My Sweet Isabella (The Ambassador Trilogy #3) (18 page)

“I heard you were single again. I wanted to see if I could come over and take you out to dinner one night. I would love to help you and maybe cook for you and…”

I cut her off. “That’s not a good idea.”

“Why not? You need a woman to take care of you in the kitchen and the bedroom. We had a wonderful time together, and I think being with me would help you right now.”

I blew out my breath. I didn’t need this shit today.

“I’m good. In fact, Isabella and I are back together. When I was shot, it took a toll on both of us. Isabella sat up with me at night when I was in pain, took my mood swings, and fed me when I didn’t have the strength to eat. We had a lot of alone time in Paris. If anyone will help me in the kitchen or my bed, it’s her.”

She gasped.

“I heard you broke off the engagement. That was the smartest thing you could have done. She is not for you, Fabrice. She doesn’t understand you like I do. She’s not as compatible. You can’t be back with her.” I was becoming pissed off quickly. The sight of her was putting me in a shitty mood. I sipped my coffee and looked at my watch again. I had about five more minutes of this hell before Fran would call me.

“I loved you, Fabrice. I still love you. We were meant to be together.” She was dressed in a tight fitting red dress, nude shoes, and her hair pulled back in a chignon. She was letting the dress ride seductively up her thigh. I’m still somewhat a man and she looked fucking hot. If you didn’t know her or she didn’t open up her mouth, she was fuckable. I even thought she was fuckable at one time, but that was all she was good for. She didn’t love me like Isabella did. She would have never stayed with me in Paris like Isabella did.

“No, you didn’t. You loved the idea of being with an Ambassador. You didn’t love me, Marin. I didn’t love you. We both used each other. You are not and will never be Isabella.”

Her expression distorted into sadness and anger. I hit a nerve.

“Thankfully I’m not her. What do you see in her? She’s a classless Italian.”

I could no longer control myself. I stood up and began to walk around my desk. Her eyes suddenly shown fear.

“That’s enough, Marin. I think it’s time for you to leave. We’re done with this meeting.”

“Give me another chance, Fabrice.”

“I don’t love you, Marin. Now stop begging. With your money, you can have any man out there. There are plenty others for you to choose from.” Suddenly her face changed to the vindictive evil witch I knew she was. She stood up and walked over to me. The scent of her familiar perfume, burned my nose.

“You’ll regret this, Fabrice. Mark my words. I will ruin her. You don’t think I can. I messed with her before and I will hurt her again. Maybe not her directly, but I will hurt her somehow.” I remembered her sending pictures of me and my first wife’s sister in Paris out to dinner. She tried to make Isabella think I was having an affair with her.

If she was a man I would have flattened her. It took all my strength not to punch her in the face. What the fuck did I ever see in this glorified whore? Rage surged through me and through gritted teeth. I let her know she will not make threats anymore.

“You do anything to her or anyone she loves, and I will ruin you. Don’t test me, Marin.”

She laughed. “You’re no threat. I heard you barely can do your job. You can’t fuck your girlfriend, and you drink yourself into a stupor every night. What can you do to me? Not a damn thing.”

The rage to hurt her brew inside me. “Get the hell out of my office before I have you thrown out. I can make one call, and your bony ass will end up in jail. Do you want to test me, Marin? You are making threats to a government official. I can make your life miserable if you want to play the game. One call and you will be someone’s bitch in jail by tonight.”

“Fuck you.” She yelled. Her face was bright red now and matched her overly processed hair.

“No thank you. I would rather be shot again than touch you.” I walked over and threw the door open.

“You will regret this, Fabrice. I guarantee you will.” I wanted her out of my face. The sight of her enraged me.

“What I regret is ever touching you or wasting a second of my life on you. Stay the fuck away from Isabella and me.”

She narrowed her brow at me and huffed out of my office. I wanted to slam the door behind her, but I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction she upset me. I quietly shut the door and sat down to finish my cold coffee. That woman had been a pain in my ass when I was fucking her and she was even worse now that I wasn’t. I don’t know how I tolerated her for as long as I did.

When I knew she was gone, I stepped out of my office to apologize for her behavior.

“That woman is a menace.” Fran nodded in agreement, and nervously went to get me a freshly brewed coffee. I thanked her and went back to work.

Ten minutes after my party with Marin, the phone on my desk flashed from Fran. I picked the receiver up expecting the call I was waiting for from the ambassador of Ecuador.

“Put him through, Fran,” I said without hesitation.

“Fabrice?”

“Isabella?”

“
I
wanted to hear your voice. I’m sorry I shouldn’t have called you at work.” My heart raced in my chest, and relief poured over me hearing her voice. I straightened in my chair.

“I love you, Isabella.” My eyes were closed as I silently thanked God she called.

“Can I come over tonight? We can talk more, and I want to make sure you eat.”

“I’ll be home after seven. Let yourself in or wait till I get there and I will see you as soon as I can.”

I heard her crying on the phone. My heart jumped in my chest, and I took a deep breath.

“Don’t cry, baby.”

“I want you to know, I don’t know.”

“Tell me, what?” I sat back in my chair and took in the beauty of her voice. That voice that soothed me during my roughest nights.

“I want you to know, I need you as much as you need me. I’ve been so alone and lost without you. Things are going to take time. I can’t give you my heart back all at once.” A tear slid down my face. I brushed it away as I listened to the words I needed to hear.

