She smiled before turning her attention back to her food. She tried her gnocchi and instantly knew she didn’t like it. Still, she took another bite before pushing the plate away.
He frowned in response, and she hoped he wasn’t insulted. “You don’t like it, no?”
She shook her head honesty as she took a sip of wine. “I thought I would because I like bleu cheese, but evidently I don’t like Gorgonzola.”
“Well, cara, at least you tried it before deciding you don’t actually like it. Would you like something else?”
She sighed in relief at his understanding before shaking her head. “I barely have enough room for the rest of the food, so I will wait.”
“There is no need to wait, cara.”
She watched him raise his hand to signal the waiter, asking him to take away their plates and bring out the main course. Their plates were whisked away and replaced quickly by other plate of food. It looked very appealing and smelled even better. She glanced at Antonio.
“What is it?”
“Porchini encrusted Whitefish.”
Her eyes closed in pleasure at the first bite. The fish tasted wonderful and melted in her mouth. When her eyes opened, she found him staring at her, and she gave him a questioning look. He smiled in return.
“Gradite?”
She nodded. “I like it very much.”
They ate in silence, and it didn’t bother her at all. It gave her time to enjoy her food as well as watch him eat. He had nice, strong hands, and she didn’t miss the flash of teeth every time he took a bite. She instinctively thought about how his mouth would feel on her body and began to choke. Picking up her wine glass, she took a sip before averting her eyes. When she did look back at Antonio, he stared at her with concern.
“Are you okay, cara?”
She nodded. “Yes, I am. The food just went down the wrong way.”
“So I see. I am just curious as to what you were thinking about prior to that.”
She could feel her cheeks began to heat with embarrassment, but she answered truthfully. Her mother always told her it would be the only way she would ever get what she wanted.
“I was thinking about your mouth on my body,” she mumbled.
His gaze intensified, and the hand on its way to his mouth stopped in midair. He put the fork down before speaking.
“It could be easily arranged. All you have to do is ask.”
Her dark brows arched in his direction. “What would I look like asking you for something like that?”
“Like a woman who knows what she wants.”
She shook her head, but he continued. “When we are together, you shouldn’t be ashamed to tell me what you want. I will respect you as a lady because it is what you are, but ladies deserve to be pleasured, too.”
Tierra took what he said seriously. She liked how he seemed comfortable enough in his manhood to allow direction.
Quincy hadn’t been he reason why she faked every orgasm she experienced with him. No, she and Quincy never had intercourse, but they explored each other during heavy make-out sessions. Any time she tried to give him any direction, he would get frustrated, and it would lead to an argument. It was scary to think she hadn’t given Antonio any direction and he gave her three mind-blowing orgasms the first night they met.
The man could only be described as dangerous—in more ways than one. She picked up her fork and resumed eating. Her food disappeared quickly—too quickly. She loved the good tasting dish. No, good didn’t do it any justice. She had to describe it as absolutely delicious. She put her fork down and looked up to find him staring at her.
“We can go back to the hotel whenever you are ready.”
Her nerves flared up instantly, knowing what would follow. All of a sudden, her hunger flared up again, but it wasn’t for food.
“What about dessert?”
One corner of his mouth tilted upward into what she now referred to as the illegal grin.
“I have arranged for it to be delivered to our room at the hotel.”
Tierra had no idea what kind of dessert he made reference to, but if it tasted half as good as dinner, she couldn’t wait. She removed the napkin from her lap and placed it on the table. He placed his own napkin on the table before standing up and holding his hand out to her. Tierra took it, and they made their way out of the restaurant.
She felt curious eyes watching them as they went. Tierra found his complete oblivious nature to the stares interesting. She, on the other hand, was very aware of them. He led her to the main elevator, and as soon as the doors closed, she sighed and leaned closer to him, enjoying the warmth he radiated even though she wasn’t cold. His arm came up to pull her closer, and her body contoured to his as if it were made to. They reached her floor and stepped off the elevator. Each step toward the hotel room made her more nervous in a way she would have thought impossible. He opened the door to the room before holding it open for her.
“Why don’t you get comfortable?”
She nodded slowly and walked over to the edge of the bed before sitting down. The first thing she removed, the killer shoes squeezing her feet into an unnatural shape.
Her feet ached severely from the short time she wore them, but it had been well worth it. They were beautiful and the only pair of designer shoes she owned, and from the way her feet felt, the only pair she would ever own. Her stockings went next. She reached up under her dress and undid the clip on her garter belt. Taking them off carefully became a task since her hands started to shake from nerves.
Feeling Antonio’s eyes on her, she noticed he wore the same look when she spotted him in the bar last night. He’d unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt, revealing a hard bronzed chest sprinkled with dark hair. He even rolled up his sleeves again. What made her pause was the expression on his face. She could only describe it as blatant lust. Frankly, it shocked her.
“What is it?” she asked.
