Beautiful Prey 2: The Storm Series (BWWM Romance)

by Phoenix Daniels

  She knew how hard it could be.

  “So you married him,” a voice said from behind.

  Natasha turned to find Deon standing behind her. Gauging his expression, to Natasha, he seemed angry. Had Deon been standing behind her, listening to her entire conversation?

  “First, Victoria. Now you. What is it about good brothers like me that y’all don’t like?” He asked as if he was truly offended.

  She was shocked by his question, and she tried to think of the best way to respond.

  “Yes, Deon you are a good brother, but we work together. And Gianni’s a good...”

  He cut her off and hissed, “You don’t even fucking know him!”

  “Whoa!” She warned, putting her hand up to halt the venom that he was spewing.

  Realization seemed to come over Deon as he apologized instantly. “Damn, Tash, I’m sorry. I was just shocked. You know... a blow to my black ego.” Then he said, “Congrats.”

  “Thank you.” Natasha was totally confused by his behavior, but not surprised. She was well aware that she would have to deal with the opinions of others when they found out that she was married to a white man. Although, she didn’t think that she’d get such a reaction from Deon.

  He gently grabbed her by the shoulders. “I’m really sorry, Tash.”

  Natasha studied Deon for a few seconds. “It’s okay. We’re good.”

  CHAPTER 32

  GIANNI

  Gianni stood in the middle of his living room, amazed by the transformation. It was like an entirely different penthouse. The grey walls were blindingly white, making the room look twice as big. The furniture was white as well and accented with fluffy red pillows. Gianni walked down the metal stairs to his bedroom. It was no longer a bedroom. There was a Jacuzzi in the middle of the room and a huge flat screen TV on the wall. Off to the side, were two massage tables. And there were scented candles throughout the room. It was a spa.

  Natasha watched him anxiously. “Well?”

  “I like it, but where’s our bedroom?”

  “Second floor.”

  “Oh.”

  Following Natasha, Gianni hopped up the stairs, to the second floor. To Gianni’s surprise, the bedroom was decorated exactly like his previous bedroom. She’d even had the open rainforest shower installed.

  Gianni turned to Natasha and took her in his arms. “I thought you didn’t like my dungeon?”

  “Yeah, but I thought your bedroom was kinda sexy.”

  He asked, raising one eyebrow, “Sexy?”

  “Yes. Very sexy.”

  He was happy with what she’d done to his penthouse, but as long as he was with Natasha, he would’ve been happy to live in her tiny condo. Truth be told, Gianni could live anywhere with a fully functional kitchen. He was happy to be back in the penthouse because he loved the cooking space.

  Natasha had converted his house to something that felt like home. Red was Gianni’s favorite color, and she was thoughtful enough to keep the color scheme. He couldn’t wait to make love to his wife in the home that she created for them.

  Gianni wasn’t conflicted about his feelings one bit. He loved Natasha and she owned his heart. Natasha’s complexities had bewitched him, and he wanted nothing more than to make her life whole. Gianni had vowed to give her love, children, and a happy family; luxuries that his extraordinary woman deserved. Gianni held

  Natasha close and kissed Natasha with such passion that he’d almost forgotten about the dinner party that they were expected to attend.

  He could feel his cock beginning to swell. He pressed it against Natasha’s middle.

  “Gianni... Baby... We’re gonna be late for the dinner party.”

  “I know,” he grumbled, feeling deprived. “But I want you so bad right now.”

  “I want you too, baby. We don’t have to go,” she responding with a mischievous grin.

  Gianni knew that Natasha didn’t want to go, fearing that their marital secret would come out. And he couldn’t help but to wonder if she was ashamed of the fact that she’d married him. They’d been married for four months. He was going to have to tell his mother soon, and she was going to be pissed. He’d denied his mother the wedding that she’d been planning since he was born.

  “No. We have to go. I love what you’ve done to our home. Now that you’re done with the apartment, will you come with me to Paris next weekend?”

  He stared at Natasha as she made up her mind. Every time he’d asked her to fly to Paris with him, she’d refused, using work or redecorating the apartment as an excuse.

