The Billionaire's Bargain (21 page)

He took a seat in one of the chairs
hoping to forget about everything bad in his life. Listening to Tess during
dinner had made him want her in ways he’d never wanted a woman.

She was slowly and surely getting
under his skin.

Duncan
began to examine his own feelings
towards Tess. He enjoyed her company and found her interesting. He’d never
found any other woman interesting before, unless he was wining and dining them
to get into his bed. Once the novelty wore off he would soon grow bored and
find another to satisfy his appetites.

He had never felt guilty. However,
tonight thinking about his previous encounters left him feeling guilty and
shallow, especially since he’d found out the hard way about Tess’s virginity.
He had nothing like that to offer her. In his time he’d had an abundance of
women, none of them virgins.

The only thing he had to offer was
his money.
Duncan
got up out of the chair. He went to the spirits and poured himself a generous
brandy to try to help
himself
deal with his problems.
He knew he needed to get in touch with Yvonne in order to tell her their
relationship was no longer going on. Having Yvonne in the background wouldn’t
be right for Tess. He wanted to concentrate on nothing but his wife.

He wanted to make her happy.
Duncan
was willing to do
anything to make that happen. Starting tomorrow, he would be taking her for a
shopping trip in
Milan
.
Women loved shopping, and with no expense spared, he was sure to woo her.

He gulped down his brandy and went
to his bed, which happened to be next door to Tess. He opened the adjoining
door to check to make sure she was all right. Her body encased in moonlight
gave him the perfect view of her. The night goddess with all of her womanly
curves lay in the centre of his bed. He felt his body respond to her beauty.
Duncan
shut the door so
he would not disturb her,
then
went to his own bed.

His dreams were filled with a
dark-haired, fair-skinned curvy woman seducing him. Tess, in his dreams, took
him to new heights that no other female had ever done, claiming not only his
body but his heart as well.

Chapter Seventeen

Tess sat at the counter drinking a
cup of coffee.
Sofia
had left a list of instructions on how to work the machines. Tess had taken her
coffee with cream and sugar. For breakfast she’d rummaged in the fridge and
settled for toast with a side of exotic fruits. Tess ate most of the fruits.
After the dinner last night she needed something light to balance it all out.

She knew
Duncan
was already up as she’d heard him
moving around in his office as she passed. The house didn’t feel the same
without the older woman. Tess missed her company. She got up and began
exploring the kitchen. There was more than enough food to last a week.

Checking her watch she wondered how
long
Duncan
would be. She didn’t want to barge into his office if he was working. The
honeymoon couldn’t take place without him. She wanted to go out exploring. Tess
knew it would be better to go with him than try to figure out a map or
anything. She poured herself another coffee then took a seat.

She ran her fingers through her hair
then began plaiting the length to try to keep it at bay.

Duncan
walked into the kitchen ten minutes
later.

“I thought you’d let me know you
were up. I figured you were still sleeping,” he said. He poured himself a cup
of coffee then added his own cream and sugar. He lifted the note
Sofia
had left. She saw
him smiling as he walked towards her.

“
Sofia
likes you. Not many women get a note
offering her services and help,”
Duncan
said to her as he sat down beside her.

“I like her, too.”
Sofia
was an easy topic to talk about. There
was no one who could hate that woman.

“I can tell. You probably remind her
off her own daughter,” he said, sipping his coffee. Tess’s gaze wandered down
to where his shirt gaped at his chest. He wore another pair of jeans and a
light blue shirt.

“She never mentioned a daughter to
me,” Tess said.

“She doesn’t like to talk about her
daughter. She died of cancer when Sofia and her husband had not long
married.”
 

“How horrible.”
Her heart and sympathy went to the
woman.

“It was a sad time. They got over it
with time and had a few more children. I remember
Giada
.
She was a little spitfire.”
Duncan
smiled.

“How old would she have been?” Tess
asked.

“The same age as me.
Giada
and I grew up together.
Sofia
use to work for my mother and father.”

“Now she works for you?”

“My parents’ marriage didn’t work
out.”

“I’m sorry. It must have been awful
to have lost someone so young.”

“It was.
Giada
was amazing. I adored her. She was the first girl I fell for. At eight years
old I hadn’t seen much of the world.”

“You don’t strike me as very
Italian.”

He took a sip of coffee. “I’m not
Italian. I mean, my father was half-Italian, and he owned a villa not far from
here. There is a lot of history, but I don’t want to bore you with the
details.”
  

They sat in silence, neither
speaking.

Tess didn’t push him for more. “I
never knew my mother,” she said.

“What?”

“My dad wouldn’t tell me anything
about her. I don’t know what she looks like or who she was. When friends at
school asked about her, I never knew what to say.” She glanced down at her
fingers, not knowing why she was sharing such a private part of herself with
him.

“Didn’t your father tell you
anything?” he asked.

