11. Dante
11
DANTE
T he way that Ilaria saw those girls storming towards us and ran away six minutes ago, has me on edge.
She obviously knew them from the hurried way they all tripped over each other as they went to the bathroom but, I don’t know them and for some reason that is a problem to me.
Why did seeing her look at them with a lifetime of feelings behind her eye make me jealous?
I’ll have her give me their names to add to the VIP list tonight at Inferno.
Once I have the names I can have Enzo run background checks on all of them and tomorrow morning I can read about who my fiancée is hanging around with.
I want to keep her safe and that blossoms something inside of me. Ilaria matters to me because she is going to be mine. I always take care of my things.
As if she knew I was thinking about her she comes around the corner, smiling at the girls with such a look of pure happiness on her face I’m temporarily blinded.
Who knew a smile could be so beautiful?
My father had been talking to me but all I can do is stop and stare as she walks towards me, her eyes landing on me and her smile not fading yet.
My heart is thundering in my chest as she runs her fingers over my shoulders, fingers nestling into the hair at the back of my head as she leans in before sitting down to whisper to me.
“My friends came here to kill you because they thought you had kidnapped me. Don’t worry, I saved your life. Add it to the tally of things you owe me.”
She is teasing me as she pulls away, sitting down and looking at me with flirty eyes.
Her good mood is gorgeous.
I think I like my fiancées friends.
This playful side of her is wonderful, the tension she had been holding is looser and I reach for her hand, taking it in mine as I carry it to my lips, kissing her wrist, pausing as she looks at me, daring me to say something to her.
Naughty girl.
The smell of tobacco on her hands and I’m suddenly back to thinking about how I want background checks on her friends and to know who she is with at all points of the day.
That possessive monster filling my gut as she talks with everyone, making conversation and laughing with her soft ease.
It’s a rollercoaster of emotions.
“We’re going to come to dinner tonight at Inferno. Monday the 10th you’re closed, we should have the engagement party there on that night.”
Plans are being made around me and I nod in agreement to whatever my father is saying because Ilaria has my head so confused as she floods it with unfamiliar emotions.
All I want to do is get Ilaria home so that I can ask her about her friends but I can’t think of an excuse quick enough because my mother is jumping into the conversation and drawing back my attention to it.
“Your engagement photos are at noon today. We need an image for the paper.”
This catches my attention because I have a ribbon cutting at my restaurant at 5PM which means I need to be there by 3PM to talk with everyone and make sure that it is all going okay and we will be okay to open.
I don’t have time for all of this.
Ilaria seems to think about the time as well because I see the shadow cross her eyes, a flint of annoyance before she is looking at me and giving me a smile that lets me know she has a plan in place. It’s reassuring how she can get behind something and figure it out.
“We should get going. I need a dress for Dante’s opening tonight and we should coordinate a few outfits for the engagement photos.” She looks at my mother, this smile plastering on her face that lets me know she is trying, “We should make sure to get a photo of all of us tonight. The joining of families only happens once and it’s an occasion that I want to share with our children someday.”
I don’t know if she is spoon feeding them shit or if she believes it.
Hell, I believe it.
Ilaria is planting these seeds, an idea of a future together, and I can feel the way it makes my heart burst in my chest, wishing I could kiss her right now.
But she’d hate being kissed in front of our families for the first time, especially how I wanted to kiss her.
“You kids run along. I’ll text you the details, Dante.” My mother leans down to kiss me, “Ilaria. What a treasure you are.” My mother is kissing her and I can see the way she’s looking at Ilaria.
She’s that daughter my mother never got to have. And for some reason I feel this surge of pride like she hadn’t been picked for me but I found her.
Mine .
As Ilaria goes to hug her father goodbye my mother hugs me close, wrapping me in her arms and the familiar scent of her Jean Paul Gauiter, warm vanilla and rum scented. It’s the scent of my mother and home.
Flashbacks of hugs before school and being tucked in before she went out with my father for dinner. It’s Saturday morning cereal in front of the TV as she leaves a smear of lipstick kiss on my cheek before heading to whatever exercise class she signed up for.
