by Theresa Papa
I resist the urge to try to kick her as each ankle is tied similarly, cuff to rope, rope twisted around cleat on the boat. This is the worst part for me. I don’t have Sam to focus on, so I look at the fireworks overhead to cope. I have to wait until we’re moving before our plan will work; hopefully, she’ll go do that now. But of course, I’m not that lucky. Giselle stands over my sprawled-out body with my drug-induced erection painfully noticeable.
“Your body is perfect, Nico. I’m so turned on just to see you like this.” She bends down and palms my abs, then runs her hands up over my pecs. Her body leans farther to continue her journey up my triceps to squeeze them. Her voice comes out in a moan. “Your muscles are hard, sexy, and masculine. But your eyes, dimples, and lips are soft and sweet.” She uses her fingers to trace my facial features, but I turn my head away instinctively. I want to exercise some control over my own body.
“It’s what makes you so irresistible. That combination of hard and soft in one package wrapped up so nicely. It reminds me kind of why I love salted caramel. The salty sweet and smooth combination is so delightfully sexy on my tongue.”
She continues her exploration of my unwilling body, ignoring my refutation. To my disgust, she fondles the erection through my boxers; it’s like a metal rod I have no control over. The thought crosses my mind that she might want to see if it feels delightfully sexy on her tongue too. But thank the heavens there’s no time for that kind of play. “Mmm, I imagined you would be big, but this will be amazing. I can’t wait to feel you inside me any longer. Don’t you worry, I’ll be right back.” A disgusting thought! With that statement, she gets up and disappears to go and start the boat. I just pray she leaves Samantha alone while she’s there.
As I lie on the bow of my very expensive Cigarette boat being held prisoner by an insane obsessive woman and sporting an enormous erection, a very important fact occurs to me. I realize this boat, my house, car, and business, all my wealth won't save me right now. The most important thing in this world to me is Samantha. Without her to share them with, those other things are anticlimactic. She is now the only one to have a chance at saving us both. My brave girl will come through a winner.
I haven’t been able to gage how much time has passed since the fireworks display started. But I judge from experience, they only last about twenty-five minutes in their entirety. As that thought enters my mind, the boat lurches into motion, and soon after, Giselle makes her way back over to me. I pick up my head to look around, and from what I can tell, she somehow has it rigged to drive in a straight line, she probably jammed the steering wheel with something.
Giselle stands over me. Her eyes are maniacal, and she looks like she’s taken more drugs since she left me. I’m not sure Giselle’s even coherent anymore because she stares at me for what seems like minutes until a loud bomb goes off from the show. She blinks into a more wakeful state and speaks to me in French. I’ve been known to learn a few French words to order from a menu or understand terms in the interior design world, but I don’t understand her at all. Then she switches to English as she loudly proclaims her love for me, and how she deserves to have me.
“I gave you my heart and soul, Nico, from the first moment I saw you. It really was love at first sight.” Tears stream down her face. If I wasn’t in mortal danger at her hands, I would feel sorry for her. Then she begins to wildly yell in French and English and waves her hands about.
“You never even noticed me until you wanted information from me about Elizabeth. And even then, you couldn’t pretend to like me. Fais chier. Because of your petite `pute, that means little whore! She came around, and you were completely gone! That was the end. I had to leave my job so I didn’t puke while I watched you look at her!” Her face is beet red, and she just keeps spouting off.
Something moves just beyond Giselle’s right knee and catches my attention, the most glorious, uplifting sight. Sam’s angelic face peeks out at me. I nod my head and wink to confirm communication. The boat jerks violently to the right as the pressure on my arms and shoulders from the ropes tightens. A sharp stab in my shoulder causes me to cry out. Giselle’s mouth is wide open in a scream too as she flies through the air over the port side of the boat to land somewhere out of my line of sight. The vessel straightens its course for a while and then slows to a stop. The excruciating pain in my shoulder is worsened by my inability to move my arms. Blasts of color shoot up into the sky above as I still lie there waiting to see my girl again.
