Beautifully Twisted (45 page)

“As I stated previously, I found it to be very nice, Mr. Milano.”

I lean close to her. “I like the way my name sounds in your mouth.” Just looking at her makes me think of what else I can get in that luscious mouth tonight. I smile at her, hoping she’s likeminded, and watch as her cheeks turn crimson red.

“I’d like to reimburse you for the room, Enzo,” she says, out of the blue.

I’m not sure what she’s attempting here, but I have to admit I find it amusing. “Would you now? Well, it’s $395 a night plus tax.”

I can’t hold back my laughter as her face goes completely pale. “Listen, Ava, I do not expect, nor would I accept repayment. I’m extending you this hospitality simply because I want to.” I lean across the table, close to her gorgeous face. “I expect nothing in return. Relax and enjoy dinner.”

I see Paolo walking towards us and stand to greet him, briefly kissing him on both cheeks. “Ciao, fratello. Come stai?” I say in Italian.

“Tutto bene, sto bene. Tu?” Paolo answers.

“Bene, bene.” I look down at Ava to introduce her. “Ava, this is the chef and my brother, Paulo. Paulo, my new friend Ava.”

Paolo extends his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Ava,” he says, in his thickly accented English. I can tell Ava is assessing my brother, possibly even comparing us. Suppressing my rather inconvenient jealous streak, Paolo and I discuss tonight’s meal in Italian. Ava watches us intently. She’s a very curious woman.

“Va bene, Paolo. Vino, er, wine, Ava?”
I ask, forgetting for a moment she doesn’t speak Italian. Ava hesitates so I decide it’s best if I just take charge. Perhaps she will find it to be an attractive quality in me. “Chianti, per favore.”

My brother nods and leaves us.

“I don’t know if I should have any more wine after this morning,” Ava says, frowning.

“A little wine will be okay. You’ve adjusted to the heat now. Just sip it,” I tease. In my head, I’m hoping a little more wine is all it will take to get her clothes off of her.

She nods as a silent moment passes between us. I wonder what she’s thinking and what she looks like naked. My eyes wash over her once more. Is she wearing lacy lingerie? Or does she prefer cotton? I want very much to slide my hands up under that dress and find out.

“I like hearing you speak Italian,” she blurts out, and I swear she blushes again.

I grin. “So you like the Italian language?”

“Well, I like what I just heard. It’s beautiful. Sexy even.”

“Yes, Ava, it is beautiful.”
Just like you.
I ignore her sexy comment because I can’t stop fantasizing about her body pressed against mine. I haven’t been able to figure out what it is about her, but I’m simply captivated. She has my complete attention which is most unusual. I gaze at her delicate features–the soft slopes of her cheeks, her long eyelashes, and the alluring pout of her soft, pink lips, wondering what’s causing the quizzical expression on her face. “What are you thinking, Ava?”

She shakes her head and frantically starts digging through her handbag. Jumping up, she looks completely startled. “I forgot to call my parents. Give me a minute okay?” She steps away from the table into the courtyard, taking my attention with her.

A waiter brings the wine and I pour myself a glass, staring at the beauty as she has an animated phone conversation. It’s been a long time since a woman has captured my interest like this. At the moment, the only thing I can think of is burying my cock between her amazing legs later. Ava twists a lock of her hair around her finger and looks off into the distance as she speaks. It’s such a small gesture but it does something to me. Minchia, this girl is turning me on. I want to caress her skin, taste her mouth, and fuck her senseless. I shift slightly in my chair in an attempt to disguise my arousal.

Occasionally, she glances over at me and I wonder if she’s telling her parents about the man who rescued her from certain chaos at the airport this morning. I laugh to myself as I think back to the flight earlier today. Just a bit of wine and she lost all composure. As much as I wanted to ignore her and focus on my work, I couldn’t. She’s so different than most women I come across. There’s just something about her that seems special. I have a feeling she’s not the type to hop into bed with a man she just met. Unlike that ridiculous flight attendant this morning. How tired I get of women throwing themselves at me.

Ava hangs up her phone and walks back to the table. I can’t tear my eyes off of her supple figure and the way the mounds of flesh on her chest bounce gently as she approaches. Her wavy brown hair flows down her back and she flings it off her shoulders as she walks. She seems very comfortable in her own skin, which turns me on even more. Fuck, she’s hot.

“Everything alright?” I ask.

“Yes. My parents worry. I’m an only child, and I’ve never moved away before.”

I nod. Protective parents, perhaps. “Have some wine. Dinner will be here soon. Then I’ll get you back to your room.” I pause, realizing that the tone of my voice revealed my desire for her. “To sleep,” I add.

Ava’s eyebrows rise as she sits back in her chair. She takes a sip of wine and smiles appreciatively. I smile in return; pleased she can recognize and value the finer things in life.

“So, Ava. Did you move here for a specific reason?”

She looks up and shifts uncomfortably when her eyes meet mine. “I always have a reason for the things I do.”

“Yes, I would imagine you do. Are you going to tell me the reason or do I have to coax it out of you?” I’m terribly interested in this girl and would love nothing more than to coax her to orgasm.

“I needed a change. This seemed like a good place for it,” she responds, almost shyly.

“Interesting.” I just need to know one very important thing about her. “Tell me, do you have a man in your life?”

