by Katie Dowe
“Why?” she whispered.
He sighed and got on one elbow to look down at her. Christ she was sexy! He thought with a pang. “You were someone who expected forever and a wedding ring and of course a home and I was not looking for that. But when I came back home I could not stop thinking about you.” He lifted a hand and moved the wisps of hairs from her cheek. “I am in over my head, Monique. I am made head of one of the biggest clothing brands in the world which means hard work and a lot of responsibilities. I used to run away from all that because I did not think I could manage all that. I told myself that I had to stay away from you and allow you to find someone who would be the person who would come home to you and build a family with you.” He sighed bitterly. “Instead, I am the person who almost got you killed because you are now a Romano. I never knew how much I wanted to be a father until I heard that you lost the baby that I never knew about.”
“We could make more.” She shifted positions and climbed over him. He was not entirely deflated and she was counting on that. “I love you Lorenzo and I don’t care about anything else. In time, we will have children and this time I will be careful.”
“Monique,” he groaned as she moved her body against his.
She reached between them and put his penis inside her, easing down slowly and erotically giving him a charge that had him reaching for her hips. He pushed up and into her watching the expression on her face. “We shouldn’t–” he groaned as she pushed down on him increasing the pace.
“Shut up,” she whispered as she bent her head to take his lips with hers. Everything else was forgotten in the heat of the moment. Lorenzo had been so filled with rage that he had hardly been able to contain himself, barely just stopping himself from taking the mousy looking woman and throwing her through the doors of his office! But now with her like this, his dick buried deep inside her, he forgot everything but the feel of her on top of him and wrapped around him. He needed her so badly that he could not believe it! His hands drifted up and into her hair holding her head fast, his mouth rough on hers. Suddenly, he reversed the position and she was lying beneath him. He lifted his head and looked down at her. “Monique,” he whispered as he brought his head back down and took her lips with his.
With a sigh, she wrapped her hands around his neck and held him fast her body giving in to the demands clamoring inside her!
*****
She fell asleep in his arms holding him tight. He smiled slightly as he realized that she was probably doing that to trap him in the bed. He raised up slightly and looked down at her. He had known she was in love with him and had avoided the subject deliberately. He gently touched her soft cheek and let his fingers linger for a moment. How he wanted children with her! He bent and kissed her cheek and she stirred against him. He knew he felt something for her but he had no idea what it was. He had told her the truth. He had been groomed for the position of CEO for Romano’s since he was born but he had tried to delay the inevitable for as long as he could but now with the company getting much bigger and the competitors smelling blood he had a lot on his plate. He took his time and tried easing out of her hold but she opened her eyes and held him fast, her fingers stroking his muscled back and drifting further down to his taut buttocks. “I thought you were sleeping?” he murmured huskily feeling his skin heat up.
“You woke me,” she murmured settling closer in his arms. “Where were you going?”
“To pee,” he said with a straight face.
“I am coming with you,” she warned him.
“Really?”
She laughed impishly. “You are not getting away tonight, Lorenzo. You are spending the entire night in our bed even if I have to chain myself to you.”
“Is that so?”
“Hmm,” she bent her head and touched her mouth to his chest. “I love your body; I can’t seem to get enough of it.”
“We need to sleep,” he told her hoarsely.
“You are the boss so you can go in late and you have forbidden me to come into the office so I am at loose ends.” She reminded him. She lifted her head to look at him. “How about taking a shower together?”
“I thought you had already showered?” he looked over at the clock. “It’s almost midnight.”
“So?” she took off the sheets and pulled at his hand. “Come on Lorenzo, live a little.”
He groaned as he allowed himself to be led by her. He was feeling lighter by the minute and it was all due to her! She squealed a little as he picked her up into his arms and carried her the rest of the way into the bathroom. He did not put her down until they were standing in the huge black and grey shower and he had turned on the shower. She screamed and clung to him as the four-way jet sprayed over them. He bent his head and took her lips with his.
Much later when they had gone back into the bedroom and he had wrapped her into a pillow, she talked to him about her ideas for the spring collection. “I promise that I will not go anywhere again without a bodyguard,” she said with a wry smile.
“I don’t think it is a good idea.” He began as he rubbed her dry.
“I cannot stay here doing nothing Lorenzo,” she placed her hands over his against her skin. “Look at me please.”
He did and she continued. “I need to do this. I love what I am doing and I am excited about it. Please don’t make me beg.”
He finished rubbing the water from her skin and threw the towel on the carpeted floor. “Okay, but if anything like that happens again, I am locking you up and throwing away the keys.”
Chapter 10
“This is where all the magic happens, Mrs. Romano.” The bird-like woman said as she hurried forward in the vast showroom that held the Romano’s clothing lines.
“Call me Monique, please.” She said looking around the huge room. She had told Lorenzo that she wanted to see the showroom and he had told her that as long as she was taking a driver with her. She had been back at work for two days now and had been welcomed back like a long lost friend!
