Back at their hotel, they ordered room service and chatted idly. “We really should start the search in earnest for our new home.” He grabbed his bag. “These are a few details I picked up but I’d rather we looked together.”
Sofia took the papers and looked through them. Her eyes widened when she saw the price of them. “Ivo…there’s no way I can afford these prices. We need to look at a few that are affordable.”
Ivo blinked. It had never even occurred to him that he wouldn’t be paying for the apartment. Now, he realized, that of course Sofia would want parity in their financial dealings. Still…
“Darling, will you let me pay for the apartment? We need somewhere soon, and although I know you may feel awkward about it, I would like to. Just let me do that. Everything else, I swear I won’t argue, down the middle. Fifty-fifty. But we can’t ignore the fact I have more money than most people. It’s part of who I am.”
Sofia looked uncomfortable. “It’s just…I don’t want to feel like a kept woman.”
Ivo smiled at her. “Oh, you won’t be. Get back to work, woman. Look, we need a place that’s safe. Secure, and that has enough room that we can make a studio for you to work in. Call it a wedding gift.”
He saw the uncertainty in Sofia’s eyes. “Can I think about it?”
He sighed inwardly but then nodded, hiding his irritation. “Of course.”
They ate in silence for a bit. “Ivo?”
“Yes, cara mia?”
“Don’t be mad at me. I still have issues, mostly of insecurity. I’m trying. And I know I can trust you, it’s just…what if something went wrong? I’d be homeless again. Not that I would care, because the thought of living without you makes me want to die, but…”
“Don’t ever say that again,” Ivo said, more forcefully than he intended and Sofia rocked back a little. He tried to smile. “Sorry, darling. I just hate the thought of anything happening to you.”
“It’s okay.”
But there was a strange tension between them all evening, and for the first time in their relationship, they went to sleep without making love.
In the morning, Ivo woke alone, a note from Sofia on his nightstand, telling him she had gone into work early.
Sofia had attended to go the gallery first, but instead took a detour to Desiree’s apartment. She wanted to pick up some clothes, some of her books. The strange conversation with Ivo last night had left her feeling uneasy, and as she stuffed her clothes and items into her trusty backpack, she wondered if she had been right to be cautious. They were married, for crissakes, and they need a place. It wasn’t as if she could afford anywhere suitable for Ivo, so why not just let him pay for somewhere for the both of them? It just didn’t sit right with her – once again, a man held her security in his hands. But isn’t that what marriage is about?
God. Sofia shook her head, berating herself. Ivo loved her…and she had to learn to trust again. Screw you Fergus, for making me feel like this.
She was so deep in thought that she didn’t see Fergus Rutland himself waiting outside the apartment when she finally walked onto the street. She certainly didn’t see the hulking security guard who slipped behind her. She stopped when she saw Fergus, anger sweeping through her. “I told you to stay the hell away from me.”
Fergus smiled but there was no warmth to it. “Time to stop playing make believe, Sofia. Your place is at home in New York, with your family.”
Sofia felt someone grasp the tops of her arms and propel her towards the open door of the cab. “No! Let me go, motherfucker!”
Fergus looked around, nervous. “Get her in the car, for fuck’s sake.”
The security guard tried to manhandle Sofia into the cab and she screamed for help.
“Hey!” Suddenly Felix was there and he tore Sofia away from the guard, who came at him. Felix easily side-stepped the large man then brought his elbow down hard into the man’s temple. Fergus Rutland cursed and leapt into the cab. It screeched away from the curb, leaving the unconscious security guard on the sidewalk. Felix wrapped his arm around a trembling Sofia and guided her away from the man. “Sweetheart, are you okay?”
Sofia shook her head, dumbly, too shocked to speak. Another man came over and Felix asked him to call the police. “I need to take her inside, give her some hot tea…could you stay with this asshole and make sure he doesn’t get away? We’ll be just inside, apartment number three.”
