Love in the City, an erotic romance novel (18 page)

Anabelle felt her face turn bright red.

“As I said,” Giorgio replied, his tone changing to one of irritation, “we only met recently, but we’re enjoying each other’s company a great deal and are getting to know one another better.”

“Hmmm…” she said, giving Anabelle a second once over.

Giorgio wanted to change the subject. “So, where’s my brother?”

“He’s out there making the rounds somewhere,” she said, waving to the air. She stepped closer to Giorgio. “You must save me a dance, darling.”

“Maybe later,” he said, “we should get going. We just got here and there are some folks I need to see.”

Portia huffed. “I’ll come find you when I’m ready.” She leaned over to give Giorgio an
other air kiss, placing a hand on his shoulder in the process. She turned to Anabelle with a cold stare. “Annie.”

“Uh, it’s actually Anabelle…” she tried corrected her, but Portia was already walking away.

“Sorry about that,” Giorgio said, shaking his head. “She can be a bit much. She likes to act superior to everyone else.”

“Why?” Anabelle asked.

“She’s the social climber type and she, well…has a high opinion of herself. “

You mean she’s an arrogant bitch,
Anabelle thought, pissed off at the woman’s patently dismissive and condescending attitude towards her.

“
She’s been that way since I met her,” Giorgio continued, “whether it’s personal or professional circumstances. It’s just her nature. I try to ignore her most of the time,” he said as he shrugged his shoulders.

Anabelle wanted to say something about seeing him at lunch that day. He didn’t seem to be trying to ignore her then. “She has the greenest eyes I’ve ever seen.”

“Yeah, colored contacts,” he said. “Her natural eye color is actually green, but apparently not green enough.”

“Really? Well, they sure pop. They look l
ike jewels. And holy big lips, Batman,” she commented.

“Yeah, s
he gets them done fairly often. She goes for some kind of injections, I think. Nikolas told me.”

“Well, if she wants to stand out, it’s working,” Anabelle said. It wasn’t a compliment, but she didn’t want to be overtly catty about a member of
his family that she just met.

“That’s Portia. Nothing is subtle with her. And she’s usually late for everything. Come,” he said, tilting his head, “let’s do some more meet and greets.” He took her hand.

She was hoping he’d tell her more about Portia or mention the lunch he had with her recently. It had looked like they were having a serious discussion about something. But he didn’t. He obviously wanted to change the subject, so she let him.

After the extremely awkward introduction with Portia, they proceeded to mingle. Anabelle still felt uncomfortable since she didn’t know anyone. As they mixed with the crowd, Anabelle could see that attractive women of various ages were eyeing Giorgio. She could tell they were appreciating his handsome looks and masculine build. She felt at once proud to be on his arm and a little like there were blood-thirsty sharks circling, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Over the next hour and a half, Giorgio introduced her to so many people it was becoming a blur of faces and names she’d never remember, except for some who stood out. Three of the women had brazenly flirted with him right in front of her, as if she wasn’t even there. One even had a giant diamond wedding ring set on.
No shame,
Anabelle thought, wondering where the woman’s husband was and why he was letting his wife with the wandering eye out of his sight. Maybe he was used to it and no longer cared. Maybe he was somewhere doing the exact same thing.

These were definitely not people Anabelle wanted to spend much time around. She didn’t trust any of them. Giorgio was respectful in all of his exchanges, but she wondered what he’d be like if she wasn’t standing right there. It tied her stomach in a knot.

“I’m sorry about the behavior of some of these people,” Giorgio said. “Wealth and privilege gives people a skewed sense of boundaries and morality sometimes.”

She remembered what Sarah had said. Her friend had been right. “And you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “How do you navigate through all of those blurred boundaries? You seem to have a lot of temptation and opportunities coming your way.”

He stopped walking and gently held her arm. He looked straight at her, his face serious. “I learned a long time ago not to chase down empty paths. It only eats away at your soul. I make better choices now. It’s made me a happier man.” He kissed her hand. “
You
are making me a happier man.”

She felt her face grow hot with emotion. “You mean that?”

He smiled softly and touched her cheek. “I do, so you can just own that, you know.”

She nodded, then looked down, feeling self-conscious about her
bundle of insecurities. She was sure that wasn’t a quality that a man looked for in a woman.

Giorgio saw her reaction even though he could tell she was trying to hide it. “Want to go outside and get some fresh air?” h
e asked. “It’s a warm evening.”

She looked visibly relieved. It felt like a lifeline. “I’d love to,” she said,
smiling.

He
gave her a knowing smile in return, and led her towards the far wall to a set of double doors that opened onto a large terrace overlooking Central Park. The view was stunning. There were three other likeminded couples out there already, stealing some privacy and breathing room from the stuffy event. He took her hand and they walked to the far end of the terrace, and down to a second landing, closer to the ground, which was partially cast in shadows. The well-enclosed area was nice and secluded, but still offered lovely views of the surrounding lush park.

“Better?” he asked as he leaned against the railing.

“Much better, thank you,” she said. “You must be a mind reader.” She took a deep breath of the warm, fragrant air. The music from inside sounded muted and soft out there and the chatter more distant. It was exactly what she needed.

“It’s all a bit much to take in, I know,” he said.

“Yeah,” she said, “I thought I had steeled myself for this, but it’s more overwhelming than I expected.”

He stepped close to her. His hand rubbed her arm in gentle strokes.

She looked up at him, still dazzled by his blue eyes and lips that now curved into a sexy smile.

He bent down to kiss her, a long, tender kiss. Then he pulled her
in close to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, loving the feel of his strong masculine body against her. He smelled heavenly, an earthy musk with a hint of patchouli and cedar. She pressed in closer to him, happy to disappear into his tall body and strong chest.

