Gambler's Folly (Bookstrand Publishing Romance) (8 page)

“Me?” she asked. “I’m not the one who started things in the pool.”

“Of course you were, cara. You were there, in my swimming pool, naked and female. How could it not be your fault?”

The rest of the week went quickly and in much the same fashion. Karianna discovered she didn’t really care what Damiano did for a living anymore. Toward her, he was kind, gentle, and quite an adventure in bed, not to mention the pool, the shower, the bath… When she thought of her former life, it was like a dream rapidly fading from her memory.

One evening, late in the week, Damiano regarded her over his coffee and asked, “Karianna, do you miss your home very much?”

“Not really. I have no family on Earth anymore. My mother died just after Trae and I were married.

“What about your father?”

“He’s been gone nearly ten years,” she told him.

“Had you no other family?”

“No. I am an only child. I have some cousins back on Earth somewhere, but we haven’t been close as adults.”

“What about friends?” he asked.

“Well, the way Trae gambled and lost, most of our friends deserted us. Every time anyone came over, Trae needed money for something and they got tired of it.”

“I’m so sorry, cara.” And he really looked like he meant it. “My life can be difficult at times and chaotic, but as long as I live, I will take care of you. Do you understand?”

“It’s a new thing for me, Dam,” she told him. “During much of my life, I’ve been the one taking care of others. It will take some adjustment.”

Early on the morning of their “return,” they took the limousine to the airport. Dressed nicely, but not formally, the other couple got into the vehicle, waving to the crowds. Once home, the limo pulled up in front of the hotel suites and she and Damiano emerged, Marco and Paolo there to keep the crowds at bay.

“Yes, we had a wonderful time, didn’t we, cara?” he told the reporters. “Plenty of time to relax and enjoy life.”

“Madam Leone, did you enjoy the trip?” she was asked. Stunned, she looked at Damiano.

“Well go ahead, cara. It’s fine,” he encouraged. “Tell them what was your favorite part of the trip.”

“It was fantastic. We did a lot of swimming, which I really enjoyed. I love the water and so does Damiano.”

She met Damiano’s eyes, which reflected his memories of their swims. The blush started somewhere around her toenails and ended at the roots of her hair. Laughing, Damiano caught her up into his arms and kissed her before they made their way through the crowds and back down to the suite.

“Cara, you did well,” he told her. “Enough to answer, but still tease. The speculations should be interesting tonight on the viewer.”

“Are we going out tonight, then?” she asked.

“I think we’ll stay in one more night, to rest up from our honeymoon,” he answered, chuckling. “It is what they would expect.”

“Good. It’ll give me a chance to get ready,” she told him.

Her shoes were sent up later in the afternoon and fit perfectly. Everything from pumps to four-inch heels in colors ranging from the traditional black and white, to shoes which matched individual outfits.

“What am I going to do with all these shoes?” she asked.

“Wear them, cara. Enjoy them.” He chuckled.

“What shall I wear tomorrow evening?” she asked Damiano, perplexed.

“Well, we just returned from our honeymoon, so I have two suggestions. One would be the cream gown you have, since we are newly married, starting fresh. It is elegant, modest, and goes well with your dark hair.”

“Okay,” she said. “And what is the second?”

“The crimson gown which clings to your every curve, cara, with the tiny little straps over the shoulders. I believe it is slit very high on the side, also.”

“And why the crimson?” she demanded.

“That would be because you are an absolute whore in bed, cara. Insatiable, I believe is the word,” he teased. “With the right makeup, you will look like a very high-class working girl.”

“And you would love that, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course, cara. I would be the envy of every man in the place,” he told her, his eyes undressing her at the thought.

“Right. Talk about insatiable,” she said.

“But, cara, I am a man. All men are insatiable.”

“Not in my experience,” she countered.

“That is because you’ve never had a man before, Karianna. Men have appetites to which little boys only aspire.” Rising from his chair, he caught her up in his
s
trong embrace. His kiss kindled passions which just couldn’t wait, so it was some time later when they again addressed the question of wardrobe.

