Chapter 10
Laurie
La mia farfalla is Italian and translates to ‘my butterfly.’
Sitting on the bed, reading the information on Google, my eyebrow lifts.
Adriano is Italian?
Seriously, Laurie? You made a deal with some random man and all you know is his name, age, and that he might be Italian. Oh, and he owns a club in Island Park.
I think about it for a moment, then shake my head.
He paid me five million. I don’t care if his name is Peter Pan and he’s taking me to Neverland.
My phone buzzes in my hand, and seeing a message from Elise, I tap on it.
Elise: Oh my God!!! I only saw this now. What is going on? Are you okay?
Realizing I now have money to load airtime onto my phone, I quickly go into my bank app.
When I see my balance, the shock hits again, and I stare at the enormous amount.
Sweet Jesus. That’s a lot of money.
My thoughts get away from me, and for a while I wonder about what I should do with the millions.
Millions.
Plural.
Suddenly, intense happiness explodes in me like fireworks, and I shoot up, jumping on the bed while letting out a shriek. “Oh, my God! I’m rich!” I scream at the top of my lungs as I lunge off the bed and run out of the bedroom.
I dance and twirl, laughing as I’ve never laughed before, until I come to a stop in front of the windows, and I see all the twinkling lights of Manhattan.
A sob bursts from me, and lifting a trembling hand to my mouth, I begin to cry because this is too surreal for me to process.
I have five million and twenty thousand dollars.
I never have to work again.
No getting up at the crack of dawn and working late nights.
No commuting.
No counting every cent to make my shitty paycheck last a whole month.
No Austin lying on that damn couch, eating expensive takeout while leaving all the chores and worries to me.
No more Heather talking down to me like I’m trash.
My phone rings, ripping me out of my thoughts, and when I see Elise’s name, I quickly answer.
“Hi, sorry. I was going to call.”
“My fucking heart, Laurie! Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Again, I’m overwhelmed, and when I burst out in tears, Elise says, “You don’t sound okay. I have some money on my credit card. I can take the first flight to New York.”
I shake my head and force the words out. “I’m crying because I’m happy.”
“Oh.” She pauses for a few seconds. “Your message was very ominous. Did you finally leave that bum? Who is this Adriano Rizzo?”
“I have a lot to tell you.” I walk to the couches and sit down. “Austin was cheating on me with Heather’s best friend, and he kicked me out. Late at night, might I add. The bastard could’ve timed it better,” I grumble. “The next day Heather accused me of stealing money and fired me.”
“What the fuck?” Elise snaps angrily. “I swear, if I were there, I would’ve fucked them up.”
Elise has a bit of a potty mouth, but I’ve gotten used to it.
“It gets worse,” I mutter, getting up again to check what snacks there are in the kitchen. “Heather refused to pay me for the last month, so I was out on the street without a dime to my name. I spent the night in a diner, and luckily the waitress took pity on me and didn’t ask me to leave.”
“No! Why didn’t you call me? Send me your bank details right now. I can transfer enough to keep you going for a couple of months.”
God, I love my best friend. We have never met in person, but she’s always been there for me.
“You don’t have to worry. The man whose ID I sent you made me a deal I couldn’t refuse and paid me a crap ton of money.”
Elise sounds very skeptical when she asks, “What kind of deal?”
How do I explain it to her?
Wanting to make it sound better than it’s probably going to be, I ask, “Have you watched Pretty Woman?”
She gasps, and her tone is filled with disbelief. “Are you serious? He’s paying you for sex?” There’s a short pause, then she adds, “He’s hot. How much is he paying you?”
“A lot, and apparently it’s not about sex. He mentioned something along the lines of a relationship, but I have no idea what that entails.”
“Huh?”
I shrug as I open a can of mixed nuts. “Adriano has zero social skills and is a big ol’ grumpy bear. I think he just wants company, but his sour personality scares off women.”
Then again, he did kiss the living daylights out of me.
I keep that info to myself, though.
“It doesn’t sound weird at all,” she drawls. “As long as Mr. Hottie pays up front.”
