by Lake, Thalia
“Who in the hell do you think…”
Pounding my fist on my desk when I really wanted to pound his face with it I said, “I’m the man who loves your daughter and who will protect her, take care of her, and show her what a real man really is, that’s who the hell I am!” I yelled back with my eyes bucked leaning across my desk. I was at the edge of my seat itching to jump across my large desk to choke the life out of this sorry sack of shit.
“Now, she told you she didn’t want to have anything to do with you, and she meant it, so leave her alone and stop hiding behind your wife to communicate with her.”
“You need to back the fuck out of family business, white boy! You don’t know my little girl the way I know her!” Johnny Paris yelled, jumping to his feet. I quickly stood up as well and came around my desk to stand before him. My nostrils were flared, and my eyes were wild with anger and hate. I wanted to beat the shit out of this man so bad I could taste it.
“Oh I know all about Sloane, and I know all about you. You’re a spineless coward who likes to molest one daughter and just flat out be incestuous with the other one. You viciously beat your young sons for telling your wife the truth about your cheating ways. You’re a poor excuse of a man and a father who doesn’t even deserve to have kids. You have this little side business, but all you do is cheat people out of their money. You have so many Better Business Bureau claims against you that you were forced to close your scam of a business down. But you’re still operating illegally with a ton of small claims court cases against you. It’s a wonder you’re not in jail this very moment! I haven’t even started with all the side kids you have that Sloane and her siblings know nothing about, brothers and sisters that have lived within a two mile radius of them the whole time they were growing up. You’re a complete waste of skin. If you were to disappear off the face of the earth today the only person that would miss your sorry ass is your wife. Sloane hates you; none of your kids want to have any dealings with you and yet you stand here as if you’re fucking father of the year? You’re a pathetic joke!”
The look of horror on his face was priceless. I knew all of his dirt, and there was a lot more I could have brought up, but I’m saving it for later. The old man was so pissed he was shaking with anger. That was probably the first time he’s been thoroughly slapped in the face with the truth, and I know I’m the first one to reveal to him that I knew things that he thought no one knew. He wanted to hit me, and Lord knows I wished with every fiber of my being that he’d swing because I would beat him to a pulp. Instead, he just stood there and glared at me. He took a few steps backward before he spoke.
“All of that shit is in the past, and my kids forgave me.”
“Your children’s half siblings aren’t in the past. It’s just something you’ve worked very hard to keep away from them. And don’t get it twisted - your wife forgave you. You don’t know how your kids truly feel about you, but Sloane has told you to your face how she feels about you but you refuse to accept it,” I said, as I closed the gap between us, purposely towering over him in a menacing manner.
“You think you have all the answers don’t you? You think you know everything, huh? You don’t know my daughter better than I do, and you never will. You think your money and fancy office makes you better than me? You ain’t shit!” Johnny Paris spat as he took another step back.
“Oh I’m the shit, and you know it. My shit is what brought you down here. My shit is what had you drooling at the mouth when you found out I was rich. You don’t give a fuck about Sloane and her happiness, you thought you could capitalize on her happiness by shaking me down because I’m a rich “white boy.” Well, you’ve messed with the wrong Italian man you delusional fuck. I’ve warned you - stay the hell away from Sloane and from me for that matter.”
I watched as the life drained out of the face of the man standing before me. His shoulders slumped, his chest was no longer poked out, but there was still a little fire in his eyes, so I wasn’t surprised when he posed his next question.
“And if I don’t?” he asked defiantly.
“Then your slow death with cancer will become a fast one,” I said as I glared at him. I almost laughed at the surprised look that came over his face. Johnny Paris found out that I am not a man to be toiled with, and he will quickly find out that I’m also a man of my word if he decides to test me.
