Gambler's Folly (Bookstrand Publishing Romance)

by Mellie E. Miller

  “I don’t know, but my belly tells me we’ve missed breakfast and it’s time for lunch, unless you’re hungry again, cara.”

  “Damiano! Stop that!” she exclaimed, as his hands and mouth began to tease again. His mouth muffled the rest of her protest and reignited her passion.

  “So demanding a lover, cara,” he told her. “Have you never been seduced before?”

  “No, I haven’t. What I’ve had before was barely sex, never seduction.”

  Early in the afternoon, after their very late brunch, Damiano watched her over his coffee, a very satisfied smile on his face.

  “What does that look mean, Dam?” she asked him.

  “What look? I’m just content.”

  “I think maybe you are an incubus. No mere man could possibly bring that much desire and arousal to a woman, let alone satisfaction.”

  “Cara, cara, I thank you for the compliment.”

  “And I’ll thank you to keep your distance,” she tried to say without laughing.

  With a hearty chuckle, Damiano shook his head. “So, Karianna mia, should I have your things moved into the master suite? Or should I keep it to myself, as a refuge from your ardor?”

  “My ardor? I was fine until I found you in my bed, hands roaming all over my body. And you talk about my ardor?”

  “No, I think you should move. Running up and down the hallway every time you need me could be tiring,” he said, eyes smoldering.

  “For whom?” she asked.

  “Why, for you, cara. I refuse to chase up and down the hall for a woman. If you want me, you’ll have to come to me.”

  “Who came to whom this morning?”

  “That was to help you decide if you wanted to be my wife,” he told her. “I like your choice.”

  “No, I’m not coming over there, Damiano. Enough already,” she replied to the looks she was getting.

  “Then we need to find another way to amuse ourselves,” he shrugged. “Why don’t you show me your new clothes?”

  “Okay, let’s go look at them,” she replied.

  “Cara mia. I can look at them anytime. I want to see them on you,” he said. “I know. I’ll go pick out the ones I like best, and you can model them for me.”

  “I’m no model, Dam.”

  “It’s alright. I won’t be looking at the clothes.”

  He was incorrigible.

  * * * *

  He chose a handful of outfits, which she modeled for him, and then went back for more. By the time he was finished, they had gone through them all, with him making notes on what he wanted changed, or items he wanted for later. Karianna was tired of changing clothes.

  “Kari, where are your other shoes?” he asked. “We really should have thought to try the dresses with the shoes that go with them.”

  “What shoes?” she asked.

  “The shoes for the evening wear, cara.”

  “Dam, I have no other shoes. Just the one pair.”

  A confused look on his face, he asked, “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, Damiano. Unless they were left in the other guest room.”

  He made a call and soon Paolo came to the suite. “Could you take this key,” he said, “and check to see if Kari left some shoes in the special guest room? When her things were moved, they should have been brought with them.”

  The man left and was gone for nearly twenty minutes. “Mr. Leone, there are no shoes in the room,” he said when he came back. “I’ve looked everywhere and there are none.”

  “Grazie,” he said, frowning.

  “Are you sure you had no new shoes, cara?”

  “I’m sure, Dam. No shoes.”

  “That will have to change,” he said, reaching for the phone. After a brief exchange in Italian, he hung up the phone. Moments later, Marco came in.

  “Yes, Mr. Leone, how can I help you?” he asked.

  “Marco, as you know, we’re supposed to be out of town on our honeymoon. I’ve just found out that Karianna has only one pair of shoes. Now, if I call to order some for her, word will get out, capisce? And I don’t want that. Can you take a message from me to Lea’s shop?”

  “Yes, Mr. Leone.”

  “Good. Tell her that Karianna needs shoes to go with the new evening wear she made for her. If she needs the size, you can come and get this pair for her. Since we won’t be going out, I think she can do without them for a little while.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll see to it right away. She’ll need them when you return from your honeymoon, correct? And you’re having a great time.”

  “Exactly, Marco. Ciao.”