“Monique, I like that!” Brenda’s dark brown eyes sparkled. There were dozens of people going about with articles of clothing in their hands. “Those over there are the jeans we are putting out for spring.” They made their way over to the lines of denims. “We have the best designers in the business and they get paid the big bucks to stay with us.” Laura said with a grin as she took one of the jeans from the rack. It had a faded grey color and was as light as a feather. “You can do jumping jacks in this baby. Have you tried any of them yet?”
“No I am afraid not.” Monique said with a laugh.
“Why not now?”
“What?”
“Who better to showcase them than the wife of the CEO herself?” Brenda said with a twinkle in her eyes. “We have changing rooms right over there by ladies’ room.
“You want me to put them on now?”
“Why not,” Brenda looked over the woman’s figure quizzically admiring the rose pink pants suit she was wearing and recognizing as one of theirs. She looked chic and elegant, kind of what a man like Lorenzo’s wife was supposed to look like. “We are having a show next week to feature the spring collection but you wearing it will give some free publicity.”
“I thought they were geared towards college kids?”
“And women like you and the wives of the club members your husband is a part of,” her eyes glowed suddenly with excitement. “We are showing the public that even though it is essentially for college kids, the owner’s wife and others like her are not averse to wearing them as well.” She pushed the denims at Monique. “Are you familiar with Leesa Wellington and the others?”
“Not very,” she shook her head as the woman’s enthusiasm transferred to her.
“You are going to be having lunch with the group of them sometime this week. I have been following their schedules and they are like a clique. I am surprised you have not been asked to join the group.”
“I hate groups,” Monique said with a wry smile.
“You
are going to become intimate with this one.”
******
“We have become trendsetters of the rich and famous darling whether we like it or not.” Leesa said with a laugh. Monique had called her as soon as she had gotten back to the office. “I take it you are recovered from the awful incident?”
“I am still getting there. Lorenzo is still mad but he has calmed down enough for me to come back to work.”
“I understand you lost the baby?” she asked sympathetically. “It was in the papers so I am not prying.” She added hastily.
“Part of being a wealthy and visible man’s wife. Nothing is private.” She said wryly.
“You will get used to it.”
“Will I?”
“I have been in the public eyes since I started modeling and I still find myself getting riled when I see pictures of my kids splashed across the papers with the caption: “Was Leigh-Ann wearing that same romper last year?”
They both laughed at that.
“I have been closely monitored since I have been married to Lorenzo. I made the mistake of having lunch with my girlfriend in the mall and I was almost mobbed. A reporter wanted to know if I was scouting out what the competitors were coming out with and I truly think that they did not believe me when I said I was just there with my friend to have lunch.”
“They always suspect an ulterior motive when it comes to finding a story.” Leesa told her. “We are going to really give them something to talk about.”
“Thanks Leesa,” Monique said sincerely.
“We wives tend to stick together, and besides we have been wearing the Romano brand for a while now. I love their designs and now that they are putting out affordable brands it’s going to get even bigger than ever.”
“I suspect it will be.”
*****
“You never asked me when my birthday is,” Monique said quietly as they got ready for bed that night.
He looked over at her as he finished shaving and put away the razor he had been using. “You never asked me mine.” He countered.
“December 21st, and your mother said you were born on a Thursday. We got married on Thanksgiving Day so it is easy to remember. My birthday is on May 11th, and I was born on a Saturday. My favorite food is curried chicken with green beans but I also like fried chicken, and my favorites color is rose pink. Yours is baby blue and purple. You like seafood and particularly lobster quiche. You are impatient and very thorough when it comes to work and when it comes to relaxing you like tennis and swimming.”
He stared at her for a moment in fascination. “Anything else?” he asked her softly.
“You are afraid of vulnerability so you keep telling yourself that what you feel for me is not love.” She moved over and pulled the towel from his narrow waist. “You are afraid that if you admit it to yourself then it is going to make you vulnerable to me and you don’t want that. And right now you are hard for me.”
He fisted his hand into her hair and held her head fast. “You think you know all there is to know about me?”
“No, but I intend to find out more,” she reached down and closed a hand over his erection. “I know for sure that I have the ability to turn you on in the worst way.”
“You are right,” his mouth took hers in a savage kiss that had her sagging against him. “I am constantly hard for you.” He said as he lifted his head to look down at her.
“Good, because I get wet just thinking about you.” She murmured.
With a groan he lifted her into his arms and took her into the bedroom.
******
‘The new Romano’s brand of denims is taking the country by storm! Not only is the material flexible and fits the body like a glove but the designs are varied and unusual. You can wear it to an everyday function with one of their numerous t-shirts or you can dress them up with the throw top that has come out this spring. The wives of the Elite Club have been wearing them to different functions and we all know what trendsetters they are. Monique Romano, wife of former playboy Lorenzo, has been making quite a splash as she has joined the advertising team at Romano’s!’
