An Heiress in Venice (7 page)

Alice:

There was a lot of crying.

The entire walk home, I debated telling him about the letters.
Tell him,
one part of me urged.
He’s an adult who can make his own decisions. A cop, even. He can take care of himself.

But I shrank away from that thought. If anything was to happen to him, I would never forgive myself. He was too important to me.

And that was precisely why I couldn’t allow myself to get close to Enzo. My life was being held hostage and I couldn’t involve him.

I cried myself to sleep. The next day, I didn’t go back to Casanova, and when Enzo’s number flashed up on my screen, I didn’t answer the phone.

I hated ignoring him; I wanted to see him. But it was better this way.

***

You can go exploring on your own,
I told myself on Sunday. The weather was lovely. The sun was shining, there was a slight breeze blowing in from the sea, and the tourists were out in force. I felt very lonely and very isolated in my apartment.

I walked aimlessly around the city all day, but my gloom didn’t lift. For a few brief weeks, I’d felt the most normal I had in the last three years.
Damn it, Enzo, why couldn’t you just leave it the way it was?
I thought angrily, though my anger didn’t last long. This situation wasn’t Enzo’s fault. I shouldn’t have let myself get close.

As the evening set in, my stomach started growling in protest. I hadn’t eaten all day, and I was starving. There was a trattoria, not too far from my apartment that I’d walked by a million times. Today, I thought I’d try to go in.

***

Enzo:

I was having dinner with Tatiana when I saw Alice walk in. She was dressed casually, shorts and a t-shirt, looking like every other tourist in Venice. “That’s her,” I said.

Tatiana laughed. “You should see the look in your eyes. You look like a love-struck puppy.”

“Thanks, Tia,” I said dryly.

“And… she’s seen us,” Tatiana said. “And has probably jumped to the conclusion that there is something between us.”

I shrugged. “An easy problem to fix then.” I rose, winding my way towards Alice. “
Gattina
,” I said, and she jumped. There was an unreadable look in her eyes. “Are you here for dinner? Come join us.”

***

Alice:

I’d been jealous and heartbroken that he was having dinner with a very, very beautiful woman. Worse than that, they were laughing together in easy intimacy.

You have no right to feel this way,
I reminded myself. I was the one who had pushed him away. How long did I expect him to wait around?

Longer than two days,
I acknowledged.

It doesn’t matter,
I argued. Our relationship wasn’t going anywhere anyway. My letter writer wouldn’t allow it.

I blinked back my tears and turned to leave. Enzo hadn’t seen me yet and I didn’t want him to see me cry, but it was too late. “
Gattina
,” I heard him call out.

***

It turned out that Tatiana Cordova wasn’t a date. Enzo had grown up with her and she was like his sister. She’d also just come back to Venice after six weeks of filming in Canada, and was catching up with Enzo over dinner.

Tatiana was perfectly lovely and charming, and she had a wry, joking rapport with Enzo that felt very much like family. I felt very, very silly and foolish.

After dinner, she rose. “Enzo, I’m falling asleep – the jet lag is killing me,” she said. “Alice, it’s been great meeting you. I’ll see you around?”

Enzo rose and kissed her cheek.

“You don’t have to stay on my account,” I told him nervously when he sat back down. He ignored me and signalled for another carafe of wine.

“Stay and have a drink with me,
gattina
,” he said. “Tell me why you keep running.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” I lied.

He raised his eyebrow. “Don’t you?” He smiled. “Tell me why you got jealous of Tia.”

“Are you always this arrogant?” I snapped, hating myself for the fact that despite the threatening letters, I still wanted to hang out with him.

He laughed. “
Gattina
,” he said wryly. “I’m a policeman; I’m a Dom. Arrogance is a bit of a default state, I’m afraid. And you are changing the topic.”

“Please let me change the topic,” I whispered. I didn’t want to think about the letters for the moment. I wanted to stay; I wanted to close my hand over his, and I wanted to have a drink with him in this beautiful, intimate outdoor garden, with tables set amongst the flowers, and where small bulbs strung on a wire provided light. I wanted
magic
.

