Gambler's Folly (Bookstrand Publishing Romance) (4 page)

And Damiano? He was not all he seemed to be, somehow. Or perhaps he was much more. The atmosphere around him was one of warmth, confidence, self-control. Even when he was angry, the atmosphere was controlled. Dangerous, but controlled.

His hands on her were warm and strong, but gentle. Trae had always been awkward and kind of rough. He never had the time to just hold her. Whenever he touched her, which hadn’t been often lately, it was an advance toward sex. Not that this was bad, necessarily. But sometimes she had just wanted the comfort of his touch, without feeling obliged.

But Damiano, coming into the shower room, undressing and watching her, telling her she was beautiful, was a new kind of man. Of course, it could be the same thing with a bit of refinement. What would she do if he wanted to take her to bed when she went out? She wasn’t sure, but his touch had been exciting, arousing. His scent was sensual, but subtle. He was the most desirable man she’d ever met. While she hated him, she also knew that, in the end, she would have to have him. Physically, he was the only man she’d ever met that she had to have. Under other circumstances, she’d have been his already.

He had called her beautiful. As she looked over her reflection in the mirror, she tried to see what he saw. About 165 cm tall, she had a decent figure. Not what she’d call curvaceous, but she had curves. Her hair was just below shoulder length, dark brown—nearly as dark as Damiano’s—and ridiculously curly. With green eyes framed by long dark lashes, she had the classic peaches-and-cream complexion. She had never considered herself beautiful. Cute perhaps or pretty, but beautiful was for other women.

What was she going to do? She could play along for now and wait for an opportunity to escape. To where, she had no idea. She had no money. Trae had gambled it all away. She had no possessions. And Damiano Leone had his finger in every corner of Gambler’s Folly. No matter where she went on this world, he would find her.

“Karianna, are you nearly ready?” she heard from the gym. “Lunch will be waiting.”

“Just a minute,” she answered quickly. She’d spent too long daydreaming about her future and now she was late.

“Sorry I kept you waiting,” she told him as she hurried out.

“You don’t need to be sorry, Kari. I wasn’t impatient, just curious.” He put his arm around her as they went to have lunch. Crystal and silver sparkled on white linen in a cozy little room full of light. Damiano held her chair before seating himself opposite her.

“I didn’t know what you would like, so I told them to keep it simple. Mangia, cara.”

Simple? Karianna had seen simple, and this wasn’t it. The white porcelain bowl held a lightly seasoned, creamy soup, with a wonderful mushroomy aroma. The salad was a work of art. It was a shame to eat it, after all the work it had taken to arrange it so perfectly. Delicately seasoned greens were topped with paper-thin slices of tomato and cucumber, with other vegetables she couldn’t identify. Buttered asparagus, still firm, decorated the plate beside the juicy, heartily flavored slices of roast duck. This was all accompanied by a basket of freshly baked whole grain bread and a glass of white wine.

“I can’t eat all of this,” she said. “I’ll look like a balloon.”

“No, cara mia. Not with the schedule Carl has for you. You must eat, otherwise you’ll lose weight. Your weight is fine, you just need some toning. Please enjoy, Kari, you’ll be fine.”

The meal was excellent, and though they talked over lunch, nothing was discussed about what he expected from her. After lunch was cleared away, Damiano suggested coffee in his office.

The office managed to be serene and intimidating at the same time. Coffee served, Damiano looked at her and said, “Now, Karianna, we should talk about our arrangement. I know you are probably nervous and that is natural, since you don’t know what I require of you.”

“First, I don’t do windows, and I can’t cook worth a damn.”

Startled, Damiano took a moment to understand the joke. “Ah, you are funny. No windows! Cara, that is fine. There are no windows in my home down here, and I hire a chef for the cooking. Nothing to worry you.”

“Getting back to your earlier statement, I’m nervous about a lot of things, but that’ll make a good start,” she said. She’d always had an odd sense of humor.

“Very well. First, let me assure you that you are legally my wife. There is nothing you can do about that at this time, so please, don’t waste any time on it.”

“I would like to see some proof of that, if you please,” Karianna answered. “I can’t just take your word for it. While it may be true, it’s hard to accept.”

