by Bella Grant
She followed him as they made their way up the staircase. “I suppose one more week would be fine.”
“Good.” He didn’t look behind him as he climbed the stairs. “Will you be joining us for dinner this evening or will you be adventuring out again?” he asked, as he walked down the hall toward her set of rooms.
“Actually, I will be going out.” She nearly bumped into him when he stopped cold. “I mean, if that’s all right.”
“Of course.” He gave a curt nod and began moving again. “May I ask who will be joining you?”
“I met a man last night.” She laughed. “Bernardo LaTonya.”
Raphael tensed at the name. He passed himself off as a local merchant, selling his fish to the restaurants and markets in the area, but behind his business, Bernardo ran an underground network business that the authorities had been trying to shut down for years. It didn’t matter what he sold—jewelry, drugs, artwork, anything that could fetch a high price—and he could find a buyer for everything he ran through his black market.
“You had dinner with him last night?” He did his best to keep the tension out of his voice but didn’t think he’d succeeded. Once they reached her rooms, he turned to face her, effectively blocking the door.
“Yes.” She nodded, looking at him with a tilt to her head. “Do you know him?”
“I know of him. We don’t travel in the same circles.” He realized he was gripping the books tightly and relaxed his hands.
“I don’t think there are many people I would meet that do.” It was a genuine smile she gave him. “He’s taking me to dinner again this evening,” she continued and reached for her books.
“I would prefer if you dined here tonight. Carmen will only be here for another two evenings, and I’m sure there are plenty of details that can be hashed out while she is here.” It was a weak reason, but it would have to do.
“Oh. Well, I suppose I could meet him after for drinks.” The situation spiraled more out of his control. To tell her she was forbidden to see Bernardo wouldn’t be appropriate, but to let her see him wouldn’t be well done of him either. His own jealousy aside, Bernardo was a dangerous man. At least to himself, he could admit the idea of her sharing a meal with another man made every one of his bones tingle with jealousy.
“I’ll have a car ready for you whenever you decide. We’ll have an early meeting tomorrow. Carmen has a few meetings of her own tomorrow, and delegates from her country will be arriving to advise on the announcement of our marriage. We’ll both be tied up with them from ten until sometime before dinner. Carmen and I will meet with you at seven.”
“In the morning?” she asked with widened eyes.
He’d make the meeting at five a.m. if it meant she’d stay in for the evening. “It’s what fits my schedule best. Will it be a problem for you?” He purposely leaned in closer to her.
“Of course not, that’s fine. Seven a.m. Got it. I’ll work on these plans for a bit. Then I was hoping to scout out the village for the wedding march.”
“Now that is something I can help with.” He smiled and reached behind him to open the door. “Where would you like these?” He walked into the suite of rooms and inhaled the lingering scent of her perfume. The smell of wild flowers in the spring air was the only way he could describe the gentle aroma.
“Oh. You would escort me?” She pointed out a spot on the small dining table in the room.
“Of course. I’d rather you not go off on your own.” He dropped the books on the table with a thud. “Unless, of course, you would prefer Carmen. She may be available this afternoon once she returns from her visit.”
“No, that’s okay. I’m sure she’ll want to spend some time with her brother when he gets back. If you are free, I would appreciate the guided tour.”
It was settled. He left her to her work and went about happily canceling his afternoon agenda.
ISABELLA
Antonio Absolom was an arrogant, controlling ass as far as Isabella was concerned. She had an easy day planned, like most of her days when she wasn’t being forced to attend some sort of charitable meeting by her older brother. Grab a boat, sail for a few hours, and work on maintaining her even tan.
Antonio had different plans. After breakfast with her brother and Carmen, another fun-filled hour of small talk, she headed up to her room to get suited up and head out. In the hallway just outside her door, she ran into Antonio. Although she found him unbearably attractive, she tensed at the sight of him. His open chastisement of her bathing suit the day before had filled her with uncertainty. He grinned at her with obvious attraction, especially when his gaze swept over her body, yet when she showed a little skin, he balked at her.
