Love in the City, an erotic romance novel (19 page)

She pouted.
“I’m being scolded.”

He laughed. “Yes, you are,
deservedly so,” he said, his tone still a bit terse. “Now I’m going to need you to punch me hard or something. Sudden pain should help my…condition.”

“Pain, huh?”
She licked her lips. “Now where shall I punch you to help your unfortunate…condition?” she asked, dropping her gaze below his waist. Her eyes went wide. The bulge in the front of his pants was distinctly more pronounced now. She gave a dramatic sigh. “I was growing rather fond of that.”

“Oh
you…you’re relentless,” he said, his lips curling into a frustrated grin. He grunted and dug his fingers into her hips. “I think I was wrong, you’re the one who should be punished. Severely.”

“Yes, I think you’re right,” she replied.
She placed her finger on his chest. “So what are you going to do about it? Just let me get away with this?”

“You’re killing me,” he
uttered through gritted teeth and looked up at the sky. He then regarded her for a moment, trying to understand what she was actually intending to do at this very public event. Still holding her firmly in his grip, he swallowed hard. “I’m not a toy, you know.”

Well, parts of you are,
she thought, knowing she dare not say anything else suggestive aloud.

He saw the look on her face. It was plain as day. “I can read your mi
nd, you know, you little brat.”

She blushed.
But she understood. She backed off, now feeling bad about things.

He closed his eyes
and concentrated, finally corralling the wild stampeding horses that had been coursing through his body.

A couple of minutes
later, they heard footsteps heading their way.

Giorgio quickly adjusted himself.

Anabelle smoothed her hair and wiped any errant lipstick away. She brushed it off of his lips, too.

The footsteps got closer.
“There you are,” the woman’s voice said. “Someone said they saw you heading this way.” It was Portia.

Anabelle’s face fell.

“Hiding out?” she asked as she came down the steps to join them on the landing. “At one of the biggest events of the year?”

Giorgio cleared his throat. “Just getting some air and taking a break from all the small talk.”
He was glad for the shadows down on this terrace level, so she wouldn’t be able to see them too clearly at the moment.

“Sure,” she said, “like I’ve never used that excuse before. Please.” She stepped in between them. “Besides Giorgio, you’re usually working the room
all night like no one’s business.” She sized up the two of them, taking in their nervous, awkward appearances. She flicked her hair and huffed.

“Things can change, Portia,” he said, the irritation evident in his voice. “What can I do for you?”

“Well actually, I need to talk to you. Alone. That is if I can drag you away from your little distraction,” she said, giving Anabelle another, even colder look. “There’s a business matter I want to talk to you about…privately.”

Giorgio sighed. “Really, right now? It can’t wait?”

Anabelle was steamed at Portia’s attempt to marginalize her. She was the one she wanted to punch.

“No, it can’t,” she said firmly. “That’s why I was looking all over for you.” She turned to Anabelle, “Sorry to drag him away from your little high school moment, but this is very important.”

Anabelle felt her face go red. She was so mad she couldn’t think of a civilized comeback, so she held her tongue.

Giorgio took Anabelle by the shoulders. “I’ll be back shortly.” He kissed her forehead.

Portia rolled her eyes.

“Ok
ay,” Anabelle said. “I’ll be fine.”

“Good girl,” Portia said with a smirk. She grabbed Giorgio’s arm and led him back up the stairs.
She turned back for a moment in a dramatic pose, her long leg showing through the high slit of her dress. “Besides, he’s far too popular with the ladies for one woman to keep him to herself. Always has been,” she purred, as she squeezed his arm.

Giorgio turned back around. He looked mad. “Don’t listen to her,” he said as
Portia dragged him upstairs.

Anabelle
felt her heart sink. She didn’t know what to think or what to make of their relationship. She clenched her hands into fists. “I can’t stand that woman,” she said under her breath. She leaned over the balcony to take some deep breaths and calm down. She tried to tell herself that Portia was just trying to get under her skin. She knew the type, always working some kind of angle to get the upper hand on someone. But still she thought as she recalled all of the women who had their eye on him and that was just at this one event, where he had brought a date. She was heading for trouble, she feared.

Reluctantly, after about ten minutes of trying to calm her nerves and flaring emotions, she headed back up to the ball, feeling like a fish out of water.

