Dark Masquerade: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance

by Michelle Love

  “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to make you think that … I don’t do that.”

  I frowned a little bit. That reaction wasn’t what I had expected. I’d thought she would be eager for it, that she would see it as a way to further ensnare me.

  Could it be an act?

  I looked at her thoughtfully, only barely remembering to keep my own drunk act in place.

  “What do you mean? You don’t do what?”

  I had to be misunderstanding her. How else did she get what she wanted, if not by using that gorgeous body of hers? I stared at her and watched as she bit her full lower lip, worrying at it with even white teeth.

  How was it that even her damn teeth were beautiful? How was that even possible?

  “I don’t … I’ve never …” She struggled with the words a little, and I watched with dawning understanding and, yes, it had to be said surprise. I already knew she was a good actor, but she wasn’t faking this. I was sure of it.

  I made her say it. I am and have always been, at least a little bit of a sadist, and even though I was fairly sure what she was going to say, I still wanted to hear the words. To see the blush on her cheeks, to watch the way she worried at her lips.

  It was so damn sexy, it shouldn’t be legal. Not that I was being drawn in because I wasn’t.

  I wasn’t, damn it.

  “I won’t have sex with you.”

  When she finally managed to say it, her tone was very firm. It still was as she continued on.

  “I’m a virgin. I’ve never had sex, and I’m not about to start now.”

  Oh, God. She was a virgin. For some reason, I believed that even though I didn’t believe most of what she said. There was a sort of defiance in the way she said it like she expected me to laugh at her, that made me sure she was telling the truth.

  “Never?” I asked, and I tried not to think too much about what that meant. No one had ever touched her. No one had ever parted her smooth, firm thighs and slid deep inside the very center of her being.

  She shook her head, and I had to take a second to clear my mind, to really fully comprehend what she was saying.

  She was younger than me, I knew that much. She couldn’t be older than twenty-six, or maybe twenty-seven at the most. Still, how many virgins were there of that age? Not to mention how utterly delectable she was.

  If she really was untouched, I knew it had to be by her own choice.

  “You’ve never done anything?” I looked at her, trying to figure out how this could be true. It hardly fit in with the image I had of her in my mind, a man-eating succubus out to get whatever she wanted. However, she could.

  “No. I’ve never been touched like that,” she admitted, her chin tilted proudly high, that hint of defiance still there in her voice and in her pretty eyes. “Not by anyone.”

  Including herself. She didn’t have to say it, but I knew it was true. She’d never even had her own hands on her sexy, tight little body.

  Was she a prude?

  It was possible, but I didn’t think so. I thought, somewhere deep down inside, in a place she didn’t even acknowledge at all, she was wound up tighter than anyone I’d ever met.

  The idea thrilled me. What would it be like to be the one who finally released all of that tension trapped within her? What would she give to the man who managed to get through to her?

  I was doing this just for the money, and the revenge for taking advantage of my dying grandfather, I told myself firmly, but as I got to know her more, that was getting harder to keep in mind.

  If I wanted to be completely honest with myself, which I wasn’t sure I did, it was more than the money. I wanted to be her first. I wanted to create that impression on her.

  It wasn’t part of the plan. Bedding her had been nothing more than a pleasant way to make her think the marriage was real, in my mind, when I’d been drunkenly planning all of this with Brent.

  That was all changing, and I wasn’t sure I could keep up. Not without losing myself.

  To be continued

  This novel will be finished & published first week of September!

  Starting Over A Dark Masquerade Extra

  By Michelle Love

  Vivienne Marche sat back in her office chair and rolled her shoulders. It had been a long week, and her body ached from being hunched over proofs and articles. She glanced at the clock on her desk. Four p.m. on a Friday afternoon. She stood, stretching her long, slender body and wandered into the quiet central office. Her p.a., Felicity, looked up and smiled.

  “Hey, boss.”

  Vivienne sat on the corner of her desk. “Fliss, you got much on?”

  Felicity shook her head. “It’s really quiet today. A cynical part of me says too quiet.” They both laughed.

  “Listen,” Vivienne said, “Why don’t you take off for the weekend? I’m sure I owe you more than a few hours.”

