Never Dare a Tycoon (13 page)

Brett kissed her while he tore off his shirt, wanting to feel her hands on his skin. Several buttons popped off before he was able to throw it and his tie to the floor. Once he was free of his shirt, he took her hands and placed them on his chest, instinctively knowing she’d be too shy to do it herself.

But as soon as he gave her permission to touch him, she couldn’t stop. Her hands moved everywhere, watching the play of muscles along his shoulders and arms, along his stomach where the ridges disappeared beneath his belt.

“Please,” she said, looking into his eyes.

Brett pushed against the bed to stand up and discarded his pants, then joined her on the mattress again. As soon as their bodies entwined, he knew he wouldn’t’ be able to take her hands touching him much longer. So he took each of her hands and captured them gently over her head.

Antonia writhed beneath him. He was kissing her everywhere. She wanted to touch him just as he was doing to her, but he wouldn’t let her. She closed her eyes, hoping to block out the pain and pleasure he was producing by his simple touch, but she couldn’t.

“Please,” she cried, tears slipping down the side of her face. “I can’t take much more, Brett.”

Brett, more than ready for her, came over her and spread her legs, shaking his head to get control. But then he looked down at her gorgeous body. And the thought came to him that she was finally his.

He entered her slowly, gently. But she didn’t want that. She increased the tempo, needing all of him.

 

Almost instantly, Antonia felt an orgasm sweep over her. She’d never experienced this before and her eyes, wide with fear and confusion, looked up into his.

 

“Go with it, let it happen,” Brett said, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

 

Antonia couldn’t help it, she slipped over the edge into paradise, moaning in pleasure as wave after wave hit her, arching her body.

 

Antonia wrapped her legs around his waist, trying to hang on to the only thing in her universe. And that simple act sent Brett over the edge to his own climax.

Collapsing on top of her, he couldn’t believe what had just happened. Pulling her on top of him so he didn’t crush her, Brett pulled her head down to his chest, trying to catch his breath.

Antonia moved slightly, trying to see his face. He pushed her hair back as she lifted her head up. “I’m sorry,” he said.

 

Antonia laughed. “For what?” she asked.

 

“I wanted our first time together to be slow and wonderful. Not over with so quickly.”

 

Antonia laughed again, propping her head up on his chest. “I thought that was pretty wonderful. I’m sorry you were disappointed.”

Brett couldn’t let her get away with that. He rolled her over so she was beneath him again. Kissing her on the neck, he laughed, “I know you’re not laughing at me,” he said, one hand cupping her breast.

Brett looked up when she gasped, her eyes wide as she looked at him again. “Hmm. That’s interesting,” he said, and the whirlwind started again for both of them.

Antonia heard the pounding at the door, but ignored it, assuming that someone must be moving into an apartment down the hall and their furniture was hitting her door. No one would dare pound on her door at this hour of the morning, she thought.

But Brett noticed it as well. Disentangling himself from her arms and legs, he pulled on his slacks from the night before, then padded barefoot to the door to get rid of whomever was there, intending to go back and make love to Antonia again before he went into the office, smiling at the thought.

He didn’t bother to look through the peep hole, but opened it and tried to focus on whoever was banging on the door.

 

If he’d been more awake, he might have avoided the right punch that came from Sal Attracelli, knocking him back and into the sofa.

Brett shook his head and focused. Then wished he hadn’t. Because all five of Antonia’s brothers were standing in her hallway. And all of them looked like they wanted to take a swing at him as well.

It didn’t help that the noise of Brett falling against the sofa woke up Antonia who came to find out what all the commotion was, wrapped only in a sheet, her hair mussed as only lovemaking can accomplish.

That’s what Sal saw as he stood in Antonia’s doorway.

“Sal! What are you doing here?” she demanded, rushing over to Brett who was propping himself up on the sofa, not willing to get up and make a better target for the rest of her brothers.
“Leave him alone, Antonia,” Sal warned, his hands clenching at his side.

“What are you talking about? You just hit him!” she said, stooping down to check out Brett’s chin. “Are you ok?” she asked, putting a gentle hand to the swelling already appearing.

