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Chapter Sixteen
- Noemi -
ISUCKED IN A CALMINGbreath and smoothed my designer skirt. I went for a professional look, but a look that, I hoped, also said so much more. I wore a tight black pencil skirt with a simple low-cut white lace blouse that showed plenty of cleavage. The clincher was a double-strand pearl necklace that hung just over the swell of my breasts. I wanted the look to say, “classic business elegance,” but also, “I want you to want me.” I wasn’t sure my attire would matter but I knew that visual appeal was an important element in a successful seduction.
I knocked on Dante’s office door and held my breath, breathing out when his deep voice urged me to “Come in,bambina.”
He was expecting me. I got his number from Lilly yesterday, despite her reluctance to give it to me. She wanted to know why I needed it and I told her that I had something I needed to talk to him about. When she pressed me for more information, I shrugged and said, “Fine. I’ll get it from Gabriel.”
She caved in because she didn’t like that I would bypass her and go straight to her brother. She also didn’t like it when I told her I appreciated her concern, but I was a big girl and could take care of myself. If I couldn’t get Dante’s number, I’d just walked into his office unannounced. Her eyes widened and she scribbled the number on a notepad, muttering something about wanting to keep my alive so we could go shopping later.
I waited another day then sent Dante a text, vaguely saying the same thing. That I had something I’d like to talk to him about. I chose the perfect night. I knew he was home alone. Gabriel and Lilly took Mrs. Calegari to New York for the weekend to see a Broadway show as a birthday present for her. Of course, Dante didn’t go with them, giving me the opportunity I waited a lifetime for.
To say that I was nervous was an understatement. Humiliation was never a good feeling, but I was determined that even if he said ‘no’, he was going to at least listen to me.
I wanted Dante Calegari and I wasn’t going to spend another nine years waiting to see if something was possible between us. If I confronted him, took the direct approach I knew he appreciated, then at least, I’d have an answer and I could move on with my life when he turned me down. I hadn’t thought about what I’d do if he accepted because not for one moment did I believe that he would.
I sucked in a deep breath and stood as straight as I could. I remembered interviewing for the archivist position with the Ravenspur estate. I was one of six people chosen by billionaire Rand Ravenspur himself out of over two hundred applicants. I wasn’t the smartest, or the most educated, but according to Lord Ravenspur, I showed the most passion and authenticity and that made me exactly the kind of person he could trust to preserve his family legacy.
If I could impress a man as wealthy and sophisticated as Rand Ravenspur, then I could convince Dante Calegari to take my virginity,couldn’t I?
When I entered, Dante was on the phone. He waved me in with his hand but didn’t look up. He sat at his desk and I nearly drooled all over myself. Dante usually wore a suit and looked phenomenal in one, but today, he sat behind his desk, coat off, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up, his gold watch glistening in the light as his hand moved.
I couldn’t take my eyes off his arm – the same muscled flesh that held me the night before my parent’s funeral, that had wrapped its steely strength around me when he kissed me on the veranda. I had to stop myself from reaching out and running my palm over his forearm. I wanted the feeling of him again so badly I swayed on my feet, my body subconsciously seeking him out.
My eyes followed the path from his arm to his shoulder. The white of his shirt did nothing to hide the muscles beneath it. And Dantewasmuscular, though it wasn’t the bulging, overworked muscles some women preferred. Dante was lean and corded. I’ve never seen him with his shirt off, but I hoped that I was going to get that chance if he accepted my offer. I gnawed on my lower lip with anticipation, so distracted by my carnal thoughts that I didn’t realize Dante had hung up his call and put down his phone.
“Noemi,” he said, breaking into my silence.
Did I imagine the huskiness of his voice?
“Hello.”
A squeak?Did I really freaking squeak?Get your stuff together, girl. You’re about to offer your virginity to the sleekest, hottest man you’ve ever met and you’re squeaking like a mouse!
One corner of Dante’s mouth ticked, and he gestured to a black leather chair a few feet in front of his desk. “Please. Have a seat.”
I slid my sweaty palms down the sides of my skirt and walked the three or four steps it took to get to the chair. The skirt was tight, as pencil skirts tended to be, so I had to put my legs together and sit sideways. I clasped my hands in my lap and... lost all train of thought. I had no clue what I was going to say or how I was going to say it. Everything that had made so much sense in my head just minutes ago became complete mush. I trained my eyes on my hands in my lap and counted to five. Five easy breaths as I gathered my thoughts.
This was wrong. Stupid. Far-fetched and ridiculous. He was going to laugh at me and tell me to get the hell out of his office, except that Dante never laughed.
I didn’t get as far as counting to three when Dante spoke again.
“Noemi. Did you need something? Your text said you needed to speak to me,” he reminded me.
I needed to get out of there, but I needed to stay even more. I wanted to run, but I wanted answers, too. I wanted to know. I wanted to hear him say he didn’t want me, that there could never be anything between us, so I could hurt, then mend, then move on.
“Noemi?” He prompted again when I didn’t speak.
He never gave me time to gather my thoughts when we spoke. His impatience was more like the Dante I expected and apparently, it was what I needed to loosen my nerves.
I raised my eyes to meet his, distracted by the way he said my name, like a sigh coming off his lips. Every time he said my name, the world stopped, and he had my full attention.Just from the way he says my name.
“Yes. I do... I had something I wanted to discuss with you.”
That was better. At least the sudden increase of my heart rate hadn’t made me stutter.
Dante steepled his fingers under his chin and watched me closely. His expressions were usually blank, but not then. He sat across from me in his high-backed leather chair, looking every bit like the dark and powerful man I wanted. He studied me with a mixture of curiosity and something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. But I had his full attention and instead of terrifying me, it... empowered me. Dante looked at me in a way he never had before. I piqued his curiosity. He wanted to know why I was there. And as if he could read my mind, or as if I read his, he leaned forward in his chair.
