The Italian's Bedroom Deal (6 page)

“Where’s your security detail?” he asked, his eyebrows narrowing.

She laughed bitterly. “Oh, they’re around here somewhere but I’m not supposed to know about it.” Her father maintained three body guards that followed her twenty four hours a day no matter where she went. He’d never told her, but when she kept seeing the same men appear wherever she went, she knew what was going on.

“Then let me ensure you get home. At least give me some peace of mind.”

Clarissa shook her head, unable to concede even on this point. It was minor but gave her some sort of control over her life. And right now, she was clinging to whatever control she could grasp. “No, Max. You don’t have any responsibility to me. I’ll make my own way home when I’m ready.”

“Clarissa!” he snapped back at her, his patience obviously run out, “my driver will be standing by to take you wherever you need to go.” He glared at her but she just glared back, unconcerned about his order.

Instead of arguing, she shrugged slightly and turned. This time, she was able to leave and she was grateful when she made it out the front door of the building. Sure enough, his driver was waiting out front, the limousine door opened.

Clarissa simply ignored the man and hailed a cab, ducking into the back before anyone could do anything to stop her. “Just drive, please,” she requested, handing the cab driver some money which would guarantee that he immediately acted on her request. The cab rolled forward and then sprinted into traffic and Clarissa sat back and watched the buildings roll by with unseeing eyes.

So Max wasn’t interested. What’s next, she wondered. What did she do now?

She wasn’t sure what she could do. All her plans had centered around Max helping her out. But she couldn’t give up. This was too important. And it would work. She had to figure out how to become involved with a man she found attractive enough to have sex with so she could discover what all the fuss was about. She refused to be an oddity among her friends any longer. She simply needed a large, Italian male who would educate her and show her what she was missing, what her life was missing. And if he had broad shoulders and muscular biceps, that would definitely be a plus, she thought to herself.

So where did she meet a large, handsome Italian male?

Biting her fingernail, she considered her options. Then it hit her. Where would she meet a sexy Italian male? Italy, of course!

Why hadn’t she thought of that before? She could spend a couple of weeks in Italy, meet some handsome man and she was sure she could get the experience she was looking for. Weren’t Italian men supposed to be incredible lovers? All swarthy and charming and sexy? Sure they were! Why hadn’t she thought of that to begin with? Why had she embarrassed herself by propositioning Max?

Well, that was easy enough to answer, she berated herself. She wanted Max. There was no way around that little fact. She wanted him with every fiber of her being and the two kisses they’d shared had only proven that her instincts about him were true.

If only he’d agreed with her plan, she would be so much better off. It wasn’t that he was convenient, because he definitely wasn’t. He traveled so often, she rarely knew what city he might be in. He’d been her first choice because she admired him for so many reasons. And he had a certain appeal that was almost magnetic. He was the one man who had made her heart speed up and her feet trip over themselves whenever he was near. Other men didn’t do that, or at least the ones she’d run into so far.

Sighing, she accepted that her initial plan wasn’t going to work. One of the participants was unwilling. So plan B could be just as good, couldn’t it? She ignored the fact that she hadn’t met any man yet who made her shiver with excitement by just being close like Max did. And she’d never kissed anyone who made her feel a fraction of what Max could make her feel.

Giving the cab driver her home address, she leaned back against the cracked upholstery and relaxed somewhat. Now that she had a direction, she felt immensely better. So what if the one man she’d ever been interested in didn’t want her? Surely there were other men in Italy who would be just as handsome but more willing to go along with her suggestion. And hopefully, the next time she propositioned a man, he wouldn’t treat her as if she’d just slapped him or insulted him.

The next week was a whirlwind of activity. She finished up a project she’d been working on for several weeks and felt a huge sense of relief, since the project had been difficult and tedious. Her next project wasn’t due for several more weeks but she started the initial organization of the tasks that would be needed, feeling better that she’d have things set up to dig into when she returned from her trip.

She also went shopping almost every day, buying up a new wardrobe that wasn’t as conservative as the one she currently had. She bought sophisticated new slacks and short sleeve shirts, tighter and lower cut than what she was used to. Sunglasses, hats, makeup, dresses, shoes. She planned her itinerary and shopped for flight rates, good deals on hotels as well as all the hot spots to see and be seen in Rome. She decided she’d spend several days in Rome, Venice and Milan with the option to extend her stay in any of the cities if the need came up. If she met the right man, one that made her knees weak and her heart spin crazily, then she would stay and offer him the same request she’d made to Max. And hopefully, her second attempt at propositioning a man would be more successful.

She ignored the two messages left by Max only because the first one was an order to call him back, demanding to know why she’d not followed his instructions about his driver getting her home. The second was a demand to know why she hadn’t returned his first call. When she listened to his third message, she finally gave in and called him back, sort of. Instead of calling him directly, as he’d asked, she cheated and called his secretary at a time when Clarissa knew Max was out of town, having heard from father that he was traveling to Prague for a meeting. She didn’t really leave a message though. She simply asked his secretary to pass along that she’d gotten the messages and to thank him once again for considering her offer.

She was booked on a flight for the following Monday and was feeling thrilled with her progress, if still a little nervous. Was she really following the right path? Should she travel so far from home just to satisfy her curiosity? What would her father say? She wasn’t alerting him to the fact that she was going anywhere, much less leaving the country. Would he even care? She wasn’t concerned about the body guards that shadowed her whenever she left the estate. They could figure out what was going on and how they were going to protect her on their own. She didn’t want them around her so if they had trouble following her, then that was their problem.

