by Unknown
"Are you okay?" he asked. His voice had deepened and his sexy, Italian accent was doing crazy things to Tammy.
Attempting to recover, she placed her hands on his chest. Her initial intent was to push him away, but she found herself all but caressing him. Luca gathered a handful of her hair and pulled her head back.
Tammy looked into sexy, dark eyes that promised danger. She wanted to run her fingers across the smooth, dark skin of his chiseled face and kiss his full lips.
This man would be downright pretty if he didn't look as if he could kill a man in the blink of an eye, she thought. Her nipples instantly tightened. Tammy knew that she should run screaming as far away from Luca Savelli as she could, but the man had hypnotized her.
"Scusami." The nurse's voice did little to snap Tammy out of her hypnosis.
"Scusami!" she repeated with more volume, earning a glare from Luca.
Tammy was suddenly able to pull herself together and tear herself out of Luca's arms. She mumbled her apology to the nurse and scurried down the hall.
When she rounded the corner and spotted Jack and Victoria waiting for her at the elevator, she wondered if they'd witnessed her complete lack of control with Luca.
"Where's Luca?" Jack asked, when she made it to the elevator.
"Um. He's was talking to Gianni."
Before Jack could respond, Luca rounded the corner. He walked toward the elevator, never taking his eyes off of Tammy.
“Okay good. Let's go. I'm starving," Victoria said, as she pushed the call button. "Catarina is cooking dinner for the family."
"Where's Tracy?" Tammy asked, looking around.
"She’s riding with Francis," Jack responded.
When the elevator arrived, Tammy glanced at Luca, who was still staring at her. She quickly averted her eyes and hurried inside. Victoria looked curiously at Tammy, but followed her inside without commenting. They rode in silence to the ground floor and made their way out of the hospital doors. All the while, Tammy could feel Luca's eyes on her ass.
She followed Jack and Victoria to a waiting car. The driver hopped out of the driver's seat and walked around to open the back door. Tammy couldn't even imagine a life where everything was at your disposal, but since she and Natasha had become such good friends over the past year, she was experiencing a little bit of how the other half lived.
She wasn't surprised that they'd gotten so close. Since the day they'd met they had been protective of each other. From the moment Natasha walked into that lockdown, Tammy could tell that she didn't belong there. She did everything that she could to make Natasha more comfortable. Then Natasha risked her career to give her the heads-up about a police raid, enabling Tammy to avoid jail. And even though she hated the fact that she'd gotten involved with that smooth talking psycho cop, Deon, Tammy was happy that she could warn Gianni about Deon's diabolical plan to have her kidnapped by the Russian Mafia.
She couldn't have been blessed with a more supportive and loving friend. Not to mention, Natasha had a wonderful new family that had welcomed Tammy and her son with open arms. They were fun and uncomplicated, until now.
Where in the hell did hot ass Luca Savelli come from? Hell, Jack and Gianni were too much eye candy for a girl who had made a vow of celibacy. A vow of celibacy that was triggered by the constant occurrence of falling for losers.
Unfortunately, guys assumed that being an exotic dancer was synonymous with being a whore. And, since Tammy was a romantic, she had fallen for the wrong man with the right line too many times. She was determined to change that pattern. So the sexy, dangerous, Italian hunk was not an option.
As Tammy climbed into the car, she heard Jack ask Luca if he was planning to ride with them. And when he said that his car was in the lot, Tammy was actually disappointed. It must have been obvious by her expression, because when she looked at Victoria, she was staring. Victoria's smirk told her that she was on to her.
"What the hell you lookin’ at?" Tammy mumble under her breath.
"A trapped animal," Victoria responded, with a chuckle. "Luca is gonna devour you."
"Luca ain't gonna do shit to me."
Victory giggled. “Okay. We'll see."
“Okay... Okay... He might Vic," Tammy said in a panic. "Please don't let him. I need you to run interference. Please."
Before Victoria could respond, Jack got in the car, but her smirk was evidence that she was clearly amused.
