His Discarded Bride: Lied to from birth. Manipulated into marriage. Does love stand a chance? (15 page)

“It was perfect, but from what I’d understood it was supposed to be a wedding to rival the Royals,” she admitted.

“Is that what you were hoping for?” he questioned.

“Oh goodness no, I couldn’t think of anything worse than hordes of strangers staring at us while we pasted on cheek hurting smiles for hours,” they both laughed.

“Honestly it was all set to be an elaborate circus until a few days ago. Getting to know you better I made a decision to scale the wedding down significantly. I didn’t want you feeling shamed on your wedding day. The thought of so many people in attendance with none of them knowing you, it felt wrong.”

If she was in any doubt, she had none left now, her heart swelled, and her breath felt constricted in the tightly laced dress. “Thank you,” it was heartfelt. “Where are we going, by the way,” she asked as he lured her into the house.

A fleeting look crossed his determined features. Not quite embarrassment, it was so quick she wasn’t able to interpret. “To our room,” and pushing the door open he claimed her mouth one hand pulling her close the other searching to release her dress. Figuring it out, Renato turned her around. Simultaneously he worked on unlacing her and trailing kisses from the nape of her neck, down the path he’d created, to the provocative curve of her tailbone.

She stepped out of her dress carefully trying not to damage the delicate material. Renato wasn’t bothered. He kicked the dress to the corner and gripped her waist. He turned her back around to face him. Held her at arms-length and admired her, “Your body is perfect,” he declared.

His eyes were full of desire, and she felt emboldened, filled with desirability in her fancy scraps of lace which she knew he would dispose of soon enough. Leilani stepped towards him and alleviated him of his jacket and tie; working slowly on the buttons of his shirt she pulled the material out from his waistband as he shrugged his arms out.

A sprinkling of soft, springy hair adorned his chest, and she closed the gap between them and pressed her nose and face into the hair. He circled his arms around her, his chest muscles cushioning her face, the feeling was indescribable and his scent intoxicating, she wanted more. Wiggling lower she went eye level with the button and zip on his pants eager to see what was awaiting her, knowing she wouldn’t be disappointed.

“Not so fast,” he wanted control and he lifted her up onto her feet and manoeuvred her towards the bed.

“We don’t have to make love in the bed,” she asserted. She may not have had sex before, but she was not ignorant, and Leilani wanted to please her husband, she wanted him wanting her, wanting more.

Claiming her mouth again, he disposed of her delicate lace undergarments. Renato stepped out of his pants and fell with her on top of the cool, silky bedspread. “Would you prefer it if your first time were up against the wall, with your legs wrapped around my waist,” he growled into her ear. “Or maybe you’d prefer it if I turned you towards the window and took you from behind while you looked out over the gardens,” he uttered.

His words shamelessly turned her on, “Yes,” she surprised them both, “I want all of it,” her inhibitions had been shattered, desire surged through her body. She ran her hands down his body and found her prize. Hard, throbbing and more than ready for her she squeezed gently, his groan encouraging her, she slowly ran her fingertips up and down the length of him. His swollen size filled her grip, “I want to taste you,” she said boldly.

Renato wanted this moment to be about her, but if she weren't careful, it would be over before it began. He always prided himself on his self-control, but she had completely disarmed him. He thought they could be good together, but he expected he would need to help her lose her inhibitions over time. She was incredibly hot for him, scorching and he was turned on by her open desire. He couldn’t deny her a thing, could barely think straight; sexually he was always the one in control, yet, within moments she’d disempowered him. He lacked coherent thought. A deep guttural sound rumbled from him as he felt the warmth of her mouth descend on him. Her tongue darted out swirling around him, as she raised and lowered her head, swallowing his engorged erection.

Fighting to gain back the control he raised her up to sit over him he needed a moment to think straight but the moment wasn’t forthcoming. Leilani glided herself on top of him. In one smooth, fluid motion he was inside of her. “Let me pleasure you first,” he offered but she gripped her thighs around his waist and started a rhythm of her choosing.

“Later,” she dictated increasing her pace and gripping onto his chest. Her hair free of most of the pins it cascaded, its silky blonde tresses reaching near the rose tip of her breast. He grabbed onto the soft strands and tugged her down closer to him capturing her mouth in his. Locked together he took hold of the soft mounds of her buttocks. He pushed her down further onto his erection restricting her movements. His back pressed into the bed as he raised his pelvis and supported her weight. Thrusting, he set a new pace designed to excite her and bring her to climax. He set a pace alternating between long hard thrusts followed by bursts of short fast movements.

