Morris, Stephanie - Unfinished Business [Indulgence 3] (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Stephanie Morris

  “What do you really think, Mama?”

  Her mother smiled. “I think I trust your judgment.”

  “Mama, don’t do this to me,” Daniella replied with a groan.

  Her mother put her arm around her waist. “What do you want me to say? Do you want me to tell you what I believe, or what you want to hear?”

  She looked at her mother in shock. “What’s that supposed to mean, Mama?”

  Her mother gave her a knowing smile. “If you are looking for me to give you a reason not to give Carlo another chance, I don’t have one.”

  Daníella paused at her mother’s statement. Was that what it seemed like? Better yet, was she looking for a reason not to give Carlo a chance? Was she afraid to put herself out there again? She knew the answer to the question before she finished asking it. Yes, she was. Carlo had the power to hurt her in a way no one else could—in a way that could destroy her.

  Her mother smiled. “So if you want advice from me, I say don’t go into this with Carlo if you aren’t going to give him all of you. It wouldn’t be fair to either of you.”

  Daníella looked at her mother and smiled. “Okay, Mama, I will keep that in mind.”

  Her mother reached out and squeezed her hand. “Buon. Now, let’s go inside before we have an angry mob on our hands.”

  Daníella nodded and followed her mother into the house. Everyone was already sitting around the table waiting impatiently. A seat next to Carlo had been saved for her. She took it, giving Carlo a small smile. He leaned over and whispered to her.

  “Is everything okay?”

  She nodded. “Everything is fine.”

  Luckily the conversation turned to Nikkía and Edoardo’s upcoming wedding. She was happy for the two of them. She liked that Edoardo didn’t give in to the pouting tantrums Nikkía was known to have. He could keep her sister in line when it was needed, and Nikkía needed that more often than not. By the time dinner ended, it had been a lot less eventful than dinner at the Carabellis’. Yet, she should have known it wouldn’t last. Carlo insisted on lingering around until it was only the two of them left with her parents. He smiled at her parents, and her stomach dropped.

  “Constantin, Estelle, I thought Daníella and I would stay and talk to you, just in case you have any concerns about the plans we have.”

  She looked over at Carlo with surprise, and then she remembered the words he’d stated two nights ago. Putting her hand on Carlo’s arm, she shook her head.

  “Carlo, this isn’t necessary.”

  Her father interrupted. “Actually, I think it is.”

  Her mouth dropped open before she could stop it. The tone in her father’s voice was slightly alarming. Her father was usually a calm and rational man. However, he definitely had his limits, especially when it came to his daughters.

  “Papá!”

  Her father’s gaze met hers. “What? We all know he broke your heart when he served you with divorce papers. Even though I’m pretty certain he’s smart enough not to do it again, I still want hear what his intentions are.” Her father’s expression softened. “You are my daughter, you know.”

  She closed her eyes, not certain whether she should get angry or die of embarrassment. A glance at Carlo told her he wasn’t the least bit worried. It only made the situation more embarrassing.

  “I guess that means I’m outnumbered.”

  Carlo’s smiled widened. “You have no idea how much you look like Nikkía right now.”

  That earned him a glare. He chuckled.

  “You should keep in mind my parents won’t be around to save you later before you make statements like that.”

  Her father didn’t make the situation any better by laughing. “You two are going to be fine. The two of you need each other.” Her father’s expression became serious. “Just know if you hurt my little girl again, I will have to hurt you.”

  Carlo gave a curt nod. “I understand.”

  Daníella sighed heavily and shook her head. “Men.”

  Estelle reached out and touched her oldest daughter’s hand in a reassuring manner. “Let them have their fun. You know they don’t get to puff out their chests too often.”

  Daníella laughed at her mother’s comment before looking at her father. “I’m glad both of you are okay with this. It makes things a lot easier.”

  Her father leaned forward, brushing a kiss against her cheek. “As long as you are happy, your mother and I are happy.”

