Propositioning the Rich Italian (11 page)

He smiled. “Don’t forget to add my family to the equation. Tonight they were a little more animated than usual.”

She looked at him with surprise. “Are they normally more tame?”

He chuckled. “Tame is a word that can never be used to describe my family. They aren’t normally as excited, but the noise level is always the same regardless.”

Before she could respond, they pulled up in front of the hotel. He thanked the driver. He slid from the backseat before turning to assist her out. They made their way into the hotel and toward the elevator. When the doors closed, he stared down at her.

“Were they staring this time?”

When she stared blankly at him, he smiled. “The people in the lobby.”

The look on her face became one of confusion. He knew he distracted her to a degree that she hadn’t even thought about the people in the lobby.

“
Buon
,” he murmured before the elevator doors opened on her floor.

He led the way to the room, stepping aside to let her enter first. He flipped the light switch on the wall, turning on the lamp beside the bed. He smiled as he watched her walk over to the bed and collapse on top of it.

“Still tired?”

She gave a slight nod, and he walked toward the bed, then reached for her feet, sliding her sandals off. The only thing he regretted was she didn’t have on a garter belt and stockings. He would find a reason for her to wear them again before she left. Seeing her in them inspired some fantasies. She moaned as he began to massage her foot, and when he let her roll over onto her back, all traces of sleepiness in her eyes replaced by desire. He was glad his touch had an effect on her because just being in her presence had that effect on him.

“Did you really have a good time with my family?”

She nodded, a genuine smile appearing on her face “Yes, I did. Thank you for inviting me.”

“The pleasure was all mine,” he stated before leaning down to press a quick kiss on her lips. When she opened her mouth to him, the kiss lasted a lot longer than he intended. When he drew back, she was breathless, and his breath was just as raspy. She smiled as he groaned. Standing up, he held his hand out to her.

“I know you are tired and probably still a little sore from last night. Let’s get ready for bed.”

She took his hand, allowing him to tug her upward until she stood beside him. Her expression spoke of everything but sleepiness.

“Sleep isn’t what I have in mind.”

He looked at her, unable to hide his surprise. Knowing she wanted him and wasn’t afraid to say so turned him on more than he ever thought possible.

“What did you have in mind?”
  

She stepped closer to him, her expression becoming slightly shy. “You and me naked to begin with.”

She reached for the buckle on his belt, and his hands come up to join hers. He had both of them stripped down to their underwear quickly. When he saw the underwear she wore, he paused. His desire for her rose another notch. He fingered the lace of the bra.

“I love the underwear you have on, and I love the way you keep surprising me with it even more.”

She smiled as he slid the lacy straps of her bra off her shoulders, revealing her breasts to his gaze. When his lips touched her, she grasped, leaning into him. She didn’t relax into his touch long. When she pulled back from him, her expression was feral.

“Naked. I need you naked.
Now
,” she panted, and he was more than happy to oblige, removing the remainder of their clothes quickly. When they were completely nude, he laid her on the bed. His attention and mouth instantly went back to her breasts, one first, then the other. She moaned with pleasure. He moved slightly, and they both exhaled softly as his erection aligned perfectly against her entrance. She reached for him, tried to bring him into her, and he growled in response.

“Careful,
cara
,” he whispered. “My control is thin and I need protection. Besides, I don’t want to hurt you again.”

She nodded, and her grip loosened, allowing him to find a condom and cover himself with it. The instant he had, she encircled him within her hands again, bringing him to her entrance. He entered her, but not as deeply as she wanted judging by her whimper of frustration. He slid in another glorious inch before stopping. Reaching up, she pulled him closer to her, but he didn’t move.

“Antonio, I need all of you inside of me now.”

The urgency in her voice combined with her lowered inhibitions made him give in. She was willing to demand what she wanted from him, what she needed from him. How could he say no? When she wrapped her legs around his waist, he couldn’t help his moan of pleasure as he finally entered her completely. She felt so snug around him, it took every ounce of control he had not to let go and thrust into her wildly. He began to move slowly, taking pleasure in her gasps. Judging by the expression on her face, he knew it wasn’t going to be long before she went over the edge. A second later, a pre-orgasmic smile appeared on her face before it became one of pure pleasure. Her body tightened around his as his name fell from her lips.

“
Antonio!”

She drew him into his own release, and he held her tightly, their hips moving in unison. When she convulsed against him again, crying out, he could only watch her in amazement as she experienced another orgasm right on the heels of her first one.

She clutched at him, riding the wave of pleasure. It solidified his resolve to keep going, to make sure she was thoroughly satisfied. When she seized against him a third time, his mouth dropped open in astonishment for a second before her body pulled his into another orgasmic release with her. He clung to her just as tightly as she held him, reveling at the incoherent sounds she made. His release so intense, he closed his eyes before emitting a shout of his own pleasure. It was a long time before either of them moved. When he did he glanced at her, her expression filled with astonishment. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She swallowed a few times, then moistened her lips before trying again.

“That was…” He studied her as she paused, seeming unable to find the words she wanted to say. Then again, there was no need. He knew exactly what she meant. It had never been like this for him, either. He was just as taken aback.

“I know.”

He rolled to the side, taking her with him. “Have you always been multi-orgasmic?”

Her expression turned shy again, and she shrugged her shoulders. “No. Before you I was lucky to have an orgasm.”

