Melanie’s POVIf I was a betting girl, I could have won some money from, Alice. She was so positive this conversation was going to go well but couldn’t have been more wrong.This conversation had gone so off-kilter that I was wondering why I was still seated here talking to him.“Are you threatening me?” I asked."I'm not threatening you, little nurse," he replied.“Then what’s the meaning of what you just said?”“I just thought you needed a reminder of how you got here,” he said.“Oh, I remember. How could I ever forget,” I said. “Every second of every day for the past few weeks I’ve been reminded of how much my life had taken a drastic turn all in a matter of a few moments!”I was breathing heavily and trying to control my anger. “I regret that moment.”“What moment?”“The moment I agreed to go, Dr. Thompson’s request to go on a house call. It wasn’t part of my job descrip
Melanie’s POVAlice's words stayed with me all day. I’ve spent so much time believing that, Adriano had taken away my choice I had never stopped to wonder if I gave up too easily.Did I really have the option to make a different choice or could I give in to my new reality and be content with it?The thought of going back to the house didn't really fill me with dread like before when I was still new to his house.But apart from restricting my movement, he had treated me nicely. I ate well, slept in comfort, and got freaking chauffeured to work, even though I hadn't gotten used to the last part.Every time I demanded anything from, Adriano, it felt like I was making a deal with the devil, in exchange for my soul.It didn't help that he kept making me flustered when I was around him, causing me to act out of character.Nevertheless, I called, Phoebe and informed her of the plan to visit du
Melanie’s POV“Are you ready for this?” I asked.“That’s an unnecessary question, little nurse,” Adriano said. “Are we doing this or not.”“I just need a few minutes to get in character,” she said.Adriano chuckled but remained silent while I tried to steady my breathing. It was Saturday evening and we were currently parked in the parking lot of my apartment complex. Phoebe had called me earlier in the day to ask if, Adriano had any allergies or something he didn’t eat.I didn’t have the answer to that question but I figured he ate anything, considering the kind of guy he was so I told her no.Now I wondered if I did the right thing. Maybe I should have asked him, but I avoided him all day until it was time to leave.“Do you have any allergies?” I asked.“Huh?”“Phoebe called earlier wanting to know if you had any allergies and I told her you didn’t,” I explained.Adria
Melanie’s POVI should have known the last time, Adriano had the other nurses literally eating out of the palm of his hands how big of a charmer he was.Phoebe was completely enthralled by him, and there I was nervous about how she was going to receive him, especially with how blunt he was with her by the door.But it had the opposite effect on her. Phoebe appreciated his brutal honesty and seemed to think that he was good for me.I guess I should be happy with that, it means he’s holding up to his end of the bargain but I felt some way at the fact that Phoebe took an instant liking to him when I prepared to defend him tonight.Was it jealousy? Heck no. There’s no way I was jealous of Adriano. I mean it took a few weeks after I moved in for, Phoebe to warm up to me while she took to him instantly. Did that make me jealous? Absolutely not!Adriano also somehow knew the right thing to say to make, Phoebe blush.
Melanie’s POVPhoebe went all out with dinner. She made a spread that was enough to feed a small army.“There’s no way we’ll be able to finish what you made,” I told her when I saw how much food she had made.There was roast beef, potatoes, and steamed broccoli with what I knew to be her homemade gravy. Just like Alice, Phoebe was a great cook, so I knew everything she made was certainly delicious.Adriano pulled out a seat for her at the seat of dining table and did the same for me and she gave me a knowing smile when his back was turned to us.I knew what the smile was for. He was rich and also a gentleman. Could he be any more perfect?“Everything looks so good, Phoebe,” Adriano said once he’d taken a seat across from me.“Thank you, Adriano,” she replied. “At least someone appreciates the dinner I made.”I sighed, now he was making me look bad. “You know how much I enjoy your cooking, I’