Brett put a protective arm around her back, trying to keep her safe from whatever might happen between him and her brothers. “I’m fine. Maybe you’d better go back into the bedroom,” he said, his voice gentle as he kept an eye on the five angry men standing in her hallway.

“Get your hands off her, Hancock,” Michael said ferociously.

 

“Get into your bedroom, Antonia,” Sal said, equally ominous.

Antonia looked up at her brothers. “I will not go into my bedroom. You will get out of my apartment and leave us alone right now,” she said, then ignored them, turning back to Brett to help him to his feet.

Brett finally got up, chuckling at this tiny woman trying to protect him from her five, huge brothers. The idea was ludicrous, but he appreciated her efforts. “Why don’t you go get some clothes on? Your brothers and I have some things to discuss.”

Antonia looked from Brett and back to her brothers. “Are you sure?” she asked.

 

Brett chuckled again. “I’m sure,” he said.

 

“Ok,” she said, reluctantly moving back into her bedroom, pulling the sheet behind her.

 

Brett watched after her, appreciating the soft sway of her hips and the shapely curve of her back exposed by the sheet.

 

As soon as the door closed, he resignedly turned back to her five, furious brothers. “Well, I guess we have some planning to do,” he said.

 

Thomas, being the calmest of the group, spoke up. “How are you going to convince her?” he asked, immediately understanding Brett’s meaning.

 

“She’ll do it. Don’t worry,” he said, his expression grim but determined as he crossed his arms over his chest.

 

“It will be done right,” Sal warned, still trying to calm down after confirmation that this man had slept with his baby sister.

 

“I couldn’t agree more. I don’t want her claiming ignorance later on,” Brett said, and all five men laughed.

Changed into a pair of jeans and the first tee-shirt she could find, Antonia opened the bedroom door and walked out, wondering why they weren’t fighting. Everything was way too quiet. “What’s going on?” she asked, handing Brett his shirt.

“Pick a day, Antonia,” Sal said, his hands resting on his hips as if he were preparing himself for a fight.

 

Antonia looked from Brett to each of her brothers. All of them had the same intractable expression on their faces. “Why?” she asked suspiciously.

 

“Because you’re getting married,” Sal said, his stance easing slightly when he noticed her wary expression.

She didn’t understand for a long moment. She glanced from Brett, to Sal, then each of her brothers as she tried to figure out the meaning of his last sentence. Then his words hit her and Antonia felt like cold water had just been thrown on her. “I am not,” she said indignantly, taking a step back.

All five of her brothers turned to Brett. He was still buttoning his shirt, but he walked over to her, leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Do you trust me?” he asked quietly, turning her so that she couldn’t see past him to her angry brothers.

“No,” she said, her eyebrows drawn together in anger at the idea. She wanted to step out of his embrace, because his closeness was turning her mind to mush. If her brothers hadn’t been standing in her hallway looking menacing….

Brett only chuckled. “Yes, you do.” He leaned down to kiss her swollen lips, evidence of their night of lovemaking. “I’m asking you to trust me for the next few minutes and I promise everything will be ok,” he said.

Antonia shook her head. Trust a man? Never! Trust meant releasing her control and she was not going to do that willingly. Brett leaned down closer and whispered again in her ear.

After listening for a moment, she pulled away, refusing to listen to any more of his words. “That’s cheating,” she exclaimed, furious with him and her brothers. But more so with herself. How could she be caught in her own web? Why had everything backfired on her? Brett was willing to blackmail her into cooperating. If she didn’t follow his instructions, he’d tell her brothers where she worked.

“Perhaps,” Brett agreed. “What day would you like to be married on?” he asked, handing her the calendar from the wall.

 

“You can’t be serious,” she said, feeling ridiculous as she stood in the middle of her living room holding a calendar and pleading with Brett not to marry her.

“I’m serious. I’m sorry, but this is probably the only way I’ll ever get you to the alter,” he said, assuming an identical stance as all her brothers, but with more arrogance and more determination.

Antonia turned red when she heard her brothers laugh, agreeing with him.

“I can’t believe this is happening to me,” she said, throwing her arms up in the air and walking around her apartment. “This just isn’t possible. It’s too archaic.” Turning to her brothers, she pleaded, “Why are you doing this to me? I can take care of myself, I promise. I’ve been doing it for years.”