Maybe twenty minutes later, they were pulling into a driveway in front of Jonathan and Catarina's gorgeous home. Tammy, who loved gardening, marveled at the colorful tropical plants that surrounded the house. She wondered if Catarina actually did the gardening herself. Being from the south, she was more than at home with her hands in the dirt. But her real goal in life was to become a fashion designer. And although her dream was to design gowns, for the last couple of years, Tammy had been constructing sexy costumes for exotic dancers all over Chicago. Nevertheless, she saved every dime that she could, after rent, utilities, and food, to make her dream come true.
When the door opened, they all filed out of the car.
Tammy found herself aimlessly wandering over to a bed of flowers. They were a dark pinkish color with subtle white stripes.
Absolutely extraordinary. She kneeled to inhale its fragrance when she heard the soft voice of a woman behind her.
"Do you fancy the tropical?" Catarina asked.
"I do, Mrs. Storm,” Tammy responded, as she stood.
"Please call me Catarina... Hello."
"Hello,” she greeted. “Do you do the gardening yourself?"
"Well, of course, dear."
Tammy was blown away. She just couldn't picture the beautiful, sophisticated Catarina Storm on all fours with her fingers in the ground.
"Sicilian Honey Lily," Tammy whispered, as she ran her fingers over the soft petals.
"Yes," Catarina responded, obviously surprised that Tammy could identify the flower.
"Would you like to gather some for Natasha tomorrow?"
"Really?"
"Si."
"Catarina, I would love that."
"Bene. Come. Let's go eat.”
Tammy followed Catarina inside. The delicious aroma reminded her of just how hungry she was. She wanted to wash her hands before dinner, but the house was huge, and she'd never find the bathroom without direction.
"Can you direct me to the washroom?"
"Down this hall, make a left, and it's the door at the very end of that hall,” Catarina instructed.
“Thank you."
Tammy made her way down one hall, then the other, where she found the bathroom. After doing her business, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Nine hours of travel and no sleep was evident in her bloodshot eyes. She washed her hands and splashed water on her face. After brushing her hair and dabbing on a little lip gloss, she grabbed her purse and walked out of the bathroom; once again, smack into Luca's hard body.
“God! What is it with you? Do you just stand outside of doors and wait for folks to run into you?"
In response, Luca raised one eyebrow. He clearly wasn't accustomed to anyone speaking to him in such a manner, and Tammy understood why. Although he was beyond good-looking, he looked downright lethal—until he smiled, showing perfect white teeth. His brown eyes sparkled and his expression was playful.
"Only the doors that separate me from you." His voice was alluring. "You are a beautiful woman, Tammy."
"Thank you," she muttered, while attempting to ease by him, but Luca placed his arm on the wall, blocking her escape.
"Are you not attracted to me, Tammy?" he asked, dangerously too close to her ear.
"Luca, you're very attractive, but you already know that. The thing is...." Tammy used her failsafe rejection. "... I'm a lesbian."
Luca chuckled, shaking his head. “Liar," he whispered against her temple. "Your nipples are tearing through your shirt, and I can practically smell your arousal."
Tammy tensed when he touched her
bare skin. His fingers glided slowly down her belly, over her belly ring. She could feel her nipples tightening and her core tingling. She was paralyzed, unable to run even if she wanted to. It was as if her feet were cemented to the floor. As Luca's hand slid around her waist, to the small of her back, his sweet masculine scent crippled her senses, so much so that she almost didn't hear Victoria loudly clearing her throat.
Luca reluctantly took a step backward and gave Victoria a look that would terrify most, but Victoria wasn't fazed.
"Everyone is waiting for the two of you," she said, crossing her arms.
Tammy, grateful for the interference, hurried over to Victoria. But, before she could reach her, she tripped over her own foot. She quickly recovered and followed Victoria down the hall.
"The gracefulness of a dancer," Victoria muttered, sarcastically.
"Shut up!"
"Thank God that I showed up when I did. Thirty seconds more and you would've been pregnant."