  Chapter 9

  Damiano insisted she had to keep her workout schedule with Carl. Rolling over in bed the next morning, she asked, “Well, we exercised in my bed yesterday. We should try yours.”

  “We tried it last night, cara, and it was wonderful,” Damiano answered. “Now give me a kiss and get up or you won’t have time for coffee.” She turned onto her side to kiss her new husband and then rolled onto her stomach, trying to marshal enough energy to get started.

  “Come on, cara, out of bed.” The swat on the bottom woke her straight up.

  “Ouch! That hurt!” she complained.

  “It was meant to, Karianna,” he replied. “You must get out of bed now. Carl will be waiting before long, and you are going to keep your appointment with him.”

  She should never have taken a break, she thought, as she dragged her body to the shower. Hopefully, she would get used to it soon. Never having had a problem with her weight, she exercised when she felt like, usually just taking a walk. Once in a while there was something interesting on the viewer, but she rarely kept it up for more than a week at a time.

  Yes, she knew muscle tone was important, but always put it off. She hated going to the gym and didn’t have weights at home. Tomorrow always seemed good enough.

  About halfway through the week, just as she’d finished her workout, Damiano met her outside the showers.

  “So, you don’t seem quite so tired today,” he said. “That is good. It means you’re doing well.”

  “I suppose. I’m just not used to exercising every day.”

  “You will be, cara. You will.” He smiled at her. “Do you like to swim?”

  “Sure, when I have someplace to do it. I always had to drive to the pool, and then swim, shower, get changed, go home. It took all day.”

  “Why don’t you shower quickly and then we’ll swim for a while. It should feel nice after your workout.”

  Damiano followed her into the shower and after a bit of fun, they wrapped in towels and walked through the gym and out the other side. Turning right, they continued down a short corridor and through the door at the end.

  “Wow! It’s lovely, Damiano,” she said, looking at the pool. Underwater scenes, picked out in tiles on the wall, complemented the pool, which was about half the size of a regulation pool. With the sides of the pool a midnight blue and a celestial pattern on the bottom, it was as if the heavens were reflected in the water.

  “Shall we?” he asked her.

  “I don’t have a bathing suit, Dam.”

  “Why do you need one, cara? There is no one here but the two of us. Have you never swum nude before?” Eyes twinkling, he had already shed his towel. After a moment, Karianna joined him in the water. “Now, isn’t this better, cara? No bathing suit to get in the way.”

  “You are insufferable, Damiano Leone,” she said, eluding his grasp and swimming away.

  “So, you think to escape, cara?” Pushing off from the wall, he chased her around the pool, his powerful arms making him impossible to evade. Catching her in a lifesaving grasp, he towed her into the nearest corner. “Now, cara, you pay for inconveniencing me.”

  “Oh really?” she asked. “What did you have in mind?”

  What he had in mind was soon obvious. Hands on top of her hips, his initial thrust was fast and deep, making her gasp at the sudden sensations. Seizing a handful of her dark, wet hair, his mout
h was forceful, matching the intensity of his lovemaking.

  Pulling his face back from hers for a moment, his eyes dark and sensual, he said, “Caught like a fish on a spear, squirming and struggling to escape the inevitable. Or in other words, cara, you’re screwed.” With a sudden ferociousness, he finished, leaving her completely drained, but sated.

  They relaxed in the water for a while until they found the energy to shower and walk back to the living quarters of the spacious suite. Sitting across from her in the living room, he shook his head. “You’re very hard on a man, cara. By the time the week is finished, I’ll need a vacation from my vacation.”

  “Me?” she asked. “I’m not the one who started things in the pool.”

  “Of course you were, cara. You were there, in my swimming pool, naked and female. How could it not be your fault?”

  Chapter 10

  The rest of the week went quickly and in much the same fashion. Karianna discovered she didn’t really care what Damiano did for a living anymore. Toward her, he was kind, gentle, and quite an adventure in bed, not to mention the pool, the shower, the bath… When she thought of her former life, it was like a dream rapidly fading from her memory.