  “Okay,” she said with a smile.

  Gianni was surprised by her quick response. “Yes? Really? You’re coming to Paris with me?!”

  “Yes. I wanna see where you live.”

  He was full of excitement. “Natasha, I love you.”

  It was Gianni’s first time admitting his feelings to her. He was sure that it was apparent to Natasha that he did, but he’d never expressed aloud that he loved her. Now, he was nervous about his declaration.

  Yet, he had absolutely nothing to be nervous about. Natasha genuinely returned his love with a warm smile. “I love you too, Gianni.”

  Gianni let out a sigh of relief. He ran his finger down her cheek and kissed her softly. Natasha wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled Gianni in, deepening their kiss. Gianni firmly gripped Natasha’s ass he swept his tongue across hers. Natasha’s soft moan transmitted a signal straight to his cock.

  He groaned as he led her to the bed, “We can be a little late.”

  ***************

  Just about an hour and a half later, Gianni was pulling over in front of his aunt and uncle’s house. They were in just enough time to be fifteen minutes late. Gianni walked around the car and opened the door for Natasha. She climbed out, wearing a beautiful red blouse and high waisted pants that tightly hugged her ass. She stood in red pumps that Gianni couldn’t wait to see on his shoulders.

  “God, you’re gorgeous,” he huffed.

  “And you’re beautiful.”

  He blushed. “Again with the beautiful?”

  Natasha nodded and walked, hand in hand, with him to the front door. Gianni rang the bell and turned to steal a quick kiss. The door opened and Gianni turned to see the smiling face of William, the butler. Gianni had always liked William. When he and Jack were younger, William would often toss a football around with them.

  “Gianni, my boy!”

  “William, it’s good to see you. I’ve missed you,” Gianni responded, shaking William’s hand.

  “Really? Then why haven’t I seen you in years?”

  “Business. What else?” Then William turned to Natasha. “Welcome. Come in.”

  “Thank you,” Natasha responded shyly, before crossing the threshold.

  “Young lady, are you the reason that my boy here hasn’t come up for air in ten years?” William asked with a wink.

  “No sir. Not me,” Natasha laughed.

  “Natasha, this is William. He’s the butler, but he’s more like an uncle,” Gianni announced.

  “It’s nice to meet you, William.”

  “Nice to meet you, Natasha. Follow me.” Then William turned and led them through a large foyer, to the parlor.

  They walked in, surprised at how many guests were at the, supposedly quiet family dinner party. Everyone was laughing and sipping from crystal glasses. When they noticed Gianni and Natasha, the room went silent. William handed them each a champagne glass and walked away. Catarina walked over to Gianni and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. After kissing Natasha, Catarina turned to the crowd and raised her glass.

  “Now that the guests of honor are here. We can celebrate,” she shouted, in her thick Italian accent.

  Gianni could feel Natasha’s eyes on him. She squeezed his hand, causing him to look at her. Her face reflected her confusion, but Gianni couldn’t clear things up for her, because he was baffled as well.

  He turned to his mother. “Mama, what are we celebr
ating?”

  She responded in a chipper tone, “Why your marriage of course.”

  Everyone in the room paused. Gianni stilled, staring at his mother. Catarina was smiling, but Gianni could tell that she was angry.

  NATASHA

  Natasha yanked her hand from Gianni’s. She narrowed her eyes at him, pissed that he hadn’t kept his promise.

  Immediately, he got defensive. “It wasn’t me, I promise. I didn’t say a word.”

  Natasha searched the room for Amy. When she spotted her, she held her hands up and mouthed, “It wasn’t me.”

  “Mama? I can...” Gianni attempted to explain, before he was cut off.

  “What? You are married, si?” She asked, becoming more irritated.

  “Mama, we were going to tell you soon. Can we please talk in private?”

  Her chipper tone was no longer present. “No! Why did I have to find out from Francis that you were married?”

  “Mama, I’m sorry. I was going to tell you.”

  Gianni stared at his mother with pleading eyes. Natasha was horrified that Gianni was being chastised in front of his entire family because of her. She looked over at Amy, and even she seemed sympathetic to Gianni.

