by Janice Sims
When it came to sexual experience she was sorely lacking. Two partners, including Dominic, and the first one had cheated on her so she couldn’t have been that exciting in bed. Although…to be fair…making love to Dominic had been a whole lot different from making love to Tony. Tony was interested in getting in and getting off. Dominic was interested in making sure she enjoyed herself as much as he did. And, she had to admit, she had given as good as she had gotten.
She smiled again, this time with cunning satisfaction. So what if there was no possibility of love for this relationship? She was a woman now and every woman should be able to look back and say she had at least one good lover in her lifetime. Dominic Corelli would be hers. This was their love affair. She was going to enjoy it.
Dominic came back to the bedroom wearing nothing but a smile. Elle blushed when she lowered her eyes to his semi-erect manhood, but she didn’t look away.
Unashamed, he stood and let her get an eyeful. “I usually sleep in the nude. That won’t bother you, will it? I know how fond you are of pajamas.”
Elle laughed shortly. “No, I like you naked.”
He came and sat beside her. “I left your underwear on you when I put you to bed,” he told her. “But if you want to change into something more comfortable now, your bags are in the closet.”
Elle did. Sleeping in a bra always felt constrictive to her so she got up and went looking for something to sleep in. Besides pajamas, she’d packed a rather sexy silken red nightgown. She put that on and returned to the bedroom.
After she got back into bed Dominic reached for her. She settled close to his side with her head in the crook of his arm. He turned down the light but didn’t turn it off completely. “This is a huge room,” Elle said. “How big is this villa?”
“It has six bedrooms,” Dominic told her. “My grand parents had a big family. They lived in Milan but this was their vacation home. When my parents married, my grandmother gave the Milan house to them as a wedding present. Her daughters all made good marriages and had husbands who built them homes. She wanted the house to remain in the family. Dad took over the family business after Grandpa died, and for a while my grandmother lived with my parents. But, later, she wanted solitude so she moved here year-round. I visited her often and came to love this place. She knew how I felt about it so she left it to me.”
“How often do you come here?”
“Only on weekends, and for the month of August when Milanese who can afford it vacation on the lake to avoid the heat of the city. Claudio takes care of it in my absence.”
“Who’s Claudio?”
He laughed softly. “Oh, yeah, you were pretty drowsy through the introductions. He’s the caretaker. He has a habit of staying scarce unless you call him, but you’ll probably run into him once or twice while you’re here. He lives in a cottage on the grounds. Don’t be surprised if you see a funny-looking little fellow with snow-white hair around the villa.”
“Okay,” said Elle, her tone sexy.
She ran her hand over his chest. He was hairy but not excessively so. The hair was curly and soft. Going lower, she could feel the muscles in his six-pack. For abdominals like that, she knew he had to work out religiously. Dominic Corelli was disciplined, of that she was well aware. He’d worked them hard during rehearsals, never settling for anything less than what he considered perfection.
Elle’s hand stopped moving.
Dominic tensed. He had been anticipating her hand going down farther and grasping his member. “What’s wrong?” he asked huskily.
“You’re perfect,” Elle said forlornly.
She sat up in bed and propped her pillows behind her. Feeling at a disadvantage lying down, Dominic did the same. “I’m glad you think so, but what has that got to do with anything?” he asked.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’ve got curves,” Elle said. “I’m not fat, but I’ll never be as skinny as some of the women I see walking around Milan.”
“You mean fashion models?” asked Dominic, laughter evident in his tone. “They’re clothes hangers, Elle. Their bodies don’t mirror the bodies of most women in the world.”
“Then you like a woman with curves,” Elle said hopefully.
“Listen, Elle,” Dominic told her, looking her straight in the eyes. “I love your body. You’re strong and you’re soft at the same time. I especially like your ass. It’s perfectly shaped and gives me something wonderful to hold on to. I can think about your ass and get hard. I know. I’ve done it.”
“Whoa,” Elle said, laughing softly. “Dominic Corelli, an ass man? I’d never have thought it.”
