She had no idea why she was telling this man so much personal stuff but her instincts were telling her it was okay. Zander leaned forward, putting his coffee cup down.
“I get that. I do. My wife, Mai, was confined to a wheelchair due to multiple sclerosis, but it never once dampened her joie de vivre. She was more active, more social than I am; she put me to shame. Then one day … she was gone. Snuffed out, just like that.” He sighed, then laughed awkwardly. “Well, in just under a few minutes, we’ve already shared more than I’ve told anyone, except perhaps Biyu and Lee. I’m sorry.”
Molly, feeling brave, shook her head. “Don’t be. It speaks to your honesty, sir.”
“Zander.”
She smiled. He really was very sweet underneath all of the accoutrements of his wealth. Just like Mateo, she thought with a pang. “Zander, would you like to see some of my lesson plans? I always like to work in partnership with my charges and their parents to make sure all three of us are satisfied with the outcome.”
Zander smiled gratefully at her. “That would be good, thank you.”
An hour later, they had agreed on the lesson plans and Molly prepared to leave and begin her first class with Josie. “I do like to spend the first day talking with my student and getting to know her, getting to understand her interests, her favorite subjects …” She grinned at him. “… her least favorite subjects. Mine was, or is, math. Always was.”
Zander laughed softly. “Same here.”
“Really?” She looked skeptical, glancing around the sumptuous surroundings, and Zander looked sheepish.
“Molly, that’s what accountants are for.”
She chuckled. “Fair enough. Well, I’ll go find Josie, and seeing as that means the first lesson has started … I’ll say goodbye for now, Mr. Hoyland.”
Zander stood and escorted her to the door. “Ms. Hudson … would you have a late supper with me after Josie is in bed? I’d like to know how her first day has gone.”
Molly smiled at him. “Of course. I would enjoy that.”
Zander held her gaze for a beat too long. “Then, until later.”
“Until later.”
Molly flicked through her diary and wondered where the time had gone. It had been three months since she arrived in China and her life had completely changed. Josie, her pupil, was flourishing under her tutelage, and Molly had found new enthusiasm for her job. Biyu and Lee had become trusted friends, and Zander Hoyland …
She had shared supper with him every night since her arrival and each time, she had learned more and more about this shy man. He was as fiercely intelligent as his daughter, as passionate about his work—dealing in priceless works of art—and, staggeringly, an introvert.
Zander told her about his wife, but, Molly noticed, had never spoken of her death since that first day. In turn, Molly felt she could confide in the man about her pain about Mateo. They had become friends, and, to Molly’s delight, Zander would chat to her as if she were his most trusted friend.
It confused her slightly, given Biyu’s warning about his love of hierarchy. She asked the housekeeper about it as she assisted her in clearing Josie’s supper from the table.
Biyu nodded. “I did say that, and I stand by that. Mr. Hoyland isn’t one for letting people in. Look at this place … apart from Lee, myself, and you, he barely scrapes by with a minimal staff.” Biyu sighed. “I’ve known Mr. Hoyland since he was a boy. He’s always been quiet, studious, solitary. When he met Ms. Mai, he came out of himself a little, and when Josie was born, he was a changed man.”
Biyu was smiling, lost in the memory. Molly wiped a plate then set it down. “Biyu … how did Mrs. Hoyland die? Zan … I mean, Mr. Hoyland, alluded to the fact that it was a shock, despite her illness.”
Biyu nodded, her eyes sorrowful. “Ms. Mai took her own life. Only afterward did we discover why. She had been having an affair with a man who broke her heart. She herself was heartsick that she had broken Mr. Hoyland’s trust. Despite her infidelity, she really did love him.”
Molly felt a jolt of shock. “She cheated?”
Biyu gave her a steady look. “She couldn’t bear the fact that she’d done it. When her lover threatened to tell Mr. Hoyland everything, she pushed her wheelchair onto a balcony, then used her arms to lift herself and fall on the second floor. We found her body in the courtyard and her note in her room.”
