“Steve and Tracy, it’s good to see you again.” Gianni reached out to shake Steve’s hand. When he kissed Tracy’s hand, Natasha could swear that she was blushing.
Charming asshole, she thought to herself, as she resisted rolling her eyes.
“Gianni, this is Deon,” Natasha offered.
Gianni gave Deon the head nod and then possessively placed his hand in the small of
Natasha’s back. Her traitorous body instantly warmed, and she could feel a bolt of electricity run down her spine.
He leaned into her and whispered, “Natasha’s may I walk you to your cottage? I need to speak with you.”
“I’m not leaving just yet,” she responded dismissively.
“I’ll wait.”
Before Natasha could respond, Gianni took a seat in a nearby chair and crossed one leg over the other. Natasha stared at him in disbelief, until Tracy’s chuckle diverted her attention. She turned back to the group and while Steve wore a smirk, and Tracy continued to giggle, Deon’s expression didn’t display the slightest bit of humor. Natasha smiled and attempted to revive the conversation, but Tracy wasn’t having it.
“We’re gonna call it a night. I’m tired,” she said through an obviously fake yawn.
Natasha narrowed her eyes at Tracy. She looked to Steve, who simply shrugged and reached for Tracy’s hand.
“Night night, Tasha. See you at breakfast,” Tracy said while walking away, pulling Steve along.
“Yeah. Breakfast,” Natasha mumbled, before looking up at Deon, who was staring at her.
Then he glanced at Gianni. “You cool? You gone be alright?”
“Yeah, I’m good. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Okay. Goodnight.” He was reluctant but followed Steve and Tracy out of the ballroom despite it.
Natasha closed her eyes and gave herself a quick pep talk. Something along the lines of resisting temptation. Gianni stood and walked toward Natasha, stopping just before invading her personal space.
Ignoring his alluring scent, she asked,
“What did you want to speak to me about?”
Gianni tilted his head and narrowed his eyes as if he was totally surprised by her stupid question. Instead of responding, he gestured toward the exit.
“This way,” he said.
Together, they walked in silence until they reached the rear exit of the ballroom. Natasha began walking toward one of the golf carts that were lined up along a paved pathway to the cottages. Gianni gently clutched her hand and tugged, urging Natasha in the other direction.
He asked in his sexy European drawl, “Can we walk for a minute?”
Disappointed that she’d so easily disregarded all of her efforts to avoid Gianni, Natasha nodded and joined him along a lighted path. Being in such close proximity to him almost made her want to forget the way he treated her the last time they were together so that she could, without guilt, fall back into bed with him. Although Gianni Storm had given her the gift of multiple orgasms, his fleeing in the middle of the night was not something that Natasha intended to give him the opportunity to repeat. She increased her pace, hoping to reach her cottage soon, but Gianni would have none of that. He quickened his step until he was walking backwards in front of her. When he stopped, and blocked her path, Natasha stopped walking.
“I tried calling you.”
“Yes, I know.”
Natasha’s simple response prompted Gianni to continue. “I’m sorry, Natasha. It was rude and inconsiderate of me to leave while you were sleeping,” he admitted, reaching for her.
Natasha sidestepped him and continued along the trail. She could see the refuge of her cottage. There, she could hide from temptation. But, once again, Gianni had made his way in front of her. Looking up at his chiseled features and into his, now, emerald eyes that were framed by thick dark lashes, proved to be a mistake when his tongue raked across his top lip. Memories of his tongue flooded her thoughts. She needed to get the hell away from Gianni. So she cut through the grass and made a mad dash for her cottage.
“Natasha, I don’t intend to give up until I am forgiven,” he declared.
Natasha, deciding not to call his bluff, turned back to Gianni. “Okay, Gianni. I forgive you. You can go back to Paris now.” She yelled at him from the porch as she turned to open the door.
“No chance of that,” he called out from behind as she entered the cottage.
