I noticed when she mentioned the winery a spark lit in her eyes.
“I’ve heard lots of great things about Casa di Bianchi, Mr. Bianchi. And I’ve had every intention of visiting there soon,” she said, with an alluring smile. It was that same infectious smile I’d seen somewhere else. Somewhere other than TV.
There was something about Miss Scott that intrigued me and whetted my appetite like it hadn’t been in some time. Something startlingly familiar about her that had nothing to do with her local celebrity status. But I pushed it aside because my Queen was never far from my thoughts. And she was popping up again tonight.
I allowed my eyes to roam over her from head to toe before she glanced away nervously. It took everything within to bite back a smile.
Bingo!
“Then what could be done to persuade you to come sooner rather than later. We’d love to have such an exquisite creature as yourself on the grounds of Casa di Bianchi. Nothing could rival the beauty and sweetness you exude. Not even the most exotic and carefully tended grapevines,” I said.
The endearing smile on her face dropped, and her eyes widened just a few seconds before she plastered her smile on her lips once again. It wasn’t genuine; I could see right through it. What I wasn’t able to determine was what I had done wrong to place that guarded look in her eyes.
“Um...I need to use the ladies room,” she said, excusing herself from Maeve and me.
Maeve turned to me with an enchanting smile and twinkle in her eyes.
“You should be ashamed of yourself, Dante.”
Shrugging, I chuckled. “Whatever.”
“Don’t hurt her,” she warned in a deadly tone.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said, clasping her shoulder before I took off.
CHAPTER 13 – INDIGO
If I hadn’t excused myself to use the bathroom, I would have melted into a pool of orgasm and fear all at once right there at Maeve and Mr. Bianchi’s feet.
“No, it’s impossible,” I whispered to myself as I paced back and forth in one of the private restrooms that were installed in the reception hall.
I was thankful that there were private restrooms, rather than a large restroom with stalls. At least no one would think I was crazy for walking back and forth like a crazed lunatic, muttering under my breath.
All of a sudden, this dress that made me feel so elegant tonight was too restrictive. I wanted to remove it somehow and take a dip in the pool that I’d glimpsed through the glass doors beyond. Anything to cool me off.
“There’s absolutely no way. It’s all just a coincidence. Right? Yes, that’s it. Just too similar to suggest that it is what it isn’t.”
I stopped and pressed my hands on the marble counter of the sink, gripping it tightly. If my skin were a lighter shade, I was certain that my fingers would be red or pasty pale as hard as I held on to that sink. Yet, I feared if I let go, I just might fall on my face.
A glance in the mirror showed a fine sheen of sweat breaking through my makeup and a tiny dotted line of perspiration beads above my top lip.
“Damnit! But if it’s true, there’s no way that I can go back out there. On the other hand, I can’t remain here all night, either.”
A buzz in my clutch notified me of an incoming text. Pulling my phone from my purse, I read the text from Maeve.
Maeve: Rendezvous, lady?
Me: Coming.
Honestly, I’d been in the restroom for more than ten minutes at this point. I was hoping she’d get so caught up in her crowd out there that she might forget about me. These were her people, not mine. Had I met them and interacted with them before? Yes, some of them, but I often didn’t feel comfortable at these swanky, ritzy events where the rich rubbed elbows with other rich people as they compared their latest business ventures, corporate takeovers, skiing vacations to Switzerland, and visits to the Queen.
All of this was above me. Not that I couldn’t hold my own, because I definitely could.
But if what I suspected was true, oh God! I couldn’t hold my own. I’d lose my shit if what I thought was true was actually true.
A gentle tap on the door alerted me that someone else needed to use the restroom.
“Coming,” I called as I quickly reapplied a slash of lipstick to my lips and headed for the door.
Pulling the door open, I smiled at the brunette standing on the other side, waiting to step inside of the restroom.
I took a deep breath and tucked my clutch underneath my arm, sliding my palms down the sides of my dress. Turning, I walked down the corridor but stopped just before I returned to the reception hall.
“Ciao, mia Regina,” he said, stepping into my path and blocking my progress with his hands crossed behind his back.
I swallowed deeply past the knot that had formed in my throat.
I just blinked, not saying anything.
“Cat’s got your tongue, my Queen?” he asked, reaching out and grabbing my hand, pulling me out of the corridor into a small room.
Thank goodness for my long capped sleeves that hid the chill bumps that ran up and down my arms. The single touch of his fingers against mine set my body on fire.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied, swallowing again and looking past his shoulder through the door.
There was a glass window in the door that gave me a view of the reception hall across the corridor.
Everyone inside the reception hall was busy dancing, talking, or drinking. No one seemed to be paying us any attention, least of all Maeve, who I couldn’t spot to save my life.
“Sure, you do. Are you enjoying yourself tonight?” Dante asked as he trailed a finger down my neck.
“Yes,” I whimpered.
“I’ve been missing you and dreaming about you. Now to have you here in my lair...the terms of the agreement are very different.”
Oh shit!
“But because I cherish you, I’ll not go hard on you tonight.”