* * * *

“Madam Leone, this gown fits you like a second skin, closely without looking ready to burst at the seams. And the color is such a wonderful contrast to your dark hair and pale skin,” the makeup artist told her.

Dark, smoky colors reminiscent of the Middle East adorned her eyes, with an icy gloss under her brow line. A hint of eyeliner both top and bottom, with black, shimmering mascara on curled lashes finished the effect. Just a touch of blush on the apples of her cheeks, in a tawny peach, heightened her natural skin tone.

Lips darkened slightly, to go with the eyes, gave her mouth a slightly fuller, more sensuous look, and made a nice transition to the crimson gown.

Her earrings brushed the tops of her bare shoulders, while a braided 22-carat gold chain around her neck, and four-inch heels, matching her gown, completed the look.

“Madam, you look perfectly divine,” the woman said.

“She looks perfectly edible,” Karianna heard behind her. “Scrumptious, actually. Definitely high class. How can I make it through this evening without throwing you onto one of the tables and taking you there?”

“I guess you’ll just have to figure it out, Dam,” she told him, her eyes taking in his tuxedo-perfect appearance. “Shall we go before you ruin my makeup?”

Marco and Paolo met them outside the lift and tried not to be obvious in their observations.

Laughing, Damiano told them, “You might as well go ahead and look. Every man in the place will be looking at her and jealous of me tonight. Shall we, cara?”

She hesitated for a moment. “Dam, I’m really nervous. I’m not sure I can do this.”

“Of course you can, Karianna. You are the queen of the palace tonight. Walk in like you own the place. While you may not, I do, and you’re mine. Let them know it. And as for the women, show them that I’m yours and you plan to keep me. Have fun.”

The cameras were everywhere. Head high, Damiano’s arm around her, she walked in as confidently as she could. His strength and confidence gave her the boost she needed to pull it off. He answered all the questions, while she smiled and nodded her agreement, until he called a finish to the interviews.

“Cara, shall we dine first, or do you want to take a tour?”

“Maybe a tour. I’m so nervous, my stomach is a little jumpy right now,” she answered.

“You’re a natural, Karianna. Every eye in the room is watching you, half of them wishing they were you, and half of them wishing they were me.” As they walked, his hand caressed her body through the shimmering fabric, then slid down over her hips to toy with the high slit along the side. Pulling her close and gazing into her eyes, he added, “And I’m wishing we were back in bed. Because if we were, I would tear this gown off your body and have my way with you until morning. Buon Dio, cara, what you do to me.” One finger slid the strap off her shoulder, and he bent down to kiss the curve of her neck.

Karianna felt the subtle reaction of her body, her temperature rising just that much, giving her an all-over glow. He must have sensed it, too, for suddenly his mouth was on hers, savagely, before he reined in his emotions. But he had awakened emotions in her which were going to take some time to calm. Breathlessly she looked up at him, seeing in his eyes reflections of the hunger she felt.

“Maybe we should go have dinner after all,” she said. As they turned toward the dining room of the gaming hall, she was aware of the stares and the cameras flashing, and wondered how it would all look on the viewer.

They took their time over dinner, partly so they could enjoy the meal, and partly to lower passions until they were back in their suite. Conscious of her need to stay healthy and fit, Karianna chose roast chicken slices with fresh steamed vegetables, following a small green salad. Dessert was a very tasty cheese with fruit slices.

Their leisurely tour of the game tables took nearly two hours. Damiano walked past each station to watch for a moment, placing two or three small bets throughout the evening. Her arm in his, their bodies touching, did nothing to ease Karianna’s tension. His occasional kiss or caress only served to fan the flames higher.

It was nearly midnight when they left to go back to the suite. Paolo and Marco had remained nearby all evening and walked them to the lift.

“Grazie,” Damiano told them. “As always, it is nice to know I have help if I need it. Especially now, with my so-sexy wife with me.” The lift doors closed on the two of them and started down.

Karianna could stand it no longer. Grabbing his lapels, she pulled Damiano down to her, then slid one hand up behind his neck. “I can’t stand it, Damiano!” she exclaimed. “I have to have you.”

