Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Valentina
“ V al, the toilet in the first bathroom is stopped up.”
I glanced up from the order list I was working on for Roberto. Anne Marie stood in the office doorway, her expression full of regret at delivering me this news. We’d rehired my former server a few days ago, but this was her first day back since quitting. She’d agreed to return when I told her we had a new chef and that Tony was banned from the restaurant.
“It’s stopped up again? ” I asked, my voice rising in annoyance.
“It wasn’t me,” she quickly added. “Have the workmen been using it?”
“Probably.” I closed my eyes and exhaled. I hated our old pipes. “Okay, I’ll go plunge.”
“Want me to do it, honey? You’ve got a lot on your plate.”
Plunging toilets was a dirty, thankless job. One I wouldn’t wish on anyone. And I never asked employees to do anything I wasn’t willing to do myself. After all, I was the boss. It was my responsibility. “That’s nice of you to offer, but I’ll do it. I’m used to it. ”
“You might want to change first.”
Right. I’d worn a cute outfit today, wanting to look my best in case a handsome older Italian gentleman stopped by. Which was stupid, because Luca had far better things to do than drive over here.
Like running a criminal mafia organization.
I tried not to think about our hookup when I was lying in bed last night. Or this morning. Or in the shower. Or on the drive into work. Or as I stopped for coffee.
Okay, I was obviously failing at forgetting it. I felt like the information was tattooed across my forehead for all to see: I hooked up with a mob boss.
“Damn it,” I said to Anne Marie. “I don’t have a change of clothing here.”
“Then let me do it.” She gestured to her jeans and t-shirt. “I’m dressed for dirty work.”
I stood up. “No, that’s all right. God knows it’s not the first time I’ve plunged while wearing a dress.”
“If you’re sure, then I’ll go back to unpacking the new glassware with Roberto. Good luck.”
In the bathroom, I caught my reflection in the mirror. This dress really was cute. I discovered it while scrolling on a social media app late one night. The sleeveless wine-colored sheath dress had a tiny bit of ruching on the side, and I looked sophisticated in it. A woman in charge, like my mother. Not like a silly twenty-one-year-old virgin.
Bottom line? Nothing was going to ruin this dress. I locked the bathroom door, then carefully unzipped my dress and stepped out of it. I carefully hung it on the side of a wall sconce, far out of the way.
I stared down at myself and tried not to laugh. I now wore only heels, a thong, and a lace bra. It was ridiculous, but what choice did I have? Besides, this would be over soon and no one would ever know.
A long curse crossed my lips. At some point I really needed to get these old pipes dealt with. No matter how many signs you put up asking people not to flush paper towels or feminine products, rude assholes still did it anyway.
Just as I turned to the small supply cabinet for the tools needed to tackle the job ahead of me, a frightening bang on the door was accompanied by an equally frightening shout.
“What the fuck? ”
I froze. That wasn’t Anne Marie.
It was a man. A man I’d hooked up with yesterday in his office.
And he sounded pissed .
“Luca?”
“Valentina,” he growled. “Open this door!”
“I’m right in the middle of something—and stop shouting at me!”
“Open up right now or I will break this door down!”
Oh, hell no. Where did he get off ordering me around? And what the fuck did he have to be so mad about? “Don’t talk to me that way, and you are not coming in here.”
“Allora . . . I will break the door down.”
His footsteps came closer and I panicked. “No! Don’t do that. Jesus. Then I’ll have to replace the door.” I turned the lock, cracked the door, and peeked through the sliver of space, as worried about who might see me as Luca’s anger. “Stop right there!”
The planes of his face were sharp, eyes narrowed dangerously, as he thrust his hands on his hips. He was wearing a dark navy suit, and even as foolish as I felt right then, I couldn’t help myself. My god, he looked fucking hot. The white dress shirt showed off his olive skin, and the dark blue tie that contrasted the color of his eyes. His wavy dark hair fell effortlessly in elegant sweeps, like it had been styled by a professional.
As I was studying him, I forgot that he was also studying me.
He looked slightly calmer, but no less intense as he said, “Stand back, I’m coming in.”
“Why?”
“Because I said. Andiamo , Valentina.”
