Leah's Seduction: 2 (Gianni and Leah - Leah's Seduction)

GIANNI AND LEAH

LEAH’S SEDUCTION 2

A Rinaldi Romance

By

Emily Jane Trent

Chapter 1

Gianni needed to be more cautious. The sex had been hot, but he’d nearly given away too much. He’d hoped that Leah’s reaction would enlighten him, but it hadn’t. She had responded to him, more than he would have expected so early in the relationship.

But it was difficult to tell if there had been any recognition on her part. The scene he’d enacted had been a touch close to the description of it in the journal. It was sexual play that would arouse any woman, so he didn’t know why he thought it was smart to see how Leah reacted.

He was dominant. And it was clear to him, if it hadn’t been before, that Leah was submissive. She hardly knew it herself, or not in those words. But she would learn soon enough. It was Gianni’s plan to teach her. That hadn’t changed.

All night, he’d slept with Leah snuggled close. It wasn’t something he was used to. But he hadn’t sent her back to her room. Not with the way she’d reacted before. He’d set the ground rules, so it was safe enough to let her stay.

When Gianni had woken to Leah stroking his chest with her fingertips, looking early-morning tousled and sexy, he’d taken her again. His appetite for sex hadn’t waned, and he devoured her just as he had the night before.

Then she’d gone back to her hotel room to shower and dress, needing to attend an early event. And he had a meeting to go to. But he knew he’d see her again, maybe for dinner. And he’d have her, many times if he had his way, before the week was out.

For now, he wanted to be sure she didn’t suspect his motives, and planned to lock the journal in the hotel room safe. Yet he couldn’t resist taking a few minutes to read while he drank his coffee. Flipping it open, he went to the page where the ribbon marker dangled, and resumed reading.

I keep my sexual desires secret. I don’t think anyone would understand. My thoughts go to the extreme, and the things I envision doing are outside the norm. I’m not sure when it started. There was no definite point where I changed.

Maybe it was when I began dating, or realized I had an interest in men. A strong interest. But I delve more into fantasy than reality. Each man I’ve gone out with has been fine by any standards. Each has been attractive enough.

But each has lacked what I need. And to tell them was too horrific to consider. I’d would have been laughed at, and rejected. I’m sure of it. Even a hint of my inclination has met with indifference, at best. I want things I cannot speak of. And I need a man to take me there. If only I could find that man.

Gianni’s arousal wouldn’t be ignored. And although he’d been with Leah no more than an hour before, he knew he’d have to fist his cock for relief. Soon. He rose to go to the bathroom, and wished Leah had decided to shower at his room instead of her own.

His need for her showed no sign of abating soon. And there was no reason for it to. The combination of the way Leah melted under his touch, and the diary confessions, was a powerful elixir. If she wasn’t the author of the secrets, told in lovely handwritten script, then she was close enough.

Leah’s inclinations drove Gianni to conceive of a way to satisfy her. And in the process, obtain a type of pleasure that had escaped him for a while. Not that women weren’t willing, but not just any woman suited him. Because Leah didn’t fully realize what he could give her, she was all the more tempting.

She was naïve, yet not timid. And willing to be guided. Which turned him on. He was several years older than she was. Leah had told him she’d recently turned twenty-three. Old enough to thrive under his tutelage, but young enough to be innocent until shown what sex could really be like.

It was a challenge Gianni was up for, and wanted more each time he was with her. He maintained control, but saw that Leah had power over him as well. The way she responded to him, and her explosive passion, pierced his cold exterior.

She got to him. And he held to the assurance that it was purely sexual. That was all he’d allowed her, and Leah had agreed. It was unreasonable to expect more anyway, from a man like Gianni. But sexual pleasure was something he could handle.

Leah had no idea what he had in mind for her. Gianni would lead her, care for her, and see that she experienced what he knew she craved. But only at his hand. The sight of her with another man had fueled his possessiveness.