  “Catarina, it was my fault. I asked...”

  “Mama, I was waiting for the best time to tell you,” Gianni said, cutting off Natasha’s confession.

  Catarina turned to Natasha, and Natasha lowered her head.

  “Come with me,” Catarina demanded, holding her hand out.

  Natasha reluctantly took her hand and Catarina led her out of the room.

  Gianni called from behind, “Mama…”

  “Just Natasha! You wait here,” she snapped.

  Catarina walked down the hall and entered the library. She closed the door and turned to Natasha with her arms folded across her chest. “Did you ask Gianni not to tell me that you were married?”

  “Yes. I’m really sorry.”

  “Does your mother know?”

  “No. I mean... I don’t have a mother. She and my father died when I was a child.”

  Sympathy caused Catarina to lower her stance a bit. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Well, let me ask you... If your parents were alive, would you have gotten married, lived together as husband and wife for four months, and not tell your parents?”

  “No,” Natasha answered in a small voice.

  “Then why?”

  Natasha turned her back to Catarina. She was contemplating the best way to answer. She opted for the truth.

  “I was ashamed,” she confessed.

  Catarina asked defensively, “What? Ashamed of my son?”

  “No,” Natasha quickly corrected. “I was ashamed of myself.”

  “Why?” Catarina asked, grabbing Natasha’s shoulders and turning her to face her.

  Natasha took a deep breath.

  “We went to Vegas. I got really drunk, and when I woke up in the morning, we were married. I couldn’t remember anything from the night before, but apparently I had a clerk in a jewelry store record me dropping to one knee and proposing to Gianni. I told him that I didn’t want to live without him, and he said yes to make me happy. So we got married.”

  As Natasha recited the embarrassing tale, she became increasingly mortified by what Gianni’s mother must’ve thought of her. She slowly looked up at Catarina, and to her surprise, she was attempting to suppress laughter- unsuccessfully.

  Catarina launched into a full out roar, complete with tears. She clutched her chest and tried to take deep breaths. “It’s like TV. No?”

  “Yeah, I guess. But it’s not very funny.”

  “Oh, come now, Natasha. Think about it. It’s terribly funny.”

  Natasha thought about the way her explanation must’ve sounded to Catarina.

  Yet, her embarrassment kept her from finding the humor in any of it.

  Catarina caught on and got serious. “Okay, I’m sorry for laughing. May I ask you some questions?”

  “Of course.”

  “Do you love my son?”

  “Yes, I do,” Natasha answered, without hesitation.

  “Did he ask for an annulment?”

  Natasha was extremely uncomfortable. “Um. We don’t… qualify.”

  Catarina gave Natasha a knowing grin. “I see. What about divorce?”

  “Gianni said that the Catholic faith doesn’t allow divorce.”

  “I see. Well, we’ll need to plan a wedding, but for now let’s go eat. Shall we?”

  When Catarina gestured for the door, Natasha followed.

  As they exited the room, Catarina added, “Oh, Natasha?”

  “Yes?”

  “Gianni is Lutheran.” Then she chuckled. “Welcome to the family.”

  Natasha followed Catarina, who was still giggling, out of the library. When they entered the parlor, all eyes landed on her. Gianni watched her with concern as she walked over to him. She could tell that he was trying to assess her mood as she approached.

  But Natasha didn’t even know how she was feeling. “You’re Lutheran?”

  Gianni closed his eyes and dropped his head. He was caught in a lie.

  “Yes.”

  Though her voice was at a whisper, it was intense. “Why would you lie to me?”

  “Because I don’t want a divorce.”

  “We’ll talk about this later,” she hissed, before turning and walking away from him. She walked across the room, to where Amy, Emily, and Victoria were huddled together. Emily immediately smiled and congratulated Natasha.

  “Yeah, you got a real prize,” Amy added sarcastically.

  Natasha simply smiled, not at all offended by Amy and Gianni’s rivalry. But nothing from

  Victoria. In fact Victoria wouldn’t even look at her.