It was impossible for him to hide his shock, for he recalled their conversation from the first night that they met. “Even when you…”

A dull flush of embarrassment appeared on her face at his mention of her pleasuring herself.

“I meant with my ex-fiancé. Even though we never had sex, we experimented a little, but I always ended up having to fake it.”

He arched a dark brow in her direction. “How did your fiancé not know you were faking it? Your body gives it away when you are getting ready to climax, and if not, the look that appears on your face right before you do should have.”

Her expression became more embarrassed. She glanced away from him “Because I started out faking it, so he never knew the difference.”

Antonio shook his head in distaste. “
Cara
, every day I am more glad you didn’t marry this man.”

Her gaze skipped back to his. When she spoke, he could hear the sincerity in her voice.
“So am I.”

* * * *

Tierra brushed her hair before securing it in a ponytail, feeling a little dejected because she would have to spend most of the day away from Antonio. Even after their passionate encounter last night, they woke early, and he tenderly made love to her again. His touch so was gentle, she fought back tears the entire time. He ordered breakfast, and they enjoyed it on the balcony again until Leo called Antonio away to handle an electricity problem with the hotel. Reluctantly, he left her with a brief kiss and the promise to rejoin her as soon as possible. They had a tour planned for the day. Thirty minutes later he called to tell her that the problem was bigger than he originally thought, and it would take them a little longer to fix it.

He told her their tour was still on and to be ready. Another thirty minutes later, he called again stating he was going to have to cancel the tour, but he would leave her in the hands of four of the best tour guides he knew. She
’
d been tempted to tell him she would just wait on him, but she didn’t feel like being cooped up in the room again all day, especially by herself. So she made the decision to go ahead and get dressed.

She quickly walked toward the door when someone knocked. She smiled when she looked through the peephole and saw Amalía standing there with three other women.

She was certain she recognized one of them as a member of the hotel staff from when she checked in. Opening the door, she greeted the women who stood in front of her before embracing Amalía. She really did like Antonio’s sister. They had a lot in common when it came to trouble in finding the right man.

“Hi, Tierra. These are my friends Sophia, Talía and Daníella. Sophia is the head of hotel hospitality. Talía’s the public relations and marketing manager, and Daníella’s the head tour guide for the tours booked here at the hotel.”

Tierra smiled at all three of the women. It was obvious all four of the women were good friends. It didn’t take her long to realize she liked Amalía’s friends as well. After Shannon, she thought she would never be able to befriend a woman again. The more time Tierra had to reflect, the more she realized Shannon was a selfish, jealous bitch and always had been.

“Where are we going?” she asked when the elevator doors closed.

“We are taking you to lunch first, then to see La Bocca della Veritá.” Daníella replied.

She looked at them in confusion. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what the means.”

Amalía smiled. “The Mouth of Truth.”

Daníella gave her an apologetic look. “I apologize. Amalía told us you speak Italian, so I just assumed you would understand.”

The elevator doors opened, and the four women breezed through the lobby toward the elevator that would take them to the parking lot. Tierra looked at the four women, filled with amusement.

“Trust me when I say I speak enough to say a few basic phrases, but that is as far as it goes.”

Amalía shook her head before locking arms with her. “I would say you could do more than that. You seemed to be keeping up with our conversation pretty well last night at dinner.”

They stepped out of the elevator in the parking lot, and Tierra smiled. “Because Antonio translated for me.”

Amalía waved her hand dismissively. “You were still able to keep up very well on your own.”

Tierra shook her head, knowing there wasn’t any point in arguing with Amalía. She would never win. Dinner with the Carabelli’s last night taught her that.

“Where are we going for lunch?”

“Ferroni’s. It is a casual Italian food restaurant and the food is absolutely delicious.”

Talía nodded. “Not to mention it is close by.”

They made their way to the restaurant. It was close, only two blocks away from the hotel. The wonderful aroma of the food assailed her nose the instant they entered. They were seated quickly, and she decided on the eggplant parmigiana, something that seemed as if it would be filling and scrumptious. The food came out swiftly, and she realized the women ate at the restaurant regularly.

She enjoyed her food as well as the company of the four women. It was nice to sit down and have lunch with nice women again. She liked having companions who she could relate to.

“So you are from the States?”

She looked up at Sophia and nodded. Sophia was the quietest of the quad, but she made her presence known when needed.

“Yes, I am. Boulder City, Nevada.”

Talía smiled. “How long have you lived there?”

“All of my life.”

 
Daníella took a bite of her food before smiling. “So what brings you all the way to Rome by yourself?”

She wasn’t sure what Antonio told any of them, but she felt as if she could be honest with the four women.

“Actually, I was supposed to be here on my honeymoon.”

The expressions of astonishment that appeared on their faces told her they didn’t know a lot, if anything, about her situation. So she launched into the story of the horrific events that played out and led to her being in Rome by herself. When she finished, their expressions were a mixture of surprise, anger and sympathy.

Amalía reached over and patted her hand reassuringly. “Well, we had no idea, but you made the right decision.”

Daníella nodded in agreement. “He sounds like a loser.”

She gave the four women a nod. Quincy was definitely a loser. “He is, and I’m glad to be rid of him.”

Sophia gave her a sympathetic look. “Still, I’m sure it sucks to lose a best friend.”

Amalía rolled her eyes and scoffed at the statement. “She couldn’t have been much of a good friend. Otherwise, she would have kept her hands off your man.”

Daníella and Talía nodded. Tierra smiled at her lunch companions.