“Oh god, Ivo,” she whispered, closing her eyes, feeling his kiss her eyelids, her cheeks, her mouth. Her belly was quivering with desire, her nipples hardening.
“Keep your eyes closed,” he said and for a moment, to her dismay, he moved away. The next moment, he had picked her up ad was carrying her somewhere. She was laid down on a soft mattress.
“Keep your eyes closed, Bella, I just want to touch you, look at you.”
And for the next few moments, as he removed all of her clothes, he stroked every inch of her body before his tongue found her sex, and it lashed around her clit, sending her senses racing into overdrive. “Ivo…”
She came and then his mouth was on her and she could taste him and her and she was lost in the desire he sent racing through her body. Impatiently, she unzipped him, hardly allowing a laughing Ivo to get free of his clothes before she climbed over him, her legs hitched around his waist. “Please, Ivo, don’t wait.”
His thick cock plunged into her swollen, quivering cunt and she urged him on, harder, deeper, her fingernails digging into his firm buttocks. The effect this man had on her body was breathtaking, his firm hands holding her, his massive cock sending her to heaven. It was amazing to her that only a few weeks ago, she had been a virgin, had never even been curious about sex and now, with Ivo, she wanted to do more, be adventurous.
“Will we really…oh god…have sex out in public?” She wanted him to describe it to her, the idea was turning her on so much.
Ivo keeping his strokes firm and regular, grinned down at her. “You like the idea, don’t you?”
Sofia laughed, arching her back so her belly pressed against him. “In theory…have you done it before?”
“Actually, no. But with you I want to try everything.”
She could have cried at the love in his voice. “I feel the same…oh, god…Ivo…I’m close…. yes…yes…”
She came as his cock continued to thrust hard inside her and then she felt him shudder and he buried his face in her neck and let out a long groan. “Sofia….”
He looked up and she smoothed his damp curls away from his face. He looked so boyish that she couldn’t believe he was almost forty. When she had met him, she could have sworn he was only a few years older than her, not sixteen, but she never ever felt the age gap. Their bodies, their sense of humor, their interests – all were so in sync it was almost impossible to believe.
All she knew was – she loved this man, and even more importantly, she trusted him. She told him that now, and he looked moved beyond words. “To hear that from you, Sofia, my beautiful Sofia…I have no words.”
She kissed him and they made love again in the small bedroom. An hour later, they were landing in Venice and Sofia suddenly felt excited for what the weekend might bring.
At eight p.m. they were being seated in one of the most exclusive, high-priced restaurants in Venice, overlooking the Lagoon. Sofia was wearing a dark red dress, her black hair pulled over one shoulder. Around her neck, the ruby that Ivo had just given her at the hotel. Sofia had never been a jewelry girl – that is, expensive jewelry girl – she had her nose and ears pierced and sometimes wore thick heavy silver rings on her forefingers and thumb, her go-to-punk look, but this was a white gold, delicate chain with a ruby the size of a penny. It hung between her breasts, the white silver radiating off her dusky skin.
Ivo had surprised her just as she was getting out of the shower. “While you look adorably wet, like you’ve been running through a rain storm, let me add something to this picture.” He stood behind her as they gazed in the bathroom mirror. Sofia leaned back into him as he fastened the chain around her neck. At first Sofia couldn’t take her eyes off the beautiful man standing behind her, who was now kissing her shoulder, looking up under those thick dark lashes of his to meet her gaze in the mirror. “I saw in an antique store and knew it was made for you. The color of it…”
Sofia couldn’t speak for a moment. She picked up the ruby between her fingers and made it twinkle in the light. “Ivo…this is too much.”
He smiled, his arms tightening around her. “No. It isn’t. Nothing is too much for you.”
