Page 121 of Empire of Seduction

When the elevator came to a halt Vito held the doors open for me. I exited and found myself directly in his penthouse. “Holy shit,” I whispered, stopping in my tracks. This wasn’t a tavern or a rock club. This place screamed money, like it came right out of a design catalog for billionaires.

Light wood floors stretched throughout the spacious interior, with elegant white and black minimalist furniture strategically placed. Windows wrapped two sides, the entire city winking around us, with a terrace on the outside of the long wall. Soft lights were already turned on out there, and a fire pit glowed.

If all that weren’t enough, a glass staircase led up to another level. I was almost afraid to ask what was up there. A movie theater or spa? A gym? A throne room?

Sometimes I forgot how rich this man was. No wonder he’d immediately renovated the winery’s cottage, if this was what he was used to. So what the hell wasIdoing here? A man who lived like this didn’t belong with a girl who worked outside in the dirt all day.

“He needs a trophy, a model. Someone to make all the other men jealous.”

Carlo’s words slammed into my chest like a fist. Paloma would look right at home here. But me? I stuck out like a sore thumb.

I took a step back and ran directly into Vito, who was giving orders in Italian to his guards. He wrapped his arm around my waist and held me tight to his side as he finished. When the guards departed down a back hallway that I hadn’t even noticed yet, I tried not to panic.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, shifting me to see my face.

“Nothing.” I swallowed the heaviness in my throat. “Are we staying the night here?”

“I thought we might, yes.” His midnight gaze searched mine. “Is that okay?”

“I don’t have anything with me.”

“I had one of the men grab your overnight bag at the winery.”

So much for that argument. I tapped my temple. “Smart thinking. Always planning ahead.”

“I try to be prepared for every eventuality.” He let me go and walked toward the bar. “Drink?”

I stared at the white rugs and sofa, imagining the stains. “I think I’m good.”

“Let’s have some wine and sit outside. There are heaters out by the fire pit.”

Of course there were. I resisted the urge to fidget. “I think we should have sex and go to bed.”

He placed an unopened bottle of red wine on the bar, then braced his palms on the stone. “What if I want to enjoy your company? Talk to you a little before I fuck you? We haven’t discussed the concert and what you thought.”

“I told you earlier that I loved it. Really, Vito. Thank you so much.”

Raising a hand to his jaw, he rubbed his whiskers in a deliberate slow movement, back and forth. “You were fine all night, then we walked in here and you threw up walls with me. Did I say or do something wrong?”

I kicked off my boots and left them near the door so as to not dirty the floor. In my socks, I went to where he stood, a deep divot between his eyebrows. I could see his brain working, trying to figure me out. Maybe it was time to trust him, trust whatever was happening between us.

Shit, that was scary.

Maybe the confession would be easier if I couldn’t see his face. I moved in until I was nearly flush with his front, then slid my palms over his ribs, along his pecs. His heart was beating slowly under my hand. Calm, steady Vito. It made me want to wreck him, just to see him completely undone. I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned into him, pressing my lips to his jaw. “Sometimes I forget how rich you are.”

“This again? I told you, I don’t think you’re after my money.”

“I know.” I brushed my mouth against his skin once more. God, he smelled good. “But this kind of lifestyle is so opposite of mine.”

He didn’t move. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Nothing. This is who you are.” Undaunted, I whispered, “I want to take care of you tonight.”

One hand cupped my ass. “Oh?”

“Yeah. I want to do every little dirty thing you can dream of.”

He nuzzled my temple with his nose, our breath hot between us. “I love to hear this, angioletto mio. I like when you are soft and sweet with me.”

---