by Tina Folsom
Bianca shivered slightly. Yes, this stranger was handsome. Devastatingly so. Not only were his dark eyes mesmerizing, his lips which were still wet with her juices, were utterly kissable. His dark mane of thick hair had felt soft like silk, and when she looked at his chiseled body, she could only shudder.
“Yes, I’m afraid I got delayed. Had I known that Dante and Nico had hired you for me, I would have been here earlier.” His fingers stroked higher on her thigh, and Bianca pulled back, trying to shake off his hand. “But I’m here now, and I’m going to make it up to you.”
“Hired me?” A dreadful suspicion crept up her belly. “You think I’m a whore?” Was that what everybody thought of her? Was it written in her face what she’d done all these years? Could everybody tell?
“If you would like to call it something else, by all means,” he mumbled apologetically. “Maybe you’re one of Dante’s and Nico’s friends?”
“Who are Dante and Nico?”
Lorenzo let out a breath, almost as if he was tired of having to explain something to her for the hundredth time. “My friends. The ones who gave you to me as a housewarming present.”
Shock coursed through her. “Housewarming present?” Her voice sounded shrill in her own head. “I’m no housewarming present!”
Tears threatened to come to the surface. Somebody was playing a cruel joke on her. “Get out of my house, Signore! Now, before I call the carabinieri!”
“Your house? Signora, this is my house. So, if anybody is leaving, it will be you.”
For a second, Biana only stared at him. But the wheels in her brain were churning. It struck her out of nowhere: this was the man who’d bought her father’s house! He was the new owner, and he’d arrived earlier than anticipated.
Now she was truly in trouble. If he was already moving in, how would she be able to continue her search for the treasure? She felt her blood drain from her face as nausea threatened to overwhelm her. She had to think fast. The only thing she could do was to try and bluff her way through this. But she wouldn’t leave this house before she had found what she’d come for. No matter the cost.
“Signore, this is my house. I inherited it from my dear father. You’re trespassing. Leave!” Bianca lifted her chin in the same way she’d done to dismiss suitors she’d had no interest in. When she caught Lorenzo’s gaze on her, she was surprised to see a hint of delight in them as well as a little smile playing around his kissable lips.
Chapter Five
Lorenzo’s heart skipped a beat. The beautiful woman in his bed wasn’t a whore. And for some strange reason, this delighted him. However, this newfound knowledge did nothing to bring down his raging hard-on. Having feasted on her sweet cunt and brought her to an earth shattering orgasm had gotten him even hornier than he’d been when he’d first seen her in his bed.
“Signorina Greco?”
She nodded. “Bianca Greco.”
“Lorenzo Conti, at your service.” He bowed his head slightly, but did nothing to cover his naked body. He’d seen the way she’d glanced at his cock, and frankly, he’d liked it. And he wasn’t going to deprive her of the sight, decorum be damned.
“May I assume you haven’t spoken to your father’s solicitor, Signore Mancini, yet?”
“I only arrived today after receiving the terrible news of my dear father’s death.” She sniffed.
“My condolences, Signorina. However, I have to inform you that this is not your house anymore.”
“But—” she interrupted.
Lorenzo held up his hand, suddenly realizing that his other hand was still clutching her thigh. But as long as she wasn’t noticing it, he wasn’t going to remove it. “Signorina Greco, I purchased the home from your father’s estate. In fact, the estate only consisted of debts. Debts that far exceeded the value of this house.”
Her eyes went wide with surprise.
“Let me assure you, Signorina, that I’ve satisfied those debts, but I have taken the house in exchange for those sums of money. It is mine.”
“I don’t believe you!” She huffed and crossed her arms tighter around the pillow covering her naked body. “You broke in here, and now you’re trying to lie your way out of it.”
Lorenzo jumped up, outraged. Nobody called him a liar. Jumping off the bed, he marched toward where he’d left his cloak. “I’ll prove it to you, Signorina.”
He ruffled through his clothes and found the piece of paper he’d received earlier. As he walked back to the bed, he noticed her drop her lids, avoiding looking at him. But he’d already caught her. She’d not only stared at his backside when he’d walked away, but also admired his front for longer than any decent woman would admit. And her eyes were shining with desire.
He handed her the paper. “Here’s the deed.”
Her eyes flew over it before she handed it back to him. Then she met his eyes. Tears brimmed at their rim. “I will not leave. This is my house! The solicitor had no right to sell it.”
Lorenzo stemmed his fists at his hips, fully aware that his erection was pointing at her almost accusingly. And why shouldn’t it? She was the reason why he still had a raging hard-on that hadn’t been satisfied yet. And by the looks of it wouldn’t get any satisfaction tonight.
“The document is legal, and you know it! This is my house, and I say who can stay and who can’t.”
“But Signore, I’m still in mourning. I’ve only just lost my dear father. I’m beside myself with grief.” Her eyes looked pleadingly at him.
Mourning? If Bianca was grieving, she sure hadn’t shown any of it only minutes earlier when she’d writhed underneath him in obvious ecstasy. If all grieving daughters reacted like this to the death of their beloved father, Lorenzo would be stalking every funeral in the city to find his next willing bedmates. Because if that was how grieving daughters mourned, he wanted a piece of it. A very large piece.
