The Billionaire's Touch (BDSM Erotic Romance) (His Submissive, Part Two) (4 page)

She was Allegra…and I’d never been so relieved in my life.

Allegra was about his height, but wider than Jacob
. She staggered a bit when he
finally
released her,
giving him a
shove that sent him stumbling before he went back in for a bear hug.

Up close,
I saw that despite A
llegra's muscular physique,
her fa
ce had gentle curves, intensified
by bright, olive colored eyes and a lazy smile. She wore a gray blouse tucked into dark
wash jeans but still looked efficient and professional.
Her m
idnight
colored
hair was cropped short and specks of gray weaved throughout.

Her
eyes shot to me as I got close. “
Buongi
orno
.”

J
acob
turned and eyeballed me, suddenly remembering
there was a second in his party.
"
Oh, uh,
Allegra, this is
Leila Montgomery. M
y new personal assistant."

"Miss Montgomery," Allegra said warmly. Her thick accent wrapped around each word, turning even an introduction into something exotic. "It is nice to meet you."

I accepted her extended hand and shook it firmly. "It's nice to meet you too."

"Ms. De Luca
will accompany you to your hotel while I
take care of some other matters,
"
Jacob said crisply.

Allegra's dark brows furrowed. "Surely Miss Montgomery would be better served by a familiar face? She's in a strange country, Jacob."

I
bit my lip to keep fr
om letting out a ‘Yeah!’, but
decided I liked her
. I had a feeling not many people questioned Jacob Whitmore.

"That may be true, but I couldn't think of anyone I'd trust with this more than you." He
said, not budging an inch. He
turned his attention back to me.
"I'll see you in the morning.”

And just like that,
he was walking briskly in the other direction. I cleared my throat and squashed the nerves that bundled in my stomach and squared my shoulders. I wasn't allowed to be nervous and most of all, I wasn't allowed to miss him.

Allegra didn't waste any time, promptly opening my door before she
moved to the front of the car and
squeezed behind the wheel. I found a sm
all comfort in the
no frills gray cloth interior of the sedan. It reminded me of home.

I looked out my window as we pulled aw
ay
from Marco Polo airport, melting
into the buzz of people, busses, and
water p
eppered with wooden boats and larger ferries.

“There are two ways to get around Venice from
Aeroporto Marco Polo
,” Allegra said from the front seat. She g
estured
at the water. “If you prefer a
more romantic experience,
you c
ould take ferry or water taxi. If you prefer to keep both feet on solid ground
, bus, or if you’re lucky, me.” She smiled at me in the rearview mirror and I smiled back,
her good mood contagious.

I turned back to the scene unfolding just outside my window, gazing
longingly at scooters and mopeds, imagining how exhilarating it
would be to experience all this
without a barrier, with the wind rushing through my hair. Every building that lined the streets was more unique and vibrant than the las
t. I wished I’d brought
my camera, but snapped a few pictures with my phone.

When we arrived at my hotel,
I couldn’t believe that over an hour had gone by
. I could have gone up and down those streets a million times and I’d find some
thing new and amazing every turn
.

Allegra parked at
the valet station and hopped out, quickly grabbing my suitcase before I could get to it.
When I opened my mouth to protest, she shook her head. “You are visitor here. It’s no problem.”

I was grateful to have my hands free when I stepped inside the lobby because I could spin around and take the extravagance in.
E
verything glittered and looked both classical and beautifully modern. T
he marble statues that stood sentry at a small waiting area and beside the front desk were like something out of museum. I turned toward the desk, meaning to check in, but Allegra steered me toward the elevators instead.

“You’re already checked in,” she
explained, punching the ‘up’ button
. “Jacob had your clothes and a few other things sent over.”

We zipped up to
the third floor and I followed my guide down the pristine hall.
Allegra parked my suitcase in front
of a door near the end, pulled out a slender card and handed
it to me.

“Your key.”
She gave me a nod and moved to go. “You probably want to unwind, take a nap, yes?”

“Nap?” I said, shaking my head
furiously
. “I’m in Venice—I can nap back home!”

“We will get along famously.” She
chuckled
. “What to do first…” She
scratc
hed her chin, mulling it
over. “Maybe you get settled, change into something a bit more comfortable, then join me for an early dinner, drinks in the
ristorante
?”

“That sounds great!” I smiled after
her, feeling a little guilty that I’d pouted at the thought of not having Jacob bring me to my hotel. I would have been on pins and needles with
him. With Allegra, I felt like I could finally relax
.

I
pushed into the room, flipped the light switch
and gasped.
The room was gorgeous, filled with antique touches without feeling too stuffy. A four poster bed was the focal point, but
it was
the vanity near the door stole my heart. I
gravitated to it, oohing and aahing over the workmanship. I
ran my hand around the dips and curves of the wood, fingers tracing until I saw the small stack of items sitting neatly in the center.

A small white bag was on top, filled with exotic
scarves and odds and ends like C
hanel no 5 and other toiletries. Beneath it was
a white box with the signature Apple logo on the front.

