She gave up. Talking to him was like talking to a wall. Besides, the way Goro said it, she thought maybe Pete was temporary. Ezio might not intend to override her determination to help choose her own guard. This sour-faced man would do for now, but he gave her the willies. She wanted a guard who looked dependable but wasn’t so harsh-looking he scared her. That and she needed to know he was loyal to her. The last requirement might be tough being that he would know who paid his salary.
In forty minutes, Shakarri made it to her old doctor’s office. Hopefully, Pete was too new to be briefed him on the fact that Ezio insisted on a different doctor when they got involved, one that the upper crust used and probably someone he had in his pocket. Shakarri wanted confidentiality.
Once she was called to the back, she slipped on to the table in the examination room and waited. Her doctor, a woman maybe in her late fifties or sixties entered the room. “Hello, Shakarri. It’s good to see you. I was surprised to get your call. It was my understanding you had changed doctors.”
“How are you, Dr. Abate? I know, and I really wanted to stay with you. Circumstances…well…” She shrugged, not wanting to explain.
“Are you feeling okay? Anything we have to be concerned about?”
She didn’t know why she felt embarrassed. “Um, I was feeling ill, and wanted to make sure I’m not pregnant.”
“All right. We can do a preliminary urine test. The lab can get results pretty quickly. Have you noticed any changes in your body? Did you miss your period?”
“No, just sick.” The bed with its paper liner crackled under her hands, and she realized tension had made her grip it. She forced herself to relax.
After a quick examination, the doctor questioned her again. “Are you on the pill?”
“No, I went off it not too long ago.”
“Just so you know, it can take a while to get pregnant after using contraceptives for a while. For some women, it happens just like that.” She snapped her fingers.
“Yes, I know.”
The doctor directed Shakarri on what to do in the bathroom, and soon she was back to sitting on the narrow bed, swinging her legs and about to go out of her mind. After an eternity, the doctor returned and Shakarri tensed, waiting to hear the news.
“First of all, you’re not pregnant. We might need explore some reasons as to why you’ve been ill. Have you been under a lot of stress lately?”
Shakarri thought about her sham of a wedding, the threats she had made to her husband and him to her. She thought about the woman throwing herself at Ezio and the fact that Ezio might have forced his ex to give him full custody of his daughter. “Just a little.”
“All right, I can give you information about releasing stress and we can see how that goes. Also—”
“What I really want, doctor, is to get back on the pill. I don’t want to get pregnant. Can we do that?”
“Sure, we can do that. Let’s check your chart for your menstruation schedule.”
Chapter 8
Shakarri moved among the crowd of guests, chatting with one here and there. Three months of being married to her husband, and she still wasn’t used to these nights of entertainment. Her feet hurt, and she wanted more than anything to kick off her shoes and relax. She couldn’t do that because this stupid party was thrown at the mansion, and she and Ezio were the hosts. If half the people weren’t so stuffy and boring she might have a good time, but that was too much to ask for.
“Shock-kerry, darling,” an older woman gushed at her. “We’ve hardly had a chance to talk all night. I wanted to pick your brains about how to get that husband of yours to give to my project.”
Shakarri cringed. Way to screw up the pronunciation of her name. She supposed she should at least give the woman credit for coming close. Her pained feet didn’t allow for that level of forgiveness. “Mrs…” She let the space hang between them, making it obvious she couldn’t even recall a name to butcher.
The woman reddened and supplied her name, but Shakarri missed it. She directed her gaze over the woman’s shoulder to spot Ezio. He leaned against the bar, which he had hired a man to tend for the night. Another man stood beside him, close in age if she had to guess. Ezio seemed to be paying him no mind because his attention was all on her. Her entire body warmed, noting his interest.
She forced her gaze away from her husband and focused on the glass of wine in her hand. This was her second one of the night, but she wished she had something stronger to dull the pain in her ears from the woman in front of her.