Not that he had some commitment to her, beyond sexually. But he couldn’t stand the thought of her with a man that couldn’t satisfy her. Gianni was sure that he was the man who could do that. At least for now.

*****

Life was bright for Leah during the rest of the week in Los Angeles. She was immersed in the fashion world. Keeping her pulse on the fashion trends and new ideas in merchandizing excited her. And she’d come away from more than one event inspired in a new direction with marketing.

Sometimes Gianni attended with her. But he was in different echelon of the industry, and connected with leading figures. Often he attended meetings that Leah would never have been invited to. But she didn’t mind.

Because on the nights Gianni didn’t have to work late, she went back to his room with him. The delights he had shown her that first night whetted her appetite for more. And Gianni came through. It all seemed like a wonderful, sexy dream.

Leah was unhappy when she had to go home. She flew back a couple of days before Gianni. He had other business to attend to, but wouldn’t say what. He checked out of the hotel the same morning she did, but would be delayed in returning to New York.

Since he wouldn’t be back right away, Leah was alone over the weekend. Having been spoiled with Gianni so near, depression consumed her when she went back to her lonely apartment. It was quiet and small in comparison to the hotel suite she’d gotten used to.

The distraction of doing laundry, shopping, and catching up on messages did little to take her mind off of him. There was a text from Jena, and it was a relief that it wasn’t bad news. Her sister asked Leah to call over the weekend, because her mother had been asking about her. But there seemed no indication that her mother’s health had taken a turn for the worse.

Then Kyra texted asking if she was back. Leah wanted to get together, but her friend wouldn’t be able to until after the weekend.
It’s crazy
, she said.
I’ll tell you all when I see you
. Without anyone to hang out with, Leah was stuck at home.

The first evening, after a glass of wine and a microwave dinner, Leah went up the stairs to her loft bed feeling more alone than she used to. Hugging her pillow to her chest, Leah closed her eyes and bent her knees.

She envisioned Gianni, and imagined he was there with her. The feel of him lingered on her skin, and her sex throbbed when she remembered how it felt to have him buried deep inside her. His commanding voice echoed in her mind, arousing her as it had in real life.

She loved how he took control, and though she had agonized at the time, she craved how he made her wait. Delayed gratification was not something Leah had thought she wanted. But having experienced it under Gianni’s firm guidance, she realized quick sex and instant pleasure were sorely lacking.

Already, he had taught her that.

What else would he teach her? They’d only just begun, and had so much still ahead. Leah tried not to think of the end. Pushing away fears that he would dump her for a prettier or more interesting woman, she focused on the present.

For now, she had him. And while she did, Leah intended to take advantage of every day and every hour she spent with him. Gianni didn’t want to involve their hearts, and she’d agreed, having no choice. Though she wasn’t sure she could continue the way they were without feeling anything emotionally.

But he’d explained that she would feel passion that would elicit emotion. But sex and love were separate. They didn’t have to come as a package. So Leah resolved to try. The lure of what she
could
share with him allowed her to put aside thoughts of what she
couldn’t
. Gianni had said he was greedy. But Leah had to admit that her greed for the sexual pleasures he could give her matched, if not exceeded, his.

To have him in the same room was an instant turn-on. Yet, even with Gianni in another city, the thought of him excited her. Leah knew she would be with him again. Hopefully soon. The promise of being naked with him warmed her all over.

Already, the sex was hotter than any she had experienced with any other man. Still Gianni tempted her, telling her they were taking it slowly, and building her anticipation for what was to come. He wouldn’t be dissuaded from keeping to a controlled pace, although Leah wished he didn’t feel the need to be careful with her.

She could take it. Leah had told him that.

Possibly, she was being too brave by putting her faith in him. As the relationship escalated, Leah wasn’t sure what Gianni had planned. Exactly. She had no doubt it would involve intense pleasure. So why did he have to wait? She opened her eyes and tried to think about something else.

She wished for her journal, because on the nights when she was consumed with need, it had been good to write down how she felt. A couple of times, Leah had considered buying another journal and starting over. But writing down her personal longings now seemed unwise.