Surprise registers across Ava’s face and I realize she wasn’t expecting me to ask about her personal life. Certainly by now, she must be aware that I’m romantically interested in her.

“No, I don’t.” She doesn’t say another word.

I sit back in my chair, surveying the lovely woman before me, saying nothing. I want her. Very much so. “That’s a shame,” I say.

I pour myself another glass of wine to give myself time to think of my approach.

“Is it?” she asks. I can tell from her tone that my interest is reciprocated.

It’s time to make sure my intention towards her is clear. “Well yes, a beautiful woman like yourself should be fucked nightly. But every day is a new opportunity, no?”

I watch her face for a reaction and if I’m not mistaken, what I see tells me that I’ve shocked her but maybe, just maybe, I’ve piqued her curiosity a bit.

“So is that what this is all about? You want to fuck me?”

I wish I could laugh but I don’t want to offend her. Her response delights me. For once, I’ve found a woman that can handle me. This may be even more fun than I thought.

“Of course I want to. I expect every man that sees you would like to as well.” My eyes shift up and stare into the caramel colored ones before me. There is a sweetness there that draws me in and I decide at that very moment, this girl is worthy of more than a quick fuck. I want to get to her know her, which shocks the hell out of me. I need to back off a little. “But I’m not going to. Not yet anyway.”

Ava glares at me, which is not the reaction I was hoping for. I’ve clearly come across too harshly for her and I need to figure out how to correct the situation.

“Have you considered that maybe I don’t want you to fuck me so it doesn’t really matter what you want?” she says, defiantly.

Her rather hostile reaction excites me and I’m fighting a rather embarrassing erection just talking to her like this. Judging from her expression, it’s clear I’m having the same effect on her. I don’t want her to run but I do want to continue this word play a little longer. I run the tip of my finger over the rim of my wine glass. “Why don’t we just see how it goes?”

Ava stares at me for a moment then shifts her eyes away when our waiter arrives. Her face lights up at the variety of dishes presented to us. I’m pleased to see how she dives in wholeheartedly to her meal. Watching her enjoy her food is even more of a turn on. I’m so tired of women who eat nothing but salads to stay thin. Ava’s body is curvy, healthy, and fucking luscious. Damn.

Ava seems to ignore me until she finally looks up. Her eyes meet mine as she stuffs a friend rice ball in her mouth. “What?” she asks.

“Nothing at all, Miss Bradshaw.” I sit back in my chair chewing a small olive and holding her gaze. Ava seems self-conscious suddenly and moves away from her plate.

“Please don’t stop on my account,” I say.

“I think I’m full now,” she responds.

I want nothing more than to watch this beauty continue eating so I lean across the table, pick up a small rice ball, and pop it in my mouth, chewing slowly and deliberately. “Please have another one.” I hand Ava a rice ball but as she reaches for it, I feel a sudden urge to feed it to her. “Open your mouth.”

Ava looks surprised but she does as I ask. I place the rice ball in her mouth and watch as she chews. I want this woman, badly.

“There’s nothing sexier to me than a woman enjoying her food,” I say, knowing it’s true. I sit back in my seat and take another drink of wine, hoping to compose myself. I’m torn between acting like the gentleman my mother raised me to be and doing everything in my power to seduce her.

Paolo returns, interrupting my indecent thoughts, and I listen as Ava praises the dinner. I roll my eyes at Paolo’s comments in Italian about her looks and what I have to look forward to tonight, thankful she can’t understand a word he says. After saying our goodbyes to Paulo and Sylvia, we rise to begin our short walk back to our rooms.

Ava strikes up a conversation with me and I’m thankful for the distraction from the sex-fueled thoughts I’m having about her at the moment.

“Where are you staying, Enzo?”

“Next door to you.” I stop at her door and, taking her key, open it for her. I feel like I need to acknowledge my crassness earlier. Ava is different. It’s obvious. I want her but my approach needs to be different. I need time to think about how to handle this with her. “Ava, what I said earlier, I do hope I haven’t upset you. I always just say what I mean. It avoids confusion.” After I speak, I’m afraid I still came off more arrogant than apologetic.

Ava smiles gently. “I can handle you, Enzo.”

“Yes, I believe you can.” I can’t wait to see how she does handle me. “I do hope you sleep well, Ava.” I want to kiss her but I don’t know if she’ll let me and if she does, if I’ll be able to stop.

“I’m sure I will. And thank you.”

“My pleasure.” I take her hand, pulling her to me, and plant a brief kiss on both cheeks, inhaling her closeness. Jesus, she smells amazing. “If you need anything, I’m right next door,” I add, tearing myself away. I pause and stare at her, knowing I should let her hand go, but not wanting to.

“You know, Ava, you’re really quite stunning. Buona notte.” She smiles and I watch as she goes inside her room before I retire to mine. I can’t stop thinking about all that happened today and how this woman has me thrown off balance.

What I do know is that she is enticing and I want to spend as much time with her as possible. Tomorrow I’ll just make it clear that I want to get to know her. Plain and simple. I’ll decide later how to get her into my bed. Yes, that’s a good plan.

I strip and settle down in my crisp sheets, but the evening’s events have me entirely too turned on to sleep. I close my eyes and stroke myself slowly, then faster, imagining the breathtaking Ava hovering over me, until the tension releases and I can finally sleep
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Adult Contemporary Novel

Coming Summer 2013

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