But what he didn’t need was a woman in the house. Mourning or not, she had to leave. Not only could he not deal with a woman who seemed to be on the verge of tears, he wouldn’t be able to hide his own nature for long. Already now he had to fight his own body to prevent his fangs from lengthening. Her enticing scent and the taste he still carried on his tongue played havoc with his control.
The longer she stayed in his presence the more she would be at risk of him biting her, sinking his fangs into her graceful, long neck and taking her essence into him. And who knew if he could stop? If her blood tasted anything like her sweet cunt, then his control would snap like a little twig under the weight of an elephant. She would have no way of escaping him.
Of course, he could always use his suggestive powers to make her forget the bite, but would he be able to forget it, or would he want to come back for more? And he wasn’t a long-term kind of man. All he was interested in was a quick fuck and a quick bite, no repeats, no relationships. No emotional commitments. Emotional commitments could get you killed.
They’d almost gotten him killed once already. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. It was better to shove this woman out of his life right now and not look back. By tomorrow night she’d be a distant memory. By tomorrow night he’d be in bed with some other doxy before moving onto the next without even being tempted to have the same woman two nights in a row.
Lorenzo stared at her. She hadn’t moved from her position, still clutching the pillow to her chest as if it was a life raft on a sinking ship. The upward tilt of her chin indicated her determination not to let him win. Her eyes gleamed with defiance. She wanted to stay, and she would do anything to keep her home. But he couldn’t allow it.
There was only one way to make her leave: he had to make her run from him in panic or disgust. While he could certainly achieve that by flashing his fangs, he couldn’t afford the exposure this action resulted in. After the recent attacks by the Guardians, Dante had advised everybody to be more cautious than usual. Lorenzo wouldn’t go against that edict.
But there was one other way of making her run away f
rom him. He would show her what kind of rogue he was. And being the well-bred woman he assumed Bianca to be, she would run to save not her life, but her reputation.
“Signorina, the only way you’re staying in this house is as my mistress.” He looked past her, not keen on seeing the contempt in her face that she must feel for him now. “So, I suggest you get dressed and leave.”
He turned away from the bed and reached for his clothes, giving her one last view of his backside before he stepped into his trousers and pulled them up.
Lorenzo congratulated himself. He’d scared her speechless. To do that to a woman, was a feat in itself. To accomplish this with a woman who’d given his cock appreciative glances when she thought he hadn’t watched, was a magnificent achievement. He almost felt like patting himself on the back. Nico and Dante would howl with roaring laughter once they heard the story. At least it would make for good entertainment.
It did nothing for his aching cock though.
“What do you expect your mistress to do?”
Lorenzo almost choked on his own saliva. Was she asking him because she was considering his offer? Hell, it hadn’t even been an offer. He had no intention of acquiring a mistress. “Signorina—”
“Just tell me what you expect from your mistress.”
What would he want from a mistress if he really were in the market for one? “Everything. She has to be uninhibited, open to experimentation, and she has to want it. I don’t want a woman who’s merely lying on her back. I don’t want to fuck a stiff board.”
“I understand.”
The finality in her words told him that he’d finally managed to dissuade her. He reached for his shirt and put it on. “Fine, then once you’re dressed I’ll escort you to a hotel or a boarding house.”
“You expect your mistress to live in a hotel or boarding house? I had expected so stay here.”
Lorenzo swiveled on his heels, dropping his hands from the buttons he’d been trying to close. He simply stared at her. After all he’d told her, she wanted to be his mistress? This couldn’t be happening.
“I would expect you to suck me,” he warned her.
Bianca loosened her grip on the pillow and nodded. “I can do that.”
Swallowing hard, he pushed his luck further. “I like to take a woman from behind like an animal.”
Was he hallucinating, or was the pillow she was holding sliding lower to reveal the top of her breasts?
“So you can get really deep?” Her pink tongue emerged to trace her lower lip. “I like deep.”
His legs carried him closer to the bed. “I like to tie my women up so they are at my mercy.”
Her hand pushed the pillow further down, revealing one nipple to his hungry gaze. Shocked, he stared at her face. Could he shock her with nothing? “There are times when I enjoy having somebody else watch me while I fuck my woman.”
“Who would you like to watch us?” she asked, her voice low and seductive.
Had she said “us?” Lorenzo felt sweat build on his brow. “A male friend.”
“Would he want to join in?”
Knowing Nico, he would, but would Lorenzo want him to? They’d shared women before, but would he want to share Bianca? Hell, what was he even saying? She wasn’t his mistress, and she wouldn’t become his mistress. Under no circumstances whatsoever!
“Listen, Signorina Greco, I didn’t mean—” His next words got stuck in his throat as she moved the pillow and threw it to the foot of the bed, exposing her naked body to him, her legs still spread open, her cunt still glistening from his saliva and her juices.
His brain stopped functioning. Mistress meant sex. Daily sex, hourly sex. Sex whenever he wanted it, without even having to leave the house, without having to go through the whole process of flirting with a woman or without negotiating a purchase.