It had been risky enough conveying her desires and fantasies when there was no one to see. Now that she’d been with Gianni, the notes she might write would burn the ink right off the pages. It would be bold to share such intimacies through the written word.

She still wondered what had become of her journal. Without an address written inside it, there was no way for anyone to return it to her. Sometimes the mystery was unnerving, as there was no way to know if any other person had read her most intimate thoughts. And even if they had, she would never know who it was.

Leah needed a distraction. She put on her earphones to listen to music, and pulled out her poetry book. Turning the pages, she looked for a poem that would do justice to how she felt about Gianni. But she couldn’t call it love, and thus none of the romantic poems seemed to fit.

Leah put aside that book and picked up another:
Leaves of Grass
. Walt Whitman’s discussion of delight in sensual pleasures resonated with her. She turned to a quote that seemed appropriate for her current state of mind.

“I believe in the flesh and the appetites,

Seeing, hearing, and feeling are miracles…”

The words were beautiful in their simplicity, and spoke to her in their candor. So long, Leah had repressed her desires, or been unable to express them. Gianni had already turned up the flame of the passion that burned within her.

There was a time when Leah might have felt inhibited due to the forbidden nature of her imaginings. Not now. Gianni guided her and gave her confidence. She could not subdue what he had encouraged. It was too late for that. Much too late.

Chapter 2

Catching the subway to work on Monday morning, Leah noticed that she felt physically different, like she had been transformed. It was notable that she felt more alive and energized. She still missed Gianni, but hadn’t heard from him.

Holding her bag on her lap, she tried to focus on work. She needed to get her mind away from the previous week and its sensual delights. If Vadim noticed the change in her mood, he’d question her. And he was going to be inquisitive anyway.

The reason he had booked Leah into the same hotel as GR Showroom’s high-profile owner was to glean intelligence. She had no doubt of that. And possibly she had learned a few nuances of the industry by being around Gianni.

Yet Vadim wanted more. That had been clear when he’d talked to her about the trip, and what he expected. Without being specific, the message had been there:
Find out what Gianni is planning
. Her discoveries about the competition had been weighted toward the personal, light on the business aspects.

Thinking back, it was apparent that Gianni was tight-lipped concerning his business. Likely he had good reason for that. Leah was sure her boss wasn’t the only competitor drooling to know which direction GR Showroom was headed, so they could get there first.

That was going to be an issue for Leah. Her attachment to Gianni precluded deceiving him. Not that she was a dishonest person anyway. It was hard to face that Vadim might be. She hoped not. Just because he wanted her near a powerful man, and expected her to report anything noteworthy, did not mean his intention was underhanded.

Although Leah had her suspicions. It didn’t matter right then, as she had nothing shady to report. All she had done was to attend some events with Gianni and observe his reaction to certain trends. He had never discussed business with her, neither his or hers.

Knowing she worked for Barrington didn’t please Gianni. Leah wasn’t positive if he was concerned for her, or on the alert for Mason Barrington’s motives. Or even Vadim’s. He’d said as much. But never pressed the issue, and only told her to come to him if she needed to.

Unable to imagine why she would ever be in such a situation, Leah was uneasy that Gianni had thought it important enough to stress. He was a smart businessman; that much she knew. And he wouldn’t idly tell her to be careful. It seemed he knew something she didn’t.

Although Gianni wasn’t about to tell her. Despite their intimacy, he was reserved on other subjects. He’d told her a little about his family, but nothing very personal. And any business discussion was of a general nature. It wouldn’t be easy to pry information out of him, even if she wanted to.

Not that she did. Barrington’s was a job; that was all. Her career was so much more than that, and Leah didn’t intend to stay in her current employment any longer than necessary. She didn’t need to put up with the condescending attitude towards her.

Being a woman made it difficult. Sure, there were plenty of women in the fashion industry, but most were models or designers. That was acceptable. For a woman to rise up the ranks in the competitive business of wholesale fashion was not as common. The fact that she held the position in marketing that she did would be an annoyance to some.

