A polished gold watch and patent leather shoes served to complete this most distinctive look. One emphasized and enhanced by the gleaming white toothed smile that greeted Kat’s arrival into the limo.
“You’re beautiful, love,” he praised her, reaching forth to sear her lips with a hot, intense kiss.
“Why thank you,” she told him, adding with a chuckle, “So are you!”
Soon Katherine found herself in yet another elegant and slightly otherworldly environment, the eye catching interior of Michelangelo’s Italian Restaurant.
Bordered by lush walls of scarlet red brocade and overseen by candle lined bronzed chandeliers, the restaurant featured ebullient lace lined tables lined with samples of rose print china and glistening floral bouquets.
Pulling out her chair at one of these elegantly appointed tables, Xavier soon took a seat across from her as he summoned a nearby waiter.
“We’ll have the risotto with a side of macaroni and bread, and biscotti for dessert,” he instructed the waiter, adding with a playful wink in Katherine’s direction, “And, of course, a full magnum of our finest champagne.”
“Ah, my son and his champagne.”
Kat jumped in her seat as the sound of a deep sonorous voice resounded just behind her.
Turning to face the source of the sound, her eyes flew wide as she saw an older version of her handsome dinner date, an elegantly dressed older gentleman with chiseled features and wide dark eyes mirroring those of the man sitting just before her.
A thick layer of thick silver hair covered the head of the man in a shining Armani suit, who now extended his sturdy hand straight in her direction.
“Welcome to our restaurant,” he greeted with a charming, white toothed beam that also modelled that of his progeny. “I’m Michelangelo Ambrose. So pleased to make the acquaintance of the woman who seems to have so transfixed my son.”
Kat beamed.
“Aw shucks, I don’t think I’ve ever gone and transfixed anybody before,” she deadpanned, taking his hand in his as she praised, “You have a beautiful place here.”
Michelangelo nodded.
“Well being a son of Italy, I yearned to bring just a touch of the Old World to our new home, here in Florida,” he revealed, adding as he made a broad gesture around them, “And while I won’t linger long, I know my son is currently counting the seconds until the old man clears out of here and leaves him alone with his beautiful date, I simply wanted to meet you and wish you a wonderful evening here at Michelangelo’s.”
Kat nodded.
“Well thank you very much Sir,” she acknowledged his kindness, watching with warm eyes as her host turned away.
“Class act, isn’t he?”
Her head snapped around to regard the son of the man who had just thoroughly charmed her; one she regarded with affectionate eyes as he took her hands in his.
“Indeed he is,” she affirmed, adding with eyebrows arched sharp in his direction, “And in your family, Xavier, it does seem that class is an inherited trait.”
Soon Katherine reveled in Xavier’s attentions as he insisted on spoon feeding her every bite of their piping hot gourmet dinner; also taking a moment to admire the beauty of her surroundings.
Her attention seemed immediately captured by the display of exquisite Italian Renaissance art that adorned the walls of their quiet, candlelit eatery.
Allowing her curious gaze to scan the surface of these priceless, brass-framed portraits, she rested her eyes on a central image that depicted the vision of an angelic woman with her hand raised in a stately manner.
“That’s an amazing print of The Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci,” she identified the painting. “One of my favorites.”
Xavier gaped.
“It is a lovely painting, and also not one of the most easily identified in the da Vinci canon,” he marveled, “at least not in comparison to The Mona Lisa or The Last Supper.”
Kat nodded.
“Well I did study Art History in college,” she revealed, adding with a smirk, “A course of study that of course lent itself well to a career as a comedy club manager.”
Xavier laughed outright.
“Well aside from that priceless and out and out adorable sense of humor of yours, I see that you also happen to share my taste for the finer things in life,” he praised her, adding as he squeezed her fingers tight between his own, “And it is my every intention, my darling, to spoil you rotten and make sure you have access to all of the finer things.”