“God …” Suddenly, Molly felt angry for Zander, and for Josie. “How could she do that? To her daughter? Her husband? Josie could have been the one to find her.”
Biyu put down her dishcloth. “Molly, nothing is ever black and white. Ms. Mai was lonely. Mr. Hoyland buries himself in his work … at least he has until these last few months.” She smiled kindly at Molly. “You have given him new meaning, my dear one. I see the joy in his eyes; you have become his good friend.”
Molly flushed red and hid her delight. She too had benefited from their friendship—the pain over Mateo hadn’t lessened. Rather, it had shifted, from a raging disbelief, to a calmer acceptance.
Almost, she thought, I’m almost there. Talking about him with Zander had helped her immeasurably.
She decided to go say goodnight to Josie before she met with Zander and so she walked slowly through the mansion’s hallways. There was still so much of the house that she hadn’t even explored yet, but she still felt awkward about intruding on the family’s privacy.
Molly put her hand on the handle of Josie’s door but stopped when she heard voices. She heard Josie telling her father about her day, and smiled when she heard the enthusiasm in the young girl’s voice.
“So, it’s been three months now, and you like Molly?”
Molly’s heart began to beat a little faster as she listened to Zander’s deep, mellifluous voice.
“I love Molly,” Josie said, her voice light and excited. “Daddy, she is the best. I mean it. I wish she would stay forever.”
“I hope she does, too, pumpkin.”
There was a pause. “Daddy, she makes you happy too, doesn’t she?”
“She does, Jojo. She’s Daddy’s good friend.”
“You know … I think Mommy would have like Molly too.”
Molly heard Zander chuckle. “She would have, sweetie. Now, time for you to go to sleep.”
“Aww, Dad, can’t I read for a while?”
“A half hour then lights out.”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you too, sweet pea. Sleep tight.”
Molly began to walk away from the door, not wanting them to know she had been listening, then stopped when she heard Josie call out to her father. “Daddy? I think Mommy would want you to be in love again, to be happy. Do you think you could be in love with Molly?”
There was a long silence and Molly felt she could hear her heart beating hard against her ribs. She heard Zander’s soft laugh. “Sleep tight, kiddo. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
Molly was frozen where she stood. He hadn’t said he loved her, but then again, he hadn’t said he didn’t, either. What was shocking to Molly in that moment was her own reaction.
At that moment she knew, without hesitation, that she was in love with Zander Hoyland.
The revelation shook her whole foundation. Really? How did this happen?
She heard Zander close Josie’s door behind her and turned slowly to face him. He gazed at her, and in his eyes, she could see a burning desire. She stared back at him as he approached her and when they were inches apart, Zander stroked a finger down her face, then took her hand.
Wordlessly, they walked hand in hand through the house, never taking their eyes off each other, an unspoken agreement in the air between them.
Molly felt as if she were disconnected from her body, right up until she realized they were in Zander’s bedroom and bending his head, Zander brushed his lips against hers. Electricity flowed through her body and she gave a little gasp of surprise. Zander stopped, his mouth curving up in a soft smile. “Darling Molly,” he murmured, “
I know this isn’t appropriate, but God help me, I want you so badly. But you say stop and we stop, no recriminations, no awkwardness.”
Molly gazed into his beautiful green eyes then shook her head. “Don’t stop.” Her voice was a whisper, and she could feel her whole body trembling,
Zander crushed his lips against hers, and Molly tangled her fingers in his curls as they kissed. Zander stroked his hands down her body. “Are you sure, Molly?”
She nodded, too intoxicated by his kiss to speak, and then he was unzipping her dress and pulling it from her shoulders. Molly snaked her hand down to his groin and cupped his cock through his jeans, feeling it quiver and stiffen against her touch. Zander smiled, his eyes sleepy with desire. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited for you to do that, baby.”