She matched his movements and wildly gripped his body as she convulsed in his arms, he could feel the drenching of his erection as his climax detonated and consumed him. Sensation overwhelmed him, and he tried to hold her still. He continued to convulse as she wiggled on his over sensitised flesh. Rolling her over he gently withdrew and pulled her into his embrace and thought about what comment would be adequate after the most mind blowing sexual experience he had ever had.

“Finally,” she said and softly with a blush in her cheeks, “That was better than I imagined it to be,” she sighed.

“Don’t even pretend at being shy now,” he laughed when she pouted. “If I had have known you would be such a little tigress in bed I would have married you sooner,” he teased.

“Ha, I think we possibly have one of the fastest marriages on record as it is,” she countered.

“Here I thought that you were my sweet piccola farfallina. How will I ever concentrate at work again?” he smiled.

“You’ll manage, I’m sure and what’s a farfallina,” she asked.

“I think it’s about time you learnt some Italian,” he mocked. “It’s far fal lina,” he sounded out, “and it means butterfly,” he explained.

“Why would you think of me as a butterfly,” she asked.

“When I met you I couldn’t see your beauty. Your hairstyle and baggy clothes, I had no idea, then you came to me on the night of the ball completely transformed, my little butterfly,” and he kissed her on the forehead.

“Hmm, I like that,” she looked content with his answer.

“And what of me, do you want to share your thoughts,” he grinned.

“Mm, in the interests of a lasting union I think I’ll pass,” she teased and leant in for a kiss.

Leilani felt blissful, who would have thought that making love would feel like that. She didn’t regret her lack of experimentation because she honestly believed that the intensity and feelings were due to Renato. He was an exquisite lover. Obviously experienced and with little recovery time he showed her relatively quickly just how masterful he could be as he made good on the suggestions he’d made to her during their first lovemaking session.

CHAPTER fifteen

Leilani had been a bit surprised and disappointed that they weren’t going on a honeymoon. The timing couldn’t be worse she was told, apparently a huge merger or some such was happening. She thought if they were to continue getting to know one another then time alone and away from him work would have been ideal.

Worse than not going on a honeymoon was the fact that he would be leaving for London only two days after their wedding. His itinerary was non-stop, and he’d be gone for possibly a week. Otherwise, he would have taken her with him. “I’d be happy to do my own thing while you work,” she beseeched eager to accompany him on the trip.

“That’s sweet,” he said distractedly. “It would be unfair to you. I’ll be in meetings all day and business dinners until late,” he pecked her forehead and took another call.

Over the past twenty-four hours, his phone had been ringing non-stop. Not wanting to come off clingy she let the matter drop. The one thing that was still going strong was his sexual desire for her. When he finally joined her in bed, he was insatiable, and she was more than willing to accommodate his appetite. Both mornings he had woken her well before the alarm clock. She realised that her transition to consciousness was a lot more rapid with the rising of his erection pressing into her flesh. The early mornings suited her fine.

Leilani had no need to work so she looked for other ways to fill her days meaningfully. Her starting point was learning the language. It would be especially helpful for when they were staying in the village where English was rarely spoken. Luckily Renato’s household employees were bilingual but that wasn’t much help for her in the small town, she could hardly take someone with her everywhere she went.

Renato was in London and each morning she would receive a quick call from him; she hadn’t expected that and started to look forward to the quick conversations. She took the opportunity to practice her greetings on him, and he was very encouraging, boosting her confidence. On Wednesday, she took her lunch outside in the gazebo, for obvious reasons it was one of her favourite places. Their wedding day was a lovely memory. Sitting in the shade, she had a perfect view of the cherry trees which regularly tempted her.

Her phone rang, and her heart skipped a beat. Renato was the only person who used this number but it was nearly lunch time and so far this week he’d only called her in the mornings. She noticed that the call was coming from an international number and assumed it to be him, “Pronto,” she greeted.

“That was awful,” Leilani’s heart sank, “whoever your tutor is you should fire them.”

“What do you want Camilla,” she refused to be intimidated.

“Oh, nothing much, I just wondered if you were feeling lonely back in Pontelandolfo all by yourself?” she asked wickedly.

