Chapter One
EMELIA
“ N ico? The children’s teacher is here, would you like to take the morning off with me?” I announce, slowly opening my husband’s office door at the end of our hallway on the second floor of our penthouse. The children laugh downstairs, but it slowly fades out when I step into the soundproof space.
He sits there in his office chair, delectable while doing the simplest thing. In his suit. Nico rarely dresses casually for a day of work. In fact, casual doesn’t suit him as finely as Italian leather, silk, velvet, and Vicuna. He sits there sans suit jacket, with his one ankle propped on the opposite knee, his leather harness still adorns him as does his pistol in the holder. His silk black tie lays perfectly against his tight white button-up shirt, complimenting his defined pecs and abs. His long, veined hands are occupied. One hand holds a packet of papers, and the other one is up against his head. His thick, calloused from his pistol middle and pointer finger, settle against his full lips, quizzically. He studies the papers with great intent. His brows are drawn in and he wears a scowl. Nico isn’t angry, that’s his thinking face. His mind is running a mile a minute as he tries to either make sense of what he is reading or checking it for any type of flaws.
“Nico? My love?” I say again, my first time not enough to pull him from the immersive thoughts.
He clears his throat and drops the packet on his desk. “ Mi dispiace, amore mia . My mind is wrapped in this new business plan.” He stands. I nod, understanding. Nico rounds his desk, his six-foot, bulky frame a contrast to my shorter one. I am a fat woman. Never been ashamed of it, even to this day, but no man has ever made me feel like a small piece of prey to a large dangerous animal, like my husband has. Nico was built for me. As I was for him. My palms twitch to touch the magnetic man. Every second of the past ten years has felt like this. Waiting on stolen breath for him to draw nearer to me so I can engulf him. Every day still feels brand new.
“Is everything okay? Anything I could look over to help you with?” I ask, my hands going to his hips the second he is within touching distance. He surrounds me, closing in on my petite frame. Towering over me, he takes my round face in his hands. They manage to cover almost my entire face. His fingers end in the hair at the temples of my head. I lean into his touch, softly nestling his warmth like a cat.
“You’re doing it now. You look beautiful. How do you feel?” He takes the opposite hand I’m not nestled in and moves it to my long blonde hair. I woke up and brushed through my night before curls and I am sure I look just like any other woman when I wake but his compliment is welcomed and never dull.
“I’m still sore. Really sore,” I answer. Nico had to go away for nearly a week and business was as usual, stressful, exhausting, and we both hated the separation. He slipped into bed at two in the morning, waking me up with his cock buried deep.
“Mi principessa, so warm and tight. Open your slutty legs more for me.”
“Il mio re,” I whimper, opening more and letting him in. When my eyes adjusted to the bedside lamp, he turned on to watch us, my eyes welled with tears. I missed him too much.
“I’m home now, my love. Don’t cry.”
“Stop leaving.”
I blush at the brief memory of last night. Nico was at my body for over four hours. I slept a mere two hours after before I had to wake our three children up and get them ready for the day. Nico however never went to bed. He still hasn’t.
“I’m sorry, I promise to go much softer tonight. If your body can take me again.” How can he still put so much red in my cheeks?
“Nico,” I cry, more like a wounded whimper. I love this man.
“I had to go straight to work after I had my night with you. I can still smell the traditore on me from this morning. Let me wash him off and then we will head to breakfast. I would like to stop and talk to the kids as well. Then I’m all yours.”
“They don’t know you’re home yet. You’ll be a distraction from school.” I giggle, untucking his shirt and putting my hands against his warm defined flesh.
“That’s okay, I pay a lot of money for their home schooling. Two minutes with me will grant their teacher another two thousand, won’t it?” Biting my lip, I nod.
“Fair. She probably loves the interruptions in that case.” I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him. Softly nipping along with the top lip kiss.
“Mm, you still taste like me. Fuck me.” He hums.
“I didn’t shower yet. I wanted to keep your scent for as long as I could. I went too long without it.” I’m unashamed of the admission.
“Emelia Valiente, you are such a delight. Do not keep this up, you’ll regret it.”
I test him a little bit, better yet, tease him. I unbuckle his belt and slide my hand into the snug material and grip his warm, thick cock. The girth is too wide to fit my hand completely around.
“Emelia,” he warns.
“What are you going to do, Nico? Blow your load in my hand. I will just rub it into my pussy again.”
