Seduced by the Tycoon at Christmas Page 16

  Encouraged by his praise, she sucked his shaft, pressed kisses along his inner thigh and licked the trail between his legs. Romeo buried his face in her butt cheeks, surprising her, and feeling his tongue against her fleshy lips caused Zoe to moan. To grip the designer bedsheets.

  Her breathing was shallow and her mouth was dry, but Zoe was ready for the main event. Was desperate to feel him inside her. Sunlight shone through the windows and the balcony doors were wide open, but Zoe didn’t care, refused to let her doubts and insecurities ruin the mood. It didn’t matter that she didn’t have the perfect body or that she wasn’t a size four. Romeo was staring at her, and love shone bright in his eyes. His desire to please her was evident in his kiss, his caress, and the heartfelt words he whispered against her lips.

  Careful not to lose her balance, Zoe spun around and positioned herself on his erection, but this time she had the confidence of a burlesque dancer on a Las Vegas stage.

  In perfect sync, as if they’d known each other years, rather than a few weeks, they moved together as one body. His fingers were in her hair, playing with her braids, then tweaking her nipples and stroking her hips. Zoe pressed her eyes shut, tried to savor every feeling, every emotion, every sensation flowing through her.

  Kissing her lips, Romeo praised her in Italian.

  Tossing her head back, Zoe erupted in laughter as his words played in her mind. I love everything about you...your inner strength, your zest for life, your keen mind, and most importantly, how fantastic your ass looks in a pair of tight blue jeans! Their lovemaking was wild and intense, filled with playful and intimate moments, and Zoe loved everything about it. Mostly the deliciously sexy man thrusting his hips energetically beneath her.

  Fireworks exploded inside her, one after another, with no end in sight. She rocked against Romeo, hard and fast, rode him like a prizewinning Thoroughbred. Couldn’t stop even if she wanted to. Clutching his shoulders, she moved faster, pumped her legs harder, swiveled her hips in tight circles. He traced his tongue around her nipples, nipping with his teeth, and an orgasm with the force of a category three hurricane knocked her over and flat on her back.

  “Now it’s my turn.” Stretching out over her, Romeo showered her face with kisses. He didn’t stop there. A wicked grin worked its way onto his mouth as he thrust his erection between her legs. He pressed his lips against her neck, mashed her breasts together, squeezed her bottom, eagerly licking and sucking her earlobe. Zoe felt high, on top of the world, and wanted to experience the mind-blowing rush of having another orgasm. To make it happen, she clamped her legs around his waist and dug her nails into his butt cheeks, urging him deep inside her. Pumping his hips, he moved his body in an erotic way.

  “Baby, I’m coming,” she panted, bucking against him. “Più forte! Più veloce! Sì!”

  He obliged. His thrust becoming faster, harder, he gripped her hips, then hiked her legs in the air and kissed her inner thigh. Her orgasm must have triggered his own, because his head fell forward and he released a deep, guttural groan.

  Sweat coursed down his forehead and dripped from his muscled body. His breathing was so shallow, Zoe feared he’d overexerted himself and worried about his heart condition. “Baby, are you okay? I don’t want you to overdo it or push yourself too hard. We have the rest of the weekend to make love,” she pointed out. “Maybe we should stop and take a break.”

  “Hell no.” He wore a lopsided grin. “I’m great. Couldn’t be better. Isn’t it obvious?”

  Giggling, she brushed her lips against the hollow of his throat. To please him, Zoe flicked his nipple with her tongue, then sucked it into her mouth. His body tensed, going rigid and stiff. Zoe wanted to tell Romeo she loved him and wanted a future together, but her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth.

  Rolling onto his side, he gathered her in his arms and blew out a deep breath. “You’re incredible, you know that?” Romeo kissed her forehead. “If I’d known you were a sex goddess, I would have invited you to spend the weekend at my family villa the day we met!”

  Zoe screamed with laughter. His toothy smile and playful banter made her crack up, and discussing what they enjoyed most about their lovemaking helped to strengthen their bond.

