“Fine. I do need to know though, like how honest can I be with Dante? I’m not sure he isn’t a flight risk.”
Alicia is chewing on a mozzarella stick, and she nods at Lydia to answer. Lydia shrugs. “You can be as honest as you want. Dante isn’t going anywhere. He’s all in.”
I glance to Alicia, who is nodding in agreement. “Seriously?”
After a sip of her drink Alicia sighs. “Seriously, when you said he didn’t drag you off to bed when you were begging him to, you confirmed it. If all he wanted was sex he could have had it. I already told you, he’s not back to his old self, he’s even better. He’s happier than I ever remember seeing him. He’s not going anywhere.”
My chest is working to take in air. Breathe, Bethany, breathe. Finally I take a deep breath then I burst into tears. Damn it.
***
Dante
I’m hanging on to my temper by a thin string, a very thin string as Helena Addison throws a tantrum at the idea of being handed off to my best agent. Che and I trade glances, and I nod. He’s always specialized in our commercial properties, while he can list our top five residential properties, he needs help beyond them. I prefer residential, always have.
In the past I’ve handled Helena, helping her buy two different properties and selling one of her homes. Considering the value of those two purchases and one sale were such each transaction netted us right around three million, she isn’t a client we want to piss off. It doesn’t matter it’s already four in the afternoon; Helena’s son is coming home from London, and she wants a place of his own for him by the time he lands tomorrow.
After an apology through gritted teeth I guide her into my office. Of course, it’s not a simple conversation to find out what it is she wants in the property. I bring up a few and she hates all but one. Based on her reaction I bring up a few more, and those she’s warming to. I shoot Gretchen an email requesting five more properties with the parameters, then send another email asking Che to reach out to Bethany to let her know I won’t be home until much later tonight. Helena isn’t going to be easy to please, and she won’t consider the time of day any reason to stop looking, the second home she purchased we didn’t find until almost ten in the evening. I was up until one in the morning with a pissed-off seller whom I’m pretty sure gave in so he could go to sleep.
Fuck, this is not how I wanted to spend the night before we left for Madrid.
***
Bethany
I’m trying to ease some serious tension, but it isn’t working. Another pose, breathe deep, still not working. My phone rings and it’s almost a relief. Except it’s Cesare’s ringtone. Alicia only left twenty minutes ago. “Hello?”
“Bethany, it’s Cesare. Dante asked me to let you know he is stuck with one of our clients and will likely be late. He apologizes, unfortunately she was irate at the thought of not being handled by myself or Dante. As Dante has more knowledge of what she was looking for, he took her.”
“Thanks for telling me, Cesare. I appreciate it.”
“Not a problem, do you want to come over for dinner tonight?”
“No, I’ll be fine. Thanks.”
“Have a good night.”
“I will. You too.” I throw myself on my bed to stare blindly at the ceiling. This is not how I was hoping tonight would go. Turning my head, I look at the selection of sexy lingerie that had me blushing when it was handed to me. For the lingerie I was determined to pay my own, and damn was this stuff expensive, but trying it on had me looking forward to when Dante would see it on me. Tonight I wanted to give him a sneak peek. Dang it.
I’ve been floating in and out of sleep for what feels like an hour. I’m yanked out of sleep by the light going on. I blink and find Dante hovering above me.
“Bethany Marie Jeffries, what the hell do you think you’re doing in my bed?”
“How do you know my middle name?”
His eyes roll. “What don’t I know about you? Out, now.” He flings off the covers. I giggle at the way his eyes go wide. I have no idea what he says in Italian. It sounds sexy, though.
“English, Dante.”
He shakes his head as his eyes narrow. “I should spank your ass right now. This is another one you’ve earned.”
I wiggle, not wanting to leave the comfy bed. I love how it smells of Dante. “Please don’t make me go to my bed, Dante. I promise I’ll be good.”
“That promise means nothing when you’re wearing what you’re wearing. One more night. Please, help me out here. I’m exhausted already.”
My eyes wander over him. As always he’s gorgeous, but tonight he also looks as if he could sleep standing up. Poor Dante. With a sigh, I roll off his bed. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, ready to leave at nine thirty.”
“Nine thirty. I don’t dare touch you even to kiss you the way I’m dying to.”