I continued to speak. “Yeah, I know things too, and I don’t make idle threats. You’re a two-bit street hustler, but you’re not dealing with the streets right now. You’re dealing with me, and the things I can and will do to you are endless if you’re stupid enough to try me,” I said with a menacing smile. “Good day Mr. Paris,” I said dismissively, as I walked back to my desk and sat down and ignored him as though he was no longer in my presence. Then I picked up my phone.
“Ericka, please have security escort Mr. Paris out of the building.”
“Sure thing Mr. Santorini,” she said.
Moments later my two security guards were in my office to escort Johnn Paris off of my premises. He was humiliated as he shot me one last dirty look before walking out.
I took a moment to enjoy what just happened. It couldn’t have played out any better than it did. The thing that bothers me about men like Johnny Paris is they are so delusional and psycho that they more than likely will try something else to try to get their way. He doesn’t strike me as a man who gives up easily, so I’ll be keeping a close eye on him from here on out. I called Sloane and told her that I was picking her up later to have dinner at my house. I wasn’t cooking but ordering in Chinese food.
“Mmmm, that sounds wonderful. I’ll be ready at six,” she said smiling.
“I’ll see you then baby. Ciao,” I said before hanging up.
Chapter Nineteen - Two Becomes One
Luca picked me up from my house after work as promised and took me to his place. We ordered Chinese food and sat on the floor in the middle of his living room with Maxwell playing in the background. We lit a few candles and put them on the floor around us. Luca was pouring us some wine when he said “I have something to tell you.”
The way he said it made me look at him curiously. I wasn’t sure if this was good or bad news and decided not to panic….at least not yet.
“What is it?” I asked, calmly.
“I saw your father.”
I stopped chewing and nearly dropped my container of shrimp fried rice in my lap. “What did you just say?” I finally managed to say after I swallowed my food.
“I met with your father is the more accurate thing to say. I went by his house yesterday and introduced myself. He was outside watering the lawn. He was very eager to have me come inside to talk, but instead I asked him to come to my office today at noon to talk.”
I looked at Luca in confusion. “But why Luca? Why would you possibly want to meet with that psycho?”
“Because he’s a threat to your happiness, our happiness, and I’m not about to let anyone or anything come between us. If I don’t put a stop to his tricks and schemes now, he’ll never stop,” Luca said as he looked me in the eyes. That made sense, but now I was curious as to how it all turned out.
“So what happened?” I asked.
Luca put down his food and began to tell me the conversation they had from start to finish. I interrupted him a few times in disgust or disbelief at the things he said my father said.
“His little girl? Are you kidding me? Oh my God…...I just threw up in my mouth a little,” I said as I covered my mouth dramatically. Luca laughed but became serious as he continued.
“He asked me who the hell do I think I am, and I told him I’m the man who loves his daughter and who hopes to marry her in the very near future.”
My heart raced, and I got nervous. I know I didn’t hear him right. He’s joking, right? My hands began to shake, and I didn’t know what to say or do.
“Sloane, did you hear me? I said I love you,” Luca said again softly.
The tears began fa
lling down my face on their own I was so overwhelmed with emotions. I covered my face with my hands and silently balled. No man had ever professed their love for me - I never gave them the chance. I knew Luca meant every word of what he said. I saw it in his eyes, I heard it in his voice, but more importantly he showed me every day that we’ve been together. Luca was so attentive to my every need, he sent me flowers just because all the time to work and to my home, he loved cooking for me and I had to make him let me cook for him, he constantly complimented me and encouraged me in everything I did, and he was my biggest cheerleader. Most importantly, Luca listened to me. It’s not often you meet a man who asks you how you are doing or how your day was and really wants to hear every detail, but Luca did.
Sometimes I felt he was too good to be true and even questioned if I deserved to be this happy. Angie always slapped me back to reality and reminded me that I absolutely deserved this happiness that I found with Luca, and to do everything in my power to hang on to it. I knew I was in love with this man early on, but I was too afraid to admit it. I was afraid of being rejected, even though deep down I knew Luca wouldn’t reject me. This was all new to me so I wasn’t sure what to do with my feelings for this man. I just knew that I loved him and I wanted him in my life forever. Now here he is professing his love for me and I’m crying like a baby. This is what true love is, and for the first time in my life I’m experiencing it.
