by Anise Storm
“Neither of us has an Aunt Bea, and most of the other girls are beautiful too.”
“Exactly, Lania. Oh, there he is.” Before she could ask Jade who she was talking about, her friend sauntered over to a store employee that had to be the infamous Frederique. The two were having an animated conversation and then turned and walked back over to her. “He said there is a sexy black number that is set to go on the shelves Monday. If any of those hags wear it then, they will simply be a cheap substitute for you.”
Lania shook her head at Jade. “What size are you, ma’am?” the man asked.
“I’m a four,” she replied with a smile. He disappeared into the back, and she watched Jade flip through the racks. “Hey, how are you buying something from there but I can’t?”
“Because,” she said with a giggle, “I’m not trying to impress anyone but a potential client. You’d be surprised how much a push-up bra and cleavage baring dress can help in negotiations.”
Frederique reemerged holding up a black dress that Lania could already tell would be perfect. Taking it from him, she went to the dressing room to try it on. Once inside, she hung it up and got a full length view of it. The back would go all the way down to her feet, but the front barely went halfway down her thigh. She smirked, knowing if this didn’t get his attention then nothing would.
She quickly removed her other clothes and slipped the dress on. It was absolutely gorgeous, and hearing Jade remind her to show them how it looked, Lania opened the door and stepped out of the small stall. They both whistled, and she smiled brightly. This was the one.
A few minutes later, Lania paid for her purchase and then she and Jade went back outside. She had a jewelry box full of jewelry, so all she needed to complete the look was a sexy pair of heels that screamed “fuck me” even though it would be a cold day in Hell before he ever got that chance again.
As she draped her bag over the passenger side seat, she was about to ask Jade for shoe suggestions. Her best friend had a serious shoe fetish, especially heels, and at last count, had over two hundred pairs. All of the girls had a similar shoe size and most could wear any from J’s collection. Her friend started walking toward her with a Giuseppe Zanotti bag. Lania knew instantly that her friend had already thought about shoes.
“I just got these last night, but you’re free to borrow them.” She reached into the bag and produced a pair of black stilettos with a gold leaf design in the front. They were gorgeous.
Lania’s eyes lit up as she ran her fingers over the gold. At Jade’s urging, she slipped off her sandals and tried one of them on. They were a perfect fit. Having friends with the same clothing or shoe size was such a bonus. “I love them,” she said and then noticed the price tag. Yikes!
“Great, then just give them back to me on Thursday when we meet back up for girls’ night in again,” Jade said while looking down at her watch. “I should head out of here so I’m not late. I’m showing a mansion just south of Miami.”
“Okay, and thanks so much for helping me today.” She hugged Jade tightly. “I love you, babe.”
“Right back at-cha,” she replied and then quickly added, “Call me on Sunday and tell me all about the party.”
“I will,” she promised and then waved at Jade and got in her own car. With the dress and shoes taken care of, she would just need to squeeze some time in for a manicure/pedicure and then she’d be all set. She didn’t want to even go to the party, but since her parents basically guilt-tripped her into it, she would make sure Mario De Palma was as miserable there as she would be. Lania was sure once he received a brush-off, he’d know how it felt and would be in the same mood as her.
Grinning, she put her sunglasses on and started her car. If everything went according to plan, maybe this trip back home wouldn’t be so terrible after all. Hoping she was right and not being overly optimistic, she headed back down Collins Avenue to Basilico.
Chapter 4
LANIA TURNED INTO HER parents’ driveway and saw over a dozen other vehicles parked up and down the long winding drive. She had no doubt that the party was already in full swing. When she had to squeeze her Cayman into a space close to the mailbox, her master plan of arriving late so she could make an entrance seemed like the wrong one.