Natasha didn’t need to look back to know that Gianni was still standing in the same spot where she left him. Nevertheless, she did peek between the curtains, wanting to get a glimpse of him one more time. She watched as he walked away. Natasha headed up the stairs to prepare for bed; knowing that Gianni’s presence was going to make for one hell of a weekend.
******************
After a fitful night’s sleep, Natasha gave up. It was almost six in the morning, and according to the weatherman, it was going to be a beautiful spring day. She showered, shampooed, and threw on a green haltered maxi–dress. Natasha applied leave in conditioner and fluffed her short hair with her fingers, allowing her natural curls to form. She grabbed a pair of oversized sunglasses and headed out of her room. The cottage was silent, so Natasha assumed that
Parker and Malik were still sleeping. She tipped down the stairs and out of the front door.
She thought of Gianni during her brief walk down the trail that led to the main building. The night before, Natasha hadn’t paid any attention to the gorgeous landscaping, the moon that hung brightly in the sky, nor the bright stars. Gianni’s presence was commanding.
When she arrived at the dining area, the staff was beginning to set out a breakfast buffet. The patio doors were open, and tables were set for outdoor dining. Natasha decided to sit outside until the start of breakfast. With any luck, she could eat and take a walk around the grounds before Gianni emerged. But it was clear that Natasha didn’t have the luck of the Irish when a plate of fresh fruit and pastries were placed under her nose. She looked up at Gianni, who was smiling and holding a glass of orange juice, wearing a white apron over a crisp white shirt that was unbuttoned just low enough to see a hint of the soft hair on his chest. He had a sexy hint of peach fuzz along his sculptured jaw line. The man was dangerously sexy.
“This is what I should have done when you woke in my bed,” he said, placing the orange juice on the table. “If you give me another chance, it is what I’ll do every time you wake in my
bed.”
Sarcastically she replied, “Thank you, but isn’t your bed in Paris?”
Gianni smiled devilishly and replied. “Natasha, I have many beds. You can wake up in them all.”
With no other words, he turned and walked away. Natasha stared at his broad back and reminisced about the night that she caressed and gripped his rippling muscles while screaming his name.
“He wants you,” a soft voice said, interrupting her carnal thoughts.
Natasha turned toward the sound and found herself looking into the beautiful brown eyes of a dark haired woman.
“He wants you,” she repeated with accented English. Natasha was speechless. She didn’t know how to respond.
“My little boy, Gianni. He wants you. He watches you. I am Catarina. May I sit?”
“Y... Yes,” Natasha stammered.
Even though she was surprised by Gianni’s mother, she couldn’t help the thought that formed in her mind. Ain’t nothing little about your boy.
Catarina smiled and sat next to Natasha. The thought of the filthy things that her little boy had done to Natasha’s body caused her to blush.
“What’s your name, dear?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Natasha. Natasha Walker.”
Catarina smiled warmly.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Storm.”
“Catarina. Please,” she insisted. “It’s nice to meet you, Natasha. Your voice is ... Angelico.” She emphasized the compliment by closing her eyes and pointing to the sky.
“Thank you, Catarina
.”
“Now, my son... he has been spoiled by greedy women.” Catarina said, shaking her head. “But he is a good boy and he likes you.”
Natasha had no idea how to have a conversation with Catarina about Gianni, so she had no intention of doing so.
“Catarina, would you like me to fix you a breakfast plate?” She asked, deciding to change the subject.
Catarina simply smiled and shook her head. “What is this thing between the two of you?”
“There is nothing between us.”
“But there was.” Natasha was without an answer, so Catarina carried on. “There is indeed something between you. I saw it in both your eyes. Last night, the way you looked at one another, this cannot be denied.”
Natasha could not deny the truth to Gianni’s mother any longer. She obviously had no intention on letting her skate through breakfast with polite conversation alone.
“It was brief,” Natasha confessed.
“No doubt because of Gianni. Si?”
“Yes.”