  “Vic?”

  Victoria turned to Natasha. Her brows furrowed. “Natasha, aren’t we supposed to be friends?”

  “Of course we are.”

  “But you couldn’t tell me that you got married?”

  “Vic, I didn’t tell anyone. Well... I did tell Amy. And, Deon found out.”

  Vic did not at all hide her annoyance. “Really? But not me?”

  “I’m sorry, Vic. We got wasted in Vegas and woke up married. I was embarrassed, okay?”

  “Embarrassed? You never have to be embarrassed about anything with me. I’m your friend and I love you.”

  “I know. I love you too, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

  “Okay,” Victoria said, pulling Natasha in for a hug.

  “Does Malik know?”

  “No.”

  “You’re a dead woman,” Victoria chuckled.

  Natasha cringed. Victoria was right. Malik was gonna go ballistic when he found out that Natasha kept her marriage to Gianni a secret for so long.

  “Dinner is served!”

  As William made his announcement in the doorway, Natasha noticed Gianni watching her from across the room. Angry or not, Natasha wanted him, and she couldn’t see herself ever not wanting him. As he strutted in her direction, dark shiny hair bounced against his gorgeous face. Natasha admired his tall solid frame, and blushed because she was actually picturing him naked. Gianni’s lopsided grin indicated that he was reading Natasha’s thoughts. He placed his hands on her shoulders.

  He leaned in and kissed her, just below the ear. “I’m sorry that I lied to you. It won’t happen again.”

  Gianni peppered tickling kisses on her neck, causing Natasha to squirm and giggle.

  “Do you forgive me?” He continued his tickle assault. “Do you?”

  “Yes!” Natasha giggled “Yes! I forgive you!”

  “Kiss me,” he demanded.

  Natasha did as ordered and pressed her lips against his. When Gianni sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, warmth flowed through Natasha. Her nipples instantly hardened. For a few seconds, she had forgotten that they weren’t alone.

  That was until she heard Jack clearing his thr
oat. “Well, look at the newlyweds.” Jack said, pulling Natasha away from Gianni and into his arms. He gave her a big bear hug and told her, “Welcome to the family, sweetheart.”

  Natasha blushed. “Thank you, Jack.”

  Gianni grabbed Natasha’s arm and pulled her away from Jack. “You could’ve told her that without mauling her.”

  Jack laughed at his cousin’s possessiveness and walked away.

  CHAPTER 33

  NATASHA

  As they rode past the Eiffel Tower, Natasha stared out of the window with the enthusiasm of a little girl. Gianni had instructed the driver to take the scenic route. This was already the best trip Natasha had ever taken. Starting with the eight and a half hour flight on Gianni’s plane, in which four were spent making love.

  Natasha sat back and enjoyed the view, along with her nasty memories. “Gianni, the city is so beautiful.”

  “We’re no longer in the city. We’ve entered Versailles. That magnificent structure to your right is the Chateau de Versailles. The Chateau was the official residence of the kings of France and the center of political power.

  It’ll be the first stop on your tour tomorrow. But tonight, I’m showing you Paris’ fabulous nightlife, courtesy of Storm Entertainment.”

  Natasha reveled in Gianni’s excitement. The thought of Gianni being happy made Natasha happy. She was really enjoying the ride, until they turned into a winding road that led them up a hill. At the top, there was a huge security gate, flanked by a guard booth.

  Natasha turned to Gianni in surprise. “You have a security guard?”

  “I have a few.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m kind of a big thing here. It’s the only way to ensure my privacy.”

  “Oh.”

  Then he said proudly, “Welcome to Chateau de Tempete.”

  Natasha’s eyes brightened with excitement. “What does that mean in English?”

  “It means Storm Castle.”

  And a castle it was. They stopped in front of a palace fit for royalty, complete with a uniformed staff waiting in front. Natasha realized that she didn’t know much about Gianni’s life in Paris. He’d leave Chicago every weekend to check on his businesses, but she didn’t know that when he came home he lived like a king. Natasha was amazed that he’d not once complained about moving into her tiny condo.