It also seemed to be the wrong one as she started walking up the cobblestone driveway in the heels she borrowed from Jade. Lania hadn’t even made it halfway up it when her feet started to hurt. How her best friend could wear shoes like these and run around in them all day was still a mystery to her. She thought about removing them and finishing the ascent barefoot until she looked down at her perfectly manicured feet. Knowing that she needed every part of her to be perfect for when Mario saw her, she cursed under her breath and continued toward the house, wincing from time to time.
She finally reached the front door and opened it. As she assumed earlier, the place was already packed. She made her way through them and eventually saw her mother. When Carlotta also spotted her, she made her way over and enveloped her daughter in a hug.
“I’m glad you made it, Melania,” she said cheerfully. “Your father is around here somewhere.”
“Okay,” Lania responded. “I’ll find him in a few minutes.” Her mother then moved away to chat with some of her bridge partners, leaving Lania standing there. Maybe she would go look for her dad, Gorgio, now.
As she walked through the large grand room, smiling at many of her parents’ friends, she finally saw her father deep in conversation with someone. It was a man, and as she got closer, Lania froze. It wasn’t just anybody, though, it was her nemesis. She thought she was ready to deal with Mario De Palma, but just seeing him standing there she realized she wasn’t.
Turning abruptly, she slipped away before either man could see her. There had to be somewhere she could go for some privacy on this estate. After all, it was sprawling. The Mediterranean villa was six bedrooms with seven bathrooms and sat on over eight acres of land, most of which contained the house, travertine patio, and large swimming pool. Until she was about nine, she used to get lost often. It didn’t help when a younger Mario would lead her to more remote parts of the property and leave her there.
The more she thought about him, the more Lania realized what a jerk he had always been. Mario seemed to derive pleasure in seeing her miserable. Their last encounter was the worst of the worst. She should have known better while in Italy, just as she should have known not to listen to him throughout her childhood and teenage years. That naïve girl was gone and this strong woman who replaced her would never get caught up in anything like that.
Smiling to herself, she weaved through the crowd and ran smack-dab into Salvatore and Isabella De Palma. “Melania, darling. It’s so nice to see you again,” the elegant brunette said as she pulled her into a hug.
Lania hugged her and gritted her teeth, not wanting to be rude and remind her that she hated going by her full name. She ignored it and then hugged Mario’s father.
“You look beautiful. Have you seen Mario yet?” Salvatore asked, and she nodded.
“Thanks and yes, I saw him a few minutes earlier.” There was no way Lania would tell them that she was purposely avoiding Mario and trying to get out of sight so he wouldn’t see her. She smiled at them and then excused herself, finally making her way onto one of the four terraces.
There was a breeze coming off the Intracoastal Waterway, causing her to shiver. She ignored the temperature and walked over to the custom railing that her parents had carved and then covered in the same travertine they used to line the floors. Lights throughout the property illuminated the entire area and if there weren’t so many palm trees scattered all over the place, Lania would’ve been able to see all the way down to the water.
She couldn’t see it, but she could hear it. The sound of water lapping against their dock was a sound she’d become very used to hearing as she grew up here, and in a way it actually relaxed her. It was just like the waves crashing against the shore at her condo. Many nigh
ts were spent sitting out on her balcony just looking at the ocean in all its glory.
She shivered again as another strong gust of wind kissed her bare shoulders. Her dress itself had two mid-sized straps that held the backless creation up. The front was just as revealing as the slit at the top went all the way down her chest, allowing a side view of her breasts, which thankfully for her, were small enough to not require a bra and firm enough to sit up perfectly on their own. The back of her dress started just above her ass and went all the way down to her feet.
The heels on this particular pair of shoes were an inch higher than the ones she normally wore but that was for the best. The dress itself was very long and while average in height, she was nowhere near as tall as some of her other friends. Lania needed every extra inch she could get so she didn’t end up walking on the back of her dress, or even worse, getting her shoes tangled up and falling flat on her face.