Yet she’d been hired, and it wasn’t only on Kyra’s recommendation. Leah wasn’t stupid. It was likely her bosses thought being a woman would be an advantage in gaining information from the competition. That was how Vadim treated her, anyway.

But they wouldn’t be able to ignore the strategies she’d come up with. Profit still ruled, and to turn away from tactics that promised to increase sales would be foolhardy. She’d show them she was worth what they paid her, and more. A lot more. That would be evident when she moved on, to a more lucrative job with a company that treated her with respect.

Leah got off at her stop. It wasn’t too cold, but she’d worn a light coat anyway. Adjusting her bag on her shoulder, she slipped into a coffee shop to grab some espresso. The shop was warm and inviting. A jolt of caffeine was what she needed. She resisted the freshly baked pastries, although the smell tempted her.

There was a lot of work to do. The notes she’d input each day were only the highlights of what she’d learned. It would take hours to get everything organized, and in a form to present to Vadim. After one sip of her coffee, Leah snapped on the lid and headed to the office.

It was still early. She wanted to arrive before anyone else in order to get a head start. The quiet would be good for concentration, and she looked forward to working without having to block out Vadim’s booming voice. The door to the showroom was unlocked, which she found odd.

There was no one on the floor. The clerks hadn’t arrived yet. It was quiet. Leah strode down the center of the shop and glanced in Vadim’s huge office on the way by. Sometimes he locked the door, but it was wide open.

He was not inside. Holding her coffee in one hand, she turned the knob to her office door and pushed it open. There she found Vadim. He sat in her chair, tapping on her keyboard. Leah felt violated by his invasion of her space.

“What are you doing?” she said.

Vadim looked surprised to see her. She didn’t make a habit of coming in early, so likely he didn’t expect her for a while. He wasn’t thrown off guard for long, and shifted into his caustic attitude. “Leah.”

Leah tried to process what was going on, and asked a question she probably knew the answer to: “Why are you at my desk?”

“I am the manager here,” he said. “Not you.”

She looked at his sharp features. That morning his hair was messy, but not in an attractive way. It was more like he’d rushed to the office before finishing his grooming. It struck her that his appearance was distorted, as though his vile nature twisted his features.

He might be a bully, but Leah wasn’t going to put up with it. “It’s my office,” she said. “Do you think I’m hiding something?”

Vadim closed out what he’d been viewing then stood, unapologetic for the intrusion. “Meet me in my office,” he said.

He brushed past her, but Leah gained satisfaction in the fact that she’d seen what he’d been clicking through at the time of her unexpected entrance. She put her bag on the desk and sat in her chair, still warm from the prior occupant.

Her emails. That was what he’d been viewing. Either he suspected her of something, which he had no reason for, or he was prying into her personal life. It was good to know that Vadim felt he had the right to look at anything on her computer. She’d have to remember that.

And from then on, anything personal would be communicated via text, or her home laptop. The one email she used personally wasn’t accessible from work. Unless he knew the address and password. Which he didn’t. Leah sighed, grateful that she hadn’t allowed Vadim to find a weakness.

With that, he could get the upper hand. Not going to happen. She would outsmart him, no matter how clever he thought he was. His mistake of getting caught at her desk had tipped her off. It was foolish of him to be careless. Now she knew the score, and would take extra steps to protect any information not intended for his eyes.

She took a minute to finish her espresso. Leah needed the fortification, and Vadim could wait. When she was done, she gathered her papers and went to his office. Stepping inside, she looked around. Her boss ignored her, and gave the impression of intently studying a memo.

The office was huge and imposing. Much more elaborate than he needed. But then the oversized space and massive furniture matched his overinflated ego. The desk was polished mahogany and matched the floor-to-ceiling bookcases behind it.

The décor was modern, somewhat cold. Leah had to walk across the shiny floor from the door to the chair in front of the desk. Traveling the distance gave her time to ponder the status of the man behind the desk, as she supposed it did for any of his guests.

