by Henry, Jane
I didn't like that she didn't get enough to eat, or that she had a shit phone, and that her needs were likely not met .
I would change that .
"Let’s fix that," I said, as I tossed her down on the bed and swung my legs over the side. I nabbed the menu. "You like eggs?" She nodded her head. "French toast?" Her eyes grew wide and she smiled .
"I love French toast ."
"Bacon? Toast ?"
"Yes, and yes ."
I chuckled. "Baby, is there anything you don't like ?"
"For breakfast?" she asked, and I nodded .
"Um. Cream of wheat. Nasty sludge. Oatmeal is also most disgusting, as are frosted flakes." She shuddered .
I grinned, picked up the phone, and tried to place the order .
"I'm sorry, sir," came the voice on the other end of the line. "We aren't open for room service for another hour ."
"What if I pay you for it?" I asked, lowering my voice and turning my back to her so she couldn’t overhear. A few hundred dollars later, the food was on the way .
"Dante," Gabriella said, her scolding. "What did you just do ?"
I hung up the phone and shrugged. "What ?"
"Did you just bribe someone?" she raised a brow at me, like a stern mama. It was fucking endearing, and not at all intimidating .
"Nope," I said, pulling her onto my lap and kissing her cheek .
"Don’t distract me, Dante," she said, wagging her finger at me .
"Not distracting you," I said, my mouth at her collarbone now, dragging my tongue along the sensitive skin, grinning as her breathing grew labored .
"Listen... to... me," she puffed out, as I sucked her sweet skin into my mouth. She wiggled a little .
"I did not bribe, babe," I rumbled in her ear. "I paid someone to go above and beyond the call of duty. It's different ."
She raised a brow. "In-indeed ."
"Now, now, baby. You listen to me. C'mere," I said, kissing the apple of her cheek before I whispered in her ear. "I did nothing wrong here." If she even fucking knew the things I'd done ...
"Baby, who's the daddy here ?"
She wiggled on my lap a bit and my cock lengthened beneath her ass. Jesus, my need for her was insatiable. "You," she said. "But I am just — "
I held her in one hand while I tipped her up and smacked her ass with the other. "This conversation is over ."
"Fine," she huffed .
"Gabriella," I warned, as she peeked up at me from beneath lowered lashes. I grinned, pinned her down, and rolled her over so that she was on top of me .
“Now I’m on top,” she teased. Ten minutes later, I’d shown her exactly how she wasn’t in charge and left her breathless and grinning when a knock came at the door. I set her on her feet and pointed for her to stay right where she was .
I looked through the peephole, my senses on high alert, not sure what to expect. Emilio with a tray of breakfast foods ?
But no, a gangly, teenaged kid in a burgundy suit coat stood in front of the door with a tray of food. I opened the door, and when he saw me, he blinked .
Shit. I forgot that many recognized me, fake name be damned. The kid shook like a fucking leaf .
"Your food, sir," he said in an unnaturally high squeak. I wanted to tell him to grow a pair, but instead I slapped the cash in his palm, thanked him, and balanced the tray in my hand, shutting the door behind me before hitting the deadbolt and sliding the security chain in place .
"Oh my God, are we feeding a small third world country?" Gabriella asked, staring. She'd moved to the table that stood by the window, her slender leg tucked under her ass .
I grinned and lifted lid after lid, the room filling with the scents of coffee, bacon, and cinnamon. My stomach growled .
"I worked up at appetite with all the activity last night," I said with a shrug .
"Dante!"
I grinned, flicked open a white napkin, and nestled it over her lap. "Yeah ?"
"You just..." and then she shook her head. "Yeah. It was so… hot . I'm starving, too ."
Chuckling, I slid a plate of food over to her and opened the lid of her hot chocolate. I blew on it a little, cooling it for her, before I handed it to her. I sat down and got down to business myself .
"When you're done, gotta get you home. Restaurant opens in what, an hour ?"
She nodded glumly. "Yeah. My stepmother has gone strangely quiet," she said. "Like, I would expect her to be all up in my business, trying to see where I was, but she's backed off." She shrugged a shoulder. "Don't question a good thing, I guess, huh ?"
No. You had to fucking question everything. The skin prickled at the back of my neck. You didn't run the show as son to Antonio Villanova without developing strong goddamn senses, and mine were telling me something was wrong .
I didn't want to send her back .
"Can you tell her you can't work today? You're sick or something ?"
She paused, a forkful of eggs halfway to her mouth. “You mean lie ?"
God, her moral code was adorable .
I shook my head. "I don't know. Something isn't right. Something has me concerned is all, and I want to keep you safe ."
She put her fork down as her eyes gentled. "That's sweet. But I'm not sure what you mean, or how you would ."
I bit angrily into a piece of toast, quietly mulling my options. She had a point. Where would I keep her? Short of making her mine and flying to a foreign country and changing my identity, how could I truly keep her safe? It wasn't possible .
"Eat your breakfast," I ordered, more gruffly than I really needed to. "We need to go ."
