Chapter4
Two days later, Gabriella felt like her world was shifting back into place, and though she hadn’t heard anything about whether or not the cover would be hers, she was glad to be busy in the studio. Kathy was colder than usual to her, but quiet and saying next to nothing to her.
James had just finished up another shoot with them when Gabriella’s phone rang and she saw that it was Julian. Sighing, she crossed her fingers and answered the call.
“Hello?” she asked with a seed of hope in her stomach.
She could hear him smiling as he spoke to her. “Hello Gabriella, my dear. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine, Julian. Thank you. How are you?” she asked in return. She was hoping with everything in her that he would tell her she was going to be on the cover.
“Very well, thank you. I’m having a party at my home tomorrow night, and I want you to come as my companion for the evening.” The way he said it, it sounded almost like a request, but there was an undertone of his request being a requirement rather than a choice for her.
She frowned for a moment and then realized that Antonio might be at the party since it was at the Medici home. She wanted to ask if he would be there, but didn’t want to annoy Julian, so she smiled to herself and decided that she would go.
“I’d like that. Thank you so much, Julian,” she said pleasantly. Her mind was already going over the multitude of dresses in her closet, wondering which one to wear with Antonio in mind.
“I’ll send a car for you at seven.” He paused a moment, “Gabriella, it won’t be hard for you, but I want you to look extra special…” he trailed off suggestively and she knew what he was getting at. He wanted her to dress for him, but she had other ideas in mind, so she laughed lightly and said she’d seem him the following night.
Gabriella took extra care and time readying herself for the Medici party. She decided on a silver gown made of silk that was draped just over her shoulders in soft thin twists; it was backless with a deep V-neck that offered a hint of a view of the curves of her breasts. It wasn’t form fitting or snug anywhere, but it moved around her as she walked, touching her body here and there, like a breeze was dancing underneath it as she walked, silhouetting itself against her.
She tied her hair up and left a few strands of the braids hanging straight down her bare back where they laid almost to her waist. Her makeup was subtle but defining, and between that and her dress, she knew that her eyes and her lips stood out, and that her figure was elegantly carved beneath the delicate material of her gown. She loved how she looked.
The car arrived for her at half past six, and she climbed in, feeling like Cinderella going to the ball. Her stomach was light and the butterflies were waiting in the wings to dance; she could feel them ready to jump at any moment, wondering if she would see Antonio there, and wondering more than that why it mattered to her.
She’d seen him for not more than a few minutes during her visit to the house, and she could not seem to get him off her mind. She was curious and hopeful about seeing him again, and she was sure that it would be a good night if she could even just to talk for a few minutes.
The car pulled up to the house and she was let out. She stared up at the grand façade of it; lights on in every window, people all over going in and out, music playing, and the hum of conversation punctuated with laughter.
It sounded like the party was on its way to going full swing, and she was just in time for it. She walked up the stairs to the front door, and passed a few people as she entered. She stood in the foyer, and not having been into the house from that direction before, she was awestruck as she took it all in. The grandeur of it far surpassed her own imagination, and she felt like a child standing in wonder, gazing at all of it.
She wasn’t there but a moment when she felt a warm hand on the lowest part of her bare back, and she turned with a start, looking into Julian’s smiling face.
“You look ravishing, my dear. Thank you for coming tonight. Would you like some champagne?” he asked, holding out a flute of it to her. She drew in a breath and sighed softly and almost imperceptibly, taking the champagne flute from him, wondering how the night would play out between the two of them.
He wasn’t hiding his interest in her at all; his gaze swept slowly over her body as he took all of her in, and his smile grew sultry. She realized that she would need to be on guard with him that night, if she expected to hold her ground about not sleeping with him for the cover of the magazine. She had grown angry inside that it had become a power struggle between the two of them.