“Hard?” I asked, swallowing over the lump in my throat as he took my hand and pressed it against his cock.
“Yes, hard.”
“Mmm,” I moaned as he stroked himself, using my hand.
“What was it that gave me away tonight?”
Pressing my eyes closed tightly, I inhaled the sexy scent of his spicy cologne and then opened them again. It hadn’t been his fragrance because he wore something different tonight than he did at the club. But I loved this scent, too, not as much as the other one, though. Maybe because that was the one I considered his signature scent, reserved for his nights with me only.
“Your lips,” I finally replied, looking into those beautiful dark brown eyes. “The way your nostrils flared when you inhaled my scent. The possessiveness in your dark eyes that hide secrets while revealing your desire for me all at once.”
“Really?” he replied scowling.
I don’t think I could recall a time he’d ever smiled.
“Yes, really.”
Lowering his head to the curve of my neck, he inhaled deeply, sending shivers up my spine and a tingle between my thighs.
I held my head high and replied, “Yes. Really.”
“I don’t buy that,” he said, nipping my earlobe.
A moan escaped me, and I was pissed because he was in control, and we both knew it. He’d always been in control, only allowing me to believe for a time that I was.
“I suspect that you’re lying to me,” he said, tracing a finger along the curve of my jaw as he dipped his head to sniff my cleavage.
His hot tongue flicked out to trace the curves of my breasts, setting my body on fire. My nipples strained against the material wanting to come out and be tasted.
Shit, this was turning me on in the worst way.
“Your accent,” I said, biting my bottom lip, wishing I hadn’t said a word.
Dante had the most beautiful Italian accent I’d ever heard. From the first time I’d spoken with him on the phone before our in-person meeting, I’d fal
len in love with his speaking voice. While I didn’t allow him to talk much during our sessions, I loved it whenever he did speak. It was a treat that I allowed myself to indulge in depending on how much of a good girl I’d been that day.
And right now, listening to his sexy, low voice with its lilting musical notes was as erogenous as watching a porn flick. It was always the thing that had the power to unravel me, which was why I seldom allowed him to speak.
However, the beauty this man possessed was mind-blowing. No man should be as sexy as he, nor as gorgeous as he was. If I could compare him to anyone, it would be Mariano di Vaio. The dark bronzed skin, warm chestnut brown eyes, the broad slightly crooked nose that looked as if it had been broken in two places, thick dark brown hair carefully mussed on his head, and shadowing his strong angular chin and jaw made the two men almost look like twins.
The dark, brooding sensation that was Dante often gave me the impression he was the type of man that would break my damn back if I’d let him. Those full, dark, kissable lips now turned up in a smirk challenged me as that pink tongue that I knew brought fantasies to life swiped out to lick along his bottom lip.
Involuntarily I gasped, almost leaning in towards him. Almost, but not quite.
I wouldn’t give up complete control.
Not yet.
Dante walked around me in a tight circle, not leaving enough space between us for me to move in one direction or the other. The feeling of him near me left the hairs on my arm standing on end, a subtle brush of his arm against my breast, his hand across my ass, his nose over the back of my neck.
All of those little touches set me on fire. Had my panties completely fucking wet.
And then, as if he knew, Dante kneeled before me.
“Your foot,” he asked lightly, caressing my ankle.
Obediently I lifted my foot and watched as he ran a hand up my thigh and plucked the G-string in my ass. Slowly, torturously he dragged his finger along the string to slip it inside of my pussy, causing me to arch.
Pulling his hand out, he sucked on the finger and winked at me before placing his finger underneath my gown again. Once more, he plucked at the string and then slid his finger up to the waistband. This time he tugged and tugged until it freed itself from my ass.
After placing my foot on his knee, he used both hands to remove my G-string. My chest heaved with anticipation and quickly deflated, leaving me burning with fever and aching in the deepest portion of my belly when he stood.
Balling the flimsy lace material into his hand, he sniffed it, closing his eyes, and then licked the section of string wet with the juices from my pussy.
Fuck! This freak was on another level. But oooh, how I liked it, I thought, clenching my thighs as my juices ran down my thigh. I couldn’t wait to see what he would do next.
Dante stuffed the material into his pocket.
Disappointment filled my mouth like sour candy when he walked to the door and stepped out into the corridor.
“I’ll see you soon, my Queen,” he said, closing the door behind him.
My titties ached, my belly throbbed, and my pussy leaked as I crumpled against the door. I’d fallen into his trap.
CHAPTER 14 – DANTE
Strength, determination, and focus. That’s what it took to keep my eyes off Indigo. There were still too many hands to shake, dollars to retrieve, and promises to make. Between greeting guests, making the speech during dinner, and another one at the end of the night to announce that not only had we met the goal of two point five million but surpassed it by another one point five, I’d remained busy.
Although those things kept me busy, they hadn’t served their purpose of keeping my mind off Indigo.
That was a futile exercise and one that I gave up on before the end of the night arrived.
Flirting with other women and dancing with them had driven both her and Nadine crazy.