“Not a good enough reason, Luca. I’m busy with something in here. ”
Leaning in, his voice went soft. “You need to learn your place, fiore. I’m coming in right now, capisce?”
My place? The fuck?
Now I was pissed. That asshole wanted to see me? Okay, fine! I hoped he enjoyed the show. Because that was all this high-handed fucker was ever getting out of me.
I stepped back and he took full advantage, barging into the bathroom. “Happy?”
I felt foolish, nearly naked, but then Luca’s gaze performed an excruciatingly slow sweep of my body. I could feel his regard like a caress over my bare skin, the heat of his stare burning me. My nipples tightened and tingles spread along my thighs. He looked at me like I was something to be savored, a cold treat on a blistering hot day.
“Cazzo madre di dio,” he whispered. “It’s even better than I remember.”
He wasted no time locking the bathroom door behind him. The click of the metal echoed in the tiny space like a gunshot and my mouth dried out. My breath came shallow and fast in the mask, my muscles trembling with anticipation. I had no idea what was about to happen, but I certainly wasn’t angry any longer.
I was something else altogether.
His long stride ate up the distance between us. He captured my face in his hands and leaned in close. “You are mine now, fiore mio,” he said quietly. “And my woman does not plunge toilets or clean bathrooms. Ever. Are we clear?”
A tremble rolled through me, but I couldn’t tell if it was from his words or his touch. “Luca?—”
“Are we clear, Valentina?”
“I’m not yours,” I whispered.
A muscle clenched in his jaw. “Did I eat your pussy yesterday— twice? ”
“Yes, but?—”
“There is no but, piccolina. You promised to be good for me. Or do I need to force that promise from you again, right now? ”
The amount of slickness gathering between my legs should’ve embarrassed me. God, I was shameless for this man. “No.”
“Are you sure? Because I have no problem tonguing your clit in this bathroom for all to hear.”
I could see it . . . Me, leaning on the sink, with Luca’s dark head shoved between my thighs . . . .
I swayed toward him, teetering from the lust rushing through my veins. He chuckled. “You want that, don’t you?” He pressed his lips to my forehead. “Soon. I’m going to give you everything you need very soon.”
Then he surprised me by stepping away. “Get dressed. I’m taking you to New York City.”
“Wait, what?” Now my head was spinning for a different reason. “I can’t go to the city. We’re opening in two days.”
“Yes, you can. Get ready to leave. You have five minutes.” He unlocked the door and reached for the handle.
“Five minutes? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Valentina.” His voice was stern and he looked over his shoulder, expression unyielding. “Your sexy ass will be in my car in five minutes, even if I have to carry you out like that.” He tilted his chin toward my mostly naked body. “Though I’ll have to kill any man who looks at you. Is that what you want, fiore mio? A blood bath?”
I couldn’t tell whether he was serious or not. Luca generally meant what he said . . . but would he really kill someone who saw me in my bra and panties? “No, but can you please explain?”
“There’s no time. I’ll explain on the drive.”
Luca
I stepped out of the toilet, hoping my dick would calm down soon. I wasn’t sure I could drive a car in my current state. Mamma mia, her body was a fucking crime. If we weren’t already behind schedule, I would’ve taken off that flimsy bra and sucked on her tits for a few hours.
Later. I had a hotel suite waiting where I could have her all to myself.
As I entered the restaurant, I searched for Roberto. I found him at the bar, unpacking glasses with a woman I recognized from my first night here. She was the waitress who’d quit on Valentina. “Signora,” I greeted coolly.
“Table Seven,” she said with a smirk. “Nice to see you again.”
I ignored her and pointed to Roberto. “A word.” Then I strode to the front door, where he and I could speak privately.
He soon joined me. “Is there something wrong, signore?”
I pointed to the toilets. “She doesn’t plunge and she doesn’t clean. Get plumbers in here today to fix whatever the fuck is happening with those pipes. I don’t care if they need to be ripped out and replaced with solid gold. See that it’s done and send me the bill. Are we clear?”
“Sì, Don Benetti. Of course. I didn’t realize what she was doing. I’ll see that it’s taken care of.”
“Good. I’m taking her to New York overnight. I expect you to handle things here and not trouble her with drains and paperwork and glasses, capisce?”
“Understood. No problem.”