She shook her head. Tears sprang to
her eyes at the bitter memories she recalled from being a girl.
“No, nothing.
I’ve asked, and all he says is it was a girl
he knew. My birth certificate has the name Bessie Williams. He won’t tell me
any more. I have no way of knowing who she is. I wish I knew her. There is so
much I’d love to ask her. I don’t even know if she’s alive.”

“Do you want to know the truth? If
your father told you, what would happen if it hurt you more?”
Duncan
reached out taking her hand.

“I don’t know. If she’s alive I’d
like to know why she left me behind. What was her connection with my dad? I
can’t even begin to think of everything I’d ask her.”

“Why didn’t you get a private
investigator?” he asked.

“I can’t afford that kind of money.
I never thought it would work, and I hoped my dad would tell me.”

“What if she did die?”

“Then I’m left not knowing.” She
wiped the tears from her eyes.
Duncan
pulled her from her seat and into his lap. She cried into his shirt as he held
her.

“Let it all out. I’ve got you,” he
said.

After some time she pulled back
wiping the last of the tears off her cheeks. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I didn’t want to
make you cry.”

“I had to tell someone. I’ve spent
most of my life locking it up.”

He took hold of her braid. “Cute.”

She chuckled. “It is the only way
for me to tame my hair.”

“I like your hair. It’s wild and
free how it’s supposed to be. Here, let me do the other.” He took the band from
her fingers then ran his fingers through the strands of her hair.

“How did you learn to do a woman’s
hair?”

“
Giada
taught me.”
 

“She taught you well.” He let her
hair fall back in place.

“I’m taking you out shopping. I
think a trip to
Milan
will be perfect.”

“You don’t have to take me to
Milan
,
Duncan
.
I’m happy here.” She took his hand in hers stroking his fingers.

His free hand caressed her leg. “I
want to do this, Tess. Please, let me.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

“You’re my wife.”

Tess let him fly her out to
Milan
. He always got what
he wanted, and she didn’t see a point in arguing with him. She enjoyed his
company as he took her to each designer boutique. Most of the clothes she
wouldn’t dream of wearing. He sat and waited while she tried on new clothes.

The whole experience delighted her.
Duncan
knew how to treat
a woman. When women came on to him, he brushed them off as if they weren’t
important. Once they were done he booked them into a fancy upscale hotel. They
shared a room and spent the whole night watching movies. She lay with her head
in his lap.

Tess knew it was the start of a
whole lot more.

****

The days passed.
Duncan
didn’t mention leaving
Italy
,
and Tess didn’t ask. Her time was filled with delight, sight-seeing and
exploring
Italy
and
Rome
.
Duncan
would fly them out to a lavish
restaurant for a top dining experience, even though she’d have preferred to
stay home. They visited the theatre and went on shopping expeditions. They ate
by candlelight in
Duncan
’s
villa.

Duncan
had thought he would have to leave
her for a short time to sort out some emergency, but he was actually able to
get it sorted out over the phone shut away in his study. His business was soon
cleared up, and he came to apologise by taking her to another theatre and
expensive dinner.

Tess fell in love, completely head
over heels in love, with Duncan James. Her feelings for him were so unexpected
but so welcome. She wanted to be near him constantly. Tess listened to all his
troubles when he talked about them. She laughed when he teased her or told
jokes. She loved the way he cared for her, the time he spent making sure she
was okay. Her feelings were so strong she thought she’d burst with the emotion
welling up inside her.

She knew she would tell him tonight.
Some of his work had come to
Italy
.
He’d told her they needed to attend a gathering of some kind, a charity ball
where money was splashed everywhere. It was her first appearance out with him,
and she wanted to make a good impression.

He’d bought her a beautiful red silk
gown. Her curves looked subtle as the dress fell around her waist and her hips.
The neck plunged in the centre. It had taken her several minutes to arrange so
her breasts wouldn’t tip out. She felt beautiful. Another silver studded
diamond necklace danced around her neck with matching diamond ear rings. Her
hair was pulled up in a lose bun, a red hair clip in her hair keeping
everything in place. Small ringlets of hair escaped around her face to enhance
her features.

Sofia
had come to help her with the dress
and hair. She’d left some time ago as she finished her make-up.
 

She knew
Duncan
was watching her from the doorway as
she twirled in front of the mirror.

He made his presence known by coming
up behind her and kissing her neck. He smiled at her in the reflection of the
mirror. She loved it when he touched her, his arms holding her and protecting
her.
 

“You look dazzling, a true beauty.”

“Thank you for the dress. It’s
beautiful.”

“I love giving you nice things. Are
you sure you don’t mind going tonight?” he asked.

“This is our first outing together.
I think it will be good to show a united front.”

“You’re amazing,” he said.

Tess felt her whole body zing to
life, and goose-bumps erupted over her exposed flesh. Her nipples hardened to
soft peaks. His hands landed lightly on her shoulders. His
smoldering
eyes looked at her in the mirror. She recognised his desire as it mirrored her
own. She felt his arousal against her ass. Tess hoped he’d stop tormenting her
and make love to her by the end of the night. The days they’d spent together
had been magical.

She felt seduced. Her body was ready
for him to claim.