She looked around, but didn’t see where Giorgio and Portia had gone. She wasn’t going to try and hunt him down, though. He could come find her when he was done. She’d do her best to play it cool. She weaved through the crowd. It was hard not knowing a single soul, but there were so many people, she hoped she wouldn’t stand out too much as a loner. She eventually made her way to the bar, the place that wayward souls and lonely misfits gravitated to at uncomfortable parties.

“What can I get you, miss?” the young, good-looking bartender asked.

“Prosecco?” she asked.

“A very nice choice,” he said, smiling.

She liked the polite demeanor of the staff here. At least they were being paid to be nice to her. She’d take whatever she could get.

He handed her the glass. “Enjoy,” he said and quickly went to attend to the next guest.

She took the glass and sighed. She stood to the side of the bar for awhile, then felt it was time to leave.
Where to now?
she wondered. She looked around and spotted a small, round standing table near some festively lit, tall indoor plants. There were a couple of empty glasses on it, but whoever had been there appeared to have left. She made her way through the crowd, heading for the small oasis.

She set her drink down on the table and pushed the other two glasses aside. She stood with her back to the wall, watching the room. Moments later a waiter came by to clear the empty glasses. Now it was even more obvious that she was by herself. She felt very conspicuous. She just stood there for a time watching people dance. They all seemed happy and carefree, reveling in their wealth and the opulence that surrounded them.

A couple that had been chatting with a group nearby, spotted the table. They walked over. “Do you mind if we leave these here?” the man asked, pointing to their empty glasses.

“No, it’s fine,” Anabelle said. He thanked her and the two of them headed off back into the crowd.

She sat there looking at the empty glasses. She felt like a human version of the discarded glasses. A table where the things that were no longer needed gathered. Feeling embarrassed, she left, deciding to just walk around and people watch for awhile, and then maybe head back outside and look at the stars.

A couple of waiters came by offering appetizers, but Anabelle had lost her appetite.

The music thumped, people danced, the crowd seemed bigger now and it was getting harder and harder to hear. The more people drank, the more boisterous and animated they became. A couple of times she got elbowed due to her unfortunate timing of passing by someone suddenly flinging their arms out as they shared stories with their friends. People were getting more and more drunk by the minute it seemed.

Feeling bruised, literally and figuratively, she decided to make her way back to the balcony and away from the
throng. She squeezed her way past the inebriated crowd towards the double doors. A few feet away, she stopped in her tracks. Through the tall arched windows, she spotted Giorgio outside on the balcony, standing next to a large stone column. He wasn’t alone.

Anabelle’s breath caught in her throat. It wasn’t just that Giorgio was with someone, it was who he was with and what was going on.

She felt conspicuous, so she found a spot that would mostly shield her from being seen, but give her a good view of them. She downed the rest of her Prosecco and set the empty glass down on a wide windowsill.

Her heart was beating faster. She peered out. Giorgio was engaged in deep conversation, but not with Portia. With Raquel.

Anabelle didn’t know her boss was going to be here. Raquel hadn’t said a word about it, even though she knew something was going on between
her and Giorgio. She felt her face grow hot.
That schemer,
she thought angrily.

S
he also felt angry with Giorgio.
How quickly his attentions could turn,
she told herself bitterly. He hadn’t told her Raquel was going to be here and he’d said he’d come find her after he was done talking to Portia. It had been almost forty-five minutes now and he obviously hadn’t come looking for her. He was busy.

Giorgio’s back was to her. She looked at Raquel, who had outdone herself with getting dressed up for this event. She was wearing an eye-catching silky
cream-colored floor-length dress. The front of it plunged down to just above her belly button and she wore a stunning and huge ruby pendant surrounded by diamonds. The bottom half of her dress was fitted around her hips and derrière and then had a subtle flare at the knees. It accentuated her hourglass figure. Her red hair was done up in elegant waves, like a ‘50s pinup model. The front panels of her dress were provocatively narrow, covering her breasts, but just so. Anabelle saw that she wasn’t wearing any kind of bra underneath her slinky dress.

Anabelle looked around to see if anyone was taking note of her clandestine spy efforts. Everyone seemed engaged in their own worlds, caught up in the glamour of the evening and each other. She turned back to Giorgio and Raquel, trying to get a sense of what was going on in the exchange. She watched as Raquel was being overtly flirtatious. Giggling and leaning forward and touchin
g his arm at something he said.