“The house looks beautiful tonight,” she said, wanting to be polite and offer some kind of compliment. She wasn’t about to compliment him on himself, so the house was the next best thing, she thought as she took a small step away from him, placing herself just far enough away from him that he couldn’t quite reach her.
He noticed her shift of position and the corner of his mouth twitched. “It is nice tonight. Thank you. Are you hungry? Why don’t you come into the dining room and have some little morsels to eat?” he said, stepping toward her and placing his hand on her elbow. He led her from behind, guiding her through the rooms until they reached the dining room.
She recognized some of the people they passed; not because she knew them, but because they were famous. She was amazed at the vast array of people that the Medicis knew, and she realized that she shouldn’t have been surprised. It seemed that almost every ilk of person was there, and it crossed her mind that if she could somehow find the time to actually sit down and have a conversation with each of them that she wanted to talk with, it would take weeks.
Julian glanced down at her back and her hips as they swayed when she walked, and he felt himself growing hard again for her. He let his mind wander as they headed to the dining room; imagining his tongue trailing down her back to her tight, round ass.
Heat began to course through him and when they got to the dining room, he wanted nothing more than to plant both of his hands on her hips and pull her to his crotch, but she walked away from him and left him where he was. She picked up a plate and began to put food on it, moving around the array of buffet tables that filled the room.
He shook his head, laughing a little to himself. She was a feisty woman and he was going to have to work a little harder to get her, but he promised himself that he would have her, and when he finally did, she was going to beg him to make love to her over and over. Then he’d let her go.
A waiter passed by him carrying a tray of filled champagne glasses, and Julian plucked two of them off the tray. He had been watching Gabriella carefully, waiting to see when she put her empty glass down. As soon as she did, he appeared at her side and slipped one of the flutes into her hand.
“Here, you seem to have run out.” He smiled at her, his gaze moving from her full red lips to her silvery blue eyes that seemed to shine with the same light that moved over her dress.
She took the glass and sipped the golden bubbles, her eyes wary on him. Just then, a deep voice sounded next to them, and they both turned to see a dark haired man with kind dark eyes and a kind smile standing beside them. He looked to be a little older than Julian, but not by much.
“Marcus!” Julian exclaimed turning to him. The men embraced one another, kissing each other on both cheeks, and then Julian turned the man toward Gabriella.
“Gabriella Williams, this is my cousin, Marcus Medici.” He grinned proudly. “Marcus, this is Gabriella. She is with me tonight.” He nodded and smiled and Marcus reached for Gabriella’s hand, taking it carefully in his and kissing the back of it lightly.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Miss Williams,” he said politely, and his eyes never left hers. She saw right away that he was a man who not only commanded respect, but was assured of it from others merely by his own demeanor.
She smiled at him and decided right in that first moment that they met, that she liked him. He was quiet and watchful, he was strong and kind, and something about his eyes told her that nothing ever got past him.
“Please, call me Gabriella,” she said with a nod of her head, and he nodded back in acquiescence to her.
“How did you meet Julian?” he asked curiously, his gaze still on her rather than on his cousin.
She didn’t look at Julian either as she answered him. “I work for him at his magazine. I’m a model.”
Marcus smiled and nodded his head. “I’m not surprised. You are a lovely lady. I hope he treats you well there.” It was then that Marcus’ gaze shifted to Julian and Julian smiled and gave a nod as if there could never be any question about the way he treated his staff. Gabriella wished she could roll her eyes, but she stood silently and watched them both.
Marcus looked directly at Julian then and said in a lower voice, “Julian; Hendricks, Johansson, Roberson, and Everett are here. They want to see you. They’re waiting in your office. You need to go right now.”
Surprise and uncertainty flashed across Julian’s face for the briefest moment, and then he sighed and nodded, looking grim for a moment before he turned to Gabriella.
“I have some business to attend to. I’ll be back soon. Keep drinking the champagne and don’t go too far.” He gave her a smile and leaned in to kiss her cheek. She pulled away slightly just as his lips reached her, and it was awkward for them both for a moment with Marcus looking on.
