Around the World in 80 Men Series Boxed Set 1-10

by Brandi Ratliff

  It had been a nice lunch and a nice distraction from the deafening silence of the office. He told her everything that he had done that day, and all that was still left to do. His opening day was proving to be a success.

  Morgan admired his drive. Just as much as she had with Finlay and Tanner. It inspired her in a way, and she wondered if she could ever do something like they all had. Well, Finlay started with one building. Tanner started with one boat. Dante started with one restaurant. I started with one man. I guess we're not so different. Morgan dabbed her lips with a napkin to hide her smile.

  She could see Dante begin to fidget in his chair. Morgan assumed he was anxious to get back to his business, but it had been nice listening to him open up a little bit.

  “This is all amazing, Dante. Thank you,” she reached her hands across the table and put them over his.

  “You're welcome. Well, I have to get back to work.” He spoke with a smile, but drew his hands from hers and stood. “I'll be back to check on you in a little while. I'll have someone gather all of this too,” he added as he walked out of the small room.

  That someone was Franco. Morgan briefly wondered why Dante would send him in there to gather her dishes, but remembered she 'couldn't be seen'. She sat with her arms crossed at the desk as Luigi made three trips back and forth from the kitchen.

  “Is there anything you need Ms. Holland?” Franco asked her when he picked up the last plate.

  “Fresh air?” It was worth a try. His look gave her enough of an answer. “Wine?”

  He gave her a nod and walked out the door. “Thanks Luigi!” she yelled as she watched his thin figure disappear around the corner. “Time to break out of here!” Morgan rubbed her palms together as she hatched a plan to free herself from the office.

  She walked out of the office and came to a T. One path led to the kitchen, where Dante was sure to be and the other led into the dining area. She figured she wouldn't be able to get by Franco if she went through the dining area, so she settled on the kitchen. She knew there was a back door there and...

  “Ms. Holland, what are you doing?” She felt a tap on her shoulder that made her gasp out loud.

  Morgan's mind raced for an acceptable answer. “I.....uhm....bathroom.” She pointed her finger down the hallway leading to the kitchen.

  Franco grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to face the direction she came, “there's a restroom in the office, Ms. Holland.”

  “Luigi! C'mon! I can't sit in there all day!” She surprised herself at how whiny that had come out. Franco pushed lightly on her back, encouraging her to keep walking.

  Instead, Morgan turned and ran the other way. Her high heels tapped the ground with each little step across the tiled floor until she came to the kitchen. Where to hide, where to hide? Ahh! She crouched down between two large coolers and when she saw she had an audience, she made the universal shh sign with her index finger against her lips.

  “Morgan Holland!” Franco's voice echoed throughout the kitchen and she ducked lower between the appliances. He yelled again and she had to cover her mouth to stifle the laughter. Even if she didn't get away with it, it was the most fun she had in two days.

  “You cannot be in here! Where are you?” His voice was closer, but he had lowered the octave. She saw his expensive shoes around the corner and held her fingers across her lips even tighter.

  “Franco, what's going on?” Dante's voice.

  Morgan took a peek around the corner and saw Luigi's back to her with his hands on his hips and Dante in front of him.

  Shit! Morgan pushed her head back against the wall. Dante had seen her. She heard his deep voice again, “Franco, I need you to make sure the Reynold reservation is still set for this evening.”

  Franco tried protesting, but after a moment, she heard him huff and walk away. The next thing she saw were Dante's blue eyes.

  Chapter Four

  “He's like a prison guard!” Morgan laughed as Dante helped her off the floor. To her surprise, he laughed too. Well, at least he doesn't hate me.

  “You need to go back in the office, Morgan. I can't have these guys looking at you like this.” His face went from smile to frown in two-point-five..

  Are you kidding me? “I don't want any of these men, Dante.” She neared her lips to only a breath from his. His instinct made him lean away from her, but she was ahead of his game. She grabbed his tie and pulled him in closer. “I want you.” He could feel her whisper on his lips. “I'm all yours this week. For. Your. Eyes. Only.” Her tongue rolled across her bottom lip, she felt his chest tense under her hand.

