Her Dark Dragon

by Lillith Payne

  She let out a big sigh and pulled back only slightly to look at him. “I had to hire private security guards today.” Her words held total angst.

  “Why?” He was more confused than before. “Who’s threatened you?” His tone had changed, and she smiled at him for just a second.

  “Don’t get in a snit. Nobody threatened me, physically.” She glanced away and his fingers lightly turned her chin back toward him. “I found Robert and Felice trying to move out some of the antique furniture this afternoon. If I hadn’t gotten there when I did, they would have filled a moving van.”

  “What?” Nico was stunned. He’d never thought Felice was true mother material, rather too wrapped up in her own private world of clothes and parties. He’d only tolerated Robert because of Danni. It didn’t surprise him they’d try to take advantage of her. “Tell me what happened, exactly.” He didn’t let her move from him, rather held her lightly, his chin resting on the top of her head, her citrus scent filling him.

  “I was supposed to be in town this afternoon, but Sam Parkins cancelled. I came home to find a van with several burly men taking out the dining room set. The mahogany set that came over with my original Cirillo family.” She paused, and he felt the shudder run through her. “I called the police…didn’t you see the sheriff’s car here?”

  “No. I was in town on business most of the day myself. Aunt Maria didn’t tell me when I got home.”

  “Maybe she didn’t know. He didn’t come with sirens blazing. Anyway, after he looked at the eviction papers and spoke with Sam by telephone, he sent the movers away and told Robert and Felice not to try anything like this again.”

  “I’m sure that went over well.”

  “Of course, Robert got drunk while waiting for the sheriff to arrive, and Felice decided to reinforce all the hardship in her life due to me and my father’s trust. It wasn’t a good afternoon, Nico.”

  “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “I thought about it, but what would I say? Nico, my mother and stepfather are stealing the family furniture, could you come and stop them?” She laughed a bit and relaxed against his chest. “No, it was better this way. The sheriff is aware of the situation now, and has reinforced it to Robert. He also wasn’t very sympathetic to hear Felice screeching about the injustice of it all.”

  He smiled at the mental picture. Sheriff Addams was a seasoned veteran, had spent his career in the valley, first as a deputy, then sheriff. The valley was his home and his territory.

  “It was his idea to hire on a few private guards to make sure nothing else left the property without my consent.”

  “Who did you get?”

  Danni mentioned a few of the retired policemen who still lived in the area, and he knew them all. “I think in the long run it was a good idea. Better to be safe…” He’d started, but didn’t want to scare her. “Danni, if you have security watching them, why not move to Casa Maria for a few weeks? Maria would love to have you around and you wouldn’t be tormented by Robert and your mother.”

  “Thanks, but it’s not a good idea. I don’t want them to think I’m running scared. That’s exactly what they want.”

  “Keep in mind, bella, you’ll always have a home at Severino.”

  “Thanks,” she whispered. “I just wanted you to know the guys will be around, so if you see anyone or get stopped you’ll know why.”

  “I’ll mention it to Tia Maria later.”

  “Better tell Mario and Lugi too.”

  “What about Antonio and Carmen? Do they know what’s happening?”

  “Yes, Carmen was there during the whole ordeal.” Danni pushed away from his chest and started to pace. “Would you like to know what else I found out this afternoon? Don’t ask, I’ll tell you.” Her arms folded across her stomach as she paced. “From the time Felice turned over the yard to Robert, he’s had Antonio and Carmen and Vito paying rent for their homes!” Her voice lowered with anger. “Hell, that was always part of the package, working at Cirillo. The home was part of the pay. And since my freshman year, that bastard Robert has had them paying rent back to him.”

  “That I wasn’t aware of.”

  “Nobody was. It was Robert who made them keep quiet or he’d force them to leave.” Danni threw her arms up in the air. “Can you imagine, taking rent from those two? They’re more family than Robert ever was, and spent more years working this farm than I’m alive. And he made them pay rent!”

