Love in the City, an erotic romance novel

by Hall, Heather

  He handed her the glass. “Enjoy,” he said and quickly went to attend to the next guest.

  She took the glass and sighed. She stood to the side of the bar for awhile, then felt it was time to leave. Where to now? she wondered. She looked around and spotted a small, round standing table near some festively lit, tall indoor plants. There were a couple of empty glasses on it, but whoever had been there appeared to have left. She made her way through the crowd, heading for the small oasis.

  She set her drink down on the table and pushed the other two glasses aside. She stood with her back to the wall, watching the room. Moments later a waiter came by to clear the empty glasses. Now it was even more obvious that she was by herself. She felt very conspicuous. She just stood there for a time watching people dance. They all seemed happy and carefree, reveling in their wealth and the opulence that surrounded them.

  A couple that had been chatting with a group nearby, spotted the table. They walked over. “Do you mind if we leave these here?” the man asked, pointing to their empty glasses.

  “No, it’s fine,” Anabelle said. He thanked her and the two of them headed off back into the crowd.

  She sat there looking at the empty glasses. She felt like a human version of the discarded glasses. A table where the things that were no longer needed gathered. Feeling embarrassed, she left, deciding to just walk around and people watch for awhile, and then maybe head back outside and look at the stars.

  A couple of waiters came by offering appetizers, but Anabelle had lost her appetite.

  The music thumped, people danced, the crowd seemed bigger now and it was getting harder and harder to hear. The more people drank, the more boisterous and animated they became. A couple of times she got elbowed due to her unfortunate timing of passing by someone suddenly flinging their arms out as they shared stories with their friends. People were getting more and more drunk by the minute it seemed.

  Feeling bruised, literally and figuratively, she decided to make her way back to the balcony and away from the throng. She squeezed her way past the inebriated crowd towards the double doors. A few feet away, she stopped in her tracks. Through the tall arched windows, she spotted Giorgio outside on the balcony, standing next to a large stone column. He wasn’t alone.

  Chapter 19

  Anabelle’s breath caught in her throat. It wasn’t just that Giorgio was with someone, it was who he was with and what was going on.

  She felt conspicuous, so she found a spot that would mostly shield her from being seen, but give her a good view of them. She downed the rest of her Prosecco and set the empty glass down on a wide windowsill.

  Her heart was beating faster. She peered out. Giorgio was engaged in deep conversation, but not with Portia. With Raquel.

  Anabelle didn’t know her boss was going to be here. Raquel hadn’t said a word about it, even though she knew something was going on between her and Giorgio. She felt her face grow hot. That schemer, she thought angrily.

  She also felt angry with Giorgio. How quickly his attentions could turn, she told herself bitterly. He hadn’t told her Raquel was going to be here and he’d said he’d come find her after he was done talking to Portia. It had been almost forty-five minutes now and he obviously hadn’t come looking for her. He was busy.

  Giorgio’s back was to her. She looked at Raquel, who had outdone herself with getting dressed up for this event. She was wearing an eye-catching silky cream-colored floor-length dress. The front of it plunged down to just above her belly button and she wore a stunning and huge ruby pendant surrounded by diamonds. The bottom half of her dress was fitted around her hips and derrière and then had a subtle flare at the knees. It accentuated her hourglass figure. Her red hair was done up in elegant waves, like a ‘50s pinup model. The front panels of her dress were provocatively narrow, covering her breasts, but just so. Anabelle saw that she wasn’t wearing any kind of bra underneath her slinky dress.

  Anabelle looked around to see if anyone was taking note of her clandestine spy efforts. Everyone seemed engaged in their own worlds, caught up in the glamour of the evening and each other. She turned back to Giorgio and Raquel, trying to get a sense of what was going on in the exchange. She watched as Raquel was being overtly flirtatious. Giggling and leaning forward and touching his arm at something he said.