It’s familiar and safe.
“She’s special, Dante. I hope you see that.” It sounds like a warning.
Don’t let a treasure go.
Pulling away from the hug, I follow her gaze to where Ilaria is straightening her fathers shirt for him, the daughter playing the mother hen.
She loves him and has taken care of him for at least the last two years. I’m sure she’s worried about him now even though he is the one who wanted to arrange her marriage.
Maybe I should have waited to talk to her about moving in but after her show this morning I couldn’t think straight.
I just want her close to me. Even now I’m itching to touch her.
Ilaria’s eyes lift and she sees me waiting for her.
Something about the way she is staring at me makes my heart beat faster and I know without even having to think about it that I’m going to end up in love with this girl.
She is my destiny, mine for the taking.
Her hand finds mind, weaving our fingers as she looks at me, a soft nod letting me know it’s time to go.
We walk in silence to the garage until I’m opening the door to the white Maserati MC20 for her, trying to see if she’s impressed that I also like cars but not reading anything from her face. I hide my disappointment as I slide into the driver’s seat.
What am I? A teenage boy just trying to impress a girl?
My fingers find the rosary around my wrist, fingering it in a nervous habit I developed.
“Do you want to head to Copley Place?” Her eyes turn to me and I can see her ready to challenge me but instead she bites back whatever remark she was going to say and only gives me a soft nod of her head. Deciding to be agreeable or maybe actually liking my choice.
I want to know what’s wrong with her but we don’t have enough time to dig into everything that is happening.
The traffic isn’t bad, fifteen minutes and we’re parked in the lot below.
Ilaria hasn’t spoken on the ride but we both have so much to think about and process I’m not going to hold her quietness against her. My own mind was going over opening night for the club and trying to figure out what to do about all the wedding arrangements.
So much is changing and I’m not sure how to keep up.
Inside the shopping plaza she looks around once before forming a plan in her mind. Which is good because I’m lost, a bit overwhelmed by everything.
“Follow me.”
Her demand is easy and I’m her shadow as she moves around the place like it’s her second home. I’m not quite sure what to make of it but I’m very glad for the success of my family with how at ease she seems to be about shopping.
Ilaria spends money without even thinking about it. She glances at things, picks them up and swipes a card without seeming to hear the prices of the outfits.
I follow her into Alexander McQueen, watch her pick out a dress and spend $3400 on it without thinking. She spends $3600 on some new shoes, $6,500 at Neiman Marcus in a blink of an eye.
All these dollar signs and she hasn’t made a face like she’s liked a single thing yet.
When she is done spending money she looks at me like she is bored by it all. As if all that she just spent doesn’t matter. That all the pretty things she picked out were just okay.
I’m confused.
“We’re going to do three outfit changes for the photos. Something casual you know a jean and t-shirt, maybe something Boston sports so it’s fun local stuff. We will have a more dressed look, like our brunch look but maybe elevated a bit. And a final look we are going to do in your office. Something that shows you working on building your empire and me, your faithful little mouse, squeaking in the corner.”
My heart jolts asshe calls herself my little mouse.
Her eyes are on her phone and she sighs, content with whatever she has just done. Her head turns, looking at me, still frozen from her comment.
“Can I drive, Dante?” The way she looks at me, my hands full from the money she spent, tilting her head I realize she’s trying to flirt with me, “Please?” Her pretty little mouth forms a pout, all pink and kissable as she looks at me with those blue eyes of hers.
One word shouldn’t make my mouth water. Or make my cock stiffen. I wanted to reach down and adjust myself but I wouldn’t give the minx the satisfaction of knowing how she got to me.
Ilaria would never let me hear the end of it.
“Maybe you can earn it, principessa .” I take a step towards her, watching the way she gives me a short look of displeasure.
So used to getting her own way hearing any form of no has her thinking of how to get back at me.
But instead of asking what she could do to earn it Ilaria turns walking towards the car, texting on her phone and acting like I don’t exist.
My anger spikes as she ignores me, leaning against the car as I fill the trunk with the money that she spent so easily.