Luca scooted over to me and said “Hey, hey, hey… come here. What’s the matter, sweetheart?” He asked as he held me close in his arms, kissing my forehead and cheeks.
“Did I say something wrong?” he asked. I could hear the worry in his voice.
I shook my head no as I still was unable to talk. After a few deep breaths, I was finally able to form a coherent sentence.
“No, you didn’t say anything wrong at all. I’m just so... overwhelmed and happy. These are happy tears, trust me,” I said smiling through my tears.
“I love you too, Luca. I love you so much,” I said as I pulled his face to mine and kissed him tenderly, so he knew what I said was true.
“You’ve made me so happy these past few months. I’ve never been this happy in my life, and I can’t imagine being this happy without you. I have no life without you Sloane,” Luca said to me as he looked me in the eyes with his love filled ones. “I want us to get married; I want you to be my wife Sloane, my best friend, my confidante.”
He pulled back from me and pulled a black box out of his pants pocket. My eyes got big and I covered my mouth as another batch of tears began to flow.
“Sloane Marie Paris, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife and having lots and lots of babies with me?” he asked smiling. More tears clouded my eyes when I barely managed to say “Yes, Luca. I will marry you.”
He opened the box and revealed the most beautiful four karat princess cut flawless diamond ring with diamond and amethyst stones all around the band. It was the most beautiful and unique engagement ring I had ever seen.
Luca smiled at my reaction, happy that I was pleased with the ring as he placed it on my finger. It fit perfectly.
“I chose amethyst because February is the month that we first met. That’s also when I fell in love with you.”
“Oh Luca, that is the sweetest most romantic thing ever. It’s beautiful, and I’ll never take it off,” I said as I kissed him again. Pulling back for air I held his face in my hands, and I looked deeply into his beautiful eyes. “I love you so much. You gave me the courage and strength to open my heart to love, to face my past so I can move into the present, and to heal from my past. If I had never met you, I’d still be walking around unhappy with only my job giving me a small dose of happiness. I still have a long way to go, but with you by my side I know I can make it. I can’t wait to become your wife so I can take care of you the same way you take care of me.”
“You already take care of me, mi amore. You’ve taught me patience, you’ve taught me to laugh again, you spoil me with your wonderful cooking, your beautiful smile, and your cute laugh. You’ve taught me the true meaning of strength because you had to be strong your entire life to endure so much pain. I’m so proud of you Sloane for what you’ve accomplished and how far you’ve come. You inspire me to be a better man, not just for you but for myself and our future kids.”
My entire heart melted for this man. God I love him.
“Speaking of our kids, you’ve made it known several times that you want a lot of children. What exactly is a lot to you?” I asked curiously.
“Six.” He said with a straight face.
“Three,” I said in return with an, “Are you out of your mind?” look on my face.
“Five,” he responded frowning.
“Four, and I’m not going any higher Luca,” I said, with an eyebrow raised.
“Fine! Four it is. You better hope we have two of each because if we don’t we’re going to try again,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Luca……” I started to say, but he cut me off with a mind blowing, sensual kiss. When he knew he had me good and worked up he pulled back and looked at me and said, “Trust me, baby, you’re going to enjoy making these babies so much that you will gladly give me my six.”
“Is that right?” I said before taking his bottom lip between my teeth and gently sucking on it. He moaned deeply and looked at me with dark eyes that were also sending me a warning.
“It’s not a good thing to tease me, Sloane,” he said in a serious tone. That was definitely a warning, but I didn’t care. I wanted this man right here, right now.
