Page 19 of Private Reserve
Chapter Seven
Gio
“It was a bad idea the last time. I’m not going to try again,” I say gruffly. I met Luca at our usual rendezvous place at the foot of Abrusco—near Olivia’s villa. She still has the key but hasn’t stepped foot into the rental room since moving into the honeymoon suite with me two weeks ago. Soon enough, once the floors are refinished, my wife and I will move into our own cozy cottage, now that the entire resort has been signed over to me.
“You’re reading her wrong,” Luca says. “You’re too close to the situation to see what she wants from you. I’ve been watching her for the last two weeks. Believe me, I know what I’m talking about.”
I shade my eyes from the sun and glance up the hill. “You don’t know her like I do.”
“Which is why I can see things you can’t.”
I turn back to Luca. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
“You’re protective of her, Gio. I get that. But that girl wants to be forced to her knees and taken hard.”
“I did that, remember, and she had tears in her eyes.”
Luca puts his hand on my arm, and I want to drag him to me. I won’t, because I’m married to Olivia, the woman I’m fucking crazy about and don’t want to lose again. Walking away from her the first time was hell. I’m not sure I can do it again, even though in one week we’re supposed to fake a breakup so she can fly back home
“Those were happy fucking tears, my friend.”
“I don’t know.”
“You need to push her. She’ll respond.” Luca sticks a blade of grass in his mouth, leans against the villa, legs crossed, and adds, “I guarantee.”
“She’s a preacher’s daughter, Luca. A nice girl.”
“So fucking what? That doesn’t mean shit.”
“It means—”
“It means shit, Gio. I see the way she looks at you. I see the raw need in her eyes, a girl who aches to be dominated. I would know. We share that, remember?”
I grab his shirt, fist it in my hands and press my forehead to his. “What if I scare her off?”
“What if you don’t? What if this is exactly what she needs from you?” He goes quiet for a long time, then adds, “From us?”
The visual of the three of us together, two halves of my souls coming together to form one, all entwined sexually, is more than I could ever hope for.
“Gio, the papers are signed, and this place is yours. You have the power to turn it into something great. All that’s left is to stop pretending in this marriage. Go do what you have to do.”
I’m just about to open my mouth when a sound on the deck above us reaches my ears.
Shit.
Chapter Eight
Olivia
Sitting in Gio’s office chair in the main mansion, I spin around and glance at the vineyard. Two weeks have passed since I first stepped foot on Gio’s villa, and I have to say, whichever friend sponsored my trip is going to get a big squishy hug when I return. This adventure might not have been what I wanted or expected when I first started out, but coming here, facing Gio again, was exactly what I needed.
The thought of returning to the States darkens my mood, and the smile falls from my face. I’ve been so caught up in Gio and putting together a marketing plan, I almost forgot that none of this was real. That in a week, I’ll be on a plane back to Seattle—to a life I no longer want.
Honestly, returning home is the last thing I want to do. I like being married to Gio, pretend or not. He has a wonderful family, an amazing best friend, and I want to stay to watch him transform this place into a bustling villa.
I adjust my sundress over my thighs as my mind goes back to the afternoon he took me in his office. Sadly, I’ve not seen that side of Gio since. I wish I knew what brought that on, or what I did to inspire that kind of passion, because I want nothing more than to recreate it.
If only I could open my mouth and just ask.