  He looked away, and started to turn. She knew that he expected her to follow him, and her moment of truth was handed to her right then. Try as she might, there was no way that she would be locked away for one more moment.

  “Dante, I need to speak with you.” She picked up her pace and passed him, leading the two of them to the office. Once inside, he waited for her to speak. “Look, I came here to be with you. Now, I know that you have very strict rules for yourself, and your employees, but I can't do this. At all.” She crossed her hands in front of her chest, and waited for his response.

  He sat on the corner of the desk, and she could see the disappointment in his eyes. “Morgan, I'm sorry. I hate to keep you away like this, but I have to.” He looked at his feet as he spoke. “Women...they just...they move on so easily and with you being a.....well, what you are...I just didn't want you to give your attention to anyone else.”

  “Ah!” It all made sense to Morgan. He was shy, and he had been hurt badly at some point. “So, your last love hurt you by cheating, or leaving for someone else, is that about right?” She watched his reluctant nod. “And, because of that, any woman that you date has to be hidden away under lock and key?” He didn't respond, but his silence was enough to tell her that she was right.

  Morgan's heart broke at the sadness she saw in his downcast eyes. She walked to his side, and put her hand on his back, “Dante, I've been lied to, cheated on, and had my heart broken more than once. I know how hard it is, but all you're doing is hurting yourself.” Once he looked at her, she stood closer to him. “You have everything in the world to offer a woman, but she'll never see that if you treat her the way you've treated me.” He nodded slowly, and ran his hands over his eyes as he let out a very long exhale.

  “I know. I'm sorry, Morgan.” He took her hand, and looked into her eyes. “I want love eventually, but I can't find it. And now..,” he looked around his office, “I'm afraid I wouldn't even know what to do if I found the right one. Maybe I'm too damaged.” Dante finally admitted the truth; he wanted it all, not just a woman to warm his bed. When he looked down again, Morgan smiled. She knew exactly what she would have to do.

  “Well!” She took his hands in hers, and forced him to look at her. “You're in luck! Because I happen to know exactly what you need, and I'll teach you how to find the perfect woman.” She nodded at him, hoping he would agree. When she saw a slight smile threaten the corner of his mouth, she told him that she would be his teacher for the week. If there was one thing she knew, it was what women like, and she would teach him everything that she could.

  “First thing's first, no woman will allow herself to be hidden away. If she does, then she's only willing to tolerate it until she gets what she wants.” She walked around the office, going through the list of things that he would need to know right then. “Second, if you can't trust a woman, then she's not the one for you. A woman will be with you because she wants to be, and no other man will get her attention.” Then she walked back to stand in front of him, and slowly ran her finger along his collar bone, “third, you have a great dick. So, the more you share that with a woman, the more she's going to think about you when you're apart.” She enjoyed watching the color rise from his neck, and she was tempted to run her tongue along his tan skin.

  His genuine smile made Morgan feel like she might enjoy her stay in Italy after
all. He nodded, then asked where they were to go from there. For the first time in two years, he felt like he could trust someone. It was a fact that he paid the woman to be there, and a fact that anything extra she did was because she wanted to. That was a good feeling, one that he embraced enough to be willing to change.

  “Easy, I'm going back to the suite. I'm exhausted, and I need some rest. You...,” she leaned in and kissed his lips slowly, “will wake me when you get back so that we can pick up where we left off earlier.” She walked to the other side of the desk, and picked up her bag.

  Dante had already opened the office door and told Franco to take her back to the hotel. He also added that his valet was to leave Morgan alone so that she could rest, and that he was to return to the restaurant.

  That last bit was surprising, Morgan figured he would at least make the valet stay there to watch over her. It was a great first step, and she looked forward to the learning adventure that she and Dante would have through the week.