He made his way toward her, pulling her into a standing position before capturing her lips with his. Lord, did the man know how to kiss. He proved his skill to bring her to orgasm with it if he tried. His hands found her bottom, and she started to realize he had a fondness for it. He cupped her bottom and lifted her into his growing arousal. It wasn’t until she needed to draw a breath that he released her mouth, only giving her a second of reprieve before recapturing her lips. Desire flooded through her womb, causing it to clench with need. Antonio finally pulled back, and she leaned heavily into him. When he spoke, his voice was raspy with desire.
“Cara, if I’d known you were wearing what you are underneath your clothes, we would have never have made it to dinner.”
She smiled before leaning back into his embrace. “Then I guess I should leave my underwear on for now, huh?”
His gaze became even more heated, and he growled. “Get out onto the balcony, woman, before you end up being dessert.”
He let her go, and she stepped back. She quickly removed her stockings, stopping there because anything else might be dangerous. Walking toward the balcony, she looked over her shoulder before opening the door.
“Just for the record, I wouldn’t mind being dessert.”
The smile that appeared on his face as he walked toward her could only be described as completely wicked. “Cara, I wouldn’t mind you being dessert, either, but we need to talk.”
She nodded, knowing he was right. Suddenly, she frowned, and he gave her a worried glance.
“What is it?”
She shook her head and smiled. “Nothing. I have something I need to do.”
She walked back into the room and made her way to the nightstand. She pulled out a compact and put something in her hand before placing the compact back into the drawer.
When she headed back toward him, she gave him a shy smile. “Do we have anything to drink with our dessert?”
He nodded as he led her out onto the balcony. “Milk and coffee.”
She requested the milk, and he handed it to her. He
watched as she took a pill.
“Are you okay, cara?”
She nodded. “Why do you ask?”
He gave a slight shrug. “You are taking a pill, so I thought you might be sick.”
She smiled. “No, I’m just taking my birth control pill.”
Once she was seated, he pushed her chair up before taking a seat in his own. The way he looked at her in the candlelight made her feel even more beautiful than she already did.
She watched as he uncovered their dessert, smiling in appreciation at the panna cotta he uncovered.
“Mmm. This looks wonderful.”
He smiled. “I assure you, it is.”
Picking up the spoon, he offered her the first bite. The dessert was wonderful.
She savored the bite before taking another. When he offered her a third, she shook her head.
“Don’t you want some?”
* * * *
Antonio stared at Tierra as he contemplated the loaded question she just asked. He wanted a lot from her, and most of it had nothing to do with the dessert sitting in front of them. Panna cotta was his favorite dessert. It seemed to be hers as well. The sound of pleasure she made kicked his arousal into gear. The woman exuded desire, and she didn’t realize it. He gave her credit because at least she tried the food before making the determination she didn’t like the taste. He wondered if she would respond the same way in a sexual sense. His gut told him she would, and even though there seemed to be an air of innocence about her, it appealed to him.
He didn’t realize just how shallow the women he’d been involved with before were. Tierra seemed to simply enjoy life itself. She wasn’t demanding, even when it was obvious she deserved everything she wanted. He could sit across the table from her and not flinch at the idea of coming home to her every night for that reason. She reached out and took the spoon from his hand before offering him the bite he tried to offer her. He took it willingly before sitting back. The dessert tasted as good as he expected it to be.
“Tierra, we really do need to talk.”
Her eyebrows rose before she frowned. “This sounds serious. I would…wait. You aren’t married are you?”
He arched a dark brown in her direction at her off-the-wall assumption. Her contrite expression told him she regretted the words as soon as she said them. Still, he could understand the line of questioning considering the events she’d been through recently.
“Cara, believe me, when I marry, it will be my one and only marriage.” The corners of his mouth curved upward. “Besides, I have a mother who would cuff my ears if I even thought about being unfaithful in my marriage.”
Taking a deep breath, he tried to relax and prepare himself for the reaction he would probably receive in response to the news he was about to tell her. Her gentle smile the reassurance he needed to continue.
“What do you want to talk about?”
He decided the best way to handle the situation was to be straightforward. “Last night I told you I had business to take care of so I could spend the next two weeks with you.”
She nodded slowly. “Yes, I remember.”
“Well, it included having an informal meeting with my family this morning.”
A look of confusion appeared on her face. “Why did you need to do that?”
He grimaced, hating he was about to be partially dishonest, but he could not tell her the complete truth and scare her off.
“So I could have the next two weeks off uninterrupted.”
He watched her eyes widened again. “You told your family we are going to have an affair?”
He shook his head, fighting a smile at her horrified expression before reaching across the table and taking her hand in his.
“I have told you once before that what happens between you and I stays between you and I.”
She gave him another confused look. “So what is the problem?”
He took a deep breath then released it slowly. “My parents want to meet you.”