“He is regretful and he wants you... badly. A mother knows these things.” Catarina nodded confidently, before continuing. “And you want him. But, Natasha, do not give in easily. Making him work for your love.”
“Love?! No, Catarina...”
“Yes, Natasha... Love. What else is there to strive for in the short existence that we are granted? There is nothing more important. Nothing.”
With that being said, Catarina finally settled on polite conversation.
Surprisingly, it was an interesting and humorous conversation about Gianni as a child that kept Natasha wide–eyed and giggling.
After breakfast, Catarina excused herself, claiming she needed to show her husband some attention. Natasha smiled and noted the love in her eyes as she spoke of Gianni’s father. She understood how Catarina could keep the attention of a man so long, because she was a beautiful, intelligent, captivating woman with a zest for life.
Since none of her friends had come out for breakfast, Natasha decided to take the walk that she planned to do over an hour ago. She walked along the boardwalk that paralleled the lake, admiring the view of the sky as it connected to the water. She imaged herself taking that walk with Gianni. Wiping the image from her mind, Natasha stepped off of the wooded path and rounded a bend of trees.
Before she could enter the wooded area, the sight of Jack and Victoria caused her to come to a complete halt.
Victoria was bent over, hugging a tree with the skirt of her dress draped over her back and her panties looped around one ankle. The top of her dress was pulled down, and her breasts were bouncing freely as Jack pounded into her from behind. With Jack’s pants down to his ankles, Natasha could see the firm muscles in his ass tighten as he stroked. As impressive of an ass as it was, Natasha couldn’t think of anything more than getting the hell away from them; unnoticed. She carefully crept backward, attempting a silent exit. And when she was a far enough distance, she turned, ready to make a run for it. Only Natasha didn’t get very far because she ran into a wall of muscle. She didn’t need to look up because her nose alerted her to Gianni presence. Nevertheless, she looked up anyway.
“I was taking a walk,” she quickly tried to lie.
Gianni looked past her, into the trees. Judging by his smirk, he could see the scene that Natasha was fleeing. He grabbed her hand and led her back to the boardwalk. Once they reached the boardwalk, Gianni looked down at Natasha’s “deer in the headlights” expression and erupted into laughter, causing an involuntary burst of giggles from Natasha.
After the laughter subsided, Gianni pulled Natasha to a bench and gestured for her to sit. She sat, and he sat next to her. Gianni took a deep breath and leaned against the bench. He seemed to be staring into the lake, contemplating what he wanted to say. Natasha sat back and prepared herself for whatever Gianni needed to express. She stared into the lake, finding comfort in its stillness.
“Natasha, I know now that you are a wealthy woman. And... I want you to know that I didn’t send gifts to buy your affection. I sent them, sadly, to buy your forgiveness. I know now that that was wrong, and I am sorry.”
“What do you think you know about my finances?” She asked, not attempting to hide the fact that she was offended.
“I know that you and Jack practically bankrolled this entire camp with your own money. I know that your mother was a jazz singer, and your father was a successful record producer. After a bit of research, I learned that due to the unfortunate death of your parents, your aunt squandered your entire inheritance, but she couldn’t touch the hefty payoff that was put into a trust for you by the billionaire drunk driver that killed your parents. I also know that Malik has steered you toward some very lucrative investments and you own stock in at least three fortune five hundred companies.”
Natasha was completely stunned; she never expected the conversation to go in that direction. There was only one person that knew such intimate details of her life, and Malik would never tell Gianni her very personal details. How could Gianni be privy to her financial background? More importantly, did he know the hellish things that Natasha endured while she was in the custody of her aunt?
Suddenly, it came to her.
“John?” She whispered the question, even though she already knew the answer.
“John,” he confirmed.
Natasha figured that Gianni had commissioned John to run a background check on her, and once it was confirmed, she was extremely irritated. Was there anything that John couldn’t find out?
“But, Natasha, there are so many things that I don’t know. Why do you have such a dangerous job, when you don’t need to work at all?”
