I fight to open my mouth to argue with what he’s said, but my tongue won’t work. While he’s giving me the opportunity to leave with my pride intact, I take it.
Cesare’s door is closed. I knock lightly as those damn bees are back from this morning and fighting to escape. “Come.”
Even through the door, his voice is a deep smoky tease to every sense I have. I open the door. He’s leaning back in his chair smoking a cigar with the cool arrogance of a king before his subject. His black eyes are unfathomable, his expression shuttered. It’s rude of him to smoke without asking me if I was all right with it. Yet as I step into the room the scent of cherries, wood, and cinnamon wafts toward me and it isn’t unpleasant. I wonder if that’s what his mouth would taste like... Holy shit. Stop it. “You wanted to see me, sir?” Shit, I sound as breathless as I feel.
Oh god, now those black eyes smolder with heat. His gaze is heavy as if he were touching me as it lingers over me, up my legs so slow then stopping at my breasts. My body reacts instantly, wantonly; my breasts are heavy, nipples tight and thrusting against the brand-new silk bra that makes me even more aware of what he’s doing to me with a single look. He exhales smoke, and it winds around him in a gray fog like I long to. Get a grip.
“You are needed for dinner tomorrow night. You will wear something that covers you completely. Your breasts will not be on show. Your hair will be up. You are not to wear heels higher than two inches.” His eyes are on my hair long and loose down my back. “Throughout dinner, you will not flirt—as far as the client is to know you are involved with someone. You will not dance with him or allow him to touch you beyond a handshake. Do you understand?”
Okay, maybe it’s the smoke or the heat in his eyes turning my brain to mush, but I don’t understand. I can’t stop the shake of my head. I don’t understand any of it.
Cesare stills as the air around him shimmers with a volatile energy. “What don’t you understand?” The words are rapped out as stiffly as a ruler across my knuckles.
The sting of his words clears my head. “I don’t understand why you’re telling me not to act like some kind of man-hungry woman intent on capturing the attention of a man when I am not, nor have I ever been like that.” I snap back, hurt at the way he saw me.
I swear even the smoke seems to stop moving. Oxygen is trapped in my lungs until finally, he blinks. Eyes glitter like black ice, and they feel as lethal and dangerous as the real thing. “I was not implying you are man-hungry. My instructions are for your protection. Billings is coming out of a bad divorce, and he’s had bad manners in the past. I do not want you to be on the receiving end of anything that would make you uncomfortable. Neither Dante nor I put our clients before our employees, if something were to happen, we would cut ties. It’s best to be proactive to ensure we never get to that point.”
The words make sense yet there is an underlying hint of aggression, a warning that I’m embarrassed to admit thrills me. What the hell is the matter with me? He inhales on the cigar, causing the tip to glow bright red. “I don’t like people who smoke, cigarettes or cigars.” The words come out forced—I’m trying to remind myself.
His head goes back and a dark eyebrow goes up with indolent amusement as he exhales slowly. “Then it’s a good thing I don’t give a fuck if you like me or not. You’re excused for the day, go home.”
I’m dismissed. With another pull on the cigar his eyes go to his computer screen. Instantly, I shiver at the extreme change from hot to cold without his eyes on me. Sucking in air, I move fast out of the room, confusion overwhelming me. I don’t remember saying goodbye to Jeanine; all I know is I’m in the elevator, and Dante’s words come back to me now as I fight to understand what the hell just happened.
Wait a minute—Dante warned me about getting involved with Cesare. At the time all I could think of was him knowing of my bizarre fascination with his brother. But he was letting me know I might be on the receiving end of Cesare coming on to me, and if I wasn’t accepting, to let Dante know.
That means Dante believes Cesare is attracted to me. No fucking way. The words come out of me in shock. Cesare Sabatini, attracted to me? The elevator door opens, and blindly I get out. No way. No, it’s insanity. All of it. My mind can’t take it and shuts down on it, on everything.
4
Cesare
The moment the door closes behind Alicia, my whole body shudders as I exhale the tension she caused. Fuck. I pull deep on the cigar, trying to focus on the flavor, the enjoyment I’ve always received as the smoke rolls around in my mouth and the nicotine hits my system. Closing my eyes doesn’t help—all I see is her. Those curves on display, her blouse unbuttoned only by two small buttons, but it was enough to show her smooth golden skin and hint at those gorgeous breasts. My cock jerks at the memory of the way her breasts swelled and her nipples hardened to fine points beneath my gaze. I slam down the cigar into the ashtray. Damn it.
This dinner promises to be a night of finding out how good my self-restraint is. In other words, pure hell.
***
Cesare
Dante knocks on my door even as he opens it. I barely look up from
the report I’m almost done with. “Come on, old man, it’s time for dinner. Enzo is already waiting downstairs in the car.”
I shake my head. “I’m almost done. Go on. I’ll grab something on the way home.”
“No, it can wait. The world will keep turning if you don’t finish it right now. I, however, will deck you if you keep me hungry for seconds longer than necessary.”
With a sigh I look up to see he’s got his jacket on, his tie undone around his neck. At least his shirt is tucked in if unbuttoned to his chest. “Fine. Two minutes, let me shut down.”
Dante moans as his head goes back. “Hurry up, I’m starving.”
“I swear you sound like you’re ten years old.”
“A starving ten-year-old. I’m so hungry.”
“Why don’t you keep snacks in your damn office like I tell you to a dozen times a month.”
He shrugs. “I don’t know, I never know what I want. Don’t tell me you don’t get hungry too.”