He eyed me without expression, then he nodded.

Enzo:

I walked her home, and when she got to her apartment, she did something unexpected. She asked me if I wanted to come upstairs for a drink.
At last.

“If I come upstairs,” I said directly, “I’m going to want more than a drink.”

She laughed and I could see the fire in her eyes. “The drink was just an excuse to invite you upstairs,” she retorted, and I grinned and leaned in to kiss her. It was meant to be a fleeting brush of lips, but when we came in contact with each other, neither of us seemed to have the power to move away. Our kiss deepened, and we kissed and petted and stroked for a few seconds, before she pulled away and we made our way to her apartment.

“I did offer you a drink,” she said once we were inside, kicking off her sandals with a sigh of relief. “Coffee?”

“I thought you didn’t drink coffee.”

“I don’t,” she replied. “I have a jar of instant coffee somewhere though.”

I shuddered in horror at her offer, and she grimaced. “Instant’s not the same thing, is it?”

“Not even a little,
gattina
,” I said. I didn’t mince my words. “Instant coffee is worse than sawdust, Alice, and does not deserve to exist in the universe.”

She laughed, a bright bell of musical laughter. “Tell me what you really think Enzo,” she quipped. “Don’t hold back.” She winked at me. “I also have a bottle of red wine.”

She turned on some music, something soft and instrumental, and we opened the bottle of wine. I took a seat on her couch, setting the glass down on her coffee table, and patting the seat next to me.  “Come here, Alice,” I said. She wandered over and sat down, and I pulled her feet onto my lap. “Want me to massage away the aches,
gattina
?” I asked her.

“What if I tell on you at Casanova?” she asked, throwing her head back on the couch as my hands kneaded her arches. “God, that’s good,” she moaned. “Is this proper Dom behaviour?”

I laughed. “Being a smart-ass, that’s not very clever submissive behaviour,” I quipped. “I want a submissive in bed,
gattina,
someone who enjoys it when I take control. Elsewhere?” I smiled at her. “I very much enjoy your spirit, Alice. Don’t ever change.”

She gave me a startled look for a second, before she closed her eyes. “Enzo,” she whimpered, as my hands massaged the soles of her feet. I moved to her calves, kneading her tight muscles and touching her soft skin. My dick was an aching rod of steel; I was so hard for her.

Keep control,
I reminded myself.

But she was not helping. “Please,” she breathed. “Please don’t make me wait, Sir. I need you.”

She was whimpering and soft and pleading, and tonight, my self-control was nowhere to be found. “Get undressed,” I growled and she exhaled shakily and pulled her t-shirt over her head and slid out of her shorts. They fell in a pool of fabric at her feet, and she stepped out of it, her hands already pushing the tiny lace panties down her hips. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and her breasts swung loose, and when she straightened, I stared at her beautiful body, open heat in my eyes.

I took off my clothes, keeping my eyes on her, and pushed her down on the sectional. Her hair hung loose and towards the floor, and she obligingly spread her legs open, showing me her pretty pussy. My lips twitched. It appeared that Alice’s impatience matched my own.

Rolling a condom on, I pushed into her with no preamble, but she was wet and ready for me. “Oh that’s nice,” she sighed.

“Nice? Again?” I raised my eyebrows, and she laughed.

“How about earth-shattering?” she winked, and I rested my thumb right on her clitoris. Her breathing picked up speed.

“Or fantastic,” she breathed, as I moved my thumb on her hot nub.

“Fantastic is an improvement over nice,” I admitted, pushing deep into her and hearing her whimper. “But I think you can do better.”

“Mind-boggling,” she hissed, and I spanked her thighs. “Okay, not mind-boggling, Sir,” she breathed.

I grinned. “Keep talking,” I ordered her, my thumb moving steadily. I could feel her start to tense her body as she climbed towards climax, and I shook my head and pulled my thumb off for a second. She groaned a protesting
Enzo,
and I chuckled.

“You get to come when I find a word that pleases me,” I told her, and she choked out a pained, disbelieving laugh. “Damn it, Sir, that’s not fair,” she whined.