Sofia let him steer her inside. His apartment was clean but sparse, lacking in home comforts but Sofia closed her eyes, not wanting to think about anything. Felix wrapped a blanket around her. Her arms ached from the guard’s hold on her, the shock of her near-abduction still vibrating through her body. Felix was back with some hot tea. He crouched down in front of her, his blue eyes full of concern.
“Sofia, do you need me to call anyone? Your husband?”
Sofia blinked. “You know about Ivo?”
Felix gave her a lopsided smile and touched the small white-gold band on her left hand. “Gives it away. Congratulations. Who was that guy out there?”
“My step-father. He’s gone insane. I already told him…never mind.” She took a sip of tea. “Thank you, Felix.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Listen, I’m going to go back outside and talk to the police, make sure they take that guy in.”
“Okay, thanks.”
When Felix had gone out, Sofia blew out a long breath and tried to calm her furiously beating heart. Really? Fergus resorting to kidnapping her? Why the hell was he so desperate to get her back home? She shook her head and pulled her phone out to call Ivo, then stopped. She didn’t want Ivo to get mad and go after Fergus – that way madness lay. She rubbed her face and looked around the apartment. It really was bare – old furniture which looked as if it came from a thrift store, no photographs, no books. Not even a television set or stereo player. It surprised her – Felix seemed such a warm, friendly kind of guy that she expected his home to reflect it. This place was cold. She shivered involuntarily and stood up. She took her mug of tea back to the kitchen and rinse it out, setting down on the drainer.
A glimpse of something caught her eye and she couldn’t help but peek. Felix’s passport. Feeling guilty, she opened it, grinning at the photo. Felix looked hard and sullen in the harsh picture. But then again, who didn’t look terrible in their passport photo? Ivo, Sofia thought with a fond smile, Ivo looked amazing in his.
Then she saw it and it made her skin prickle with shock. The name. Not Felix Hammond. Grant Christo. She read it again as if she couldn’t quite believe her eyes. Felix – Grant – had lied about his name. Why? Suddenly she wanted to turn back time, not look in the passport so she wouldn’t have to know. She flicked through the pages of it. He had certainly travelled widely – she was thankful to see, however, there were no passport stamps for Venice or Crete at the times she and Ivo had been away. God, paranoid, much?
But why did he lie to her about his name? It’s not all about you, Amory, he must have his reasons and they are private. She put the passport back where she found it and went back into the living room as Felix/Grant came back in. Felix, she told herself, for god’s sake don’t trip up and let him know you know.
He smiled at her. “They’ve taken the dude away.”
Sofia was surprised. “They didn’t want to speak to me?”
He shook his head. “I told them everything they needed to know. Hey, look, sit down. I have some bourbon here somewhere.”
Sofia hesitated, but felt she couldn’t leave without being rude. He had saved her from abduction, after all. Grant came back in with a bottle and two glasses.
“So, tell me, when is your next exhibition? I have to say I was awestruck by your pieces at the gallery opening. Inspiring stuff. Sofia, would you mind if I interviewed you? I’ve been looking for the muse to strike, and I think you may be it.”
Sofia chewed her lip. “I’m not great at being in the public eye, Felix. I did a small profile for Elli Navaro, but she’
s more a friend.”
Grant cocked his head to one side, grinning. “And I’m not?”
Sofia smiled ruefully. “Sorry, of course you are. I didn’t mean that, forgive me. What I mean is…I’m shy. It’s that simple. And also, considering who my husband is, I don’t want to be put into a situation where, through my naivety, I could be embarrassing or detrimental to him or his family.”
“I’m in the dark about your husband except that he’s a very lucky man.” He held her gaze a beat too long then looked away, a shy smile on his face. Sofia flushed, and gave a small cough of embarrassment.
“He’s Ivo Zacca. You may not know of him, but I guarantee you’ve heard of his parents. Walter Zacca and Adria La Loggia.”
Grant’s eyes widened. “Wow.”
Sofia chuckled. “Yup. That was my reaction. Look, Felix, I just don’t know if I want to be that exposed. I’m still wary of it, mostly because of my ex-family members.”