“He has, and he put me up in the penthouse suite of a very expensive hotel. I’m about to raid all the snacks.”
“Okay.” She lets out a sigh. “But check in with me every morning and night, so I know you’re alive.”
“I will.” Changing the subject, I ask, “How are things on your side of the planet?”
I lean back against the counter and toss some nuts into my mouth.
“Boring. I can’t wait for my vacation time in December. I wanted to keep it a surprise, but seeing as your life got busy all of a sudden, I’ll spill the beans. I saved up for a trip to New York. Got my passport last week.”
My jaw drops, then I shriek, “You’re coming to visit me?”
“Yes,” her tone is filled with laughter and excitement.
“I’ll finally get to hug the crap out of you,” I shriek happily.
“No hugging the crap out of me,” she chuckles. “I’ll allow you thirty seconds, though.”
“Okay, thirty seconds it is.” Teasing her, I add, “But brace yourself for ten short hugs spread throughout the day.”
“Do you want me to cancel the trip?”
Laughter bubbles over my lips. “Fine. One hug a day.”
Her tone is filled with warning. “Laurie.”
“Finnnnne. One hug hello and one goodbye.”
“That I can deal with.” She yawns then says, “I just got to work, which means you should get some sleep. I’ll talk to you when you wake up.”
“Okay. Good luck at work.”
We end the call, and with a grin on my face, I turn around, only for it to drop right off when I see Adriano sitting on the couch.
I didn’t hear him come in!
He looks like a king on a throne, his ankle resting on his knee, and his arms spread out across the back of the couch.
Tilting his head, his tone is nothing but a low, deep timbre as he says, “I have zero social skills?” His eyebrow lifts. “And I’m a grumpy bear with a sour personality?”
Crap.
I set my phone and the nuts down on the counter and give him an apologetic look. “You heard all that?”
Slowly he nods, then he asks, “Who were you talking to?”
“My friend.” I brush my hand over my hair that’s still damp from washing it earlier. “She lives in Belgium.”
He nods, then gets up and walks toward me.
I notice he’s changed out of the suit and into a pair of soft-looking jeans, a black T-shirt, and the leather jacket he was wearing the first time I saw him.
Dammit, I’m wearing old yoga pants and a camisole, sans bra.
“Are you here to make sure I didn’t run off with your money?” I ask, getting more and more nervous as he keeps coming closer.
By the time he stops right in front of me and looks down, my pulse is racing a mile a minute.
“No. I came because I wanted to see you.” He lifts his hand and brushes his knuckles down the side of my face and along my jaw. Pinching my chin between his index finger and thumb, he nudges until I tilt my head back.
Oh God. Is this a booty call?
I’ve never slept with anyone I didn’t have feelings for, and honestly, the thought of getting naked with this man scares me.
What if I strip and he doesn’t like my body?
Really, Laurie? That should not be your top concern right now.
Adriano’s eyes slowly drift over every inch of my face before he stares deep into my eyes until it feels like he’s looking into my soul.
“You have the most exquisite eyes I’ve ever seen,” he whispers, sounding like he’s in awe of me.
Not wanting to be rude, I say, “Thank you.”
Instead of initiating sex, he takes a step back and lets go of my chin, then leans his hip against the counter and continues to stare at me like I’m some piece of art he’s considering purchasing.
“Go get your ID,” he suddenly orders. “I need a copy for the contract.”
I walk to the bedroom and take the chance to dig a sweater out of my suitcase. After putting it on, I grab my ID from my handbag and return to Adriano.
I watch as he snaps a photo of the card before handing it back to me. Setting it beside my phone, I glance up at him, only to find him staring at me again.
Seconds tick by, stretching into an awkward silence, and feeling more and more confused, I eventually ask, “Is there something else you need?”
“No. I’m taking my time admiring you.”
Seeing he means every word, heat creeps up my neck, and I lower my eyes to his chest.
“Hmm…” The predatory growl rumbling from him is the same sound as earlier, all animalistic, making goosebumps scatter over my skin.
Adriano brings his hand to my face again and brushes his index finger over my flaming cheek. “Your skin turns warm when you blush.”
