I can't stop thinking about the man who greeted me in the kitchen. Could he really be my father's old friend? He looks so much younger than him, and so very different. I feel almost guilty for my intense reaction to seeing him, but truth be told, I couldn't help it. As soon as I laid eyes on the man, my body went into sensory overload, my head pounding with his sheer force and masculinity, the way he held himself, the way he kissed my hand to greet me. I should be having second thoughts about lying to Luca about him, but I can't bring myself to do it. It feels deliciously forbidden to have this secret, and I've always been a bit of a brat.

Once I'm shown to my room by the man's assistant, I make myself comfortable. I'm still sulking about the fact that I have to spend my summer with a man I barely know, though him being ridiculously handsome is easing me into it a little.

I slip out of my dress and take a long shower, letting the cool water wash away the traces of my long journey and the hot Italian summer. I haven't really had a chance to see much, since I was practically falling asleep on the ride here, but now I'm too excited to go to bed, even though exhaustion was threatening to pull me under only half an hour earlier.

I get dressed again, this time in a sweet pink dress and sandals, and do my hair up, adorning it with pearly barrettes. I've always liked to dress this way - very feminine and pretty. It gives my father the impression that I'm still his little girl, and it makes me look less suspicious when I decide to play my favorite games and tricks on him.

It takes me about an hour to get ready, and I'm a few minutes late for meeting Mason downstairs. I'm still undecided if I should really call him that, as it seems a little weird to be addressing my father's friend by his first name. I didn't even know they were very close, though I do recall seeing the man at my sixteenth birthday party.

It would be hard to forget that moment... It was perhaps the first time I came in touch with my own sexuality, standing so close to him and feeling my pussy drip in anticipation as he held me up. He was gone the next second, and I was too embarrassed by my own body's reaction to ever bring up the incident again. But still, it happened, and it made me realize I wanted a man to hold me like that again. You could even say that day was the reason I wanted to find someone like Luca.

My mind drifts to the mysterious date I have in Italy, and I wonder when I'll finally get to see him. I'm anxious to meet him and to finally see his face, almost as scared as I am excited. I try to push those thoughts to the back of my mind as I leisurely walk down the intricately carved staircase to the lobby.

I see a figure looming before me. He's no longer wearing the simple, but expensive pajama pants he had on before. Now, he's in an expensive, incredibly well-cut suit that hugs his body in the best possible way. Mason turns to face me and I have to take a deep breath to focus on him in front of me.

"Hello," I finally manage to get out, my soft voice ringing out in the vast emptiness of the beautiful hall. I was too tired to notice when we walked in, but the whole room - well, the whole house, really - is filled with expensive artwork and furniture. The room itself is like a masterpiece.

"You're late," he tells me simply, his voice dark and delicious. I sidestep from one foot to another, giving him a strange look. God, he really is handsome, and my body is trying to do the same thing it did when I first met him at my birthday party. It's as if there's a pull between us, an invisible string he has in his hands to pull me closer. Of course, I don't expect Mason to see me that way. He probably thinks I'm just a dumb kid he's stuck with for the summer.

I wonder if he's fucking anyone.

My own though takes me by surprise and I find myself blushing lightly as I meet his gaze again. "You said to meet you here in an hour, didn't you?" I ask, feeling a little confused.

"I did," he nods. His dark eyes are like pools of something ominous, so clear but dangerous at the same time. "And you're ten minutes late."

I laugh nervously, thinking he must surely be joking. Why would he be pissed about me being ten minutes late? He's probably just trying to make a joke. A bad one, because now my body is shaking lightly in anticipation of his next words which never come.

"I didn't realize I was on such a strict schedule," I tell him, giggling a little.

With a single step, he has my back against the wall. I inhale sharply and it feels like I'll never take another breath again. The last remnants of oxygen in my lungs make my eyes widen and my heartrate pick up. "What are you doing?" I ask him, feeling panicked as hell.

He's not actually touching me. He didn't push me against the wall, I did it myself. When he stepped closer I got scared, and he's not backing away. Several inches separate us, but it feels like he's... inside me. Inside my head, inside my pussy, his long fingers exploring my virgin holes for his own pleasure. It's invasive, it's insane and... it's all in my fucking imagination.

"This is my house, Cara," he tells me in a low, threatening voice. "Here, you play by my rules."

I exhale quickly, my heart feeling like it's going to burst right out of my chest. "God," I manage to get out. "I didn't know you’d be such a fucking nightmare.”

"Language!" His word is practically a slap across my face, and he looks pissed. This time, the crimson streaks coloring my cheeks are more intense. "I don't like a dirty mouth on a girl unless I'm fucking her, and she can't help herself."

I stare at him openly, unable to believe the words coming from his mouth. I part my lips in shock, half expecting him to either kiss or slap me, but he does neither. He merely takes a step back and gives me a long, heated look that soon turns into complete disinterest. He reaches down and toys with the cufflinks on his suit while I try to catch my breath.

"You'll find I have some rules I like to stick to," he tells me lazily. "You're going to follow them, or you will be punished. Starting with being where I ask you to be on time. Is that clear?"

"What is this?" I ask him, feeling enraged. "Some kind of dictatorship? You can't expect me to... follow your directions like a child!" I almost curse on the spot, but his threatening look prevents me from doing so. I can't help but notice how handsome he is again, almost in a way that makes me scared to look at him. His face is so perfectly chiseled, covered with just the right amount of stubble, his lips full, his eyes dark. He's like a fucking god, and I bet he knows it, too. I bet he enjoys having this damn effect on me, which only makes me angrier.