Damiano looked at her for a moment before reaching for the phone. “Paolo. Would you arrange for a clerk to bring a copy of the court records of our marriage contract for Karianna to view? Yes, the sooner the better.” Looking back at Karianna, he asked, “Satisfied?”

“Once I see them I will be. Thank you, Damiano.”

“My pleasure. Now, as to what will happen from here…” He stopped to think for a moment. “The marriage records are public and since I am a somewhat prominent figure, the whole public will know within a few days that I’ve taken a wife. The circumstances can be mitigated, but not the fact. What I propose to do, to give you more time to adjust, is to take a honeymoon trip.”

“A honeymoon? With you?”

“Yes, cara, but don’t worry. I will not force you into my bed. When you are ready, you will join me there, but not until. Capisce?”

“I guess,” Karianna answered, not sure if she trusted him to keep his word.

“It won’t be a public honeymoon. In fact, we won’t actually leave the city or my home. We can get to know each other a little better. You can take the time to get yourself suitably situated here, in my home. It can just be a week of relaxation for us, before you are on public display with me.”

“What does that mean, exactly?” she asked.

“In public, you will act as if you love me and are with me willingly. You will accept my small advances here in private, get comfortable with them, so that in public you react naturally, as my wife should.”

“What sort of advances?” Karianna asked, suddenly more nervous than before.

“Kari, cara, not to worry. My arm around you, your arm through mine, a kiss on the cheek. We will hold hands like new lovers, arms around each other. You may have to kiss me once or twice for the cameras. Just pretend I’m someone you like,” he told her.

“Cameras? What cameras?” What had she gotten into?

“The news media, you know, the paparazzi. When you are Damiano Leone, your life is subject to scrutiny,” he answered with a smile. Suddenly concerned, he asked, “Kari, are you alright?”

“Just a little, you know, light-headed. Could I have some water?” Karianna asked. He rang a bell and said something she didn’t hear.

“What is wrong, cara mia?”

“I hadn’t thought about cameras. I don’t really like cameras.”

“Why not? You are a beautiful woman and my wife. The pictures, they will be wonderful,” he told her.

“Damiano, I’m not beautiful. I’m passably pretty, but beautiful? No.”

“You make a joke, yes?” he asked, chuckling. “No, you are serious. Why are you not beautiful?”

“Look at me. My hair is too curly, my nose is not quite straight. My chin is pointy, eyebrows too thick. I don’t have those perfect curves you men like. My bust is too small, hips too wide…”

“Cara mia, stop! It is too much. Have you never looked in the mirror? Your late husband, did he not tell you how beautiful you are?”

“Trae? The only way I would have looked beautiful to him, is if I’d looked like a deck of cards, or a pair of dice. No, Damiano, he said I was cute, but that’s all. Not enough in the bust for him.”

Damiano stood and walked over to her. Setting her coffee cup on the table, he helped her to her feet and held her close. It was very nearly too much to manage.

“Karianna mia, how could someone who claimed to love you tell you such things? Why would you stay with a man who treated you so badly? Not enough bust? No, Karianna, it is perfect. Two perfect breasts, one to fill each hand,” he said, suiting actions to words.

“Dam, Damiano, please…” Karianna said, not sure whether to run or fling herself at him.

“No, please sit,” he said. “Let’s finish our talk.”

There was a knock at the door and a tall, powerfully built man of about thirty, who could have been a relative of Damiano’s, came in.

“Ah, Paolo. You have met my wife, but I don’t believe you’ve been introduced,” Damiano said to one of the men she’d seen with him before. “Kari, this is one of my closest men, Paolo. Paolo, Karianna.”

“Nice to meet you, Signora.”

“Paolo.”

“Mr. Leone, here are your marriage documents. This is Mrs. Leone?” She hadn’t noticed the scrawny little man who’d come in with Paolo.

“Yes, thank you. This is my wife, Karianna Leone. She just wanted to look over the documents.” Turning to her, he motioned her over. “Kari, darling, would you come and see if everything is correct?”

Karianna looked over the documents carefully. Damiano was right. According to the law on Gambler’s Folly, she was married to the planet’s crime lord for two years. There was no divorce clause in the contract, meaning that for the next two years, she was stuck with him, with no way out.

