Chapter Five..

We step outside the house, and Lucas' hand is on the small of my back. He ushers me towards a big black SUV with tinted windows pulled up along the sidewalk. 

“A bit beastly, isn’t it?” I stop and stare in awe. 

“What can I say? I like my space and privacy.” 

The driver opens the door. He is middle-aged and very well-built. 

“Vanessa, this is Callum.” Luca introduces me to his driver. 

“Ms. Maddison, it was a pleasure to meet you.” Callum greets me, dipping his head with a slight smirk on his face. 

“Likewise, Callum.” I smile back at him. 

We get in the car, and it looks more spacious than what I would have imagined from the outside. 

“Privacy to do what?” I ask suspiciously. 

“Well, cara mio, I don’t tend to kiss and tell. But if you want to know, I have a few saucy stories I could share with you. They may even inspire you to let your hair down a bit.” 

My cheeks turn crimson red, and suddenly, I feel like a prude.

“I’ll pass, thanks! Some stories are made to be kept a secret.” I turn away from him and look out the window, staring at the passing scenery. 

Minutes later, we stop in front of a stylish tall building on the other end of the city. 

Callum steps out and opens Lucas' door. Luca steps out and offers me his hand as I exit the car. 

I accept his offer and try to ignore the heat that radiates off him. He leads me inside, where an elderly doorman stands with the door open and gives Luca a greeting nod. 

When we're inside, I can’t help but take in my surroundings with such fascination. I can see why people would pay a pretty penny to stay here. 

The white marble flooring with red velvet-covered walls is lined with golden trimmings. Multiple expensive-looking art portraits hang on the walls. 

The ceilings are high, with crystal chandeliers hanging from them.  

I look around in fascination until my eyes land on a middle-aged woman wearing nothing but designer items. 

I look down at myself and feel embarrassingly improper. I try to brush off the mortification and continue to let Luca lead me to a set of elevators. 

Inside the elevator car, Luca pulls out a key card and sticks it inside the slot, sending the car upwards to the top floor without stopping. 

The doors slide open, and we're greeted with a grand white marbled entry foyer. 

Luca pulls me out of the elevator with him and unlocks the double-door entrance, eagerly ushering me inside. I make my way towards the living room and observe my surroundings. 

“So… this is where you live, huh.” I turn to face him. 

“Si, top floor penthouse. Would you like a drink while I go and shower?” He shrugs out of his jacket. 

I nibble on my bottom lip, trying to contain the hot images of Luca naked, surrounded by steam as he washes himself. 

“Vanessa?” 

 I snap out of my brief musing. 

“Ah… yeah… right. Sorry. You don't by any chance have some white wine, do you?” I ask him, and he raises an eyebrow. 

“Rough day for you, was it?” He smirks.

“No, well… not completely. Truth be told, there’s this guy that’s slowly niggling himself into my life, and I fear the word no isn’t in his vocabulary.” I look at him through my lashes. 

“Really? Does he happen to be a handsome Italiano?” He rubs at his jaw, amused. 

“No, he’s more of an Insane Italiano I can't seem to shake off.” I emphasize the word insane. 

Lucas' eyes narrow with amusement as he stares at me.

“You’re a feisty little kitten, aren’t you? I can’t say that I’m not surprised. We have so much chemistry together. I know you can feel it between us, too." His words are laced with arousal. "It’s not just sexually. There’s something more here, and I intend to explore it. Let me rephrase that. We. ARE. going to explore it.” 

“Oh my God, Luca. Can you just get me my glass of wine? Please.” I plonk myself on his white leather sofa. 

The man is just too much for me to be around sober. 

I hear him chuckling as he walks to the kitchen and I lean back on the sofa, looking up towards the ceiling, slowly massaging my aching temples. 

I feel Luca approaching, and I sit up to find him towering over me with my glass of wine in his hand. I take it from his grasp and take a long sip, appreciating the cool fruitiness it has to offer as it slides down my throat. 

“Bellissima.” He whispers before turning around and walking away. 

Minutes pass and Luca returns, looking hotter than before he left. 

He's wearing loose sweatpants with a white singlet and nothing on his feet. Seeing him in bare feet, dressed casually, does something unusual in the pit of my stomach. 

“Do you like something you see, cara mio? That hungry look you’ve got in your eyes is making me hard.” 

He approaches me with the grace of a god and pulls me up from the sofa. Setting my glass on the coffee table. 

I try to calm my racing heart with shallow breaths. I can't think with him this close to me. My body hums to life and my thoughts are a jumbled mess. 

“The truth?” I ask him, panting. 

“Always the truth, Vanessa. Never anything less than the ultimate truth between us.” His voice is firm and hoarse. 

“You look delicious. YES. Am I ready to let my guard down? NO.” My voice is barely a whisper. 

I try to break free from his grasp but he pulls me in closer. I feel myself swaying towards him and my lips brush against his.  

“You’re a little tease, si?” He looks at me intensely, melting my insides. 

“I’m going to kiss you now. If you want me to stop, then say so now or forever hold your peace.” He crushes his lips against mine before I’m able to take my next breath. 

