Authors: Renee Graziano
Playing with Fire
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D
EDICATION AND
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and always first I’d like to thank GOD … not just for getting me where I am today but for making me walk through the fire in order to know how to PLAY WITH FIRE.
To my sister Jennifer: Thank you, thank you, thank you … for never giving up on me and for never failing to see my potential through all the drama. You have pushed me to limits I didn’t even know I was capable of reaching. You have taught me to explore roads I have never traveled, come to terms with things I never wanted to … and be above the rest without acting like I am above the rest.
Daddy: You are without a doubt the greatest man I know. You have taught me courage, perseverance, and forgiveness. You have showed me that your presence in a room isn’t weighed by how much you are feared or how loud you are but by the amount of kisses on your cheek and handshakes or just your plain old ability to make others laugh.
Mom: You are a driving force in my life. Also a bit of a pain in the ass, but without you I wouldn’t know what style, beauty, and grace are. Without you I wouldn’t know how to love unconditionally nor would I know how to say screw what people say.… It’s all about family!
Lana: What can I say? We’ve been through everything that two sisters could go through in ten lifetimes … marriage, divorce, pain, pressure, and single parenting. I love you.
Justin, Sonni, John, and Anthony: TiTi Nae loves you!!!!!
Monica Cooper: You held me together when I couldn’t keep it together.… You were always there to lend a helping hand and a comforting phone call when I needed it. You have the patience of a saint. Xoxo
Marvin Peart: You do not know how grateful I am for not getting up when I was sitting at your table in Spa!! Ha-ha! That was the beginning to a friendship I hold so near and dear to my heart. By the way, you sure do know how to spot a star when you see one, and I am not talking about me, I’m talking about my sister Jenn.
Alexis, Marilyn, and the sassy Ms. Margo: Where would I be without you three?!!!! Alexis, you’re more than my cousin to me, you’re my sister. I love you so very much!!! Marilyn, you are a second mother and someone I admire tremendously. Margo, the coolest most calm and collected Gemini I know!!!!! Hats off to a woman who remained in charge!!!
Tiffany Hasbourne: You played a major role in my life and if I’ve never said it before or a hundred times, here’s the first and the one hundred and first time: THANK YOU!!! AppreciatCha!!! Xoxo
Danielle, LyMarie, and Bali: You girls are a rare find, a precious gem and I’m honored and so grateful to have you as my friends.
Nikki Boots: This book was great therapy!! Write one!! Or date more, lol.…
My Prude Prude:… It’s not a bad thing. It’s a boring thing. Hahahahah.
Carla Murino: You have been there with me through hell and back from third grade to today. We’ve argued and possibly had a fight or two. We laughed, cried, and have been each other’s alibi!! #bff #pastels #tebf #stitches #prisonvisits #stmichaelschurch #pontessteakout #fromthebasement #tothetop #mobcandy.
Aunt Celia, Bianca, Andrea, Aunt Belinda!!! I wish you were here so I could share this triumphant moment with you!!!!
My cousin Erica and Frankie.
Aunt Patricia Dana.
To my grandmother Nora!! All I can hear is your voice as you fought with your sister, Ti Suzie, screaming BouTana back and forth in your Italian accents!!!!! Oh man, do I wish I could have one more day with you on earth. I think about you daily and I know you are watching over me!!!
Grandpa Anthony: I used to run to greet you at the door and fall down the steps every time because I was so excited to see you. You never, ever missed my birthday right up until the year you died. Twenty bucks for twenty-four years.
Grandpa Sal: You were definitely no pushover, but I remember you taking me to pick daisies and blackberries.
Grandma Faye: Heaven is a place of harmony. Don’t be stirring up some shit.… Just joking. Please watch over your son, my father, and keep him safe and alive till he’s 101.
Uncle Sal: You taught me how to fish and as you can tell I still haven’t caught one—hahah.
Grandmother Kitty.
Aunt Sally, Aunt A, Aunt Mary!!
My cousins Susan (rest with angels) and Kathy: Living with you guys will always be a fond memory.
My Great Aunt Prudy: The real deal Playboy bunny!!
Dena and Angie.
Grace Ann Vacarro: My friend on earth and my angel in heaven. I miss you terribly!!!
Jo Mignano: I thank grace every day for you, you are an incredible friend and one hell of a P.R.
Nikki Boots: #acbound.
Andrea: From bowling to Waldbaum’s parking lots to the end of time I love and miss having you in my life. Don’t let your daughter read this!! And give your mother and sister a kiss. xoxo
Mrs. Murino.
Suzanne Corso and her mom, Judy: I remember sitting on your bed and you reading me pages from your book before we were nineteen. We did it!!!!!!!!!