I’m not going to let her get away with ignoring me.
Ilaria looks up as I slam my hand against the top of the car, her eyes on mine as I cage her in with my body pushing against hers. Her head tilting to the side as she blinks at me, something is spinning in her head. I can see her thinking and I want to know everything that goes on in her mind.
Everyone is entitled to their thoughts but Ilaria needs to be mine in all things. Her thoughts included.
“I was going to say we should do this back at the penthouse but if you can’t wait.”
She trails off, catching me off guard as her hands slide up, over my chest, hands slipping behind my neck as she pulls me down close to her mouth.
I can taste the mint of the gum she was chewing, spearmint.
Her blue eyes search mine like she’s checking in with me like I should be doing to her. Instead one of my hands slide off the roof of the car, pulling her to me by her hip, letting my fingers form a fist as I bunch the silk of her dress, watching it pull up. I drag my hand, exposing her knees and then some thigh so that I can fit between them easier.
Ilaria’s tongue darts out, wetting her lips as my movement stops, locked in on thetarget as she lets out just the softest whimper like she realized what was about to happen. But before I can bring our lips together she is pushing up, pressing her pink lips to mine.
I’m caught off guard.
My eyes stay open as I watch her, her eyes closing as she leans into me, pulling one leg off the ground. My hands on it, tugging at her thigh as I pushed her back against the car, letting her wrap her legs around my waist. Her feet are off the ground as we push together, getting lost.
Lost in her. Lost in a moment.
The kiss isn’t sweet.
It goes from a test of a kiss, to our tongues sliding over each other. Ilaria is gentle as she slips her tongue through my lips and I let her explore before pressing my tongue along hers, rolling it over the minty freshness of her mouth.
She’s god damn delicious.
I groan, a hand slips off her thighs and buries into her brown hair, tugging until her bun falls out and I can lock my fingers in the silky locks of the curls that have me hypnotized.
Hips grind into hers, the dress bunched around her thighs as I deepen this kiss, making out with her like a frantic teenager who can’t get enough.
And that is the truth.
I can’t get enough of her.
She makes a sound as our chests push together, her fingers slip into the back of my hair, tugging at me as she shifts her hips, pushing herself against me. My cock is hard against my pants and as she drags her hot pussy over the bulge she freezes, like she just realized what kissing her has done to me.
Her eyes are on me as we pull our lips away. The smear of her lipstick making me almost feral.
I lean back in, kissing her again. Soft kisses, little teases just to remind her of what we could keep doing.
Until my mind reminds me we’re in a parking lot and I pull away to check in with her.
Ilaria is still pinned against the car as her eyes stay locked on mine, as if she doesn’t want to look away. Her fingers slip out of my hair as she seems conflicted and she’s locking herself away in that mind, locking me out and I’m angry all over again.
“At least our first kiss won’t be for our engagement pictures.” She tries to make a joke out of something that just happened that wasn’t funny and no part of me appreciates her humor. “Put me down, demon. We have to go home to get ready.”
Her command is simple and even though I don’t want to I listen to her because she called the penthouse home. And that might have been a slip up but it’s enough hope for me to listen to her.
Setting her back down as she tries to smooth out the dress, letting me open the door for her so she can slide inside the passenger seat of the car.
Her nipples are stiff peaks and I’m reminded of her on my bed this morning and my cock is leaking in my briefs. Hot drops of precum stain them as she clears her throat, averting her eyes from my crotch which is at her eye level.
She’s waiting for me to close the door to the car but part of me wants to yank my cock out and make her take care of the problem she started. Feel those lips that were just on mine wrapped around my cock. Smear her lipstick some more.
“It’s already 11:00 AM. We don’t have time.” And she’s right about that. Shocking me out of the fantasies that I was just having about her.
There is never time for the things we want to do.
The door slams as I release it, walking behind the car so I can shove my hands down my hands, gripping my cock as I rearrange it in my pants to relieve some of the pressure there. Taking a breath as I think about how she is going to be the death of me, I collect myself.
No one has ever affected me the way Ilaria does. And it’s been such a short period of time I know all I can do is fall even more.