“I’m not teasing you. You’ve got me dripping wet with your kisses. It’s time you did something about it. I need you, Luca. I want you…..now,” I said, as I looked him in the eyes. There was no mistaking what I was asking him for, and before I could blink he was on his feet, scooping me in his arms and carrying me up the stairs to his bedroom. I devoured his lips as he climbed the stairs, and he kissed me back with equal fervor.
Once we were inside of his bedroom, he let me down gently onto the plush carpet that was underneath his huge bed. My bare feet sunk into the softness. Luca stood before me and looked intently in my eyes before he spoke. “Are you sure this is what you want Sloane? I don’t want you to have any regrets,” Luca said in a tight voice.
I took his hand and brought it under my skirt so he could feel my desire soaked panties. He closed his eyes and moaned out loud, “Sloane….baby you’re killing me.”
“This is what you do to me every time you kiss me, every time you look at me. I’m tired of having my panties ruined from being so turned on and getting no relief. I’m tired of not having you give me the relief I need Luca. I need you inside….”
He slammed his hungry lips against mine and kissed me with all the pent up passion and need he had inside of him, and I gladly took it. His hands began to undress me, starting with my blouse, and then my bra. He stood back so he could look at my heavy breasts stand before him, dying to be kissed, licked and sucked by his hungry mouth. It didn’t take long for him to reach out and cup them both, feeling their softness with his thumbs before he began to tweak at my already hard nipples. I moaned in pleasure as my dream was finally coming true - having Luca’s hands on my naked flesh.
Soon his hands were replaced by his very hungry mouth, and the contact shot currents of pleasure throughout my body before it settled in my pussy. “Oh, Luca…” I moaned as he suckled, nibbled, and slurped on my highly sensitive nipples and breasts.
“You taste so good…” he mumbled as he continued his assault. He pulled back reluctantly and looked me in the eyes before he fervently claimed my mouth in a scorching, soul shaking kiss. This man clearly had a passionate, borderline animalistic side to him that I knew nothing about, but boy was he turning me on. My essence was running down my thighs I was so turned on. Again he abruptly ended the kiss and looked at me with his hungry eyes.
“You’re so beautiful, more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. I’ve never w
anted someone as desperately as I want you, Sloane. I need you, and I need to have you now.”
With that, he quickly unzipped my skirt in the back and pushed it down my hips and thighs while his hands massaged my hips, waist, and butt before they traveled down to my thighs. He continued his exploration with his hands even lower until he reached my knees, calves, and finally my ankles. He left a trail of kisses every place his hands touched. I was so weak all I could do was hold on to his shoulders before I grabbed fistfuls of his hair to hold myself steady. Luca smiled up at me while his hands gripped my thighs and said “Don’t worry mi amore, I’ve got you. I won’t let you fall.”
He stood up to look at my naked body. I was trembling, but I wasn’t cold. My problem was the complete opposite. I was so hot and bothered by this man, and I wanted nothing more than to be filled by him.
“Are you cold, Sloane?” Luca asked in a low, sexy voice.
“No, I’m far from cold,” I said in return.
“You’re trembling honey, tell me what’s wrong,” he said as he caressed my body with his eyes and nothing else.
“I….I need you so badly,” I whispered.
Luca began to unbutton his shirt, his eyes locked on mine the entire time. I closed the distance between us and took over the task. I suddenly felt empowered. My love for him, the promise of what the future holds for us, and being happily in love emboldened me, and I wasn’t about to shy away from it. I needed to show him exactly what he meant to me, how much I love and cherish him. I wanted to run my fingers through his beautiful chest hair and caress every muscle I could find. I slowly pushed his shirt over his broad, muscled shoulders and let it fall to the floor. My mouth was watering I wanted to taste his skin so badly, and I didn’t hesitate in doing so. After running my hands all over his muscled chest and down his rock hard abs, I licked and suckled his chest before flicking my tongue over his nipple the same way he did mine. Luca hissed, and I felt him shiver.