Katherine said nothing in response to these words, just stared at her dinner date with awestruck eyes as she found herself lost in something akin to a dream state.
Xavier enhanced this emotion seconds later, by leaning forward to seize her lips in a heated, passionate kiss.
She sighed as his smooth, moist lips devoured her own, kissing her senseless as their tongues met and entangled between them. Their public surroundings dissolved around her as she leaned into his kiss and their breaths intermingled.
Katherine heard her heart pounding in her ears as their ethereal kiss deepened and intensified, arousing and captivating her as she moved closer to him. Her body tensed moments later, as her dreamy mood was startlingly disrupted by the sound of a sudden commotion coming from the kitchen.
“You’ve gotta believe me, Michelangelo! I’m not the one who told him!”
“Just shut your mouth Joseph. I’m the one who’s talking here. Just shut your damn mouth!”
Freezing in her place, Katherine broke their kiss as she immediately recognized the deep, tone of Michelangelo Ambrose.
“Only he sounds like a completely different person from the kind, well-mannered gentleman I met just moments ago,” she mused in silence, adding aloud, “What do you think that’s all about, I wonder?”
Xavier shrugged.
“Who knows?” he released on a nervous chuckle, shifting awkwardly in his chair. “I keep telling Dad that he needs to be more gentle with the help, even if they spill just a bit of our precious wine on one of our even more precious lace tablecloths.”
Meeting his words with a confused frown, Katherine shook her head as she answered in a whisper, “He doesn’t seem to be lecturing this poor guy about spilling wine on a tablecloth. This sitch seems to involve a snitch, of some sort or another.”
Xavier chuckled.
“This sitch seems to involve a snitch,” he repeated in a light tone that nonetheless felt forced. “You, my dear, have been watching a few too many crime dramas.”
“Yeah like The Godfather maybe? Or perhaps that old chestnut Goodfellas?” Katherine answered in her mind, adding aloud, “I’m not too comfortable with what I’m hearin’ here, I must say.”
Gracing her with an empathetic smile, Xavier ran his strong but gentle hand down the surface of her spine; kneading and massaging her back as he whispered in her ear, “Relax my baby, and let’s keep this fun.”
Leaning farther inward he nestled into her neck, showering its side with sweet baby kisses before nibbling soft at her ear.
“Relax,” he repeated in a low growl, continuing to rub and knead her back as his hand moved slowly downward. “I want you to enjoy yourself tonight. In any way possible.”
With these words his lips closed once again over hers, plying her mouth with the deepest kisses as his fingers tickled their way down her back.
Kat gasped against his succulent lips, as in a sudden and impulsive move, Xavier slipped his agile fingers up her skirt to rub and knead her buxom thighs; drawing a satisfied purr from deep in her throat as she squirmed in the seat beneath her.
“Oh if you think that feels good,” Xavier growled, “Get ready, my baby, to feel a lot better.”
With these words he slipped his ever purposeful fingertips beneath the border of her panties and stroked open her feminine folds; next gracing her with the intimate touch as he rubbed and kneaded her inflamed clit.
Moaning outright at this bold maneuver, Kat wriggled in her seat as re
d hot sparks of erotic arousal careened wild throughout her entire being.
Xavier sealed his lips against hers to swallow her aroused moan, lapping her mouth with his long wet tongue as his agile finger mimicked the movement.
Rubbing and caressing the surface of her nub, Xavier growled salaciously against her mouth as she leaned into his hand, trembling in spite of herself as pleasure overcame her.
Waves of sheer erotic feeling caressed Kat’s curvaceous form as she wrapped her arms around his muscled shoulders and surrendered herself to the feeling; the soft lights of the restaurant surrounding twirling in an endless panorama around her.
Finally, and with a long last stroke he sent her careening across the bounds of an incredible clitoral orgasm, one that pounded and reverberated through every fiber of her being as her breath came close to suspending.
Yet even as the feeling of divine satiation flooded her from head to toe, still she wanted more.