  She glanced over at Carlo, only to find he was staring at her intently. “Mom, do you need any help cleaning up?”

  Estelle shook her head. “Your father is going to help me.”

  Constantin gave his wife a look of surprise. “I am?”

  Estelle gave him a stern look. “Yes, you are because it would make me happy.”

  Constantin stood up. “Then the two of you better get going. The hour is getting late.”

  Daníella stood up, embraced her father, then her mother. “Thanks for dinner. The two of you try not to have too much fun.”

  Her father gave her a humored look before reaching out to shake Carlo’s hand. “I’ll try not to.”

  The smile on her face was still in place as Carlo drove her back to her apartment. “So do you think dinner went okay?”

  “I think it went pretty well.”

  Carlo pulled to a stop in front of her apartment. “Did it help to make your decision?”

  Daníella shook her head truthfully. “No, to be honest, it just gave me more to think about.”

  “Can you tell me what the problem is?” Carlo asked, his tone full of frustration.

  Daníella answered him honestly. “Me.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Daníella sighed heavily, leaning her head against the headrest. “It is hard for me to wrap my mind around getting involved with you again.” She lifted her head to look at him. If there was a time to be honest, it was now. “I’m so afraid of getting hurt again, Carlo.” She smiled sadly. “It almost destroyed me last time. If I were to give this—give us another chance, and we didn’t work out, this time it would destroy me.”

  She could tell Carlo knew exactly what it was she was trying to say. She could see the regret in his eyes at the hurt he caused her.

  “Look at me, Daníella. Really look at me.”

  She stared at him. He held her gaze, letting her read the strong emotion in her eyes.

  “Do you believe me when I tell you that I know it was a mistake to push you away?”

  “I do.”

  “Do you believe me when I say I want this to work out between us?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then stop thinking about all of the negatives and think of some of the positives.” He shifted toward her. “If you need help coming up with a few, I’m more than willing to loan you some.”

  She laughed at his sexual suggestive statement. “Thanks for the offer. If I need any, I’ll let you know.”

  His expression became serious. “Will you?”

  “I will, but I doubt I’ll need your assistance in that area.”

  “Why is that?”

  Her expression was sincere when she responded. “Because if there is one thing I have never doubted about you, it’s that when you say something, you mean it.”

  * * * *

  “Well, you have been smiling a lot lately.”

  Daníella looked over at Tierra, whose smile was wide and bright. “So have you.”

  Tierra shrugged her shoulders as she looked down at her wedding ring. “What can I say? I have a lot to be happy about.”

  “Yes, it looks like married life is treating you well.

  “It is treating me very well.”

  It was lunchtime, and she and Tierra were sitting at Ferroni’s waiting on Sophia, Amalía, and Talía to arrive. Two weeks had passed since dinner at her parents, and she and Carlo had gone out on a handful of dates since then. It was exciting to be courted again. She’d honestly forgotten what it could be like to b
e wanted by a man, and Carlo wanted her.

  Every time he pulled her into his arms, she felt it. Daníella felt her own desire rise anytime she looked at him. Yet, both of them had resisted temptation so far.

  “How is everything going with Carlo?”

  “Everything is fine.”

  Tierra studied her for a few moments then cleared her throat. “Has he talked to you about the reason that asked you for the divorce?”

  Daníella froze. Tierra knew the reason why Carlo ended their marriage? Why had he confided in Tierra but not her?

  Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. She wouldn’t get upset or panic. Nor would she ask Tierra to tell her what she so desperately wanted to know. This was information that she wanted to hear directly from Carlo. Deep down she knew that whatever he revealed would lead to more questions that only he could answer.

  Opening her eyes, she turned her attention back to Tierra. “He hasn’t told me yet, but we will discuss it. We have a lot to talk about. The good thing is that Carlo has changed for the better. I know you are one of the people who has had a positive influence over him, and I want to thank you for that.”