“I’m fine thanks,” Leilani combatted stiffly.

“Well, I just wanted to thank you personally for handing Renato over to me so quickly. Looks like the honeymoon was short-lived,” Leilani hung up the phone, she didn’t need to hear the woman’s lies.

Leilani fumed trying not to let Camilla’s words hurt. She just couldn’t believe that Renato would take that spiteful woman with him only days after marrying her even if he needed an assistant did it have to be her. She tried to turn her attention to her studies, but it was useless. Her mind was a battlefield, and as much as she wanted to get the thought of Camilla with her husband out of her mind it just wasn’t working.

By the time, Renato called her the following morning Leilani was tired, exhausted and beyond cranky. No wonder he was only calling her once a day his nights were being fully occupied. “Is it true that you have Camilla there with you,” she just couldn’t hold her tongue. If she didn’t trust him, then he could share in the blame. They’d known each other less than a month and the minute they’d wed he was off and excluding her.

“Of course she is here. She is my personal assistant, and you sound like a jealous wife. What’s got into you?” he demanded sharply.

“Well are you sleeping with her?” she had to know.

“No, I’m not sleeping with her and if you have nothing but accusations for me this morning, then I’m ending this call. My days are stressful and demanding enough. I told you when I proposed to you that I needed a strong woman by my side. One who would complement me. Your insecurities are unwarranted as I haven’t cheated on you, and I’ve assured you previously that I would not,” he stated with finality.

She let the subject drop, and the conversation dried up fairly rapidly. Leilani didn’t regret asking the question, but she regretted the emotion behind it because now he knew that she was feeling jealous and insecure. There was no way their relationship would prosper if she couldn’t trust him, yet Camilla’s open antagonism was not making it easy.

Leilani tried to think rationally, if Camilla was having an affair with her husband then what would she gain from baiting her with it. Renato was not going to leave her because he needed her married to him to keep control of the company. What a woeful anchor that was. Without the business, he’d never have even thought of her as a wife, this line of thought did nothing to ease her mind.

What Leilani needed was something to fill more of her hours, maybe a business of her own. She sat down and spent the afternoon jotting down some ideas trying desperately to keep her mind sane.

Renato touched down in Rome and made his way straight to Pontelandolfo, the drive would do him good. The last few days had been a nightmare with negotiations being stalled once again. The seller a stubborn old fool had indicated that he now wanted to meet his new wife of all things. It was ludicrous and had no relevance, besides Leilani was still too unpredictable. She could end up losing the entire deal for him particularly if their last conversation were any indication.

He’d barely had time to think of her little jealous episode. He knew he should have called her back, but he had been flat out, as one thing after another took his attention away. He would be home soon enough, and he’d deal with things then. Hopefully, her doubts were a passing insecurity; he wanted to go home and bed his sexy wife a lot more than he wanted to sit and defend his actions.

Leilani heard Renato come through the door and walked into the living room to greet her husband. “How was your trip,” she asked solicitously. 

Walking straight towards her, he took her into his arms and kissed her as though he had been away for years rather than a week. “It was tiring and stressful,” and without a breath, “and now I want to take you to bed. I’ve missed you,” it was a statement. However, he left time for her to refuse.

“I missed you too,” and she held his hand and walked towards the bedroom where they made love twice. The first time was semi-clothed, fast and hard as they clung to each other working one another to climax barely inside the room. The second time they lingered, appreciating one another, tasting, feeling and enjoying the slow build up to release.  All the worries of the week disappeared with his kisses, how easily she went to him; their lovemaking was even more explosive than in the days before he left.

They took their time dressing, neither saying much. She still wanted to discuss the issue of Camilla but didn’t know how to initiate the conversation so soon after making love.

“Sit down, it’s clear we need to talk,” Renato stated. “Look, I will regularly need to go away for business and sometimes you may come with me and other trips I’ll be on my own. I will nearly always require my assistant to go along with me,” he started.

“I understand,” she interjected.

“Let me finish,” he pushed. “I assured you that I wouldn’t sleep around, and nothing has changed. It appears that you and Camilla have not hit it off, but I can assure you that I do not find her tempting in the least. You have nothing to worry about,” he assured her.

“I know you need an assistant but does it have to be her?” she asked.

“Leilani you are going to have to deal with your insecurities. If I get someone else what will be the difference, you’ll just start to grow suspicious of my new P.A.,” he objected. “What is it with the two of you? The last time she was here I could feel the animosity between you both.”