And that was the point, after all. Vadim’s arrogance was flaunted by his choices. There was nothing warm or inviting in the cavernous office. Any person across from him would know they were at a disadvantage. She wondered how that went over with buyers.

After she’d been seated for a few minutes, he looked up, and shuffled some papers. “Brief me about your trip to Los Angeles.”

“I updated the log every day.”

He glared at her. “Yes, I’m aware of that. But I want to hear it from you. Surely there were things you observed that didn’t make it into the reports.”

“Like what?” Leah knew she was pushing her luck, but couldn’t help it.

Vadim leaned back in his chair. “Okay, so you are upset that I was in your office. This is a place of work, you know. Not your private space.”

“You’ve made that clear,” she said. “But if there is something you want to see, ask for it. I’ll be happy to forward any document for you to review. Slipping into my office, and helping yourself to the database before I arrive, smells of distrust.”

He widened his eyes. “You think I don’t trust you?”

“Do you?”

Vadim hesitated. “Of course I trust you. You’re my employee.” He placed his palms on the desk. “The day I don’t trust you is the day you’ll be gone.”

Leah wasn’t prepared to make a career change so soon after beginning her first employment. She decided she’d made her point. “Okay,” she said, “fair enough.” Vadim seemed to relax. “I really did put everything in the log. I took care not to overlook or omit anything. But I do have a draft to work up for you. I’ll need a few hours to get it ready.”

“What type of draft?”

Leah crossed her legs. “I’ve come up with some new marketing angles that I think we can take advantage of. The trip was helpful in that regard. I’ll try to have the rough outline to you by the end of the day.”

Vadim clasped his hands together on the desk. “What about Gianni Rinaldi?”

The mention of his name rattled her. Leah couldn’t think about him without her body reacting. And she didn’t want Vadim to suspect what had really gone on during the week she was away. It wasn’t strictly against the rules. But he might see it as consorting with his competitor.

Leah tried to keep her voice calm. “What about him?”

“Weren’t you booked in the same hotel?”

Doing her best not to lose her cool, she responded. “Yes, you know I was. It was your idea.”

“So, what did you observe? Surely the man can’t be that unreadable.”

It was wise to step lightly. Leah didn’t want to give him nothing, as that might encourage Vadim to press harder. That was what she didn’t want. It would be better to satisfy his curiosity while not jeopardizing Gianni in any way.

She could see that her position at Barrington’s had just become trickier.

“You know him, so to say he is unreadable is fairly accurate. But no one can hide their reactions completely. I could tell which trends excited him, and which he paid no attention to.” She had Vadim’s attention. “I took note of the meetings he went to, and who else attended, when it was possible to observe.”

“Go on.”

She leaned back, purposely keeping a casual air. “I will detail it for you. You’ll have my report, as I said. And anything that I feel GR Showroom would favor, from my observations, anyway, will be included in my strategy.”

“Get that report to me as soon as possible.”

Leah nodded, then stood and left. She’d bullshitted him pretty well. It was true she had observed Gianni’s reactions, but it had shed no light on what he really had planned. The man was very private when it came to business.

She knew he was on guard when it came to his company. Leah was no stranger to competition. Even in college, she’d had to deal with it. In the fashion industry, one didn’t get ahead by revealing anything in advance. Designs were copied, business plans stolen, and worse.

Gianni wouldn’t be negligent enough to reveal anything to her. Although he took her to his bed, that didn’t mean he shared something as valuable as marketing strategies. Leah wasn’t offended. It was just smart business.

Vadim’s pressure to pick Gianni’s brain bordered on unsavory. It wasn’t that observing the competition wasn’t part of the game. That was fair. But there was something about the look in her boss’s eyes, and the edge to his voice when he spoke of Gianni.

Leah didn’t trust Vadim. And she planned to stay alert and keep her mouth shut. She would do her job. That was what she was paid to do. But if her boss thought he could manipulate her, or use her connection to Gianni for unfair advantage, he was wrong.