by Katie Dowe
He closed the door behind and stood there looking at her. She looked as if he had been crying and she looked very tired. “Rough night?” he had not meant for it come out sounding so cynical but it did.
“Say what you have to say Lorenzo and leave please,” she told him wrapping her hands tight around her stomach.
He came closer and pulled her resisting body into his arms. She bent her head and rested it onto his chest for a moment before pulling away. “What are we going to do?”
“We are getting married.”
She pushed him a little away from her and stared up at him in shock. “Do you have any idea what you are saying?”
He tipped her chin up to look down at her noticing not for the first time how flawless her skin was. “Actually I do.” His eyes drifted to her full bottom lip and lingered there. “I have a need to settle down and we have proven that we are good together so maybe this happened for a reason.”
Monique felt the unreasonable hurt blossoming inside her. Of course it was all clear cut to him with no emotions attached. “I don’t think that is sufficient reason for us to get married.” She said pulling out of his arms and moving away.
“If you are not already relieved from your duties at that private school, I guarantee that you will be soon,” he told her a little grimly.
She turned to face him. “You are marrying me to save me from all that?”
“I will be getting something out of it too.” He said with a wry smile. “Look Monique, from the moment I saw you in that restaurant in Italy I felt something for you and that something has intensified whenever we made love. I am not telling you it is going to be easy coming into my family, but I can assure you that you will never lack for anything as long as you live.”
“I was doing fine before you came and turned my life upside down,” she pointed out as she looked out the window. He had come up behind her without her realizing it.
“I promise you absolute fidelity,” his tone was quiet and she turned to look up at him. His intense black eyes met hers and held. Something passed between them, in spite of the situation facing them; they could feel the stirrings of the intense desire that had gotten them here in the first place. He lifted her chin, his eyes probing. Monique wanted to say no but her body was already going closer to his, her hands reaching up to touch his cashmere sweater. She was in love with him and God help her she was willing to take him on any term!
“You had better,” she whispered, her fingers curling into the soft material.
With a soft laugh, he lowered his head and took her lips with his. Her mouth opened beneath his with a sigh of acceptance and pure pleasure. She was determined to push aside the thought that this absolutely gorgeous and incredibly wealthy man had asked her to marry him. That he was here in her tiny home with his arms around her. She did not believe in fairytale and she was deliberately ignoring the fact that not one time has he ever mentioned the word love! They had something and he felt something for her, she was prepared to work with that. Her hands drifted upwards and around his neck hanging on as she went on her toes. His tongue teased hers for a moment and then ventured deeper inside her mouth. With a groan, he lifted her up against him feeling the imprint of her full breasts on his chest. He tore his mouth from hers, his breathing ragged as he stared down at her. “Christ!” he muttered, his fingers fisted into the back of her shirt. “What you do to me.” He pulled the shirt over her head almost salivating as he saw her bare flesh. He dipped his head and took a painfully stiff nipple inside his mouth. Monique clutched at his thick black hair and cried out softly feeling the desire uncurling in her body. His teeth teased and his tongue soothed sending her into a frenzy that had her wanting more! He lifted his head and without a word he lifted her against him carrying her through the narrow passageway until he came to a bedroom. He took off his clothes hurriedly as soon as he put her onto the bed and finished undressing her, his mouth tracking the softness of her skin. Monique moaned softly, her body arching as he touched his lips to her mound, his tongue reaching inside her. With a cry of surrender, she gave in to the desire that threatened to swamp her!
Chapter 6
“You are going to have to give an interview,” his father told him grimly. It had been only last week since the uproar over his private life and things had started to move ahead with lightning speed! He had met Marcus and the man had all but told him that he was being watched and that he had better not hurt his sister. Monique had been brought over to the sprawling manor to meet his parents who had greeted her in a reserved manner but had warmed up to her in a matter of minutes. Their engagement had been announced with the press hounding them for details on how they had met and had it been love at first sight.
Monique had been told by the board at the school that they were asking for her resignation as her presence there would be highly disruptive. She had thought about fighting it but had decided against it.
“And say what?” He asked impatiently. They were due to get married in December (the date was yet to be decided) and a wedding planner to the socialites had been retained to deal with every aspect of the wedding. It was going to be a huge event to make up for the fact that everything had been so hushed before.
“I get it that Monique is quite unaware of how big a name Romano is but I do not expect that from you,” Bernardo said roughly. “You are Lorenzo Romano, heir to the clothing line and formerly the media’s darling, what else do you expect?”
“I refuse to subject her to all of this,” he said darkly causing his parents to exchange glances. Adele was supposed to be grooming the young lady on how to behave in their society but she had noticed that she was already half way there. The first thing was to have her wardrobe revamped and to get her out of that tiny house where the reporters seemed to be camped out at every day. There were endless rounds of parties and social events to attend and being the fiancé of Lorenzo Romano meant that she was going to have to look and act the part. For a minute, Adele felt sorry for her.
