by Joan Kilby
She reached up, clasping his biceps to pull him to her. “I want you inside me,” she breathed. “Now.”
…
“Yes, ma’am,” Luke teased, making fun of her tendency to direct proceedings. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” She’d soon find out who was in charge. Fact was, though, Luke wanted her so badly it was fucking primeval. Placing a splayed hand on Tina’s belly where a pulse beat high and hard, he reached into the drawer in his bedside table for a condom.
Her eyes were dark and searching and her upper thighs glistened with traces of her own juices. He tore the plastic with his teeth. His cock was so hard it hurt, and he winced as he quickly sheathed himself. It took every ounce of his control to stop himself from plunging into her the moment he was protected.
But despite her demands, he was going to make sure she was ready for him again. And the second time would be even better than the first for her. He straddled her and lowered himself to his knees and elbows. Then he made it his business to coax those luscious soft nipples back to stiff peaks with his mouth and fingers. His erection throbbed against her stomach, but he held onto his control and lavished attention on her breasts. Amazing breasts. Full and firm above the ridges of her ribs.
But his little Italian wasn’t so easily dissuaded. He groaned when she wrapped her slender hand around his cock and roughly guided him to her entrance. “I want you inside me.” With a thrust of her hips, he was captured.
Gripped by her tight heat he became almost dizzy with lust. “You’re a bossy little thing, aren’t you?” he breathed against her forehead.
“I’m not exactly little.” Eyes half-closed, she writhed beneath him, grinding her hips into his. “You’re not either. You feel amazing.”
“You’re so tight. Tight…and hot…and sweet.” Sweat popped on his forehead with the effort of keeping himself in check. Slowly he withdrew and thrust into her again with a long, slow stroke, torturing them both.
Tina groaned and thrashed, knocking pillows off the bed. Her nails scraped down his back. “Fuck me, cowboy. Ride me hard.”
Sweeter words were never spoken.
“It will be my pleasure.” Bracing his hands on the padded leather headboard, he thrust hard into her. She was smaller than him but she was strong, her muscles bracing to take the force and meeting him with hard thrusts of her hips, like a bucking bronco. They might have only teased at playing out some saloon style scene, but he friggin’ loved the way she’d responded to him. No holding back. No games. All pleasure.
His body was slick with perspiration, creating a slapping sound when they came together in a rhythm that rocked the bed and made it thump against the wall.
Tina’s lips were drawn back, her eyes wild, and her whole body taut and charged, as if she was driven to wring every last drop of desire and sensation out of herself—and him. She was sexy and insatiable, and she was hands-down the best fuck he’d had in a long time. No, make that ever. Definitely.
If he didn’t slow the hell down, the best sex of his life would be over before he had a chance to fully savor his sweet, sexy Italian.
He changed the pace, adjusting his angle and catching his breath, taking a moment to suck on her peaked nipples. She was breathing hard, too, her smooth olive skin glistening. The musky scent of their fucking enveloped him like a tropical night. Tina’s eyes closed as he ground his pelvis into hers. She moaned and bit her bottom lip as he hit her sweet spot. Snatches of Italian emerged between pants, and her ever-gesturing hands punctuated her words even in extremis.
Then her hips lifted in a prolonged thrust, and she clung to his shoulders. Luke pumped strongly and steadily. He knew the moment she came, her inner muscles clenching impossibly tight around him. Bliss washed the tension out of her face and limbs and she went limp in his arms. As she lay beneath him, suspended in ecstasy, he gave one, two, three final thrusts and shuddered out his own explosive climax.
Luke lowered himself carefully and rolled them both over, still inside her. Arms wrapped around her, his heart rate slowly returned to normal and his breathing slowed. Easing back a little, he blew on her damp forehead, ruffling tiny dark curls that stuck to her skin. “You okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“No, sto benissimo. Grazie mille.” She held his jaw with her fingertips and effusively kissed along the angle and down his neck. “Sei fantastico! You make me glad I’m a woman.”
“That makes two of us. Glad you’re a woman, that is.” A chuckle rumbled in his chest. “I’m more than happy to be the man.”