  Felicity grinned. “You sure?”

  “Hell, yes. Are Tandy and Elli still here?”

  “Elli is. Tandy flew to Japan earlier.”

  Vivienne stood. “Oh, of course. Have a great weekend, Fliss.”

  “See you Monday, boss. And thanks again.”

  Vivienne stuck her head around Elli’s office door. “Knock, knock.”

  Elli Moretti looked up and grinned. “Hey there.”

  “You busy?”

  “Just finishing off the Branson article. Come on in.”

  Vivienne flopped down on the comfortable sofa in Elli’s office. Her friend finished the email she was sending, then came to join her, snagging two cold sodas from her mini-fridge. Vivienne studied her friend. Since having her son, Enzo, Elli had become even more ethereal and beautiful, Vivienne mused, her pocket Venus body softer and curvier. Viv knew Indio, Elli’s husband, was even more in love with her now than ever and sometimes, just sometimes, Viv was envious of the life her friend had made for herself.

  Elli noticed her scrutiny and grinned. “Penny for them.”

  “Oh, just thinking that if I had an Indio and an Enzo at home, I might not spend as much time here.”

  Elli laughed. “Don’t let the Sisterhood hear you say that.”

  Vivienne grinned. “I mean, I know you hate being away from them, but you still put in a full day’s work every day as well as raising Enzo.”

  “Benefits of having a semi-retired husband and you letting me work from home two days a week,” Elli nodded. “My work was always a passion, not a chore—if it were a chore, I’d be at home, letting Indio treat me like a queen and doing nothing but pushing out his kids. Which, actually, I’ll be doing again in seven months.”

  Viv’s eyebrows shot up. “What? You’re pregnant again?”

  Elli grinned shyly. “Afraid so.”

  “That’s wonderful! Why haven’t you told me before?” She hugged Elli tightly. “And you are insane—Enzo’s only six months old.”

  “Blame Indio’s super sperm.”

  “Too much information,” Vivienne clapped her hands over her ears and Elli dissolved into giggles.

  “Actually, we weren’t going to tell anyone yet, but I couldn’t keep it in. Also, the morning sickness is worse this time, so you might have guessed anyway.”

  “No wonder you look so radiant.” Vivienne sighed. “Now I am really jealous. Gorgeous husband, adorable kid, another on the way. Having said that, after what you went through, you deserve every happiness, Els, you really do.”

  Elli smiled, a little bashful, then hurriedly changed the subject. “What about you? I thought you were still seeing your boy toy.”

  “Funny girl.”

  For the last few months, Vivienne had been quietly dating Rolando Lucci, an artist she had met at one of Maceo Bartoli’s exhibitions. He was thirty-seven to her forty-two, but she found him funny, erudite, and a magnificent lover. Vivienne was under no illusions that he was the love of her life, or that they were exclusive, but their casual hook-ups were fun and fitted in with her working life.

&n
bsp; Lately, she found herself growing closer to Rolando, and often, their sex marathons would end with them talking about their pasts rather than falling asleep. Rolando told her about his past lovers—men and women—and that, during art college, he had occasionally turned to escorting to pay his way. Vivienne too had shared things from her past that she never discussed with anyone, not even her best friend, Elli, and it had brought her and Rolando even closer.

  Now, she knew, she was beginning to see what a future with someone special might be like for her—whether it was Rolando or not. Vivienne was at a stage in her life where she felt like kicking back and enjoying herself.

  “Rolando is fun,” she told Elli. “Whether it’s more than that, I don’t know. But I’m certainly open to the possibility.”

  “Wow, coming from you, that’s almost like a proposal.” Elli grinned and ducked as Vivienne swiped at her playfully. “Good for you, girl. It’s about time you had some romance.”