As for the men in my life … though I’ve dated more than the average and less than some, I can honestly say there were only a few good men … and maybe three greats!!!
You know who you are. Won’t catch me telling … cause that would be snitching and THAT’S NOT THE WAY I GET DOWN.
And last but so far from least; the BEST AND MOST IMPORTANT IN MY LIFE:
My son! AJ!!! Mommy loves you more than life. You are my child, my best friend, and my savior on Earth … let alone one of the wisest young men on the planet with the most beautiful heart and soul. Because of you the world is a better place. Your mom did it, buddy!!!! I hope you are proud of me!!!!
A special thanks to the publishers, editors, and the strong, sexy bold women behind this book. A special nod to my agent, Brandi Bowles of Foundry Media; Barbara Poelle of the Irene Goodman Agency; and my fabulous editor, Kristin Sevick. Also to the unsung heroes: the art department, the copy editors, and proofreaders at Tor/Forge.
Transitions Recovery Program!! One Day at a Time.
To the rest of my family and friends: I love you for believing in me!! I love you for loving me. I love you for supporting me and I love you even more for letting me be without judging me.
C
ONTENTS
Dedication and Acknowledgments
P
ROLOGUE
The pool shimmered Caribbean blue under the moonlight, and the slight splash was the only sound she could hear over the accelerated respiration of her own breathing.
Reign slid her hands over the shoulders of the man who held her. Their bodies were slick in the water, her legs around his waist, his hands cupping her hips, holding her in just the right position as his lower body moved urgently.…
“Baby,” he said on a suffocated breath, his breath hot in her ear. “Holy fuck … tell me you’re close. This is too good. I can’t hold on.”
She was close. Aroused, immersed in sensation, the light slap of the water as they moved together part of the moment. Her arms wound around his neck. Her breasts were tight against his muscular chest, and then the world shattered and went away as her orgasm rose, crested, and spilled over. The tidal wave was all heated sensation and perfect pleasure as she washed away in the flood.
She floated, literally, into reality, the face of the man still holding her indistinct in the shadowed light, and she smiled and lifted a wet hand to touch his mouth.
“Hmm. That was…”
She stopped. What was it?
“Fantastic,” he supplied. “I think I stopped breathing there for a full minute. Jesus.”
In truth, she might have said it was very good. Damn good, actually. She was languid in the water in his arms, content, her heart slowing to a more reasonable pace.
It was unfortunate they were enemies, locked in a struggle he didn’t even recognize.
That was fine; she preferred to be in control.
But still, too bad. They might have been great together.
Chapter
O
NE
It wasn’t like the dress was really over the top.
Might just be the body in it.
Nick Fattelli took a sip from his snifter and negligently set it aside, watching, but he wasn’t the only one. He was pretty sure every man in the room had turned to look.
The woman who had just come into the room was not even classically beautiful. Long dark hair, yes, he approved of that, and the sultry unusual eyes to set it off. Her skin was flawless, but her features were not perfect. That was fine—he wasn’t looking for perfect. A tilt to the eyes, just a hint, and a shade of a Roman nose, but still she was very striking. The dress didn’t hurt either, cut low enough to showcase her firm breasts and tight enough to accentuate what he thought was a world-class ass.
He approved 100 percent.
“Reign.”
He turned and glanced at the man who had apparently caught him staring. “What?”
“That’s her first name. Reign.” Joey Carre took a small round cracker topped with pink shrimp and herb-flecked cheese from a tray and somehow managed to pop it into his mouth and still make the movement look sophisticated. He chewed and swallowed before he commented, “Saw you looking. Long stare, about two seconds over the ordinary. Don’t worry, you aren’t the first.”
Of that, he had no doubt now that he’d seen her. “Okay, guilty as charged.… The story?”
Carre knew everyone. Maybe it was his connection with the fashion icons in a city where how a person was dressed told you more about them than a background check. Carre was slightly overweight, but the cut of his jacket fooled the eye, and his fair hair was thinning just enough to accent a high forehead and austere features. His eyes were a very pale blue and, rumor had it, missed nothing.
“She’s connected.”
Nick believed that. Their circles were fairly tight, this party an example. He glanced around the penthouse, saw the sleek furnishings and the tall shining windows that gave way to a terrace overlooking New York City. The skyline was brilliant through the wall of windows, and the floor was polished marble. Ten million bucks, easy, for this place.… The invitations were not passed out on street corners. “To?”
“Practically everyone, but not what you are thinking right now.” Joey shook his head and took a sip of champagne. “She’s a pretty face, but it doesn’t stop there.”
So … intelligent, gorgeous in her own way, and willing to walk into a party like this one wearing a flamboyant green dress with all that ebony hair spilling down her back.… Good presentation. Every other woman had on the classic little black number. She stood out.