His eyes darken and he squeezes my neck, blocking my airways slightly and I smile up at him unabashed. My giggle comes out in a mocking way, and he tightens his grip, only allowing a small amount of air to pass through.
“I will tie you to the bed and come on every inch of your body if you keep it up. Breakfast with me or I come, and you don’t—for tempting me.” That is the last thing I want. I’m wound too tight for denial play. Usually, I love when he gets me to the edge repeatedly and stopping just as I’m about to peak, but not right now. Because of this I surrender. Nico is always a guaranteed threat.
We release each other and take a few steps back. Realizing we are both heady breathing, we smile.
“Give me ten minutes,” he says, passing me and not leaving me with even a touch.
Probably for the best. The second I am alone his absence can be felt all over. Nico has been under so much stress lately; I can’t help but worry about him and want to focus on distracting him. I look around the office as I turn to leave and there is a force that stops me. My eyes home in on the packet he was mulling over and that tingle of curiosity shoots up my back. One thing we agreed on after we took down my crooked family that nearly put me six feet under—I wouldn’t get mixed up in his work.
But this nagging feeling tugs at my stomach and before I can stop myself, I am walking to his desk. Rounding his throne in our home, I step up to the packet and my eyes trail over the words.
Dante’s: The Unleashed Room
Plan:
All the current rooms at Dante’s: Viewing, Sensation, and Satisfaction, are geared toward the common pleasures of both the clients and our employees. Offering an array of watching, to sexual intercourse. Diamond members can access all three. We would like to propose a ‘Platinum’ membership to the ‘Unleashed’ room. This membership has the potential to bring in 1.6 million more in revenue quarterly and increase customer satisfaction by 64%.
Unleashed Room Options:
This room will allow for more sexual pleasures and tastes to be explored. The following are the items we would like to add starting out:
Bondage
Toy play
Primal Play
Voyeurism
In satisfaction, you cannot cross certain sexual thresholds, limiting clients on options to reach max desires. You cannot use restraints, toys, and other tools to help clients and our employees to experience full sexual exploration. Dante’s can evaluate adding more services as we monitor the clientele and receive feedback from platinum members and employees.
I stop reading there, because it goes more into the financial plans, but before I set it down, I catch a part that has my stomach dropping.
Outfit members who will be able to monitor the room and will test the new services:
Giulio
Jeremiah
Danny
Leo
Vito
Nico
Nico. Nico. Nico.
I read his name obsessively and repeatedly. Does he…no, would he… No. Emelia. Stop. I flip to the last page seeing if there is anywhere else where it says he may do things with the women and when I get to the last page my heart feels ten times less heavy.
In red ink, Nico wrote on the bottom. I know that handwriting so well.
Take my name off the list. My men can test it. I have no interest.
-Nico
I released a breath; I had been holding. Holy shit. Thank God. Still faithful to me. Always. He is still faithful even after all these years and three children. He hasn’t tired of me and in this world, that is rare. Made men usually take on mistresses. It’s almost guaranteed. For Nico to turn down dozens of stunning and sexually experienced women daily, means that I still have him. Will I always, though?
I put the paper down and leave the office. Stepping into our bedroom so I can get dressed and ready for a morning breakfast date with Nico, I’m met with my husband with a towel around his waist. Water droplets fall from his slightly longer hair that he usually slicks back for business. There is not an ounce of fat on that man. His skin is still red from the hot scalding water he prefers when he showers. I lay my hand on my chest, taken aback by his stunning beauty. The world gets the man in the suit, put together and ready to take on the wars outside, but I get the unhinged Nico, relaxed and a real man. Not a crime lord.
“Emelia?” he calls through the haze and I shake my head.
“Yes?” I peer up at him.
He studies me. “You look pale, what’s wrong?”
I shake my head instantly. I don’t want to bring him in on what I know. Nico would punish me if he knew I read that and inserted myself in his work. And to know that I am…curious about what he has done before me.
“Nothing, I think I am just tired, and I have a lot to do today.” He eyes me over, testing me, and I turn to grab some clothes. Change the subject, Emelia.
“I have to meet with the other wives. My favorite thing.” I mock. He knows I hate meeting with these women, but we do it for charity. Truth be told, I plan to skip it and I will send in a check. My mental capacity has been filled to the brim. “We have to plan for the gala next month.” And just like that he moves on and thank God he bought it.
I know I will spend the rest of the day thinking about that proposal and those rooms. Curious, jealous, and wondering what it is that me and Nico are missing together?