The front of her dress was very short, and she could feel the goosebumps already rising on her flesh the longer she stood out here. Lania realized that it might be time to go in and try to hide out more. Her room was on the other wing, and if she slipped through the crowd again, she might make it across the room to that corridor. Deciding that she would risk it, she brought one leg up on the bench so she could rub the raised bumps away. She did her right leg first and then her left before she turned and froze dead in her tracks.
“Little Melania Barone,” Mario drawled as he leaned against the stucco exterior wall.
Lania shot him a glare but couldn’t resist soaking in the magnificent male sight in front of her. All blacked out, he was even sexier than she remembered him being. His pants, shirt, and even suit jacket were the same shade of ebony that his eyes had been that night in the pool.
Her knees weakened slightly in remembrance, but Lania forced herself to keep it together. While he still had the same facial features, they were more defined now, almost as if they’d grown more rigid over the past three years. His beard had grown out from the light stubble he used to have, and she closed her eyes briefly, imagining what it would feel like against her skin if he were to graze the inside of her inner thighs with it.
“Does the cat have your tongue, Melania?” he asked again in a voice that dripped with arrogance.
Opening her eyes, she rolled them at him and walked briskly to the door. Mario blocked her path, and she gave him a look that would tell him exactly where she wanted him to go. “No, you’re just not worth my time. If you’ll excuse me,” she said, pushing at his chest. Damn, it seemed even harder than before, as if it were made from granite. She could only imagine how delectable he would look naked now.
“Your dad was telling me that you showed up tonight to see me. If that’s true, then—” he began to say and her jaw dropped. How could her father do that to her?
“It’s not. Trust me when I say that my presence here is under duress only. I wouldn’t drive a mile to see you, so…” Instinctively, her hands went to her hips, and she realized she probably looked thirteen again. Dropping them to her side, she looked up at him and thankfully didn’t do something embarrassing like swallow her tongue.
“Is that so?” he said as he grinned at her.
The air seemed to crackle around them, and she could feel the sexual tension only building. Lania needed to get away and just when she was about to make her move, she heard a sound from behind him in the doorway.
“I’m glad you two finally found each other. I’ll give you kids some time alone to catch up,” her father, also known as Benedict Arnold, exclaimed merrily.
Lania should have known that this party was a set-up. Why their parents harbored fantasies about the two of them falling in love and bearing Barone-De Palma heirs was beyond her. It wasn’t as if she and Mario had ever gotten along a single day of their lives.
“You heard the man,” Mario told her.
She could hear the chuckle in his voice, and she wondered whether he realized how affected she was by him. Of course he does, she thought to herself. Why else would he do everything in his power to annoy her?
Wanting to have the upper hand for once, she pressed herself against him and ran one of her hands down his chest and then lower. Rubbing his erection, she smirked and then gave it a squeeze. His low growl didn’t go unnoticed and only then did she loosen the pressure. “The only catching up I care to do with you involves ball busting, so if you’re not up for that, then kindly step out of my way.”
Surprisingly, Mario stepped back, and she removed her hand. Lania seized the moment, side-stepping him and stopping as she reached the doorway. “Mario,” she called out to him and when he turned, she blew him a kiss. “It was a pleasure seeing you again. I’d just suggest that you wear a cup the next time we meet.”
She saw his eyes darken as a flash of anger shot through them that had her smiling to herself as she walked back into the house. Bless Niles and her bad-assery. A comeback like that was something she witnessed her blond friend do more than once to some foolish chap at Delirium.
She decided to spend some time in her room and then slip out of the house. Her feet were killing her, and she was already picturing the long, hot bubble bath she would take when she got back to South Beach. Lania had made it almost to the hallway when she felt someone grab her arm. She tried to spin around to see who it was, but the woodsy notes of amber and moss in his cologne gave him away.
Damn, he smells good. She found herself involuntarily inhaling his masculine scent until she realized what she was doing. “Would you let me go,” she hissed. “Now!”
“No,” he stated matter-of-factly. Lania felt herself being dragged down the hall until he reached her father’s study.