She shifted, easing off him and snuggled in close, one arm flung across his chest. He took a moment to dispose of the condom then tucked her back under his arm, more than content to doze until they recouped enough to start again. Maybe ten minutes or so….
…
Luke awoke slightly disoriented. The lights were still on in the living room but the bedroom was in darkness. Next to him, Tina was breathing evenly, eyes closed. She’d shifted position onto her back. Her arm was flung wide, exposing those sexy as hell breasts. The curve of her hips tapered to a neat thatch between her thighs. He wanted another taste. His body began to stir back to life.
Then he glanced at the clock. Five am. They’d slept a good four hours. He got up to use the bathroom. When he returned, Tina was also up, muttering to herself as she wriggled into her leather skirt.
“I have to go.” She turned her back to him so he could zip up her skirt while she dragged on the red top. “Per favore.”
Instead, he slid his arms around her waist and planted kisses on the back of her neck. “Stay the night. We’re not finished yet.”
“I’m so sorry, mi amore, but I have an early meeting, remember? I wish I could stay but I can’t.” She kissed him and for a moment melted into his arms, warm and soft and compliant. “You’ve been wonderful, spoiling me with beautiful food and champagne, making amazing love to me. It was a perfect night.” Then she pulled away reluctantly. “I have to go.”
“Come back to bed,” he coaxed. “I have to get up early, too, to coach hockey. I’ll set the alarm and then take you wherever you need to go in the morning.”
“No.” There was a strange quality to her voice and she averted her gaze. “I must leave now. Could you call me a taxi, please?”
“I’ll drive you home.” He found a pair of pants and dragged them on. “Where do you live?”
“I don’t want to put you to any trouble,” she insisted. “I’ll take a cab.”
“It’s no trouble.” He could be stubborn, too. “I don’t let women grab a taxi off the street in the middle of the night when they leave my place.”
“Then I will be the first.” She slipped into her shoes, grabbed her purse and made her way through the apartment to the front door. Only to be confronted by his security system. “So many locks. Madre mia!”
He was tempted to keep arguing, but he didn’t want to ruin the time they’d shared, so he compromised. “I’ll come down to the street and wait with you.” Luke unlocked the door and scrambled into his shoes. As they rode down in the elevator he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, entertaining a brief fantasy of sex in the elevator. Then a woman got on with her French bulldog out for an early morning walk, and he had to keep his hands to himself.
On the street, he paced the curb, scanning oncoming cars for a cab to flag down. Traffic was light and every taxi that passed was occupied. Tina scrolled through the messages on her phone. She seemed to have a lot.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said. “I mean, later today.”
“Oh!” Her fingertips went to her mouth as if she’d just thought of something. “When do you come in to work?”
“I’m normally there when the bar opens at ten thirty. But today I’ve got business to take care of in the morning. Probably won’t get in until noon.” He planned to call his old teammates to see if they’d be willing to help with fundraising. Thinking of that he smiled, recalling how Tina had offered to help. It was really n
ice of her considering she barely knew him and didn’t know the kids at all. But he needed a lot more than she could afford. Speaking of which, he needed to get a hold of some of the newscasters on ESPN. He could try the local sports reporters. Maybe hit up players from the other sports teams in the city…
“Will you call me when you’re done?” she asked, breaking into his thoughts.
“Of course.” He spotted an oncoming taxi and flagged it down. He had time for one more quick embrace then Tina leaped in the car, blowing kisses and smiling.
“Wait. How far is your hotel?” He reached automatically for his pocket, but his wallet was upstairs in his loft. “Let me pay your fare.”
“No. No.” She made a shooing wave toward the driver, instructing him to go. “Ciao, amore. A presto.”
“Ciao.” The taxi pulled away and she was gone, leaving Luke a little dazed, standing with his hands in his pockets as dawn lightened the patches of sky between the skyscrapers. The abrupt end to what had been the best sex of his life was a bit surreal. In retrospect, the whole evening had an unreal air about it, as if it was too amazing to be true. As if Tina was too sexy and beautiful and fun to be real.