Molly grinned, and dropping to her knees, she freed his cock from his underwear and took him into her mouth. As she licked the salty pre-cum from the tip, she hollowed out her cheeks as she sucked, teased, and pleasured him, Zander’s groans urging her on. She fisted the root of his cock and massaged his balls gently, but as he neared his peak, he slid his hands under her shoulders and pulled her up, kissing her with such ferocity that she tasted blood.
He laid her back on the bed and gently slid her panties down her legs, before pushing them apart and burying his face in her sex. Molly gasped as his tongue snaked around her clit, then dipped deep into her cunt. Her entire body felt like it had been set aflame as Zander moved his lips over her body, finally moving upwards over her belly then taking her nipples into his mouth.
“Zander …” Her groan of desire made him smile and he sat back, reaching into his nightstand for a condom and rolling it on his throbbing length. Molly could barely stand to wait as he hitched her legs around his waist then with one long, determined thrust, he was inside her and she moaned with delirious pleasure.
They made love slowly, taking their time to experience every sensation, murmuring sweetly to each other. Molly saw that Zander was as nervous as she was and yet his sexual prowess made her weak, his strong, hard body completely dominating hers.
“God, Molly … you’re so beautiful …” Zander couldn’t stop kissing her, until they were both breathless and as Molly climaxed, her back arched up, pressing her belly against his, and she cried out his name again and again.
Zander groaned as he too peaked and they collapsed together, panting for air, his cock still buried inside her. Molly tightened her legs around him. “Are you okay?”
Zander raised his head and smiled at her. “How can you even ask that? It was better than I dreamed.”
“You dreamed about me?”
Zander smiled sheepishly. “Since the first time I saw you.”
So many emotions were flooding through her that suddenly she felt tearful and looked away from his gaze. She closed her eyes for a long moment and tried to process them. Guilt. There was a certain guilt inside her. Mateo … in her head she knew he was gone and that he would want her to move on, but in her heart, there was a pain. She had loved him so entirely and yet, in a few months, she had fallen for Zander, the man who had become her friend, her confidante, the man who was helping her to heal her heart.
She opened her eyes to find him watching her. His smile was tentative. “I know that emotion you’re feeling,” he said softly. “And yes, I feel it too. Mai was everything to me, and I will never forget her. But, Molly, these last few weeks … you mean so much to me.”
“I feel the same. But Zander, I’m scared. I’m scared of losing my best friend, because that’s what you’ve become. It is clear to me now that you and Josie are like a family to me—and I’ve been in this position once before and lost everything.”
Zander nodded, his eyes serious. “I’m not going anywhere, baby. What happened to Mateo Tigri was tragic, harrowing … and rare. I can assure you, that won’t happen to me.”
He sat up and pulled her into his arms. “Molly, we don’t have to rush into anything. We don’t even have to call this a relationship yet, if it makes you uncomfortable. It’s just what it is. No pressure, just fun, just friendship, just mutual desire. Whether you realize it or not, you are a part of this family now, an irreplaceable part. If it’s reassurance you want, I’ll give it to you. If it’s security you need, baby, I’ll make sure you feel safe and loved every day. Trust in me, Molly Hudson, and I’ll give you the world.”
Molly gazed into his clear green eyes and knew what her answer what be.
Three years later …
Josie smoothed down her lilac dress and turned to Molly. “Do I look okay?”
Molly grinned at her. “Gorgeous.”
Josie beamed and reached up to kiss Molly’s cheek. “So do you, Mom.”
Molly felt tears in her eyes. Today, she would marry Josie’s father and become, officially, Josie’s stepmother, and she couldn’t wait. She hadn’t expected the ‘Mom’ from the young girl, but Josie took her hand now and they started to walk downstairs to the courtyard where the minister and Zander were waiting for them. Molly, wearing a simple white dress and a white flower tucked behind her ear, let Josie led her down the aisle. She grinned at the family and friends who had come to see her marry Zander: Clelia and her family, Atlas and Ebony among them.