  “Baby, sorry about this morning. I was going to get up early and make you breakfast, but Giuseppe called and I got sidetracked,” he explained, holding her close to his chest. “You must be starving. What do you want for breakfast?”

  “You are my breakfast, and if you think you can hang, I’d like some more.”

  In a blink, Romeo maneuvered Zoe onto her stomach, straddled her back and slapped her ass. Once, twice, three mind-blowing times. Unable to control herself, she moaned beneath him, salivating as she envisioned his erection between her legs.

  “Keep talking smack, and I’ll take you over my knee.”

  “Please do.” Wearing a cheeky smile, she glanced over her shoulder and poked her butt in the air. “I told you things were going to get freaky, and I meant it, so show me what you got.”

  Romeo brushed his lips against her ear. “With pleasure.”

  Chapter 17

  “We’re here,” the taxi driver announced. “Casa Di Moda fashion house, right, Miss?”

  Zoe wanted to finish journaling about her romantic weekend with Romeo, but she dropped her notebook in her workbag, took out her wallet and paid the driver. “Yes. Thanks.”

  The cab was parked in front of Casa Di Moda, but there were so many people gathered on the sidewalk that Zoe couldn’t open the passenger-side door. What in the world? she thought, peering out the window at the young, well-dressed crowd camped out at the fashion house bright and early on Monday morning. Women were waving at her and shouting in Italian, but Zoe didn’t understand what they were saying. Couldn’t make sense of what was going on. Are we doing a Christmas promotion someone forgot to tell me about? A free giveaway, perhaps?

  The noise was deafening, so loud, Zoe could feel a headache forming in her temples. If she’d known Casa Di Moda was a zoo she never would have left the comfort of Romeo’s arms, and wondered if it was too late to return to the Morretti family villa. He was working from home today, and although he’d asked her to stay and keep him company, she’d kissed him goodbye and hurried to the waiting taxicab parked outside the villa. She had no choice. The Christmas Wonderland Ball was in six days, and there was so much to do before the black-tie event that Zoe had three to-do lists on her office desk. Aurora was counting on her to not only promote the holiday collection, but to also persuade her contacts in the fashion world to do a feature cover story on Casa Di Moda. Zoe didn’t want to let her boss down.

  Mumbling under his breath, the heavyset cab driver jumped out of driver’s seat and marched around the hood of the white compact car. Waving his hands in the air, as if he were swatting a bee, he shouted at the crowd to get out of his way, then yanked open the back door.

  Grateful for his help, Zoe tipped the driver and shouldered her way through the crowd. Snowflakes fell from the sky, and the crisp wind whipped her hair around her face.

  “It’s her! Zoe Smith! Romeo Morretti’s new lady love!”

  “How does it feel to be dating the most eligible bachelor in Milan?”

  “Did you have fun at the Morretti family villa this weekend?”

  Paralyzed with shock, Zoe froze. She could feel the blood drain from her body. Cameras flashed in her eyes, temporarily blinding her, as reporters hurled personal questions at her. What the hell? How do they know I spent the weekend with Romeo? I never told anyone our plans, not even Jiovanni, and he’s my best friend! Willing her legs to move, she shielded her face with her hands and dashed toward the front doors.

  “Welcome to Casa Di Moda, everyone! Please feel free to come inside for a tour. You can take as many pictures as you want, and interview Zoe Smith as well...”

  Like
hell they can! Brushing past Aurora, who looked thrilled to see the crowd of entertainment reporters and paparazzi jostling for position on the cobblestoned sidewalk, Zoe marched into the lobby, panting like a marathon runner. Decorated with tinsel, garland and Christmas-themed lanterns, the space looked festive and bright. Glass jars of different heights and shapes were filled with colorful ornaments, and the unique window display was eye-catching. The air smelled of gingerbread cookies and apple cider, but Zoe was too upset to eat and didn’t want to hang out with her colleagues in the staff room.

  Entering the reception area, Zoe glanced nervously around the room. There were boxes and garment bags everywhere, interns were running in every direction clutching pink invoices in their hands, deliverymen were loading their carts, and telephones rang off the hook.

  “Good morning, Zoe,” greeted the receptionist. “Looking great as usual. Cute dress.”