“Would you prefer not coming at all,
gattina
?” I asked her, my voice hard, and she quickly shook her head.

“Stupendous,” she tried as I once again resumed thrusting into her wet, willing body, and my finger resumed its steady stroking of her clitoris.

“Stupendous is better than mind-boggling,” I told her.

“Amazing,” she groaned as I plunged in deep, and bottomed out. This time, her nails dug into my forearm, and she hissed, a sound of mingled pain and pleasure. She didn’t move away, not even a little bit, and instead, she raised her hips to meet me on my next stroke.

“Keep talking,” I warned, and she nodded, her eyes wild.

“Amazing,” she gasped.

“You already said
amazing
,” I pointed out, and she pouted at me.

“I like to tell the truth, Sir,” she replied sweetly. “And it really is amazing.”

“Flattering me so that you can get to orgasm, Alice?” I asked, struggling to keep from laughing aloud. “That’s an interesting strategy.”

“Will it work?” she said, and my fingers pinched her clitoris.

“Aah,” she hissed. “Oh, that was brilliant.”

Okay, I couldn’t hold back the laughter. I leaned in and bit her nipple, and she hissed and grabbed my hair in her hands. “Sir, please,” she begged. I could tell from the tremors running through her body that she was painfully close.

“Close,
gattina
?” I said in her ear, biting her earlobe in punctuation. “Then I suggest you quickly find a word, if you want permission to orgasm.”

“Awesome, fantastic, brilliant. Fucking amazing, Sir.” The words rolled out of her in a warbled, incoherent stream, and her teeth were clenched as she struggled to obey my order and wait for permission.

I relented. “Come for me, Alice,” I said, and I pressed my thumb hard on her clitoris, and pushed my cock deep into her. I felt every quiver of her body as she exploded around me, and I couldn’t hold back, I groaned and erupted as well.

When thought returned, she giggled. “We didn’t even make it to the bedroom.”

I looked at her. Oh, I wasn’t done, not by a long shot. I wanted this woman again. “We are only just getting started, Alice,” I said, kissing each of her fingers.

She stretched lazily and hummed in pleasure. “In that case,” she smiled, “let’s head to the bedroom right now?”

***

Alice:

I’d been reckless before, but I had never been as reckless as I was being tonight. But Enzo was in my apartment and we’d made love on my couch. He was in my bedroom, and I didn’t want to think anymore, I didn’t want to be sensible. I just wanted to feel. I wanted
magic
.  

Enzo pulled me into his body and kissed my neck, and I felt the tremors course through my body again. I reached for him and pulled his mouth down on mine, and our lips met in an explosion of passion. “What do you want, Alice?” he asked me.

“Why, are you going to do whatever I want?” I replied, and he blinked at me, startled, before a truly wicked smile curled on his lips.

“Yes,” he said smoothly. “I will. But you’ll have to ask for it.” He moved me backwards until my legs made contact with the bed, and he pushed me down on it. A wordless gesture had me parting my thighs for him.

“Make me come again,” I said boldly, wondering how far he was going to let me go with this.

He shook his head. “Too broad of a request,” he said, his lips twitching. “You’ll have to be more specific.”

I felt the heat rise on my face. I’d been married when I was nineteen, still a virgin, and Ian had obviously been a lot more experienced than me. I’d never actually asked for anything; I wasn’t used to being explicit about my needs and desires.

“Enzo,” I started to protest, then I bit my lip and stopped at his look of displeasure. “Sir,” I tried again. “I’ve never done this before.”

“Done what, Alice?” he asked, amused. We were both naked. I lay back on the bed and he watched me, and damn it, he was trying not to laugh at me. A vein of stubbornness I didn’t know I possessed opened, and I squared my shoulders.
Fine. He wanted me to ask? I was going to ask
.

“Please Sir,” I said. “Would you suck my nipples?”

In response, he just growled. His eyes glinted in pleasure, and he lowered his head down to my breasts, sucking each nipple in turn until they both stood, swollen and erect, engorged with desire.