  “All right, Danni, calm down. I’m sure you told Robert and Felice where to put their rent and made it better with Antonio and Vito.” She only shrugged. “Seven years and I never knew.” Danni stopped before him, just a few inches separating them. “Was I really that self-absorbed? How could I not see this?”

  “Lots of ways. You weren’t meant to find out, Robert made sure of that. And they kept you away every summer. What could you really find out in two weeks a year?”

  “I never really wanted to spend the summers away. All year I’d be at school and dream of coming home for the vacation, and every year Robert and Felice just happened to arrange an apprenticeship somewhere.” Danni let out a loud scream. “I’m grateful for the experience on one hand, but I’ve been so naive on the other.”

  “Take a breath, Danni. It’s been a long day.” He gathered her against him a second time, and she rested her cheek to his shoulder. His fingers tugged the band from the bottom of her braid, letting the sable strands loose between his fingers. Even in moonlight, red and gold highlights glinted at him. It was difficult to let her go when she pulled away, but he did.

  “Can we talk tomorrow about the rest of this mess? I’m exhausted.”

  “Of course.”

  She mounted her horse and looked down. “Thanks for meeting me tonight. I just needed to vent.”

  “Anytime, bella.”

  “Can you meet me for lunch tomorrow, somewhere in town? We can discuss the other situation then.”

  “We can drop the whole idea, too.”

  “No, I can’t. Let me know in the morning what time and where.” She turned the horse toward her home and steadied him. “You know, I’m having trouble thinking about it as home already. Beside the structural changes…”

  “Come home with me, bella. Tia Maria will fill you with pasta and send you to bed with a lighter heart.” His aunt had a knack for making people comfortable. It was a talent for knowing what soothed each person.

  “Not tonight. Tomorrow we’ll work out the rest of the details of the…”

  “Trade, or deal, what would you like to call this arrangement?”

  “Just our arrangement will do,” she snipped, and goaded the horse into a trot.

  “Danielle Cirillo, one of these days I’m going to take you over my knee and paddle some sense into you!” She turned the horse and stopped, leaning over its long graceful neck.

  “But you don’t have a netsuke like that, do you, Nico?” She laughed, and nudged the horse back toward the Cirillo house.

  “I’d buy one if I could find it!” he hollered back. Her right hand rose in acknowledgement, as did her laugher. “Oh, hell, I’ve lost my mind.” Nico took the reins of his horse but chose to walk beside the huge beast in hope of wearing away his frustration with physical effort. It didn’t work. By the time he reached the barn, he was using the hose to cool himself down instead of the horse.

  Chapter Five

  Danni noticed the difference in Nico immediately. While still seeming comfortable, his polished black boots shone and black jeans molded to every curve of muscle on his long legs, now stretched out under the table while he waited. The white, tailored shirt was pressed to perfection. The cuffs were rolled back several times, showing his thick wrists and tanned forearms. Several buttons were undone, leaving just a hint of dark, curling hairs she wanted to brush her fingers against. One large hand held a small telephone to his ear while he watched her walk toward him. With few words, he ended the call and flipped the phone off. Saying a few hellos as she neared his table
, she smiled, surprised to see a few familiar faces so far from home. She got no smile or words by way of greeting from him.

  Glancing at her watch, she saw it was still three minutes to two. She wasn’t late, yet felt defensive already, and resisted the urge to straighten her denim shirt. The wind had taken a toll on her hair, with her braid loose and several curls falling forward. She refused to try to tame them back. She slipped across from him and made a production of putting her wallet and keys aside. Only then did she manage to meet his eyes, dark eyes, angry eyes, all but stripping her bare with their piercing stare.

  “Hello, Nico,” she said, looking directly at him. It was a mistake. She blushed, feeling the heat and knowing her chest and face were turning a bright pink. It was the way he looked at her, as if she were to be his lunch. “Thanks for meeting me,” she said, not getting an answer until the waitress had taken their drink order. “Nico?”