Dominic grabbed her around the waist and pulled her down onto her side. They kissed and Elle forgot all about what she perceived as her little imperfections.
Dominic began pulling at the waistband of her panties and she twisted and wriggled until he managed to get them past her hips. Then it was easy to pull them off and toss them aside. Next he pulled the nightgown over her head and threw it onto the end of the bed. For as long as it had been on her body, Elle could have saved time by never putting it on at all.
Now there was nothing between them. Warm skin slid against warm skin. Her sex welcomed the feel of his hardened penis rubbing against it. She imagined her sex was her mouth and her lips would open and welcome him inside. This fantasy only made her sex throb with want of release even more.
Dominic felt her urgent need and hurriedly reached over and got a condom off the nightstand. Elle didn’t have the patience to wait for him to put it on, so she snatched it from him and rolled it onto his long, thick, hard member herself.
Dominic lay on his back and pulled her on top of him. “Get your pleasure,” he said. “I want to watch you.”
Straddling him, Elle positioned him at the opening of her sex, and while his big hands caressed her breasts, gently rubbing her nipples until they were hard, highly sensitive nubs, she pushed until he was fully inside of her. Then she rode him until they were both writhing with pent-up passion, but she withheld their release. She stopped and bent to kiss him deeply, enjoying the taste of his mouth, relishing the masterful thrusts of his tongue against hers. She squeezed the muscles of her vagina to grab his penis, holding it and then slowly letting it go. Dominic sighed. She felt so good to him.
Then, he was bucking beneath her because he couldn’t hold off any longer. With each thrust, he pushed against Elle’s clitoris and she came with a shout, her vaginal muscles quivering as the orgasm hit her in waves. Dominic stiffened as an orgasm rocked him almost simultaneously.
Elle collapsed on top of him. He felt her vaginal walls quivering with release. She felt his penis throbbing like a heartbeat. Kissing his mouth gently, she said, “Bravo, Maestro.”
Dominic smiled. “Grazie, cara mia.”
Chapter 13
When Elle awakened it was morning. Golden sunlight shone through the sheers at the doors and through them she could see the silhouette of a man standing on the balcony.
She took stock of herself. Still naked, yes; morning breath, probably; need to freshen up before greeting your lover, definitely. She got out of bed and hurried into the bathroom. Then came right back out because it occurred to her that she was going to need her toothbrush.
She went into the huge closet and grabbed one of her bags. Toiletries in hand, she rushed back through the bedroom and had almost reached the bathroom when she heard the balcony doors creak open. She froze.
“Oh, Elle, you’re up,” Dominic said, smiling. He was freshly showered and dressed in jeans and a cotton crewneck sweater in royal blue. He looked like a preppie.
“Pretend you don’t see me,” Elle said and continued to the bathroom.
“But I do see you and I want my morning kiss,” Dominic said, grinning mischievously as he quickly crossed the room.
Elle dashed to the bathroom and closed and locked the door.
Dominic went to the door and called, “Is this another one of your pet peeves? No kisses before
you brush? Because I think I should be making a list or something.”
“I see you’re looking rather refreshed,” Elle lightly accused.
“Guilty as charged,” Dominic answered. “I showered in one of the other bathrooms so I wouldn’t disturb your beauty sleep.”
“You’re very considerate,” said Elle. “Now go away so I can shower and do whatever other mysterious things I have to do in the morning in order to look less like Quasimodo.”
Laughing, Dominic said, “All right, cara mia. I’ll go make breakfast.”
“Okay!” Elle called, relieved.
Standing in front of the mirror, she assessed her hair. She’d forgotten her shower cap! She waited until she thought she heard the bedroom door shut before she opened the bathroom door and went back into the bedroom. But Dominic had hidden behind the bathroom door and grabbed Elle and kissed her before she had the chance to protest.
Elle pushed his chest with both hands, trying to gain enough purchase to shove him away. But he didn’t let her go until he was good and ready.