  “Thanks. What’s going on? There’s stuff everywhere,” she said, gesturing to the clothes and shoes piled high on the velvet couch. “Are we doing another an online sale?”

  Beaming, Aurora marched into the room chatting a mile a minute. “You don’t know?”

  “Don’t know what?”

  “Have you been living under a rock the past forty-eight hours?”

  “No, my cell’s dead, and I forgot my tablet in my office on Friday night,” she explained. “Now, could someone tell me what’s going on, because I’m clueless.”

  “Zoe, you broke the internet!” Aurora shrieked. “I’m so happy I could scream!”

  Could scream, Zoe thought, rubbing her ears to soothe the pain. You just did.

  “MilanoFashionista.com posted pictures of you and Romeo at the Il Divo concert on their social media pages on Friday night, and an hour later the Casa Di Moda website crashed.”

  There was no music playing, but Aurora danced around the decorative, glass table.

  Zoe’s cheeks burned. “There are pictures of me and Romeo online?” she croaked, a burning sensation spreading through her chest. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

  Aurora took her cell out of the back pocket of her plaid high-waisted pants, swiped her finger across the screen and raised her iPhone in the air. “See for yourself.”

  Feeling as if her eyes were bugging out of her head, Zoe cupped a hand over her gaping mouth. There were pictures of her and Romeo eating dinner at La Piastra Calda, slow dancing at the Il Divo concert and French kissing in front of his sports car. Why didn’t she realize they were being followed? How come she didn’t notice paparazzi snapping pictures?

  That’s because you were too busy playing tonsil hockey with Romeo! teased her inner voice. If you had kept things PG instead of pouncing on him, you wouldn’t be in this mess now.

  Zoe plucked Aurora’s cell out of her hand and accessed the Internet. To her surprise, the pictures were everywhere—on gossip blogs, the local newspapers, social media outlets—and seeing them filled her with shame. Not because she regretted kissing Romeo, but because she knew when he saw the photographs he’d be pissed. The last thing Zoe wanted to do was upset him. He had enough on his plate with the problems he was having at work, and she didn’t want to add to his stress. Last night in bed, after making love, he’d opened up to her about his meeting with police detectives, and even though Zoe knew nothing about investment banking or money laundering, she’d encouraged him to do the right thing, no matter what. Moved by his honesty, she’d confided in him about things she’d never shared with anyone, not even her closest friends. Romeo asked her to spend Christmas Day with him, and tears had filled her eyes. Zoe was nervous about meeting his loved ones, especially since they’d only been dating for a few weeks, but since spending the day with the Morretti family beat eating a frozen dinner alone in her apartment, she’d enthusiastically agreed.

  “We sold out of everything from the holiday Christmas line, and all of our boutiques reported increased sales and foot traffic. Isn’t that great? We’re finally on top where we belong!”

  Zoe swallowed hard. On one hand, she was thrilled that the holiday line was a hit with consumers, but on the other hand, she was upset that someone had taken pictures of her and Romeo and posted them online. A lump formed in her throat. What would he think when he saw the photographs? Would he be disappointed that their secret was out? Would he blame her?

  “I haven’t told you the best part,” Aurora said, her eyes wild with excitement.

  Zoe braced herself for more bad news, but she couldn’t think of anything worse than being secretly photographed. Burning up, she took off her green military-style jacket and draped it over her forearm. All she could think about was Romeo. Zoe wanted to call him, but since she didn’t want her colleagues listening in on their conversation, she decided to wait until she got to her office to ring his cell.

  “According to Celebrity Patella you and Romeo are Milan’s newest ‘it’ couple, and they’ve nicknamed you RoZo. Cute, huh?” Aurora threw her hands around Zoe and rocked her vigorously from side to side. “I’m so happy for me! I mean, you. I’m so happy for you.”

  It was time to leave. If she didn’t, Aurora would squeeze her for the rest of the morning, and she didn’t want to miss her ten o’clock phone interview with Haute Couture. The editor was a good friend, and Zoe was looking forward to promoting Casa Di Moda’s holiday line on the popular blog. Add to that, she had calls to return, press releases to write, emails to answer and a website to update. Desperate to escape her boss’s clutches, she broke free of Aurora’s tight, suffocating hold and moved as fast as her suede booties could take her. “I’ll see you later.”

