Nico stood with the men, a plastered calm on his face; it was amazing how one could stand with his enemies while they smiled at him, but then wasn't that political?"Forgive me for not introducing myself," the man stretched his hands to him, "Fabio Conti."Nico took the hand, shaking it with a firm grip. Alessandro stood by, staring at something that caught his attention as he rolled his glass with solid fingers."Hopefully, Fabio, you go as far as you expect with your campaign," he smiled, "You seem quite driven,""Politics is being driven," Fabio smiled back, "Of course, the love of the people also counts, but then there should be a way around that."Nico dipped his hands in his pocket, ignoring a tray before him. Now, this was what he hated about the law, unable to throw a fist even when the perpetrators were before him, smiling his ass off, throwing him double-implied sentences.He sighed."I'll also like to commend you, Mr. President; you've done quite a good job keeping the cou
"Can I have my panties back... "At that moment, the car turned cold; it was like time had stopped as I watched his face draw into something unreadable.His lashes flew open, and slowly he sat up from the car seat, turning to me, "You said something, Elena?"I nodded, feeling the heat spread on my cheeks and even my chest; I looked down at his chest, whispering, "I want my panties back."I shut my eyes, listening to him breathe, and then placing his hand under my chin, he raised my face to see a plastered smile on his lips.He leaned in and kissed me, his hand aiding me into him, pulling me in.In a flash, I was straddled on his hips as his hands traveled my body, zipping me down so he could access my nakedness."The beach house," he said to Noah, his thumb still caressing my cheeks, looking me in the eyes, daring me to back away, but instead, I wrapped my hands around his neck and breathed in the scent of his cologne.*****Now I'm on his bed, looking around at white painted walls, h
His turn to obey now, and he did, making me gasp and clutch the bed when I felt his tip at the entrance of my sheath, staring at my face; he teased me this time, rubbing against my wet dripping walls."Impatient little thing aren't you" he groaned, leaning his broad back, covering my chest from the little light, and slowly he prodded into me, filling every bit of space. I shut my eyes and whimpered, burying my face into his shoulders. We stayed still for a while, hearing him breathe over my body, his palms supporting his weight as if he was afraid to crush me, and slowly I wrapped my legs around his waist. "I'll thrust now; hold on tight."My hands around him now, I held onto his back, and he began humping against me, slowly at first, as carefully as he could; I shut my eyes, loving the sensation, but then he ordered."Don't do that; I want to see you come for me."And we went on and on, as the candle lights slowly dimmed, went through the night ignoring the rings of our phone, gra
Elena's POV.He stood still, staring at the weapon-decked wardrobe, his face in awe as mine was filled with fear; the sheet around my chest and knotted under my armpits was the only thing covering me.It wasn't the guns that had my heart about to be ripped off my chest; it was the amount of it, and what's more, the way his face wove with amusement as if he had just bumped into a birthday present."It's not what you think, Elena."I wasn't even thinking; it was as if my brain had somehow shut down trying to make out what so many guns were doing in his beach house. He began to stride toward me, past me and then shut the wardrobe doors before turning, "I'll prefer not to have to explain that right now. Are you hungry?"Anything to get away from whoever this was, I nodded, walking away from him into the bathroom; I stayed under the shower, letting the water run down my head, trailing every part of my body, while I tried not to shiver.They were too many guns; what else was he hiding in t
I stood behind the window, holding a binocular I had found on a table; with that, I watched him glide on the water's surface, surfing the ocean. The thrill on his face, as he conquered the dangerous waves sent a chill into me.What had he said, "Whatever happens here, you should know it's still me"? What was this place? That brought so much out of him that set him at ease, the relaxation I had never seen since the years we'd been together.I looked at the card still in my hands, then back into the binocular; well, if I were going to be held hostage, I would enjoy the view.Despite the danger of the situation, I sighed; yeah, this man was an inferno, Nerdy with a touch of dangerous, the type of guy no one would expect certain things from, but then he did them.My father wouldn't know how wrong he was.My heart did a flip when Noah arrived. Good grief.***We were in the car back to Sardinia, and throughout the journey, he was on the phone, talking to Grace, trying to curb the scanda
The evening was buzzing, the bonfire razing in the air, children's voices filling every space, teenagers finding their age group, most in pairs, and the rest cackling loudly.My father sat with a group of men, drinking the locally made Ichnusa beer as they discussed what smelled like primary politics. I was surprised when I heard my father siding with President Nikolai against the others.What was wrong with men?The children and a few lovers were close to the fireplace, dancing to the tune of the gosos, played by a local band.My mum and I were pushing flowers into a strewn of ropes, then throwing them over people's heads, especially couples, as they walked into the live arena.I inhaled the air of happiness; this was how I remembered it, the fun, the laughter, the little kisses stolen under the moonlight by teenagers, then mothers throwing cautions at their daughters, suddenly deciding now was the time to teach them sex education.Mia was with my father, and Matteo stood in the midd