“I’m sorry,” Shakarri interrupted. “I have to…take care of…” She mumbled the rest of the excuse and made her escape. Behind her, the woman huffed and puffed feeling insulted. Shakarri weeded her way through the crowd and made for the French doors. A little air might help, and if she could find a quiet spot, she might be able to slip her shoes off for a minute. This was what she got for falling for shoes that were more cute than comfortable.
As she stepped outside, she noticed her new bodyguard follow and then move an appropriate distance away from her. Ezio kept his word and allowed her to help choose Dean. She liked him. He was down to earth, and he wasn’t built like body builder. Ezio had insisted he demonstrate his prowess in several fields of defense, and Shakarri felt satisfied he could look after her. Ezio had appeased his own requirements for her protection with Dean’s resume. So far, so good.
“Why did you leave the party, Shakarri?”
She jumped at her husband’s voice. He strode over to her while she stood in a shadowed area of the patio that pretty much extended all around the house. Evergreen shrubbery half hid them from anyone who might wander out where they stood.
“Just taking a small break. I’m sure that’s not against your rules.” She glowered at him.
“Of course not. You seem to think I’m always ready to criticize your actions.”
“Aren’t you?”
“No.” He stepped closer and removed the glass from her fingers to set on a ledge and drew her against him. His hand snaked along her back, first up and then down dangerously close to her rear. She covered his hand with hers, but he shook hers off and continued to stroke her back. He ventured as high and as low as he wanted. Shakarri squirmed in his arms because he was doing things to her she didn’t want started right now.
“Ezio, you shouldn’t do that.”
He nuzzled her neck. She resisted as long as she could not to tilt her head back.
“You’re my wife. I’ll enjoy you when and where I like.” He moaned against her throat. She shivered. “I thought maybe you weren’t feeling well.”
She leaned back to see his face and saw genuine concern and a question. Butterflies danced in her belly. “I’m fine.”
The area between his eyebrows bunched. “Are you sure? Maybe you should see your doctor and get a check-up. We’ve been together three months, and you never know.”
Guilt attacked Shakarri. Ezio sounded hopeful, and she knew why. He hoped she would tell him she was pregnant or that the doctor would surprise them both with the news that she was expecting. Unfortunately, it wasn’t likely. She’d been back on the pill for a while, but she kept the fact a secret from Ezio.
“I’ll make an appointment,” she lied, and the guilt escalated.
This is the only way, so stop feeling guilty. You know you’re leaving as soon as you save enough money. Get it together.
Her emotions refused to calm, but Ezio accepted her promise to see her doctor. “Stay as long as you like,” he said. “Come in when you’re ready.”
He turned to leave but then walked back toward her. In two swallows he drained her glass.
“Just in case,” he said and disappeared inside the mansion.
Shakarri slumped against the stone railing and sighed. “He can be nice when it comes to his heir.”
Shakarri slipped her feet out of her shoes and wriggled her toes. She raised her chin to a gentle breeze that stirred in the garden. After some moments, she hoisted her dr
ess and sat on the stone railing. That was more like it.
You don’t have to feel bad, Sha.
Ezio had brutally taken Cat from her mom, and for all Shakarri knew, he would do the same when he got tired of her. She would find herself jumping through hoops to see her baby. Well, he could forget it. There wouldn’t be a baby.
Maybe she should just leave him, slip away in the night or when he left town on business. If she saved enough to hire someone to help her disappear, it might not be so bad. Sure, she would have reneged on their contract, but she wouldn’t have taken all his money and run either. This plan might be easier to live with.
Where would I even find someone like that, who wouldn’t take my money and leave me dead in a back alley?
Before she could get her shoes on, one of the servers Ezio had hired came out of the house carrying a tray with a glass on it. He presented the beverage with a flourish, and Shakarri discovered it was apple juice. Beside it lay something wrapped in a napkin. She opened the bundle to discover two pain pills. Yeah, sometimes he wasn’t so bad.
She popped the pills and downed the juice then set the glass back on the tray. The server nodded and disappeared. She got down from the railing and looked around for Dean. He stood near one of the pillars not far from her.
