Page 14 of Temptation
He leaves the bedroom, locking the door behind him and I’m left standing on my own. My gaze sweeps over the rack of clothes, catching on sparkles and golden fabric.
“If he thinks he can win me over with pretty dresses…” I mutter to myself as I walk over to the rack. It can’t hurt to take a peek…
There are about ten dresses on the rack, and each one is a piece of art. I pull out a silver satin floor length number, and my breath hitches at the way the light catches on the fabric and makes it shimmer.
“Oh my god.”
The label on the back says Versace. I put it quickly back on the rack and take a step backward. That dress is probably worth more than my month’s wages.
Which is why it’s so beautiful…
Tentatively, I slide the hangers one by one across the rack, sighing at the sheer beauty of the craftsmanship. I check the labels, and there are six Versace. The rest are Valentino.
My hand falls away from the dresses, worried I might stain them.
I’ve never even been in the same room as this kind of designer clothing, and now there are ten of them on the rack, all in my size. Where on earth did Lorenzo come up with these in the middle of the mountains?
Maybe he’s got a wife somewhere. The thought sends a pang of jealousy into my heart so sharp I clutch my chest.
Perhaps this is her room.
I glance around the room, looking at it in a new light. There’s a set of drawers, and I pull them open, but they’re empty. There’re no toiletries in the bathroom cupboard apart from the spare toothbrush and soap that I’ve been using.
There’s no sign of anyone living here.
My curiosity grows about this place and about the strange man who lives here. Who is Lorenzo, and what does he want from me? I smile to myself. I think it’s pretty clear what he wants from me. But am I willing to give it to him?
There’s only one way to find out more about my mysterious captor. I head to the bathroom to get ready for dinner.
It’s an hour later when I follow Lorenzo out of the bedroom and down the corridor. I chose a gold satin dress that tickles my calves as I walk. The neckline is lower than I like, but it was the simplest dress on the rack. Until I’m sure they don’t belong to a Mrs. Lorenzo, I’m uneasy in the finery.
When Lorenzo came to get me, he stopped as soon as he saw me, his gaze sweeping over my body.
“You look beautiful, coniglietto.”
My stupid heart fluttered at his compliment, as if this is a real date and not a predator playing with his prey.
The low slingback heels he left with the dresses sink into the carpet as I follow him to the dining room at the front of the house. It’s stunning. Wall to ceiling windows look out over the forest. Large trees grow close to the house, their branches reaching out for the windows and making it feel like we’re inside the trees.
“It’s beautiful,” I say before I can stop myself. I don’t want to make him think that I’m enjoying it here too much.
He pulls out a chair for me, and I sit at one end of the long table while he takes the other.
A man in a suit offers me a choice of red or white wine. I don’t usually drink much, but I choose the red. A little courage might help me get through this date.
I mean dinner. It’s not a date,I remind myself.
Lorenzo leans his elbows on the table and crosses his hands, staring at me while he waits for the man to leave. I stare straight back at him. I don’t care how fancy his house is. I’m not going to let Lorenzo intimidate me.
“So, coniglietto.” The nickname, said with an Italian lilt, sends a flutter of heat through my body, and I take a hasty sip of wine to steady myself. “You must have a lot of questions. What do you want to know?”
He sits back in his chair with his arms open expansively. It’s not what I was expecting him to say. My mind whirls with all the questions I have about when I can go home and who he is.
“Do these clothes belong to your wife?”
Damn, of all the questions to lead with. I hope he doesn’t hear the jealous tremble in my voice.
Lorenzo smiles slowly. “No, Greta. I don’t have a wife or a girlfriend, if that’s what you’re really asking.”
