VITTORIO'S MISTRESS (The Vittorio Series)

Cotton candy
.
 
What in the world had made him think of cotton candy?
 
It had been years since he’d tasted the sugary fluff, and it brought back memories that were better left alone.
 
 
Dante watched the woman in the park below from his boardroom window as she twirled around, laughing as each of the small children surrounding her tried to imitate her graceful moves.
 
She
was the reason he’d thought of it.

It was her hair, he decided.
 
The color of corn silk, it fell to her waist and shimmered in the warm afternoon sun, reminding him of another time and place when he’d laughed as his golden haired companion coerced him into trying cotton candy.
 
She’d laughed when he told her he’d never tasted it before and Dante had laughed with her as she tugged on his hand and begged him to buy some from a group of high school girls who were raising money for new band uniforms.
 
 

“I can almost feel the cavities forming in my teeth just from looking at it,” he’d grumbled.

“Don’t be a spoil sport, Dante.
 
It’s a fundraiser for a school so you just
have
to buy
some
.”

“Would it not be better if I donated the money they need instead of plying my body with lethal doses of sugar?”

She’d smiled up at him in that heart stopping way she had and Dante had folded like a house of cards.
 
He’d purchased what looked like a giant pink Q-tip and walked hand in hand with her until they’d found a bench in the shade and sat down.
 
She’d torn off a small piece and ordered him to close his eyes and open his mouth.

Dante had never done anything so childish in his life.
 
Even as a young boy he had no desire to indulge in cake and cookies.
 
He’d never done a lot of things boys his age did like trashing his own room or blasting his music, and he’d certainly never had any inclination to climb trees or allow his clothes to be ruined by playing in the dirt.
 
Yet here he was, behaving like a love-sick teenager and doing as she’d asked simply because he couldn’t bear the thought of taking her beautiful smile away.

“Now open your mouth so I can set it on your tongue.
 
Trust me,” she giggled when Dante opened one skeptical eye.

It had melted almost as soon as she’d popped it in his mouth and he’d actually liked it in spite of how sweet and sticky it was.
 
She’d been quite pleased with herself for coaxing him into doing something he’d never done before, and as a reward she’d offered him another taste.
 
To his surprise, she’d plucked off a piece and put it in her own mouth.
 
Then with a sexy smile she’d leaned forward and given him a slow, sugary kiss.

Dante closed his eyes for a moment.
 
Her lips were warm and inviting and the taste of cotton candy mingled with the honeyed flavor of her mouth.
 
It would not have been a lie to say it was the sweetest kiss he’d ever experienced, and to this day he could still remember how he’d drawn her closer and kissed her senseless.

It was only when a group of college students had walked by and laughingly told them to
get a room
that he’d lifted his head.
 
He’d never wanted any woman the way he’d wanted her and when she’d gazed up at him with eyes that were soft and dreamy and given him a tremulous smile, his heart had slammed against his chest.

“Yes, Dante,” she’d whispered in answer to his silent question.
 

He’d taken her hand and pressed his lips into her petal soft palm, and then to her delicate wrist.
 
Her pulse, which was already racing, quickened and the most delightful sound had vibrated in the back of her throat.
 
He’d taken her to the small beach house he used when he needed some time to himself and there he’d made love to her for the first time.
 
Dante hadn’t been
 
certain she was a virgin, but as he’d lowered himself over her, those big blue eyes had widened in fearful anticipation and he knew that she’d been untouched by any other man.
 

He’d been humbled by it but he’d also felt exalted, triumphant even as he’d inched his way inside of her and sheathed himself in her moist heat.
 
She’d been excruciatingly tight, her inner muscles contracting around him as he sank deeper and deeper until he’d buried himself to the hilt, his entire body shuddering with the exquisite pleasure she brought him.
 
He’d kissed her then, deeply, thoroughly, and tasted again the sweetness of the cotton candy that still lingered in her mouth and on her tongue.
 
Dante opened his eyes, disgusted with himself for allowing her memory to still haunt him after all this time.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Paige Spencer.
 
The only woman who’d ever gotten him to let his guard down and made him feel things he’d never felt before.
 
She’d made him laugh and for a brief time, Dante had discovered what true happiness was.
 
He’d loved her with a fierceness that was frightening and he’d never once considered her as anything but his equal despite the differences in their social status.
 
Not that she’d had any reason to suspect there
was
a huge gap between them because Dante had let her believe he was a struggling young businessman fresh out of college.

Maybe that had been his mistake.
 
Maybe if he’d been honest with Paige and told her that he shared ownership of Vittorio Enterprises with his four brothers and was worth millions before he’d even started college, things would have turned out differently.
 
But he’d wanted something more from Paige than the countless other women he’d been with; Dante wanted her to love him for who he was and not the wealthy lifestyle he could provide for her.
 