Raquel then leaned back and brushed her hair behind her shoulders. She said something, then looked down and touched her pendant, which rested between her breasts. Anabelle could tell she was purposely drawing attention to her
ample décolletage. Raquel lifted the pendant and grabbed Giorgio’s hand, stepping closer and placing it in his palm. She was pointing something out about the pendant. Giorgio then awkwardly let go of the pendant and pulled his hand away, placing his hands in his pockets. Raquel then leaned forward, grabbing his arm and whispering something into his ear. Anabelle watched as Raquel pressed herself against his chest. She lifted her arm to rest her hand on top of his shoulder, her dress fighting to keep her covered. She watched as Raquel’s fingers went to lace themselves in his thick hair.

Anabelle felt herself tear up. She couldn’t watch anymore. She felt sick. She should have known. A man like that had so many opportunities all the time. He would never resist all of them. She didn’t think she could handle it. A tear fell down her cheek. She wiped it away, feeling very self-conscious. She needed to find the ladies
’ room before she made spectacle of herself.

Anabelle quickly turned away and hurried off towards the bathrooms. She made it into the furthest bathroom stall just in time before the tears started to really flow. Thankfully there was no one else in the bathroom at the moment. It was a small comfort for her. She sat down and grabbed some toilet paper, trying to catch her tears before they ruined all of her makeup. She sobbed quietly. She hated Raquel. She was stabbing her in the back and she knew it and didn’t care. Anabelle shook her head, trying to get a grip on herself. She blew her nose. She wanted to leave the ball.

Just then, the door opened. A woman was talking on her phone. Anabelle held her breath. She didn’t want to be heard crying. She’d just have to wait until the woman left.

“Ok
ay, I can hear you better now,” the woman said as she entered a stall and closed the door.

Anabelle held her breath. It was Portia. At least she thought it was. She definitely didn’t want to bump into her right now, especially in her current state. Portia would eat her alive. Anabelle stayed as still as she possibly could, not making a sound.

“It has to be done tonight, while I’m here,” she said, keeping her voice low. “Lots of people have seen me, plus he’s going to be making an announcement in the next day or two, I just confirmed that…Yes, that’s right, it has to be timed with that…no, just post exactly what I told you, the secret overseas transfers…duping creditors…suspect timing. It will spook the investors. Right. Exactly. They’ll think he’s hiding something. He’s a new CEO, nobody trusts him anyway…yes, post it on the sites I showed you. That’s where people will be looking.”

Anabelle heard the stall door open and footsteps head out. The bathroom door opened, then closed.
She mustn’t have noticed the far stall door was closed,
Anabelle thought as her heart pounded in her chest.
What the heck?
she wondered. She waited another couple of minutes until the coast was clear. Her tears had now dried up and she went to check herself in the mirror. As she fixed her eye makeup and reapplied her lipstick, another couple of women came in, but they didn’t pay her much attention. They were too busy gossiping about some of the other women at the event.

Anabelle made a hasty exit, re-entering the ball. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but she needed a glass of water, so she headed back to the bar.

“Anabelle!” a voice called out. “There you are!” It was Giorgio.

Startled, she stopped in her tracks, her heart jumping to her throat. She turned around slowly. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say to him.

He came up to her, making his way quickly through the crowd. “I’ve been looking all over for you.” He reached out to take her hand, but she pulled away.

“I doubt that,” she snapped. She couldn’t hide her anger. She wasn’t going to bother trying.

“What does that mean?”

“I saw you,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Saw me what?” he asked, confused.

“With Raquel,” she said, lowering her voice to avoid a scene. “Don’t try to deny it. I saw the way you two were acting. Guess I shouldn’t have
gotten you all hot and bothered after all.”

He was momentarily at a loss for words. “I didn’t do anything wrong. And if you saw me, why didn’t you come over, instead of staying out of sight and letting your imagination run away with you?”

“You seemed busy,” she snapped.

“Giorgio!” a woman’s voice called out. It was Raquel.

“Just great,” Anabelle said under her breath. “I’m leaving.”

He reached out to grab her arm. “Don’t. Stay. Please.”

She hesitated.

Raquel came over. “Anabelle? I didn’t realize you’d be here,” she said, looking surprised, disappointed and flummoxed all at the same time. She looked her dress over,
and then glanced at the pendant Anabelle wore. “Nice outfit,” she said. It sounded more like a question than a compliment.