Leaving her alone to her thoughts and conjectures was not a part of the strategy. Just one dance I’d promised myself. And that one dance left me wanting so much more.
Much more that I denied myself the pleasure of having.
My dick was so hard, she cautioned me about it, whispering I’d better be careful, or when I stepped away, the entire room would be exposed to the weapon I was brandishing. No“I have plans for you,” I whispered in her ear.
“I can feel,” she said, her gaze meeting mine before breaking away.
“I might get in trouble tonight. You might just be the headline news in the morning.”
“Why?”
“Holding you in my arms, my hand fitting perfectly against the curve of your waist. Your sweet perfume is a drug, and your thick thighs fit so perfectly between mine. All this is an exercise in agony. But nothing is getting to me more than knowing that you have no panties underneath the dress with that high slit. You’re making my fucking dick about to explode,” I said, moving her hand against my arousal. “And I’m about to bend you over one of these tables and fuck the shit out of you. You will be on the five o’clock news in the morning, mia Regina.”
Her hand moved away from my arousal as she looked around.
“You’d better watch that weapon you’re brandishing,” she warned.
Yet, no matter how many thoughts I tried to think to stifle the hard-on I sported, it would not go away.
Not with her in my arms.
It didn’t get any better because near the end of the dance, Nadine tapped me on the shoulder, telling Indigo she would like to dance.
Disappointment filled Indigo’s eyes, but the smile she wore on her lips, her classiness as a lady, and being a consummate professional made me admire her all the more. She thanked me for the dance and stepped away.
Nadine’s cold, calculating blue eyes wouldn’t let my gaze go. Her jaws became hard, and her smile brittle as she gripped my hand tightly and asked, “Is that for me?” as she ground her hips against mine.
“Don’t make a fool of yourself tonight,” I growled through clenched teeth.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, glaring at me.
“I think you’ve had just one too many drinks,” I said, letting her go as the song ended.
“Wait! Dance this song with me, Dante,” she asked, coming after me.
“No. I’ve got a few people that I need to speak with before they leave,” I said, refusing to dance the next song with her.
Arousal interrupted and wilted dick resting silently in my pants, I made my way to my parents’ side and chatted with them and a few donors they spoke with.
I wasn’t so successful at my efforts to send Nadine home for the night, and unfortunately, I ended up stuck with her.
“Who is she, Dante?” she asked as she removed her earrings.
Unzipping my pants, I slid them off and then removed my shoes and socks.
“She’s the local reporter, Nadine. You know that,” I said, removing my underwear and heading for the shower.
“That’s not what I’m asking you, and I think you know that,” she replied swiftly following after me.
I stopped her at the door to my bathroom. “Look, I’m tired. It’s been a long day, and the gala took a lot out of me tonight. I’d like to take a shower and get some rest if it’s okay with you.”
Thin lips pressed together in a tight line as she narrowed her eyes. Spinning on her heels, Nadine made her way from the bathroom to the dressing room, and from there, I presumed to the bedroom.
I really wanted her to just go home for tonight, but she’d declined the car that I held for her.
Honestly, I couldn’t get upset with her. Nadine was used to being by my side at these things and warming my bed after the events ended.
I’d kept her away from my bed for a while and tonight was her first time getting a chance to get into it. She wasn’t removing her clutches from me for anything.
I was no fool. Nadine was good for being on my arm at business events, benefit dinners, galas, awards shows, and other celebratio
ns. And she was damned good at giving head and pretty decent in bed.
But what she didn’t have was my heart, not that any woman ever had. I wasn’t capable of love or having attachments. Or at least, that’s what I’d thought until I met Indigo.
I didn’t think that this was necessarily love that I was feeling, but it was a very strong emotion that I’d never had before. It was a feeling that I wanted to explore. It thrilled me, intrigued me, and enticed me to chase after her.
Indigo was truly the mouse, and I was the cat, although I’d allowed her to believe otherwise until tonight.
I’d caught my prey, and I wasn’t letting her go. Nadine would just have to resign herself to the fact that someone else had caught my attention. Someone else had sunk their hooks in me in a way that she hadn’t been capable of.
The steaming hot water sluiced over my face, sleeking my hair to my head. I pushed the water out of my eyes and allowed myself to recall the minutes I’d shared with Indigo in the dressing room off the corridor.
The twenty-five-thousand-square foot space with parking was perfect for the reception hall I’d built on my property a couple of miles down the road from my house. It was perfect for all the entertaining I found necessary to do in my line of work. It kept me close to home while keeping people out of my house.
However, when I’d been with Indigo, I’d wished we were inside the house. I wanted nothing more than to cart her off to my bedroom. But it was a struggle to reinforce my position, one which required tactical execution of a disciplined attitude.
I recalled the way she’d shuddered underneath my touch. Indigo had been ready to give me whatever I wanted. My Queen was more beautiful in person than I’d imagined she was. As hard as I’d tried to imagine what she looked like underneath the mask, it was difficult when all I could see were those luscious lips and those curious eyes.
The Scandal : A BBW ALPHA MALE BWWM ROMANCE Page 8
