Paige considered that for a moment. Even now her heart was racing and she couldn’t deny that she wished he’d kiss her again. Maybe if she went to dinner with him and sabotaged it in some way so that he had a miserable time he’d give up and leave her alone. It would be worth a try because obviously he wasn’t going to give up until she did what he wanted.
“Okay, I’ll go out with you, but it will have to be tomorrow or Saturday.”
Dante smiled, envisioning how her glorious mane of hair would look splayed across his pillow. “Saturday it is then. You will not be sorry, cara mia, I promise you that.”
But he would be sorry, Paige thought ruefully as he leaned down to kiss her. She was finally going to be alone with Dante and the only thing she’d be able to do is insure he had a rotten time.
****
“Have you lost your mind?”
“I know, I know,” Paige said with a grimace, “but I didn’t really have much of a choice.”
Chantel propped her hands on her hips. “You and I have been best friends since the first grade. We’re supposed to tell each other everything and you’re just now informing me you made out with Dante Vittorio in the park? Two days in a row!”
“We didn’t make out…exactly. At any rate, that’s not the point. You have to help me come up with ideas on how to ruin our date tonight.”
“Paige, listen to me. You cannot go out with him. No matter what you say you’re going to do, we both know that all he has to do is touch you and you’ll turn into liquid goo.” Chantel’s expression softened. “I was there, remember? For months after you left him you cried at the drop of a hat and it wasn’t until Daniella was born that you were able to pull yourself out of it. I know you’re still in love with him, Paige. How are you going to keep from falling to pieces again if you end up sleeping with him?”
“Haven’t you been listening to me? I have no intention of sleeping with Dante. I’m simply going to have dinner with him and do everything I can to bore him to tears. Once he realizes we no longer have anything in common, he won’t be able to retreat fast enough.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
Paige didn’t bother to hedge the truth. Chantel knew her too well. “No, but there’s no other way.”
“There is another way,” Chantel contradicted her, “you just don’t want to do it.”
“There’s too many risks involved.”
“Like what?”
“Like, what if he sues for custody?”
“So what if he does? You’re a wonderful mother, Paige. No court in the world would take Daniella away from you.”
“But he might get shared custody,” Paige countered, “and I don’t think I could handle seeing my daughter for half the week or giving her up for the whole summer.”
Chantel crossed the room and sat down beside her on the sofa. “He’s Daniella’s father, doesn’t he deserve to know?”
Paige rubbed her temple. “I suppose he does, but there’s a flip side to the coin too. What if I tell him and he doesn’t want anything to do with her? It would break my heart, and how would I explain something like that to Daniella when she gets older? How devastating will it be for her to know her father didn’t want her?”
“How will you explain why you never even gave her father the chance to know her?”
“Whose side are you on anyway?” Paige said tersely.
“I’m on your side and you damn well know it so don’t get snippy with me Paige Spencer. I’m just playing Devil’s advocate to make sure the decision you make is the right one for everyone concerned.”
“I don’t care about anyone but Daniella right now.”
“I understand you want to protect her,” Chantel said, being the voice of reason, “but you have to consider all the players here and what will be lost or gained by the direction you take. Dante cared deeply for you once and it seems to me that he’s pretty anxious to get into a relationship with you again. Maybe you should give him a chance.”
“What? Not two minutes ago you were adamant about me not even going to dinner with him and now you’re telling me I should go with the flow and see where it leads?”
Chantel laughed. “You see what you’ve done? I’ve become as wishy washy as you are! Seriously, Paige, I think putting all the options out there has made me question my original stance. On one hand, I know how crushed you’ll be if things don’t work out between you and Dante, not just for yourself but for Daniella too. On the other hand, if you never give him a chance you’ll spend the rest of your long, lonely days wondering if you let the love of your life slip through your fingers.”
Paige scowled at her. “You’re not helping much. Regardless of your somewhat valid arguments, I think I should stick to my original plan. I’ve done just fine without Dante Vittorio so far, I’m sure I won’t die if…if I never see him again.”
“Maybe not physically,” Chantel said solemnly, “but what about inside?”
Paige thought about the past four years. She’d felt like a hollowed out shell all during her pregnancy but that had changed the moment the nurse had placed Daniella in arms. Maybe having Dante’s baby hadn’t completely filled the void in her heart but it had certainly pulled her out of the dark depression she’d fallen into and given her a reason to live. Chantel was right about one thing; if she let things progress as Dante obviously wanted them to and it didn’t work out, she’d be crushed.
“I’ll be fine,” Paige said, but she knew she wasn’t fooling anyone, least of all herself.
“I have a suggestion. Just listen before you shoot me down,” Chantel insisted when Paige rolled her eyes. “Instead of deliberately ruining your chances with Dante or trying so hard to make it work, why don’t you just…wing it?”
