Marco's Redemption (14 page)

She listened to his speech as her head swirled. She knew the gist of what he was leaving unsaid.
All he wanted was to fuck her brains out.
She remained silent while she digested what he'd told her so far.

He continued, "I want an escort to events like the one tonight--I want you--as my sexual partner--living with me so that I don't have to go out in search of--relief."

"What about the money I owe you--from the wreck?"

He ignored her question and asked one of his own, his thumb reaching out and swiping across her bottom lip, back and forth. "Do you want to sleep with me? Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be naked in my bed? Open yourself up to me? Let me take what I want--give you what you need?"

His gaze locked on hers, his thumb making rivers of molten need rush through her. Natalie became almost hypnotized with want. Sensual heat passed between them and her legs trembled as she tried to hold herself up over him. There was absolutely no doubt that she wanted to sleep with him. She'd have to be over ninety or a lesbian not to want him--and even then she'd probably be more than a little curious.

"Answer me, baby."

"Yes, I've thought about it."

His hand speared into her hair, holding her captive. "And? Is it what you want?"

"Yes."

"It's settled, then."

"No--not yet. I'm not at all comfortable with the situation."

"Here's how we'll play this out. The debt is null and void. If you make me a promise--tell me you'll be exclusive to me--that's the promise I want from you--I'll let the debt go. It won't be mentioned again."

"That's not right--I'd feel like I'm taking advantage of you--"

He cut her off with a rough laugh. "No, you won't be. Take my word on that. I want you--only you, not your money, not your maid service."

"If I make that promise, I don't mind continuing to keep up the penthouse. It's easy--not a problem--unless you'd rather I tried to find a job elsewhere?"

"No, don't find a job. I'd rather you be at the penthouse when I need you. If the housekeeping isn't too much for you, you can do it. I don't like strangers in my home anyway."

"All right. One more thing." She swallowed. She didn't know how to say this but it had to be part of the arrangement, so she was just going to spit it out. "The exclusivity bit you mentioned--it goes both ways? I can't do this if it doesn't."

"You're all I want."

She studied his hooded expression. "Is that an agreement? You'll be exclusive to me as well?"

"You're going to have to learn to trust me, Natalie." His face was carved from granite and his voice was flattened with disapproval.

Like you trust me? Trust me so much that you track my movements?
"I hope I will trust you someday. For now--I'll take your word if you give it to me."

"You have it." He stared at her unflinchingly--as if he meant it.

The car was pulling into a circular driveway and Natalie wanted to put this behind them and move on from here. "Okay."

"Yes? You're okay with everything? We have a deal?" He demanded to know.

Natalie's head snapped back to him and studied the lean, closed-off features.
A deal? He was calling the beginning of their relationship a deal?
But then, he didn't see it as a relationship--it was an arrangement to him. She needed to remember that if she wanted to protect herself--protect her heart.

"We have a deal."

Chapter Seven

The venue where the charity event was being held was beautiful, and Natalie was pleased with her dress and overall appearance. She didn't feel as if she stuck out like a sore thumb.

Two hours later, dinner had been served and speeches had been made and she felt as if she was having an out of body experience. She'd sat beside Marco the entire time and was profoundly glad she was left-handed. He'd stroked her right hand through most of the meal, holding it and caressing it, letting it go only long enough to drop his hand down to her thigh where he stroked her leg, moving the material up and out of his way.

He'd introduced her to the other occupants of the table and then began conversing almost exclusively with the other men, business topics mostly, only about a third of which she understood. But she never felt as if he was ignoring her. The opposite, in fact. Even though he said few words to her, and looked at her even less, she felt flush with his attention.

His body radiated a subtle tension as he sat next to her, and she knew it had to do with the effect she had on him. Every time the conversation moved to a subject that was inconsequential and didn't take his whole concentration, his hand moved to her thigh where he clenched his fingers around her flesh, causing invisible tremors to pass down her spine.

As soon as the last speech was over and the band began to strike up, he turned to her, his dark eyes running over her and then searching her expression. "Do you want to stay and dance or can we get out of here?"

She swallowed hard and felt as if she were drowning under his spell. Oh, she wanted to go--the sooner the better. Her answer was cut off in her throat by an older couple, well into their seventies, as they walked to their table and turned Marco's attention from her. He stood, shook the man's hand, and kissed the papery cheek of the older woman with an actual smile on his face that radiated true warmth.

"Mona--George. Nice to see you. I'd like you to meet Natalie Lambert." He pulled Natalie from her seat by the hand until she stood next to him. "Natalie, this is George and Mona Lancaster, my favorite clients." He said this last bit with a smile and a shot of what to Natalie sounded like tenderness toward the older couple, and her insides melted a bit.

Mona Lancaster was smiling, a knowing, almost maternal smile as she held out her hand to Natalie. "Nice to meet you, dear."

"You, too," Natalie responded as she shook their hands.

"We've been doing business with Donati's since the early seventies--before you were even born. Isn't that right, Marco?"

"Yes, sir, it is--with my grandfather," Marco said to clarify the age and the depth of the relationship to Natalie. "How have you both been?"

