Page 2 of Tempting Tessa

She takes a deep breath, pushing her shoulders back. The movement makes her breasts strain against her blouse, and I imagine how they’d look with my handprints on them.

“I need funding,” she says, her voice steady despite the blush on her cheeks. “For my business.”

“And what business is that, exactly?”

“I’m launching a company,” she says, her voice finding its strength. “A luxury line of sex toys and accessories. High-end designer quality. I’ve already done the market research, developed prototypes, and secured manufacturing. What I need is capital.”

I don’t react outwardly, but inside I’m fucking laughing. Conrad’s princess wants me to bankroll her sex toy empire. This is too goddamn perfect.

“And you came to me because...?” I ask, even though I know the answer.

“Because I don’t want to use his money,” she says, leaning forward slightly. “There’s nothing wrong with it, but I want this company to be mine alone. I want it to stand on its own merit, not backed by the Gallo name.”

I can’t help the smirk that crawls across my face. “So instead you want Marino money?” I lean back in my chair, spreading my legs wider. “Aren’t you worried about the implications of that, stellina?”

She doesn’t play dumb. She knows exactly what I mean—made man money. Mafia money. A connection to Marino is a connection to the Del Mar family, and all the shit that comes with it.

“Isn’t Gallo money connected to Marino and by default Del Mar as well?” She shrugs one shoulder, the movement making her blouse shift in a way that gives me a glimpse of her collarbone. “It doesn’t take that much digging to find that out. I think I’ll be just fine.”

Contessa Gallo wants to make sex toys, and she wants my money to do it. The universe has a fucking sick sense of humor.

I don’t respond right away. Just look at her, fingers steepled in front of my mouth, taking in every inch of her confident posture. She’s got balls, I’ll give her that. The silence stretches between us, thick with tension. I can see her pulse quickening at the base of her throat, but she doesn’t fidget or look away.

Finally, I drop my hands. “I’ll give you the capital.”

Her eyes widen. “Don’t you want to know how much I need?”

I wave her off. “It doesn’t matter. You can have whatever figure you want. The limit does not exist.” I lean forward, my elbows on my knees, closing the distance between us. “But my money isn’t no strings attached, Contessa.”

She swallows hard. “What kind of strings are we talking about? I’m prepared to offer you a ten percent stake.”

I laugh, the sound low and dark as I shake my head. “I don’t want a stake in your company.”

Her brow furrows, those full lips parting in confusion. “So, what do you want?”

I lean back in my chair, taking my time to look at her—really fucking look at her. From those heels I want wrapped around my waist to the curves I’ve imagined my hands on too many times to count since I saw her three years ago at Casa di Peccati. Not only should she not have been at the fucking Del Mar club, but she was underage. Her twentieth fucking birthday. Conrad had a damn coronary when I called him.

“I want regular updates. In person. I want to see every prototype, test every product.” I let my eyes drift down her body again. “Consider me your primary investor and your quality control department.”

Her breath catches. “You want to test my sex toys?”

“Among other things.” I enjoy the way her chest rises and falls faster now. “You’ll pay me back some other way. I don’t want the money back.”

She shifts in her seat, uncrossing and recrossing those long legs. “Okay...so which way?”

“That’s to be determined at a later date.” I keep my voice casual, like we’re discussing the weather and not me finally getting my hands on her to cull this goddamn obsession.

“That’s literally bad business,” she protests, leaning forward. “I’m agreeing to pay you back with something I don’t even know.”

I shrug one shoulder. “Well, you could always just ask Conrad for the money then.”

Her face falls, those full lips pushing into a pout that makes my cock twitch. She knows I’ve got her cornered. It’s this or daddy’s money, and she’s too stubborn for the latter.

“Fine,” she mutters, then adds, “Fuck. This is like signing a deal with the devil.”

I can’t help the smirk that spreads across my face. “Exactly.”

She stands up, smoothing down her skirt with trembling hands. “I’ll need a contract.”