“There is the red carpet event next weekend; you are both going to have to be prepared to answer questions.”
*****
“Do you know what you are getting into?” Camille asked her one afternoon as she stopped by. She was packed up and ready to leave. She was loath to leave her home but it had become unbearable, with reporters dogging her footsteps. She was being coached to become the wife of a very powerful and visible man and she had an idea that her life was going to be very different from now on.
Monique looked around the small cramped space which had become even more so by the boxes packed up around the room. She wandered over to the full length mirror and stared at herself for a moment. “There is a debate going on whether or not I am pregnant because as one reporter puts it I look a little thick around the waist. So now I am hitting the gym with everything I have.” She pressed her old cashmere sweater over her flat stomach and noticed that there was a little bulge there. “I know what I am getting into or at least I have some idea.” The light from the sun caught the dazzling diamond on her finger and sent shards of lights around the room. He had given it to her only two days ago and already they were commenting on the amount of carat and how much it costs. “I am in love with him,” she looked at her friend to see the reaction.
“Obviously,” Camille came over and stood next to her. “Or you would not be doing it. Have you read up on them?”
“I did,” Monique laughed ruefully. “And in the middle of the information telling me how vast their empire was I stopped reading. They make Michael Kors and the others look like they are not trying. They are into jewelries and wedding dresses and also high-brand shoes. Their going into the large department stores is a step down for them. I was asked to sign a prenuptial agreement and I did so hastily. I don’t want their money Camille, that is not what I am in it for.”
“Now you can get to indulge your shoes fetish,” Camille teased trying to make light of the situation. “How is he with you?”
“Coo
l and aloof when we are not making love. In public, he is attentive and he holds my hand for the entire time but as soon as the camera is turned away he lets go.” She sighed. “His parents are quite nice in spite of the circumstances and I actually like them, but Lorenzo is another matter.”
“What do you intend to do? Be his wife only? Or are you going to do something with your time?”
“I have no idea.”
*****
“My parents are old-fashioned so you do not get to share my bed until you bear my name,” Lorenzo said a little cynically as she walked around the elegant rose pink suite.
“I understand,” she said quietly touching the antique dresser. “I can always sneak out,” she flashed him an impish smile.
“Or I can,” he came over and trapped her between his body and the dresser. “How are you coping?” he asked her huskily.
“As well as can be expected,” her breath hitched as he tilted her chin up to look down at her.
“You were great on the red carpet.” He murmured, his breath fanning her face.
“You were there so it was easy,” her hands crept up and wrapped themselves around his neck. She had been wearing a Romano classic pale champagne in color with a fitted bodice and a flared skirt. Her hair had been clipped by a professional who was stylist to the stars and she had been wearing strappy black Romano leather. She had stood beside Lorenzo and had smiled as the reporter threw questions at them.
“Where had they met? Was it love at first sight? When is the wedding?”
He had answered all of them smoothly and went on their way without looking back.
He bent to kiss her lingeringly deepening the kiss as she responded with fervor. It was late afternoon and it was her first time at the mansion. She had gotten the tour when she had been here for the first time and had tried hard to quell her apprehension at how magnificent the place was. He lifted her up and took her towards the bed. “Your parents,” she managed to gasp as he climbed over her.
“Are probably busy with planning the party for the weekend.” He pulled his sweater over his head and she reached up to touch his smooth muscled chest feeling the warmth of his skin. He unbuckled his belt and then moved away a little to peel off his denims. He had come from the office and changed for dinner which was usually served at precisely 8 p.m. half an hour away. He took off her clothes and ran his hands over her body moving to her pubic area. Monique arched her back as he bent his head to her, his tongue touching and entering her swiftly. She gripped the sheets and called his name softly as he continued to torment her with his tongue. In a few minutes, he had stopped and came over her guiding his stiff penis inside her, holding her hips still as he began to thrust inside her. Monique lifted her hips against him and wrapped her legs around his waist. She wanted to cry out how much she loved him but she knew it was not something he would appreciate hearing just yet!
*****
Monique stared at the ad featuring her fiancé and a well-known commercial actress and tried not to think anything of it. It was an ad for their new line of perfume: ‘Smokescreen’ which was due out in December right after their wedding. She was in the viewing room at the mansion where Adele was also looking at the commercial. It showed Lorenzo with his hair wet from the shower and only a towel wrapped around his trim waist. There was moisture glistening on his olive skin and a bored almost sensual expression on his handsome face. The girl was wearing a short red dress that clung to her svelte figure and she had her hands on one of his shoulders as she looked at him, her expression adoring. There was a build of smoke around them which eventually dissipated and showed them clearly. A voice in the background said: ‘Now it is all clear’ and told them where the perfume will be available.
“He has been doing this since he was a teenager my dear,” Adele caught the expression on the girl’s face and marveled at how dense her son was not to realize that she was in love with him.
“Of course,” she murmured lightly, knowing that somewhere in the past he had slept with her.