“There,” he said, releasing her. “Your theory is proven wrong. Your morning breath didn’t disgust me.” His gaze traveled the length of her body. “In fact, I’m all for going back to bed.”
Elle saw the bulge in his jeans. “I can see that,” she said. “But the answer is no, Satan’s spawn. I’m going to shower just like you did and brush my teeth. Love the taste of your toothpaste, by the way. Minty fresh!” And with that, she returned to the bathroom and locked him out.
Dominic went to the door. “Are you always this cranky in the morning?”
“Not after my first cup of coffee,” Elle told him. “Now, be a good boy and leave me alone!”
Laughing, Dominic left her in peace.
Looking at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, Elle scowled. She still hadn’t gotten the shower cap. Damn that Dominic Corelli! She smiled suddenly. That kiss had been something else.
Her cell phone was ringing when she came out of the bathroom later, wrapped in a towel. She dug the phone out of her purse and carefully read the name and number on its screen: her mother’s.
She quickly answered. “Isobel, where are you?”
“We’re in Switzerland. Apparently, John has business here. We’ll be spending the night.”
“You mean he didn’t tell you his itinerary before he asked you to join them on his jet?”
“Not a word,” Isobel said, sounding miffed.
“My mother the jet-setter,” Elle said, laughing. “You don’t have to be back at work until Monday. Try to enjoy yourself.”
“That’s the problem, I am!” cried Isobel.
“Why is it a problem?”
Isobel paused for what seemed like a long time to Elle, but in actuality was only a few seconds. “Because I think he wants to ask me out but hasn’t gotten up the nerve. I can feel it.” She stopped again. Elle was beginning to wonder if maybe she was pausing for so long because she didn’t want someone nearby to overhear her conversation.
“You’re not alone?”
“Yeah, I’m alone, I’m just upset.”
“Because you suspect he wants to get to know you better?”
“He scares me, Elle!”
“John Whitaker?” Elle said, incredulous. “He’s a sweetheart.”
“Yes, it would seem so. To the untrained eye he looks like a successful businessman who’s managed to stay on top by outmaneuvering his competition. That’s an awesome quality in this day and age. What’s more, he seems to have done it without being ruthless. Plus in a time of government bailouts, his company is going strong and his employees love him. Talk about a miracle worker!”
Elle laughed softly. “Sounds like you like him.”
“I can’t deny that I admire him,” said Isobel.
“Then what’s the problem?” Elle wanted to know.
“He’s almost as rich as Gates,” Isobel answered. “I’d never be comfortable in the circles he runs in, Elle. We’re so unsuitable for one another.”
Elle sighed. Hadn’t she thought the same thing about herself and Dominic? She still wasn’t that confident of being capable of keeping up with him. But she knew two things—she was as smart as he was, even if she didn’t have his money, and she was willing to take risks.
“Every relationship is a risk,” she told her mother. “I can feel you coming out of your shell, Isobel Jones. It’s time. Whether it’s with the stockbroker or John Whitaker, financial giant, it’s time you took a leap of faith and got back out there. You’re in your prime, for God’s sake. Haven’t you missed having a good man in your life?”
Elle knew her mother had casually dated over the years, but when a guy started to talk about getting serious she would make an excuse and break up with him. It was as if she was doing it first, before he could dump her.
“I see so many women who’re alone, whether it’s through divorce, death or abandonment,” Isobel said. “Some of my friends are in their early fifties, and they’ve never been married. They’re not sad about it, either. They own their homes. Have savings in the bank. Are doing it for themselves, as that Aretha song goes. I don’t need a man in my life, Elle.”
“Especially not one who might hurt you,” Elle said intuitively.
“I’m not as young as you are. I might not bounce back,” Isobel said in warning tones. It was as if she were asking her daughter for permission to go ahead and let herself be wined and dined by John Whitaker, if he was so inclined.
“I say, go for it,” Elle said with a determined note in her voice.