* * * *
All of the food Tierra consumed began to weigh down on her stomach like lead. This was the last thing she wanted to do. Her first impulse, get up and run out of the room. She stayed put for two reasons. Reason number one, it was her hotel room. Two, she didn’t have anywhere else to go. Taking a deep breath, she tried to get fresh air, and it seemed to be impossible even though she stood outside. She shook her head slowly.
“I know this is my first affair, but I thought you’d keep others, especially family members, out of the equation.”
“It is an agreement I made in order to assure our privacy.”
She gave him a look of disbelief. “Your family has that much power over you?”
His smile widened. “Have you ever been around an Italian family, especially one you co-managed a hotel with?”
She shook her head. Yet, she understood family pressure and gave into it a few a times herself. Still, this wasn’t what she planned. She wanted a non-complicated affair. Looking over at Antonio, his expression told her there was no chance of that happening.
She frowned before looking at him. “Do you think your family will have a problem with me not being Italian?”
He chuckled. “If I don’t have a problem with it, they definitely won’t.” He leaned closer to her. “My family is very accepting and open-minded. They will love you.”
It hadn’t crossed her mind until he brought this up. She was open-minded when it came to who she dated because her parents raised her to be. Besides, what could be so bad about spending a few hours in the presence of his family? If they were anything like him, everything would be okay. She took a deep breath.
“Okay. If I agree to meet your family, when is it planned for?”
Antonio gave her an apologetic smile. “Tomorrow night.”
Chapter 6
The bottom of her stomach dropped, and she began to feel faint for the first time in her life. Antonio actually reached across the table to steady her when she began to sway.
“Tierra, are you okay?”
She didn’t bother to hide her apprehension. “I think I am going to faint.”
He smiled. “If you do, I will be here to catch you.”
She gave him a look through narrowed eyes.
“I am glad you find this so amusing,” she huffed indignantly, folding her arms across her chest. “I am also glad we have not consummated this relationship.”
His dark brows arched. “Well, we will and soon whether you meet my family or not. If you aren’t comfortable meeting them, I can put it off, but trust me, my family is insistent.”
She smiled. “Is that where you get it from?”
He nodded, and she had the pleasure of seeing his cheeks heat with slight embarrassment, but he still answered her honestly. “Yes, it is.”
Leaning back in the chair, he waited. She finally sighed in resignation.
“I’m not one for putting things off. If we are going to do this, we might as well get it over with.”
He shot her a wicked grin. “I prefer to take my time.”
She looked at him with every ounce of exasperation she felt. “You know what I mean.”
He brought her hand up to his mouth. “Yes, I do. I am glad you are willing to meet my family.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Is it important to you that I do?”
“Yes, it is. I am a representation of my family, as they are of me.”
She closed her eyes, understanding exactly what he meant but still wondering if she were going to regret this. There wasn’t anything she’d done that she regretted, at least not yet.
“Cara, have you ever made love with a man?”
Her eyes popped open at his unexpected question. The man had an uncanny way of changing the subject. It made her hesitant about giving him an answer to the question because she knew it could change her plans, but her only option was to be honest, if she wanted this to work. Shaking her head, she gave him a small smile.
“No, because of you
I am starting to realize I haven’t,” she whispered. “But I have had sex.”
He gave her his characteristics smile. “Well, cara, I am glad to be the one who is showing you that there is a difference between the two.”
His expression suddenly changed to a frown. “I would hate to think what would have happened if it wasn’t me you ran into in the bar.”
She gave him a slight shrug of her shoulder. He had no idea how long she sat in the bar before he’d come along or how many invitations she declined, and she wasn’t going to tell him.
“I may be lack experience, but I am not stupid.”
His smile reappeared at her indignation. Tierra prided herself on her level of intelligence and thought about everything she did very carefully before she went through with it.
“I believe you.”
She smiled at how intuitive Antonio appeared to be when it came to her and wondered if Quincy ever had been. If he had, she couldn’t remember. Then again there were a lot of things she couldn’t remember about Quincy while in Antonio’s presence.
She felt fate made him walk into the bar last night. Call it divine intervention or call it luck, she was just glad it happened. She shuddered at the thought of having chosen another man besides Antonio to be the one to touch her. She looked up as he reached out and brushed her cheek with a caring hand.
“Do you want any more dessert?”
She shook her head slowly. The panna cotta tasted delicious, but she knew what she was about to share with Antonio would be even better.
He stood up before holding his hand out to her. She took it, and he led her inside. He placed a brief kiss on her lips before pulling back.
“I will be back in a moment.”
She watched him enter the bathroom and close the door before she moved. First, she brought the votive candle sitting on the patio table inside, then closed the door and drew the curtains. She placed it on the dresser before opening the second drawer and reaching inside.
Pulling out what she needed to change into, she waited for Antonio to come out of the bathroom. She didn’t have a long wait. When the bathroom door opened, she struggled to breathe normally.
Propositioning the Rich Italian Page 5