“I want to be alone with you,” she released on a hot whisper, pulling Xavier closer to her as her spasms of pleasure finally subsided.
In lieu of a verbal response, her doting dinner date rose to his feet and swept her up in two strong arms, carrying her with what seemed a certain purpose toward the back of the restaurant.
“What are you doing?” Kat giggled, casting a self-conscious glance around her to the droves of people who all seemed to be staring after them, dropping their breadsticks and spilling their champagne in the process. “This is a public place! Everyone is staring at us….”
Interrupting his date with a passionate kiss that seemed very public indeed, Xavier also charmed her with a wicked laugh as he showed her just how little he cared about the state of their ‘public surroundings.’
“I’m the boss here babe. No one tells me what to and what not to do, and no one dares question where I choose to do it,” he assured her. “And, as it turns out, I have a room in the back.”
Chapter 7
Soon Katherine found herself ensconced in a luxurious private parlor; a small side room adorned in lavender silks that claimed a cushiony couch as its stylish centerpiece.
After tossing her body into the depths of its silken softness, an impassioned Xavier closed and locked the door behind them, striding toward the couch as he fixed his date with a wanton, wicked smile.
Stopping stock still before her, Xavier stripped off his elegant dinner jacket one shoulder at a time; tossing it recklessly to the floor beneath him as he next peeled away his shirt and tie, revealing to her finally the bare muscled torso she’d seen many times in her dreams.
Reaching forth with hungry hands, Kat stroked his hard massive pecs and his chiseled washboard abs, enjoying the feel of his bare bronzed skin as he threw his head back and let loose with a low, lusty moan.
“God how I desire you,” he growled, descending on the bed as he swept her up in two encompassing arms.
Collapsing in a rain of kisses and caresses on the surface of the couch, Xavier cradled his lover sweetly in his arms as he seized her lips in a passionate kiss, stripping off the fabric of her luxury dress and tossing it on the floor beside them.
The couple’s arms and legs entangled between them as their kisses deepened and intensified; with a lusty Katherine touching and stroking her lover’s chest and abs before making her way downward.
Finally she yanked down the sleek fabric of his tight fitting black silk trousers, revealing as she did a long hard shaft that seemed to salute her presence.
Lowering his head reverently to her breasts, Xavier kissed and suckled her nipples until they rose to hard aroused pebbles beneath his tender ministrations.
As his shaft surged upward to kiss her tender cleft, Xavier’s sturdy hands caressed her hips and thighs as she wrapped her legs around his trim waist.
Soon it became difficult to tell where one ended and the other began as their bodies clung together, their lips colliding in an intense kiss as their tongues and fingers entwined as one.
Completing the perfect circle, Xavier let loose with an intense growl as he surged his long hard shaft to the depths of her soaking wet pussy.
Their hips claimed an immediate motion as he probed and penetrated her, all the while never failing to embrace and caress the woman of his heart.
“Katherine,” he whispered against her lips. “I know that there’s so much that I have to tell you, things that you might not understand about myself and my family. Just know, though, that, in the short time that we’ve known each other, I have come to adore you. And I want to take care of you, to keep you safe and close to me.”
“And, as an added bonus my baby,” he continued, “to give you more pleasure than you ever have experienced.”
With these words he plunged his reverberating cock clear through to her very core, delivering a last, powerful thrust that sent them hurdling together across the bounds of an incredible mutual climax.
Their cries of ecstasy filled the air above them as they sealed their passion with a binding kiss, collapsing finally in the cushions of the couch as Xavier wrapped his arms around her trembling shoulders.
“That was amazing,” she gasped out, resting her head on his muscular shoulder.
He chuckled, and that sent tingles down her spine, Xavier squeezed her body close to his as he assured her, “It’s only the beginning, Love.”
“It only gets better from here.”
Chapter 8
An hour later Kat found herself returned safe and sound to more familiar surroundings; the quiet modesty of an apartment that, in the absence of Xavier, who had dropped her off at the door with a tender kiss good night, suddenly seemed cold and lonesome.
