“Step-brother.” Orlando grinned at her and she chuckled.
“Word.”
“May I say something?”
“Of course.”
“The two of you—you and Norah—and in fact now Giacomo, you move around each other like orbiting moons. Your lives seem to be so intertwined that it appears, from the outside, impossible to break into your little group. Forgive me if I’m wrong. But it does feel like an exclusive little club. Very hard to penetrate.”
Zulika smiled back. “Not at all. You read people well.”
“I wonder, did Lucian ever feel like that? Shut out by your and Norah’s closeness and your love for each other?”
Zulika was silent. She shrugged eventually. “I can’t tell you that, Orlando. Lucian and I were never good friends. But thinking about what you said, yes, maybe there were times he could have felt excluded.”
Orlando narrowed his eyes. “What role do you play?”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s Giacomo and Norah. Then there’s you. Forgive me. We don’t know each other that well, but your life must have more going on than constantly refereeing your best friend’s sex life and working as a bookseller.”
Zulika looked taken aback. “Wow.”
Orlando put his hands up and shook his head. “Sorry, that came out way wrong. What I mean is, what about you, Zul? Who looks after you?”
A week later, Norah was working late in the bookstore when she heard someone knocking at the backdoor. A ribbon of fear curled in her stomach. She glanced at the clock. Eleven fifteen at night.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, mio caro.”
Her body relaxed immediately and she opened the door to see Giacomo holding a pizza box and grinning at her. “I know this is breaking the rules, but to hell with it. I was missing you.”
Norah laughed. “Get in here, Conti. You’re forgiven, mostly because you brought food.” She kissed him and took the box from him. “For future reference, that will always work, by the way.” She winked at him as he laughed.
“Thanks for the tip. How are you, Bella?” He opened his arms and she went into them without hesitation.
“Better now.” She nuzzled her nose against his before pressing her lips to his. The kiss went on longer than either of them expected and by the time they broke apart, both were so turned on that it seemed only natural to start stripping each other.
“I really hope you locked that door.” Giacomo grinned and Norah laughed. Her hands were running over his finely-planed chest, her fingertips tracing the dark circles of his nipples.
“Why, sir, we’re only making out.”
Giacomo raised an eyebrow and his smile hitched up at one side. “Is that so? In that case, Ms. Reddy, I guess I’ll just have to tell you how beautiful you are.” His hand slipped into her panties and started to caress her. Norah gave a small moan, closing her eyes. He kissed each eyelid.
“…how much I love you …” He nuzzled her neck and his fingers increased their pressure on her clit. “This is my new definition of making out, Norah Reddy.”
Norah laughed, her breath coming in little gasps now. Gently moving her down to the floor, Giacomo bent his head and whispered into her ear.
“Norah, Norah, Norah …”
Giacomo smiled as she came, trembling and sighing his name. He bent his head and kissed her, feeling her press herself against him.
She caught her breath and smiled at him, her face flushed, and glowing. “Wow. Giacomo Conti, I think I like your new definition of making out.” She pushed him onto his back and stroked his face. “I think maybe it’s my turn to add a new definition.”
“You do, mio caro?”
“Oh, yeah.” Grinning, she moved down his body. Sliding her fingers under the waistband of his underwear, she slowly peeled them back, smiling as his enormous, rock-hard cock sprang up. She took him into her mouth, tasting the salty pre-cum and sensing him tensing as she teased the sensitive tip. “Tell me what you like, Giacomo.”
He groaned as she began to suck at him, drawing her mouth up and down his shaft. “Mio Dio, Bella, the warmth of your mouth on me …it is as sweet as any touch. I only compare it to the feeling of my cock deep inside your delicious cunt, deeper and deeper into you …Norah …”
She would not release him as he neared his peak and he came hard, shooting his seed into her throat. She swallowed him down and smiled up at him. “I love you, Giacomo.”