So now, it shone against her skin and Sofia had never felt more alive, or sexier, or loved. Ivo had moved his chair close to hers so he could press his lips to her bare shoulder. Their guests were a running a little late – Elli Navaro had sent an apologetic text a few minutes ago. The evening was warm, and all around the restaurant, tiny white lights were scattered in the shrubbery, amongst the plants and trees. A low hum of chat mixed with the soft music playing. Sofia thought she had never felt so relaxed or chilled-out. She and Ivo had spent the afternoon making love back at the hotel – the incredibly luxurious suite which overlooked the Grand Canal, and was twice the size of Desiree’s entire apartment. They’d walked, hand-in-hand through the Venetian streets to the restaurant and now Sofia leaned into Ivo and kissed him. “Thank you, Ivo. For everything. You have changed my life.”
He pressed his lips to hers, not caring who was watching, kissing her deeply, passionately. “You are my world, Principessa.” He leaned his forehead against hers.
“Hey, hey,” said a soft voice and they looked up to see a beautiful, dark-haired woman smiling at them. Holding her hand, a tall, dark man, gloriously handsome. Ivo and Sofia stood to greet them. “Sofia, Elli and Indio Navaro. Guys, this is my Sofia.”
Elli hugged Sofia. “It’s wonderful to meet you. Ivo’s raved about you.”
Sofia blushed and Ivo rolled his eyes. “Way to ruin my game, Els.”
Elli grinned unrepentant. “My work here is done.”
They enjoyed the evening with Elli and Indio and Sofia began to think that talking to Elli for the profile would be easier than she had thought. Elli reassured her. “We won’t talk about anything you’re uncomfortable with, Sofia. This is just to introduce you to the art world. Ivo, you’re meeting with Maceo?”
Ivo nodded. “Maceo Bartoli,” he explained to Sofia, “is Italy’s most prominent art dealer. He was my mentor – still is in many ways. He’s excited to meet you.”
Sofia smiled at the warmth in his voice. At the end of the meal, after they’d lingered over coffee, they said their goodbyes. Elli smiled at Sofia. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Sofia. We’ll have some girl chat.”
Sofia and Ivo walked back to their hotel. Ivo’s thumb stroked the back of Sofia’s hand. “Did you like Elli and Indio?”
“Very much. What a lovely couple. They seem so in love.”
Ivo nodded, smiling. “They’re probably saying the same about us.”
She flushed, wanting to tell him how much she was in love with him, but somehow couldn’t form the words. “Elli’s really gorgeous.”
“She is, such a lovely woman. One day, I’ll tell you Elli and Indio’s story – it’s quite the rollercoaster.”
The streets were quieter now and Sofia couldn’t stop herself falling in love with the picturesque city, the rustic buildings, the empty, peaceful alleyways and bridges, simply lit.
“It’s so beautiful here,” she sighed and Ivo smiled.
“I’m glad you think so.” He pulled her into a dimly lit alleyway and gently pushed her up against the wall of a building. “But what I’m looking at right now,” he murmured, brushing her lips with his, “is even more beautiful.”
Sofia wound her arms around his neck, gazing up into his handsome face. She loved the lightness of his green eyes against the darkest black of his thick, long eyelashes, the scar next to his eye, the shagginess of his dark curls tumbling over his forehead. “Ivo, you may be the most gorgeous man I’ve ever met. You put your movie star father in the shade. I’m trying but I can’t quite capture the essence of you in my painting. Nothing compares to you in the flesh.”
Ivo smiled. “That’s a nice thing to hear. But right now, I just want to do this…” And he bent his head and kissed her deeply, sending Sofia’s senses reeling. Ivo’s lips were soft at first then as their passion grew, rough, his
tongue massaging hers, as his hands slipped under the skirt of her dress, stroking her thighs. As they moved high, they encountered bare flesh and Ivo’s eyes opened in surprise.
Sofia grinned, flushing a little. “After what you said on the plane,” she murmured, “I dressed accordingly.”
Ivo gave a little growl and then he was stroking her clit, making her moan. Her hands went to his fly, feeling his cock already hard against the fabric of his pants and when she freed it, she stroked the length of it. Ivo lifted her up and thrust into her, as Sofia wrapped her legs around his waist. They kissed ferociously, as Ivo thrust deeper and harder into her, a quick, adrenaline-filled fuck. They came quickly, then started laughing, breathless and panting. A small crowd of people passed by the end of the alleyway and Ivo silenced Sofia’s laugh with his lips, before both of them burst out laughing again.