  When the limo stopped in front of the hotel, Morgan got out and walked to Franco's door, “I'll need the key.” She put her hand out, and the man handed it to her. Under normal circumstances, he would have seen the lady to the door, but since he didn't know what his boss was up to with the sudden change of plans, he allowed Morgan the freedom to find her own way.

  “Thanks, Luigi! See ya later!” She waved at the skinny man, then walk-skipped into the building. Franco shook his head as he watched her disappear into the lobby. He hoped his boss knew what a handful he had in the spirited young woman.

  Once back inside the beautiful suite, Morgan took off her heels and headed straight to her room. She held on to her bag as she did her signature cannonball into the center of the bed, then pulled her phone out. She wanted to touch base with Julianne and let her know that Dante just needed a few lessons in love, and that all was well.

  Before she could hit her contacts button, she saw that she had a new text. Her heart raced as she opened it.

  Morgan read the text out loud, announcing to her empty room that someone was thinking of her. “Miss you. Where are you? Fin.” She stomped her bare feet on top of the bed, making her whole body bounce.

  She spoke each word as she replied, “Rome. Miss you too. Morgan.” All she wanted to do was hold the phone close to her until another message came through, but she took a few moments to call her boss. She got Julianne's voice mail, and she left a message, telling her about Dante's problem and how she would fix it. When she was done, Morgan went back to waiting. This time, she put her phone on the pillow next to hers, and closed her eyes to await the sound of his text.

  Two things happened when Morgan opened her eyes again. First, she heard Dante and Franco talking as they walked into the suite, and the other was the notification of a text that she saw when she grabbed her phone from the pillow. Morgan was still trying to shake the sleep from her head as she tried to decide if she should check the text, pretend like she was still asleep, or go out to greet Dante. The text won.

  She rolled to her side, and held the phone at her waist as she read it. Rome is beautiful. I can be there in 2 days. Would love to show you around. Fin She wanted to squeal with delight, she wanted to text him back right then and tell him that she would be waiting for him. But reality sunk in, and that was the last thing that she could ever do. There was no way that she would take a chance of Dante finding out, he would be crushed by her deception. She cursed under her breath, and sent her reply. Can't. Will explain later. Morgan.

  A soft knock at the door brought her back to reality. “Morgan?”

  Morgan leaned over the bed and tossed her phone into her purse before responding in a sleepy voice, “I'm awake.” Dante walked into the room and Morgan smiled as the room filled with the aroma of a days worth of Italian cooking. Then she smiled at the sight of the man, who looked more delicious than any Italian cuisine.

  He looked tired, and his usual every-hair-in-place style was now flattened to his forehead with sweat. His white shirt no longer looked starched and crispy and his tie had splashes of red sauce. Morgan knew the perfect solution...a win-win for both of them.

  She slowly got up from the bed and swayed her hips back and forth as she walked over to him. She felt his eyes on her and it gave her the bit of encouragement she needed to get to the shy guy. “I'm going to run you a bubble bath, and you're going to enjoy it,” she informed him with seductive smile.

  “I'm not really a bubble bath kinda guy, Morgan.” His hands found the sides of her waist and she resisted the desire to find the inside of his expensive pants.

  She pressed a finger softly to his lips, “you're going to like it, I promise.” With that, she grabbed his hand and led him to the main bathroom on the other side of the suite.

  “Take off your pants.” Morgan put a hand on her hip and did a downward motion with her finger to add backup to her statement. He unbuckled his belt and his pants fell to the ground in a soft heap. Morgan turned on the tap, then went to work on his shirt. One by one, she undid each of his buttons with a purposely slow torment. All the while, she could feel a part of him slowly hardening against her stomach. Ignore it. Remember how it feels to wait!

  She couldn't fight the temptation for long, at least not all of it. Just one touch, it can't hurt. Morgan slid the white shirt from his shoulders, letting her fingernails drag softly down his arms until the shirt fell to the floor. His dick twitched against her leg, and she caught it between her fingers. Dante's head fell back against the wall and a soft groan told Morgan he had wanted her to touch him just as much as she had wanted to.

