God, she missed that voice. “It is! This must have cost a fortune! And where did you find it?”
“I had it made, of course,” he stated matter-of-factly, as if having jewelry custom-made in less than a week was something everyone did. “You’re a magnificent she-wolf.”
“You don’t have to send me gifts, you know,” she bit her lip.
“Why not? Did you like them?”
“Yes,” she admitted. “But that’s not the point.”
“I think that’s the point of gifts, Frankie,” he stated. “I want you to like them, to make you happy.”
“You have to stop,” she stated. “I’m running out of room for your gifts and everyone is talking.”
Word had gotten to her relatives and clan members, of course, since Enzo couldn’t keep his big mouth shut about the New York Alpha courting Frankie. They all wanted to know when they would meet the big-shot Alpha or when he would come to the restaurant.
“Let them talk.”
“What do you want? When are you going to stop sending these gifts?”
“When you let me come over,” he said.
“You can come eat at Muccino’s anytime, I didn’t rescind your invitation,” she shot back.
“I mean, come over. To your house. Or you can come to New York and stay with me,” Grant replied, his voice serious. “I miss you.”
Frankie went silent at his declaration, hope fluttering in her heart. She quickly squashed it. “Stop. Just stop.” Don’t make me hope for something that won’t last, she added silently.
“Frankie, I want you. Just you.”
Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. “For now,” she said, clearing her throat. “Goodbye, Grant.” She hung up.
Chapter Nineteen
The gifts stopped coming, which made Frankie sigh in relief, though a small part of her was definitely disappointed. It was Sunday and she was looking forward to closing up the restaurant and actually taking a day off tomorrow. She thought about lounging around at home and watching TV all day.
“Frankie, I need you out here!” Nonna Gianna’s voice rang through the hallway connecting the kitchen and her office. “Come to the dining room!”
“Give me a minute!” She shut down her computer and walked out toward the main room.
“What is it?” she asked, then stopped suddenly. Her heart slammed in her chest.
Grant stood in the middle of dining room, looking even more handsome than she remembered.
Mmmmm, her she-wolf growled happily as soon she locked eyes on him.
“Hello Frankie,” he greeted, coming closer to her.
“Grant,” she whispered. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see you,” he said matter-of-factly.
“You could have come any other day,” she frowned.
“I know, but I wanted to give you some space,” he said, his hand tracing a line up her arm. “Time to think.”
“And now?”
“Well, I was hoping you’d change your mind.”
“About what?” her brows furrowed.
“About us being a one-time thing,” he declared.
“You don’t…that’s not what you want?” Her face was a mask of confusion. “I thought you just wanted sex.”
“I do,” he soothed. “But I want more. I want you.”
“That’s what you keep saying,” she said. “But I don’t understand,” she shook her head, taking a step back. “What do you want from me?”
“I want to spend time with you, get to know you more and yes, have more mind-blowing sex with you,” he grinned.
She was confused. Men like Grant always left. Men always left. If not now, then later. “It won’t work.”
“Not if you don’t give it a chance,” he held his hand out to her. “Please, Frankie?”
“I…” She started at his open hand, his declaration. God, she was torn. Her chest tightened and she couldn’t breathe. Her brain was telling her no, reminding her of the hurt that came with falling for a man like Grant. But something else inside her was telling her that Grant wouldn’t be like other men. “Can we just take it one day at a time, please?”
He nodded. “Whatever you want. Now, will you come with me, please? I want to show you something.”
***
“This isn’t what I meant when I said we should take it one day at a time, Grant,” she said in an annoyed voice.
“I can’t believe you’re still mad at me,” Grant replied in an amused voice. “You’ve already fastened your seatbelt.”
“Well, it’s the strong feminist raised by matriarchs in me,” she snorted. “I felt like I had to give just one last protest. Where are we going again?
“It’s a secret,” his eyes sparkled.