“Almost got caught,” she whispered and he grinned.
“I quite enjoy the idea of being found out, don’t you? Or someone watching us fuck.”
Sofia brushed her lips against his softly. “Kinky.”
Chuckling, Ivo took her hand as they began to walk back to the hotel. “So, tell me, what are your kinks, Bella?”
Sofia thought about it. “You know, I don’t know. Before you, as you know, sex just wasn’t something…I know I sound like a freak when I say this but it was never a concern of mine. Of course, now, I can’t get enough. But I don’t know what my kinks would be. There is something thrilling about almost being caught. I think I’ll find out what my kinks are with you.”
“Well,” Ivo kissed her, “I know you like me kissing your belly.”
Sofia grinned. “I do like that, but that’s hardly a kink. There’s plenty of time to find out what my particular peccadillos are.”
Back at the hotel, they shared a soak in the huge tub, then made love until dawn. Ivo fell asleep with his head on Sofia’s chest, his lips pressed to her skin. Sofia lay awake for a while, staring out of the window at the inky Venice night. Something was bothering her but she couldn’t place it. Was it just that she felt like she had the world at her fingertips, and everything she ever wanted? The man she loved was in her arms and her passion for her work was finally being rewarded. Sofia knew it was ridiculous but ever since that terrible day of her mother’s funeral, she was always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Fuck you, Fergus Rutland, for taking my faith away. Fuck you. Sofia felt hot tears on her cheeks and dashed them away No-one was going to take away her happiness now. She would fight to the death to protect it.
She had no idea how literally that pledge would manifest itself, or how much damage would come to everyone she loved.
Chapter Nine
The interview with Elli was fun, and Sofia found herself telling Elli far more about her past than she expected. Afterward, however, as they were walking towards Piazza San Marco to meet Ivo, Sofia got nervous. She stopped Elli and turned to her. “That stuff about the Rutland family…I don’t want that in the piece, please. I’m sorry.”
Elli shook her head. “It’s okay, Sofia, I told you, nothing goes ahead without your approval. I don’t blame you, they don’t deserve any of the attention you’re about to get, nor any of the praise. They abandoned you. Fuck them.”
Sofia relaxed. “Thank you, Elli. I just…I don’t want them to think they won, that their actions still mean anything to me.”
Elli studied her as they walked. “But they do?”
Sofia sighed. “Yes. I still have this trust hang-up, or rather, this feeling everything will blow up in my face when I least expect it.”
“It’s understandable, but, Sofia, I think we all feel that to some extent after a traumatic event. It takes time.” Elli squeezed her arm. She looked at where they were headed, and Sofia was surprised to see her friend pale a little. “Not this way,” Elli said, steering Sofia away from a small alleyway.
Sofia was curious but didn’t want to intrude. They chatted easily as they met Ivo and sat down to another delicious meal.
Sofia patted her stomach. “I think I may have put on a few pounds since I met you, Ivo Zacca.”
Ivo grinned. “Good, that just means you’re healthy.”
“That’s right, Ivo told me you had meningitis when you met.”
Sofia rolled her eyes. “Well, I thought it was a good way to meet guys.”
Elli laughed. “It’s unusual.”
“How did you meet Indio?”
Elli’s face softened. “We were childhood friends – rather he was my brother’s best friend, and I feel in love with him almost instantly.” Her face clouded a little and she looked away from the couple. “There were a few years when we were apart, but now, thankfully, I got my dream life with him.”
Sofia smiled, dying to know what else had happened but she could see Elli didn’t want to talk about it. “And your two children?”
Elli beamed. “Enzo and Florentina. There’s only a year or so between them, and both are toddlers still, so they’re a handful but I’m just glad we have them. Florentina bullies Enzo – it’s pretty funny.”
Sofia almost told her about Clemence’s pregnancy then stopped herself. If Ivo hadn’t mentioned it, then it wasn’t her place to talk about it. It was another reminder of how little she had to do with that side of his life. She hadn’t called Clemence yet, hadn’t had time but she decided, when they got back to Paris, she would.