  Morgan slid her hand up and down his thick erection and he grabbed her sides once more, “stop! I don't want to come like this.”

  “Oh, I wasn't going to let you get off that easy.” They both laughed at her terrible pun and Morgan grabbed his hand again and walked over to the tub. He had his hand over his dick as he stepped into tub. His shyness was almost endearing. Almost. Morgan bent down and kissed him softly on his lips. She put her hand over his, “it'll be better later.” With a wink, the kind she learned from Tanner, she slowly walked out of the bathroom, then nearly ran through the suite to her room.

  Finlay, Finlay, Finla.... “Hi, Luigi......bye, Luigi!” Morgan called out as she passed Franco in the living area. She got to her room, shut the door behind her and went into the bathroom to start her own bath. “Extra bubbles. Extra, extra, extra bubbles.” Morgan poured the bubble bath over the tub for a few seconds longer than usual, then ran back into the room and retrieved her phone from her bag.

  Another message. Better be a damn good explanation to keep me from you. Fin. Morgan fought between expressing excitement and disappointment. Excitement at the thought of seeing Finlay. Then, disappointment for the fact there was no way in hell that she could. “You just had to pick the one with emotional baggage!”

  She slid the tight clothing off her body, then slid into the slippery tub. The hot water alone felt like luxury for her aching calves and feet. The damn dress skirt with those heels was enough to make any woman bitter before the end of a day, but it was just something else she'd have to get used to.

  After stretching her legs and curling her toes in and out, she was ready to make her phone call. “Or am I? What am I going to say?” She bit her bottom lip like she often did when she didn't know an answer. “I'll just tell him the truth. I can't.” But I want to.

  Morgan took a deep breath and pressed the green button. Each ring felt like an eternity. It wasn't until the last one she heard his familiar voice.

  “Hi, lass. Let me take a guess at ye, bubble bath?”

  Morgan giggled. “Say bubble again!”

  “No.”

  “Please? Bubble. C'mon, say it!” she pleaded.

  “Bubble.”

  Morgan's laughter filled the bathroom, “I love it! Thank you, and yes! I am having a buuuuble bath.”

  “It's not that funny,” Finlay argued a lost cause. Betwee
n her giggles, he managed to sneak in a question, “so tell me why, lass.”

  “Why what? Why it's funny? Oh! No, um...I just...can't.” Morgan sunk deeper into the tub and held her hand over her mouth and continued the conversation in a whisper. “This guy, Dante, he's shy. Like super shy! It took me two days to figure out why though. He's been hurt, bad. And now, he just acts like a jealous boyfriend. He put me in the office all day so nobody would look at me, Finlay!”

  This time, he laughed. “Well, hen, you are beautiful. I wouldn't want anyone looking at ye either.”

  Morgan smiled into the phone. It was sweet when Finlay said it, but then again, she knew he wouldn't hide her away all day. “Anyway,” Morgan interrupter his continued laughter, “I am going to teach him this week that you can't take it out on every girl for what one did to you. I couldn't break his heart like that. I have to let him trust me, if I left, he'd be traumatized for life!”

  “Aye, I understand. Do what ye've got to do, lass.” Morgan heard the disappointment in his voice. Soon enough, Fin, I'll see you again.

  Morgan heard the door to the other bathroom open. “I've got to go, Fin. Text me soon.”

  “Aye. Miss you, lass.”

  “Miss you too.” Morgan hung up and went back to her bath. Right, focus Morgan. . After she finished shaving her legs and rinsing all suds from her body, she climbed out and wrapped herself in the hotel's white fluffy robe.

  Time to do my job.

  Chapter Five

  Morgan went straight to Dante's room, right across from hers. He was wearing a matching robe, and was already sitting on the side of the bed. He knew that she would join him, and he didn't look forward to telling her that he was far too tired for their personal time together.