Still panting, he pulled her up so he could kiss her mouth, then pushed her onto her back, pushing her legs apart and burying his face in her sex. Gently but relentlessly, his tongue and his fingers brought her to orgasm, and then his cock was plunging deep inside her as she was still coming and she screamed with pleasure as he fucked her. He pushed her legs to her chest, desperate to get as deep as he could inside her. Norah’s fingernails dug deep into his back; their lips sought the other’s almost desperately.
They made love with fire, a ferocity that surprised both of them. Their gazes were fixed, completely locked onto each other, focused and intense.
They fucked against the wall of the bookshop, on the couch, and upstairs in the little shower room. Finally, utterly spent, they lay together on the couch, not needing words. As dawn began to break over the city, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.
“Ahem.”
Giacomo and Norah woke with a start. Zulika was grinning down at them. Giacomo jumped up, grabbing the couch cushions and shielding himself. Norah started laughing at him and Zulika hid her eyes.
“I’m officially horrified at seeing you both naked.” She grinned at Norah, who was giggling helplessly at Giacomo not being able to find his pants. Zulika went out into the bookstore.
“There’s underwear all over this place,” she yelled. Norah wandered in, followed by a swaggering Giacomo. “You did it in here? Dudes, there’re perfectly good beds in both your houses. What if Health and Human Services found out?”
Norah shrugged and Giacomo grinned.
“Live with it, Zul. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do when you gotta do it.”
“Huh?” Zulika shook her head.
Norah gave a filthy snigger, pulling on her jeans and handing Giacomo back his shirt.
“Sorry, Zul, sometimes these things take you over.”
Zulika looked into the sky. “Ah, youth.”
“Grandma. Look, I don’t suppose you’d hold down the fort while we go …um …tidy ourselves?”
Zulika nodded. “Sure thing …but I do have an appointment this afternoon.”
Norah kissed her cheek. “Promise I’ll be back way before then.” She grinned at Giacomo and held out her hand. “Coming home with me?”
Zulika watched them walk out together, chatting and laughing. It made her heart warm to see them so happy. Maybe everything will be okay. She swallowed hard. The oncologist had called her that morning, wanting her to come see him. “Today, please, Miss Hargity.”
So soon there was never good news. Zulika closed her eyes. Cancer? Really? At her age? She suddenly felt tearful, her whole body trembling. I wish you were still here, Mom, she thought. I need you right now.
She went out back and retrieved her phone, flipping through the contacts. She hesitated when she saw his number. Orlando had enough problems without her leaning on him for this …
Except …he had called her every night, asking how she was. They’d been leaning on each other. Her finger hovered over the call button for just a second longer, then she dialed.
The second she heard his voice, his warm, deep, kind voice, it brought the tears.
“What is it, sweetheart?” He said, and in a broken voice, she told him. There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone. Then he cleared his throat.
“What time is your appointment?”
She told him. “Okay,” he said, determinedly. “I’ll come pick you up and we’ll go together. You should not be alone at a time like this.”
“I
can’t begin to thank you, Lando,” she said. “I feel awful having to ask.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s no trouble. I want to be there for you, Zul.”
“You are a great friend. Thank you.”
“I’ll see you at two o’clock.”
After they had said goodbye, Zulika sat for a while on the couch and took some deep breaths. Finally, composed, comforted by the thought of Orlando being with her, she went to work and opened the bookstore.
“Let me up off of this bed,” Norah said, chuckling as Giacomo, naked once more, lay on top of her. “We can’t stay in bed screwing all day. Your business empire will crumble and my business partner needs help in the store.”
Giacomo, unrepentant, didn’t move. “No. You are my prisoner now, Reddy.”
She rolled her eyes, giggling. “Yes, I can feel your …um ...nightstick. I’m beginning to think it’s permanently at full mast.”
Grinning, he thrust his cock back into her and she gasped. “God, you are insatiable.”
“When it comes to you, yes …”
Norah gave in as he began to thrust harder. She would never get tired of making love with this man; at least, her mind wouldn’t. Her body was getting extra work outs that it wasn’t expecting these days.