He kissed the top of her head. His hands caressed her back, then found her waist and his grip tightened just a hint as they rested on her hips.

She thought of their night of passion together, how electrifying and sensual his touch had been. She longed for more of that intimacy with him. Forgetting the stress of the charity ball inside and feeling her body warm to his touch, she leaned back from him to look at his chest. She ran her hands up it, feeling his muscles underneath the expensive tux. She slipped her hands inside his jacket, over his shirt. Her one hand rested over his heart, she could feel it beating fast. She smiled to herself, she liked being able to elicit a response from him. She felt very feminine in his arms, and her feminine body was responding to his full on masculine one.

“I haven’t stopped thinking of our…play date,” he whispered
to her. “How you felt in my hands, how you tasted.” He closed his eyes as she let her hands slide slowly down his chest to his waist.

“Neither have I,” she whispered. “Your body is exquisite.” He had a power to take her sexual arousal from zero to sixty in no time. She had never experienced anything so potent with a man before. It was overwhelming all of her senses.

He let out a soft moan. “So is yours. And I want to see more of it.”

“Oh you do, do you?” she teased as she felt his hips, strong, wider than hers
due to his big build. She reveled in his size. She caressed the sides of his hips seductively as she took a deep breath, ensuring her bosom looked full to him. She felt him shudder slightly.

He was
trying hard to keep his body’s responses in check as she now put more pressure into her caresses.

She liked t
hat she was pushing his buttons, that he wasn’t fully in control when they got close. In this moment, she wanted to shift a little more of that control. She wanted to explore more of him, see what other responses she could elicit, recalling how his manhood had felt in her hand that night, how hard he had been. Such a sexual being, he was.

“You know I do,” he said looking at her intently, his desire clearly etched on his handsome face.

She smiled seductively, then slowly looked down and back up his body. She then held his gaze as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her bosom into his chest. “Giorgio, you are simply magnificent in clothes or out of them.” She felt mischievous, knowing the danger of being caught at any moment. It excited her. She wasn’t usually so bold, so daring, but the champagne plus her state of arousal compelled her to push the envelope just a little farther. She pressed the rest of her body against him as well.

“Anabelle,” he whispered, his voice low and hoarse.

She writhed sensually against his firm body. “Yes?” she asked, her voice a low purr. She looked up at him, pretending not to know what was on his mind or what effect she was having on him. She swayed her hips just a hint slowly from side to side, feeling his body clearly respond. She was generating some dangerous heat between them.

His hands gripped her hips, holding them still. She tried to writhe out of his grip, but he held her firm. He pressed his lips to her ear. “You little devil,” he whispered, “you’re enjoying this. Teasing me, knowing I can’t do anything about it.” He leaned
the side of his head against hers. His breath was hot against her neck, his breathing heavy. He held her hips away from his.

“You started it,” she
whispered back. She wanted to press close to him, press herself into him. Her primal side was taking over. She no longer cared about the hundreds of people close by. She felt emboldened, her instincts clamoring for more touch, more taste, more feel. She lifted her head and with one hand, laced her fingers into his thick hair. She pulled his head down until his lips met hers. His lips parted, her tongue pressing into his. She kissed him with a passion, a hunger that begged for more, that begged to get closer, to explore, to invite, to seduce.

She felt him shudder again. His hands moved up her side to just below her breasts, and lingered, tentative, wanting to touch, wanting her femininity. He pulled away, his breathing heavy, his eyes half-lidded, his lips swollen and red. She wanted him.

“Anabelle,” he said, “stop. I-I can’t…I’m losing…”

She smiled and reached up to kiss him again. She wanted to taste him, to entice him into doing something she knew they shouldn’t. She pushed her hips hard into his, escaping his grip. She f
elt his body’s desire as he hardened even more. She was thrilled.

He inhaled sharply
as he felt her body brazenly press against the building pressure between his legs that he was now desperately trying to fight off and get control of. He groaned, pushing her away. “No, please…Anabelle, I-I have to stop…please…” he said, his voice strained, as he closed his eyes and lowered his head. His hands went to her shoulders, squeezing them, then releasing. His breathing was labored. He pressed his lips together. His face was etched into a frown, a look of discomfort crossing his perfect features.

He looked so sexy and vulnerable to her
in that moment. Part of her wanted to prey on that sexual power she felt over him. Her mind imagined dragging him down the stairs, pushing him down hard onto the cool grass. Unbuttoning his shirt, then working her way lower. Taking him as he groaned in sexual ecstasy beneath her. She wanted to conquer him, to look at him, to make him do what she wanted in this moment. She had never felt such a primal hunger to take a man before. It was exhilarating, dangerous, mouth-watering. Her body ached with the heat he stirred within her.

“
But I’m having a hard time slowing down,” she said, breathlessly. “Besides, I like where we left off last time. I want more.” She could see the sexual agony on his face. It was delicious to her. He was like a drug for her. She moved to get closer.

His hands
quickly went to her hips, firmly holding her away from him.

She gave him a challenging look.

He held her gaze, then shook his head. “It’s not fair, you little vixen. I can’t hide my arousal, you know that.” He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “You’re doing this to me on purpose,” he then whispered. “You know what you do to me.”

“And what you do to me,” she countered.

He gave her a pointed look. “It’s real easy for you to conceal it, but I’m male and it’s a whole different story for me.” His tone was one of playful admonishment. She was causing him what was now turning into discomfort and a lot of potential embarrassment if anyone saw him right now. He bit his own lip hard to give his mind a different sensation to focus on.