  One evening, late in the week, Damiano regarded her over his coffee and asked, “Karianna, do you miss your home very much?”

  “Not really. I have no family on Earth anymore. My mother died just after Trae and I were married.

  “What about your father?”

  “He’s been gone nearly ten years,” she told him.

  “Had you no other family?”

  “No. I am an only child. I have some cousins back on Earth somewhere, but we haven’t been close as adults.”

  “What about friends?” he asked.

  “Well, the way Trae gambled and lost, most of our friends deserted us. Every time anyone came over, Trae needed money for something and they got tired of it.”

  “I’m so sorry, cara.” And he really looked like he meant it. “My life can be difficult at times and chaotic, but as long as I live, I will take care of you. Do you understand?”

  “It’s a new thing for me, Dam,” she told him. “During much of my life, I’ve been the one taking care of others. It will take some adjustment.”

  Early on the morning of their “return,” they took the limousine to the airport. Dressed nicely, but not formally, the other couple got into the vehicle, waving to the crowds. Once home, the limo pulled up in front of the hotel suites and she and Damiano emerged, Marco and Paolo there to keep the crowds at bay.

  “Yes, we had a wonderful time, didn’t we, cara?” he told the reporters. “Plenty of time to relax and enjoy life.”

  “Madam Leone, did you enjoy the trip?” she was asked. Stunned, she looked at Damiano.

  “Well go ahead, cara. It’s fine,” he encouraged. “Tell them what was your favorite part of the trip.”

  “It was fantastic. We did a lot of swimming, which I really enjoyed. I love the water and so does Damiano.”

  She met Damiano’s eyes, which reflected his memories of their swims. The blush started somewhere around her toenails and ended at the roots of her hair. Laughing, Damiano caught her up into his arms and kissed her before they made their way through the crowds and back down to the suite.

  “Cara, you did well,” he told her. “Enough to answer, but still tease. The speculations should be interesting tonight on the viewer.”

  “Are we going out tonight, then?” she asked.

  “I think we’ll stay in one more night, to rest up from our honeymoon,” he answered, chuckling. “It is what they would expect.”

  “Good. It’ll give me a chance to get ready,” she told him.

  Her shoes were sent up later in the afternoon and fit perfectly. Everything from pumps to four-inch heels in colors ranging from the traditional black and white, to shoes which matched individual outfits.

  “What am I going to do with all these shoes?” she asked.

  “Wear them, cara. Enjoy them.” He chuckled.

  “What shall I wear tomorrow evening?” she asked Damiano, perplexed.

  “Well, we just returned from our honeymoon, so I have two suggestions. One would be the cream gown you have, since we are newly married, starting fresh. It is elegant, modest, and goes well with your dark hair.”

  “Okay,” she said. “And what is the second?”

  “The crimson gown which clings to your every curve, cara, with the tiny little straps over the shoulders. I believe it is slit very high on the side, also.”

  “And why the crimson?” she demanded.

  “That would be because you are an absolute whore in bed, cara. Insatiable, I believe is the word,” he teased. “With the right makeup, you will look like a very high-class working girl.”

  “And you would love that, wouldn’t you?”

  “Of course, cara. I would be the envy of every man in the place,” he told her, his eyes undressing her at the thought.

  “Right. Talk about insatiable,” she said.

  “But, cara, I am a man. All men are insatiable.”

  “Not in my experience,” she countered.

  “That is because you’ve never had a man before, Karianna. Men have appetites to which little boys only aspire.” Rising from his chair, he caught her up in his strong embrace. His kiss kindled passions which just couldn’t wait, so it was some time later when they again addressed the question of wardrobe.

  * * * *

  “Madam Leone, this gown fits you like a second skin, closely without looking ready to burst at the seams. And the color is such a wonderful contrast to your dark hair and pale skin,” the makeup artist told her.

