Dangerous Bedfellows

by Debra Lee

  She tasted delicious, Marcus thought as he slowly dragged his lips away from hers. “Are you ready to go back to the yacht?” His tone sounded like he was in some kind of pain. He was. A ball of fire hurled through him. This beautiful young creature did things to him no other ever had. At least none he could remember.

  When Jackie nodded him a yes, she did so with the suspicion of what might happen next. But her emotions and feelings were different. Something much stronger than her desire to escape to America was controlling her destiny.

  Marcus continued to remind himself he might be dealing with a virgin. But by the time they reached the yacht and he shut the cabin bedroom door behind them, it became much more difficult to remember. For a moment all thoughts of his own pleasure were replaced with an overpowering desire to give pleasure.

  He looked down into those alluring eyes and became weak in the knees. His lips gently brushed over hers to travel across her cheek to her earlobe.

  “Are you okay?” he murmured.

  The intense heat rolling through her formed into a ball in her throat. The way her body was responding to this man felt right. There were no feelings of disgust that had filled her when Papa touched her.

  “I’m fine,” she finally managed as her breathing became more intense.

  Marcus’s lips captured hers. The kiss was gentle. Jackie drew him tighter against her. Only now, Marcus was pulling back as his lips traveled downward along her throat. He slowly unbuttoned the front of her blouse. Then his warm, tantalizing lips tasted the upper part of each breast that flowed from the top her bra.

  Jackie’s body continued to respond to his touch. Mini flames of fire heated every inch of her flesh. She needed to taste him. She opened the buttons on his shirt with urgency. A powerful need to run her fingers through the dark hair that covered his firm chest, to taste the bare spots between.

  Marcus threw back his head groaning with pleasure. His groin swelled. More of her caressing and he feared he might explode.

  He gently cupped her chin in his fingertips, guiding her mouth upward to once again meet his. A quick kiss. Then his fingers fumbled with the button on her skirt before slowly sliding down the zipper.

  Their eyes locked. “I want to see the rest of you.” His statement came out more like a question awaiting an answer.

  Jackie stepped out of her skirt. Then the slip slid down her legs to lie in a pile around her feet. Her eyes remained focused on Marcus, watching him grow anxious as she unfastened her bra and let it join the pile at her feet. His mouth opened ever so slightly. She saw his Adam’s apple move up and then down as she stepped out of her panties.

  “You are beautiful,” toppled from his lips as he scooped her up into his strong arms and carried her to the bed.

  He gently laid her head on the pillow, then placed a kiss on her forehead, an eyelid, and the tip of her nose before stepping back so he could discard his clothing.

  Jackie felt wetness between her thighs as she watched. His body was lean. The shininess from perspiration made his chest muscles stand out even more. Oh God, she ached to feel him against her. Inside of her.

  As he stood naked, she extended her arms outward, an open invitation for him to climb on top of her. He did. His lips slowly kissed hers. His tongue slid inside her mouth, tasting and enjoying. Soon his tongue tantalized a nipple, while fingers combed through pubic hair until his index finger located her clitoris. As he massaged the delicate bud, slowly at first, then more quickly, Jackie’s entire body quaked with pleasure.

  “Oh, Marcus… Oh God!”

  As Marcus positioned himself over her, Jackie’s hand circled his manhood and guided him between her legs. When he fully entered her, both gave out a pleasurable moan.

  The steady rhythm of his rocking carried them to a height so high their bodies left this world and soared to another.

  Jackie’s limbs continued to tingle with leftover satisfaction as she cuddled close to him. Her head rested against his chest. She listened to the frantic pounding of his heart. They remained in each other’s arms without speaking. As the pounding of his heart became less fierce, Jackie felt herself begin to doze until sleep finally won her over completely. Sometime later his kisses woke her, kisses that led them to another session of heated lovemaking. Only this time it went on much longer. Each took time to taste and touch the other thoroughly before taking that trip to paradise that was sweeter the second time around.

