Her fingers curled into tight fists. “Prego. Anything else?”
“yes. Methods.”
Mio Dio. “What type of methods?”
An intimate smile curved his lips. “Am I allowed to use toys? or just my fingers and mouth?”
Her heart thundered so loud she heard the boom, boom, boom echo in the room. The idea of him using a vibrator on her was too much to handle. She shook her head. “No, no toys. It gives you an unfair advantage.”
“Hmm, I’m tempted to fight you on this point. I can further your pleasure and take you higher.”
Perspiration dampened her palms. “No, thank you.”
“Very well. It will give me something to work for.”
Not able to take his closeness, she pivoted and practi-cally raced back toward the safety of her desk. “Good. I think that’s it. I should get back to work.”
His voice was whisper soft. “When?”
She dived into the chair. “Saturday night?”
“Done. oh, and one more thing, Julietta. It’s a rule and I won’t bend on this one.”
Her stomach dropped. “What rule?”
Slowly, he moved toward her. Her haven became a prison as he came around the desk, grasped the supple leather arms of the chair, and swiveled her around to face him head-on. Thoughts emptied from her head and turned her into a wide-eyed idiot. His scent swarmed her nostrils, and he dragged the chair a few inches forward. Leaned in.
Stopped a hair’s breadth from her lips.
“I’m in charge. The moment you enter that door, your body belongs to me. I tell you to do something, you must agree to do it.”
She trembled. “That’s ridiculous. I’m not going to do everything you say.”
“Then no deal.”
His gaze drilled hers and confirmed there was no back-ing down. All or nothing. “What if I’m uncomfortable or scared?”
His face softened. He ran an index finger over the curve of her lip. “I’d never hurt you. I’ll give you a way to slow things down, or stop, but you need to trust me.”
There was that word again. Trust. Trust a man with a savage scar and no past, who was a sexual force to be reckoned with. Again her gut screamed the answer, and the word broke from her lips.
“Va bene.”
The triumph in those butterscotch eyes almost made her withdraw her consent. Almost. He must have known she was tempted, because with one last stroke of his fingers, he pulled back and gave her space. “Saturday night, then. I’ll let you know where to meet me.” He shrugged on his coat, twirled the scarf around his neck, and headed toward the door. “Let me know if you have any problems with Wolfe. I’ll be in touch.”
He walked out without another word.
Julietta shuddered and wondered if she’d just made a bargain with Hades himself.
…
“I don’t want this kid involved.”
Julietta held back a sigh and faced her long-term, opinionated director of marketing. She’d never particularly cared for him, even if he was good at his job. She found him a bit snobby, with his designer clothes, his perfect posture, and his tendency to pass judgment on everyone. He was probably the biggest gossip in the place, and most of the female employees panted after him. She took in his crisp blue suit, Gucci boots, and stylish Stone rose pink shirt. Dark hair was cut ruthlessly short to accent riveting green eyes and a sculpted mouth.
Julietta found that so-called sensual mouth quite sulky and his voice whiny. He liked getting his way just to say he could.
He adjusted his diamond cuff links and jerked his head toward the closed door of the conference room. “He looks like a criminal. I’m certainly not working with a teenager with an attitude problem.”
Julietta tamped down her impatience. “you don’t have to work with him long term, Marcus. He’ll have little to do with marketing—he’s here to help us transition and get on board with the Purity vision. We sell Purity, we sell La Dolce Famiglia. Simple math.”
The famous pout appeared. “I run my team and don’t need interference. The campaign with your mother as the main draw was a big seller. Moving into the hotel industry and targeting a larger catering, leisure audience will be a challenge, so we’ll need to come up with something fresh. I have an idea in the works.”
“Fine. Can you have your presentation ready for next week?
“Absolutely.”
She nodded. “Let me know if you run into any problems.” He glided out of the office and stopped short as the door swung open before him. Wolfe trudged in. His large gold hoop earring winked, and crazy spiked strands of hair shot toward the sky. The shaven-clean half of his skull only added to the bizarre effect. Funny, she was beginning to like having him around. Besides adding some local color, he seemed amazingly sharp and to the point, and had no ego to deal with.
Marcus backed up as if he was afraid to get pickpock-eted. A sneer curved the younger man’s lips. “Hey, Mark.”
Marcus shuddered delicately. “It’s Marcus.”
“Whatever.” Wolfe bumped into her director without apology and took a seat at the table. Marcus brushed his clothes off and glared. “Listen, enzo doesn’t want to work with me. Says he can’t trust me with the latest sales figures.
Probably thinks I’ll sell them to Princi Bakery and finance my new tattoo.” Julietta bit her lip and held back a laugh at Marcus’s horrified expression. “This isn’t gonna work. I respect you for trying, but I’m not up for a fight every time I go into a new office and ask for information. I’ll go back to headquarters and let Sawyer know.”
Marcus muttered something under his breath in obvious relief.
“Absolutely not.”
Both males turned toward her. She pivoted her headset closer and tapped a button. “I want heads of all departments in my conference room now. Pull them out of any meetings and be here in fifteen minutes.”
Her secretary responded immediately. “yes, Ms. Conte.”
Julietta directed her attention to Marcus. “Do you think I would throw someone I don’t trust into one of the most important deals this bakery has ever made?” Her frosty tone hit the mark. He blanched and glanced down at Wolfe in distaste. “Do you think I care he’s a decade younger and has a penchant for facial jewelry? He’s worked with Sawyer and is willing to help us move forward. He knows the vision we’re after, and I need everyone to get on board.”
Marcus stiffened. “I don’t appreciate his rudeness, un-professionalism, or your willingness to shove a stranger into a tight family circle.”
Julietta nodded. “Fair enough. I respect you, Marcus, and I agree. We need to work together in a strong envi-ronment.” Her gaze settled on the young man currently slouched in his seat and sporting a classic, conservative black suit that only made him stand out more. “Wolfe, you don’t need to like everyone here, but I expect you to respect a department head’s position. Agreed?”
She waited. Wondered if he’d walk out with a surly in-sult. Instead, he seemed to analyze her words with an assessing air that told her he’d be brilliant in the business world when he grew into his own talents. He held the same type of restrained wildness Sawyer did, but Wolfe was young and hadn’t yet been able to weave it into the fabric of society.
The kid turned and faced her director.
“I apologize.”
That was it. No more excuses, whining, or explanations.
Marcus still didn’t look happy, but he gave a curt nod. A strange rush of pride filled her for the boy’s courage. “Good.
Can you leave us alone for a few minutes, Marcus?”
He left the conference room. Wolfe shifted in his seat, obviously expecting some sort of retribution. The uneasy silence thickened the air. Julietta studied the boy. How far could she push? A level of trust was needed in the relationship between them if they were to move forward.