  Dark, smoky colors reminiscent of the Middle East adorned her eyes, with an icy gloss under her brow line. A hint of eyeliner both top and bottom, with black, shimmering mascara on curled lashes finished the effect. Just a touch of blush on the apples of her cheeks, in a tawny peach, heightened her natural skin tone.

  Lips darkened slightly, to go with the eyes, gave her mouth a slightly fuller, more sensuous look, and made a nice transition to the crimson gown.

  Her earrings brushed the tops of her bare shoulders, while a braided 22-carat gold chain around her neck, and four-inch heels, matching her gown, completed the look.

  “Madam, you look perfectly divine,” the woman said.

  “She looks perfectly edible,” Karianna heard behind her. “Scrumptious, actually. Definitely high class. How can I make it through this evening without throwing you onto one of the tables and taking you there?”

  “I guess you’ll just have to figure it out, Dam,” she told him, her eyes taking in his tuxedo-perfect appearance. “Shall we go before you ruin my makeup?”

  Marco and Paolo met them outside the lift and tried not to be obvious in their observations.

  Laughing, Damiano told them, “You might as well go ahead and look. Every man in the place will be looking at her and jealous of me tonight. Shall we, cara?”

  She hesitated for a moment. “Dam, I’m really nervous. I’m not sure I can do this.”

  “Of course you can, Karianna. You are the queen of the palace tonight. Walk in like you own the place. While you may not, I do, and you’re mine. Let them know it. And as for the women, show them that I’m yours and you plan to keep me. Have fun.”

  The cameras were everywhere. Head high, Damiano’s arm around her, she walked in as confidently as she could. His strength and confidence gave her the boost she needed to pull it off. He answered all the questions, while she smiled and nodded her agreement, until he called a finish to the interviews.

  “Cara, shall we dine first, or do you want to take a tour?”

  “Maybe a tour. I’m so nervous, my stomach is a little jumpy right now,” she answered.

  “You’re a natural, Karianna. Every eye in the room is watching you, half of them wishing they were you, and half of them wishing they were me.” As they walked, his hand caressed her body through the shimmering fabric, t
hen slid down over her hips to toy with the high slit along the side. Pulling her close and gazing into her eyes, he added, “And I’m wishing we were back in bed. Because if we were, I would tear this gown off your body and have my way with you until morning. Buon Dio, cara, what you do to me.” One finger slid the strap off her shoulder, and he bent down to kiss the curve of her neck.

  Karianna felt the subtle reaction of her body, her temperature rising just that much, giving her an all-over glow. He must have sensed it, too, for suddenly his mouth was on hers, savagely, before he reined in his emotions. But he had awakened emotions in her which were going to take some time to calm. Breathlessly she looked up at him, seeing in his eyes reflections of the hunger she felt.

  “Maybe we should go have dinner after all,” she said. As they turned toward the dining room of the gaming hall, she was aware of the stares and the cameras flashing, and wondered how it would all look on the viewer.

  They took their time over dinner, partly so they could enjoy the meal, and partly to lower passions until they were back in their suite. Conscious of her need to stay healthy and fit, Karianna chose roast chicken slices with fresh steamed vegetables, following a small green salad. Dessert was a very tasty cheese with fruit slices.

  Their leisurely tour of the game tables took nearly two hours. Damiano walked past each station to watch for a moment, placing two or three small bets throughout the evening. Her arm in his, their bodies touching, did nothing to ease Karianna’s tension. His occasional kiss or caress only served to fan the flames higher.

  It was nearly midnight when they left to go back to the suite. Paolo and Marco had remained nearby all evening and walked them to the lift.

  “Grazie,” Damiano told them. “As always, it is nice to know I have help if I need it. Especially now, with my so-sexy wife with me.” The lift doors closed on the two of them and started down.

  Karianna could stand it no longer. Grabbing his lapels, she pulled Damiano down to her, then slid one hand up behind his neck. “I can’t stand it, Damiano!” she exclaimed. “I have to have you.”