Adele turned the large flat screen television off and faced her. “I think you should have the fitting for your wedding dress done today. It is almost November and we need to get that out of the way.”
“You are obviously in love with your husband, how did it happen?”
Adele looked at her startled for a moment and then smiled. “We knew each other when we were little growing up in Italy and I always knew it would be Bernardo. It took him a little bit longer for him to realize the same.”
“How do you deal with all the attention from the public?”
“We keep our private lives private and we take trips to get away from all of it every now and then.” She crossed elegant knees. “You have been doing very well yourself, my dear.”
“So Lorenzo keeps telling me.” She said with a whimsical smile.
******
“So was she one of them?” Monique asked the question casually as she threaded water. The indoor pool at the manor was as large as the pool outside but the indoors one had a Jacuzzi and water running over hewn rocks jutting forth. Lorenzo resurfaced in front of her and adjusted the thin straps of her red bikini.
“Who?”
“The model you did the ad with.” He looked the same way he did in the commercial and had her heart tripping inside her chest.
“Ancient history,” he shrugged elegantly as he looked at her. “Jealous?”
“Should I be?” she taunted feeling just that.
“No need.” He reached around to pull the strings of her bikini.
“What are you doing?” she asked looking around.
“My parents are gone out for the evening and I left specific instructions that we are not to be disturbed.” He allowed the scrap of material to fall to the water, his hands reaching out to cup her breasts with their puckered nipples. “You are irresistible,” he murmured as he bent his head to take a nipple inside his mouth. Even though they were not sharing the same suite, they found the time to be with each other and Monique would spend the night in his huge bedroom tangled into his arms before sneaking back to her suite as soon as morning came. He reached his hand between them and dug into her panties feeling for her mound before dipping inside and going further. Deep down he could hear his phone ringing but he had no intention of leaving to see who it was. He peeled off her wet panties and reached into his slickly wet bathing shorts to take out his penis. He lifted his head and looked down at her before entering her forcefully. Monique wrapped her legs around his waist as he threaded water with her until they reached the side where he started to thrust into her, claiming her lips and swallowing her moans!
******
“Wedding of the year!’ the headlines screamed. Single hopeful females had their hearts crushed when the day finally arrived for heir to the Romano line of clothing; Italian-American Lorenzo Romano said ‘I do’ to school teacher African-American Monique Johnson. The ceremony was held at the Non-denominational chapel uptown and saw an outpouring of celebrities from all walks of life. The bride wearing a stunning off white lace Romano wedding gown of which the price tag cannot be revealed walked down the aisle on the arm of her twin brother who himself tied the knot a few weeks ago to April Montgomery, the only daughter to the fast food chain of restaurants, Montgomery. Monique Johnson, an otherwise unknown, has carried herself like someone who had been born to the riches that she is now a part of. Her hair was done by Brian, stylist to the stars and she looked like a pretty seductive angel. Mark Seville who came to fame a short while ago wrote a song especially for the bride as she walked to meet her groom and the haunting melody was performed by singing sensation Diana Rowe. The bride’s sister-in-law was one of the attendants as well as her best friend Camille.’
Monique’s hand trembled slightly as they exchanged their vows.
“You may kiss your bride Lorenzo,” the minister beamed at them. He pulled her into his arms, and careful not to disturb her upswept hairdo he lowered his head and kissed her lips lightly
. Monique clung to him deepening the kiss herself, her body trembling against him. She had meant every word she had told him. She would honor and respect and love him for the rest of her life! He lifted his head and looked down at her, his dark eyes intense and probing. For a moment, he forgot that they had an audience and that the cameras were flashing as he stared down at her, his body heated with pent up passion. It was the minister introducing them as Mr. and Mrs. Lorenzo Romano that broke the spell!
The reception was held at the Royal Palm hotel. The bride and groom had left amidst cameras going off as they went back to the manor to change and go on to the reception. A dress of the finest dark blue wool had been lain out for her by a personal maid that had been provided for her. Lorenzo had gone into his office to make some calls and by the time she was finished dressing he had come back into the room. He had not said anything to her about how she looked, and she had tried to keep her disappointment to herself. “You make a beautiful bride,” he told her as soon as he came into the room. He took off the pearl grey tuxedo he had worn for the ceremony and put on black dress pants and black cashmere sweater.
“Thank you,” she told him. His eyes swept over her curves revealed beneath the dress and lingered on her full breasts with the cleavage revealed.
“I think you should get pregnant as soon as possible,” he said abruptly as he turned to run the comb through his thick black hair.
“Why?”
He turned to look at her. “Why not? We might as well start on our family now. Are you on anything?”
“No,” she said coolly, not quite believing that this was the conversation they were having on their wedding day.
“I will get the doctor to check if everything is okay. Dad is going to need an heir as soon as possible. Shall we?” he held out an arm for her to take. Monique looked at him for a moment and for first time since she knew him she felt herself despising him. “I can make my way downstairs all on my own,” With her head held high she swept past him and made her way downstairs, her heart heavy with despair!