Lorenzo put away the papers and settled back into his seat with a thoughtful expression on his handsome face. A smile curved his lips as he thought about the woman who had come into his life so unexpectedly. Who knew that when he had decided to go to Italy to hang out for a bit he would have met his wife! It had been quite an experience being married to her. She was an incredibly strong woman and he admired her strength so much. She had been held up and shot and had lost her baby and still managed to get back out with a smile on her face. She was heavily involved in the brands for normal everyday people and had told him with an impish smile: “You can stay with the expensive wears and I will stick with the ones for the retail stores.”
He toyed with the paperweight on his desk. She had actually changed his attitude towards the responsibilities he faced each day. Now he looked forward to the challenges that running a company like Romano’s entailed. He reached across and pressed the intercom. “My wife’s birthday is coming up on May 11th. I need to make a reservation at Leonardo’s for her.”
*****
Monique slipped the cobalt blue gown over her head and loved the way it shimmied over her skin with a softness that she appreciated. Romano’s was showcasing their spring collection and the entire press had been invited. She turned and caught her reflection in the mirror. She was a part of the entire thing and she could not help but be proud of herself. She had made friends with an incredible group of women who was anything but uptight and she was in love with her husband. He had not admitted to loving her yet but she knew he was very close to it! A frown etched her brow as she placed her hands on her flat stomach. She would have been three months pregnant now if that had not happened. She shook it off determined not to let something like that bother her right now. She turned as she heard him come back inside the room. He stood still in the doorway as he looked at her. The dress was one of their latest with a scooped neckline and thin jeweled straps. Romano’s never makes two of the same kind of clothing and was very famous for their exclusivity. The designer had made it especially for her and it fitted her like a second skin.
“You like?” she asked him huskily as she turned for him to see the back. The straps crisscrossed making it impossible for her to wear underwear.
“Very much,” his dark eyes swept over her and saw the glimpse of one thigh when she moved. He came further into the room and held a box out to her.
“What’s this?”
“An early birthday present. Open it.”
She did and gasped at the sapphire glowing as it nestled against the dark blue interior. “It’s so lovely,” she whispered.
He took it out and placed it around her neck. She stared into the mirror with one hand touching the stones lovingly. “It must have cost a fortune.”
“You are more than worth it.”
“The earrings don’t match,” she said as she looked at the diamond knobs in her lobes.
“How remiss of me.” He took out a second box with the same color only smaller and opened it. Large drop sapphire earrings nestled there. “Thank you.”
“You are most welcome,” he tipped her chin up and bent his head to kiss her lightly on the lips but she opened her mouth and the kiss deepened.
His body tightened as he pulled her closer to him. He broke off the kiss and rested his forehead against hers, his breathing ragged and his body shuddering. “We have to go. Mother and Dad are waiting downstairs.”
“I know,” she was shivering as she clung to him. “I want to go because I am actually getting excited about the clothing industry but I wished we could stay home and you make love to me.”
“I promise that when we get home, I will spend the entire night making love to you.”
“I am holding you to it,” she bit his bottom lip lightly causing him to groan.
“You are making it hard for me.”
“I know,” with a smug l
augh she stepped back and took his hand. “Let’s go.”
*****
All of the big name brands were there and the huge room where the show was being kept was packed to capacity. Monique waved to the other wives who had turned up and went to sit with them as Lorenzo and his dad had to go around the back to see what was happening.
“Love the dress darling,” Leesa told her as she took her seat between her and Ciara. “A Romano’s original,” her honey brown eyes took in the make and the material avidly. She was wearing a simple white sheath that looked excellent on her curvaceous body. Ciara had on a stunning black dress. The other wives were scattered around and waved to her as she turned to acknowledge them.
“Yes.” Monique looked around at the sea of faces. “This is pretty exciting isn’t it?”
“It is,” Ciara said with her usual quiet smile. “I had to drag Aiden to come. He was grumbling all the time that he was not interested in looking at clothes. That man has more clothes than I do and yet he talks about not being interested in fashion.”
“Men!” Leesa snorted. “Brad made the excuse that he had to take the kids to some movie they had been dying to see all the way in New York.”
Before Monique could respond, their attention was captured by the dazzling lights and the announcements on stage.
Monique had learned to pay keen attention to the different material and make of clothes these days. Since she had started working with the company, she had learnt so many things. How the type of fabric could make a difference to how the article of clothing looked like. Her keen eyes took in the short denim skirt that another brand name had come out with and frowned a little at the type of material wondering if it was not too sheer for the look. She made little jottings in her notepad. Her eyes were arrested as the line of denims that Romano had come out with came out next. There was a round of applause each time a model came out wearing one of theirs and Monique could feel the excitement bursting inside her. She was a part of this gigantic brand and she could not help but feel very proud!
The excitement continued into the party later on that night. She was so pleased when he took her hand as they made their way through the crowd. She was included in the congratulations as they wove their way through the throng of well-wishers.