Sal shook his head. “Pick a date or it will be chosen for you, Antonia,” he said.

Another slap in the face. Antonia couldn’t believe it. She was being forced to marry. It was too unbelievable. She looked down at the calendar but her eyes wouldn’t focus because of the tears swimming there. She turned page after page, going forward six months, hoping to gain enough time to convince Brett to let this drop. “This is ridiculous. We slept together. There’s no law that says we have to get married.”

“There is in our family and when it’s our sister,” Giuseppe said, his voice growling over four other grunts of approval.

 

Brett shook his head and took the calendar away from her. “How about May twenty-fourth,” he said, choosing the first Saturday he saw.

 

“That’s only three month’s away!” she said, shocked that he would suggest anything that close.

 

Her brothers all nodded their heads in agreement. “Sounds good to me,” Sal said.

 

“I guess we’d better tell the aunts to start organizing. They have a lot to do in three months,” Michael said. The others all nodded in agreement again.

 

Antonia sat down on the sofa. “We’ll just do it at the justice of the peace. There’s no use going to all the trouble of a formal wedding.”

 

Brett shook his head. Turning to her brothers, he said, “Send all the bills to me. And tell your aunts to go all out.”

Brett walked into her bedroom and picked up the rest of his clothes. Once fully dressed, he came back out to the family room. “Will you be ok?” Brett asked. He wanted to lean over and kiss her, but he was sure she’d try to deck him.

Sighing at her belligerent expression, he stood up and turned to face her brothers. “Gentlemen, I think we have some calls to make,” he said. The men moved out to the hallway. “Antonia, I’ll pick you up at six for dinner,” Brett said before pulling the door closed.

Once in the hallway with her door closed, the six men looked at each other. “I think that went well,” Michael said, which started them all off laughing as they moved towards the stairs, the elevator being out of order again this morning.

An hour later, Antonia got up to answer another knock. Expecting one of her neighbors, she opened it, trying to pin a smile on her face.

But it was her Aunt Marsha and her cousins Jennifer, Belinda and Barbara. As soon as she opened the door, the four women pushed their way in, each giving her a hug as they entered and congratulating her on her engagement.

Her Aunt Marsha stood in the center of the room looking around. “This is gorgeous! I’m really impressed with what you’ve done here.”

“I’m not very impressed with the elevator system,” Jennifer said, dropping onto the sofa. “Couldn’t you live on a lower floor?” she asked, and everyone laughed in agreement.

Belinda put an arm around Antonia’s shoulders and handed her a box. “This is from Brett. He said we could deliver this one.”

 

Antonia looked at the small, beautifully wrapped, silver box with a gold, organza ribbon tied in a bow. “What’s this?”

 

“Obviously an engagement present. Open it, silly,” Jennifer said, wriggling in delight.

Antonia opened it slowly, wondering what Brett could possible have arranged to give her in such a short time. Inside was a key on a key chain. “What’s this for?” she asked, looking up.

“It’s a key, silly.” Antonia rolled her eyes, smiling with them, their enthusiasm was too contagious for her to ignore. “I know that. But what’s it for?” she asked.

 

“Look outside,” Marsha said.

Antonia opened the balcony door and all five women shuffled onto the tiny balcony. Looking down, Antonia saw her gift and gasped. Parked on the curb behind a white Mercedes that belonged to Aunt Marsha was a navy blue Porsche convertible with a tan leather, convertible top and a huge white bow on the windshield.

“Oh my,” was all she could say.

 

“Isn’t it gorgeous?” Jennifer giggled.

 

“I got to drive it over today,” Belinda said, sighing with her pleasure. “Nice wheels.”

 

Antonia could only stare. She didn’t know what to say. It was so beautiful.

 

“I can’t accept it,” she finally said to no one in particular.

 

“What are you talking about?” Marsha said. “Of course you can accept it. It’s from your fiancé.”

Antonia looked at the four women. They didn’t understand and probably never would. They loved their husbands and couldn’t imagine anyone not agreeing with them. The fact that Antonia wanted to make it on her own, just like her brothers, was a completely foreign idea to them.

“Why don’t you go shower and change, then we’ll be on our way,” Jennifer suggested.