I shifted restlessly. I felt each pull of his talented mouth as a shockwave that travelled straight to my pussy. My fingers reached down unthinkingly, to touch my swollen core, and he hissed in displeasure.

“You don’t get to touch yourself without permission,” he said evenly. His fingers traced a path down my body, lightly grazing my breasts. “These are mine to touch,” he said. “Aren’t they, Alice?”

I whimpered at that light touch. More. I wanted more. “Yours Sir,” I agreed. “These are your breasts.”

His eyes flashed a deep satisfaction, as his fingers continued their travels. He circled my belly button with his forefinger, and I shivered. “This is your belly button, Sir,” I said, unprompted and was rewarded with his smile.

“Very good,
gattina
,” he said, his mouth nibbling at my throat. His fingers slid down my body towards my core, his knuckles grinding into my slit. “Your pussy, Sir,” I gasped, as my hips lurched greedily towards him.

“That’s right, Alice,” he said. “And you don’t get to touch my pussy without permission.”

Wait, he meant just for right now, didn’t he?
But his lips at my nipples distracted me. “You know,” he raised his head and surveyed me. “If you want me to do something else, you’ve got to ask for it.”

Damn it. I had hoped that he had forgotten.

I felt the heat rise in my cheeks as I uttered the next words. “Can you use your teeth?” I asked hesitantly.

“Use my teeth where,
gattina
?”

“On my nipples, Sir,” I whispered, and my entire body shook with tremors as he nipped those swollen peaks. He sucked and he nibbled, and his teeth grazed each engorged bud, and I fisted my hands at my side and moaned with pleasure. My pussy wept with need at his touch. His erection nudged the space between my legs, and I couldn’t deal with the slow build-up anymore. I needed him in me with a sudden, clawing desperation.

“Please Sir,” I pleaded. “Please fuck me.”

His lips curved into a half-smile, but he reached for a condom. I smiled inwardly. I hadn’t even noticed him bringing the foil packet into my bedroom.

“How would you like to be fucked, Alice?” he asked me. No doubt he was referring to a position, but when I answered, I begged for something else. “Take me for your pleasure, Sir,” I pleaded, and his eyes narrowed.

“I don’t need to take, do I Alice?” he asked. “No. You will give yourself to me.” His fingers curved around my chin, and he inclined my head and I met his gaze.

I looked into his eyes, and almost drowned in their warm brown depths. My emotions were a sudden, raging storm, and I willed myself to find my center, the one spot of calm that remained in me. When my words came out, they came from that spot of calm.

I couldn’t lie to myself. The connection I felt with him was ocean-deep, and I couldn’t pretend otherwise.

You will give yourself to me,
he had said. My answer was wrenched from a place where only truth existed. “Sir,” I whispered, holding his gaze. “I already have.”

An unnamed emotion flashed in his eyes. “Turn around,” he said gruffly. “Get on your hands and knees.” I obeyed wordlessly, and I heard the distinctive crinkle of the condom wrapper tearing, and then he plunged into me with a hard stroke.

I bit my lip as he bottomed out, and that little slice of pain knifed through my body. But it was a good pain, and I pushed my hips back, mutely begging for more.

Smack. The spank echoed in the quiet, and a stinging, warming pain blossomed from the spot where his palm made contact. I hissed and wriggled my hips, my response the same as before. More. I wanted more.

He fucked me, hard and fast, deep and sure. He smacked my ass, and each stinging blow made me whimper and beg for more. His hands wound through my hair, pulling slightly at the roots, and I shivered in complete pleasure at the tiny prickles of pain in my scalp.

I was riding a relentless wave; I was being pulled higher and higher. His hands seemed everywhere. On my ass, grazing the reddened skin with his fingernails. On my clitoris, urging me towards climax. In my hair, holding me in place as he pummelled my body.

Too much. It was all too much. My orgasm was a tidal wave, relentless and unstoppable, and when I exploded with a shriek, I felt him stiffen and groan, grabbing my hips to pull my body deep down on his cock.