Hi lovely readers! Sorry for the late update. It has been a trying few weeks for me. My uncle died and well... yeah. To make up for the missed days, I'll be uploading everyday all next week before we resume normal posting M-T-W
Allan’s fork halted at his mouth when he heard her groan. He looked up. Her eyes were closed as she pulled the fork out of her mouth with a sweet sigh. She’d done that with every dish she’d sampled that day, and it was getting damn difficult not to drag her back to the hotel. They almost didn’t make it out when he saw her in that short white dress—thank you Wilma—her damp curly hair free around her shoulders.He noticed she didn’t wear makeup except for lip gloss and he liked that about her. It made him realize the only reason he’d liked his women dressed to perfection from the hair on their heads to the nails on their toes was because he’d liked having a trophy on his arm.But Riana was no trophy. She was something else. Something much better. He just didn’t know what exactly. He hadn’t put his finger on it yet.She picked up a meatball with her tiny fingers and lifted it to her mouth. Her
Riana watched Allan sit silently a few feet away from her, clearly deep in thought. She feared he was worrying about work and how much he’d neglected just to entertain her.Maybe they should just go back to the hotel?“Gratzie,” she said to the vendors and held up one finger as she pointed back to Allan with her thumb. “Could you give me just a minute. I just want to make sure he’s all right.”They responded with holding up a finger and pointing at Allan, too. Riana laughed, realizing too late that she should have brought an English-Italian dictionary with her.She moved toward Allan and stood next to him. She smiled. He hadn’t noticed her yet. She pushed her fingers into his raven hair and tugged his head back. “Earth to Allan?”His lips twitched in what looked like a forced smile. “Get what you like?”“What’s wrong? Are you worried about work because we
Allan rolled his stiff neck. The owners of Casa Italiano, the Torino family, had found out that the other shareholders had sold to him and were now putting up roadblocks to keep him from completely taking over. They held forty percent and after that afternoon’s sale, he held sixty. That was great if he intended on keeping them on, but he didn’t. He wanted all of it.A week of their ignorance, that’s all he had needed to buy their debt from the bank. But someone had alerted them and they now—somehow—had gotten two months’ extension on their loan. That meant accumulating additional interest at a higher interest rate and more money for him to shell out if they faulted.Mr. Torino wanted to meet in Venice in two days’ time. Allan didn’t respond because he had no intention to. He had less intention to change his plans because Mr. Torino was desperately trying to hold on. He’d give him two months to sweat before
Riana felt her body tremble at Allan’s anger. She fought the urge to stand up and run after him as he stomped away. She’d never seen such anger in his eyes before and the fear of rejection kept her where she was. She didn’t even turn around to watch him leave.She just sat there, with her head bent and her shaking hands in fists on her lap. She hadn’t meant to offend him, she just found his line of work and what it did to people inexcusable and had hoped what Loraine said wasn’t entirely true.But when she’d practically called him a vulture feeding a pack of hyenas and he’d responded with ‘it’s nothing personal just business’ something inside her just snapped. She had been one of those families that were left stranded when the textile factory her mother worked at was taken apart. Allan may not have had anything to do with it, but from the cold way he’d said ‘it’s nothing personal just busines
Allan sat in the cabin, his work papers spread out in front of him. He’d purposefully began working the moment he settled on the train so when she came in, she wouldn’t bother him. He was still angry with her and he wanted her to know it. But it was useless considering he’d been unable to concentrate on anything but Riana since he abandoned her at the restaurant.The woman was a sickness and it annoyed him how she filled his every thought when she wasn’t close by; when he couldn’t touch her, kiss her, running his hands over her soft skin as he prepared her body for his possession. The need for her was only worse now that they were angry at each other. He wanted to make love to her and punish her while doing so.Hold up! Have sex, not make love! Where the hell did that come from?You only make love to someone you love and he didn’t love her. Did he? The vendor’s words came back to haunt him. What had he seen that Allan ha
Alan bit his lips shut to hold back the laugh threatening to bubble out and nodded. No one had ever called him misguided either. He should be offended, but it was too darn funny how she tried to find the good in him after pointing out his faults.“First you question my integrity then call my career, my family’s seventy year old business mind you, a misguided choice.”She shrugged. “Just because it is a seventy year old family practice doesn’t mean it’s the right choice. I understand that you might not have had a choice, but had to take the reins from your father, probably because you are the first-born son and he wanted to retire to a tropical island with your mother, which is something a couple their age should do. I mean, they’d given a lot of years to—”Allan kissed her to shut her up. It was nice to hear her rambling again and ever better to feel her lips against his. But they needed to clear the air befo
Riana thought she would die from all the excitement as they hopped onto another train to Naples. Siena, Florence, Bologna, Milan, and Turin had been beyond wonderful. Not forgetting Vatican City, which was amazing. Allan had flown them back to Rome when she’d asked to go there.Allan had become more attentive, something she never thought possible.He kissed her a lot more, held and kept touching her all the time. When they toured the cities, he always had his hand clasped around hers, always kissing her hand and hugging it to his chest whenever they stopped to speak to a vendor or other tourists. And the best part was, he hadn’t checked his phone for a hundred times. It sat in hidden pocket, lonely, for once!Riana thought he was so attentive because he still felt guilty for leaving her alone and making her cry, but she didn’t care. She liked being the object of his attention and was going to relish it before work filled his mind again.
Allan watched Riana as they walked down the beach. She looked beautiful and very full of life as she played in the water. She dodged the waves with a squeal, her face lighting up when she laughed. It was hard not to laugh with her—her mood was infectious. That and the few glasses of wine they’d consumed. No one went to Naples and left without tasting most, if not all, of the wine it offered and of course carrying some bottles along with them. Riana loved wine. She was no coinsurer but she knew enough to get by. By the time she’d had her fifth glass, she was laughing giddily like a child on a sugar high. Kind of like now. Allan chuckled and shook his head as he watched her jump the tiny wave. They’d finished with the train leg of their trip and Allan made sure she enjoyed her days touring, forcefully buying everything that made her eyes twinkle. Her nights were wined and dined followed with a bout of lovemaking that lasted to the early hours of the day. She wasn’t too amused to find