Shakarri picked up her shoes and stepped off the patio. The grass beneath her feet was soft and luxurious. She made her way around to the side of the mansion, and by the soft rustle behind her, she knew Dean followed. Voices reached her as she came to the end of the building toward the front. She peeked around the corner.
“I apologize,” Ezio was saying to one of his guests. “Shakarri isn’t feeling well, and I must take care of my wife.”
The older woman he spoke with frowned. “I’ve never known you to give too much concern for anyone else if it wasn’t in your best interest, Ezio.”
Where Ezio had been smiling graciously before this woman said what she did, at her words, his expression turned stony. The woman’s husband dragged on her arm. “Don’t be rude, Millicent. We’re always grateful to receive an invite to your parties, Ezio. An enjoyable time as usual.”
“I’m just speaking the truth,” Millicent complained. “Do you think he loves the girl? Not likely. She has a common look about her.”
Shakarri gasped. She started to go out there and tell the woman what she thought of her nose being stuck so high in the air. The frost coming off Ezio could freeze the entire front of the property, and that was saying something as it stretched several acres. Shakarri thought she saw him stir a bit, but she wasn’t sure.
Out of nowhere two guards appeared, and Mr. and Mrs. Millicent, or whatever their last name was, were shown off the property. The husband’s expression was that of a man going to the guillotine, and his wife looked triumphant. Shakarri would bet money they not only wouldn’t they be invited to the mansion again, Ezio might retaliate financially. She hoped he wouldn’t be that petty, but from what she had learned of him over the last few months, one couldn’t be too sure.
“Did he really break the party up for me?” she wondered to herself.
Shakarri leaned against the wall watching Ezio. For some reason, she couldn’t stop looking at him. He moved with the grace of a jungle cat and exuded confident. His melodic speaking voice teased her. While he had worked to minimize his accent enough to be understood by Americans, there was just enough left to make women fall at his feet and men wish they could be so exotic.
The last guest climbed into his vehicle, but Shakarri knew there were certain ones who would stay overnight. Ezio was conducting a business meeting at home this weekend. A few of his choice executives were staying along with their wives.
Her husband dug into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He punched a number and held it to his ear. A buzzing started up behind her. She tried to hear what Ezio said into his phone, and then it occurred to her what he was doing. He called Dean to find out where she was. Her bodyguard said something into his phone, and Ezio turned smoothly to look at her.
He crooked his finger. “Come here.”
She wandered over to him, and his hand snaked out to grasp her wrist. In seconds she was pinned against his chest. He consumed her mouth, tangled his fingers in her hair, and drove her head back. She surrendered fully to him, holding onto the thick hard muscles of his upper arms.
Ezio’s mouth left hers, and he kissed her cheek, her chin, down to her throat. Each spot his lips touched burned and stoked the fire in her belly to a level that would consume her. She clung to him, hungry for all he had to give. He was so powerful and forceful, he took her breath away, but she enjoyed his touch beyond reason.
I can stay with him just a tiny bit longer.
“You’re not too tired?” he said when he raised his head to look into her face.
She grinned. “Is that a question or a declaration?”
His beautiful eyes narrowed. “I see I’ve still got my work cut out for me. I haven’t tamed you yet.”
Shakarri patted his chest. “That will never happen. Don’t strain yourself.”
A look of delight sparked in the depths of his eyes. Something told her he liked the challenge. She wasn’t worried. Sure, for the most part, she obeyed him—unless his words went crossways to what she wanted to do. Then he had a battle.
“Ezio.” One of the executives stood in the doorway. Shakarri struggled in her husband’s arms, but he didn’t loosen his grip. The man reddened at the sight of their bodies molded together. Ezio didn’t care. The man began to stutter. “I-I-uh-needed to ask you a quick question about tomorrow’s setup and timing.”
Ezio claimed Shakarri’s mouth thoroughly once more and then released her. “Wait for me upstairs.”