Melanie’s POVIt was a struggle before we were able to leave, Phoebe’s place. There was a lot of hugging and she made me promise to visit her often.Orange, on the other hand, clung tightly to, Adriano until Phoebe had to physically pry the cat away from him. I was still hurt at how quickly he discarded me for, Adriano but that didn't stop me from filling his cat bowl with food, like I always did.The ride back to the house was quiet but it wasn't laced with any awkwardness. It had been a good night and I didn't want us to end it on an awkward note.I kind of zoned out during the ride up until her approached the house gate. With a slight nod to the guards at the gate, he drove inside the house. At some point, I had gotten used to seeing the guards and though they still looked imposing and scary, I no longer felt fear when I looked at them.He pulled up in front of the house, killed the engine and that was when the
Adriano’s POVApart from the time I spent with my family, I couldn’t remember the last time I had a good time.Melanie might not realize if but she’s been shining her light on my dark soul slowly and I was getting addicted to it.The background check I had done on Melanie’s neighbor, Phoebe was clean so I wasn’t worried about her.I had been prepared to put on a show but it turns out I didn’t even need to. Phoebe was such a pleasant person and her love for, Melanie was quite obvious which was another reason why I easily relaxed around her.My girl sure knew how to pick good friends. Even the cat, whom Melanie glared at most of the time, wasn't so bad. I'm guessing her glare was because the little orange animal clung to me most of the night. I didn't even like cats but somehow, I picked up the animal without scrunching up my nose in disgust.So imagine how bummed I was when I got a call from, Nik informing
Melanie’s POVI went through my usual night routine but this time, opted for normal pajamas with a buttoned shirt and long pants. I just settled in bed and was about plugging in my phone to charge when it began vibrating with an incoming call.It was Aria.There was only one reason why, Aria would call me this late at night and it had Alice written all over it.I accepted the call and put the phone to my ear.“Hello,” I said.“Girl!!!!!” she screeched so loudly that I had to move the phone from my ear for a while."Are you done yelling?" I asked.“Not quite but I think I can save the rest for another day,” Aria answered.“I’ll take that,” I said. “So to what do I owe this pleasure? I already have an idea but please humor me?”“I don’t know whether to be mad at you for keeping this a secret from me or be happy for you,” she replied. “Adriano met someone important to you!
Melanie’s POVHayley was eyeing me with a smirk on her face when I got to work the next day.Unfortunately, she wasn’t the only one. I was getting multiple stares from different people as I walked in.“Girl!!! You’re like a hospital celebrity with the way people have been talking about you and your man since you both traipsed out of here yesterday,” she said.“I don’t care, they can stare all they want,” I said.Hayley regarded me with a strange expression. “That’s a first for you,” she said.“What do you mean?” I asked.“The Melanie I know would be looking bothered and trying not to look in people’s eyes because of how embarrassed she is,” Hayley explained."Well, let's just say that I'm no longer that girl," I replied.“Oh, you definitely aren’t and I’m sure I have Adriano to thank for that,” she said. “Plus, you have that freshly fucked glow about you which means it’s going to be hard
Adriano’s POVTo say I was in a good mood would be an understatement. I was over the fucking moon.Even the thought of what I had to do today did nothing to dim my mood. It turned out that my good mood was plastered on my face for everyone to see.“I can see that your relationship is on the right track,” Nik teased.“Not that you’ll understand since you have no one,” I retorted.“Oh, don’t worry, boss. I have enough fun to keep me happy and I don’t need anyone,” he replied.He was the only fucker that seemed happy at the prospect of torturing someone. That’s why I keep him around. That and the fact he’s good at other things as well.“You also need to stop killing our possible, business associates,” I told him.Nik was in charge of negotiating possible business deals with other groups. We were currently in the middle of negotiating a new arms deal and this morning, I learned that the meeting, Nik was s
Melanie’s POVI woke up tangled up in Adriano’s arms, feeling deliciously sore.Last night was hands down, the best night of my life. It turned out that, Adriano was an insatiable beast in the sheets judging by the number of times we had sex. At some point, I even stopped counting my orgasms.I wasn’t a virgin, but being with the way, Adriano handled me, I might as well have been one.I felt a kiss on my head.“Good morning, little nurse,” he said in his hoarse morning voice.“Good morning,” I replied. “I’m going to need a lot of coffee to get through this day.”“Why?” he asked.“Because a certain young man couldn’t get his hands off me long enough for me to get a decent amount of sleep,” I said.“I’m not going to apologize for that, little nurse, because you enjoyed every single moment of it,” he said.That’s right. I did.“Do you want to call in sick from work today?”