  Raquel then leaned back and brushed her hair behind her shoulders. She said something, then looked down and touched her pendant, which rested between her breasts. Anabelle could tell she was purposely drawing attention to her ample décolletage. Raquel lifted the pendant and grabbed Giorgio’s hand, stepping closer and placing it in his palm. She was pointing something out about the pendant. Giorgio then awkwardly let go of the pendant and pulled his hand away, placing his hands in his pockets. Raquel then leaned forward, grabbing his arm and whispering something into his ear. Anabelle watched as Raquel pressed herself against his chest. She lifted her arm to rest her hand on top of his shoulder, her dress fighting to keep her covered. She watched as Raquel’s fingers went to lace themselves in his thick hair.

  Anabelle felt herself tear up. She couldn’t watch anymore. She felt sick. She should have known. A man like that had so many opportunities all the time. He would never resist all of them. She didn’t think she could handle it. A tear fell down her cheek. She wiped it away, feeling very self-conscious. She needed to find the ladies’ room before she made spectacle of herself.

  Anabelle quickly turned away and hurried off towards the bathrooms. She made it into the furthest bathroom stall just in time before the tears started to really flow. Thankfully there was no one else in the bathroom at the moment. It was a small comfort for her. She sat down and grabbed some toilet paper, trying to catch her tears before they ruined all of her makeup. She sobbed quietly. She hated Raquel. She was stabbing her in the back and she knew it and didn’t care. Anabelle shook her head, trying to get a grip on herself. She blew her nose. She wanted to leave the ball.

  Just then, the door opened. A woman was talking on her phone. Anabelle held her breath. She didn’t want to be heard crying. She’d just have to wait until the woman left.

  “Okay, I can hear you better now,” the woman said as she entered a stall and closed the door.

  Anabelle held her breath. It was Portia. At least she thought it was. She definitely didn’t want to bump into her right now, especially in her current state. Portia would eat her alive. Anabelle stayed as still as she possibly could, not making a sound.

  “It has to be done tonight, while I’m here,” she said, keeping her voice low. “Lots of people have seen me, plus he’s going to be making an announcement in the next day or two, I just confirmed that…Yes, that’s right, it has to be timed with that…no, just post exactly what I told you, the secret overseas transfers…duping creditors…suspect timing. It will spook the investors. Right. Exactly. They’ll think he’s hiding something. He’s a new CEO, nobody trusts him anyway…yes, post it on the sites I showed you. That’s where people will be looking.”

  Anabelle heard the stall door open and footsteps head out. The bathroom door opened, then closed. She mustn’t have noticed the far stall door was closed, Anabelle thought as her heart pounded in her chest. What the heck? she wondered. She waited another couple of minutes until the coast was clear. Her tears had now dried up and she went to check herself in the mirror. As she fixed her eye makeup and reapplied her lipstick, another couple of women came in, but they didn’t pay her much attention. They were too busy gossiping about some of the other women at the event.

  Anabelle made a hasty exit, re-entering the ball. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but she needed a glass of water, so she headed back to the bar.

  “Anabelle!” a voice called out. “There you are!” It was Giorgio.

  Startled, she stopped in her tracks, her heart jumping to her throat. She turned around slowly. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say to him.

  He came up to her, making his way quickly through the crowd. “I’
ve been looking all over for you.” He reached out to take her hand, but she pulled away.

  “I doubt that,” she snapped. She couldn’t hide her anger. She wasn’t going to bother trying.

  “What does that mean?”

  “I saw you,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

  “Saw me what?” he asked, confused.

  “With Raquel,” she said, lowering her voice to avoid a scene. “Don’t try to deny it. I saw the way you two were acting. Guess I shouldn’t have gotten you all hot and bothered after all.”

  He was momentarily at a loss for words. “I didn’t do anything wrong. And if you saw me, why didn’t you come over, instead of staying out of sight and letting your imagination run away with you?”

  “You seemed busy,” she snapped.