Frankie had thought he was going to bring her to some fancy restaurant, but to her surprise, his town car had pulled into a private airstrip. Dante, Matt, Enzo and Rafe were already waiting for her at the foot of the staircase leading up to a sleek jet.
“What are you guys doing here?” she asked, a confused look on her face. Enzo handed her a carry-on suitcase and Matt gave her an envelope that contained her passport.
“You have the next four days off,” Dante declared. “Uh-uh,” he shook his head when she tried to protest. “You’ve never taken a vacation, not since you took over for Ma,” he said. “Now, we’re making you take a break.”
Her brothers stood there, their arms crossed, as if they were making a stand.
“We’ve talked about it, and Rafe and Matt will be around to help out at the restaurant. Don’t even think about saying no, not when we went through all this trouble.”
“I…” she didn’t know what to say, so instead, she hugged her brothers one by one.
“Take care of her, man,” Matt said, as he shook Grant’s hand.
“I will,” he declared in a serious voice. “I promise.”
“Hurt her and we’ll kill you, yada yada. We’ll consider this the shovel talk,” Enzo clapped him on the shoulder, and Frankie snorted.
“Have fun,” Rafe said in a bright voice. They all hugged Frankie again and stood back as they walked up the stairs.
“Where are we going?”
“I don’t want to ruin the surprise,” he winked at her. “Besides, you look like you’re curious enough that you won’t run.”
“I doubt I can run away at 50,000 feet,” she replied, looking up at his plane.
And so now, here they were, sitting in Grant’s plush private jet, headed to god-knows-where.
The flight steward introduced himself as James to Frankie and greeted Grant as they sat down. James served them drinks, handing them a menu. They took off and once the plane was at cruising altitude, James came back to serve them appetizers and champagne.
Dinner was divine, making her growling stomach happy. Grant, as usual, was attentive and asked her about the restaurant, her brothers, Nonna Gianna and how her week went. When they finished dinner, James told them that he had already turned down the bed and that they had another nine hours before they reached their destination.
“There’s a bedroom?” Frankie asked incredulously.
“Of course,” Grant said, then winked at her. “So, want to join the mile-high club?”
***
“Wake up, sleepyhead,” Grant gave Frankie a kiss on the cheek.
“Five more minutes,” she protested, pulling the covers over her head.
“C’mon, grumpy, we’re almost there.”
“Wait, what?” She shot up in bed. Grant stifled a laugh as she looked around. Her hair was sticking out at odd angles, lips swollen, eyes still half-closed as she struggled to wake up. She looked adorable. “Good morning, sex hair,” he joked, pulling her in for a kiss.
“Mmmph, no!” she shut her lips and hopped off the bed. “I’ve got morning breath!” She sauntered to the bathroom. “And I’m totally rocking this sex hair,” she declared as she shut the door.
Grant leaned back on the
headboard, clasping his hands behind his head. God, he could spend every morning like this, sated and happy after a night with Frankie. She was a little hellcat in bed, scratching and biting and giving as good as she got. Thinking of her luscious, curvy body made him hard again, despite the fact that they’d had sex two times the night before. Turns out, she also had a filthy mouth, both in English and Italian, and it made him even hotter thinking about the dirty things she said while he had her every which way. Could he get enough? He doubted it.
The door opened and Frankie came out, naked as the day she was born. She skipped over to him, her tits bouncing delightfully as she hopped on the bed and cuddled up to him. He immediately rolled her under his body, his erection rubbing against her thighs, then took a nipple into his mouth.
“Mr. Anderson? Ms. Muccino?” James’ voice rang through the intercom. Grant muttered a silent curse as he lifted his head from her breasts. “We’re going to land in 20 minutes. The captain asked if you could please take your seats. I can serve breakfast as soon as we land, while waiting for immigration formalities.”
“Thank you, James,” Grant replied as he pressed the intercom button beside the bed.