He responded as the lift carried them to their floor, and then gently pushed her away. “Cara, I’m not going to strip in the lift. You will just have to wait.”

“No, Damiano, no,” she insisted. “I don’t want to wait.”

Flipping her around quickly, her arm behind her, he walked her down the hallway to a door. As he shoved her into the room, she recognized it as the special guest room she’d had when she’d first arrived.

“Now, cara, we do this my way,” he told her, holding her firmly away from him. Door locked and bolted, they would not be disturbed. “Undress me, cara, slowly, sensually. Make me wait for you.”

Slowly, hands shaking, her hands slipped under his jacket, and slid it off onto the floor. She loosened and removed his tie, then began on the buttons of his shirt. One button undone, her fingers trailed down the placket of the shirt front, and then button two.

As she reached the third button, she leaned in to kiss his chest, bringing a deep moan from him, but he stayed in control and let her finish.

Her finger slid underneath the waistband of his trousers, moving back and forth across his stomach before removing his belt. Trousers unfastened, zipper slowly drawn down, they crumpled to the floor as her hands reached out for the briefs he wore.

“No, cara, no more for now. My turn,” he said quietly.

He began with the barrettes in her hair, then the earrings. Leaving the chain, his hand caressed her shoulders as his lips explored the curve of her neck again. Moving behind her, the zipper came down slowly until it reached her tailbone. Straps gently slipped from her shoulders. Her dress joined his clothes on the floor.

Naked but for her panties, he picked her up and she was carried across the room. She struggled in a vain attempt to gain what she’d wanted all evening.

“So very hungry, cara. You must slow down and enjoy the night,” he told her. Stretching one of her arms over her head, he restrained it to one of the poles, before doing the same for the other one.

“Damiano, what are you doing?” she asked, so aroused she thought she’d die if she didn’t get relief soon.

He kissed her deeply, his hands roughly pulling her hips forward. One ankle restrained and then the other, Karianna was virtually immobilized between the poles once again.

“I don’t understand, Dam. Why are you doing this?” she demanded in a husky voice.

“We’re restraining you until I’m ready to fully indulge, Karianna.”

“But I’m ready now, Dam, please,” she begged. “Take me now.”

“No, cara. When I’m ready, and that may take some time. I want to enjoy every square inch of you first.” Suiting actions to words, he tore off the wisp of cloth she still wore, as his hands and mouth started with her neck and shoulders, working down her back until he’d felt, kissed, massaged, and nipped everything accessible from behind her.

Moving around to the front, he repeated this exercise, kissing her mouth deeply, hungrily, as if he might never have the chance again. He had toyed with her breasts before, but now they received dual attention, as he kneaded and massaged while suckling them. Karianna struggled against the restraints to no avail. From her navel downwards was truly an agony of ecstasy, until she thought she would never find the relief she sought. Still restrained, she could do nothing to moderate her responses to him, forced to endure the full impact of his attentions without the release of him within her.

He stood to kiss her once again, and then, stripping off his briefs, he entered her slowly, teasing every nuance of response from her which she could give. Eventually he carried her to the bed, pinned her beneath him and gave himself fully to his own passions.

Much later, Karianna woke, still entwined with Damiano, who was sound asleep. Carefully extricating herself from the tangle of limbs, she went to shower. Their exertions from the evening had left her covered with sweat, not to mention other bodily secretions.

Stepping into the warm cascade of water, steam beginning to form, she luxuriated in the scent from the shower gel. Eyes closed to fully enjoy the sensation, she was startled by arms wrapping around her, fondling her breasts.

“So, cara, you leave me in bed to indulge yourself?” he asked. His lips caressed the nape of her neck before his teeth nipped her shoulder. Pouring bath gel into his hand, he massaged it into her chest and abdomen before stepping back far enough to wash her back.

She turned and did the same for him, pausing to receive a long, sensuous kiss from him. Senses heightened by the night before, they were soon joined again, though for a briefer encounter.

“One would think you’d never had sex before, cara,” he told her. “I’d think after being married for—what was it, four years?—that your appetite would have diminished.” He laughed at her expression. “Or maybe you’ve finally found something you like?”