“I understand the need to hide.” Grant sighed, staring out of the window, hesitating before he spoke again. “Sofia, we all have secrets, or parts of our lives we would rather forget. How about this? I use a pseudonym for you. We’ll agree on a name and anything you don’t want to tell me is off-limits. The story of a street girl made good.”
When he framed it like that, Sofia could see the appeal. “I really wouldn’t be identified?”
“Absolutely not, unless you find you want to be. Listen, I’m actually going to be away from a few days so I’ll give you time to think about.” He pulled a business card out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Call me. Whenever.”
Grant put Sofia in a cab back to Ivo’s hotel and waved her off. As soon as the cab disappeared, his smile dropped from his face and he went back indoors. The overwhelming twisted desire he felt for her had been a roiling thing inside him all the time he was with Sofia and now, stripping, he went into the shower, masturbating furiously as he thought about touching her, kissing her, fucking her, killing her. God, what was this? He had never felt this level of obsession before and it frightened him. He could so easily lose control around her.
Maybe it was a good thing he was going back to New York for a few days. Here, in Paris, all he wanted to do was follow her, and he was scared his obsession might make him careless. In New York, he could focus, use up some of that sexual tension on Tamara. They could plan Sofia’s murder, prepare the killing ground in the bowels of their club. Grant began to come as he thought about Sofia, leased naked to the wooden St Andrew’s Cross, bleeding and exhausted from the whipping her had given her, but begging him for more as his cock thrust deep inside her tight, velvety cunt. She would kiss him passionately as he drove his knife deep inside her and he grunted now, thick reams of semen shooting from his cock, as he imagined her thanking him with her last breath, and the light going from her lovely eyes as she bled out.
Two hours later, he was on a plane to New York, but the fantasy in his mind was all he could think of. Soon, my darling Sofia, so soon, you will tell me you love me. Soon, you will be begging for death.
Sofia had decided not to tell Ivo about the near-abduction. She had gone over it and over it in her head in the cab back to his hotel. All she wanted now was to make things up with him, and tell him that yes, he could buy their home. After that, they would split everything fifty-fifty. She guessed he would be okay with it, as long as she allowed him to treat her now and then. She didn’t want his wealth to be a factor in their marriage, but neither was she ignorant of the way the world worked. Ivo was a proud man and it would cost her nothing to make sure he never felt uncomfortable. She knew he would do the same in return.
When she opened the door to the suite, she heard voice. “Hey, babe.” She called, lightly, not wanting to interfere. She walked in as Ivo was rising from the couch. In the armchair, another man, gloriously handsome but who looked utterly desolate rose, and gave her a half-smile.
Ivo, his eyes shining, kissed Sofia. “Hey, gorgeous, good to see you. Sofia, this is my friend, my best friend and roommate from college for his sins. Introduce yourself, man.”
The other man held out his hand and grinned at her. “Hi, Sofia. Ivo said you were beautiful, but I see he was understating. It’s great to meet you. I’m Penn, Penn Black.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Did you like Penn?” Ivo asked, later, as they returned from dinner with his friend. Sofia nodded.
“I did, very much. I’m so sorry about his sister. What a horrendous way to lose someone, and pregnant too. God,” Sofia shook her head, her eyes filling with tears.
“That’s why he came to see me, to tell me. Willa was a sweet girl, a good friend.” Ivo sighed. “So much death,” he said softly.
“Hey, stop that. An accident is just that and your mo…I mean, Adria is still with us, right? Don’t give up.”
Ivo smiled and leaning over, kissed her. “I love you.”
She brushed her lips back and forth on his. “I love you too, Mr. Zacca, and that thing I said I’d think about? Let’s do it. Let’s go for it. It’s just money.”
Ivo looked delighted. “Really?”
“Absolutely. I was being silly. Being wealthy is a part of who you are, and I love the fact that you never flash it around, or act as if it makes you superior to the rest of us. So, yes, Ivo Zacca, we should buy a home. But, I’m going to work my ass off to at least be able to contribute as much as I can. Deal?”