  “So we’re supposed to be polite and civilized?” His words shook her to the core. This wasn’t the Nico she knew. This man was cold and calculating. Something had shifted, and she didn’t know what. “Have you changed your mind, Danni?”

  “No,” she managed to say, turning to look out the window rather than face him. The waitress came back with their iced teas and took their order. “But…” she finally stammered, trying to find the right words. They hadn’t come all night or morning so why did she think she’d find them now? “I’m not sure if this is possible. We’re old friends and…”

  “And you don’t want to literally fuck your neighbor?” He settled back with a smug look on his face. “Did you think I’d be stupid enough to just give everything back, Danni? Did you think you’d manipulate me into turning over the land too?” This was a side of Nico he rarely let slip, and she knew the enraged facet was too hard for him to control.

  “Nico, why are you so angry?”

  “I’ve proposed marriage, Danielle, and you’ve declined. You’re the one who’s turning this into a business proposition, not me.”

  “Oh yes, I should marry you for the deal, which, I might remind you, still has me losing my land and label, not to mention my freedom.” She didn’t add that if he’d said he’d loved her somewhere along the line, with words she felt he truly meant, she might have softened to the idea. A marriage of convenience wasn’t for her, under any circumstance. His proposal started with “I love you,” but not very convincingly, more like he figured he should fit them in somewhere through his prepared speech.

  “Then we continue, unless you decided you don’t want the statues back.” His words became a dare along with his gaze. “The way I figure it, you have twelve weeks before the audit and eight notes. You’ll lose at least three weeks, if not four, due to menstrual cycles. So, we’re cutting this close if you only want to see me once a week.”

  Danni drew a deep breath and stared. Was he trying to frighten her? It was working. She knew he was right. Her time was dwindling. Besides everything that had happened in the last few days, throwing herself at his feet for the stupid statues was lunacy. Yet, she couldn’t force herself to back down. “Why are you doing this? Surely a few hours of sex can’t be worth all the money you’ve lent against the netsukes?”

  “My reasons are my own.” Subject closed. Danni had often heard Nico referred to as “the dark dragon,” a dragon of a man if you crossed him. Today, she sat across the table from his alter ego.

  “Nico, we’ve been friends and neighbors all my life. I don’t understand this antagonistic side of you. Do you hate me and my family? Or was this all just to get the land?”

  “It was good business, Danielle. You will understand one day. I’ll expand my vineyard and now, it seems, get you as a bonus!”

  His words were hurtful and she felt ashamed. To lose the netsukes would be the ultimate insult to her personally, even if she had to sleep with him to get them back. She sat straight in her seat while the waitress placed platters before them. The turkey club and fries was the last thing she could deal with, and she pushed the plate aside.

  “At times I hate you, Niccolo. You’re smug and overconfident. Is that to overcome a small dick?”

  He all but choked on the bite of his sandwich he seemed to be enjoying. “You tell me, bella. You’ve fondled the package. Am I small?”

  She looked away, blushing before him again, silently cursing herself for not keeping her mouth shut sometimes. It was impossible not to remember him against her, how her hand felt small against the heat his body released. He’d been long and thick, had often used her body to stroke against his while they kissed in the yard.

  “Is this because we never actually made love back then? Because it was you who always stopped us, I wanted more from you and you always stopped first.”

  “You were young, Danni. Anything else, especially with our age difference, wouldn’t have been right.” She hated that he sounded rational. She wanted to spit tacks. “You still have options. Make sure you make the right choice.”

  “I am,” she whispered, more to herself than to him. “Just to clarify, what do you have in mind?”

  “For each statue, we spend the day together, and ultimately, sometime during the day or night, we reenact the statue position.”

  “You truly are the dark dragon, Nico.” He laughed, and she hated him more. “A full day is too much. There’s no reason to waste eight days. A few hours should be sufficient.”

  “But I don’t just want sufficient. I want complete surrender!” And there it was. His perspective.