I shut my eyes, hoping to stay as quiet as possible so he'd go away, God! My father was at the door, still ignorant that Nikolai was here."Elena, I heard you scream. Are you okay in there?"I bit my lower lips, trying to steady my breath, Nikolai's hand left my mouth, still in me, and he thrust; my eyes widened."What are you doing?"He went hard, "Come on, Elena, daddy is at the door, don't keep him waiting" he increased the pace of his thrust, "All he wants is a reply from you.""Elena!"I opened my mouth to reply, but instead, a short moan escaped.Nikolai chuckled, kissing my neck, making me melt, "I like that sound; I think I'll go harder.""Don't you fucking..."One palm covered my mouth again, and his second slapped my bum; I winced. "Daddy knows you're in here, and it's all your fault.""Elena?" my dad knocked again, "Are you ok?" you were in the arena, and all suddenly weren't there again? Are you sick?"I swallowed, the knot in throat, my belly tightening as sweat dripped fr
Author's POV.Despite Mia's protest, they found a way to snatch her up into the car, and after a hearty farewell with the grandparents, they drove to the airport.And all those while he watched her fiddle with her finger staring at the window, looking distant, he knew what was wrong, all thanks to Mr. Vero.He could still perceive the fish stank fighting with his cologne for dominance, dear God; he did need another shower; he couldn't even sniff himself. Not to trouble her with the stank on him, he left the seat and instead went to the back.He settled on his new position, staring at her back, his eyes catching the movement as she rubbed her arm; he knew it now; she was having double thoughts.Her confidence had blazed that morning, but now it was like the after ash from the bonfire of the night before.Precisely as Mr. Vero had said that morning on the sea."Did you ever live this life? You seem comfortable even with the mosquitos," he asked as Nico spread the net against the water'
"Is that it?" Gianni frowned when I finished. "You've got to be kidding me." Midway, I had almost burst into tears, explaining in as much detail as I could that the men's beachwear collection, which would have been next week, had to be postponed because of the lack of models."You don't get it." I sniffled, dabbing my cheek. "It's bad for business. Bad publicity goes a long way, and the investors...""Hey," Maya says, wrapping her arms around my shoulder, shooting Gianna, still sitting, a glare. "There has to be something we can do about it." "You've got to be kidding me!" Gianna retorts again, "That's why you're crying?" "I'm so sorry," I sobbed. "I don't know why I'm so emotional; what's wrong with me?!" "Oh, I know." Clara mumbles."Gianna!" Maya's tone is laced with a warning tinge. "Be nice." But she was right. This was nothing to cry about; I was a grown woman. It was shameful that once they thought I was the epitome of strength, but now they knew I was just a crybaby."Do
The next few days we spent indoors; still, it was hard to see Nico. The air in Calabria was hearty, the laughter infectious. It wasn't hard to notice that Nico and Zayne still stayed away from each other. They had tried to hide it, but they didn't try hard enough to take off our suspicions.Milo, sometimes in the middle of a conversation with the whole family, set up opportunities for them to exchange a word two, but like two peas of the same pod, we found them, mouth full and chewing slowly until the attention was taken off their back."You want me to do it for you?" I asked Nico when we were alone in the room, watching his face as I applied my lipstick, "I could talk to Zayne, Nico. It doesn't have to..." I wasn't done when his arms curled around me, flattening his opened palm against my stomach, sending my heart racing, and then he kissed me, shutting me up briefly.When he broke it off, sending me breathless and wanting, he searched my eyes and murmured, "It's all right. It's my
Authors POVElena didn't look back as she walked away with the others, Milo staring at the top of her head with amusement as he pushed Gianna out of the sitting room.Nico didn't like that look in his eyes. It was the same look he held for Gianna, and now, whenever Milo was around, Zayne had to work for a bit of time with his wife.He pulled his eyes off the door they just walked out of, and when he turned to Zayne, who continued to give Matteo audience, his countenance a mixture of pride and sadness, Nico felt his stomach churn.He wasn't prepared for this, wasn't ready to be knocked down from the truth he believed in. He thought that Zayne would let the children die, all for petty malice, but all this while, it had been him who did nothing to help.Then why did he hide it? Why did he go through all that only to give all of the praise to Milo? Was that why Milo distanced himself for so long? Suddenly, he felt like he wasn't part of a family he had always known."How are your injuries