Julian nodded at her politely then and clapped Marcus on the shoulder before walking off into the crowd of partygoers, heading toward the business meeting waiting for him in his office.
Marcus looked at her and gave her an understanding smile. “I’m not sure if I should apologize for drawing him away or not, but I hope you enjoy the party and the evening. If I can get you anything or do anything for you, please let me know. I’ll be close by tonight.” He gave her a friendly wink and she smiled at him and thanked him, and he turned away from her, walking over to another man not far away.
He placed his hand on the man’s back, and the man turned toward him. Gabriella gasped when she saw that it was Antonio. He was dressed in a black tuxedo, and he looked to her as if he could have been James Bond in it, he was so intensely attractive and polished. Antonio grinned at him and wrapped him in a hug. When he let his cousin go, Marcus jerked his head toward a quieter corner of the room and Gabriella watched the two of them walk over to it and leave the noise behind them.
Marcus didn’t speak until they had reached the corner of the room and he looked around pensively before turning his attention toward Antonio.
“Antonio, I want you to know something,” he said in a low voice as his eyes held his cousin’s. “Four members of the board of Medici Corp are here right now and they are meeting with Julian in his office.”
Antonio’s brow furrowed and he looked at Marcus in surprise. “Why? What are they meeting with him about and why aren’t we in there with Julian?” he asked protectively.
Marcus shook his head. “No, Antonio, he’s in this one on his own.” He paused a moment and looked around before returning his gaze to Antonio. “Things with your brother are not good.” He sighed slightly and touched his hand to the left side of his chest. “I love him. He’s my family. He’s my blood.” His hand left his chest and he pointed sharply at Antonio’s chest. “But he’s screwing up, and the board is done with it. Done.”
He looked around them once more and then back at Antonio. “Listen to me. Julian has a terrible reputation in this town. He spends money recklessly, he’s a womanizer, he isn’t a man of his word, and he has been making some bad business decisions with Medici Corp.” Marcus looked with dead seriousness at Antonio, and Antonio knew that things were far beyond anything he could fix by merely talking with his brother.
“I know… I know, Marcus. I can talk with him, though. I can tell him… we can work it out, somehow,” he said quietly. “He’ll change,” he said thinly, knowing that it wouldn’t happen.
“He’s not going to change, Antonio, and you know it. It would take something huge to change that boy, and I’ve never seen anything yet that would make it happen. The board is right on the edge right now, Antonio,” he said firmly, his gaze still locked on his cousin. “Now, you two have equal ownership and rights to everything. When your father passed, God rest his soul, he split it all right down the middle and gave each of you half of everything he had made.”
Antonio nodded in agreement and continued to listen.
“I want you to know something.” Marcus continued, “I want you to have the controlling half of the company. Right now the board members are in there talking with your brother about what he’s doing with his side of the business. They’ve had it with him. They’re going to hear him out, and listen to everything he has to say, and then they’re going to make a decision about what they want to do.
Now, you know I’m a peaceful kind of guy, and you know how I feel about warring families, but the Fanellis know everything about your brother and all the trouble he’s been getting into. They are hungry, Antonio,” he said, clapping his hand on his cousin’s shoulder, “They want to take over Medici Corp and dismantle it. They’ll have a monopoly over the entire west coast if that happens. It can’t happen, Antonio. Your brother, if he keeps up everything he’s doing… He’s going to enable the Fanellis to make it happen.”
Antonio frowned deeply and pressed his lips together in a thin line, listening to Marcus and knowing in his own gut that his cousin was right. They could lose everything to the Fanellis if the other family tried to take control of anything.
“They are ready to pound on Medici, because they see the weakness in Julian.” Marcus shook his head. “We’re not going to let that happen. Julian doesn’t know how much trouble he’s in. He doesn’t know that the Fanellis are ready and waiting for his next screw up. Right now the board is asking him what he’s going to do about fixing the messes he’s made. Depending on his answer, some changes may be made.”