  If she did this with him, he wanted complete control. Danni wasn’t sure she was capable of giving it to him, or any other man. He smiled a smile she’d never seen before, his eyes half-lidded and his lips tilted slightly.

  Danni had spent the morning with the outside accountant she’d hired. From the records on Robert’s two computers, the outlook was downright bleak. That didn’t include what else she didn’t know about. The house was like a tomb. Carmen stayed in the kitchen as much as possible. Felice and Robert left each morning earlier than they’d ever gotten out of bed before and were gone until midafternoon. It was as if they were trying to punish her, eating supper at home, staring across the table. She wouldn’t rescind the security team or the eviction orders. Everyone was wound tight, and Danni knew there would be hell to pay for all of their sins, now considered hers.

  “You’re not eating, Danni?” Nico said, bringing her back from the dead stare she’d fallen into. His large hand closed over hers in an attempt to settle her. She glanced at him and quickly drew her hand back. He’d have sex with her, but she’d always wanted him to make love with her. It was a subtle difference, but it would end their friendship.

  “No attachments, Nico,” she finally said. “This is just about sex and statues.”

  “If you believe that, bella, you haven’t thought this through.” Pushing his plate to the side, he leaned forward, his voice all but a whisper when he said, “You’re not the first woman to use sex as a means of bargaining, and you wouldn’t be the last.” He grabbed her hand under his and made small circles on her palm with his thumb, which sent a heated chill directly to her core. “The bigger question is, Why do it at all? You’ll never own Cirillo again, Danielle, it’s over. Robert and Felice will be long gone before the audit. You know they won’t stay. They’re only here still to be a burr under your saddle and to see what else they can rob from the house and accounts. What happens to you when this is all over? What about your future, your own self-worth and pride?”

  “Do you think if there was any other option, I’d be doing this?” she snapped.

  “Let it all go. Let your mother fend for herself. Take back your bank statement and start fresh. You could go anywhere, Danni. While I’d rather you took my alternate, it seems you won’t. So, what will be left of Danielle Cirillo?”

  It was a question she’d been asking herself for days. The images of them lying together wouldn’t leave her mind. She pictured them in each statue position, and her lower lip
s grew moist again. She sighed aloud and Nico simply sat and watched her. She was horny for him, always had been. This way, at least she’d be able to experience him before she left the valley. He’d make a wonderful lover. He’d be considerate and knowledgeable. Danni knew he had a reputation long before she understood what it meant. Now she wanted to feel it for herself. This one last gift she’d give herself before starting a new life. She’d be experienced and wiser, she argued within. While she always thought to wait for the man she loved, Danni realized Nico was that man. And since they’d never have a possible future together, she’d take what she could and cherish the memories. Her perspective was to view Nico as a life lesson.

  “No public places,” she said, feeling both excited and apprehensive. “A three-hour limit. I’ll pick the night and the statue. There’ll be no pictures, videotapes, or audiotapes of any kind.” Danni paused, saw that she still had his attention, and continued. “I’ll have no illusions of romance, and neither will you. This is a business deal, flat out. We’ll never speak of this if we meet in the future. They’ll be no private jokes or innuendos. One act of sex for one statue, nothing in writing. When we finish the act, you burn the payment notes and sale affidavits. I’m on the pill, but you’ll have to use a condom anyway.”

  “Are you done?” he asked, smiling. “Now, these are my terms. I pick the statue. You will dress up and act like a real date for the evening. Afterward, we’ll go back to Casa Maria, and you’ll spend the night. Sunrise will find you in my bed or the note remains open.”

  Her mouth dropped slightly open.

  “Your aunt—” she started, but he silenced her with a shrewd smile.

  “She’s going back to Italy for a few months. A nice, long visit before spring hits and the pruning starts.” He looked too self-satisfied and smug. Dragon was back. “And, Danni, I don’t just plan to have sex with you. You’ll participate!” He watched a chill run through her and wondered for the hundredth time where his common sense had gone. If she were to leave the valley permanently, he’d only have this time with her. She’d never come back, that he knew for sure.