"I know right," Tammy mumbled. "Let's get through this dinner so I can take my weak ass home."
An hour later, Tammy was having the time of her life with Natasha's huge family, who had traveled to Palermo to celebrate the arrival of the new baby. Even her best friend, Malik, had arrived with his husband, just in time for dinner. It was amazing how Natasha went from having no family to having family on two continents.
Unlike Natasha, Tammy's entire family consisted of her father and son. Beverly, her heroin addicted mother, left her and her father when she was seven. Tammy's heartbroken father searched the streets of New Orleans for more than two years before taking a job at Amtrak and moving them to Chicago.
Jean-Paul Beauvais had always been a hardworking, caring, and loving father, who did the best he could to raise a daughter on his own. And, although he was an extremely handsome man, he never remarried. His focus was his little girl, and now his grandson, David. And now that he was retired, he spent practically all of his time with David, whom he was extremely close to. He was the son her father never had. Tammy smiled as she thought about the two most important men of earth.
"Hey, what's got you smiling over there?" Jack asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"Thinking about my two men."
“And how are your men?" Victoria asked.
"They're good, but I miss them. Hey, where's Jasmine?"
"She's with Amy and Mia. They're getting practice. They wanna adopt."
"Wow. For Real? That's cool."
"Yeah, I agree," Jack said, proudly
"So, do you guys miss your baby?"
"Nope," Jack and Victoria responded at the same time.
They chuckled and gave each other knowing looks. Tammy knew what that look was all about. The couple planned to get it on while they were childless in Sicily.
They were all staying at Gianni and Natasha’s house, which was directly across the road from Gianni's parents; except for Luca, who had a house in Palermo. Tammy had been stealing glances at him all during dinner, but he was openly watching her.
Luca Savelli, as fine as you are, you are not about to use me to get another notch on your bedpost.
Five months later...
CHAPTER 3
JACK
Jack watched the blows being thrown between Victoria and Luca. They were in their home gym sparring. Luca was in town for Victoria's Sickle Cell Ball, and he wasn't at all happy about being auctioned off, and by the jabs Luca was throwing, Jack could swear that he was taking it out on his wife's ribs.
Jack watched Luca place Victoria in different locks and holds, forcing her to submit, having to keep a constant chant going in his head to keep from kicking Luca's ass.
Victoria had been studying martial arts for years. She was formidable in Karate, Aikido, and some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but Luca was teaching her new techniques under the umbrella of Grappling.
When Luca placed Victoria in a tight choke hold, causing her to tap out and gasp for air, instinctively, Jack jumped from his seat. It was automatic reflex, because he knew that Luca would never hurt Victoria. And once she recovered, she was gearing up for another round.
When Luca grabbed her from behind, Jack was about to call for a timeout, but Victoria suddenly dropped to her knees and threw her head back into Luca's groin, causing him to lose his balance. Then she quickly snatched both of his ankles and yanked them forward, sweeping Luca clean off of his feet. He hit the mat with a thud and Victoria threw a hard elbow to his gut. Luca was still cursing in Italian when Victoria's phone rang. She hopped off the mat and ran to grab her phone.
"That's probably Natasha," Victoria said, through heavy breathing. “We gotta meet the event planner at the country club.”
Jack admired her ass in the tight yoga pants, and if Luca wasn't in the room, he would've extended her workout. His pants became uncomfortably tight as he imagined her on all fours in the middle of the mat.
Jack was about to adjust himself when he heard Luca's voice. "She is a quick study. You'd better be on your best behavior; she might kick your ass."
"Not in this lifetime, but I’ll let her pretend," Jack chuckled.
Luca laughed and asked, "Have you been keeping up with your training?"
"Twice a week."
"Good. We'll have go a few rounds before I leave."
"How long will you be in town?"
"I'm leaving right after this dreadful benefit," Luca grumbled.
"I heard that!" Victoria yelled, over her shoulder.
"It's a good cause,” Jack told him. “The women here love tall, dark, and handsome Sicilians. You'll make a killing for the charity."