“What? Really? There are things that you don’t know? Well, guess what, Gianni?
Some things are just none of your fucking business!”
She shot off of the bench and ran down the boardwalk with tears in her eyes.
Natasha could hear Gianni’s heavy steps behind her before his arm snaked around her waist, halting her movement. She turned and grabbed his wrist, and attempted an arm bar that didn’t work on the bigger man. Careful not to hurt her, Gianni skillfully twisted her arm behind her and pulled her into his body.
Natasha wanted to fight back, but she was tired. Tired of running, fighting, and hiding, She allowed her head to fall against his chest. He released her arm, but she didn’t run. She let her tears fall freely as Gianni held her tightly. He gently rubbed her back as she sobbed into his chest.
“It’s okay. I’m sorry. It’s okay,” Gianni whispered softly as he held her, protected, in his arms.
Admittedly, as Gianni comforted her, Natasha had never felt safer. But, she was completely embarrassed by her meltdown. She pulled away and quickly wiped her face.
“I’m sorry. I kinda lost it.” She smiled, hoping that Gianni would just pretend that he didn’t notice that she’d just had a breakdown.
“Please, Natasha... Please don’t be sorry. Come. Sit. Let’s talk.” Gianni’s voice and expression were filled with sympathy, which only served to upset Natasha even more. She didn’t need anyone feeling sorry for her.
“No. I’m fine. I’m gonna go and take a nap.”
Natasha turned on her heels and walked away, grateful that Gianni hadn’t followed her. Her face warmed, and she feared the onset of more tears, she needed to get back to her cottage without running into anyone. She started a light jog, grateful that she was in a top cottage that was close to the main building. And when her cottage came into view, Natasha began a full out run.
She ran up the walkway, toward the front porch. Taking the steps two at a time, Natasha couldn’t get inside fast enough. She burst through the doors with every intention of locking herself in her room. But before Natasha reached the staircase, she heard Malik calling her name. She stopped in her tracks and looked into living area, where Malik and Parker were sitting on a rug in front of the fireplace. Recognizing that she was in distress, Malik and Parker hopped from the floor and ran
toward Natasha.
Clearly concerned, Malik grabbed Natasha’s shoulders. “What is it, Tash? What happened, baby?”
His voice was filled with panic, causing Natasha to feel guilty for scaring him.
However, her guilt didn’t stop the flow of tears that escaped her eyes as she sobbed.
“He... he had me investigated... Did a... a background check on me,” she stammered.
Parker asked, “Who? Jack?”
Natasha wasn’t surprised that he assumed that it was Jack since he had a penchant for investigating people. But apparently it was a family trait.
“No. Gianni.”
“Oh,” Parker whispered nonchalantly, before walking back toward the fireplace.
Natasha and Malik stared at Parker’s back until Malik broke the silence.
“Oh? What the fuck you mean... Oh? He ain’t got no business investigating her,”
Malik fired at Parker.
“He didn’t break in her house and go through her underwear drawer. Obviously the information was out there to be discovered.” Parker shrugged.
“Are you fucking serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
Malik huffed. “What the hell is wrong with you? Fuck that! I’m gonna have words with him!”
“The hell you are! You’re gonna stay your ass in this cottage and mind your fucking business!”
Malik’s eyes widened as if he couldn’t believe the way that Parker was speaking to him. “Excuse me?”
“You heard what I said.” Parker’s bold retort seemed to taunt Malik into stalking in his direction.
Natasha quickly grabbed his arm and whispered, “Please don’t.”
Watching the exchange between the lovers, Natasha was sorry that she’d allowed her drama to cause a rift in their relationship. But she honestly wondered why Parker was seemingly so unsympathetic toward her; especially when he poured wine into his glass and returned to his seat in front of the fireplace. But he looked up at Natasha, and she saw concern in his expression.
“Come over here, Tash. Sit with me for a sec,” he said calmly.
Beautiful Prey 2: The Storm Series (BWWM Romance) Page 12