Norah relaxed a little. “Me too.”
“Good. Now, as I said in my letter, we have a number of new projects in the pipeline and I was impressed with your portfolio.”
Norah nodded. “And thank you for taking the time to look, but, Mr. Conti, I have to tell you from the off: I’ve never worked a major project before. Not that I wouldn’t welcome the chance to work with you, but I have to be honest. It would be a huge step-up for me.”
“I appreciate that,” Giacomo—Jack, she reminded herself—said as Seb came in with their drinks. “Then, I suppose, think of this as graduation day.” He grinned at Seb, who rolled his eyes.
“That’s his favorite saying,” Seb said to Norah in a stage-whisper and she chuckled.
“It is?”
Giacomo nodded. “Yes, but it’s also true. Norah, Seb’s right in that I do like to nurture new talent, especially from the Bay Area, but it helps when that talent has new, fresh, exciting ideas …and your portfolio shows me how talented you are.”
Seb made a loud beeping noise. “Too many uses of the word ‘talent.’ You’re out.”
“You’re fired,” Giacomo shot back, grinning, as Seb made his exit, laughing out loud. Norah was shaking her head in disbelief at the comedy show.
“I may be out of line, but I’ve never been in an office like this,” she laughed and Giacomo smiled at her.
“Like I said, I hate formality. Or hierarchies. God, who gets off on power trips? Never a good way to run a business.”
Norah liked this man –immensely—not just because his green eyes were beautiful and warm or because his smile was making a steady pulse beat between her legs, but because, if nothing else, he was honest. Rich, handsome, the world at his feet, but he made jokes with his employees and took their teasing with good humor. Yeah, you’re a good one, Norah thought and felt sadness that she didn’t know more men like him.
“Are you okay?”
She pulled herself up. “Yes, very. Just wishing more workplaces were like this.”
He smiled. “I hear you. Come and sit on the balcony and we’ll talk about the projects I have in mind.”
The afternoon flew by and Norah left the Conti building feeling more energized by work than she had for a long time. The challenges Giacomo Conti laid in front of her were daunting in their scope, to be sure, but the kind of challenge she had longed for.
“I see us working closely together,” he said, his eyes twinkling, and she grinned at his flirtatious manner; this man knew how gorgeous he was and didn’t mind using it. You are trouble, she thought now, smiling to herself, but she had enjoyed every moment in Giacomo Conti’s company. More than his looks and personality, though, he had treated her with respect, listened to her as she went through some preliminary ideas, and gave her constructive criticism and praise. It had been a productive, collaborative meeting and she had enjoyed it. Giacomo had asked her to officially sign a contract with him. She had agreed without even discussing money; she had forgotten all about the money side of thing until she got home and read through the contract.
She frowned. It must be a typo. She grabbed her phone and called him. “I think there’s been a typo,” she said, her tone amused. “There are one too many zeros on the end of this check.”
She heard his deep, soft laugh and it sent thrills through her. “No,” he said. “There’s no mistake.”
Norah gasped. “Giacomo …no. This is too generous.”
“No, it isn’t. You just haven’t been paid what you are clearly worth before. I have to tell –you—I won’t budge on this.”
Norah was speechless. “I don’t know what to say except thank you for believing in me.”
That laugh again. “I know you won’t let me down.”
“I won’t. I promise. Not ever.” Were they still talking about work? The conversation had taken a far more intimate turn and Norah felt her body quiver with longing.
There was a pause in the conversation. “Norah …I’m having dinner with some friends tomorrow night. Would you like to join me?”
Norah felt a pang. God, yes, she would but … “Giacomo, I can’t. I’m sorry. I have commitments at home.”
“Understood. Another time?”
“Definitely. Goodnight, Giacomo.”
“Sweet dreams, Bella.”