Chapter 59
Samantha Marconi
When Giselle did her strip tease to try to impress Nico, she made one mistake. She left her overcoat where she threw it down on the deck, right within my reach. Moving quickly, I remove the handcuff keys and the scissors from the pocket and use them to free myself and cut the rope. Nico lifts his head, and I’m able to get his attention. As if he reads my mind, he gives the sign to go ahead. I sharply turn the steering wheel, and the boat jerks to the right, propelling Giselle into the water. Straightening out the course, I bring the boat to a stop.
My heart beats double-time as I climb up and spot him bound spread eagle across the bow. Nico raises his head and smiles at me like I’ve hung the moon. He’s so appealing and sexy, but now is not the time to admire my man. Adrenaline still pumps while I quickly untie his ankles and move up to untie the rope from the cuffs. He grimaces when he tries to put his arms down.
“Are you hurt?”
“My shoulder may have dislocated when all my body weight shifted as the boat jerked.”
“Oh sweetie, I hurt you when I swerved. I’m so sorry.” I put my arms around him and hug him gently.
“You had no choice; it’s not your fault, Samantha. You were so clever, brave, and strong. I love you, beautiful. Thank you for saving us.” He pulls back to look at me anxiously, and continues, “Do you have the keys for the cuffs?” I laugh and pull the keys from my pocket.
“You looked so sexy handcuffed I thought you should stay that way a little longer, especially with that hot hard rod poking me.” His dimples appear on those smooth sexy cheeks of his as he smiles. Then he kisses me softly before he makes a promise.
“I promise you can use the cuffs, but only if I can reciprocate.” He winks.
“You have a deal, sexy man.” I use the keys and unlock him, being careful of his injury. “Too bad I’m not in your arms floating on The Pulse of Pope while we enjoy the show together as planned. Instead, the French blond domme kidnapped us.”
We chuckle together at my funny little made-up name for Giselle as colorful streaks of light explode into umbrella shapes way up in the sky. Next, the skies light up as if it’s daytime to signal that the fireworks finale has begun. The spectacle of it makes us gasp momentarily to relieve us from the reality of what just happened. Nico puts his one arm around me, and we look up at the sky in admiration. As the last of the sonic booms go off and the brightest streaks stream across the sky, I look around the boat at the blackness of the water and try to use the illumination of the show to guide me. There’s no sign of Giselle in the water anywhere around the boat. A sickened feeling comes over me as I question if she knew how to swim. I don’t want her to drown even though she wanted to kill us. She was mentally unstable and under the influence of some heavy drugs, so I look at it as an illness. She needs professional help.
Like rolling thunder, the blasts continue to echo through the night. Then, as another succession of explosions go off, the sky becomes bright again, and to my horror, I spot where Giselle has landed. A yelp escapes my throat at the sight, which alerts Nico to my distress.
“What’s the matter?” His hold on me tightens. I point in the direction of her location, and the next burst of light that streaks across the sky reveals to Nico the fate of Giselle Gourdan. Her perfect tall lithe body that I admired only an hour ago is now a broken deformed bloody visage sprawled over the rocks by the shore. Limbs bent at unnatural angles, and the look of shock could still be seen on her lifeles
s pale face.
“Oh, Nico! I never meant to kill her! I only wanted to save us from dying,” I wail as I bury my face into his chest.
“You did save us! Look how close we were to the shore. If you hadn’t turned the wheel and the boat crashed, we would all be dead right now. You’re a brave woman who did what needed to be done to save our lives. I love you, sweetheart. Please look at this as a chance for our future together to begin.” He brushes away my tears with his thumbs and kisses my lips tenderly. Then he looks into my eyes, and he says one more thing that makes me realize what I did was right.
“If you didn’t turn the wheel, we couldn’t enjoy our future son or daughter’s sweet face when you hold them for the first time. We wouldn’t have the honor to raise them together in a loving, secure family where they will thrive and become successful contributing members of society.” He smiles. Wow, he’s really mapped out our future already. I smile back, kiss him again, and silently say a little prayer, thankful that God gave me the strength to turn the wheel.