She nodded. "I had a fantastic night, Dante," she said quietly, laying her hands in her lap .
"Me, too, Gabriella." The words seemed strangely suspended, like it was the last time we'd be together like this. "Babe, I need to ask you something ."
She swallowed, dabbed her pretty lips daintily with a napkin, and nodded. "Yes, Daddy ?"
"Your whole name, Gabriella. Where you live. Where you work. I want the truth ."
Her green eyes met mine in challenge. "Will you tell me yours ?"
I sucked in a breath, then exhaled sharply. "No ."
Tipping her head to the side, I watched as her eyes grew guarded. How could I expect her to tell me the truth of her identity when I wouldn’t do the same ?
"My name is Gabriella Madison .”
Her last name was vaguely familiar .
I hated that it was. Ignorance would have been so much better .
"Pleased to meet you, Gabriella Madison." I reached for her hand. "And I know that you didn't want me to know all that, but I'm honored you confided in me ."
She smiled. "I feel lighter, having told you," she confessed. "Freer ."
I didn't care who she was, if she lived in a hovel in the corner of the street. All that mattered was that she was mine. That she trusted me. I took her hand and kissed her fingers .
Today, she had to work, and I had to prepare for the big fucking masquerade ball. It was time to leave .
"Let's finish up and get going," I whispered .
She smiled softly at me. "Yes, Daddy ."
When we were done eating, we got dressed, and it took all the willpower I had not to lay her on the bed, strip her bare, and ravish her once more. But we didn't have the time .
And I wouldn’t rush it .
"Let's go, baby," I said, my voice husky, as I sat beside her. I pull
ed her to standing and pushed my chair out so that I could draw her between my knees .
"Oh my God, I am so full," she moaned, standing in front of me, placing her hands on my shoulders while I kissed the soft skin at her neck. Her breaths shortened but she continued. "That was so yummy though. I love when they make French toast crispy but soft and the bacon all crunchy and the syrup was still warm. Mmmm. Daddyyyyy ."
My tongue grazed along her neck .
"It was good," I rasped. "You taste better ."
She hugged me, her hardened nipples scraping along my bare chest, and my cock strained for release. I wanted to fuck her so badly .
"We have to go," she whispered, wrapping her hands around my shoulders and lowering her head .
"I know." I pulled her so hard the small of her back was flush against me as I took her mouth in a hard, claiming kiss that made her head go back and her knees tremble as I held her, letting her feel my strength, a kiss she would not forget. Finally, though it half fucking killed me, I released her .
"Let's go," I growled. "Let's get you home ."
She rested her forehead against mine briefly, the breath of a touch we both knew underscored the sheer reluctance .
I'd tasted goodness and I wanted more. So. Much. More. I wanted normal. When I cradled Gabriella in my arms, the blood-stained hands that held her were washed clean. The sins of my past forgotten .
We packed our things in silence, and she held my hand as I opened the door. I scanned the hall, not much caring who I walked into. I'd had my night with her. And now I had to find the strength to let her go .
I had choices to make. Choices that would fucking kill me .
She couldn’t follow me into the darkness .
Chapter Twelve
T he ride back to town wasn't as fun as the ride out. Dante had grown strangely quiet and broody, and when I tried to talk to him he didn't say much .
"Are we meeting tonight?" I asked. It had almost become our thing already, our midnight rendezvous .
"I can't tonight, babe," he said, as he pulled onto the busy freeway and I held on tighter, the bike kicking up and humming beneath me .
"Why can't you ?"
"I have somewhere to be that I can't get out of. Believe me," he yelled over his shoulder, his words dying in the wind. "If I could, I would. I’ve got a big fucking party for my family ."
A party ?
I squirmed behind him, turned on already. He'd played me over and over the night before, and now my body was primed for him, the sound of his voice making my insides quiver. My clit throbbed with the hum of the bike .
There were far better things we could've been doing. I shook my head, and swallowed, trying to be a good girl. But being around him made it pretty difficult to do .
My throat tightened a bit. I wanted to see him. "When will I see you again ?"
"Tomorrow night? Can you do that? Meet me ?"
"Of course I can," I said. I would do anything I had to. I needed to see him again like my life depended on it .
As we pulled up to the place where he always left me off, a strange sense of foreboding wove its way into my belly. I wouldn't see him tonight, and tomorrow seemed so far away now. And if I went that long without seeing him, it seemed as if anything could happen. Anything could pull us apart .
He held the bike steady for me as I swung my legs off and took my bag across my back .
"Thank you for breakfast," I whispered. "Thank you for everything ."
He looped a hand around my neck and pulled me to him, brushing my forehead with his warm lips. "You're welcome, baby. I'll miss you. Be good, and don't forget to meet me tomorrow at midnight. Yeah ?"
"Okay," I whispered. So many words hung in the air between us, so many things left unsaid. We couldn’t go on like this, clandestine meetings at midnight, never getting to the point where he met my family or I met his. Never accepting that this was a reality we couldn't change .
"Be good, Gabriella," he said, releasing me and sending me off with a sharp crack to my ass .