"Just fine. My hip is acting up some--but we deal with it, don't we, sweetheart?" The older man answered.

Mona Lancaster smiled in her husband's direction. "Yes, we do." A wistful expression crossed her face as the band broke into the tunes of a waltz. "But I do miss dancing."

Natalie was conscious of Marco's attention on the couple. "I'd love to dance with you, Mona--if your husband doesn't mind?" His words were chivalrous, and Natalie felt a streak of pleasurable surprise at this continued side of Marco that she'd never seen.

"No, sir, I don't mind. I'll sit for a spell and keep your young lady company."

Marco turned to Natalie. "Is that all right?"

She smiled at all three. "Yes, of course."

George Lancaster held her chair and she sat down. They turned their attention to the dance floor and watched the other two dancing as they spoke of inconsequential things until another man walked up next to them.

"George."

George Lancaster looked up from his chair and Natalie could see a dark cloud pass over his face. "Kennedy," he acknowledged the man with a flat voice.

The man called Kennedy looked away from George Lancaster and his eyes fell on hers. "Introduce us, please."

Natalie felt Mr. Lancaster stiffen beside her. "Natalie, this is Mathew Kennedy--Kennedy--Natalie Lambert. She's with Marco--so be warned."

Mathew Kennedy reached for her hand and Natalie had little option but to give it to him. As his palm touched hers, a small shudder of revulsion ran through her that she desperately tried to hide.

"Since when does Donati care about sharing his women?" Natalie knew he asked the question of Mr. Lancaster, but he pulled her from her seat and his eyes stayed on hers as he asked it. A dark spiral of dread landed sharply in her stomach from the strange question. She had no choice but to stand as the power of his arm was unrelenting. "But first I'll just dance with her."

He talked about her--but not to her, and nerves rushed up Natalie's throat and it took everything she had not to physically snatch her hand away from his. As it was, she couldn't help but giving it a slight tug.

She didn't have to tug for long as she saw Marco coming up behind the man who held her in his grip--a Marco with an expression on his face like she'd never seen before. He swung Mona in George's direction and released her as soon as the other man had a steadying hold on his wife. Immediately, Marco put a detaining hand on Kennedy's arm and hissed in a voice furious and loud enough that Natalie very much feared Mrs. Lancaster couldn't have failed to hear. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Calm down, Donati--I'm going to dance with--the new girl."

"Not happening--hands off--Now."

Natalie stood frozen as Mathew Kennedy's eyes narrowed on Marco and then turned to look at her--really look at her--with a question in his eyes. But he released her hand and turned back to Marco. "Hands off?"

Marco ignored his question and reached around and encapsulated Natalie's wrist and swung her behind him, holding her completely out of sight of Mathew Kennedy. Marco looked past him and focused on the Lancasters. "Goodnight. It was good seeing you again. Mona--you look lovely as always."

With that, he swung around and began exiting the room, all but dragging Natalie with him.

Within moments, she was led to the waiting car and ushered into the backseat with Marco, the privacy screen once again drawn up, providing an enclosure for them, away from the driver. She scrambled to the far side of the seat, and busied herself with the seatbelt as Marco stared out of his window, his fingers tapping against his forehead as if in deep thought--or pain.

The car slipped away from the curb. "Who was that man?"

"Nobody." His voice was terse.

"While you were on the dance floor he said--something about--sharing--women. What did he mean?"

His head turned and his eyes fell sharply on hers. "Nothing--don't worry about him. Put it out of your mind. He's nobody--nobody who will ever get close to you again."

"Marco, you didn't hear him. You weren't on the receiving end of his touch. I--I can't get mixed up in anything--anything--I'm having a really bad feeling in my stomach right now. Sharing--"

He cut off her rambling words when his hand lifted and wrapped around her wrist. "Natalie--shut up and calm down."

Her eyes held his for only a second as they welled with tears and she broke contact, looking away from him.

His grip tightened on her wrist and he pulled her arm in a bid for her attention. She raised her eyes to his once more. When he spoke, his voice was rough. "Understand this--I'll never share you with anyone--ever. Not in a million fucking years. You're mine--and we're going to cement that agreement in about half an hour. After that--nobody will touch you--they might try--but they'll live to regret it. So you need to put all that other shit from your mind. I'm not claiming I've been a boy scout all my life--but when it comes to you--somebody tries to touch you--I'll murder them in cold blood."

His words came to a halt and Natalie's heartbeat thumped loudly through her chest as she took in his words and his eyes, blazing down into hers. He slowly released her hand and sat back in his seat, his face impassive once again.

The silence of the night intensified around them and Natalie tried to do as he said--put it out of her mind. But what had taken place had clearly upset Marco--and she didn't like for him to be upset, even though she knew it wasn't anything she had done. His words had been so vehement that they reassured her. She believed him completely. Reaching out, she touched his hand softly. She ran her fingers over the top of his hand in a small stroke that she hoped was soothing to him, a stroke like the ones she had used on his forehead when he'd had the headache.