  Chapter Sixteen

  At a distance the sun appeared to be rising out of the calm blue water of the Mediterranean.

  “Just in time,” Marcus muttered as he turned over the motor on his speed boat.

  At four a.m. he’d summoned Roberto from his cabin to begin the trip back to Capri. He’d allowed his attention to be distracted the night before by the precious creature still asleep in his cabin. Now he must concentrate on his mission. There would be time later to be fully absorbed by only her.

  Like the day before, he allowed himself extra time before his meeting with his cousin. He took a seat at the same table at the outside café as the day before. Today, he had breakfast with his coffee. The fresh fruit and biscuits satisfied his hunger. Time remained to read the morning paper before his meeting.

  Once he finished the front page, his thoughts wandered. A vision of her danced over the small black print he stared into. He could almost smell the perfumed soap scent of her hair. He felt the softness of her skin against his. He tasted the sexual juices that flowed from her.

  The sudden hardness in his trousers snapped him out of his fantasizing, but thoughts of her lingered. A smile settled around his mouth when he realized he’d been wrong about Jackie Bertoni. A virgin wouldn’t know how to do the things she’d done to pleasure him. She’d been taught well for someone so young. The thought chased away his amusement. Sixteen made her a minor. Something he no longer was.

  He could get his ass in big trouble messing with a minor. How would he pull the deal together with the American filmmaker if he landed in the slammer?

  That’s it, he decided. When he returned to the yacht he’d have a long talk with her. Make Jackie understand she must change her age to twenty one if they were to continue seeing each other.

  His decision came just as he saw his cousin heading in his direction without the whores he was supposed to bring.

  ***

  Jackie stretched her arms over her head, yawning as she tried to wake. Her slender legs kicked at the soft sheet as she rolled to her back. Her eyelids blinked several times before they remained opened. An uneasy feeling stirred from somewhere deep inside of her.

  Once she had her senses about her, she bolted straight up in the bed.

  Where was he, she wondered before the other thought took hold. How did she let it happen? She had way too much wine to drink. Why did she feel so bad? He was wonderful to her. She threw back the sheet and swung her feet to the floor. Naked, she staggered into the bathroom. When she returned to the bedroom and leaned over to pick her clothes off the carpet, an image of him flashed before her. He climbed on top of her in the bed, the heat of his body warming her. Memories of Papa flashed through her mind.

  A fluttering sensation swirled in the pit of her stomach. “Oh God, it wasn’t the wine,” she said out loud with the realization. The overpowering emotion blocked the thought of her future. Those emotions confused her. What was to happen now? Was this true love? Falling in love with Marcus would ruin her plans. But what good were her plans now anyway? Even if she could manage to get a passport so she could go to America, she had no money. Would Marcus give her some? Could he be her future and protect her from Papa if she remained in Italy?

  Temporarily leaving her future in the hands of fate, she dressed and left the cabin.

  She spotted Roberto tinkering with something on the upper deck. “Good morning, Roberto.”

  “Morning, Miss.”

  “Do you know where I might find Marcus?”

  “He’s gone ashore on business.” Her hear
t sank. “Mr. DeMario left orders that you are to wait here.”

  She let her eyes see the blue waves that surrounded them. “I hardly have a choice, now do I?”

  “I was also instructed to prepare your breakfast when you are ready.”

  “Don’t trouble yourself. I’ll make something,” she said and returned to the cabin.

  She disliked the man. She suspected it had something to do with his icy demeanor. Perhaps just the way his eyes seemed to stare through her. She’d feel a whole lot better once Marcus returned and she wasn’t alone with the cold man. She didn’t like the feelings coming over her. Marcus would erase them.

  ***

  “Give me a minute to explain,” Salvatore stated as he pulled out a chair and sat.

  “I’m listening,” Marcus said with a stone-cold expression on his face.

  Salvatore poured his own coffee today. “Half of my girls were hauled in again last night and the other half are in hiding.”