Her evasiveness was troubling, and the way she’d sped off before he could hear her address or even offer to pay, he didn’t think that was an accident. His spidey senses went on alert whenever someone didn’t answer questions directly. His mother had been a master at hiding her movements and covering what she was up to. He didn’t ever want to deal with anyone like that again. Not that he thought Tina was a gambler, but she was hiding something.
His interest in her was purely sexual, of course. He didn’t do relationships. He’d never seen one that worked. After the number Mom had done on him and his family, and the scores of girls and rink rats that chased him for his fame or former glory…nah, he wasn’t into anything permanent.
Still, he was scratching his head as he went back inside his apartment building. She’d told him not to try to “solve” her but he was a curious guy. He wouldn’t be able to help himself.
Chapter Five
Tina entered the radio station sound booth and beamed a smile at Rob and Amy, an attractive talk show duo in their late twenties. According to Charmaine, they were the highest rating morning drive time program in New York.
Rob and Amy chattered away, trading insults and jokes in a fast-paced patter. Charmaine sat in a corner behind Tina as backup in case she was asked a tricky question. No stranger to interviews and dealing with the media, Tina closed her eyes to mentally prepare herself. But having had only a few hours’ sleep, she drifted off into a pleasant reverie about Luke, naked and powerful, inside her. The way he’d looked into her eyes, he made her feel so sexy… And when he kissed her, Dio mio, she’d thought she would combust on the spot. Tired as she was, warmth spread through her to all her aching intimate parts.
He was a giver, very different from Fabio. Fabio had taken not just her money and her sexual favors but also her heart and self-esteem, and he’d given almost nothing in return. He’d been fun, but not as good in bed as he liked to think. The fun paled when there was nothing substantial in his character. He was a talented photographer or she wouldn’t have bankrolled his business. But how could she have defended him even when her brother Giorgio had unearthed evidence of Fabio’s previous arrest for swindling a woman in France? Her only excuse was temporary insanity.
Luke, on the other hand, was not only generous and giving, he already had his own business, clearly a successful one. He was honest, too. Unlike her. She squirmed on her cushioned studio chair. How would he feel if he knew she’d lied to keep her true identity from him? She’d had several opportunities to tell him, and she’d shied away. He only had to pop into the boutique while she was there for the jig to be up. Luckily he wouldn’t be around this morning while she was at the opening, and after today she wouldn’t be spending much time at the boutique due to promotional events that required her presence.
Who she was didn’t matter, she reasoned, if they were just having a fling. He knew she wasn’t sticking around, that they could never be a couple. In less than a week, she would be gone from New York. No doubt she’d be back and forth at intervals to see how the boutique was doing, but her work, her family, her life—everything she held dear—was in Rome.
She’d hated having to leave in such a rush, practically in the middle of the night. If she hadn’t, if he’d insisted on driving her home, things might have gotten dicey. Dio. What if he happened to be listening to this station during her interview? He would no doubt recognize her voice. Then she remembered his hockey practice and relaxed.
She checked her phone. No calls or messages. Her thumbnail found the tiny chip in her nail polish and scraped it a little bigger. Was he mad at her? Maybe thinking twice about having anything to do with that crazy Italian lady? She sent him a quick text. Thanks for last night. I had a wonderful time.
A flashing green light indicating the end of a commercial break brought her back to the studio and she tucked her phone away.
“We’re chatting live to Bettina Borlenghi, head of high end fashion atelier, House of Borlenghi.” Amy signaled to Tina, counting down seconds with her fingers. “Bettina, welcome to New York. I understand you’re about to open a new boutique on Madison Avenue.”
“Sì, grazie, Amy.” Tina pushed Luke from her mind and sat up straighter. She was here to promote her fashion collection, not daydream about a man. “I’m molto excited about Borlenghi Boutique and especially my fall collection, seen for the first time anywhere right here in New York.”
From the sidelines, Charmaine gave her a thumbs up.
