incredulous. “And, you didn’t ask my last name?”
“Well, I didn’t agree to this date. Carla did, and then she stopped answering her phone. So, if you’re a serial killer, she knows who you are and where I am.”
Alessandro almost choked on his water as the waiter came to take their order. They agreed on a red wine, and he turned his attention back to the intriguing woman. “You didn’t want to go out with me?”
She shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong, Alessandro,” she said as she scrutinized him carefully, “you have it going on in the looks department, but I’m not really in the market for a man right now.”
If someone had told Alessandro he’d be having this conversation, he wouldn’t have believed it. She didn’t want to be here. The hottest damn woman he’d seen in forever was here reluctantly and she seemed to have no clue who he was.
“So, why are you here, then?” he asked.
“Like I said, Carla left a message with the details and then refused to answer my calls. I didn’t want to stand you up, so here I am.” She sipped the red the waiter poured and waited.
Alessandro didn’t seem to believe her, not that she cared, but she couldn’t figure it out. “Now, you tell me something.”
“What would you like to know?”
“Who the hell are you that I should know you?”
She had surprised him yet again. No woman had ever talked to him in such a way, and he found he liked it. “I am Alessandro Scotti, but my development company A.C. Scotti is quite familiar to most people.” He saw her eyes lift in surprise and knew she really had no idea. It’s refreshing, he thought as he sipped his wine, but he would reserve judgment until he saw how she acted now that she knew who he was and what he was worth.
“Impressive.” She picked up the menu and scanned the items, even though she already knew what she wanted. She just needed a moment to get herself under control. Between his sexy mouth and flirtatious grin and the arrogance coming off him in waves, she didn’t know if she wanted to jump him or strangle him.
Impressive, that’s it? He wouldn’t believe it. She was too cool after finding out he was a billionaire, especially when he saw the desire in her eyes when they first met. “I think so,” he muttered and picked up his own menu.
She bit her lip to keep from laughing. “That’s obvious,” she muttered before she sat her menu down and looked at him again. “So, what’s the deal, Alessandro? Am I supposed to be so bowled over by your face and your wealth that I fall at your feet and jump in your bed?”
He shrugged. “It has been known to happen.” He flashed his dimpled smile and waited for her to return it. She didn’t. “I know you were thinking about it.”
Her eyes narrowed in his direction. The arrogance of this sexy bastard! Eve sat back with her arms crossed and she noticed the moment his gaze shot to her cleavage. “Honestly, Alessandro, I was thinking about taking you for a ride, but you opened your mouth and ruined it.”
Alessandro stared at Eve, intrigued by that one fiery curl that curved into her cleavage as she rifled through her purse. He knew she was playing hard to get. The smarter women always did, but eventually they all surrendered for a night or more in his bed. She would be no different and that was a shame – he had enjoyed the date so far. “I guess it’s a good thing we have this entire meal so I can change your mind.” She stood and stared down at him, fire burning in her eyes and not of the lustful variety.
“Sorry, lover boy, this,” she waved between their bodies, “isn’t gonna happen.” She slapped a one hundred dollar bill on the table and walked away.
Alessandro was surprised, to say the least. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had left him at all, never mind before he’d had the chance to spend some money on her. He laughed at the most shocking part of all, she’d left money for the wine! Women usually made a move as if they were going to pitch in on the bill, but they never did. Yet Eve not only just paid, she’d actually left enough for the wine and a tip. It was too entertaining, and she was too feisty for Alessandro to be upset at how the date had turned out. Of course, he would have rather the date had ended with him buried deep between her legs, but that could wait for another time because there would be another time.
I want you, Eve, and I always get what I want.
***
“Carla, the man was an ass. He was arrogant as hell, and he acted like I should be grateful and fawning to be out with him.” She was still shocked by Alessandro’s arrogance days later. But now that it was over and she didn’t have to worry about seeing him again, she could laugh.
“Yeah, but he was totally smokin’ hot, right?”
Eve smiled. “Yes, Carla, he was very fuckable. I even thought for a brief moment about ending the night with a bang, but he open
ed his mouth and that thought went with the way of finger waves.”
“Seriously? He was so charming and nice when we met.”
Eve snorted. “Yeah, well, apparently he’s only nice to women he thinks aren’t after his money and apparent fame. Which by the way, Carla, you could have Alessandro,” she mimicked the way her friend said his name, “was actually A.C. Scotti.”
“I didn’t want you to hold it against him.”
Eve rolled her eyes, even though her friend couldn’t see it. “Well, I didn’t have to, he made an ass of himself all on his own.” She finished her glass of wine and removed her lasagna from the oven. “And, if you ever do that to me again, Carla, I will make sure you leave my chair bald.”
Carla cracked up at her friend. “You keep threatening me and I’ll have to tell people you don’t know how to do hair anymore.” She knew it was an empty threat because the only hair Eve did these days was her own and Carla’s.
“No one would believe it, especially since I got that mention in People magazine.” Now that Carla was over her matchmaking for the moment, Eve was relieved she could get back to what was important: her business.
“Does this mean you’re not up for dinner with Valentino and me?”
“Is Alessandro going to be there?” The silence told her everything she needed to know. “Sorry, I’m busy that day.”
Carla chuckled. “But I haven’t told you the date yet, Eve.”
Her sigh was dramatic. “Well, I’m pretty busy all of the days.” Carla’s laugh was contagious even through the phone. Her doorbell rang. “Hang on, Carla, someone is at my door.”
“Don’t open it if you can’t see their face, I saw this thing on Dateline…”
“Char,” she warned as she opened the door. “Unbelievable,” she muttered.
“What? Is he trying to force his way in? Should I call 911?”
Eve laughed. “No, Carla, my goodness! It was a delivery guy with a gigantic bouquet of stargazer lilies and white roses.”
Carla squealed. “Oh my goodness, that’s so romantic! They’re from Alessandro, right? I mean, of course they are, who else would be sending you flowers? Your favorite flowers, at that.”