  Vivienne was still thinking about what Elli had said later that night, as she and Rolando lay in bed together. She looked over at him as he slept. His dark blonde hair and gray eyes looked good against his dark olive skin, his body was toned, and his stomach rippled with muscles. Vivienne grinned to herself—not a bad specimen at all …

  She moved down the bed and took his cock into her mouth, feeling it respond as she trailed her tongue along the length of it to the sensitive tip. She heard Rolando groan, being pulled out of his sleep by her touch. “Principessa …”

  Her mouth curved up in a smile around his cock, that was throbbing and engorged as she worked on him. Rolando, fully awake now, stroked her hair as she sucked on him, hollowing out her patrician cheeks with more and more pressure until he was bucking beneath her and shooting into her throat.

  “Mio Dio, mio Dio …Vivienne, mio Dio ...”

  He collapsed back onto the bed as Vivienne made her way up his body, stopping to suck gently on his nipples. As her mouth closed on him, he gave a guttural growl and rolled her onto her back, hitching her legs around his waist, and thrusting his cock deep inside her.

  Vivienne moaned softly as they began to fuck, Rolando’s pace growing faster as the intensity grew. Vivienne clung to him, gasping, crying his name out as he drove her toward orgasm. She came, stars exploding in her vision as he pumped thick, creamy cum inside of her.

  Panting for air, they lay side-by-side, catching their breath, Vivienne laughing softly. “God, that was so good, Rolando.”

  Rolando grinned and kissed her. “I’m glad you think so, Principessa.” He kissed her again, lingering over the kiss, then rolled out of bed and reached for his pants.

  Vivienne propped herself up on her elbows, frowning. “You’re not staying?”

  Rolando gave her a regretful smile. “Not tonight, cara mia. I have an early flight to Milan in the morning.”

  “You do?”

  “A meeting with a prospective agent. Maceo tells me this particular agent might be able to oversee my American exhibitions.”

  Vivienne nodded. “Okay. Sounds good—why don’t I come with you? We could have a sexy weekend in Milan together.”

  Rolando hesitated, and Vivienne regretted asking. “You know what? Actually, I do have plans tomorrow night, so forget I said that.”

  He looked relieved, and Vivienne felt a pull of sadness. He obviously didn’t want her there. She smiled at him, hiding her embarrassment. “Maybe next time.”

  When Rolando had gone, promising to call her the next day, Vivienne couldn’t sleep. She sat in her small kitchen, flicking on her laptop. It was still only eleven p.m. She grabbed some milk and a cookie from her fridge, then sat down to look at emails and surf the net. Her phone buzzed. A message from Elli.

  I hope you’re having a better night than me, Viv. Enzo has decided that he’ll throw up everything I feed him, and Indio has made himself scarce, the traitor. Oh, for a night in with my typewriter (laptop), a vat of CAFFEINE (in whatever form, at this point I’m not fussy), and a stomach that doesn’t resemble a blancmange. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m wallowing in self-pity ha ha. E.

  Vivienne grinned and tapped out her reply.

  Girl, it beats a lonesome apartment with three-day-old milk and a cookie that I think I must have baked …never. When do I bake? Which leads me to wonder where it came from in the first place. V.

  She waited for the reply, laughing aloud when she got it.

  Where’s Wondercock gone? I thought you had plans to ride him all night long? Does this mean you have a weekend free? Want to come here and help me clean up vomit? If not …want to just come here for shits and giggles? So many questions. Here’s a statement. Go to sleep, get up, pack a bag, come stay for the weekend—we’d love to have you. (I was only joking about the vomit. Half-joking.)

  Suddenly Vivienne wanted nothing more than to be around her best friend and her adorable family.

  Would love to. Rolando in Milan for a meeting, so he says. Can I bring anything?

  Just your hot, skinny ass. See you tomorrow! Night, Vivvy. Love you, E xx

  Goodnight, gorgeous. See you soon. Love to you all, V xx

  “Sounds shady to me,” Elli said the next day as she and Vivienne sat in the kitchen of Elli and Indio’s farmhouse. Outside of the window, Vivienne could see Indio carrying Enzo around in a papoose across his chest, reading aloud to Enzo from what looked like an ancient paperback.

  “What’s he reading to Enzo?”

  Elli grinned. “On the Road. Yep, Kerouac dreamed of six-month-old children reading his masterpiece.”

  “I preferred Dharma Bums.”

  “You’re special.”