“What are you two talking about?” Valentina was close enough to hear us, but we spoke in our language, not hers.
“Nothing,” Roberto said confidently in English. “Luca informed me that he’s taking you to New York and I said that wasn’t a problem.”
I wrapped my arm around her waist. “Come. Let’s get on the road.”
“Wait,” she said, putting her hand on my chest. “Roberto, I was nearly finished with the ordering list for you. It’s on my desk. And Giovanni wanted to talk about?— ”
“That’s enough,” I said and began towing her toward the door. “Roberto has run some of the finest restaurants in Italia. He can handle your little trattoria.”
She bristled against me. “My little trattoria? It’s my whole life, Luca. And I don’t appreciate you being so bossy and condescending.”
She continued to argue with me as we went outside, but I ignored her. As long as she kept moving to the car, she could yell at me all she liked. D’Agostino wouldn’t wait around, so I needed to ensure we arrived at the show on time.
I let Valentina settle in the passenger seat and I closed her door. Then I hurried to the driver’s side. Before I got in, I nodded at Aldo and another guard, who were following behind in a second car.
I slid into the smooth leather seat, buckled in, and started the engine. When I pulled away from the curb I noticed she was quiet. “Is something wrong?” I asked.
“Are you kidnapping me?”
The accusation was an unwelcome reminder of my purpose in this country. “No. You’re free to stay here, though you might want to hear what I have planned first.”
“Then am I at least allowed to stop by my house and pack?”
“I already did that for you.”
She made a choking sound and glared at me in disbelief. “You broke into my house and went through my things?”
“Yes.”
“Luca, what the fuck?”
I shifted gears and dodged around a slow truck. “First, you need better security. It was embarrassingly easy to break in. Next, would you rather Aldo packed for you? I assumed you would want me to choose your sexy panties.”
“I’d rather choose my own sexy panties,” she snapped. “And you are really grating on my nerves.”
“Piccolina, you keep talking like that and I will find a better use for your mouth on this drive. ”
“You wish!” She folded her arms.
Cazzo, the idea of her lips wrapped around my dick . . . “I do. And we have already established that you cannot resist me.”
“God, your ego . . . Do Italian women get off on your domineering arrogant attitude?”
“Yes, they do. Almost as much as American women.”
“Have you?—”
She closed her mouth abruptly, but I knew what she was going to ask. I said, “Not on this trip. But yes, years ago.”
Silent, she mulled that over for a long second. Then she said, “I thought mafia bosses were always in hiding.”
“Smart mafia bosses go wherever they like. It is the stupid ones who get caught.” Frowning, I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel. Because I’d fucked Palmieri’s wife, everything was now at risk. Who was the stupid one now?
She was busy exploring the car, and for once I was glad she wasn’t paying attention to me. I didn’t want to talk any more about mafia bosses.
After she investigated the contents of the Maserati’s glove box, she closed the front. “So tell me why you’re dragging me to the city.”
“I have a meeting there.”
From the side of my eye I watched her angle toward me. “You are dragging me two and a half hours away to attend a meeting with you?”
I took the ramp onto the motorway. “Yes.”
“Luca, are you insane? I can’t go to a mafia meeting! I’m a restaurant owner. I don’t want to be a part of your illegal activities.”
I sighed heavily. I supposed I owed her an explanation, but I wasn’t used to someone yelling at me. The men in my life would never dare. “There will be nothing illegal about this meeting. I need a favor from someone else, another don. He’s at his woman’s show and refuses to meet with me unless I bring a date.”
“Why?”
“Because it can’t look like work. ”
“So I’m your date.”
“Maybe. But only if you stop asking so many questions.”
She wrinkled her nose and stared through the windshield. “You said he’s at a show. Broadway?”
“Fashion week. She’s a fashion designer.”
“We’re going to a fashion show?”
The way her voice rose in volume had me looking over. “This is a problem?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Luca. Maybe because I was at work, about to plunge a toilet fifteen minutes ago? I feel gross, and now I have to attend a New York fashion show.”
I put my free hand on her bare knee and slid my palm along her skin, moving higher until I reached her inner thigh. “You are not gross. You’re hot as fuck, piccolina. Every man there will want to fuck you when they see you in this dress.”
“Thank you,” she said.” There was a slight edge to her voice, but nothing like a moment ago.