  Tierra shook her head. “Trust me, what I did was nothing. I only gave Carlo advice on something he already wanted to do.”

  “Well, your persuasion, no matter how small, was helpful.”

  Tierra shrugged her shoulders. “I’m just glad I could help.”

  “Help with what?”

  She looked up to see Sophia, Amalía, and Talía, joining her and Tierra. “I was thanking Tierra for helping Carlo come to his senses.”

  “Then, I should thank you for helping Hayden come to his as well.”

  “And maybe you could help Giovanni come to his,” Sophia muttered.

  Everyone looked up at Sophia in surprise. Her crush on Giovanni was no secret. Sophia claimed coming to work at Hotel Carabelli had fried some of her brain cells, and it was the reason her crush on Giovanni existed in the first place. Daníella knew better than to believe Sophia. All of the Carabelli men were charismatic and irresistible. It wasn’t Sophia’s fault she’d fallen for one. It could happen to anyone. As a matter of fact it had happened to several women when it came to Giovanni.

  “I don’t think Tierra can help with that one,” Amalía replied, sympathetically.

  Giovanni and Amalía had a love and hate relationship that could be described as sibling rivalry, although Daníella didn’t really consider it to be much of a rivalry. The smallest of things could set off an argument between Giovanni and Amalía. Even though he usually ended up on the losing end, it didn’t stop him from starting disagreements.

  Talía sighed dramatically. “Yes, Giovanni is a special case. You might have to call the professional in on him.”

  Amalía looked at Tierra with a small smile. “You have the best Carabelli male. Hold onto him.”

  Daníella eyebrows shot upward. “Excuse me?”

  Amalía gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry. I forgot about Carlo, who is now back in my good graces since his mood has improved.”

  “Don’t forget, Leo and Macéo are decent as well,” Talía inserted.

  Amalía nodded reluctantly, giving Sophia a playful smile. “Seems like you chose the wrong Carabelli.”

  A determined look appeared on Sophia’s face. “Oh no, I have chosen the right Carabelli. He just doesn’t know it yet.”

  “It sounds like another Carabelli is about to be reformed,” Talía responded with a laugh.

  Amalía sighed dramatically. “I can only hope so.”

  “I hope you all know what you want to eat because our waitress is heading our way,” Tierra stated.

  A few minutes later their waitress walked away with their order. Sophia turned her attention to Tierra and Daníella.

  “Enough about my depressing love life, or rather lack thereof. What were the two of you talking about before we arrived?”

  Daníella shrugged. “Nothing very significant. We were waiting on you guys, but Tierra and I were simply talking about how things are going between me and Carlo.”

  “And what was your answer?” Talía asked, leaning forward.

  “Things are going very well between us.”

  Talía leaned even closer and whispered so low, it was a strain to hear her. “Have the two of you done it yet?”

  Sophia gasped in shock, and Daníella could only laugh. “Talía, I swear the only thing you think about is sex.”

  Talía nodded without hesitation. “I will leave the aches and pains of falling in love to you guys. I just want a guy who can make me forget my name when I have an orgasm.”

  Sophia groaned as she began to blush. “Talía! For goodness’ sake.”

  The level of laughter rose around the table, and Talía shook her head. “Sophia, I swear there are times when you act like you have never been touched by a man.”

  “There are times when it seems that way,” Sophia muttered in reply.

  Daníella couldn’t resist teasing Sophia. “Don’t worry, Sophie. You will find a man that will make you forget your name.”

  Sophia gave her a dirty look, but it was ruined when she smiled. “I’m sure I will, and when I do, I’ll be smart enough not to tell you.”

  Tierra smiled. “Yes, you will. When it’s that good, you have to tell at least one person.”

  Their food arrived, calling a brief halt to their conversation.

  After their waitress left, Talía raised her glass. “I would like to make a toast.” Everyone raised a glass in response, and Talía spoke with a smile. “May we all find what we are looking for in life and men.”