She couldn’t stop thinking about him. She went to bed that night, and as Lucian was still out, she allowed herself a little fantasy, sliding her hand between her legs and stroking her clit as she conjured up an image of Giacomo Conti naked, wet from the shower as he opened the door to her. He smiled, saying nothing, but pulling her gently into his arms. Norah gave a soft moan as she imagined his lips against hers, his strong hands sliding under her dress to tug her panties down her legs. She bit her lip as her hand moved faster on her clit and she imagined his cock, huge and pulsating, thrusting deep inside her as his green eyes locked onto hers.
Norah came as her fantasy melted away and she lay there panting for a few minutes, her body vibrating with the afterglow and her mind whirling. Her orgasm, intense and all-consuming, had made her shiver with desire and longing.
She heard the front door slam, bringing her back to reality. She turned over in the bed, not wanting to talk to Lucian as he stomped up the stairs.
“Norah? You awake?”
She kept her eyes shut, feeling irritated at his presence. God, just leave him already, woman. She stiffened as he got into the bed. He smelled of booze and perfume.
Fucker.
She felt him reach for her and kept her body stiff and unresponsive. “Come on, baby,” he slurred, “Wake up for daddy.”
She wanted to throw up. He knew she hated it when he got like this—drunk and sloppy—and he did it deliberately. The “daddy” thing had always revolted her and it was a new thing too. Did his other girlfriend like it?
Lucian’s hand was between her legs now, and finally, she reacted. “What the hell are you doing?”
He laughed. “Just getting mine. C’mon, honey, we haven’t done it for weeks.”
She edged away from him, but he grabbed hold of her arm. “Let me go, Lucian.”
“You know what? No. You’re my girlfriend, dammit …”
He moved quickly, pulling her back onto the bed and covering her body with his, his hands burrowing. “Get off me,” she growled at him, getting more annoyed and scared, but he didn’t let her go. His fingers were seeking her sex now.
“Why are you wet? See, ready for me, just like I wanted.”
Norah was crying now as he pinned her to the bed. “Lucian, stop, stop …”
But he didn’t stop, thrusting his half-erect cock into her and thrusting his hips as she cried and struggled to get away from him, sobbing her rage and hurt. He kissed her roughly and she bit down on his tongue, hard.
“Fucking bitch!” And he hit her across the face, hard.
The shock of the assault was icy cold and Norah’s whole body shut down. Lucian continued his rape, thrusting and grunting until he came. “See, baby? See how much I love you? God,” he buried his face in her neck. “Don’t ever leave me, Norah. You ever leave me and I’ll kill you ...I’ll kill you …”
Frozen, Norah lay under him, and after a few minutes, Lucian was snoring. She shoved him off her. He didn’t wake as she slid from the bed. She got dressed, pulling her hold-all from the closet and dumping her clothes and toiletries into it. Downstairs, she attached Ziggy’s lead, grabbed her laptop and phone, and got into her car. Without looking back, she drove into the city and straight to Zulika’s apartment.
When Zulika opened the door, she was shocked to see Norah’s face, wan and pale. Dry-eyed but obviously devastated, Norah let Zulika lead her into the apartment, then said, very calmly, “I need you to take me to the nearest police station, Zul. I have to report a rape.”
Giacomo smiled at his friends as they sat around the outside dinner table. Ferma was perched on Giacomo’s knee, showing him how to draw the perfect spacecraft, and Carme
l was leaning against a reasonably drunk Orlando. Lando raised his glass. “To my family, my beautiful wife and daughter, and my brother, Giacomo.”
Giacomo buried a grin and Carmel rolled her eyes. “Fourth time tonight, hun.”
They had enjoyed sizzling hot fajitas and two or three bottles of red wine, and now it was getting late.
“Come on, fruit bat.” Carmel lifted her daughter up. “Time for bed. Give Jack a kiss.”
Ferma threw her arms around her godfather’s neck and kissed his cheek. Giacomo chuckled. “Night, mio caro.”
While they were alone, Lando studied his friend. “You look different. Upbeat.”
Giacomo smiled and ran his hand through his dark curls. “And if I told you why …”
Lando laughed. “Please, make my day and tell me it’s a woman.”
“It is,” Giacomo admitted wryly. “And not the one it’s supposed to be.”