Lorenzo’s gums itched as his sensitive nose filled with her arousal.
“As my mistress you’ll live here with me. My house, my rules.”
“Rules?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Two rules. Rule one: we sleep during daytime, and the curtains stay closed.”
“And rule two?”
“I’ll take you whenever and wherever I want, and you won’t refuse me.”
She looked him up and down, then zeroed in on the massive bulge that tented his trousers. Licking her lips, she purred like a kitten. “Would you like me to try out for the position now?”
Chapter Six
Bianca knew she’d gone completely mad. His proposal was indecent at best, and no woman in her right mind would have ever accepted it. Unfortunately, she was also desperate. She needed to stay in the house to continue her search, and her ploy of the grieving daughter hadn’t softened his heart enough to let her stay.
Now she would stay as his mistress. And maybe that would award her enough freedom to move around the house as she pleased. As long as she pleased him, he probably wouldn’t care what she did in the remaining time as long as she kept her real agenda hidden. And if Bianca had learned one thing as a courtesan, it was how to please a man. Lorenzo wouldn’t have any complaints, and by the time he tired of her and wanted to move on, she would be long gone anyway. Treasure in hand.
Bianca watched him as he quickly discarded his clothes and joined her in bed. His eyes swept over her as if he couldn’t decide where to start. He looked like a kid who’d received too many presents for Christmas. It appeared that she needed to help him make a decision.
Bianca traced her palm over his cheek and guided his head to her. “Kiss me,” she whispered in her most seductive tone and brushed her lips to his. “And then my body is yours to do with as you please.” And only her body. It was all she would give him. This wasn’t any different from what she’d done before. For a few more days, she would be somebody’s courtesan, but soon, she’d be her own master and make her own decision. Soon.
His lips were firm as he pressed against her. Then they softened, and suddenly his lips parted, and his tongue swept over her mouth, nudging between the seam of her lips, asking for entry. The moment his tongue slid into her mouth and explored her, she lost all coherent thought. She’d never been kissed like this, not with such fervor, such masterful strokes that left no area unexplored, no corner unclaimed. His mouth all but devoured her as if he was trying to commit her taste to memory to be recalled at will. Relentlessly, Lorenzo tangled with her tongue, licked against her teeth, delved deep into her as if testing the limits of what she would allow. All she could do was cling to him, her arms clutching to his shoulders, her nails digging into his flesh for fear she’d lose her grip on him.
Inside her belly the fire that had been burning low and steady while they’d talked, had reawakened into a blistering inferno, the flames shooting so high, they reached her skin and licked outwards. Did her lover not notice the heat that seeped from her? If he did, it didn’t seem to bother him, because his hands roamed freely over her naked skin while his mouth continued its sensual assault, turning her body into a collection of cells controlled only by him.
Wherever his hands went, her body heated under his touch and arched into it to ask for more. Even if she’d wanted to, she wouldn’t have been able to stop him. Energy seemed to flow from him and collide with her body’s heat, the two forces dancing with each other and engulfing them in a cocoon of lust and desire.
Bianca had never felt so wanton, so absolutely reckless. But instead of every touch and every kiss helping still her thirst for him, it made her want even more. When he ripped his mouth from hers, she felt the loss physically. “No, don’t stop,” she whimpered. She’d never whimpered before.
“My sweet,” he whispered and kissed her throat, tilting it further back so he could reach the sensitive part at the base of it. His lips kissed, his tongue licked, and his teeth scraped against her skin. She shivered involuntarily at the erotic sensation.
“Again,” she demanded without thought.
Once more, Lorenzo scraped his teeth against her
throat, then pulled back and moved lower. His head dipped to her breasts, taking first one nipple and then the other between his lips. When he sucked the nipple deeper into his mouth and licked his tongue over it, she twisted under his hold, feeling her control slip.
He was turning her into mush. She had to gain the upper hand and show him pleasure. Only then would she remain in control, by robbing his. Her hand slipped down his torso past his muscled, hairless chest, across his ripped abdomen until she reached her destination: the dark thatch of hair between his legs where his cock stood erect.
Bianca wrapped her hand around his shaft, surprised to find that it didn’t quite span around his girth.
“Oh, God!” he gasped, temporarily releasing her nipple.
He was too big. Too thick. And long too, she noticed as she stroked all the way down to the base. As hard as marble, yet his skin was as soft as that of a baby. She loved those contrasts in a man, always had. Baby soft skin covering a marble hard cock. The perfect combination. She couldn’t wait to feel him inside her and stretch her cunny. None of her former lovers had been that big. But she didn’t fear it, didn’t fear him.
From what he’d done to her earlier when she’d thought herself in the midst of a dream, she knew he was a patient lover, a considerate one who would make certain she was ready to take him. She’d already orgasmed once under his expert mouth and was again oozing wetness. She was ready for him, her pearl throbbing in anticipation.
But she wanted to drive him wild first. Using all her strength, she pushed against his heavy body. He released her breast, startled, a question already forming on his lips, but it never emerged. A second later, he landed with his back in the sheets as she scooted down his body.
“What?” he gasped and gave her a surprised look.