Thank goodness for her brown skin and the dark night because he spoke loud enough for anyone to hear, and it was pretty obvious what they were going to do when he came up to the bedroom. Sure it was natural for a married couple to be intimate and anyone looking at Ezio could see he was one hundred percent hot-blooded male. Just the way he said what he did hinted at all kinds of interesting activity in their bed.
Shakarri hurried up to her bedroom and stripped off her clothes. She hopped into the shower and primped and prepped. The pain pills had already dulled the aches and pains, but none of that mattered. Ezio’s kisses had put her in the mood. She chose to slip into one of the nighties he liked best on her. After lotioning her skin and adding a hint of scented mist to her wrists and the pulse at the base of her neck, she climbed onto the bed to wait for Ezio.
Twenty minutes passed, and her eyelids began to droop. She checked the time—just before one in the morning. A quick nap could only help with her energy. The pillow under her head felt so wonderfully soft...
The bed sank down on one side, and Shakarri stretched and yawned. Ezio’s face appeared above hers, and she caught her breath because he had removed his shirt. She hadn’t heard him come into the room.
“How long was I sleeping?”
“I kept you waiting, tesoro.” His deep voice rumbled over her nerve endings, making her tingle. “Shall I make it up to you?”
She swallowed. Had he just called her darling? Maybe she was still sleeping. Ezio never used endearments with her, and to use the one that literally meant treasure blew her mind. He was a dangerous man.
“I didn’t mind waiting for you.”
His hand slid to her hip, and his fingers burned her skin through the thin material of her nightie. When his gaze skimmed her form, it was as if he could see through it. “You know I like this one, but I’d prefer to have it off.”
Shakarri ran her hands over the silky material. “I like it. It makes my skin feel good.”
Ezio leaned up and sat back on his haunches. He took on that dangerous expression that always set Shakarri’s heart to beating erratically. “Off. Now.”
She raised her chin. “If I refuse?”
His smile flashed for a second and then disappeared. “You know what’ll happen.”
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Her pulse went crazy. Should she do as he said or defy him and let him rip it off? A woman’s choices were never easy to make! Shakarri hesitated too long, and Ezio reached a hand out and bunched the nightie in his hand. She squeaked with half excitement and half alarm as the material began to rip.
Chapter 9
Shakarri jerked awake at a loud boom that came from her closet. Her heart jumped into her throat, and she dragged the covers up over her as she sat up. Was she dreaming? She listened, but the sound didn’t repeat itself, and from where the bed was positioned, she could only see a few feet into that area.
A glance next to her showed Ezio had already risen. Maybe he had showered, dressed, and was deep into his meeting by now. Their night together was fantastic, better than any other night she’d shared with him. She thought maybe it had to do with a suspicion about Ezio that was taking form in her head.
An angry grumble disturbed her thoughts, and she frowned. “Ezio? You’re still here?”
He didn’t answer. The sound of a drawer shutting reached her, and fear gripped her belly. That closet was hers and hers alone. Ezio’s closet lay on the opposite side of the room. Of course he went into her closet often to choose something he wanted her to wear, but he didn’t do it unless they had a special event coming up. Ezio had mentioned the night before he wouldn’t plan anything for a while so she could rest. For some reason, he had gone into her closet, but he had never had a reason to look through her drawers. That’s why she thought it was a safe place.
She slid to the edge of the bed and took her time rising. A shadow shifted near the closet doorway, and her stomach dropped. Ezio appeared and paused in the opening. For a moment, she breathed a sigh of relief, and then she stiffened.
“Do you want to explain to me what this is?” He held up her birth control pills.
“Old…” The expiration date was right on them. If she lied, she’d make it worse. “Ezio, let me explain—”
The pills hit the wall, and she jumped. He stomped over to them, picked them up, and crushed them in his fist. Even from her position on the side of the bed she could see the pills crumbling into powder and littering the carpet. “You know how much I wanted another child!” he roared. “You agreed to have a baby with me. The whole premise of our marriage is based on that fact.”
Accepting His Name Page 7