He’d given her his heart and she’d shredded it to pieces only a few short months later when she’d walked out of his life for good.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
***

Paige called for her assistant and together they spread a few blankets on the ground and instructed the children to sit down while she retrieved the story book from her shoulder bag.
 
She loved this part of the day, when she held them enthralled with tales of Princes and Princesses who loved and lost then found each other again and lived happily ever after.
 
She’d had her own dark haired Prince once, and she’d lamented the loss of his love for the past four years though she’d become extremely adept at hiding it.

Paige seated herself on top of the picnic table so they’d all be able to see the pictures when she periodically held the book up.
 
Her eyes moved from one expectant face to another and rested for a moment on the dark-haired toddler closest to her.
 
As it always did, her heart ached at the sight of the precious little girl who looked so much like her father.
 
Hair as black as coal, dark brown eyes, and bronzed skin that gave away her Italian heritage; Daniella was the spitting image of Dante.
 
She was barely past her third birthday but already Paige could tell she had that same sharp intelligence her father had.

Maybe she’d been wrong not to tell Dante he’d gotten her pregnant sometime during the endless hours they’d spent making love in his little beachside cottage.
 
Though it had been the first of many passionate nights with him, it was the only time they’d had unprotected sex so when the doctor told her she was pregnant, Paige had known exactly when Daniella was conceived.
 
She had only herself to blame after the wanton way she’d kissed him in the park and gotten them both so worked up they hadn’t given any thought to birth control until after the damage had been done.

Looking at her darling little girl now, Paige could honestly say she didn’t regret getting pregnant.
 
What she
did
regret was the decision she’d made to leave Dante after she’d found out because not a day went by when she didn’t grieve for him and the love they’d lost.
 
But she’d had no choice, not once he’d voiced his opinion on having children because she’d known then that Dante would only grow to resent her for burdening him with a baby at a time in his life when he was just beginning to make something of himself.

So she’d given Dante his freedom, though it had cost her dearly.
 
Paige had loved him with all her
heart,
she loved him still and imagined she always would.
 
But a man as proud as Dante Vittorio was wouldn’t have been able to accept the fact that she had more money than he did even if he’d accepted that he was to be a father.
 
Paige would have told him about her inheritance eventually, but it became a moot point just a few months into their relationship.
 
It was only after she discovered she was carrying his baby that she’d broached the subject of children and had nearly cried when he’d looked at her as if she’d gone mad.

“
Mio Dio
, it will be years before I want to think of having children,” he’d told her.
 
“Two of my brothers have already married and had their first baby and it is all they can do to keep their minds on their work responsibilities.
 
No,” he said vehemently, “if you and I decide to marry one day, we will wait to begin a family.
 
I want to make my mark on the
world, prove that I can be a successful businessman before I would even consider taking on the duty of fatherhood.”

Duty
.
 
That’s what he’d called it, and even now the word brought the sting of tears to her eyes.
 
Yes, being a single mother was difficult and at times Paige was so exhausted she could barely function, but she’d never thought of raising Daniella as a
duty
.
 
She smiled at her daughter and opened the book, pushing Dante from her mind.
 
Losing herself in a fairytale was just what she needed to lift the heaviness from her heart.

Paige enjoyed reading to the children and did her best to make the characters come to life by using different voices and being overly animated.
 
She held them spellbound as she told the tale of
The Princess Who Had Never Laughed,
wearing
an exaggerated frown on her face whenever the Princess spoke which wasn’t an easy feat since the children thought she was hilarious.
 
Their infectious giggles made it almost impossible not giggle along with them so when she finally got to the part where the Princess laughs, Paige wasn’t faking the light hearted laugher.

By now the children knew the routine.
 
As soon as the story ended they looked to her assistant, Kelly, for their afternoon snack.
 
Paige usually took advantage of the time they were absorbed in eating to steal a few minutes for
herself
by taking a short walk.
 
She was especially fond of the winding path that led down to the duck pond because it was generally deserted this time of day.
 
With the trees and heavy foliage it felt as if she was strolling through the woods and she always found a peace of mind here that helped her regroup before jumping back into the role of caretaker to a dozen energetic young children.

It had never occurred to her before that it might be dangerous to make the trek down to the pond all by
herself
; after all, it was broad daylight and the park was located in the midst of large office buildings.
 
Even with the solitude provided by the trees she could hear the faint laughter of other people coming from various parts of the park but it was the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps that set her heart to racing.
 
The path invited slow, leisurely walks not the hurried pace of the man behind her.
 
And Paige had no doubt it
was
a man because of how heavy those footsteps fell against the cobbled stone.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up but she was no coward and wasn’t about to be the victim of a surprise attack.
 
Paige whirled around, her heart jack hammering when she found herself face to face with Dante Vittorio.
 
She stumbled backwards and would have fallen if he hadn’t reached out to steady her.
 
Strong, warm hands curled around her arms, and just like that, she was catapulted back in time when even the lightest of Dante’s touches sent a scorching heat coursing through her veins.