“I figured. Who is she?”
“Her name is Norah Reddy she’s a brilliant graphic designer, and she has a boyfriend. That would beokay—after all, I couldn’t date someone who worked for me—except for one thing.”
“What’s that?”
Giacomo hesitated for a long moment. “I think Norah’s boyfriend is the one screwing Tara.”
Lando was sober then. “Oh god, Jack …”
“I know. What a fucking mess.” He gave a humorless laugh. “I’ve been saying that a lot lately.”
Lando sighed. “Man …does she know? I mean, this Norah girl? Does she know?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Hell.”
“Yup.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Lando leaned forward. “You like her?”
Giacomo nodded. “Very much. She’s …the opposite of Tara.”
“Man, I think it’s time you ended things with Tara. You haven’t been happy with her for years.”
“She asked me the other night why I had never proposed to her. I gave her some guff about not wanting to settle down and hurt her career.”
“Did she buy it?”
“No. I think we both know it’s over at this point. God, I knew she was cheating and my instinct was to find out who with, but now I wish I never knew. I wish I had just had the guts to finish it.”
They sat in silence until Carmel came back down and re-joined them. “Men? Have we moved into serious territory?”
“Jack’s got a crush.”
Carmel grinned at Giacomo. “How many times have I told you, Jacky? I’m married.”
“Sucks, my mistake.” He grinned at her, but then his smile faded. “Carmel, I met someone. Someone …special. But I also know something that could break her heart. Do I tell her?”
Carmel didn’t have an answer for him.
Zulika took her friend to the police, then accompanied her to the hospital for the rape kit. She saw the burgeoning bruise on Norah’s face and her stomach roiled with fury. When she was sure that Norah was asleep, back safe in Zulika’s apartment, she called her step-brother. He was still asleep.
“Motherfucker,” she hissed down the telephone at him. Lucian was awake then.
“Zul, what the hell is going on?”
In the background, she could hear sirens and she smiled grimly. “Hear those blues and twos, cocksucker? They’re coming for you. I saw what you did to her. I saw the bruises on her face. You fucking raped Norah.”
“What the fuck? Rape? I had sex with my girlfriend, Zulika, not that it’s any of your business …and where the hell is Norah? Norah!”
She heard him call out for his absent girlfriend and it made her growl. “You don’t even remember, do you? You hit her, Lucian, then you forced yourself on her. Rape, dear brother, is rape. God, I could kill you.”
“What?” Lucian’s voice had changed from confused to scared now. “No …no … I couldn’t have …god …”
Zulika heard the knock at Lucian’s door. “Better get that, asshole. It’s time for your walk in perp irons. You’ll never see her again. Do you understand? Neither of us. Don’t come near either of us ever again or I’ll have you arrested.”
“Zul …please, call my lawyer …” She heard the police inside his apartment now, telling him to hang up the phone.
“Go fuck yourself.” She said and hung up the phone. Tears began to fall down her cheeks and, trembling, she buried her face in a pillow to muffle her sobs. The shock of what happened was hitting her now, but she knew it was nothing to what Norah must be feeling. Zulika couldn’t believe it; she had never liked her step-brother, but had never thought him capable of this.
She felt an arm slip around her shoulders and looked up to see Norah was awake. They hugged each other for a long time.
“Don’t cry,” Norah said gently, which of course made Zulika cry even harder.
“Why are you comforting me? You’ve been through hell.”
Norah opened her mouth to argue, but her body slumped and she nodded. “I guess it’s just hitting me.”
Ziggy, his eyes mournful, padded over to the two women and stuck his snout between them. Norah gave a little laugh and hugged him. “The only man I can rely on,” she said, stroking his silky head.
They sat up until dawn, talking about what she would do next. “Stay with me,” Zulika begged and Norah agreed.
“Just for now,” she said and told Zulika about the apartments she had already scouted out. “I was lying to myself for so long, Zul. It’s been over for months, maybe even years.”
Zulika nodded. “I think we both needed to break up with the asshole. It’s not as if our parents are even married anymore.”