Melanie’s POVAdriano’s lips were on mine, warm and commanding, and every time they moved, I felt like I was unraveling piece by piece. His hand slid up my back, strong and steady, pulling me closer until there was no space between us. The soft leather of the couch pressed against my skin, cool and grounding, but it did nothing to calm the storm inside me.I opened my eyes for a moment, catching a glimpse of him. His sharp jawline, the dark stubble brushing against my skin, and the intensity in his gaze always made me feel like I was the only thing in his world.I could barely breathe, but I didn’t care. Every kiss was like a promise, dark, intense, and utterly consuming. His fingers tangled in my hair, tugging gently as he tilted my head back, exposing my neck to him. He trailed kisses along my jawline, slow and deliberate, his breath hot against my skin. I arched into him, my fingers clutching at his shoulders as his lips trailed
Adriano’s POVThe soft light of the living room barely cut through the weight of the night as I watched her. I blinked thinking I might have imagined the words I heard earlier.Melanie stood a few feet away, still in her jeans and that worn leather jacket she seemed to love so much. I noticed because ever since the cold rolled in, she had been wearing more of that jacket. She looked like trouble and comfort rolled into one, the kind of combination that could destroy a man if he wasn’t careful and I’ve never really been careful around my girl. In fact, I was fast losing the patience I thought I was holding on to and if she was messing with me, I would be pissed.Now, though, something had shifted. Her eyes met mine, and I knew we were past the point of trying to avoid the sexual tension that existed in perpetuity between us.“Kiss me,” she said softly, but there was nothing timid in her tone. It wasn’t a question or even a
Melanie’s POVAdriano led me into the restaurant and we were led towards a private booth. The servers were very polite and a little too eager to server but it was to be expected.The man booked the whole restaurant to take his girlfriend on a date. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out he was influential.The food was amazing!I had a hard time deciding between two dishes but I ended up going for the chicken cacciatore while, Adriano ordered the second dish I was considering for himself.I tried not to swoon at how attentive he was to me because I know for a fact that he ordered that dish because of me but I didn’t want to draw attention to it.And as I suspected, when our food arrived and we began eating, he asked me if I wanted to try a bite of his food and somehow, half of his parmesan ended up on my plate.Thank God he ordered enough servings.The conversation also flowed freely all
Melanie’s POVI clocked out and ran to change out of my scrubs, ignoring the numerous eyes that were on me. Some were staring at me with approval but most of them had looks of jealousy and envy, like I somehow stole what belonged to them.Well, that was none of my business. The fact was, Adriano is my man and they can look all they want but can't have him. So that was one way to look at it. Besides, I wasn't a stranger to being stared at.I changed out of my regular clothes and when I got out. She was glaring at daggers at me but there was no mistaking the envy in her eyes when she saw, Adriano earlier.I smiled at her. Take that you petty, conniving, bitch. Yes, you can think you're all that and try to take away surgeries from me but you'll never have my man.I got to the nurses’ station, half expecting to meet, Hayley alone but to my surprise, she was engrossed in a conversation with, Adriano and they were laughing.
Melanie’s POV“Ugh… you guys are so cute it’s disgusting,” Aria said, once again interrupting our moment.“Shut up, Ari!” Adriano barked at her.“Whatever, I’m going to be with, Alice in the kitchen so wrap this up because we’re all having dinner together and I don’t want you making googly eyes at each other at the dinner table,” she said.“You still haven’t said it, Melanie,” Adriano said when we were finally alone. “I need to hear you say it.”“You need to hear me call you, baby?” He nodded. “Yes, I do because you’re mine and I’m yours. Every part of me belongs to you. So I’m your baby and it feels fucking good to hear you admit it.”I would have laughed if he wasn't being incredibly sweet. A grown-ass man was happy I called him, baby. Now that was a first.“Still, you shouldn’t have yelled at your sister that way,” I told him."She can handle it besides how do you expect me to let out
Melanie’s POVAdriano and I spent the day watching movies and munching on junk food after he finished the entire jar of cookies I made for him.I’d never seen someone that obsessed with cookies and it’s actually funny to see, Adriano react that way to the cookies.I must admit that it made me feel good that he loved my baking, now it got me wanting to do more. Maybe bake a pie or some muffins. I might start a bit easier and go with brownies instead but we'll see.When we got tired of staying indoors, he suggested we go out for a walk around the grounds and I gladly agreed.I had never really wandered around the house except the insides. I knew that the staff quarters were also in the compound but I'd never been there, and neither do I know how they live over there. It turned out the quarters were an array of bungalows for the staff.That way everyone had their privacy. There was also a large kitchen. Apparently, th