Afterward, they showered together, and as they were dressing, she could see Giacomo’s eyes on her body, lust-filled and intense. It made her feel sexy and wanted. She asked him to pull the zipper up on the back of her summer dress and sighed happily as she felt his lips against her spine. When he’d fastened her dress, he slid his arm around her waist, splaying his hands over her belly and pulling her back into him.
‘Il mio amore,’ he murmured in her ear, ‘Sei tutto per me. Sei la mia vita.” My love, you are everything to me. You are my life.
Norah’s eyes filled with tears and she turned in his arms. “Never let me go,” she said, her eyes soft with love.
Giacomo nodded, his face lit up by his smile. “I promise, Bella. Never.”
Zulika felt her whole body shut down with the shock. She barely felt Orlando’s hand holding hers. Cancer. Stage III.
This cannot be happening.
Dr. Miller, the oncologist, was looking at her with sympathy. “It is very rare for someone your age, but it does happen.”
Zulika blinked. “Did I do something wrong?”
She felt Orlando’s hand tighten around hers. “Of course not, Zulika. It’s just rotten bad luck.”
“Mr. Price is correct. You cannot have seen this coming. Now, look, I’ve given you the bad news. The worst of it. So now let’s look at the positives …and I promise you, they outweigh the bad. First, there’s your youth and your excellent health and fitness. We are at what we call Stage IIIa; your tumor isn’t large, but it has spread to a few lymph nodes. The good news is, we can operate and there are several treatments we can try going forward. We found it before it spread too far or became inoperable.”
Zulika nodded along, glancing at Orlando for reassurance. Suddenly she felt a pang of guilt. This man had just lost his wife in the most horrific way …and he was here, comforting her. She turned back to the doctor.
“When can we start? I’m assuming there’s also things I can do myself to help …diet, exercise?”
“Sure,” the doctor nodded, smiling at her. “That’s a good attitude, Zulika. Let’s go through some options now and start on a plan.”
Once again, Orlando insisted on taking her to supper afterward. “If you don’t mind, though, I do have to pick Ferma up from the sitter first.”
“Of course not …look, I don’t want to intrude.”
“You won’t be at all. Both Ferma and I would welcome the company.”
She studied him as he drove back towards his neighborhood. “How are you and Ferma coping? Really?”
He sighed. “Some days are worse than others. Ferma keeps asking questions about how mommy died.”
“What did you tell her?”
“At first, I didn’t know how …I was all for the whole mommy got sick very quickly thing, but then my sister, Claudette—I think you met her at the funeral—told me that kids at Ferma’s school had heard the truth. So I had to tell her that someone murdered Mommy. She wants to know why. That’s the one thing I couldn’t answer.”
He sounded so heartbroken that it made Zulika’s breath freeze in her lungs.
After a long silence, she tried to smile at him. ‘Listen, seeing as we’re almost at your house anyways, how about I cook for all three of us? Is that too presumptuous?”
Orlando smiled at her. “Not at all. We’d welcome your company. It’s just, I don’t know what we have at home.”
Zulika waved her hand. “Don’t worry about that. I have a gift for inventing recipes with whatever’s available. Ask Norah. Many a night, especially in college, we’ve had Le Coq au Vin Ramen—that one was ramen noodles, chicken soup, and beer. Surprisingly good.”
Orlando was laughing now. “Please tell me you’ve never used Ziggy’s food to make a stew?”
“It’s come close a couple of times,” she laughed, “Norah is very suspicious these days. She swore blind that a Bourguignon I made this one time was with ‘Extra Beefy Chunks’ out of a Nature’s Recipe can. I wouldn’t have minded, but I slaved over that stew.”
Orlando was laughing loudly. “I’m so glad I don’t have pets right now.”
She grinned at him. “You should be.”
Orlando looked around at her, and for once, he looked happy. “Anyway, you have a deal. Besides, we have pizza delivery on stand-by just in case.”
“Oh ye of little faith.”
Norah, after Zulika had left for the afternoon, had immersed herself in her work, only distracted by the memories of Giacomo’s hands on her body. She was still thinking about that, shoving new deliveries out on the shelves, when she heard the tinkle of the shop’s door bell.