Faith is a miraculous thing. My parents are religious people. They brought me up in the Catholic faith, but I don’t go to church as often as they do. I guess at my age it doesn’t seem to be a priority. But it’s funny how as soon as something life threatening happens, we all turn to God, and He is there for us. Maybe not in the capacity we ask for, but the way it’s supposed to be.
The next two hours are exhausting as we answer all the questions from the Chicago Police Marine Unit. As soon as they arrive, the bomb squad immediately takes us off the boat so they could dispose of the explosives Giselle stashed downstairs. It crossed my mind that she might have had a timer on the bomb, but thank God, she did not. Nico calls Joe to come over to help since he knows the background on the story. They don’t reveal his involvement in the rescue at the club, but he’s able to confirm Giselle’s obsession with Nico. A trip to the hospital reveals that Nico has a dislocated shoulder from the force of the boat while he was tied up. They pop it back, give him a splint support to wear for a while, stitch his hand, and give him some pain medication. We are both sent home looking like twins with matching bandages after being treated for our head wounds.
We decide to go back to the penthouse instead of back to the yacht. Nico calls Jaxson to go and close up The Pulse of Pope, which still sits in the slip at Burnham Harbor with our dinner on the table. Jax is worried when he hears the whole story and wants to come over to the house, but Nico tells him we’ll meet him for brunch in the morning, and that appeases him. I miss the rest of the conversation as I take a frozen pizza out of the oven in the kitchen, and Nico is out on the balcony. It occurs to me, though, how happy I am that the two brothers are so close and care about each other very much.
Chapter 60
Samantha Marconi
The weather is perfect to eat out on the balcony, and Nico has opened all three of the French doors off the living room. A soft breeze wafts in from the lake to cool the air just enough to make it comfortable. The moon is huge and bright with clear skies and stars that twinkle. Being out on the yacht tonight would have been glorious.
When I bring the pizza, some plates, and napkins out onto the balcony, he’s off the phone. I smile, set down the food on the glass wrought iron table, and sit. We both dig in, and half the pizza is gone in no time.
“Almost dying can sure cause an appetite. Don’t you think?” I joke with him.
He laughs and grabs me by the waist to sit me on his lap.
His lips graze my neck, and he nibbles my earlobe as he whispers, “It sure does. But not for food. I didn’t imagine my appetite for you could be any more ravenous than it is. But now, so nearly facing death, it hits home that every minute is precious in this life. My mind was repeating over and over that I wanted to tell you the many things I feel for you before I die.” With his fingers of his unencumbered hand, he clasps my chin to turn my head and look him in the eyes. Heartwarming, soul-fulfilling adoration and love glows in the depths of his azure gems.
“Every second of every minute of every hour of each day of my life I want to spend loving you. My number one priority over everyone and everything else in the world is you. You are the best thing to ever come into my life, and you make me the happiest man on earth.” Tears fill my eyes because he makes me feel so loved and special.
Nico stands up and gently changes places with me to sit me in his chair, then he kisses me lightly on my lips. As he paces up and down the balcony, he continues to reveal his original plans for the evening.
“It was all planned out to be so romantic for us on the yacht. I had the chef deliver dinner, and I planned some other special things for us. We can do all of that again sometime soon.”
I nod my head and smile to reassure him, not knowing if he’s saying this to make me feel better or what. “There is one thing, though, that can’t wait a second longer.” Nico now stands directly in front of me; he smiles with that dimpled grin that always starts the inferno inside me. My gaze travels up from his smile to his eyes wet with emotion in them. And then he stops my heart mid-beat as he slowly bends to one knee on the ground before me. Our gazes never disconnect as if looking away would cut off the hold on our existence and we would both disappear in a puff of smoke. Nico pulls a Tiffany box from his pocket, and with the following words, he makes all my dreams come true.
