Page 36 of Pain and Pleasure

"My father isn't even my father, he's a sperm donor who's just as guilty at watching me and stalking me as you and your boss are."

Sergio eyes me as I speak, not saying a word as he clicks the last briefcase he has closed. He rests his hands on top of them both and stares at me in silence.

"I'm not asking to be your best friend, Sergio. I'm not even asking for your forgiveness because I don't need to be forgiven for anything. I'm not going to ask to be forgiven for being born into a world I never wanted to believe that existed in the first place."

I turn to walk away but his voice stops me. I turn around and see that both of the briefcases are in his hand and he's making his way toward Dante's wing.

"I'm not asking for you to forgive me, Esmeralda. What I want for you is to be very cautious in the decisions you make in Dante's life. You may think that you are in love with him because he protects you, but there are still many things you do not know about the man. I won't keep cleaning up the messes and mistakes that get made because he's too focused on living a fairy tale with you."

He walks away and leaves me in the library. I'm standing in confused silence but then I hear voices near the entrance of the house. Tucking away the conversation that Sergio and I just had, I make my way to the front door and I'm greeted by Dante. A clean and gunshot free Dante. I can't help but smile with joy when I see him, unable to hide the fact that I missed him so much.

He walks to me and holds me in his arms, tipping my chin up to look at him as he traces my lips with his fingertips.

"Good evening, mi ciela. Did you do anything fun while I was gone?" he asks, his voice smooth and sticky like honey.

I press my fingers into his biceps as I rest my forehead against his chest, breathing in his scent. He smells like cologne and leather today and it makes my legs tingle in response.

"Just redid my business proposal for the seventh time," I said, whispering into his white and crisp shirt.

He pulls back to look at me, smoothing my hair from my eyes. He narrows his eyes at me, picking up on my sudden mood. I hate that he can read me so openly. I have no way of hiding any emotion from this man.

"What's happened?" he demands.

I shrug, not really wanting to think about the conversation that Sergio and I just had. Definitely not wanting to relay it to Dante and have a potential fight on our hands.

"Nothing I just...I missed you. That's all." I look away, feeling shy because that is the truth.

My cheeks heat and he turns my head back in his direction, a small smile flirting with his lips. His hair is disheveled and the stubble lining his jaw is delectable.

"Te extrañé, mi cielo."I missed you, my sky.

I blush immediately and he chuckles before landing a sweet kiss on my forehead.

"Come. Javier said dinner was ready and I'm famished." He looks me up and down with a lustful expression and I laugh at him, thankful that he's not diving deeper and prying the reason for my strange mood out of me.

Javier has made duck for dinner and it's by far the best thing of his that I've tasted. As he refills our wine, I tell him to sit. Dante grabs a glass and pours the rest of the wine for him, offering it over as Javier sips it.

"I want to ask you for help," I tell him earnestly. He nods for me to go on.

"It's time for me to draft a menu for my business proposal. I have too many desserts on there, but not a lot of meals and I was wondering if...if you could…" Why am I struggling to ask for help?

"I'd love to help you, Emmie." He smiles at me and touches my hand. I thank him as I laugh awkwardly.

"I've done a lot on my own, but I haven't really had the...time for cooking and getting creative in the kitchen, I guess. I've learned so much from you, but I don't want to steal any of your recipes. I would much rather have your help and ideas for what I have in mind."

He finishes his glass of wine and grabs my play before grabbing everyone else's. I noticed Dante staring at me from the corner of his eye, but I stay focused on Javier, eager to hear what else he has to say.

"I think your mind is plenty creative, Emmie. I'm going to help you because I would love to help you, but give yourself a little credit where it's due. You're a fantastic cook and you deserve the right to express yourself how you choose to." He winks at me and walks into the kitchen with our dirty plates.

After a few more moments of small talk and finishing our wine, Ricky gets up and excuses himself. He has a long day with Marianne tomorrow as fashion week is now starting. Apparently, they have finished a lot of different designs and she's not only ready to showcase them during fashion week, but she's also ready to open up her own store with her own clothes. I've never felt prouder of Ricky, and after getting to know Marianne now, I'm incredibly proud of her.

Dante and I sit in silence, and I noticed that he's been staring at me since Javier left the room.

"Can I help you with something?" I ask, only half joking as his stare is now starting to become a little unnerving.

He shrugs, downing his wine before leaning back in his chair and crossing his leg over the other. I noticed the outline of his dick in his pants and I try to remain focused on his face, but fail immensely. He notices my moving eyes and offers me a smirk before going back to staring at me quizzically.

"I was actually wondering if you were ever going to ask me if I could help you with something. It seems you've been in a rush to do it with everyone else but me."

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