“As long as I have you back in my life we’ll work on our relationship. I don’t expect you to fully forgive me right away. But you should know, I never stopped loving you, not for a second.”

“I never did either, Fabrice. I will be there around seven.”

I hung up the phone, and was amazed at how much better I felt in those few short minutes. Her words ran through me and awakened my dying body.

The rest of my day went quickly. I had my meetings, physical therapy, and had coffee with Fran at the end of our day. My physical therapy nearly killed me. My therapist, Steve upped my workouts now that I didn’t need a cane to walk. I busted my ass in the gym to get back to my old self. I would not accept anything other than where I was. My chest was heaving with strain and every muscle in my body burned. I liked the feeling of a good workout. I was lifting weights again and I felt pumped. My impromptu meeting with that witch Marin spurred my anger to work out harder. If I ever saw her again in my lifetime, it would be too soon. In the back of my mind, I knew it wasn’t the end of her tirade. Nothing scared that bitch when she was on a mission.

I rushed home and took a shower. I had made sure the refrigerator was stocked with any kind of food Isabella would need by calling the grocery service. Everything had been delivered before I arrived home. I sent the chef home early and anyone else in my way at the house. I didn’t know what to expect that evening, and I didn’t want anyone or anything interrupting us. I dressed, started a fire, and put on some Dean Martin in the distance. I felt like a teenager waiting for his girlfriend to come over. I was so excited to see her, I felt a slight tinge of an appetite.

At exactly seven, I heard her pull into the driveway. My heart jumped to my throat. I wanted to run outside and grab her in my arms. I eagerly watched her get out of the car. She wore a dress and I felt my cock strain against my pants. I greeted her at the back door and opened it before she knocked.

“Hi.” Her voice was beautiful. Her lips were stained a deep blood red. I loved that color on her. Her legs were perfection. Everything about her was more than I could ever ask for.

“Hi. Come in.”

Her hands were clutching her purse in the front of her, and I looked at her finger. I had to see if she put the ring back on. She hid her hand from me. I didn’t want to ask, but I needed to see.

“Would you like something to drink?” I asked.

She looked at me with love in her eyes. I needed to see that. “Yes, I would love a vodka.”

That was what she had the first night we were together.

I smiled for the first time in six months.

“The kitchen is all yours. Make yourself at home and work your magic,” I smiled.

Isabella rushed into the kitchen as if she and I had never been apart. I wondered if she was naked under the dress. The way her breasts bounced around she had to be braless. Christ, she was beautiful. I was as hard as a rock looking at her and remembering what was under her dress. I hope she didn’t notice my cock pushing against my pants like an overzealous teenage boy. Fire shot through my veins as if I was hit by lightning. I felt alive again for the first time since the attack. This was more than sex. This was a passion for a woman that ignited my soul. My world was full when she was there. I wanted to make love to her before she started cooking. Hell, I wanted her and nothing else.

“I bought everything I thought you would need to cook with. My fridge was bare for quite some time.”

She sipped her vodka and walked over to see what I bought. Her tight round ass was outlined in the dress she wore. Her dress was short and barely covered her ass. Her legs were toned and tanned, and she was barefoot. I wanted to bury my face in her ass. I would be before the night was over.

She opened my refrigerator and looked inside. I hope I had bought what she needed. “Are you hungry?”

Dear God. What did I say? I was hungry for her.

“I don’t know if I want to eat right away, Isabella. I have had no appetite for the last six months as you can see.”

‘Well I want you to eat, then we can talk. You look like utter shit, Fabrice. I’m sorry for saying that, but you have to know this is not a good look.” I smiled at her brashness.

“What are you going to cook for me?” I wanted to wrap my arms around her and fade into her. Her familiar scent was now in the air again. I could breathe.

“First, I want to make you some pasta. Fatten you up again. Then I brought over some of my mom’s chocolate cake that you love.”

Oh, I did enjoy that cake. I guess if I want to get laid, I should eat. I needed the strength to satisfy her.

“Why do you have that look on your face, Fabrice?” I had no idea what she was talking about, but I pictured her naked underneath me. “What look?”

“You know, that look.”

“I’m so happy you are here. You have no idea, Isabella.”

She became serious again. Her face told me how hurt she was. She sipped her vodka and looked into my eyes. I saw the tears pooling in them. Could we ever be back to normal again? She leaned against the counter and studied me. “I don’t understand how someone of your status could allow yourself to turn into this. Do you see yourself when you look in the mirror?”

I looked down.

“I didn’t care. Nothing mattered. When I told you to go home that day, I died.”

“Then why? I don’t understand why you did that? Your outbursts and mood swings didn’t bother me. Yes, dealing with you was upsetting at times, but I knew it wouldn’t last forever. We would have been fine.”

“I don’t know why I did anything I did those three months we were in Paris. I was so sedated with pain medication, I was depressed, and I didn’t think I deserved you.” I didn’t want to tell her the real reason yet. Not until I was settled in my mind that the threats were completely over.

She frowned and started chopping garlic and broccoli. The smell in the air was heavenly. Isabella cooked this for me the first night we were together. How tough I was then, so in control, and confident. I had been recently appointed Ambassador, and I had invited her over for the first time. She blew me while the broccoli sautéed that night.