Norah didn’t know what to say about that. “I can’t thank you enough for being here for me.”
Zulika hugged her again. “You are my family, Norah. It’s you and me against the world. You, me, and this fur ball.” She scratched Ziggy’s ears. “Monday, you start your new job with that gorgeous man.”
“God, that seems like a million years ago. Was it really only a few hours?” Norah’s thoughts were in a muddle, she was so tired.
Eventually they fell asleep on Zul’s bed, Ziggy between them, and slept until mid-afternoon.
Lucian did not want his father finding out about his arrest, so he called the one person he knew had enough money to bail him out. Tara arrived, steaming angry, in heavy disguise at the station and posted bail. Lucian tried to kiss her and she stopped him.
“Not here,” she growled and stalked off, leaving him to trail behind. In her car, speeding out of the city to a motel they often used, she railed against his calling her. “Giacomo could have found out,” she hissed at him. “Or the paparazzi. What if they had taken you to the same station as they do all the celebs? The press pays the police to tip them off. If someone recognized me …”
She ranted all the way to the motel. In the room, he realized she hadn’t even asked him what he had done to be arrested. He waited until she had finished admonishing him.
“Baby, I’m sorry. It’s a big mess anyway.”
“What did you do?”
“What they have accused me of,” he corrected, “is assault and rape. What happened is very different.”
She folded her arms. “So what happened? Who did you allegedly rape?”
Lucian sighed. “Norah. We had sex. I got a little rough and she cried foul.”
Tara stared at him. “You told me you two didn’t have sex anymore.”
“We rarely do. I was drunk and missing you …”
“So it’s my fault, is it?”
“I didn’t say that. Anyway, we fucked and then she bit me, so I slapped her. Lightly. Playfully.”
Tara curled her nose up. “She likes it rough?”
No. Lucian swallowed hard. “Yes,” he lied. Tara sat down beside him, and after a moment, brushed her lips against his.
“Fine, you’re forgiven. When is your court date?”
Lucian kissed her again. “I don’t know yet. Can we talk about something diffe
rent? Or rather, now that we’re here, do something different?”
Tara smiled. “Lie back.” Lucian obeyed and she stripped his trousers and underwear from him, taking his cock into her mouth and sucking hard and long until he was rigid and trembling. She pulled her own panties down and straddled him, lowering herself onto his cock and moving her hips along with his. Lucian lost himself in the sensations and slowly his anger, fear, and sadness became numb.
Monday morning and Norah was beginning to feel like herself again. Well, not really, but at least she had her new job to look forward to. She covered the nasty bruise on her cheek with heavy foundation, which she hated, but made do otherwise with a light coating of mascara on her already thick eyelashes. She slipped into a yellow and orange sundress, which glowed against her dark caramel skin, and some flat pumps. She wanted to be comfortable, but she wanted to look good too—for a good first impression, she grinned to herself. Not for any other reason.
“You look gorgeous.” Zulika was approving and Norah flushed.
“Thank you, Zul. God, I’m nervous. Is it natural to be this nervous?”
“Well, when you’re going to work for Adonis himself,” Zulika grinned at her friend, whose blush deepened even further. “Try not to fuck him on the first day. God, Norah …I’m sorry. I didn’t think,” she said when she saw her friend’s stricken face, then quickly got up to hug her.
“It’s okay.” Norah’s voice was muffled. “We can’t dance around it forever. I need to move past it.”
Norah was pushing the rape to the back of her mind as she got into her car, but a second later she jumped out of her skin as Lucian knocked on the driver’s window.
“Go away,” she yelled, locking the doors and windows.
“I just want to talk,” Lucian called, holding his hands up. “Look, just open the window an inch so we can hear each other. That’s all I ask.”
“No. Anything you have to say to me, you can say to my lawyer.” She started the car and he backed off.
“Norah …I’m sorry. That’s all I wanted to say. I’m sorry.”
Dr. Orgasm (A Holiday Romance Collection Book 2) Page 67