After lunch, and after telling Elli they would see her later at the gallery party, Ivo took Sofia to ride on a gondola through the canals of the city. As they were steered along the waterways, Sofia couldn’t take her eyes from the beautiful buildings either side of them and when the gondolier took them into the Grand Canal, she sighed happily. “It’s heaven here,” she said softly, hearing Ivo’s soft laugh.
“It is one of my favorite places on Earth. I’ve even considered living here.”
She smiled up at him. “Must be nice to be able to decide when and where you’re going to live.”
Ivo nodded, conceding it was. “But hey, you did too.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, because that’s the same. Living on the streets, and illegally, by the way. My visa ran out a long time ago.”
Ivo frowned. “Hasn’t Desi arranged a new visa?”
“Only temporary. They have a lot of questions about where I was those six months, which we have yet to answer. Until we do…”
Ivo sighed. “Well, we can fudge those details. Say we were living together.”
Sofia shook her head. “You could go to jail and here’s no way I’m risking that. If they say no to me living in Paris…well, I’ll just have to figure something else out.”
“We will figure it out. And don’t worry about me, I can look after myself.”
Sofia didn’t want to have an argument, so she just nodded. At the end of the gondola tour, they walked back to the hotel to rest before the evening’s event.
“Resting is not what I had in mind,” Ivo said and Sofia laughed as he took her in his arms. The day was warm, and the balcony doors let in a fresh breeze. They stripped each other slowly before laying down on the bed. Sofia trailed her lips across his collarbone as Ivo stroked her belly.
“Did you enjoy fucking in the alleyway last night?”
She nodded. “I did, but then I love fucking you anywhere.” Ivo hitched her legs around his waist, teasing her cunt with the tip of his ramrod-hard cock. She moaned in frustration as he pushed in a little way then withdrew. “Ivo…”
She wriggled as he did it again, his gorgeous face lit up as he laughed. “Such an impatient girl.” He reached over and tugged one of his ties off the back of the chair beside the bed. “I think we’ll have to teach you a lesson.”
He wound the tie around her wrists and pulled them above her head, lashing the tie to the bedposts. Sofia felt excitement mix with trepidation inside of her. Ivo wound another one around her eyes, and she felt a little bereft at not being able to see his beautiful face, but when he began
to trail the tips of his fingers up and down her body, she shivered with pleasure. “Now you won’t know where to expect my lips, my tongue, my hands…my cock. Sofia, darling, do I have permission to touch you anywhere? To fuck you anywhere?”
She nodded, her sex become wet at the thought of it. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to his touch. His thumb, the skin slightly rough, traced a circle around her navel over and over before trailing down to her clit. His lips pressed against hers, his tongue gently massaging hers. “Sofia…” he whispered and her heart began to race, her belly quivered at the sound of the love in his voice. She tightened her thighs around his waist, feeling his cock notch into her opening then with one hard stroke, he was inside her, filling her. It drove her mad that she couldn’t touch or see him, but she also liked the way he was in total control of her body. He brought her to orgasm with his firm thrusts, his huge cock filling and stretching her, her cunt swollen and wet as he fucked her.
She moaned as she came, whispering his name over and over, and he gave her no time to recover before flipping her onto her stomach and gently parting her buttocks. “Yes?” He whispered, his mouth close to her ear and she nodded. Gently, he eased into her ass and Sofia gasped, the pain quick but also pleasurable. Ivo took his time, fucking her slowly, gently, making sure she felt as much pleasure as he did. Her climax this time was mellow, her senses racing, her mind whirling. She felt altered, in a good way, that now she was willing to try anything with him, become more adventurous with their love making.
“Ivo?” They were laying together, resting, and Sofia leaned her face against his chest.
He kissed her shoulder. “Yes, my darling?”
“We should try other things…I’d like to.”
“Such as?”
She smiled up at him. Her hands were still bound but Ivo had pushed the blindfold from her eyes. “Like this. I like it when you have control over me like this. You could tie me up more, or…” She stopped, lost. She laughed wryly. “I guess I’m not clued up on all things bondage, but I’d be willing to try anything.”
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