  Vivienne stuck her tongue out at her friend, who giggled. Vivienne noticed a new photograph stuck to the refrigerator. It showed a very tanned, very handsome young man, mid-twenties, holding up a large fish and grinning at the camera. “Is that …?”

  Elli shot a look at the photo. “Yep. Antonio Constanza. He sent it from Bali—he’s having a whale of a time—no pun intended—and screwing his way around the tourists. The slut,” she added fondly.

  Vivienne blinked. She still couldn’t believe Elli had become great friends with the brother of the man who had tried to kill her, but in Elli’s crazy world, anything could happen. Indio came inside then, his beautiful face deep in thought.

  “I’m not sure Enzo is really into Kerouac,” he said, and Elli rolled her eyes, coughing something that sounded suspiciously like, “Tiger Dad.” Indio grinned, hoisted Enzo out of the papoose, and gave him to Vivienne. “Say hello to Auntie Viv.”

  Vivienne gazed down at the child. Enzo had inherited his father’s bright green eyes and dark curls and his mother’s dusky skin and soft features. He was a gorgeous baby, and Vivienne felt a pull of sadness in her chest. Children had never figured in her plans, but now, seeing Enzo, so loved and loveable, she wondered if she had made a mistake.

  “Someone has mushy eyes,” Elli said, jolting Viv back into the present. “You wouldn’t make that face if you had witnessed one of his Diapers of Doom.”

  Vivienne laughed loudly. “Diapers of Doom?”

  Indio pulled the cork from a bottle of wine and poured a glass for them all. “Never was something so revolting better named. I blame his mother.”

  Elli kicked her husband’s butt. “You wait …when this little nugget makes an appearance, you are changing every diaper, Mr. Navaro.” She patted her barely-there belly bump and grinned at her beloved husband.

  “Would you two please stop being so revoltingly loved up?” Vivienne complained. She looked back down at Enzo. “Enzo, your mommy and daddy are yucky, aren’t they?” She grinned at Enzo, whose mouth stretched wide in a smile. She tickled his belly and made him laugh. “So, Enzo, do you want a brother or sister?”

  “Sister,” both Indio and Elli replied and laughed. “But we’ll settle for happy and healthy,” Indio finished. Elli pulled a face.

  “Nope. I want a girl. Tired of being outnumbered. Anyway, back to Viv
’s love life …”

  Vivienne groaned. “Please don’t call it that.”

  Elli sat down on Indio’s lap. “Viv …if it isn’t love, why are you bothering?”

  Vivienne pretended to consider. “Um …the great sex?”

  “You can have both, you know,” Elli said gently, and she and Indio exchanged a tender look.

  “No, stop, please. You’re making me sick,” Vivienne teased, but Elli wouldn’t let her off the hook.

  “Okay, cards on the table …I never really liked Rolando.”

  Vivienne was surprised. “Really? You never said.”

  Elli shrugged. “It might just be because I don’t think anyone is good enough for you, but he seemed a little …too full of himself. I’m just saying, even if it is casual, he could have given you a heads-up that he was going away.”

  Vivienne shifted uncomfortably. “He doesn’t owe me anything, Els.”

  “Hmm.”

  Indio grinned up at his wife and winked at Vivienne. “Ignore her, Viv. She’s gone into mothering mode earlier this time.” Elli planted a noisy kiss on his forehead.

  “Because I am a mother, silly. But, no, really, Viv, I just want you to be as happy as we are. You deserve it. Truly.”

  Back home in her small Venice apartment on Sunday night, she thought about what Elli had said. Was it time she tried to find a life companion? Did she really want to give up her total autonomy in her life to be with someone?

  She knew one thing for sure, having thought about it all weekend. Whoever it might be, it wasn’t Rolando, that was for sure. He hadn’t called her as he’d promised, and Vivienne found she wasn’t really disappointed. Maybe it was time to cut him loose. She went to bed feeling more settled than she had for the last two days.

  It all came crashing down on Monday morning. Elli met Viv at the door of the magazine office, with a stricken look on her face. Immediately, Viv felt herself pale. “What? What is it? Is it Enzo? Indio? The baby?”