“When am I going to find out where we’re going?” Frankie asked as she rolled off the bed.
“Get dressed and you’ll see,” he rose up and headed to the closet where he kept his extra clothes.
“Fine,” she grumbled and went to her suitcase, zipping it open.
Grant opened the closet and contemplated what to wear, when Frankie let out an expletive.
“Son of bitch!” Frankie cursed. “What the fuck, Enzo?”
“What’s wrong?” Grant frowned and walked over to where she was standing over her suitcase.
“Enzo! That asshole!” she held up a see-through purple negligee. “See! Did you tell him to do this?”
He was confused, and frankly, aroused, thinking of Frankie wearing the negligee. “It’s sexy,” he grinned. “So he packed you some sexy lingerie. He’s a man too, you know.”
“Well, lingerie was the only thing he packed!” Frankie flung out a couple of pieces from the suitcase, all lacy, see-through pieces of fabric. “It’s not funny!” she cried as he was trying to stifle a laugh. “Are you taking me to private sex island with no one else around? Cause that’s the only place where these are appropriate!” She flung a red thong at his face, which he easily caught.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his smile wide. “We’ll get you some clothes, I promise. Why don’t you wear your jeans from last night?”
“You ripped the buttons on them!” she reminded him. “Can I borrow a shirt?” she asked. “Maybe I can fashion some type of dress from one of them?”
“Go ahead,” he gestured to his closet. “Whatever you want. Then we can go shopping.”
She stomped over to his closet, muttering something about murdering her brother.
Chapter Twenty
As soon as the immigration officer stepped on board, Frankie knew where they were.
“Buongiorno, Signore, Signorina,” the tall, severe-looking man in a blue uniform greeted them.
“We’re in Italy?” Frankie looked at Grant, her eyes wide. He nodded. “Oh my god!” She babbled excitedly, greeting the officer in fluent Italian. The immigration official’s stern face softened when he realized Frankie was speaking to him in his language, and they talked animatedly as he stamped their passports and welcomed them to Italy.
“I haven’t been here in years!” she said as they descended the steps of the jet. “But we’re not in Rome, are we?” She looked around, trying to find any signboard that declared where they were.
Grant shook his head. “No, we’re still getting permission from the Alpha of Rome to come visit, so we had to land in neutral territory.”
“I haven’t been in so long!” Her grandmother was insistent that she and her brothers get to know and learn about their Italian heritage, so she set aside her money so that when they all turned nineteen, they could go to Italy. Even with her Nonna gone nine years now, she left money in her will for all of them to go for at least a month. Rafe was the last one and he went the previous year.
She saw the sports car waiting for them at the bottom of the steps. “Where are we?”
“We’re in Salerno Airport,” he said, referring to the city in southwest Italy. “I rented a villa near Positano.”
“That’s where my grandmother grew up!” Her eyes went wide. “Oh my god, Grant, I don’t know what to say…”
He gathered her in her arms. “Are you happy?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Then you don’t have to say anything.”
***
The drive to Positano from Salerno was pleasant, especially in the spring weather with top down. They took the longer route, going through the small towns of the Amalfi Coast. The drive along the cliffs was amazing, if heart-stopping as their car squeezed against the side of the road to let the giant buses pass. The sea shimmered like diamonds, and quaint little seaside towns dotted the coast.
It was a little chilly and Frankie felt goosebumps over her exposed legs. She managed to fashion a makeshift dress from one of Grant’s shirt, rolling up the sleeves and wrapping one of his belts around her waist. He looked at her with hungry eyes when she stepped out of the bedroom wearing his clothes and her sexy stiletto heels (one of the few non-lingerie items Enzo packed), his eyes raking over her with approval.