Yikes. As if I needed him to stoke my arousal .
I walked away, him at my back, feeling his eyes on me the entire time .
Something was wrong. I paused and looked back at him, but he looked the same, sexy as hell, leaning against his bike with one foot propped up, his huge arms crossed over his chest as his stern eyes met mine. He gave me one nod and a chin lift .
Go.
But as I left, something told me that things were never going to be the same again .
" O oooh," Violet said, as I wiped down the tables in the very back row of La Bistro. "I feel like... like a princess!" From where I stood, I could see the office piled high with boxes. A little pang of jealousy wove through me .
I wanted pretty things, too .
"Gabriella! Gabriella, come here!" With a sigh, I put my rag down, washed my hands, and made my way to where Dress Fest was going on. Elenora stood in the corner, surrounded by pretty pink tulle, piles of tiaras, boxes of shoes, and a plethora of beautiful dresses. Agatha must’ve maxed out her credit card for this splurge, but she’d likely return most of it .
"What do you think?" Violet stood in front of me, her hands on her hips, dressed in a shiny green dress. She looked… interesting. Like a dressed up dragon or something .
"That's a very pretty dress," I said as politely as I could .
"You look like a stuffed olive." Agatha's terse voice traveled from behind the boxes. I hadn’t heard her come in. "Not the one for you. Pick another," she snapped, waving her hand toward the pile of dresses .
Elenora stepped in then, dressed in an intricate, sleeveless crimson gown with gold accents and a vee that dipped so low in the front you could practically see her navel. "And this?" Elenora asked, spinning around in a floor length gown fit for a princess .
"Oh, you look beautiful," Agatha said .
And she really did look stunning, gold platform heels below the dark red hem dramatically elevating her height .
"Get another dress on, Violet," Agatha ordered .
My stepmother’s gaze met mine across the room. "Why are you here?" she snapped. "Shouldn't you be serving customers ?"
I sighed. At least the old Agatha was back. The old Agatha was predictable. I’d asked her about the night before, and she’d feigned total innocence so convincingly, I felt as if I’d dreamed the whole thing up .
"Yeah," I said. "Thanks for the reminder. Later, girls ."
Silence met my proclamation as I walked out of the office and back to where I was cleaning. And then it hit me .
I was so stupid. So naïve. The party that Dante was going to… Could it be the same one ?
"Hey." I looked up to see Ruby waiting for me at her regular table. "You look both exhausted and pissed. What's going on ?"
I shook my head. "I was up late last night is all, and I'm exhausted and mostly fed up with talk about this party. Gold this and necklace this and shoes that.” I plunked down in a chair across from Ruby, hoping Agatha would be occupied enough that she wouldn’t come in and see me sitting down on the job. “And I just had a horrible, terrible thought that the party my guy is going to is the one they’re going to, and I’m not .”
She shook her head. "You are the one who should be going to this," she said in an exasperated tone. "You’re the beautiful, deserving one who doesn’t get opportunities like this ."
"But I'm not the elite ," I grumbled. "Remember ?”
Ruby frowned, and I stood to go. "I wish I could go, Ruby. But I see no possible way .”
"Doesn't matter," she said. "Where there's a will, there's
a way. You have to work tonight ?"
I nodded. "Yeah ."
"Let me help, Gabriella ."
I shook my head. "No, I'm all set, really ."
"Gabriella!" Now it was Elenora calling me. I sighed and shook my head at Ruby .
"You're sweet, Ruby, but we have to be practical." I headed back to the office, and this time Elenora was sitting with her hair piled on her head, long, glittery earrings dangling from her ears, wearing a hideous, tight-fitting sequined number .
"What about this one ?"
"It's lovely. I think they both are, to be honest with you ."
"I think I know what I'll wear then !"
I'd always been nice to my step-sisters, even if they were nasty to me. But now... now the thought of Dante showing up and being anywhere near either one of them sickened me. How would I know if it was really the place he was going, though? Surely there were hundreds of parties in Vegas tonight? And I had so much to do ...
As the day wore on, however, it seemed my tasks were monumental, and for a brief moment I considered saying screw it. Disappearing. Going... somewhere else .
Finding Dante .
I so wanted to live my own life, to leave the grueling work at the restaurant and my stepmother's non-stop demands behind. But then I'd hear my father's voice again, asking me to take care of her .
I had given him my word, and I'd loved my father. Breaking a promise to him would destroy me. As I carried a load of dirty dishes to the back, stacking them up to be cleaned, I made myself remember what it was like, being a little girl without a care in the world .
And I realized then, as the weight of my responsibilities consumed me, that I still felt that way. Even now, as an adult… being with Dante made me feel that way again .
And I wanted him, now. I wanted to feel his strong arms around me, telling me everything would be okay, that he was proud of me, that I was his special girl. I sighed as a wave of longing washed through me. And, in return, I wanted to make him smile… wanted to make those gorgeous eyes light up with happiness just from the silly little things I said without even meaning to. I never meant to make him laugh, I just spoke whatever I thought. But he liked that I did .