Isobel laughed. “Why am I panicking? He hasn’t so much as asked me out for a cup of coffee!”
“He’s had his eye on you for some time now,” Elle frankly told her. “I couldn’t help noticing you two at the opening last night. He was giving you a lot of admiring glances. You didn’t seem to mind the attention.”
“What woman wouldn’t be flattered?” Isobel asked a bit breathlessly.
“Elle, breakfast is ready!” she suddenly heard Dominic yell from downstairs.
“Is that Dominic I hear in the background?” her mother asked.
Darn these high-sound-quality cell phones, Elle silently groused. “Ah…yeah,” she said, deciding it was best not to lie to her mother. “We’re at his house on the lake. It’s in a little town not far from Milan. We drove here shortly after we said goodbye to you all.” Elle waited for her mother’s reaction.
“You know what you want out of life,” Isobel said after a long pause. “I’m not going to give you dire warnings about the consequences of trusting the wrong man with your body. You know what they are. Just take care of yourself, baby.”
“I will, Ma,” Elle promised.
Isobel sniffed. Elle was well aware that her mother had started crying as soon as she had heard that her daughter was in a love nest with a man she’d only known for two months, and not because Elle had called her Ma.
“I wish I were there to hug you.”
Elle moaned loudly as if she were hugging her mother. “Consider yourself hugged.”
Isobel moaned back. “All right,” she said after she’d stopped. “Goodbye, baby, and tell Dominic I said hello.”
“I will. Goodbye,” Elle said fondly.
She put the phone down and went to the closet for clothes similar to Dominic’s, jeans and a shirt. By the time she got downstairs he had set the table on the patio and was dishing up eggs scrambled with red peppers and chives, and savory Italian breakfast sausage. Fresh bread, butter and jam were on the table, too, along with a carafe of freshly brewed coffee.
She had taken the time to admire the house en route to the kitchen. It reminded her of the villa in the film Enchanted April, furnished with antiques. It had beautiful marble floors, airy high ceilings and French doors all around that opened outside to fragrant flower gardens that were lush and green. It apparently received a lot of tender loving care.
Claudio must be a very good caretaker. Houses thi
s size needed constant repairs and touch-ups. She ought to know: the brownstone where she grew up was always in need of fresh paint, a new this or a new that.
“There you are!” Dominic said when she entered the kitchen. He removed his apron, tossed it onto a nearby chair and went and hugged her.
Elle closed her eyes and enjoyed it. He smelled good, and he felt good, with his firm body pressed close to her soft curves. She shyly kissed the side of his neck, then stuck her nose in that spot and inhaled his heady body odor, a combination of soap and his own unique male scent.
“You smell good enough to eat,” she told him.
“Maybe later,” he said with a wicked glint in his eye.
Elle laughed and kissed him. This kiss was as intense as the one they’d shared upstairs, if somewhat longer. Elle was breathless when he set her down. Down being the operative word, because he had lifted her off the floor sometime during the kiss, and she was so into the kiss she hadn’t even noticed.
She sighed contentedly, “A girl could get used to that.”
“So could a boy,” Dominic said, holding the patio door open for her. “Your repast awaits, cara mia.”
He and Elle ate like kings, as they relived the events of last night. Dominic explained that a good opening night usually meant a nice, long run for the opera.
Later, they went for a walk in the woods. Elle loved the outdoors and was delighted by the different indigenous trees, flowers and shrubs, which he knew by name. He picked wildflowers for her and presented her with a beautiful bouquet.
It was midday when they arrived at a grassy knoll overlooking the lake. Dominic took off the backpack he’d been carrying and began removing items from it. First he spread a blanket on the grass and then he took out a chilled bottle of wine and two wineglasses enveloped in Bubble Wrap. Elle marveled at his attention to detail. She wondered when he had had the time to do it all.
Dominic looked up at the sky, his grin wide. “It’s a beautiful day, eh?”
“Just perfect,” Elle agreed dreamily, her eyes on him.