  Everyone touched glasses and drank heartily to the toast. The rest of lunch was as eventful as it always was. By the time they arrived back at the hotel, it was clear work wasn’t going to get done the rest of the day. Daníella smiled as she spotted Antonio. It seemed as if he were waiting for Tierra.

  He shook his head as he smiled. “And you wonder why we don’t want the five of you going out to lunch together.”

  Amalía gave him a defiant look. “At least we came back.”

  His eyebrows rose in amusement as he pulled Tierra into his arms. “That remains to be seen.”

  Daníella laughed. Fortunately she didn’t have any work to go back to. Silvana and Nikkía had snatched up the tours for the afternoon. So she was free for the rest of the evening. She planned to use the time to relax.

  Talía was the first to break away. “I have a meeting with Leo concerning some new advertisements, so I will talk to all of you later.”

  “I need to get back to the hospitality desk.” Sophia stated, as she walked away.

  Amalía smiled. “I’m going to go check on Hayden and make sure you all aren’t working him to death.”

  Tierra said a brief good-bye to Daníella before pulling Antonio off in the direction of his office. She was left standing by herself trying to figure out what she was going to do for the rest of the day. Stopping to see Carlo seemed like a good place to start. He’d been on her mind all day. She started toward his office then stopped. If she knew Carlo, he probably hadn’t had lunch yet. She decided to stop by the hotel’s restaurant to grab him a bite to eat. Several minutes later, she headed toward his office with a take-out container in her hands. A short time later she knocked on his door.

  “Who is it?”

  “Room service,” she replied before opening the door. Carlo sat behind his desk with an amused look on his face.

  “I don’t know what I did to deserve free room service, but I’ll take it.”

  Daníella smiled as she crossed the room and sat the container down. “I’m glad you are so agreeable. Is there anything else I can get you?”

  She shivered at the intense look he gave her. That look could only mean one thing. He chuckled as she stepped back out of his reach.

  “Don’t you trust me, tesoro mio?”

  “Yes I do, but I know your limits. Now isn’t the time or place.”

  H
is expression softened slightly. “You are right, Daníella, but when it is, I’m sure it will be something neither of us will forget.”

  Chapter Seven

  “You look like you’re miles away.”

  “Hmm?” Daníella looked at Carlo in time to see him smile at her. “What did you say?”

  “I said you look as though you are miles away. Is everything okay?”

  Daníella nodded. She’d been busy staring at the couples on the dance floor. They were at Pierelli’s, a restaurant she and Carlo had always loved to eat at when they were married. They had indulged themselves at least once a month. Maybe more if they felt like it.

  Another couple moved across the dance floor, and she watched them until the sound of Carlo putting his fork down made her look over at him. He was smiling at her.

  “Would you like to dance?”

  Daníella nodded quickly because she really wanted to dance with him. It had been a long time since she’d been in his arms. The last time she’d felt this longing had been at Antonio and Tierra’s wedding.

  When everyone had joined the newlywed couple on the dance floor, she’d snuck off to the bathroom, hiding out until most of the dancing was over. Tierra had insisted on pairing the two of them together for the wedding party, but Daníella had refused to let it go any further. Now looking across the table at Carlo, she could tell the reason he wanted to dance with her had nothing to do with sympathy. He stood up and held his hand out, and she took it, following him to the dance floor. Carlo drew her into his arms, and it was like coming home. She let him hold her as tightly as he wanted because she didn’t mind. It felt good to have his strong arms around her. Daníella lifted her head and looked into his eyes.

  Carlo lowered his head giving her a brief kiss. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?”

  “Not tonight.”

  “Well, let me correct the oversight.” He brought his hand up and brushed it across her cheek. “You look very beautiful tonight.”

  She leaned into his touch, giving him a small smile. “Thank you.”

  Carlo pulled her close again, and they danced until the song ended. He led her back to the table as the next song began, and they resumed eating. When the food was gone, he looked over at her.