Read Cortigiana (A Vamp Life Prequel) Online
Authors: Jez Strider
Tags: #romance, #vampires, #paranormal romance, #free, #venice, #courtesan, #romance 1500s, #jez strider, #vamp life
Cortigiana (A Vamp Life Prequel) (2 page)
glanced down to his hand before taking it. As if he predicted my
clumsiness, I stumbled and fell against him. “I’m sorry. Are you
Mr. Sanuto?”
The man gave a nearly imperceptible shake of
his head before guiding me to sit down. “No.” He said simply.
I folded my hands in my lap and remembered
to sit up straight. “I am Evelina Angelis. It is my pleasure to
meet you.” My voice sounded soft and meek, not at all how I
pictured myself.
“
Antonio d’Artusio, at your
service.” He looked at me once more and I bowed my head shyly. “I
am Mr. Sanuto’s personal bodyguard.”
“
Why are you not guarding
him?” I asked.
make sure you arrived safely. Dante knew your mother so he is
convinced you must be an equally ravishing beauty.” He lifted my
chin and examined my features. “I would have to say you are most
beautiful, though you appear inexperienced in this
profession.”
“
I…” I drew in a deep
breath. “This is my first time.”
“
It shows.”
to act and look the part of a welcoming companion. “I see. Perhaps
I should forgo this venture.” I turned away from what I perceived
as a scrutinizing glare.
He brushed a strand of my hair away. “You
cannot, I am afraid. Is this not the life you wanted?”
I stammered in my response again. “I… did
not have the chance to decide what I wanted. Surely, if I had been
meant for something different, I would not be here.”
Antonio nodded. “True. I wish you luck this
evening.”
“
Thank you, sir.” I told him
sincerely. We fell silent until we arrived at the Grand Canal and
the boat stopped at the mansion.
the handsome bodyguard. My heart was pounding and I caught him
strangely admiring my chest. It was like he could see inside, hear
each nervous thump.
“
Calm yourself. You can do
this.” He said before pointing toward a man sitting in a large
chair at the head of the ballroom. “Be well.”
second time, he was gone. Right to left, I searched, but in the
mixture of people and masks I could not find him. I remembered what
was at stake and walked confidently toward the man I was to keep
company for the duration of the night.
In his own way, Dante Sanuto was equally as
alluring as Antonio had been even though the mask obscured many
features. It must have been the confidence he exuded as he watched
me cross the room. Magnificent white hair flowed down to his waist.
I had never seen any like it before. I wondered if the long locks
were a wig and decided they had to be.
“
Master Sanuto.” I curtseyed
and bowed my head respectively as I was no equal in his home.
“Thank you for the privilege of being your companion this
eve.”
just remained still as he examined my form, tapping his index
finger on the arm of his chair. Loud music and dancing filled the
room behind us, but we were alone in that moment.
“
Evelina.” He said once
before repeating it again more softly. “It is a name fit for
royalty.”
“
I am glad it meets your
approval, Master.” I told him.
behind the mask. “Did my bodyguard inform you to call me by the
title of Master?”
“
No, sir. I… I do not know
what compelled me to say it.” I lowered my eyes for fear of having
offended him.
though I couldn’t recall seeing him stand and move. “You are quite
lovely.” He lightly lifted a hand full of my hair and leaned down
to inhale my scent. “What other skills do you possess?”
I was unsure if he wanted to know normal
talents or bedroom skills. “I am quite versed in literature and
poetry. For at least an hour each day I practice singing or playing
instruments. Well, I did before….” That was where I caught myself.
I was telling too much.
“
Before your family was
taken from you.” His voice held a strange sadness, as if he
understood my pain. I had to look away to hide the tears
threatening to fall.
“
Yes, sir.”
“
Let us dance away our
cares. You do know how, do you not?” He asked.
lessons and attended parties. None were as fancy as Dante’s ball,
though. “La volta, if it pleases you.”
“
La volta, would most
certainly
please
me.” Dante said, leaving my side to speak to the musicians
briefly.
dance I had chosen. People deemed it inappropriate for ladies.
Glancing around, I noticed couples necking in corners and more than
one exposed breast. The company I was keeping certainly had liberal
views on what was proper.
Dante returned to me and we began performing
the dance moves. All was as expected at first, but the music
changed a bit later and I found myself held firmly against my
partner’s body while his hands explored freely. He gave a tug at my
bodice and exposed more flesh than was ladylike. I began to panic.
His hand rested on my chest and over my heart. He closed his
eyes.
“
So fearful and delicate.
You are like a cornered rabbit. Do I scare you this
much?”
“
Yes.” I was terrified of a
world I knew little about, but exhilarated by it at the same time.
Oh, how clueless I was to what I was getting myself
into.
with mine. “Let us get away from the crowds, then. Yes?” I nodded
and he led me out of the ballroom, leaving the revelers to enjoy
the event without explaining his absence.
Paintings lined the walls. The ancestors
depicted were hauntingly familiar in appearance to Dante. Each
person had that same white hair. Piercing blue eyes seemed to
follow me as we walked down the hallways. “I like your paintings.
Your home is beautiful.”
We paused in front of a room and Dante
unlocked the door with a large key before slipping it back into his
pocket. “It is an old tradition. The real test is finding a
suitable artist in each generation.”
Dante pushed open the door and gestured for
me to enter the room first. Just as I was about to step inside the
man from earlier, Antonio, rounded the corner with a party goer on
his arm. Our eyes locked briefly. I started to lift my hand to wave
in greeting, but he gave a shake of his head to dissuade me and
walked on without pausing. He knew the master of the house better
than I, so I entered the immaculate bedroom without further
hesitation.