Paige arched a brow. “Wing it? That’s the best advice you could come up with?”
“Let me rephrase that. What I’m trying to say is that you should play it by ear and just let things happen naturally.”
“Easy for you to say,” Paige said with wistful sigh. “What comes natural for me is to melt like a pat of butter in a hot skillet whenever Dante kisses me.”
“In that case, I only have one more suggestion. It may sound a bit odd but I guarantee it will keep you from hopping into bed with him.”
Paige eyed Chantel warily. “I know I’m going to regret this, but tell me anyway.”
“Wear the oldest, holiest pair of underwear you own. I’m totally serious,” Chantel said when Paige started giggling. “Think about it. There you are getting all hot and heavy and he starts to peel off your clothes. All you have to do is imagine the look on Dante’s face when he sees in you a pair of tattered white cotton panties and a shapeless bra and you won’t have any problem turning him down.”
****
Dante was a little piqued when Paige came outside and soundly closed the door behind her before he’d even had time to get out of the car. Was she afraid to let him inside? Even as forceful as he’d been at the park, surely she didn’t think he’d try to make her do anything she didn’t want to. Or was it possible she didn’t trust herself to be alone with him? He liked that idea a whole lot better than believing she was worried he’d press her into having sex with him before she was ready. He’d have to be doubly careful to make sure he didn’t do anything that was even remotely threatening.
He strode casually up the walkway to meet her and brushed a light kiss to her cheek. “You look incredible, cara.”
Paige thanked him in a breathless whisper because incredible didn’t even begin to describe how good Dante looked. He’d worn black slacks and a crisp white shirt that made his natural tan stand out even more. If he had a jacket, he wasn’t wearing it and he’d also gone without a tie but she couldn’t imagine any man looking more devilishly handsome than Dante did.
He’d left a few buttons undone on his shirt, just enough so that a few dark tufts of hair peeked out, and it made her want to slip her hands into the opening to feel the corded muscles beneath. Alre
ady Paige could feel her skin beginning to tingle as if a soft electrical current was flowing through her bloodstream and if he hadn’t taken her hand and led her towards the car, she probably would have bolted back up the walkway and locked herself inside the house. How was she supposed to keep her wits about her if her insides shook anytime his eyes grazed over her or he lowered his voice in that soft seductive manner?
“I am taking you some place very exclusive for dinner,” Dante told her once they’d pulled away from her house. “I put a lot of thought into where we should dine tonight because I wanted to make it special for you.”
“I hope it’s not too fancy,” Paige said, looking down at the simple but elegant black dress she’d worn.
“You are exquisite, carissima, there is no place I could take you that you would not outclass.”
A warm blush stained her cheeks. “I’m sure you’re used to dining with women who are much classier than I could ever hope to be.”
“You do not give yourself nearly enough credit, Paige.”
“I’m a daycare provider, Dante. I doubt anyone would cast me in the same league as the models and high society women you’ve been out with.”
“You should not put yourself down,” he said with a frown.
“I’m just being realistic, that’s all.”
“Then you have a very jaded sense of realism because there is not one among the lot of them who could hold a candle to you.”
She glanced over at him, a happy smile lighting her face. “I’ve really missed that about you, Dante. You always made me feel as if I was the most beautiful woman in the world when I was with you.”
“You are,” he said simply.
For a moment their eyes locked before Dante looked away. His fingers tightened around the steering wheel as he fought the need to reach over and touch her smiling lips. This was going to be much more difficult than he thought because his plans for the evening called for subtle touches that were meant to entice Paige and make her ache for more. A slow seduction over a period of a few weeks or a month seemed like such a grand idea when he’d first come up with it but he hadn’t considered the strain it would put on his own will power.
What he really wanted to do was pull over to the side of the road and lay her back over the hood of his car so he could take her in a most uncivilized manner. Just the thought of hiking Paige’s dress up and plunging deep inside of her made his body temperature spike several degrees. He wanted to watch her face as he drove himself into her and witness the moment when she let go and allowed him to bring her to a shuddering climax. He’d never experienced anything as intensely passionate and mind blowing as making love to Paige and one way or another he was going to get her back into his bed.
****
“This doesn’t look like a restaurant,” Paige said with trepidation as she peered out the window at the monstrous mansion they’d pulled in front of.
“Trust me, mia bella, the food here is mouth watering.” Dante climbed out of his car and tossed his keys to the man who seemed to have appeared from nowhere. “I will let you know when it is needed again,” he told the man as Dante strolled around to Paige’s door and helped her out.
“You said you were taking me some place exclusive,” Paige said in an accusatory tone because she was certain this was not a restaurant at all but some sort of private hotel.