Seeking to fill the void, she switched on her television, taking a seat in her favorite comfy chair as she settled in with a weary sigh to watch the evening news.
Her eyes flew wide, and her mouth fell agape, as a familiar face filled the screen before her.
“Michelangelo,” she breathed, immediately recognizing the man pictured in the full color still photograph that currently filled her television screen.
Grabbing her remote control, she amplified the volume to catch the narration that accompanied this startling photo.
“Tonight local businessman Michelangelo Ambrose has been accused of severely beating an employee in the kitchen of Michelangelo’s Italian Restaurant, a business that he co-owns with his son Xavier Ambrose,” read the rote, emotionless voice of a local news anchor. “The victim, whose name is being withheld, is in serious condition at Clearview Community Hospital. Investigators speculate that the crime may be connected to Mob-related issues, with the victim accused of relating personal and perhaps incriminating information regarding Ambrose’s business dealings. A police investigation is planned.”
Collapsing in the depths of the favorite chair that now seemed to support her numb, stunned body, Katherine could not hold back an audible sob as she considered these words.
“It’s true,” she murmured, clutching her head between her hands as she closed her eyes tight. “It’s all true!”
Grabbing her remote control, Katherine shut off the TV, unable to shut out the pain and confusion that laid claim to her heart and soul. Setting aside her remote, she instead grabbed hold of her nearby cell phone and dialed Xavier’s number, struggling to maintain her composure as she sat up straight in her chair.
Somehow she was relieved when her call was answered by Xavier’s answering service. Although she took no great joy in relaying her grim message to the anonymous, officious sounding operator on the other end of the line.
“Tell him it’s over.”
Chapter 9
Two months later
As the manager of a comedy club, Kat still knew how to manage the books and schedule the performers that ensured the success of her business.
“Just one problem though,” she reasoned with a sigh. “I just can’t laugh right now.”
In the month that had elapsed since the magical evening that morphed quick
ly to a nightmare, Kat had done her level best to return to her daily schedule, to continue running her night club as she tried to endure Cecily’s endless recitations of “I told you so.”
Yet every moment her heart ached for want of the man who had left her forever changed. Who had shaken and seized her with his overpowering love and fulfilling her dreams before destroying the happiness that proved all too fleeting.
“It’s like I’m walking around in a dark cloud,” she mused, adding with yet another sigh, “For three evenings my life was like something out of a fairy tale, then, well, I just don’t want to think about what happened next.”
Ah, but Xavier Ambrose would not allow her to forget. He left her phone messages and sent her flowers, neither of which she acknowledged.
“I have to get him off of my mind,” she mused. “At this point I don’t even feel well.”
Indeed, Katherine had been dealing with fits of nausea as of late, and couldn’t even summon enough of an appetite to enjoy the double chocolate chip cookies they served up during intermission at Chuckles Comedy Club.
“This is serious business,” she rolled her eyes heavenward at the very notion.
With this in mind she paid a visit to her doctor; a silver-haired, highly dignified woman who she now greeted with a wary glance as she entered the exam room.
“So lay it on me, Doc,” she sat up straight on the exam table, adding with a smirk, “How long do I have?”
The doctor arched her eyebrows.
“Nine months,” she replied, tone flat and serious. “Or, more accurately, seven months.”
Chapter 10
“Go away!”
Once again ensconced in her favorite comfy chair, Katherine barked in response to the incessant knocking that resounded loudly from her front door.
“Katherine, we have to talk.”
Even in these most troubled circumstances, Xavier’s deep, sonorous tones never failed to tug at her heart, and soon she found herself crossing her living room and answering finally his incessant summons.
BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE: PREGNANCY ROMANCE: Billionaire Mafia Boss’s Baby (Mafia Alpha Billionaire Romance) (Contemporary BBW New Adult Romance) Page 3