After navigating the twists and turns of the Amalfi Coast, they arrived on the mountainside villa Grant rented. It was gorgeous and huge - five bedrooms spread over three floors. The outside was done in the classic Italian style, with huge outdoor terraces and wrought-iron railings. The inside, however, was sleek and modern with all the amenities and there was a large infinity pool facing the ocean. There was also a butler, Gio and personal chef, Carlo, on-site, who welcomed them as they arrived and Frankie charmed them, as she did with everyone they had met so far.
It was past lunch time when they arrived, so the chef had food ready for them, a delicious, freshly-prepared classic Italian meal with an antipasto, pasta, and a veal main course, served in the dining room with a view of the infinity pool.
Frankie moaned as she took a third serving of tiramisu. “Oh my god, do you think Carlo would give me the recipe for this?”
“I think Carlo would give you his left arm, if you asked,” Grant quipped. “You do sound so sexy when you talk in Italian.”
She winked at him as she spooned a creamy bite into her mouth. “Mille grazie, bello.”
“What do you want to do now?” Grant asked.
“Hmm…how about we go for a swim?” she gave him a cat-like smile.
“Did Enzo pack you a swimsuit?”
Frankie stood up and started to unbutton the shirt. Flashing him another naughty smile, she disappeared out into the terrace, but not before tossing his shirt back into the dining room.
“Fuck,” Grant cursed as he practically ran after her, shucking his own clothes on the way.
***
After a leisurely afternoon spent frolicking naked in the pool, Grant drove them down into the town for dinner. They stopped by a couple of shops, and Frankie bought some clothes, though she still couldn’t find anything appropriate for their dinner with the Alpha of Rome the following night.
One of the shops they went into sold beautiful Italian linen dresses and she wore one of the pieces - a white linen dress with eyelet detailing around the collar - right out of the shop and to dinner.
Grant took her to the highest point over Positano, at one of the cliffside restaurants. The town and the sea glittered under them as the sun was fading in the back, painting the sky with gorgeous shades of red, pink and purple. After a sumptuous dinner (and three desserts, since she couldn’t make up her mind), they walked down to the beach and took a leisurely stroll along the shore.
At the end of the evening, they drove back to the villa and Gio had coffee ready for them on the terrace.
Frankie was still buzzing from excitement, telling him she didn’t know how she’d be able sleep that night. Grant pulled her into the bedroom, declaring he had the cure to jet lag in his pants.
The next day, they packed up early, said goodbye to Gio and Carlo, who had put together a to-go breakfast of freshly baked pastries for her, and made their way to Rome. Frankie was sad to leave Positano, as she felt connected to the place. However, she knew that they had to meet with Alessandro, Rome’s Alpha, as it would be considered an insult if they were so close and the two Alphas didn’t pay their respects.
They arrived in Rome at around 10 a.m. and checked into their luxurious suite at the St. Regis. Frankie was still not used to all the luxuries Grant could afford. When she came for her Italian trip, she mostly stayed in hostels and cheap hotels.
Frankie flung herself on the plush, king-sized bed, flopping down with arms outstretched like a starfish.
“Ok, ok, I’ll get on it,” Grant frowned as he entered the room, his phone pressed up to his ear. “I’ll hop on the call with London, it shouldn’t take too long. Thanks.” He sighed and sat down on the bed next to Frankie. He traced a hand up her leg.
“Everything ok?” she asked, turning her head to face him.
“I was hoping I could go sightseeing with you this morning,” he said. “But I have an emergency at the London office. I need to be on this conference call in 20 minutes.”
“Oh,” she rolled on her back. “I can wait.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want you to miss out on Rome,” he leaned down and kissed her languidly. “Besides, I have a surprise for you.”
She sat up. “More surprises?”
He nodded. “The driver’s waiting for you in the lobby, go ahead and I’ll meet you for a late lunch.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Frankie sat in the plush salon of the famous designer brand at the end of Via Condotti, Rome’s most famous (and expensive) shopping district. When she got into the Mercedes driven by the nice older driver, she didn’t expect that to be going on a shopping spree.
Romancing the Alpha Page 14
