Page 316 of Phobia
I nuzzle into her neck. “Why would I want to do that?”
She sighs, and I feel her heartbeat quicken. “I don’t like you holding me. It feels too intimate.”
“Everything we do is intimate, Naomi.”
“No. The sex is business. This…”
“This what?” I know what she’s going to say. Naomi’s post-orgasm grumpiness reared its head that first night when she emerged from the shower, suggesting I shouldn’t say nice things to her.I’m a whore for hire,she spat at me, and I nearly put her over my knee and slapped her raw.
Instead, I pulled her into bed, cocooned her body in mine, and clarified the situation. “Say that again, and Ant will regret it. If I want to praise you, I will. If I want to hold you, I will. The only rules here are my rules.”
She hates it as much now as she did then. She wants it to be black and white. The fact that I’m treating her well—all things considered—is blurring the lines. It’s messing with her head and is all part of my plan. If I do things right, Naomi won’t want these nine days to end.
“Dom?” Naomi pulls me back to the room.
“I’m going to be dealing with stuff all day,” I tell her, ignoring her comments. “Billy will be with you, and when I get back, I’m taking you out.”
***
“Are you taking the piss?” Naomi stares at the building in front of me before turning her death glare on me. “Café Milano.”
“If you can’t go to Milan. Milan will have to come to you.” Suppressing a laugh, I lead her into the restaurant. On the outside, it’s nothing special. Hidden down a side street in Islington, but the food cannot be beaten.
“Dom!” Vinny, the manager, walks over, arms wide and places a kiss on both cheeks. I never reciprocate his greeting because this is his way of showing respect—which he needs to do since I own most of this place.
“Who is this?” He kisses Naomi’s hand, then turns to me. “Hai una fidanzata?”
“If he does have a girlfriend,” Naomi cuts in, “she isn’t me.”
I stare at her, open-mouthed. “You speak Italian?”
She smirks. “I thought you knew everything?”
Turning to Vinny, who seems far too thrilled with Naomi’s smart mouth, I gesture to the corner, and he jumps into action, leading the way. He already knows what wine to bring, so he sets the menus down and says no more.
“I guess Frank missed that nugget of information,” Naomi says, staring at her menu.
“How do you know I had Frank look into you?”
“Billy doesn’t have the brains, Tommy doesn’t have the tact, I didn’t notice any underwear go missing, so Frank is the logical choice,” she deadpans.
This woman.
I’ve smiled more in the past four days than I can remember. Naomi thinks her sharp tongue is a turn-off, but the clueless queen had me whipped with it from the start. “Do you speak any other languages?”
She scoffs, constantly irritated, or at leasttryingto be. “I’ve visited Milan alone for six years, so I learned Italian.”
“Why do you always go to the same place?”
“I’m a creature of habit.”
“No. You crave the control.”
Her mouth opens, but Vinny returns before she can form an insult. “What can I get you?”
***
“Favourite song?” I ask, using the fourth of my five permitted questions.