“Samantha Marconi, my life was empty and hollow before I met you. You brought light, happiness, and love into my world. Your presence in my life gives everything I do meaning, purpose, and pleasure. I promise to spend the rest of my days putting you first above all else to make you always feel cherished, loved, and desired. Will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?” Tears flow down my cheeks, and I can barely get out a breathy answer of, “Yes!” I hop down off the chair to attack Nico on his knees before he can even get up. I kiss him all over his face, and he laughs at my craziness. I can barely understand what he wants to ask me with my lips smothering him.
“Mmm… Don’t hmmm wan see a th ring?” he mumbles through my lip assault.
“Oh, my gosh! Yes, I would love to see the ring,” I beam at him.
Nico stands and uses his good arm to help me up with him. Then he opens the box to reveal a stunning three and a half carat radiant cut diamond in a classic platinum setting. It’s the most brilliant stone I have ever seen; the facets catch the bright light of the moon. He pops it out of the box, brings it over to his hand in the splint, and as I hold out my left hand, he slips it on for me. It fits perfectly. I stare at the ring on my finger and then back at my fiancé, who uses that one strong arm to draw me in close for a sexy, warm slowly erupting volcanic kiss.
“I wanted to have everything perfect when I asked you.” He rolls his eyes playfully. “You know about my control issues … but what I’ve learned now is that we never have complete control over everything in our lives. And if we wait for things to be perfect, we may never experience the best that life has to offer. The worst thing we can do is waste time waiting for flawlessness because sometimes the sweetness and charm is in the spontaneity.” Nico peruses my face to take in my expression. He wants my approval on his revelation.
I wrap my arms around him and clasp my fingers behind his neck and whisper closely to his face, “Sweetheart, you could have asked me to marry you in a dumpster seated in a back alley behind some disgusting greasy spoon, and it would have been perfect.” His eyebrows rise high up into his hairline as I continue. “The only important detail about this proposal to me is that it’s you doing the asking.” This time, I kiss him with all my love and devotion behind it. Then I take him by the hand and lead him to the bedroom where I plan to show him my undying gratitude and satisfy the heat that churns in my core. Nico has a damaged wing, so my intention is to be in control, but it turns out he has other ideas.
When we stand next to the bed, I’m all about unbuttoning his pants and I gesture for him to step out of them when he chuckles. I look up at him, and he’s all
perfect white smile and sexy dimples when he teases me.
“So do you think you’re in charge, or is your plan to play the nurse role here?”
I stop what I’m doing and smile mischievously as I bite my bottom lip.
“That depends on which role you’d prefer because you deserve whatever you want after making me the happiest woman on the planet tonight,” I reply cheekily.
As if he’s contemplating quantum physics, Nico puts his index finger up to his lips and answers thoughtfully, “Well, my fantasies have had you starring in both roles. How about a little of both?” His one arm grabs me and squeezes my ass. I let out a little scream and giggle while I run my fingers under the waistband of his boxers to bring those down as I kneel. I can’t help but consider if he still has some of the drug effects in his body since it’s been less than four hours like I heard on some television commercial. Hard as granite is the only way to describe his manhood as I set it free. I can’t help but taste it as he groans his pleasure. When I look up at him, he’s unbuttoned his shirt, the peaks and valleys of his muscular abdomen constrict as I pleasure him orally.
“Oh beauty, you have to stop, or I won’t last long enough for what I have planned.” He brings me up to stand before him. I help him unbuckle the sling and take off his shirt. Then I want to put the sling back on, but he refuses.
“I want nothing between us tonight, skin on skin, warmth on warmth, wet on wet.” When he talks sexy, my whole body becomes a puddle. Then he devours me with kisses that are deep and sensuous, stealing my breath away. His hands make short work of removing my clothes without missing a lick. I push him gently backward on the bed and straddle his hips. Then I open myself against him by using my moist arousal to slide up and down his shaft. Nico puts his good arm behind his head and props himself up to enjoy the view. I do the same, ogling the bulge of his triceps and bicep muscles that turn me on so much, and then I impale myself on him with a gasp. His heat fills me deep to my core, and the inferno makes me seek balance with my palms on his chest for a second.