Chapter 14 Sei da impazzire
❦ Rosalind ❦
Days ago, I couldn’t tell you what sin smelled like. But now, ribbons of desire, lust, and danger wafted around me, drawing me further into the interior of Dominic’s private penthouse in Tribeca, overlooking the Hudson River.
Faces in the shadows, crisp suits, women of every flavor speckling the room like handpicked butterflies.
I felt those same butterflies in my belly as he led me by the hand up to the bar with an onyx countertop.
“Drink, Rosalind?”
His other palm rested lightly on my hip, a sticky smile on his lips. He was the kind of handsome girls fell over themselves for, but I had this awareness of his purposeful performance to charm me.
“A Cristal Rosé, please,” I said to the barman, voice sultry.
Dante stood behind me, the other soldatos having spread out and zeroed in on my position.
I looked around the extensive space, dim lighting and deep bass making my skin hum with excitement. A large pool glowed in the center, lights pulsing beneath. Model-esque women in minimalist swimsuits lounged on the underwater steps, leisurely sipping champagne.
“What do you do, Dominic?” I turned to him, setting my clutch on the countertop. “I’m looking out for potential partners.”
“Are you now?” he mused after a sip of his Macallan.
A slow nod confirmed my statement.
“I’m a web architect.”
“A web architect?” I echoed, my lids heavy behind the Rosé.
“Mmhm. I help people and things disappear.”
At my cocked brow, he chuckled. “I’m no killer… only when I have to defend myself.”
He’d drawn so close to me I could smell the danger in his breath. Just then, a voice interrupted our conversation.
“You always take the prettiest ones, brother.”
I glanced sideways to see a stunning woman, tall and curved in all the right places. A scandalous gold dress molded her figure like a second skin. The resemblance caught my breath. Dominic’s face in a female version stunned me.
With a low chuckle, Dominic introduced us. “Rosalind, meet Sabella. Take her hand at your peril.”
I glanced at Sabella’s outstretched hand, her pin-sharp nails extending like talons. Gently, I planted my hand in hers.
“Pleasure to meet you,” I breathed. This stunning woman made me nervous, but in a good way.
She raised my hand to her lips, grazing the skin with just a whisper.
“Pleasure’s all mine, darling. You’re ravishing.” The glint in her eyes told me she meant it.
“Okay, back off, she’s my date. If you want something to sink your teeth into, the cowboy’s all yours,” Dominic said, gesturing to Dante, who paled beside me. Oh Dante, I understand.
Sabella smirked like a caught thief and turned to Dante, their conversation trailing off as Dominic pulled me aside to dance.
He held my hips firmly but respectfully, his eyes locked on mine as he flowed with my motions.
“Your sister is a force,” I commented.
“Oh, I know. Follow her into a dark room at your own risk. She appreciates the beauty of both sexes.”
“Mmh…” my head swayed with the music, my movements slow and sensual. Dominic’s voice grounded me in the moment, his bold presence lighting up my body with its masculinity.
Then, I felt it.
A slow fire that started at the small of my back, climbing up my spine to the back of my head. I knew before I turned around, backing Dominic. Viktor.
Standing across the pool with a lithe blonde, his stare was unwavering, scorching my skin where it touched. A glass with dark liquid hung in front of his lips, frozen, as he took me in.
The music changed to something even dirtier, and soon, the man whose hands grazed my hips was forgotten.
I locked eyes with Viktor, dragging my fingers down my neck and sides in a slow dance, lips parted as I panted from the heat of his gaze.
I arched my back into Dominic, palming his hands with mine and grinding against him.
His erection pressed into me. “Sei da impazzire,” he whispered. “You’re insanely hot.”
But it was the blazing eyes of the man across the room that made my core gush with wetness.
I felt hands cup my ribs, caressing to the beat of the music, making me close my eyes in lust.
But when I opened them, he was gone. The blonde stood alone like he was never there. His absence doused me like cold water.
“Excuse me,” I gasped, pulling away from Dominic’s burning body.
Somehow, I found the sky deck, my fingers gripping the sharp edge of the invisible glass barrier. The view from here was stunning, the height made the city sprawl beneath me like a shimmering rug I could snatch with one hand.
Deep, desperate breaths did nothing to calm the fire burning under my skin, and crazily, stupidly, I craved the hands of the man whose gaze caused it, even though I knew it would definitely make it worse.
After I’d collected myself, I walked back inside. Dante was nowhere to be found, and for his sake, I hoped he hadn’t followed Sabella into a dark room.
I found Dominic with my eyes, and the man standing in front of him stole my breath.
Steeling my spine, I walked toward both men with the flimsiest confidence I ever mustered in my life.
“Gentlemen,” I cooed. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
Dominic’s eyes, hooded with lust and drink, found mine, looking hopeful for a second dance.
Viktor’s baritone licked my skin. “Not at all. In fact, I do hope I am not the one interrupting.”
I held his gaze, but with every passing second, I felt more prey than predator.