  Marcus leaned across the table so he was staring directly into his cousin’s distrustful eyes. “Well get them out.”

  “Can’t do that,” Salvatore answered simply, and rested his spine against the back of his chair.

  Marcus struggled to keep his composure. But his cousin was making his effort near impossible. “Can’t isn’t in my vocabulary, or those who work for me.”

  Salvatore smiled smugly. “Then I don’t see what the problem is since I work for your padre. Hell, I’m only here cause I told him I’d meet you today so I could give you a message.”

  “What message?”

  “He wants to hear from you. Probably to tell you to get your ass home until things cool off.” He snickered. “I imagine the explosion had things pretty hot for a while.”

  Marcus clutched the edge of the table. “What explosion?”

  “Guess you didn’t hear. Someone blew up the winery last night. Like I told Joseph on the phone this morning, the Delio family means to put him out of business.”

  Marcus sat back in his seat, stunned, his head spinning with frightful thoughts. What’s going on? Why were the Delios raging war on his father? And just how did his cousin come by this piece of information? “How do you know the Delios are behind this?”

  “Come off it, Marco. You know I have eyes and ears all over the place.”

  True, Marcus decided. His cousin had informants scattered from Capri to Rome. So what explained Salvatore’s sudden nervousness? His fidgeting with his cup and avoiding eye contact with Marcus troubled him. He had to be hiding something.

  The waiter appeared next to them before he could question him. “Telephone call for you, Mr. DeMario.”

  “I’m impressed. Your padre tracked you down himself.” Salvatore’s voice echoed off Marcus’s back as he followed the waiter inside.

  Marcus took a deep breath to swallow the no he wanted to give when his father ordered him home. But after he put the receiver to his ear and said hello, the voice on the other end wasn’t his father’s.

  On his return trip to the yacht, Marcus was beside himself. What in the hell was he going to do now? The American filmmaker’s call to say he’d be arriving early put the pressure on, especially once he’d gotten up the nerve to call his father and listen to him insist he be home by tomorrow. Then he went and left his cousin sitting at the café. But not before telling him he’d find his own whore for the filmmaker. Though he hadn’t the slightest idea where.

  He had too much at stake to give up. He had another day before he faced losing the partnership deal with his father. Until then, he felt confident he’d find what the American had requested.

  “We’ll be returning to Rome tomorrow afternoon, Roberto,” Marcus informed as the man extended a firm hand to help his employer out of the speed boat.

  “We’ll be staying put today then?”

  A sly grin played around Marcus’s mouth. “That, my dear fellow depends on the lady. Where is she, anyway?”

  Roberto nodded toward the steps. “She said she could prepare her own breakfast.”

  Marcus’s swift strides in the direction of the stairs halted. He turned around to face Roberto. “You disapprove of her, don’t you?”

  Roberto looked at the man young enough to be his own son. “It is not for me to approve or disapprove. I’m an employee.”

  But one Marcus had grown up with. The man’s opinion had always counted over the years. “If you’ve got something you want to say I wish you’d just say it.”

  Twisting his lips to one side, Roberto appeared to be contemplating what to say, without offending him. “Beside that she’s too young, I can’t put my finger on it. But there’s something. My gut’s telling me she’s different and dangerous. You play with fire and you’re bound to get burnt.”

  Marcus couldn’t contain the chuckle. “Be serious, man. That beautiful creature wouldn’t harm a fly.”

  “It’s not a fly that worries me,” Roberto said as Marcus descended the stairs, not hearing him.

  A warm sensation crawled across his skin when he saw her. He stood perfectly still, transfixed by the sight of her moving about the confined area of the kitchen, her back to him as she put a dish in the sink. When she turned around and looked at him, Marcus felt like his knees were going to go out from under him.

  He returned her warm smile. Their eyes communicated instantly.

  “Welcome back.”

  The sound of her voice created an unfamiliar stirring inside him. “Morning.”