“You’re not thinking about what’s important. Let me focus your attention.”
I dipped my fingers into her panties. Smooth, hot skin met my fingertips. I brushed through the wetness gathering in her slit and nearly ran off the road. “You feel so good,” I murmured. “I can’t wait to eat this pussy again.”
She shifted in her seat, making more room for my hand. “What if a truck drives by? They will know what you’re doing.”
“My hand is under your dress, which is all they will see.”
“Still, it’s obvious what’s happening.”
“Do you care?”
“Yes.”
I adjusted my angle and thrust one finger deep inside her. “What about now?”
She threw her head back and closed her eyes. Her slim throat worked as she swallowed. “Maybe?”
“Va bene, fiore mio. ”
Fuck, she was tight. I couldn’t wait to feel this virgin cunt strangle my bare cock later tonight. I knew she was on birth control because I’d found her pills earlier in her bathroom.
I pumped my finger a few times and she began panting, her hands clutching the leather upholstery. “Keep talking. In Italian.”
“Take your panties off first.”
After she wriggled out of her panties, I put my hand back between her legs. I continued to drive, my finger sliding in and out of her, and began speaking in my native language, words they don’t teach in any translation app. Dirty, filthy things. Every depraved act I wanted to do to her body. What I thought of her tits and her pussy. Her hair, her face . . . How I shouldn’t have touched her in my office, but now that I had I didn’t want to stop . . .
She was close. I could feel her thighs trembling and the way her inner muscles were clamping down. I withdrew my finger and brought it up to my mouth. I sucked her juices off my skin, relishing the flavor on my tongue. “Madre di dio,” I groaned. “So fucking delicious.”
“Luca,” she whined. “I’m so close.”
I put my hand between her legs and rested two fingers on her clit. I held perfectly still, eyes on the road. “Are you going to be good for me?”
“Yes, yes. Please .”
She rolled her hips, trying to chase my fingers, but I eased them away, teasing. “You’re going to play the mantenuta , the woman in my life today?”
“Yes.”
I circled her clit twice, then stopped. “You won’t complain or cause trouble?”
“No. Now stop being a dick and stop teasing me!”
“And you’re going to let me fuck you and spoil you?”
She hung her head and dragged in deep breaths. “Yes. Just make me come, please. ”
I moved my fingers vigorously, back and forth, circling, working her clit, and it only took a few seconds before she was climaxing, moaning and shaking, drenching my fingers. I hated that I couldn’t see every moment, that my eyes needed to watch the road as much as they could watch her. But the next time this woman came would be underneath me, with my cock deep inside her.
When she sagged into the seat I lifted my fingers to her mouth. “Clean them, piccolina.”
Her tongue swiped my skin before she sucked my two fingers past her lips and into her hot mouth. I snuck a glance at her, unable to resist the sight. Cazzo, that was hot. She was flushed, her expression dazed, almost trance-like as she followed my instructions. This girl . . .
I had to look away. I was too keyed up, my dick too hard. If I wasn’t careful, I would pull over and do something stupid on the side of the motorway.
I put both hands on the steering wheel and tried to calm down. The meeting with D’Agostino was too important and whatever was happening with Val could wait.
For the next few minutes, Val put herself back together quietly, fixing her dress and her hair. I stared at the road. I ran through the meeting with D’Agostino, what I thought he might ask for?—
I jolted as fingers jabbed at the pocket of my trousers. Instinct had me grabbing her wrist, stopping her. “What is this?”
Val held up her panties, the ones she’d taken off moments ago. “I’m trying to give these to you. Don’t you want to keep them?”
My heart thumped erratically, surprise and desire a dangerous cocktail in my bloodstream. She was unexpected, both innocent and filthy, an intoxicating combination. I released her and relaxed. “Fuck yes, I do.”
She tucked the used panties in my pocket, then patted my thigh. “Now you can think about those all day.”
I’d be hard-pressed to do anything else. “Where did a virgin learn about giving a man her dirty panties? ”
Leaning over, she put her mouth as close to my ear as she could manage. “I’ve read a lot of books.” A second later she flicked on the car’s stereo and music filled the sedan.
For the next hour and a half I contemplated those books and what else Valentina might have learned.