Antonio questioned her about her morning plans, and before she could figure out his agenda, she realized he had invited himself along with her. Not only that, but he had specified she not try wearing that ‘string thing’ she had on the day before as he walked away from her in order to gather his own swimwear.
“Let me have a turn.” Isabella sat in the seat beside the captain’s chair where he held the steering wheel.
“Have you ever driven a boat before?” he asked without looking at her. She wasn’t wearing the string bikini but convinced herself it had nothing to do with his order. A new suit had arrived yesterday from her American shopping excursion, and she decided to wear it instead. Although it wasn’t a string bikini, he still gave her a disapproving shake of his head when she met him in the front yard. She’d wrapped her silk cover-up around her waist and tied the ends at her hip and walked past him to the two-seat cart they used to drive down to the beach.
“No, but I can drive a car. I’m sure it’s the same thing.” No one let her drive the damn boats. Ever since she pushed a little too hard on the gas pedal of her father’s prized Ferrari and crashed the car into the newly built garage, she hadn’t been allowed behind the wheel of a car or the boats.
He chuckled and gave her a side-glance. His dark eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses, but she could easily make out the deep dimple that appeared on his left cheek. If she hadn’t been so annoyed with his take-charge attitude, she would have found the characteristic attractive. “I think not, then, at least not on your own. I can teach you if you’d like.” He slowed the boat. The wind no longer whipping his hair back, it settled on his forehead, making him look even more carefree. Her own hair had been braided to the side, the thick braid resting over her right shoulder.
She snorted. “Teach me? It’s not hard.” She waved a hand at the wheel. “Never mind. Just drive. There’s a small hut at the other end of that peninsula that has excellent food. We’ll go there for lunch.”
“Didn’t your cook pack a large lunch for us in that basket?” He jerked a thumb in the direction of the picnic basket sitting on the floor behind the second row of seats.
“Yes, but I don’t want cold sandwiches and salads. I want stuffed clams.”
“I think we should eat what was given to you. Seems wasteful to throw away good food.” He brought the boat to a stop and turned off the engine. The boat bobbed on the ocean waves as she watched him turn in his seat and push up. The coastline wasn’t far off, and she wondered for a brief moment if he could swim to the shore should she push him from the boat.
“Why did you come with me?” She blurted the question as he lifted the basket onto the cushioned seat.
He didn’t pause in his motions. “It sounded like fun. Besides, the poor guy who was going to take you out looked a little terrified.” He laughed and tried to hand her a sandwich.
She shook her head at it and crossed her arms over her chest. “Julio just looks like that because he knows I can drive the boat but is too scared of my brother to let me.” She ignored him pushing the sandwich at her. “I’m not a child.”
He placed the sandwich in her lap, and his fingers brushed the inside of her thigh as he did so, sending a current of heat up her leg.
His darkened stare should have warned her she wasn’
t going to like what he said next. “You act like a child, you dress like a child, yet act surprised when you are treated as one.” He raised a dark eyebrow. “Eat your sandwich. I’ll get you a drink.”
“Act like… dress—who the hell do you think you’re talking to?” She stood up, letting the sandwich drop to the floor, and stomped her foot.
He nodded to her foot and shrugged. “You make my case so well. Now, stop it before I really treat you like a child and throw you over my knee.”
Unsure if the threat was empty, and not willing to find out, she plopped back down in her chair and crossed her legs. “My brother would have your head,” she murmured under her breath.
He picked up the sandwich and placed it back in her lap with a wide grin that showed off his perfectly straight white teeth. “Your brother would commend me and beg me to whisk you away.” She pressed her lips together hard, refusing to respond. He said the most outrageous things. “Eat.” He pointed to her sandwich.