“She is interested in more than a working relationship with you Renato, that’s what the problem is,” she fired back.

His phone started ringing but before he answered, “Listen, I don’t want to have this becoming an issue. Are you prepared to trust me so we can make our marriage work?” he asked quickly, the phone pressing their conversation.

Leilani wanted to say more; she wanted to bring up the conversation she’d had with Camilla, but the ringing rushed her, and she ended up agreeing to trust him.

“Good, let’s drop the subject then hmm,” kissing her forehead quickly he answered the call and headed to his office.

Later that night at the dinner table Renato asked her how she’d been filling her days, “I’ve been studying Italian,” she said with a half-smile. “I’m terrible though,” she admitted.

“Show me. Ciao bella, come ti chiami?”

“Um, mi chiamo Leilani,” she uttered slowly still needing to think about her response.

Renato laughed in delight, “Excellent,” he reassured her. “Just your pronunciation needs some work. When you end the word chiamo you should pronounce the o like you say orange,” he instructed.

“That’s what I did, didn’t I?” now she wasn’t so sure.

“No, you ended it like you say mang o,” he smiled. You sound like an Aussie speaking Italian.

She laughed, “Well that’s because I am an Aussie trying to learn Italian,” she exclaimed. She didn’t mind his assistance; he was helpful and a little bit playful about it so her confidence remained.

“’I’ve been thinking. I need something to do during the days. Learning Italian is fine but it only takes up a couple of hours at best, and I’ve always worked for a living.” She might not have had a high-flying career, but she had always worked, mostly in customer service that she enjoyed. Lounging around was fine for a holiday but long term she would no doubt go crazy.

“I have nothing against you working but until you learn the language, you will struggle to find employment here. The other factor to consider is that jobs in Italy are scarce at the moment,” he stated.

“Yes, you are right. I’m aware of the economic situation here,” she agreed.

“I don’t want to sound condescending, but the level of work you have on your resume is entry level. Once you do learn the language, some might think it unfair of you to take a working class job. Particularly a job that could go to someone who needs it to support their family,” he raised a good point.

“That’s true, I guess I didn’t give it much thought. However, I will need something to do. I think I'll need to give it more thought.”

“What about this,” he came up with an idea. “Why don’t you study the language and culture full time, there is a good private learning institute in the city. Then when you are proficient in the language the two of us can look into options for you. Who knows you may even be pregnant with our baby,” he smiled.

Leilani pressed her lips together. A baby, she hadn’t even thought about that possibility yet. It was way too soon; they weren’t just newly-wed they were newly met. “I think I’d like to wait a bit before we rush into a family,” she deferred.

He frowned, “Now or later a family is imperative. You knew that was part of the proposition,” he stated.

“Yes and I’m not backing out of that agreement,” proposition indeed. Did he need to make it sound like a business deal, couldn’t he at least let it go and pretend that it was an ordinary marriage. “I’m just saying that I think it would be better to continue to build our relationship first before we bring a baby into the world. I want to ensure our child has a stable home to enter and right now it’s just all so new for both of us,” she was simply trying to be rational.

“Are you on the pill?”

“No, I’ve never had a need,” she answered honestly.

He paused looking at her, waiting for the realisation to sink in. “Leilani I’m sure I don’t need to spell this out for you. If you haven’t been taking oral contraception and we haven’t been using anything, then the chances are that you may already be with child,” he stated as a matter of fact.

“Oh,” he was right and she couldn’t even point the finger. They had both made love without giving a thought to contraception. Naturally Renato hadn’t raised the topic of wanting a baby immediately but if she didn’t want a baby, then she should have thought about this sooner.

“Maybe I should see a doctor and organise the pill,” she said thinking out aloud.

“How about this,” Renato proposed. “Wait until the start of your period. If you are pregnant already then you don’t want to risk harming the baby. If you are not then by all means go see a physician,” he was rational, and his suggestion made sense. She’d expected more resistance from him.

“That sounds like a logical idea,” she agreed with him once again.

“Leilani, I know you want to think I’m the villain due to the circumstances of our marriage, but I’m not inhuman. I will give you some time to get accustomed to being married and the idea of starting a family. Just don’t wait too long. We will continually have pressure from Vittorio, and personally I would prefer to conceive sooner rather than later,” he ended their conversation.