  “Have you had breakfast?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  Silence suddenly prevailed. Jackie felt awkward. Nothing remained to say, to question. Besides, she didn’t want to make conversation. She wanted to feel his strong arms around her again.

  Then his deep voice broke into the silence. “I just had an idea. Would you like to go shopping?” He watched her eyes glance down her front at the worn blouse and skirt. “I want to buy you a new dress.”

  Jackie thought about it for a few seconds. Could she let his generosity continue? You’re getting yourself deeper in debt to this man, a frightening inner voice warned. But for reasons she didn’t understand, she chose to ignore it.

  “I think a new dress is exactly what I need.”

  They visited every dress shop on Capri, Marcus insisting Jackie model outfits in each. She had more fun than she could remember having in years. The looks and comments Marcus gave each time she appeared from a dressing room wearing something different made her insides tingle with pleasure.

  “I just had a terrible thought,” Marcus said as he peered over the stack of boxes he carried on their way back to the boat.

  “What?” Jackie asked as she strolled next to him, her arm hooked in the curve of his.

  “Well,” he began slowly, “suppose we get all this stuff loaded on the boat, get halfway between shore and the yacht, and we sink.”

  “Oh you,” Jackie said with a tug on his arm.

  When they stopped laughing, Marcus looked over to once again catch her eye.

  “What?”

  “Well,” he began again, “I hope you know how to swim.”

  This time when Jackie pulled on his arm, it was with much more force. Boxes went sailing. As they did, the toe of Marcus’s shoe kicked out in front of Jackie, knocking her off balance. She tumbled downward and landed directly on top of him. The instant she hit, his arms wrapped around her, flattening her chest tighter against his. Their eyes met and it took less than a second for their lips to unite.

  A combination of whistles and laughter pried their lips apart.

  Jackie saw they’d acquired an audience of dock workers and scurried to her feet, then reached down to grab Marcus’s hand and help him to his feet. The gesture created a round of applause. Their faces flushed with embarrassment. But before long they were laughing and helping the dock workers gather up the packages and load them onto the boat.

  For the first time since childhood Jackie felt good about all of the attention she’d received fr
om the men who waved from shore as she and Marcus sped away.

  They boarded the yacht, leaving Jackie’s new clothes for Roberto to gather and headed below.

  A table for two was set next to the small round window, being rinsed with the salt water of the Mediterranean. Marcus strolled to the kitchen area to play hostess. Jackie observed from her seat at the table.

  He returned with a salad for each and a side dish of fresh shrimp. Then he made the trip for the spaghetti and side dish of veal.

  That’s when Jackie first sensed something was troubling him. But she waited until he pulled the bottle of wine from the bucket of ice and refilled their glasses before asking him about it. “Is something wrong?”

  Marcus put down his fork. “Everything tastes fine to me. You don’t like Roberto’s cooking?” he questioned with a curious smile.

  “The food is perfect. It’s just that you’ve been unusually quiet ever since we got back.”

  He snickered. “I want to get the main course over with so we can get on with dessert.”

  “What’s for dessert?”

  Marcus raised his brow. “How about me?”

  He loves me, she thought. Love conquers all. “Sounds delicious.”

  Marcus’s expression became serious. “We should talk first. There’s something we need to discuss.”

  “You have my undivided attention,” she said, as an uneasy feeling descended upon her.

  As he cleared his throat, his hand reached across the table to take hers in his. He drew it to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her soft palm. “Jackie, you are so beautiful. So young that I probably couldn’t do what I want.”

  His touch felt different. A chill went through her. “Do what?”

  “Ever since you told me you were only sixteen, it’s bothered me. My father would never approve of me marrying a minor.”

  “Marry!”

  “I never felt this way about anyone before, Jackie. I think they call it love.” His sense of humor returned when he shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes. Then the seriousness filtered in. “Now if you were to say you were twenty one, we could get my father’s blessing. That is if you were to say you’d be my wife.”