When her ticket arrived in the mail, her excitement was overwhelming. At that moment, she accepted that she didn’t care about her father’s reaction. And if a tall, handsome male popped into her mind, she ignored the guilt she felt over her plan. He said he wanted to have sex with her but had he done anything about it? Not a thing. In fact, he’d completely ignored her except for three phone calls. Not that he owed her anything. She wasn’t attached to him and he had no obligations to her either. He’d probably only been lying when he’d said she was sexy. He was a charming man who knew how to woo the ladies and say all the right things. It was probably how he’d gotten so far in business, she thought with a mean spirit.

The afternoon before she left, she sat outside her cottage, nervous energy making her jumpy. It didn’t help that the early summer heat was beating down on her and she looked across the expanse of the lawn to the pool. She was all packed, her passport and tickets in her purse. The cab was even ordered to arrive early in the morning to pick her up and take her to the airport. Was there anything else she needed to do?

She couldn’t think of anything. She changed out of her shorts and tee-shirt and pulled on a simple black, two piece bathing suit. Grabbing a towel and her laptop, she headed for the pool. She loved this suit. The top made her breasts look larger and the bottoms were short and cute, making her feel daring and a little crazy. It was such a shame she was only in her father’s back yard. Maybe if she’d been at an apartment complex, she’d be around other people her age, and more specifically, men her age who might be interesting and compelling.

She sat down at one of the tables and went through her list of things to do before leaving one more time, just in case she’d forgotten something. She even had a book to read on the long flight. Her check list was detailed, right down to listing her tooth brush and guidebooks. As she flicked through the items, nodding as she remembered where she’d stored each in her suitcase, she started to relax about her packing.

Everything was set. Looking around to make sure she was alone, she pulled off her cover up and dove into the water. Instantly, the cool water relaxed her tense muscles. She swam a few laps but after a while, the heat, anxiety and exercise got to her and she pulled herself out of the water, laying down on one of the lounge chairs. The sun lulled her to sleep almost instantly.

Chapter 4

“Sounds like you have everything under control,” Max replied to James, standing up and shaking the older man’s hand. “Thanks for the update.”

“Not a problem. It’s a pleasure doing business with you, Max.”

“I agree,” Max replied. He might not like the way he treated his daughter but James was a good business partner. “How is Clarissa doing?” he couldn’t help asking. He’d been thinking about her almost constantly and her irritating message to his secretary had only infuriated him more. For a man known for his cool and controlled nature, this one little woman was driving him to distraction. No woman had ever gotten under his skin like this and he didn’t like it.

James smiled at the taller man’s distracted gaze. “Why don’t you ask her? She’s been sleeping by the pool this whole time. It’s probably time for her to get up and out of the sun before she burns.” James mentioned.

Max didn’t miss the keen look on the older man’s face but ignored it. Turning around, he saw that his little vixen was indeed laying out by the pool and he had to grit his teeth when he saw that she was wearing a sexy little two piece bathing suit.

He’d seen smaller bikinis on other women but somehow, this little halter top number that showed off her smooth, flat stomach and long, shapely legs just about made his temper explode. How dare she lay out in the sun wearing something that made her breasts look so enticing. Didn’t she know that there were servants all over the place?

Turning to James, he nodded his head. “I’ll just go pay my regards to your daughter,” he explained, barely looking at his host as his anger increased along with his erection. Dammit, why did his body react like a raging teenager whenever he was around her? “She left me a message through my secretary that I’d like to discuss with her.”

“Be my guest,” James said. “I have to head out now but I’m sure Clarissa can act in my stead.”

“Of course,” Max replied absently, noting when the man walked out of the room. Dully, he heard the front door close but he paid it no mind. His whole attention was focused on the beauty outside the large picture window by the pool.

He found his way outdoors easily enough but was side tracked when he saw the open computer on one of the patio tables. His initial thought was to close it down because it was probably overheating in the sun. But when he touched the keyboard, the screen saver disappeared and his eyes were captured by the words.

He smiled as he read the text. She was traveling to Italy? Perhaps he could show her around his native country. He hadn’t planned on traveling home but his mind quickly rearranged several appointments, canceling important meetings just so he could show her some of the more exciting places in Italy.

He was glad she was planning on visiting several of his favorite cities but he reached over to wake her, wanting to suggest that she take a detour through Sicily.

“You’re going to burn, mia cara,” he said softly, one hand brushing the whisps of hair off her shoulders, casually touching the soft skin on her back.

His arousal grew more painful as he watched her slowly come out of her deep sleep. Her eyes blinked rapidly and her mouth formed a small little moue, as if in her sleep, she was imagining kissing her lover, which of course would be him. When her body arched and stretched, he almost groaned out loud, his eyes uncontrollably drawn to her breasts which were pouty and firm underneath the thin, black lycra. He had to put his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching out to touch her stomach, to test the softness of her skin and luxuriate in the firm muscles underneath.

He smiled as she shivered and sat up slowly. Max was amused when he saw the sleeping beauty slowly come to life. She must have really been out for her to become this disoriented.

“I hope you’re wearing sunscreen,” he replied, his body already hard and aching for her as she sat up and blinked like a soft little kitten.

“Yes,” she replied, yawning. “I burn easily.”

Her mind must have jumped into high gear at that point because she straightened up quickly, her eyes finally focusing on his face. “Max!” she gasped. “What are you doing here?”

She quickly reached for her cover up and Max was torn between the desire to feast his eyes on the enticing curves revealed by her bikini top, and the equally strong approval that she would cover up around strange men. Not that he considered himself strange.