Picking it up, she walked to the edge of the boat. She looked over her shoulder to be sure he watched her, pulled her hand back, and threw the sandwich into the water.
His expression didn’t change. He sat back in his own seat and unwrapped his sandwich. “You’ll be hungry by the time we get back this afternoon.” He took a large bite, crumbs from the roll falling down his shirt, which he wiped away.
“I want to go to that restaurant I told you about. I don’t get out this way very often.” She put her hands on her hips and did her best to stare him down. No one denied her. Ever. How could this man sit there chewing his sandwich as though he had no cares in the world?
“Perhaps you could ask me instead of telling me where to take you.” He took another bite of his sandwich, his eyes fixed on her. Her hands were still fisted on her hips, and her sunglasses had been pushed up on top of her head to better glare at him.
“If you’ll give me the keys, I’ll take us there myself. Then you wouldn’t have to stop eating whatever is in that damn sandwich.” She held out her hand for the keys, but he only shook his head. “I don’t understand why you came out here with me if you dislike me so much.” She stomped her foot again.
“I never said I disliked you, but I don’t give in to spoiled brats when they don’t get their way. If you want something from me, you’ll learn to ask politely or you’ll never get it.”
“Life lessons from the pretty little prince,” she shot at him. When he ignored her comment and continued to chew his lunch, she felt the anger inside of her building. She’d never come up against such a strong force as Antonio, and she sure as hell didn’t like it. “Antonio, I’m telling you once more to either give me the keys to this boat or start driving over to that damn restaurant.” At another stomp of her foot, he laughed. Laughed! It was the last straw. Something inside of her chest snapped.
Forgetting she was a princess and a lady, she plucked the sandwich from his hand and threw it overboard. Before he could recover his senses, she bent down, picked up the picnic basket, and launched it over the side as well. With the loud splash, she regained her senses and realized what she’d done. She’d acted every bit the spoiled brat he just accused her of being.
Slowly, she turned to look at him. His brows were raised and his lips were pinched together tightly. His eyes, which had been playful and soft, now narrowed with darkness. When he rose from his seat, she took a deep breath, ready for whatever tongue lashing he would dish out.
He took the two steps toward her as the boat swayed with the movement and grabbed her upper arm. Before she realized his intention, he retook his seat on the padded bench and flipped her over his lap. She landed with her stomach over his knees. His arm wrapped around her waist, locking her against him, and no amount of wiggling worked to free her from his grasp.
“Let me up, you barbarian!” She reached behind her to smack him, but he grabbed her hand and pinned it to the small of her back.
“I told you to stop acting like a child or I would treat you like one,” he ground out just before the flat of his hand connected with her backside. She yelped at the sudden sting of the impact and bucked up against him as his open hand came down again and again.
“Stop… Stop!” She gasped for breath, wiggling as hard as she could against him, but she was no match for his strength or his determination. She tried to cover her ass with her free hand, but he only trapped that one as well. “Antonio!”
“Acting like a brat will only get you more of the same, Isabella. Take your spanking like a good girl, and it will stop.” His voice remained steady and calm as his hand continued to deliver hard, stinging swats to her already burning backside.
When she refused to give in to her punishment, he paused briefly to pull off her wrap and yank her bikini bottoms down, shoving them nearly to her knees. Mortification seeped into her chest when he spanked her bare ass. Her struggles only intensified, which in turn, earned harder slaps to her rounded cheeks.
The burn spread evenly throughout her backside and all the way down her thighs where he began to spank when she continued to struggle. She managed to kick off her bikini bottom and one leg slid from his lap. She realized soon enough that her clit had begun to rub against his naked knee and that her body had begun to respond to the intimate touch.
Tears ran down her cheeks, and she lost the strength to struggle. She had completely embarrassed herself and had ruined both of their lunches. Rafe had often threatened to do the very thing Antonio was doing. She couldn’t understand it at the moment, but the fight left her, and she slumped over his lap, crying softly as he continued to spank her already punished bottom.