Author's POV.Matteo continued to chatter, "...He said you were coming for us, Dad, and you came." his innocent smile didn't match the struck expression on his father's face, which also mirrored mine."Can I say hello?" He askedSeeing Nico couldn't say a word, I took charge, "Of course, Matteo, go tell your uncle Hi.""My uncle?" His eyes widened, "Cool Ma," before he was running off towards his sister and Zayne, who, on seeing him, seemed unsure at first, but then slowly, he went on his knees and wrapped his arms around my son.That first hug held a lot of warmth for someone who had ensured he avoided Matteo initially."What's going on?" Maya asked Nico, "Why is everyone so quiet?"Nico, appearing utterly helpless, felt his tense muscles relax as he gazed ahead, overwhelmed by guilt and discomfort. Without even making eye contact with his mother, he softly responded, "Yeah, just surprised," his voice almost trailing off, "Mia doesn't talk to strangers."Although Maya wasn't entirel
He returned to tell the kids they could move before he was gone again.After a bit of fun with them, to which half my attention was not in, I left them an hour later, only to discover Nico was gone.Out of the Manor, no information, just like that, disappeared into thin air, making me wish I had stayed long enough at work, for in my head, I was running wild, helpless, and perspiring.The deja vu kept coming repeatedly; it hit me out of the blue. Standing there, watching her get into his car, his chin up, refusing to spare me a glance as she planted her thumb on his chin.My stomach churned as I let out a bitter laugh. Adding to the already complicated situation, I was pregnant. It felt like the only missing piece to complete that agonizing scene from years ago was walking into his office and discovering the papers on his desk.But I wasn't going to do that; I folded my fist against the window pane, and neither was I going to cry; that girl was gone, and in her place was a grown woman
"You're so choosey." Joey huffed, biting into a doughnut, the chocolate toppings sticking to the tip of his nose as he narrowed his eyes at Charlotte."Well, I'm sorry for wanting to make everything perfect instead of just picking out anything my lazy ass tells me to," Charlotte retorted, shuffling through the pictures on my desk, "And believe me when I say, I still haven't found that perfect model."Joey sipped noisily from his coffee cup, and when Charlotte narrowed her gaze at him, he rolled his eyes at her.Seeing this made me wonder how La Belle had endured two people who would fight about everything, including what toppings they wanted for their doughnuts.If I had come to La Belle with the hopes of finding everything for the launching of the men's beachwear project finished, then no surprise, it wasn't even half done.With all of the models unappealing to Char's taste, everything was left on standby.Remembering I left all of the work to them for weeks, the least I could do was
"Can't believe you're giving her thirty million, Elena," Noah huffed, "There are a million reasons she doesn't need it but wants to see your pride smolder."Complaining was never Noah's thing until I came to him that morning, cheque in hand, and explained everything that had happened while he was away.His reaction made me understand why Alexa demanded he didn't come alone.I did feel as if my pride was smoldered, but the feeling was nothing compared to how it would have been if she had eventually waltzed back into Nico's life.Nico had written the cheque immediately after he walked into the room, even before he strolled into the bathroom. When I entered the room, while the showers still gushed, it was sitting pretty at the edge of the bed.The first action I took when I picked it up was to inhale it, proving my desperation. The unbelief was gone. In its place was a dripping heart that he was bent on proving me wrong on all of my beliefs.He hadn't asked. Yet I had been digging up a l
Nico and Noah were unavailable for two days straight until, watching the news, I discovered the campaign for this year's election was about to commence.There he was, the smile on his face giving the aura that he had no problems, shaking hands with his shoulders straightened and chin held high.The control he exhibited standing right on that platform, the mic close to his face, talking to crowds was unnatural, and although I was just behind the TV, it was as if he was staring straight at me.I spent most of the time in the sitting room, losing my attention at the slightest distraction. 'That's a small sum for the two people that mean so much to me.'When I told Clara, she didn't look as affected as I was; instead, she frowned, "I'm surprised you don't have that amount on you right now."It dawned on her immediately, "Really, Elena?"At first, the decision to be financially independent had come from a place of keeping up my esteem; I mean, being paid to be a wife was low enough. Or t
"What did you just... What?!"The sterile white walls and the scent of antiseptic were starting to affect me, along with the news that Clara had just uttered in the most awkward imaginable.She knew this wasn't good news; she knew how much this would ruin my life. I didn't need something like this now! Not when I wasn't sure I could even hold myself up..."You're six weeks pregnant, Elena," she repeated, the papers in her hold; she seemed to be scared of my reaction had to explain why she was a safe distance away.I clutched at the buttons of my shirt, fighting to breathe, every damn passionate night returning to me.That was what the morning sickness was all about, the emotional roller coaster that had me weeping my eyes out with every bit of provocation.I thought it was stress, the children's abduction, and now the fear that Nico would leave me.And here I was, within the four corners of a hospital that I and Clara had driven to, with Noah waiting in the car.Nico had been called t