I frowned, lifting it up and using an ivory handled letter opener
sitti
ng on a tea table
to break the tape. Packing peanuts spilled out, quickly followed by a sleek, white box with a picture of the latest
iPad
gleaming up at me.

“He got me an
iPad
?” I screeched, my voice echoing up to the vaulted ceiling then back down as I pulled it o
ut of the case.

Before this job,
I’d just settled on pinching pennies until I could find a
used on
e on Craigslist. N
ow,
I had my own.

I walked over to the bed, sinking into the awesomely soft duvet, already imagining how I’d capture the city with my new gadget when I caught sight of a slender white envelope on the bedside table.

I let out a bitter chuckle
, coming down from cloud nine
. What did Jacob want me to do now? Strip down and send him an XXX
video with the tablet?

I ripped open the side of the envelope and pulled out a
piece of
paper. There were only two words
, written in gentle cursive instead of angry slashes like the first.

Be patient.

My mind went a million miles a minute as I read it over and over. ‘Be patient’? Did that mean that he wanted to open up to me? That my attempt to pour my heart out hadn’t made things worse after all?

I brought the piece of paper to my lips and pressed a kiss on his words before putting it back on the bedside table. I folded my arms behind my head and looked up at the ceiling, letting myself believe that wherever Jacob was, he was thinking about me too.

 

****

 

I donned
one of the few casu
al-i
sh outfits hanging in my closet: a sheer black blouse,
crimson colored skinny jeans
and slipped my black flats
on before I exited the room. My cell beeped to life at my side and I read the text. It was All
egra, letting me know that she
grabbed a table for the two of us in the hotel restaurant.

To be honest, I was looking forward to learning more about Jacob as much as putting some food in my belly, though as soon as I stepped on t
he first floor and got a whiff of
freshly
baked bread and basil, the playing field was even.

"
Buona
s
era
,” the host said brightly. “
Tavolo per uno
?

When I let out a flustered laugh, wishing I'd been more concerned with Rosetta Stone than trying to figure out what was going out in Jacob's head, he repeated it in English with a sympathetic smile.

"Good evening. A table for one?"

I shook my head, peering over his shoulder. I scanned the lively crowd, stopping when I saw Allegra's bowed head. "I'm meeting a friend."

I maneuvered in and out of the table
s
, my cu
riosity peaking as I heard her
tearing into someone on the phone.

"
Non essere ridicolo
. Anyone can see you care about this girl. Why do you fight it? You confuse her and you confuse me-"

"Allegra?"

She smiled up at me, gesturing at the seat in front of her.

"We will discuss this in the morning. Unless you join us tonight?" She rolled her eyes to the
ceiling. "Understood.
Ciao
."

She snapped her cell phone closed
and gave me the once over, clucking her tongue with approval
. "Leila, you look lovely."

"Thanks,
" I grinned. "You do too." She
traded her outfit from earlier with a sleeveless flowered dress
that
softened her muscled exterior
.

She picked up a bottle of red wine. "Do you drink?"

"Absolutely!
" I said, probably a little too quickly.

She let out a musical laugh that made her eyes twinkle then poured the ruby red liquid in my empty wine glass. "All a bit overwhelming, no?"

I brought the glass to my nose and inhaled deep, breathing in the vibrant body of it before I took a hearty sip. It was like caramel going down and I savored it before I answered. "I'm still pinching myself every second."

"You haven't been working fo
r Jacob very long?
"

"Right," I said,
takin
g another swallo
w. "Almost four
days now."

She let out an impressed whistle. "You must be very good at your job."

I turned bright as a tomato at that
and dropped
my gaze
,
suddenly real concerned with the starch white tablecloth. How could I tell her that my interview 'supplement'
had probably
got me the job?

She placed a wrinkled hand over mine and when I dredged my eyes u
p, I saw that she already knew.
Of course she did...I was far from Jacob's first assistant.

I opened my mouth, the red of
embarrassment
turning to shame. "Let me explain-"

"That is unnecessary
," she cut in. "This is
carriera
, your career, yes?"

I bit my lip and nodded.

"And I imagine you have plans that exceed being an assistant?"

"Absolutely," I said without hesitation. "Not that all of this isn't great, but I want more."
I let it all out
, finally feeling like someone understood.
"I want my own clients, my own agency....my own name over the door."

She g
ave me a long, pensive look then
her face cracked into a grin. “
Difficile
? No. You got your foot in th
e do
or. You'll get no judgment f
or doing whatever you needed to do to meet your goals."

I reached for the bread basket, my sto
mach making a gurgle of hunger
. "So since we're talking about doing
whatever one
need
s
to do to get ahead, do you mind if I pick your brain about Jacob?"

Other books

Redemption by Gordon, H. D.
Lawman in Disguise by Laurie Kingery
Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan
The Fortunes by Peter Ho Davies
Demon Child by Dean Koontz
The Valley by Unknown
Brave the Wild Wind by Johanna Lindsey
Beating the Street by Peter Lynch