Zander, looking drop-dead-gorgeous in a dark gray suit, wore a devastating smile as he saw her approach him, and in a few emotional minutes, they were married. After they kissed, much to the delight of their audience, they turned back to thank their friends and family.
Zander scooped Josie up into his arms and then Molly went to Ebony and took Molly and Zander’s three-month-old son from her friend. “He’s been an angel,” Ebony said with a smile as she handed him over.
Molly took little Harry back to her family and they posed for a family shot together.
Zander kissed his son’s forehead then pressed his lips to his new wife’s temple. “You have made me the happiest man in the world today, my darling.”
“Ditto,” Molly said with a grin and laughed as he chuckled.
“Darling, just you wait until we get to our villa. I’ll give you a honeymoon you’ll never forget.”
Zander kept his promise and as they made love that night, listening to the crash of waves on the beach outside their villa, Molly was sure her heart would explode from happiness.
Zander was kissing her passionately, his cock buried deep inside her, moving with measured but firm thrusts, and Molly knew in this moment, this perfect moment, that she would never be alone again.
The End.
Dark Masquerade: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance
When award-winning writer Elliana Moretti is hired by billionaire philanthropist Aldo Costanza to write his biography, she travels to his secluded mansion outside Venice to interview him. Over the course of six weeks of intensive one-on-one collaborations, an attraction between them emerges, and one night, that attraction develops into a full-blown fling, erotic and intense. The night leaves Elli feeling as if she has been unprofessional and she tells Aldo that while she enjoyed the night, it can never happen again.
Aldo accepts this with seeming good grace, but one night, he asks her to escort him to a society party, where she is stunned to meet an old friend, Indio Navaro—her high school crush and noted bad boy billionaire. Indio and Aldo seem acquainted, if a little reserved with each other, and Elli wonders what the story is between them. Aldo is more than happy to trash Indio to Elli later that night, telling her that Indio was responsible for breaking up one of Aldo’s relationships with a girl who later ended up murdered.
Elli is horrified, but Aldo’s story doesn’t seem to fit with how she remembers Indio from school.
Indio approaches Elli in a café in Venice, and curious, she agrees to have lunch with him. Elli’s old crush is charming and appears genuinely interested in her. Elli begins to doubt Aldo’s story. Soon, she and Indio are spending more time together, to Aldo’s great jealousy, and Elli finds herself giving her body, her trust, and her heart to Indio
. But when Elli finds she is being stalked, she has to wonder whether Indio is indeed more dangerous that she could ever have expected. Has she fallen in love with a killer …or her savior?
Does she trust her client, Aldo, or does she follow her heart and believe Indio when he tells her that Aldo is the one she should be afraid of?
Set in the swirling, colorful romance of Venice’s Carnival, Elli has to figure which one of her admirers plays the best game in an erotic but deadly Masquerade …
Venice, Italy
December
Elliana Moretti pulled her too-thin coat around her as she hurried over the bridges and through the small streets of Venice to work. An ice storm had blown through the city, and as usual, Elli had been completely unprepared for it.
At twenty-eight, Elli had made a name for herself as a tenacious investigative journalist, focused entirely on her career. Her beauty was useful, getting her through the door of places she might otherwise have been refused from, but once she had her prey on her hook, her intelligence and talent were what most people admired about her. Vivienne Marche, publishing maven, had seen those qualities when Elli had applied for an internship with her. Elli had worked for Vivienne for five years at their San Francisco office before they both relocated back to Elli’s hometown to start the new magazine.
Today, the magazine, a women-led political and social monthly, was hosting a lunch for Aldo Costanza, an American-Italian philanthropist billionaire who had recently relocated to Venice from Rome. Vivienne had told Elli that the man was thinking of investing heavily in the magazine.
“It would mean the magazine could go international.” Vivienne was excited. Elli could see that. “It would mean I could send my top journalist abroad to dig out the stories she really wants to write,” Vivienne added, with a meaningful look at a grinning Elli.
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