His kiss is firm and purposeful, displaying great skill. I resist him initially, but my resistance fades quickly as he starts licking the seams of my lips and pushing his tongue into my mouth. 

I sense my body starting to act on its own when my hands shift from pushing at his chest to grasping at his singlet, signaling my desire for him to take control. 

I wrap my arms around his neck, and a deep rumble slips from his lips. He firmly takes hold of both my arms, pushing them behind me, and pulls me close to him. 

I feel his erect penis pressing against my hip as his lips leave mine and begin to move down my neck. 

He pauses and softly speaks against my skin. “Wreck me, shatter me, destroy me, be the ruin of me. I don't care, just as long as I get to have you, tesoro.” His words are the fuel to my flame. 

A soft, longing sigh slips from my lips, and Luca swiftly lifts me as if I weigh nothing, pressing me against the wall. His lips eagerly explore my warm skin, while his hand slides into the top of my dress, caressing my breast. 

He starts to knead it with his thumb, slowly working small circular motions around my erect nipple. 

I am overwhelmed by a delightful sensation. I'm on fire, and I start moving against his firm penis, barely contained in his trousers. I'm enveloped in a realm of sensations crafted by his lips. 

Feeling his touch on my skin, his lips exploring me, and his body pressed against mine. I only became aware of him pushing my dress up my hips when I felt his fingers tugging at my underwear. 

He was dangerously close to entering my core. 

“St… stop… Luca, please stop, we can’t ” I say to him as I pant breathlessly. 

Stiffening, Luca gazes up with astonishment evident on his handsome face. You can clearly see the strong longing in his eyes.  

“Why? I’m so close to having you, Vanessa. I’m about to combust with my own need.” Groaning out loud, he rests his forehead against mine. 

“I… I lost myself in the heat of the moment. I can’t do this. I’m sorry. Please, put me down.” 

He makes no effort to move or let me go. Instead, he releases a long, deep, and frustrated sigh. 

“You’re not a virgin, are you?” His voice trembles slightly. 

“What?” I could barely contain the horror in my voice. “That is none of your business! And if I am, it is solemnly up to me to choose whom I gift it to.” 

I try to remove his hand that cups my breast, but he fights me and firmly grips it. 

“Tell me, caro mio.” His voice hardens. “I was so close to filling you, so close to riding out this built-up tension between us.” 

“I’m not telling you, Luca.” I try to push him off me again, but it does not affect him.

“Answer me.” 

This is humiliating!

“ONE! I have slept with one guy, and that was many years ago. Are you happy now? You have me pinned up against a wall, forcing me to answer your ridiculous question.”

I feel a single tear slide down my face, and Luca leans in, licking it up. He releases my breast and slips a finger under my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes.

“Si, it pleases me to know that there has only been one, Vanessa. And quite frankly, he is an undeserving il Bastado to have ever let you slip between his fingers”.

He steps back and releases me. 

“I didn’t ask you to embarrass you if that is what you think.” He rubs his hand over his face.

“You're cold one minute, then the next you’re on fire in my arms. I don’t enjoy playing games. I simply do not possess  enough control when it comes to playing games.” 

“And why is that, Luca?” I question him, needing to know why he needs to be in control.

“It is who I am.” He sternly states.

“Control practically oozes off you,” I say weakly.

“Si.” He smiles at me.

“Can you please take me home?”

He gives me a short nod, then turns and walks away.

I retrieve my wine glass from the coffee table and bring it to the kitchen. Placing it on the bench, I glance at the double-door stainless-steel fridge and notice a picture of an older man and two young men. 

An elderly gentleman stands amidst two younger men, cradling a little girl in his arms. She appears to be almost two years old.

As I approach the photo for a better view, I notice that one of the young men is Luca, smiling with his arm around the old man. 

All eyes are on the little girl as she snuggles a plush bear, beaming with joy. 

The three gentlemen are smiling affectionately at her. The more I gaze at the picture, the clearer it becomes that they are a family. 

The older sibling is quite captivating. There's something about him that feels oddly familiar. 

“You ready to go?” I spin around to find Luca standing by the bench picking up his keys, phone, and wallet.

I clear my throat, feeling like I’ve been caught snooping.

“Is that you with your family?” I ask Luca as I stare back at the photo.

“Si. It is.” He picks up the photo and stares at it.

“Your mother, is she the one holding the camera?” I ask curiously.

“Si. She always loved taking photos of us. She always said that if the house were to ever catch on fire, the only thing she would risk her life for was the billions of photo albums she had. Everything can be replaced, but not our memories,” She'd constantly say.

For a brief second, I swear the emotion of pain glimmered in his eyes before he quickly blinked it away.

“Your little sister looks adorable.” I smile.

“Her name is Rosalia. She and my older brother Giovanni have a special bond.” He places the photo back on the fridge. “Are you ready?” He looks at me smiling.

“I think so.” I bite my lower lip.

“You think so, cara mio?” He touches my face softly. “Have you changed your mind?” He whispers as his head dips down towards mine.

“No..." I close my eyes, eagerly anticipating him to kiss me.

“Then I will take you home, tesoro.” Disappointed, he takes my hand in his and leads us out the door.