  “Giorgio!” a woman’s voice called out. It was Raquel.

  “Just great,” Anabelle said under her breath. “I’m leaving.”

  He reached out to grab her arm. “Don’t. Stay. Please.”

  She hesitated.

  Raquel came over. “Anabelle? I didn’t realize you’d be here,” she said, looking surprised, disappointed and flummoxed all at the same time. She looked her dress over, and then glanced at the pendant Anabelle wore. “Nice outfit,” she said. It sounded more like a question than a compliment.

  Anabelle gave her a fake smile. “Thanks.” She purposely didn’t return the compliment. “I didn’t know you’d be here either.”

  “I got a last minute ticket through a friend of mine,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

  Giorgio gave Anabelle a look to say it wasn’t him.

  “Giorgio,” Raquel said, quickly changing the subject, “I forgot to mention to you when we were talking earlier that if you need anything else ahead of the presentation on Monday, I’m around all weekend.”

  Anabelle rolled her eyes. She’d had just about enough of this evening.

  “No, that’s fine thanks. Moving the presentation up by two days was plenty. I hadn’t even expected that.”

  “Well, I just wanted to make sure we were giving you the best possible service we could and not keep you waiting any longer than necessary. I know how important this is to your business.”

  “It’s all fine, really,” he said, doing his best to remain polite in what he knew was an awkward situation.

  So that was why she’d suddenly moved the deadline up, Anabelle thought angrily. It was only to impress Giorgio. She wanted to scratch her eyes out.

  Raquel looked frustrated, but tried to hide it. “Alright then, Monday it is.” She glanced at Anabelle, then to Giorgio. “Wonderful event.”

  He didn’t reply.

  Raquel took her leave, giving Anabelle a sidelong glare as she did.

  Anabelle was so flustered with emotion, she temporarily forgot about the voice she thought might be Portia.

  “Can we talk?” Giorgio asked.

  “About what?” she replied stubbornly.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” he said, exasperated, “how about why one minute you’re all over me, and the next you’re mad at me for no reason.”

  “It’s not for no reason, I saw the way you two were carrying on.”

  “If you were really watching, then you also saw how I pushed away from her and stomped off. She was being ridiculously inappropriate and obvious.”

  Anabelle hadn’t expected that response at all. She felt really bad and very embarrassed. “I-I left, I didn’t see the rest. I saw her run her fingers through your hair, then I thought I was going to be sick so I took off.”

  He tilted his head to the side, considering her words and her expression. “We need to work on getting some trust between us.”

  She looked down at the floor. He was right. “I know,” she said, sheepishly. “I’m sorry. I was being childish. I overreacted.”

  He smiled softly. “It’s alright,” he said, brushing her hair off of her shoulder. “I think your hormones are getting the better of you tonight.”

  She nodded, keeping her eyes averted. “I think so. Maybe all of this sexual tension between us is making me a little crazy.”

  “Mmmhmm. You’re not the only one, you know.”

  She looked up at him. His blue eyes were penetrating, searching. His lips so inviting. “Man, you’re gorgeous,” she said, shaking her head. “You drive me wild. I have no self-control around you. You’re just too damn sexy. There I said it.”

  His lips curved into a suggestive grin as he bent down to whisper in her ear, “And you continuously make me want to do all manner of naughty things to you. You have since the first moment I saw you. The other night was just a start.” His hands slid down her arms in a sensual touch. “In fact, it’s all I can do right now to keep from getting hard again. It’s all your fault, you know. You really should be punished for your wickedness, Anabelle Parker.” He placed his hands on her hips, tightening his grip.

  She felt her body heat up all of sudden. “You’re all talk,” she said. Whoa, she thought. What did I just say? Her mouth was writing checks she wasn’t sure if her body was ready to cash.

  He gave a low growl. He stepped closer to emphasize his size compared to hers. “Oh, you’re in trouble now, little girl.” He grabbed her hand and led her away.