She turned to greet her customer and her heart failed.
“What are you doing here?”
Lucian held his hands up, not approaching her. “Just to talk, Norah. That’s all, I swear. I’ll stay over here.”
Norah, not trusting him, darted behind the counter and picked up her scissors. Her phone was in the back, shoved deep into her purse, and she cursed herself for not keeping it with her. She eyed Lucian warily. “We had an agreement, Lucian. You’re breaking it. If I call the police now, you’ll be back in jail before you blink.”
He nodded. “I know and I realize I’m taking a risk here. I just wanted to see you. Baby, I miss you.”
“Well, I don’t miss you,” she shot back. “Please leave.”
“Sweetheart, I’m just here to apologize. For everything. For what I did to you. For fucking Tara Hubert. I should have realized what I had when I had it.”
Norah’s expression hardened. “But you didn’t. You don’t get a do-over, Lucian. I’ve moved on.”
His smile was patronizing. “I heard. With Tara’s ex, I see.”
Norah said nothing. Her hand was resting on the scissors, ready to use them as a weapon. Lucian glanced at them, putting his head on the side and smiling at her. “You won’t need those, darling. I swear, I just came to talk.”
“I’m not interested.’” Norah moved around the counter and went to the door, opening it. “Get out. Now.”
Lucian gave a long-suffering sigh. “Well, I tried. Could you at least pass on my regards to my sister? She’s the only family I have left, after all.”
Norah wasn’t moved. “Entirely your doing, Lucian. Please leave.”
He walked toward her and she tensed, but he simply stepped out of the door. He turned, however, stopped her from closing it, and said. “I loved you. I still love you. I’m not done.”
Norah looked at him bleakly. “I don’t think you know what love is, Lucian. It isn’t rape. It isn’t threats and violence. My advice to you is be done. Because I’m never, ever coming back to you. I am so done.”
He moved quickly, pushing her up a
gainst the wall, his lips rough on hers. Norah cried out as his fingers pressed hard into her belly, his other hand groping her breast. She struggled with him and, finally, he let her go.
“Get the fuck out now, or I swear to god, I will throw your ass in jail.” She was panting, her rage easily quelling any fear.
Lucian smirked. “Just giving you a taste of a real man.”
Norah started to laugh. “Oh, you poor deluded piece of shit. You are about as far from a real man as exists.” She brought her knee up and smashed into his groin. As he groaned, she pushed him out of the door and double locked it. “I’m calling the police right now, so you’d better run. Oh, and for the record, go fuck yourself.”
Norah was as angry and as riled up as she’d ever been as she yelled at him. She went to the backdoor, checking that it was locked, and grabbed her phone, going back out front to check that Lucian was gone. She saw him limping to his Audi and when he turned to look back as he got into his car, she gave him the finger and waved the phone at him.
God, that had felt so good. She realized all the anger and hurt she had been harboring since Lucian raped her had been released and for the first time she could breathe freely.
She laughed softly as she called Giacomo and asked him to come pick her up. “I’m sorry I wasted so much time, baby. I love you. If you’ll still have me, I’d love to move in with you.”
Lucian drove to Land’s End Park and then stopped the car. He’d nearly lost it—nearly ripped the knife he had hidden from his pocket and slammed it into her, his anger at the rejection overwhelming. It took every last piece of his control not to kill her. Bitch. Fucking whore bitch. He looked back along the road. Should he go back now? Finish this? No. He got out of the car and walked into the park, needing to walk or jog his anger off. He sucked in huge breaths, waiting for his control to return. No. Too many people had seen him drive to the bookstore; probably the neighbors had heard Norah yelling at him. If she had called the police, they would come looking for him immediately, if they weren’t already. Fucking bitch … If she were murdered tonight, it would all be over. All his careful planning. Lucian closed his eyes. His reason was returning. A simple slaughter wasn’t enough. Too easy. Death could wait. There were more interesting things to do to her first. Punishment. Suffering. Humiliation. Violation. Pain. And he knew exactly who would help him do it all.
His Beautiful Revenge: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 9