Once inside, he let her go and this time, she did spin around to glare at him. “What the fuck, Mario?”
Suddenly, that smirk reappeared, and Lania swallowed hard. There was a hint of wickedness in his eyes, and she started feeling faint. She had to get the hell out of there before she embarrassed herself. As she tried to step around him, he hauled her against his chest. Oh hell!
“Did you enjoy teasing me out there, Melania?” he asked as he tipped her chin up, holding her head in place so she couldn’t look away.
Ever defiant, Lania merely arched a brow as if to let him know that she was completely unaffected. It wasn’t true, but Mario didn’t have to know that. “Teasing would imply that I want to play with you, De Palma, which is the last thing I want to do. I don’t play games, although, I’m sure you still do.”
His grin widened and before she could even blink, Mario pinned her against the wall. The wood was cool on her bare flesh that had heated up considerably in the few minutes since she’d been outside. “I’ve invented most of those games.”
She snorted at his arrogance and was about to refute that when he leaned in close enough that his warm breath was inches from her lips. She had no idea why, but she ran her tongue over them. “I know you still want me.”
“Ha! The only thing I want is for you to leave me the hell alone,” she responded, and inwardly she cursed the breathy tone of her voice.
Mario caught her by surprise again when he slipped his hand between her legs. Lania couldn’t help gasping as his hand brushed against her rapidly dampening panties. Rubbing the silky material over her mound, she could feel a familiar ache return. “Your body is singing a much different tune, Melania.”
“Stop calling me that,” she ground out between gritted teeth before countering, “I didn’t even want you the one time I had you.”
Mario chuckled. “Liar,” he spat out and then gripping her arms when she tried pushing him away, he flattened them along with the rest of her body against the wall, and this time his mouth found hers.
Lania shook her head, frantically trying to get herself out of this predicament, but the hold he had on her severely limited any chance of escape. Reluctantly, she gave in, returning the kiss with equal parts fury and desire, even moaning when she felt him grind his erection agains
t her belly.
He groaned and the sound sent shockwaves shooting through her. This man and what Arielle usually referred to as “devil penis magic” was tearing down her resistance. Her knees buckled, but she didn’t fall to them, even though the prospect of doing so and pulling out the iron hard cock pressed against her to taste him was starting to appeal even more to her.
Mario released one hand, slipping his back between her legs, which widened apart on instinct. Deft fingers pushed aside the silky material and entered her core. Lania whimpered against him as he thrust them in and out. She’d been primed on the edge for days, unable to give herself the final push needed to explode. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing to allow him to help her with that, especially considering it was his fault to begin with.
Her free hand moved to his broad shoulders and then down his back. Those long digits continued to stroke her intimately, then as quickly as it started, he withdrew them and stepped back. “Don’t you ever lie to me again,” he told her as his entire demeanor changed. “You want me badly, little girl, but I don’t play with children. When you grow up and want to act like a woman instead of a dick-teasing teenager, look me up.”
Lania tried to process his words as they spilled from his mouth and only when they finally registered did she react. Instead of verbally sparring with him, she simply raised her hand and slapped him across the face.
A feral grin reappeared on his face as he wiped his lip. “For that, be prepared to beg for it next time.” And just like that, he left her standing there stunned, while he stormed out of the study.
Even though he wasn’t there to see it, she still gave him a middle finger salute and then flopped down in a nearby chair. Her pulse was erratic, still racing from a combination of arousal and fury. Looking down, her hands were still shaking. Lania closed her eyes and slid one between her thighs. Her panties were soaked, so she got up to lock the door. Returning to the desk, she picked up where he left off.
Her fingers were daintier than his, but it didn’t stop her from inserting them into her pussy. Biting her bottom lip to hold back her moans, she fucked herself to a small climax before slumping over. This night had gone much differently than she’d ever imagined it would. Finally, she removed her fingers and then her panties, using them to clean her essence off them.
