Pleasantries are easy as we discuss the menu. I’m not surprised when the blonde decides on a salad. I am annoyed when she laughs with a not so subtle dig at Alicia’s order of fish and chips. Decker’s eyes narrow at the woman. “That sounds good to me, Alicia, although I wonder if I’ll be disappointed that it won’t compete with the real thing.”
Alicia smiles shyly. “I have no idea how it compares. I’ve never been to England, and it’s my first time trying it here.”
“I think I’ll live dangerously and give it a try.”
Tammy giggles. “Maybe you’ll be willing to share a fry.”
Decker rolls his eyes. “I think not. I don’t like to share. I’m sure you’ll be too full eating all that dry lettuce anyway.”
I order a scotch and a steak. Once the waitress leaves there is general talk of Decker revisiting places in the city he’s missed. Alicia mentions an exhibit that is due to open at the Art Institute in a week. I see it coming a mile away on Decker’s face as he smiles at Alicia. My hand goes down on Alicia’s. “We’ll have to go. We don’t want to go the first weekend, there will be a crush of people. Then we can try the sushi place you were talking to Hannah about.”
Decker tilts his head and shrugs. Alicia blushes as she turns her hand over to hold my hand, sending a jolt of electricity through my entire body. “I’m going to hold you to that.” She smiles at Decker. “Any time I suggest the Art Institute, somehow work always comes up. This time I have witnesses.”
His laugh is easy. “Or a backup if he doesn’t keep his promise. I’ll be happy to accompany you.”
The blonde doesn’t like that. “You know, I have to commend you for being brave enough to wear your dress. I’m so happy designers are willing to dress obese women. It’s just not fair the way they haven’t for so long—”
Before the woman finishes her sentence. Decker has his hand around her arm and yanks her up from the table. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m just going to take out the trash. I’ll be right back.”
Alicia is blushing as she tries to pull her hand from mine. “I—”
No. I’m not ready to let her go. Her hand, despite being small and delicate, fits in mine perfectly. “Don’t even think it. The bitch was jealous. You look like a wet fucking dream in that dress. I hate that other men are seeing you look so sexy—I want to cover you in a damn caftan to keep your curves to myself.”
“So you do like the dress?” Her eyes are wide, her smile hesitant.
“You achieved what you set out to do with it, if that’s what you’re asking. Now behave before I spank your ass for going out in public wearing it.”
Her laugh only heightens my desire. I’m grateful for Holt’s return seconds later. “I want to apologize for Tammy. With not being back in town for long, I was caught short without a date. Stupidly, I tried a dating app. Over the phone she didn’t sound like a bitch. I will be deleting the app tonight.”
The rest of the dinner goes smoothly, Decker is polite to Alicia and open to talking about his own business and plans for setting up. We end the night on a positive note with the promise of me sending him a selection of warehouses I believe will fit his needs.
Once we are in the back of the car, I come back to my senses. Alicia starts chattering; at least the damn dress is hidden behind the coat cinched tight at her waist. “I like Decker, he was nice, he didn’t have to get rid of the woman the way he did. He wasn’t nearly as intimidating as I thought he would be.”
I make no response as I pull out my phone and begin an email to Hannah for the selection of properties to send to Decker. Apparently, Alicia doesn’t require my attention to keep talking. The entire drive to her home is spent with her talking about all of Holt’s virtues.
As I follow her into her building and up the stairs I’m careful to keep my distance from her. Yet my eyes are glued to her every move, and as is usually the case, the last set of stairs has her slowing. I dislike the concern that grows every time I detect the hesitation in her movements. She’s nearly to the top when her knee seems to give out on her.
My heart stops at the idea of her falling. I move fast to catch her close, my arm going around her middle, lifting her up the last few steps until we are in front of her door. I’m not sure why I don’t set her down; even the thought has my arm tightening around her. Her little sigh goes straight to my cock. It’s only now I take in the way her body is pressed into mine, and my cock jerks against her ass. Her gasp is loud in the quiet, pulling me out of the haze of desire. I release her and can only watch as she stumbles, her hands going out against her door to catch herself.
Back up, back up, my brain screams. I straighten, only I don’t get far because it happens in a blink of the eye, or maybe it takes a minute for my brain to catch up to my eyes. The coat is off, and Alicia is pressing against me, whispering my name. “Cesare, I know what I want. I want you, for however long you want me, I’m yours.”
There is no thinking as I capture her mouth, no finesse, just need driving me to taste her, to claim her at the invitation I’ve been dreaming of for weeks. Soft, so soft, sweet as cotton candy, I can’t get enough. Her inexperience is clear. I fight not to go savage at the knowledge no other man has known her like this. She is truly mine in a way she has wanted no other man. She clings to me, her hands in my hair as she presses her soft body against mine. From far away I hear a door slam. In an instant, I’m yanked back to the fact we’re in the hallway where anyone could see us. Christ, what she does to me.
She feels me pull away. With a groan she shakes her head. “I dropped my keys, just a minute.”
In the time it takes her to find the keys, my sanity is restored. I’ve backed up, not trusting myself close to her because my body is still hard and aching for her. Confusion clouds her amber eyes, the glow gone as she looks up at me. “Cesare?”
Fuck, the way she says my name husky and low, I grit
my teeth. “You’re a virgin.” I spit the words out, wanting her to refute them.
Her beautiful face reddens then her chin comes up. “I’m not ashamed of what I am or what I know I want.”
Damn it, deep down a part of me hoped Dante was wrong. “I don’t do virgins. If I had known I would never have touched you the first time.”
“You are a liar and a coward. What are you afraid of now? You asked me what I wanted. I thought about it, had dreams and nightmares about it, and I know what I want. So what if I’m a virgin? How is that any different than any other woman you’ve fucked and left twisting in the wind?” She’s angry.
I’m angry too, for her not placing a higher value on herself. “What’s different is that you deserve more from the first man you allow into your bed than what I can give you. How the hell can you not place a higher value on yourself than to give yourself to me?”