“Deal. Can I make a condition?”
Sofia smiled, knowing he would have to have the last word. “Go for it?”
“We look together.”
Sofia snorted. “Hell, yes. Who knows what mid-life crisis male frat-boy dump you’d buy?”
Ivo threw his head back and laughed. “You have no faith, woman. And don’t think I won’t keep your glitter fetish in check.”
“Oh, you know me so well,” Sofia dead-panned. She giggled. “This is going to be fun.”
And they did have fun. By the time they had seen the fifth apartment three days later, they knew what they wanted and where. The third apartment they had seen, in the trendy Marias district, was the penthouse of the building, with views to die for, a large outside balcony, which Ivo declared big enough for “an outside mattress.” They shared a glance – yes, sex would definitely be on the menu here.
Sofia left the room while Ivo discussed money with the realtor. She knew it would be millions of Euros and she didn’t want the feeling of being out of her depth. She went to the balcony and gazed out over the city. How the hell had she gone from living on the streets to a penthouse luxury apartment, married to a gorgeous billionaire in less than a year?
Not only that but she’d had a call from Maceo Bartoli, offering her space at an upcoming exhibition in Venice. Something’s got to give, she thought to herself. It’s all going too well. Then she felt guilty, remembering that Adria, her beloved mother in law, had limited time. She owed it to her to embrace all the good things in life.
“Hey.” Ivo came out to meet her. He bent his head to kiss her. “I told the realtor we would make a decision in the next few days, that we had a couple more places to see first.”
Sofia nodded, and then said in a low voice. “But this is the one, right?”
Ivo’s eyes were dancing with mischief. “Oh yes, but we don’t want her to know that.”
Sofia giggled, and heady with joy, they thanked the realtor and went to their next appointment.
Later, as they were deciding where to have dinner, Penn Black called and asked if they wanted to join him on a private boat for a moonlight dinner trip down the Seine. “If it sounds it might be weirdly romantic,” he laughed, “I think the three of us being there might alleviate some of the awkwardness.”
“Ha,” said Sofia when Ivo told her what Penn had said. “If only he knew about our kinks, he wouldn’t say that.”
Ivo grinned. “I don’t think it would shock him. Penn’s a pretty open-minded guy, and by open-minded, I mean, he isn’t shy about his pa
rticular proclivities.”
“Really? Do tell.” Sofia was wriggling into a purple bandanna dress, which distracted Ivo for a moment. She saw him ogling her and wiggled her butt at him. Io laughed.
“Damn, woman, now I have to get my pants on over this tentpole. Anyway, Penn,” he stopped and ruefully looked down at his erection. “Nope, I can’t talk about Penn’s sexual hijinks with a hard-on. That’s too weird even for me.”
Sofia snickered but then took pity, sinking to her knees before him. “Let me help you with that, and while I do, pretend that Penn’s kinks are yours and tell me what you want to do to me…or what you want me to do to you. There’s not much I won’t agree to, baby.”
Ivo gave a groan as she took him into her mouth and began to tease the tip of his cock with her tongue. “Jesus, Sofia…well…in college, Penn…I mean I used to frequent all the BDM clubs in the local area. Every night. I was quite open with my room-mate about what I did there. I would fuck and be fucked, then, as a Dom, I would find a Sub for the night. She would have to do everything I ordered her to, and gratefully too. She would let me paddle her ass, whip her with a riding crop, leave bruises on her skin…”
Sofia, so turned on by his talk, gave a moan of pleasure, her mouth working his cock until she felt him shudder and jerk, spilling salty, creamy cum onto her tongue. Ivo pushed her back onto the floor, hiking her dress up around her waist and burying his head in her groin. His teeth nipped at her clit, his tongue delving deep inside her. Sofia shuddered through one orgasm, then when he plunged his ramrod-hard cock into her sodden cunt, she gasped and yelped with pleasure. “Tell me what Ivo and Penn would do to me…. would you both fuck me?”
Nightclub Surprise Page 39