Like everything else in the home, the
bedroom was a dream. I stepped forward and ran my hand across the
soft bedspread. It had been weeks since I had slept in my own bed.
Luca and Regina hadn’t made any attempt to find me a place to sleep
other than the floor.
I jumped a little when Dante rested a hand
on my shoulder. “The world is filled with pain and disappointment.
Let it go and live for the moment. Trust me.” He whispered near my
ear, as if he had been reading my mind. His hands worked to unlace
the back of my dress. I stood stiffly, but of course did not
protest. I knew why I was there. For his entertainment… for his
pleasure.”
“
Yes, sir. I do trust
you.”
completely.”
Anxiously, I did as I was told. Each piece
of my dress, I carefully spread out on the large trunk at the foot
of the bed so it would not get wrinkled. When I finished, I watched
Dante. Without thinking, I kept one arm over my bare breasts and a
hand lowered to try to hide my sex. Dante was undressing with
little hurry, folding each piece of his attire and laying it on the
dresser in front of him. He still hadn’t removed the mask and I
feared what he might be hiding behind it.
“
How can you trust someone
who has been behind a mask for the entire evening? Are you saying
what you think I want to hear?” He asked, facing me.
when he was asking me a serious question. I was not entirely
successful. His erection pointed directly at me. I eyed him up and
down despite my best efforts to refrain. In all my years, I’d never
been naked with a man. Finally, after composing my thoughts, I was
able to venture a response.
“
We all hide behind masks
whether they are physical or not. I trust you because I have no
other choice.”
tossed it aside to reveal handsome, masculine features. He was
younger than the white hair led me to guess, but something about
him felt ancient. He gripped me by the arms and pulled me against
him before lowering his mouth to mine and kissing me
fervently.
He released my arms and lifted my mask off
my eyes after minutes of eternity. “You wear the mask of a whore.”
One fingertip ran between my breasts and paused over my heart. “And
yet, inside you are much more than that.”
Until that night, men had never been much of
priority in my life. I had turned down all suitors my father had
presented to me because I had liked my life the way it had been.
Getting dolled up, speaking with the handsome bodyguard, and
kissing Dante caused something to burst inside me. I wrapped my
arms around his neck and it was my turn to kiss. He picked me up
and lay me down on the bed. Not one inch of my body was left
unturned by his hands or mouth. His probing fingers didn’t make me
feel violated as I expected, nor did his girth pressing into my
middle. I doubted Dante was concerned about my feelings
anyway.
“
Nothing is more enjoyable
than destroying purity.” He groaned into my ear as he did just
that, sealing the deal on my new profession. There was a brief
sensation of pain, but not between my legs where I had expected. It
was when his lips pressed against my neck and he bit me.
instead of my ball gown when morning came. I was alone. Dante was
nowhere to be found. Despite how much I had enjoyed the night, a
shame fell over me for the deed. I dressed quickly and went to the
mirror. I didn’t look like a different woman, but I felt like one.
As I was examining my neck to see if I could find evidence of where
the pain had come from, there was a knock on the door.
“
Coming.” I pulled my hair
down over my neck even though I had found no wound or
bruise.
standing there when I opened the door. Seeing Antonio’s face free
of the mask gave me an unfamiliar feeling in my stomach. Was it
butterflies because of my attraction or was I hungry for breakfast?
I couldn’t tell. The shaky sensation had been absent with
Dante.
“
Antonio.” I smiled. “I am
happy to see you again.” He did not return the smile so I was left
standing there with an awkward, lingering expression.
at me. “Payment for services rendered. You did a good job. Dante
believes you deserve compensation.”
I caught the pouch upside down and several
golden coins spilled onto the floor. “Why are you angry with me?”
His attitude confused me. I began gathering up the coins.
“
What I think matters
little.” He said, watching me intensely. “I will return you to your
home.”
“
For a bodyguard, you are
never guarding.”
impatiently. “Then hurry so I can get back to my job.”
My carefully constructed persona cracked and
I shoved by Antonio. Who did he think he was? He was a bodyguard,
nothing more special than I.
A few guests were passed out and I had to
step over an entwined, sleeping couple to get out the door. The
boat was waiting so I climbed in without waiting for help. I hid
the few coins I had picked up off the floor in my clothing. My aunt
and uncle would want the money, but I wasn’t going to give them all
of it.
There was an uncomfortable silence and
tension between Antonio and I that I couldn’t understand. He had
been friendly enough when he had brought me to the ball. Overnight
he had changed into a different person.
“
There will be others who
seek your company now.” He told me.
“
I suppose that means I did
well.” I leaned back, letting the sun warm my skin and the breeze
blow through my hair. Unconsciously, I think, or maybe purposely, I
had worn the front of my dress lower to expose cleavage. “You
should call upon me sometime.”
question.”
“
And why is that? Am I not
pretty enough for you or do your tastes lie elsewhere? In men?” I
ran my hand along his thigh. His body responded to my touch with an
impressive length extending down his leg. Where my newfound
confidence came from, I wasn’t sure, but I liked it.
closer. His lips were mere inches from mine. My heart was sent
racing once more. “I have little need to pay for what I desire.” I
had thought he was going to kiss me, had hoped he would. When he
didn’t, I was swamped with disappointment. Antonio removed my hand
from his body, returned to gazing at the lagoon, and we spoke no
more. I exited the boat and headed for the door. He was watching me
when I looked back, but departed without even a wave.