  “Where are you taking me?” she asked.

  “This is a hotel. They have rooms. Lots of nice, private rooms.”

  “So what, you’re going to be like a caveman now and just drag your woman off to have your way with her?”

  He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. “That’s exactly right. You’re coming with me.” He pulled her roughly against him. “You’re going to find out the consequences of teasing a man like you’ve been doing all night.”

  Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his muscular form against her body. “Uh oh,” she said, her mouth curving into a sexy smile. She pressed her chest closer to him.

  “Uh oh is right,” he said, his blue eyes boring into her, his expression one of intense desire and lust. He dragged her away.

  Unbeknownst to them, Portia was watching them. She followed them as they headed out of the Grand Ballroom and towards the front desk. After a few minutes, they headed to the hotel room elevators. Portia stomped off in a fury, checking her phone.

  Chapter 20

  Giorgio led Anabelle up to the 17th floor. He had booked an Emperor’s Suite with a view of Central Park.

  She was suddenly nervous again. She was quiet as they walked to the room.

  Giorgio held her hand firmly.

  “What if I want to run away and escape?” she teased as they headed down the elegant hallway.

  He held her hand tighter. “You won’t get very far.”

  “What if I start to struggle?”

  He looked down at her, his blue eyes smoldering. Without a word, he scooped her up in his arms.

  She gasped, feeling a warm thrill at his strength and masculine dominance. Her heart was pounding in her chest.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” he said, his voice a low deep, growl. He marched them towards the room, her weight feeling like nothing in his arms. He set her down when they got to the room and opened the door. “Inside. Now.”

  She did as he said.

  He closed the door behind them.

  She was immediately taken with the spectacular grandeur of the room, but she was also enjoying their playful sparring. “I might scream.”

  He gave her a knowing smile. “Yes, when I’m done with you, you just might be screaming. My name.”

  She felt her arousal spiking. She gave him a coy look. “So, is it too late then to tell you I just want to be friends?”

  He laughed. “Much, much too late, I’m afraid.” He stepped closer, towering over her.

  She couldn’t speak.

  He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him in a strong grip. He bent down to kiss her, deeply, passionately as he caressed her low back and hips. His tongue found hers, probing, thrusting de
ep. Everything about him right now was letting her know who could really be in charge in this situation if she wanted to play that game.

  She responded with total femininity, submitting to his greater strength and size. She pressed her breasts and hips into him, subtly swaying her hips into his body. She felt his body respond.

  He grunted as his arousal got away from him.

  “Mmmm,” she said, breaking away. “I’m not sure, but I think you might like me.” She ran her hands down his hips and up again, stopping to grip them.

  “You’re quite right about that. Still want to just be friends?” he asked, his voice deep and husky.

  She shook her head.

  “I didn’t think so.”

  She looked down, suddenly realizing their teasing verbal foreplay was quite a ways ahead of what she was ready for. She swallowed hard as her nerves flared. Her grip loosened.

  Giorgio watched her, carefully reading her expression and body language. “Would you like to have a look around the room?” he ventured.

  She smiled. She was almost giddy with relief. “Yes, that would be great.”

  He smiled to himself. He could see the relief wash over her. He decided to take his sexually aggressive overtures down a few notches, realizing that what seemed exciting and playful to a man, could turn quickly and suddenly feel scary or threatening to a woman, knowing she could easily be overpowered.

  He held out his hand to her. “How about we start with the view?”

  “Wonderful,” she said, taking his hand. His gentle grip felt so big and strong around hers.

  “Oh wow, this is amazing,” she remarked as he led her over to the large windows. “Central Park. Right there. I’ve never been in a place that had a view like this. It’s spectacular.” She was completely taken with the place. She started to relax even more.

  Giorgio stood behind her, gently wrapping his arms around her. “I’m glad you like it,” he said in a soft voice.

  “How did you ever get a room like this last minute on Saturday night?”