“There you go.” He relaxed his grip around her waist. “Just a few more to make sure you don’t forget this. You will always behave like a lady; otherwise, you’ll be turned over my knee for a spanking. Every. Time. Isabella. Do you understand me?” He rested his hand on her hot globes.
She took a deep breath. “Yes, Antonio. I understand,” she managed to get out between gulps of air. Her eyes burned from crying but not nearly as much as her ass throbbed. His hand began to rub gently across the raw skin, and he spoke soothingly to her.
“You’ll be my good girl now, right?”
She nodded. “Yes, Antonio.” And she would be. She expected to feel angry and bitter. The urge to scratch his eyes out had faded since he began the spanking, and she felt only remorseful for her actions and confused by her reaction.
He ran his hand down her thighs as though he could wipe away the burn. “Your bottoms have flown off from all your kicking. I can see every inch of you like this with your legs spread for me.” His words stroked a fire she wasn’t quite ready to acknowledge yet. “Your pussy is wet. I can see your lips are wet with your need for my touch.” Two fingers slid through her slick folds to fondle her clit. To her own surprise, she arched her body toward him, wanting more of his fingers. He gave a light laugh. “Just like I thought.”
He continued to rub her clit, his thumb brushing her wanting entrance. Her hands were still in his grasp at the small of her back. He began to quicken his strokes, to increase the pressure on her clit until, very quickly, she was on the verge of an orgasm. Her eyes clenched. She tried not to moan, to give in to the carnal urges, but her body was no longer obeying her.
“Would you like to come, Isabella?” he asked as his fingers flicked lightly over her clit.
“Yes,” she muttered hoarsely, angry, not only at him but at herself for giving in to what he offered.
“Then ask me, Bella. Ask nicely for what you want and you’ll receive it.” His fingers worked her body as though he owned it. Every nerve fiber tingled at his touch. “If you don’t ask, you won’t get,” he warned her.
Too close to the edge to pull away, she growled. “Fine. Please.”
He laughed. “No, Bella. Ask me to give you your orgasm. Ask me if you can come.”
“Please. Antonio, please give me an orgasm.” She ground out the words, almost tempted to stay silent. But the pleas
ure his hand gave her overruled her defiance.
“Of course, my princess. Since you asked so nicely, I could never deny you. Come for me, over my lap like this with your bright red ass facing the sun and my fingers giving you pleasure.”
Each word spoken acted like another finger being used on her pussy. With one quick thrust, three fingers pushed into her wet passage, filling her and stretching her. She screamed as the fast waves of her orgasm whisked her away. Spreading her legs further and pushing back against his thrusts, she fucked his fingers as her orgasm intensified and finally reached the peak. He slowed his strokes as she relaxed against him, letting the soft waves of her pleasure fade as she tried to catch her breath.
“Such a good girl,” he whispered as he removed his fingers from her pussy. She heard him sucking his fingers and closed her eyes to the image. “See, that wasn’t so hard.”
The reality of what had transpired hit her almost as hard as the explosive orgasm, and she pushed up and off his lap. He didn’t stop her. Instead, he helped her catch her balance when her foot slipped on the floor of the boat. Her hands went to cover her ass, rubbing gently at the pain lingering there.
“You spanked me,” she accused with a new-found anger.
“Yes, I did. And I’ll do it again, so you should put your daggers away.” He pointed a finger at her as he scooped up her bikini bottoms.
“You spanked me,” she said again with more surprise.
He chuckled. “Isabella, put your bikini bottoms back on before I decide to have more fun with you. A man can only take so much temptation.” He stood and adjusted his erection in his swimming trunks. She felt the heat rise in her face at his obvious arousal.
“You shouldn’t have touched me like that.” She took the bottoms from his hand and quickly shimmied into them, trying not to pay attention to the tenderness of her ass as the fabric brushed across it.