  On top of the world, Aurora continued speaking, chatting excitedly in Italian.

  A scowl curled her lips. Seize the moment? Zoe repeated. But I don’t want to date Romeo in the public eye. It could ruin our relationship, and we have the most amazing bond! Increasing her pace, she shot across the lobby, could feel her heart racing as she ran for her life.

  Entering her office, Zoe dumped her handbag on her armchair, then plugged her cell into the charger. It had been one hell of a morning, and she was grateful for a few minutes of peace and quiet, but the moment Zoe sat down at her mesh armchair, her desk phone rang. She considered letting the call go to voice mail, but she was waiting to hear back from the regional manager of the Casa Di Moda boutiques in Venice about running a New Year’s Eve makeover contest and snatched the receiver off the cradle. “Good morning, Zoe Smith.”

  “How do you do it?”

  Her heart leaped inside her chest. “Do what, Romeo?”

  “Make me feel better just by hearing your beautiful voice.”

  Coiling the phone cord around her index finger, Zoe tried to calm her nerves by taking a deep breath and slowly pushing it out her mouth. “I’m glad you’re still in a good mood. I was worried you’d be mad at me when you saw the photographs of us online.”

  “At first I was pissed, because those sneaky paparazzi spied on us, but when my cousins and brothers called to congratulate me on dating a Caribbean bombshell, I got over it.”

  “Are all the men in your family charming and suave? It sure sounds like it.”

  “Naw, they’ve got nothing on me,” he bragged. “Just call me Mr. Smooth.”

  Zoe laughed. Relieved that he wasn’t upset with her, she sat back comfortably in her chair, crossed her legs and listened as he talked about his eventful morning and his phone conversation with his brother Enrique. “I’m nervous, but also really excited about meeting Enrique and his fiancée, Isabelle, tonight at Dolce Vita. What time should I be ready for dinner?”

  “That’s why I’m calling. We have to reschedule for next week.”

  Suddenly his tone was somber, and Zoe feared something was wrong.

  “Baby, what is it?” she asked, straightening in her seat. “You sound worried.”

  �
��I am. I just heard back from my lawyers, and they strongly advised me to meet with French authorities. To be honest, it was an easy decision to make.”

  “I’m proud of you for doing the right thing.” Zoe wished they were face-to-face instead of chatting on the phone, but she didn’t let the distance stop her from speaking from the heart. “Once you meet with French authorities and tell them your story you’ll be exonerated. I believe it with every ounce of my being, and Romeo, you should, too.”

  “Thanks, babe. Your support means everything to me.”

  Zoe stared at her desk calendar. “When are you leaving? When will you be back?”

  “I’m leaving tonight after work, but I’ll be back on Saturday afternoon. Just in time to escort you to the Christmas Wonderland Ball,” he explained.

  “Do you want me to come with you? I want to be there to support you.”

  “Baby, thanks for the offer, but I know you’re busy getting ready for the ball, and I don’t want to take you away from work. Besides, Simona’s going to be interviewed as well, so we’ll fly there together with my lawyers in my private jet.”

  Nodding, Zoe coiled the phone cord around her index finger. She’d met Simona last week when she’d dropped by Morretti Finance and Investments with lunch for Romeo, and they’d spent a few minutes talking about the weather, their plans for the holidays and their favorite Christmas foods. Simona mentioned that her boyfriend was a trained chef, and Zoe had cheered inwardly. Now she didn’t have to worry about the chief operating officer putting the moves on her man.

  An intern with dyed red hair appeared in the doorway holding a garment bag in one hand and a coffee mug in the other. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” she whispered, a troubled expression on her face. “It’s important, and I don’t know who else to ask.”

  Zoe nodded, then faced the window so the intern couldn’t hear what she was saying on the phone. “Romeo, I have to go, but text me when you land in Paris. It doesn’t matter how late. I just need to know that you arrived safely.”