“It is exclusive,” Dante insisted as he propelled her towards the door where an older gentleman was waiting to let them in.
Paige’s eyes widened at the lavish interior of the foyer and could only imagine the kind of wealth it took to build a place like this. When Dante asked if she liked it, all she could do was nod as her eyes bounced from one ornate piece of furniture to the next. She let him lead her down a marble tiled floor to a set of double doors that opened up into a cozy room where a small round table adorned with the finest china and gleaming silverware had been set for two. A dimly lit crystal chandelier hung overhead and there was soft music playing in the background.
Butterflies fluttered wildly in her stomach as she gazed around because theirs was the only table in the room and she still wasn’t entirely convinced this was a restaurant. Anxiety was riding high when Dante took the small purse she was clutching and tossed it aside before gathering her in his arms and giving her a slow, lazy kiss.
“You are the only woman I have ever brought here,” Dante told her once he’d given up possession of her lips. “I wanted you to know that so you understood just how special you are to me.”
Paige gazed up into those dark eyes, her head still reeling from his tender kiss. “Wh-where are we?”
“You have not guessed?”
“No,” she replied in a hoarse whisper, though she had her suspicions.
Dante smiled at the tremor that raced through her slender body when he pulled her more snugly against him. “Benvenuti a casa Signore Vittorio,” he said in a low, seductive voice.
Paige squeezed her eyes shut, praying for strength and silently thanking God for giving her the good sense to follow Chantel’s advice. Beneath the pricy dress she wore was a pair of faded cotton underwear that she’d rather die than let Dante see her in. She didn’t know much Italian and what she did know she’d learned from him, but she’d understood enough to interpret what he’d just said.
Welcome to the home of Mr. Vittorio.
This magnificent mansion, filled with exquisite furnishings and art pieces by some of the greatest masters who’d ever lived, belonged to Dante. Paige understood something else too; she was in big, big trouble.
Chapter 3
As seductions went, Dante thought he was pretty much at the top of his game. Oh, he hadn’t done much more than lavish her with compliments and an occasional feathery touch but Paige was as wired as a junkie priming to get a fix. Unfortunately, his little blue-eyed beauty was going to be left wanting when he took her home tonight. Regretfully, the same could be said of him but there were plenty of other women who were more than willing to alleviate his…tension if it became necessary.
“You do not like the Merluzzo in Umido?” He asked after watching her pick at her dinner for nearly ten minutes.
“Of course I do,” she took a bite to appease him.
Merluzzo in Umido was an Italian dish consisting of Cod fish stewed with wine, tomatoes, and black olives. As silly as it sounded, she’d been deliriously happy when Dante told her he’d chosen it because he remembered it was one of her favorites. The problem wasn’t the food, it was her jittery nerves. In all honesty, Dante hadn’t done a thing that would lead her to believe he was trying to get her into bed, which should have alleviated her anxiety but had just the opposite effect.
She felt like a mouse that was being toyed with and couldn’t help thinking that any minute now he was going to pounce on her. Not that she wouldn’t have loved to find the nearest flat surface and let him have his wicked way with her, but that was an impulse she couldn’t allow herself to give into no matter how tempting it was. And Lord, was it tempting, she thought as her eyes swept over the pure perfection of Dante Vittorio.
Dante smiled to himself. Paige was doing her best to play it prim and proper but he’d always been able to read her body language even when she thought she wasn’t giving off any signals. Right now she was undressing him with her eyes, remembering the feel of his skin against hers and the sheer ecstasy that rippled through her as their bodies moved together in flawless rhythm.
Dante remembered it too, but for him it was a memory that brought a bitter taste to his mouth because he’d never been able to reach that state of utter euphoria with any other woman. Not that he hadn’t tried, and not that sex with other woman hadn’t been good, it just wasn’t the same. With Paige it had been like soaring to the heavens when they’d made love, but it wasn’t just the act of sex that had taken him there. He’d held a piece of heaven merely by being with her.
Even something as seemingly insignificant as holding her hand or listening to the melodious sound of he
r laughter had brought joy to his heart. He hated it that he no longer found pleasure in those simple things, and he hated it that he wanted to reach across the table and take her hand to find out if that soft warm glow would still pulse through him just as it used to. Dante mentally shook himself. He had to get her out of his system, and the sooner the better.
“Tell me about your daycare center,” he said as their dinner dishes were taken away and replaced with dessert.
Paige dipped her spoon into the bonèt, a pudding made with amaretti and cocoa which was another favorite of hers. “I started thinking about it a few years ago and liked the idea of being my own boss and running the center the way I wanted it to be run. Too many daycare centers are simply glorified babysitters but I wanted something more for my child…children.” Paige glanced at Dante and breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn’t noticed her blunder.
VITTORIO'S MISTRESS Page 3
