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Peter laughed under his breath. “Our lady friend is not so taken with your charms, St. Valentine.”
Sebastian was no longer amused. His eyes narrowed and his jaw tensed. To his credit, he didn’t say anything. He bowed and stepped out of the way. Lilly sashayed past him. My nerves were almost through the roof as the tension between the two of them boiled over.
Lilly tossed her long, black hair over her shoulder and walked with her head held high as she left the room without another word to Sebastian, Gabriel, or even me. She deserted me!
Gabriel stepped aside. “Gentlemen.” He waved them towards his office. As Sebastian walked away, Stefan muttered under his breath.
“That one needs a strong hand.”
“She needs a good spanking,” Sebastian returned as he faced me. “Noemi, it was a pleasure to meet you.” He put out his hand. “It is nice to know there are still true ladies left in this world. Gabriel should hang on to you.”
Gabriel? I put out my hand and Sebastian raised it to his lips again. He thought I was Gabriel’s? Never good in social situations, all I could say was “Thank you,” as his lips ran quickly over the back of my hand.
I stood awkwardly as the men followed Gabriel from the room. I didn’t know what to do with myself. To say the evening was bizarre was an understatement. I shook my head to clear it. I grabbed my unfinished wine, only my second, and drained it quickly. My skin prickled with hear, both from the alcohol and the kiss on my hand.
I wanted to find Lilly and see if she was okay. I had never seen her react that way to anyone before. It was clear that she and Sebastian did not like one another, or at least, she didn’t likehim. He seemed to enjoy antagonizing her. And that comment he made at the end... about the spanking.
I felt my cheeks heat up. How could I be blushing in a room I stood in all by myself? A quick, unsolicited image popped into my mind, but it wasn’t Sebastian spanking Lilly.
I was poised over a bed, waiting for him, biting my lower lip with anticipation. A man walked in. Tall and dark. Tie undone; shirt unbuttoned. My eyes were drawn to the exposed skin of his forearm as he rolled up his sleeves. Something was in his hand... I didn’t know what it was, but when I raised my eyes from his arms to his face – he wasn’t Sebastian. Dante loomed over me, running his hand down the back of my thigh.
I swallowed. My fantasy was so vivid my heat level intensified. I know there are men out there,peopleout there, who enjoy that kind of ... activity. Was that what Lilly meant when she said Dante was different? Did he and Sebastian share the same views on how to discipline women or were spankings purely for pleasure? If that were the reason, it was no wonder Lilly thought Dante would never see me as anything more than his little sister’s best friend. I wasn’t that sophisticated. I wasn’t thatadventurous. Yet, I couldn’t explain the sudden throbbing between my legs.
I needed to cool down. I went to the kitchen, ignoring the catering staff as I found my coat in a closet. I draped the black wool over my shoulders and left through the back door.
The back of the Calegari home was beautiful, especially at night when the path lights were lit. I walked down the stone veranda to the columns of the back porch, breathing in the cold night air and praying for a rapid release cool down for my overheated skin. My face felt like it was on fire. I laid my cheek against one of the columns, letting the frigid stone cool my burning body.
I looked out over the lawn to Mrs. Calegari’s rose garden and the pool to the left that I had spent many summers splashing in. The pool was covered for winter, but so many memories surfaced by just being in the Calegari back yard again.
I closed my eyes, thinking about the days Lilly and I spent laying by the pool. During the summer, we slept outdoors in sleeping bags. I remember being scared the first time we did it, but Lilly assured me that the fence was locked tight. It was too high for anyone to crawl over anyway. And there were cameras, she said, and other security measures that she didn’t explain. I didn’t know why they needed so much security, but she assured me that neither Dante nor Gabriel would let anything happen to us. I remembered the peacefulness her assurances brought; how I believed that what she said was true because I had faith in them. I had an inexplicable belief that Dante would never let anything happen to me. Part fantasy or part truth. I never gave it much thought.
I sighed as my mind went back to Dante. Where was he? He never appeared at dinner the way Gabriel suggested he might. Was he holed up in his office, working away? Was he even home?
I sighed and wrapped one arm around the column, leaning my whole body into it.
What was I going to do? In two days, I’d done nothing but think about the man I was supposed to be forgetting about. In five years, I hadn’t moved on quite as far as I thought I had, not if Dante was able to consume my thoughts so completely. It wasn’t fair that I moped in the dark while he went on with his life.Hewasn’t moping in his office becauseIwasn’t paying him enough attention. The opposite, in fact. He was pissed off that I had even returned. Butwhy? If he didn’t care, as he had so coldly told me last night, then why was he angry that I was back? It made no sense to me! Even point blank asking him why he was mad at me hadn’t revealed anything more than I already knew. Dante was pissed because I dared to come home after he told me to leave. That wasfive years ago!
I was such a fool. All it took was seeing him again and my emotions resurfaced, painful reminders that what Lilly said was true. Dante and I would never be together. It was painfully clear that I had nothing to offer a man like Dante. At least, nothing he wanted.
