Sliding my hands down her body, I kissed her throat, over the mounds of hertits, and down the fabric of her dress until I was on my knees, ready to worship at my altar. She gasped as I threw her leg over my shoulder and licked a line along her inner thigh before burying my head under her dress. Her back arched as I sucked and licked over her thong, teasing her clit without skin-on-skin contact, which had her moaning and bucking against my face, desperate for more.
Knowing I had to make this quick, I pulled her underwear to one side. I sucked her clit into my mouth and went straight to work, flicking it with my tongue mercilessly until she was screaming my name. Less than two minutes. A new record.
I let her leg drop from my shoulder and stood up, readjusting my erection so it wouldn’t be so obvious. She panted harshly, leaning against the mirror and staring at me as if I had just ruined her for a lifetime. And fuck, yeah. I instantly felt more like my cocky, arrogant self again.
I dislodged the emergency button and placed my hands on the mirror, on either side of her head. I leaned in closer, brushing my nose against hers. “Taste your sins,Bella Ribelle. Before we have to be respectable.”
Her hands clawed into my hair as she smashed her lips against mine in a fierce kiss. She moaned as my tongue slid against hers, and she tasted just how sweet and addictive she was. The lift doors opened onto the rooftop party, and the sound of a live orchestra broke our kiss.
“You’re a very bad man, Santino Buccini,” she breathed against my lips.
“Si. But I’m your very bad man,” I smirked and grabbed her hand, leading her out.
I spent the first minute clocking Belio and Alberto at their designated spots, keeping an eye on everyone in the bar. I nodded at Max and Cami, who were already mingling with a table of businessmen and their wives.
“Champagne?” I asked Aria, signalling to the waitress behind the bar.
“Si, grazie,” she replied politely, scanning the swarm of beautifully dressed people. “I haven’t seen mypapiyet. Have you?”
“He’ll be here somewhere,” I said, taking our drinks from a barmaid who let her touch linger on my hands longer than was appropriate. I didn’t give her a second glance as I passed Aria her glass, then wrapped my free arm around her waist and pressed a quick kiss to her temple. The barmaid’s smile fell, and she moved on.
Aria’s body went rigid against mine as her eyes locked onto someone in the crowd. I followed her gaze to find Callum smiling and laughing with a small group, impeccably dressed in a black tux, his arm around… wait.
“Is that…”
“Allegra,” Aria whispered, her voice strained as she watched her best friend chuckle at something Callum said, her hand resting in the crook of his elbow. “What the hell is she doing here with him?”
Aria stormed forward, ready to charge towards them, but I grabbed her waist tighter and walked her in a small circle, guiding her back to the bar.
“Sani! She’s here with Callum. What the fuck? I need to talk to her!”
“No. You don’t. Not yet. That’s what he wants,” I growled, forcing her to stay by my side. “He wants a reaction from you. Don’t give him one.”
She huffed, then took a long sip of her champagne, glaring at them over her flute. I turned my attention back to Callum, and he paused mid-conversation, noticing me. He raised his glass of whiskey with a slight smirk that made my hackles rise. I matched it with a raise of my own glass and an icy glare that said… ‘one day, very soon, I will kill you’.
“I don’t understand what’s happening. Did they come together? What the hell is she thinking? I have to warn her, Sani. Callum’s dangerous.” Aria was growing more and more agitated by the second, but that was exactly what Callum wanted.
“Relax,Ribelle.She’s fine. You’ll get her on her own later, away from him, and find out what’s happening. Don’t rise to it.”
Piero pushed through the crowds towards us, with two bodyguards shadowing his every move. He seemed to have stepped up his security after the other night.
“Arianna,” he greeted, kissing both her cheeks and hugging her. Our gazes met over her shoulder, and I let the tension in my muscles ease a little at the look in his eyes. He was still on board. We still had our agreement.
“Buccini,” he said, offering me his hand to shake. “Glad you could make it.”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
Aria’s uncertain gaze flicked between us as she bit her lower lip. I gave her a reassuring smile, then turned back to him. “Beautiful venue.”
“It is,” Piero replied formally, glancing around. “Very exposed though.”
“Hmm,” I nodded. “Exposure can be useful. It keeps everyone’s intentions clear.”
“Or makes everyone vulnerable.”
He shifted on his feet, casting a glance across the space towards Callum. I already knew the prick was watching us; I could feel his death stare drilling into the side of my head.
Aria cleared her throat softly beside me, aware that more was being said than she could hear. Piero turned his attention back to her and smiled. “You look beautiful tonight,tesoro.”