"It's not a dictatorship," he says simply. "But it is my fucking house."

The fact that he deems it appropriate to curse himself drives me up the wall even more. "I'm not a kid," I spit out angrily, and he chuckles at my words, making me grit my teeth.

"Are you a virgin, Cara?" he asks me simply, and my jaw nearly falls to the floor. I just stare and stare at him and he returns a cold and impassive look, waiting for my answer. "Well? Did I fucking stutter?"

"I..." I can barely talk and I feel like my cheeks are going to catch on fire any moment now. "I don't see how that's any of your business! I don't even understand who you think you are to ask me that kind of-"

"So that's a yes," he confirms for himself, chuckling to himself. This fucking prick. If he weren't my father's friend, I'd launch myself at him and scratch his eyes out. But as it is, I still need to stay in Italy for the time being to meet Luca. And though I hate to admit it, it would be a damn shame to ruin his ridiculously handsome face. "I had a feeling you were."

I don't have the words to reply, but he doesn't seem to care. "I'm heading into town soon," he tells me simply. "You can check out the house and the grounds while I'm gone. Do not go into my study or my bedroom."

I bite back the question why, and nod, still feeling enraged as he heads for the door. Once he opens it, I already see his driver waiting for him, and I thank every god I've ever heard of this conversation is finally fucking over.

"Oh, and Cara?"

I look at him and he throws me a grin over his shoulder. "Be in my office at 8:00 p.m. sharp so we can talk about your punishment for being late."

He leaves me standing there with my mouth hanging open and the front door slams shut behind him. There's nothing else for me to do in the hall, and when I've finally calmed down a little, I storm towards the French doors leading out into the gardens.

Who the hell does he think he is? He can't fucking boss me around like this, like I'm his damn property. He might think he owns me, but just because daddy agreed to send me here for the summer does not mean I'm going to listen to his every command. Because they're not even wishes - they are full-on commands. And I didn't come here to obey some madman's orders.

I open the French doors leading outside and a gust of impossibly hot air hits my skin, a none-so-pleasant change from the lovely air-conditioned interior of the house. Still, I need a breath of fresh air and I'm feeling claustrophobic from standing so close to Mason and his switching personalities. It feels like the man I met a few hours ago in the kitchen is a completely different beast to the one I just saw in the lobby.

I stalk out onto the terrace, not even wanting to take a moment to admire my beautiful surroundings. But even though I'm not planning on it, the stunning Italian landscape makes my lips part in a gasp of shock. There are bountiful hydrangea bushes blooming by a big, azure infinity pool, complete with two Jacuzzis. Orange trees lead out into a garden filled with some of the most beautiful plants and wildlife I've seen, and the air is filled with the heady aroma of their flowers. It's so beautiful it literally takes my breath away, and instead of stewing in my anger, I let the beauty of the grounds hit me in full force.

The air is busy with the buzz of bees and insects, cicadas making a loud background noise that will become all too familiar in the coming months, I feel like. The house is truly a mansion, a jewel that fits in beautifully with the perfectly landscaped grounds. I consider taking a dip in the immaculate pool, but in the end, curiosity gets the better of me and I decide to explore the gardens a little bit more.

As I walk towards the orange grove, I realize I forgot my phone in the bedroom, and I stop my walk uncertainly, wondering whether I should go and grab it, but changing my mind in the end. I just want to see the rest of the hidden beauty of this place, and I can always talk to Luca later - at least we're in the same time zone now.

My walk reveals sight after beautiful sight, and I drink in the beauty of the Italian countryside like I'm hungry for more. It's vastly different from our place back home. The weather is cooler there, and we rarely get days like this. I'm enjoying the warm rays of sunshine on my skin, and I forget to worry about the sunburn I know I'm bound to get it I spend too much time out here. Instead, I inspect every flower in the grove, every bloom of the rose bushes planted on the south side of the house. I check the temperature in the pool - perfect, of course - and explore the impressively carved hedges in the center of the gardens.

When I'm almost done with my walk, tired and ready to go back to my room to chat to Luca, I find a curious part of the garden that is walled in with a low brick fence. I can look over it when I stand up, but the door leading inside, a wooden one with a heart-shaped lock, is firmly closed, and I cannot get it to budge. I sneak peeks over the fence, finding the inside of the garden neglected and covered in weeds and shrubbery. It makes me wonder why this part of the garden was forgotten like this, and I do my best to get a good look inside, even though it means climbing up on my tiptoes and reaching for the moss-covered bricks to look inside the madness inside. The hidden garden is where nature reigns supreme, and I can tell there hasn't been a human hand inside the garden for a long, long time.

"I'd be careful if I were you," a voice interrupts me, and I shriek in surprise, falling and tripping on a rock as I try to get down from the fence. A pair of strong, tanned arms grab me and I look up into a grinning face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, signorina."

"Well, you did," I manage to get out, getting up and smoothing my now dirt-covered dress. "Who the hell are you anyway?" I quickly regret my rudeness as I get a better look at the guy. He seems to be about my age, maybe a year older. He's quite handsome - not in that ridiculous way Mason is, but a charming one nonetheless. He has dark brown hair and grey eyes, a sharp contrast with his tanned complexion. His nose is crooked and looks like it's been broken several times, but it really only adds to his charm instead of taking away from it.

"I'm sorry," he laughs. "I figured we'd be introduced soon. I'm Luca."