Anabelle gave her a fake smile. “Thanks.” She
purposely didn’t return the compliment. “I didn’t know you’d be here either.”

“I got a last minute ticket through a friend of mine,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

Giorgio gave Anabelle a look to say it wasn’t him.

“Giorgio,
” Raquel said, quickly changing the subject, “I forgot to mention to you when we were talking earlier that if you need anything else ahead of the presentation on Monday, I’m around all weekend.”

Anabelle rolled her eyes. She’d had just about enough of this evening.

“No, that’s fine thanks. Moving the presentation up by two days was plenty. I hadn’t even expected that.”

“Well, I just wanted to make sure we were giving you the best possible service we could and not keep you waiting any longer than necessary.
I know how important this is to your business.”

“It’s all fine, really,” he said, doing his best to remain polite in what he knew was an awkward situation.

So that was why she’d suddenly moved the deadline up,
Anabelle thought angrily.
It was only to impress Giorgio.
She wanted to scratch her eyes out.

Raquel looked frustrated
, but tried to hide it. “Alright then, Monday it is.” She glanced at Anabelle, then to Giorgio. “Wonderful event.”

He
didn’t reply.

Raquel took her leave, giving Anabelle a sidelong glare as she did.

Anabelle was so flustered with emotion, she temporarily forgot about the voice she thought might be Portia.

“Can we talk?”
Giorgio asked.

“About what?” she replied stubbornly.

“Oh, I don’t know,” he said, exasperated, “how about why one minute you’re all over me, and the next you’re mad at me for no reason.”

“It’s not for no reason, I saw the way you two were carrying on.”

“If you were really watching, then you also saw how I pushed away from her and stomped off. She was being ridiculously inappropriate and obvious.”

Anabelle hadn’t expected that response at all. She felt really bad and very embarrassed. “I-I left, I didn’t see the rest. I saw her run her fingers through your hair, then I thought I was going to be sick so I took off.”

He tilted his head to the side, considering her words and her expression. “We need to work on getting some trust between us.”

She looked down at the floor. He was right. “I know,” s
he said, sheepishly. “I’m sorry. I was being childish. I overreacted.”

He smiled softly. “It’s al
right,” he said, brushing her hair off of her shoulder. “I think your hormones are getting the better of you tonight.”

She nodded, keeping her eyes averted. “I think so. Maybe all of this sexual tension between us is making me a little crazy.”

“Mmmhmm. You’re not the only one, you know.”

She looked up at him. His blue eyes were penetrating, searching. His lips so
inviting. “Man, you’re gorgeous,” she said, shaking her head. “You drive me wild. I have no self-control around you. You’re just too damn sexy. There I said it.”

His
lips curved into a suggestive grin as he bent down to whisper in her ear, “And you continuously make me want to do all manner of naughty things to you. You have since the first moment I saw you. The other night was just a start.” His hands slid down her arms in a sensual touch. “In fact, it’s all I can do right now to keep from getting hard again. It’s all your fault, you know. You really should be punished for your wickedness, Anabelle Parker.” He placed his hands on her hips, tightening his grip.

She felt her body heat up all of sudden. “You’re all talk,” she said.
Whoa,
she thought.
What did I just say?
Her mouth was writing checks she wasn’t sure if her body was ready to cash.

He gave a low growl. He stepped closer to emphasize his size compared to her
s. “Oh, you’re in trouble now, little girl.” He grabbed her hand and led her away.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked.

“This is a hotel. They have rooms. Lots of nice, private rooms.”

“So what, you’re going to be like a caveman now and just drag your woman off to have your way with her?”

He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. “That’s exactly right. You’re coming with me.” He pulled her roughly against him. “You’re going to find out the consequences of teasing a man like you’ve been doing all night.”

Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his muscular form against her body.
“Uh oh,” she said, her mouth curving into a sexy smile. She pressed her chest closer to him.

“Uh oh is right,” he said,
his blue eyes boring into her, his expression one of intense desire and lust. He dragged her away.

Unbeknownst to them, Portia was watching them. She followed them as they headed out of the Grand Ballroom and towards the front desk. After a few minutes, they headed to the hotel room elevators. Portia stomped off in a fury, checking her phone.