“Yep.” Feeling awkward, I rock on the balls of my feet. “Kind of feels like I’m on fire right now.”
He frames my face with his palms, the coolness from his skin easing some of the heat.
Slowly, something changes, tensing the air, and the next moment he strikes like a cobra, his mouth crashing into mine.
I gasp loudly, because even though I expected it a few minutes ago, I’m still caught by surprise. I grab hold of his sides and register the solid feel of him beneath my fingers.
At first I’m slow to respond, only able to take in that he tastes like mint and whiskey.
God, the scent of his cologne fits his dark aura.
His teeth tug at my bottom lip, and as a wave of tingles crashes through me, his tongue thrusts into my mouth and strokes mine hard.
An embarrassingly loud needy sound escapes me. I’ve never been verbally expressive during intimate moments, and I definitely haven’t felt the kind of tingles he’s making me feel.
My stomach dips and soars, my abdomen clenches, and my fingers fist in his shirt as his mouth roughly dominates mine.
There is nothing tender about this moment, and all I can do is go along for the wild ride as his lips nip at mine and his tongue sets fire to my mouth.
My breaths turn choppy, and every inch of my body feels like it’s buzzing.
Just as quick, Adriano frees my mouth. With his lips parted and glistening, his breaths rushing over them, he looks smoking hot.
I swear his eyes are black, lending a brutal quality to his beauty.
As my brain begins to function again, his expression softens until all I see is awe.
“Bellissima,” he murmurs as if he’s stuck in a trance. “Sei mia, mia piccola farfalla.”
My voice is hoarse when I ask, “Is that Italian?”
With his intense eyes still very focused on me, he nods. “I’m Sicilian.”
“Oh.”
I lick over my tingling and swollen lips, which draws his attention back to my mouth.
He closes the distance between our faces, and his lips tug at mine in a sensual way that makes desire rush through me.
It’s so overwhelming that I break the kiss and take a couple of steps away from him. Placing my hand on my chest, I croak, “C-can we slow down for a moment?”
I half expect him to remind me that he paid for me and can do whatever he wants, so I’m surprised when he lets out a heavy breath and says, “Of course. I didn’t come over to fuck you.”
He walks to the glass table and pours himself a drink before going to stand in front of the windows.
Wrapping my arms around myself, I remain rooted to the spot while I try to process the enigma of a man that’s taken my life by storm.
If his kisses are this intense, I can only imagine what the sex will be like.
I’m a vanilla girl. I’ve cared about the two guys I’ve been with and always thought that all-consuming passion you read about was a myth. Sex was always just…sex. Good sometimes, occasionally comforting, but never the kind of experience that made the world fall away.
Never something that left me breathless from more than just physical pleasure.
But with Adriano, this stranger I’ve only known a day, a single kiss feels dangerous. It’s like he’s able to strip away every thought in my head until all I can focus on is him, the feel of his mouth, the weight of his attention, and the possessive way he touches me.
I’ve never experienced anything like this and don’t know how to handle it.
Besides Elise, every single person that I’ve crossed paths with has made me feel like less. Eventually, they all lose interest, and I become an annoyance they’re saddled with.
I give my all and get a slap in the face in return.
But I don’t have to worry about that with Adriano. He’s paid for me. I already got my reward, so to speak, and once I sign the contract, I’ll get another five million.
Whether he’s in my life for a week or a year doesn’t really matter.
I sort through my thoughts until I come to the conclusion that I should leave my emotions out of this relationship, or whatever this is. The kisses are mindblowing so odds are the sex will be great.
And that’s all it will be. No love. No connection. No heartbreak and feeling like a piece of discarded trash when the deal comes to an end.
Having made up my mind, I say, “If you want to have sex, we can. I mean… you already paid for it.”
Adriano doesn’t reply but instead sets his empty tumbler down and walks to the elevator. I watch as he pushes the button, and when the doors open, he steps inside before locking eyes with me.
“Go sleep, Laurie.”
The doors shut, and I’m left feeling like an idiot for mentioning sex.
Why the hell do I feel rejected?