"Ugh," Luca groaned.
"It'll be fun,” Victoria told him. “And, maybe Tammy will bid on you. I heard that you’ve been calling her."
"Mind your business, nosey American woman," Luca mumbled, before grabbing a towel and walking out of the gym.
Victoria and Jack laughed at Luca's feigned irritation. They both knew that he had a thing for Tammy, but big, bad Luca pretended not to be interested when they were around.
Jack walked over to Victoria and pulled her in his arms.
"Baby, I'm all sweaty."
"The smell of your sweat is an instant cock hardener. You should patent it and sell it," Jack teased, donning a super sexy smirk.
"Oh, baby, how I wish I had more time, but Tasha's on her way up the drive, and I need to shower."
"Well, I'll just have to meet you in the shower," he grumbled, while groping her ass.
“Okay, big man, but whatever it is that you're trying to do, you only got five minutes to do it," Victoria giggled.
GIANNI
Gianni was exhausted. He was sure that Gio would sleep at least a few hours during the eight hour flight from Paris, but he couldn't have been more wrong. His little monster talked, cooed, and/or cried the entire flight. Gianni was missing his wife for more reasons than one.
Natasha had flown to Chicago four days before. Her intentions were to fly in a few days earlier to help Victoria with her annual Sickle Cell Ball. This year Victoria was auctioning off bachelors. And after an awful lot of coaxing, Victoria had convinced Francis and Luca to participate.
When the car stopped in front of their Chicago home, Gianni covered his son's face with a blanket and stepped out of the limo. He really didn't miss the "Windy City" in the least. It was filled with horrible memories of his wife being kidnapped and sold into human trafficking. His cousin was shot, Victoria was stalked and terrorized by a sadistic serial killer, and their little girl was taken by his psychotic ex sex buddy, with the help of Victoria's "frienemy," Deon. Yeah, Gianni couldn't wait to get back to Paris.
With Gio and diaper bag in tote, Gianni walked through the building and stepped into the elevator. He pulled back the blanket to find Gio happily sucking on the pacifier that Natasha hated, but that he found necessary. Since she was constantly throwing them away, Gianni had them hidden all over the house. Whenever Natasha wasn't looking he'd stuff one in his son's mouth. Gi
anni smiled, thinking about Natasha with her hands on her hip, whining, "Giaaaani," every time she'd find one of the little “life savers” in Gio's mouth.
When the elevator arrived, Gianni stepped into the penthouse. He walked over to the sofa and dropped the diaper bag on a table.
"Ciao Gianni!" His mother shouted from the kitchen.
"Buonasera Mamma." Catarina entered the living room, drying her hands with a dishtowel. Her face lit up as soon as her eyes landed on Giovanni.
"Mio bambino," she sang.
She tossed the towel over her shoulder and hurried across the room. She was making a beeline for her grandson, and Gianni wasn't about to stand in her way. He placed Giovanni in her arms; happy to hand him over so that he could take a much needed nap.
"Mamma, do you know where Natasha is?"
"She and Tammy went to the country club to help Victoria."
“Okay. Well, I'm going upstairs for a bit."
"Si. You look a mess,"
"Grazie," Gianni grumbled.
He kissed his mother's forehead and ran his fingers through Gio's curly black hair. Gianni stared into his beautiful green eyes and saw Natasha. Their son was the spitting image of his beautiful wife. "Selene will be here in a couple of hours. She's coming to help with Gio. If you need me, I'll be upstairs."
"I won't need you, ragazzo. I have done this before. Go to bed."
Gianni didn't have to be told a second time. He turned and made his way up to his bedroom, stripped down to his boxers, and collapsed on his bed.
NATASHA
When she got home, she immediately went in search of Gio. When she got to where he was, he was fast asleep in his crib with a pacifier in his mouth. Natasha wanted to take it, but she was no fool. Gio would immediately protest, and no one would get any sleep. So Natasha covered him with his blanket and went into their connecting bedroom, to find Gianni soundly sleeping.
