Caprice Belmonte strolled along the streets of Naples, her skin-tight Versace dress leaving little to the imagination. Every man turned and stared as she walked along, knowing full well the impact she had on them. At 5’8”, with long, dark hair, beautiful brown almond-shaped eyes, and a killer body, Caprice was not a woman to overlook. She prowled, like a panther, in pursuit of her prey.
Caprice enjoyed the attention she received from men, and sometimes women. The looks, the stares – it made her feel confident. She learned at an early age that people were going to stare at her, whether she liked it or not, so she might as well like it. And she did.
By the time she was nineteen, Caprice had developed into devastatingly gorgeous woman, easily passing for twenty-five. She possessed a dark, smoldering beauty, full lips, and a pair of the most beautiful breasts that could give any man a heart attack. At twenty-one, Caprice realized she could capitalize on her beauty and earn quite a nice living by showing off her spectacular body. Armed with a mind for business and a body for sin, she began a career as a stripper. She started out in a sleazy back alley joint, Franco’s, which was managed by a fat German man and his wife. Most of the patrons were manual labor-types or desperate losers. However sleazy and run-down the place was, she made a lot of money, more money than she knew what to do with. Caprice worked there for awhile, gaining experience, then eventually moved on to other, higher class strip clubs in Naples.
Now, at age twenty-three, Caprice worked at Bellisimo’s, the most exclusive gentlemen’s club in Naples, catering to wealthy, powerful businessmen. It was there that she caught the eye of Sergio Rossi, owner of the club. He was immediately entranced by Caprice and knew he had to have her. At first, Caprice rebuffed his advances, smiling coyly, tossing
her long dark hair, while strutting her stuff on stage, but always refusing his offers of dates and trips to the Alps. Caprice, too, knew what she wanted, but also knew from experience to play it cool, and to always make them work for it. Especially with a man like Sergio who was used to getting what he wanted when he wanted. Her strategy paid off – after three months of refusing him, Caprice finally agreed to have dinner with Sergio. Two days later, she was living in his house. Well, some of the time. Caprice was smart enough to know that it was in her best interest to keep her own apartment, just in case.
Caprice knew Sergio was the boss of a very powerful Mafia family and was aware of his various “business activities.” This didn’t bother Caprice in the slightest. In fact, it turned her on. Caprice loved bad boys, and Sergio was certainly a bad boy. Very bad. She had overheard conversations between Sergio and his men, secretly listened to their plots and schemes, and knew where a lot of the money came from and where it was hidden. You see, Caprice had brains underneath her beauty. She listened, gathered information, and filed it away – for a rainy day.
Chapter 15
“I missed you,” Alex says. He leans towards me, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. It’s Monday morning, and we’re heading to the Cosmo Hotel site.
“I missed you, too,” I reply, thinking how happy I am to see him. I was actually glad the weekend was over, knowing I would see Alex on Monday morning.
We arrive to the site and see a structure that looks close to completion. Walls are up, windows are in place, stairs are in, and a concrete floor has been laid. Sam, the project manager, greets us as we walk towards the building. Alex and I don our hard hats and boots before we enter.
“You look sexy in your hard hat,” Alex whispers in my ear, his hand grazing my back. We follow behind Sam, trying to listen as he gives us tour.
“Thank you, Mr. McCall,” I whisper back, a slight grin playing on my lips.
Sam turns around, eyes us slightly, before turning back around and continuing with the tour.
Later, as we leave the site, I turn to Alex and ask, “Are you happy with progress, Mr. McCall?”
“Oh yes, Miss Harris, I’m very happy with progress,” Alex says, grinning.
“I have a surprise for you, Katherine.” Alex swivels around in his office chair, closing his laptop. It’s three o’clock Thursday afternoon. We’ve both been swamped with phone calls and paperwork for the hotel, which is typical. The closer the hotel gets to completion, the more intense the workload. Alex has spent much of the week at the actual site, overseeing the construction progress, and speaking with Sam. I’ve been mostly in the office, scheduling meetings with interior designers and finalizing choices for fixtures and fittings.
“A surprise?” I question, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, a surprise. I won’t be coming in tomorrow.” He pauses, and then says, “And I’d like you to leave work early, at noon.”
I was floored. “Wait, let me make sure I’m hearing you correctly. You won’t be coming to the office tomorrow, and you want me to leave at lunch? What about all the work we still have on the Cosmo?”
“It can wait. And yes, I want you to leave early tomorrow. You’re under strict orders,” he says, grinning. “I have something special planned.”
My heart skips a beat, and I walk over to the office windows, taking a moment to gather my thoughts.
Something special, he says. This should be interesting.
“Okay. But will you at least give me something, a hint?”
Alex shakes his head, still grinning, clearly enjoying this. “No. But, I will tell you this - I’ll collect you tomorrow at two o’clock, sharp. Pack a bag for the weekend. Oh, and bring a swimsuit.”
He walks up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“Or not,” he whispers in my ear, nibbling on my earlobe. I giggle, leaning against him.
“Two o’clock sharp, you say?”
“Two o’clock sharp.”
“Alright. You’d better not be late,” I say, turning around to face him, playfully tugging on his tie.
“Oh, I can assure you, Miss Harris, I won’t be.”