“Thank you,” she told the clerk. “Everything is correct. It’s just, my name is forever getting misspelled.”

“I understand, Madam, but it’s a beautiful name.” To Damiano he said, “You have chosen well, Mr. Leone. You have a beautiful wife. I’m sure you’ll both be happy.”

After the two men left, Damiano chose an apple out of the fruit bowl and got back to their discussion. “Nearly every evening, I go down to one of the businesses I own and walk around to keep an eye on things. I play a game here, a game there, have something to eat or drink. I like to have a definite presence around my concerns.”

“What does this have to do with me?” Karianna asked.

“This will be your main duty to me. You will accompany me now, in the evenings, once our honeymoon is over. It should not be too onerous a duty.”

“So you’re a gambler, too,” she stated.

Damiano laughed, finished the apple and shook his head.
“Cara, no. I’m no gambler.
I play a game here or there to make sure the play is fair. Yes, I have people who keep watch for me, and hidden cameras to check the tables. But the best way to keep things straight is to watch for myself. When people know I’m watching, they tend to watch themselves and each other.”

“How can you play, and yet say you’re not a gambler?”

“A gambler is someone who plays and hopes to win. A gambling addict is someone who must play, win or lose. The game is the reason for life. I care not if I win or lose, or even if I play. I play to be seen, that is all.” He reached for another apple.

“What the hell is with the damned apples?” The question exploded from Karianna’s mouth. She didn’t know which of them was the more surprised. “I’m sorry. I don’t know where that came from,” she said.

“No, it is a good question,” Damiano answered. “I have no other vices. I don’t drink, except for wine with a meal or before bed. I don’t smoke or take drugs of any kind. I don’t eat to excess. I don’t exercise more than is necessary to keep fit. I don’t gamble. So I eat apples.”

“Why apples?” she asked him.

“They taste good, they crunch nicely, and when I’m irritated, chewing them works out some frustration. It’s safer than a lot of things I could do.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. I just got distracted. So you want me to come down to the casino with you and do what?” She was confused.

“Just walk around with me, look interested in the crowd, make sure everyone knows you’re mine and happy about it. With me is the safest place for you right now. Paolo and Marco will be with us, too, with orders to keep you safe at all cost.”

“What about you?” she asked.

“Me, I can take care of myself, cara. Paolo and Marco can help, but they are mainly for show. They are nearly as skilled as I am, though, and I’ve made sure everyone knows how dangerous they are. What I’ve hidden is how dangerous I can truly be.”

“What happens during the day?” she asked. “What do you do with the rest of your time?”

“I have meetings with people about my businesses, I work out. Now, I can have lunch with my beautiful wife and spend time relaxing at home.”

“But what will I do, Damiano?”

“Carl will have you for about two hours each day. No, don’t worry. Most days are not as bad as your assessment. You can read, sleep, pick out some clothes. What would you like to do?”

“I don’t know, really. I’ve never had enough free time to think about it.”

“Before our first night out in town, I will send up a hair stylist and makeup artist to help you. I know you will want to look your best, so give them some guidelines to work from. You’ll have some evening wear by then, too, so you can show off your figure.”

“How can I give them guidelines? I never really wore much makeup before.” This was getting seriously weird, she decided.

“If you prefer, I can tell them what I would like, until you gain some experience. Would you like that?” he asked.

“Maybe. Probably. Since I’ll be with you, you’ll know what look you want.”

“There, wasn’t that easy?” he asked.

“One more thing.”

“Yes, cara?”

“When does this honeymoon thing start?”

“We’ll ‘leave’ tomorrow. I’ll discuss all the details with Paolo and Marco. We will have to appear to leave and then come back secretly. This is where the cameras come in, cara. You will be fine.”

The next day, Karianna had her workout with Carl, showered, and met Damiano for lunch. He came in as she left the gym.

“Kari, cara mia, I’m so sorry I’m late. My meeting ran long. I thought that man would never shut up.”

“Oh, no problem. I just finished anyway. Whatever it is, lunch smells wonderful.” The meal proved to be at least as good as its aroma, and they both ate heartily before going into Damiano’s office again for coffee.