Roy broke in, grinning to show he was joking around. “I’m a dude who knows nuthin’ from nuthin’ about fashion. Is it different in Italy compared to America? Do guys really wear those floppy velvet hats?”
“Only the gondoliers in Venice,” Tina replied then smoothly segued back to her primary message. “Women everywhere in the world want to look their best and to feel special. They want clothing that is on trend but at the same time, unique. At Borlenghi Boutique, we specialize in one-off pieces that are timeless.”
The interview went on for ten minutes of intelligent questions from Amy and amusing interjections from Roy. Tina managed to mention the fashion show three times and the location of the boutique four times.
After it was over, Charmaine shepherded her through the building and onto the street where the white limo was waiting.
“That was fabulous,” Charmaine said when they were heading uptown for the official opening ceremony of the boutique. “You seem tired though. Are you going to be okay? You don’t need to stay long at the store. Just cut the ribbon and say a few words to the staff and any customers.”
“I’m fine. Just jet-lagged.” Tina touched up her lipstick in a pocket mirror. “Did you order the pastries and Prosecco?”
“I got almond biscotti instead,” Charmaine said. “Is that okay? I didn’t think it was a good idea to hand out sticky pastries to people who might be trying on clothes.”
“Perfetto. You’re brilliant.”
The line of women waiting for the boutique to open stretched from the front doors to the end of the block and around the corner. The limo pulled up in front of a red carpet leading into the store. A doorman hired for the day was on hand. Reporters and photographers milled about on the sidewalk. As soon as the car stopped, flashbulbs began snapping.
“Benissimo!” Tina clapped her hands. “What a fabulous job you’ve done! You didn’t tell me about all this.”
“Well, there were so many things to think of.” Charmaine waved away the praise. “Shall we?”
Tina emerged from the limo to applause and more flashing cameras. TV news reporters clamored for her attention backed by cameramen. She answered questions as she slowly made her way to the store. With this kind of promotion her boutique would be off to a flying start.
The windows of Hat Trick were still dark but it was only nine
am and the bar didn’t open till ten thirty. Thank goodness Luke wasn’t here to see her grand entrance. By the time he arrived at noon, she would have left for her next appointment.
Turning away from the reporters, she stopped to chat to the women waiting in line, inviting them to have a sparkling wine with her when the doors opened in fifteen minutes. Charmaine gently dragged her away and ushered her inside to introduce her to Janelle, a chic brunette in her forties, and the sales assistants, Pam, Amanda, and Kylie, who were so slender and stylish they could have been models. All four women were wearing complimentary articles of clothing of their choice from her collection. They paused their last minute tasks of polishing counters, setting out the tray of biscotti and adjusting the display racks to greet her. Tina ignored proffered hands and kissed them all on both cheeks, saying a few words to each in turn. Pam, the youngest salesgirl, was so overcome, she curtsied. Tina laughed and squeezed her hand, bringing her upright.
“Grazie mille for making the opening of Borlenghi Boutique a success.” Spreading her arms wide to encompass everyone, she added, “Siete tutti belli. You are all beautiful.”
Then the doors opened. Customers flooded in. Tina handed out flutes of Prosecco and talked—to customers, to window-shoppers, to reporters. To an old man wearing rags who wandered in looking for free food. Charmaine tried to shoo him out. Tina led him to the refreshments and found him a chair, leaving him looking bewildered but pleased.
Sales racked up steadily on the electronic cash register. Excited, happy women exited the store with multiple shopping bags. By late morning, the initial frenzy had morphed into a steady stream of customers. Tina decided she had to take a break before she collapsed. “I’m going back to my hotel to get some rest,” she said to Charmaine as she texted Frank to pick her up in the limo. “I only had a few hours of sleep last night.”
“Jet lag’s a bitch,” Charmaine agreed. “This has been a great kick off to launch week.”
“I’ll be back later this afternoon for closing,” Tina promised Janelle. She grabbed a broad brimmed hat to shield her face in case Luke was at the bar and slipped out the door, hurrying straight into the waiting limo. “St. Regis Hotel, please.”