Marcus looked around again in silence for a moment and then lowered his voice further and leaned in close to Antonio. “They have a plan. They each want to give a portion of their shares to another member of the Medici family on the board so that the Fanellis won’t have a way to take it over. I told them they need to sell their shares to you.
You need to be the controlling member of the board for Medici Corp. You need to be running the company. It can’t be split down the middle any longer. Your brother is a train wreck, and we’re all tired of watching him drag this family down. He is wild and he is unpredictable, and I don’t want to see him destroy this family or the family fortune. I’m not going to stand by and watch him do that.”
Antonio sighed heavily. “I don’t feel right about taking control. The company is ours, together, split right down the middle… half and half…” He began, but Marcus clenched his jaw and looked him dead in the eyes.
“You’re going to lose the whole thing if you don’t take control. No one else could run this company or this family like you can. No one. Your father knew what a jackass Julian is, and he should have left it to you, but he was sentimental and he split it, and now it’s a broken kingdom falling apart. You want to lose it all? Everything? Leave it like it is. You want to save it and look after your brother and take care of both of you? Take control.” Marcus had never been so serious with Antonio.
Antonio sighed and nodded. “I don’t like it, but I know you’re right. I guess we’ll see what happens. The Fanellis are not taking anything apart. I’ll die before I let that happen,” he vowed.
Marcus didn’t say anything more. He nodded and sighed solemnly, wrapping Antonio in another hug and resting his hand on his shoulder a moment before he turned away and walked silently into the crowd of guests.
Antonio watched him go, grateful that he and Julian had such a good family member looking out for them, and wishing that Julian would pull his head straight out of his ass and run his half of the company with some responsibility before he lost everything for them, or before Antonio had to take over.
He looked out over the crowd of guests and as he did, his gaze stopped in an instant when he saw her. Gabriella was walking out of the dining room with a glass of champagne in her hand, heading toward the door that led to the gardens out behind the home. His heart leaped in his chest as if it had been electrified. He hurried from the corner and slipped through the throng of people between the corner he had been in and the door she had just walked out of.
It was mere moments before he closed the door behind him and reached her as she walked toward the edge of the patio, resting her hand on the marble balustrade that looked over the gardens. He stepped up behind her, knowing she had not heard him and he cleared his throat quietly.
Gabriella jumped at the sound and turned suddenly, looking up as she did and finding herself looking into Antonio’s warm brown eyes. She couldn’t hide the smile that grew on her face as she gazed at him.
“Antonio!” she said happily as her heart began to beat a little faster. “I’m so pleased to get to see you tonight. How are you doing?” He was much more handsome than she remembered in her dreams, and it was captivating just to stand there with him and look at him.
His heart began to beat faster and he smiled at her feeling like he was suddenly in high school again, trying to figure out how to speak to a pretty girl.
“I’m much better now that I’ve gotten to see you,” he replied softly. He glanced at her dress for an instant and then looked back at her. “You look beautiful tonight,” he said, trying not to stare at her. “That dress really brings out the light in your eyes.”
She felt her cheeks warm and she looked down for a moment and then raised her eyes back up to him, looking up at him through her thick dark lashes. “That’s very sweet, thank you,” she replied.
He nodded. “Did you get anything to eat? There’s a whole room full of food…” he trailed off quietly and she nodded.
“I’m fine, thank you. I did have some to eat. It was very good,” she answered.
Antonio found himself staring in silence at her for a moment and blinked, shaking his head and reminding himself to talk with her, rather than just watching her. “Did you get to dance at all? The band is one of the best in Los Angeles.” He raised his hand in the empty space behind him, indicating the band that was playing somewhere in the house.
She shook her head. “No, it was really crowded in there. I thought it would be nice to come out here where it’s more peaceful,” she told him honestly. She hoped she didn’t sound like she was no fun, but the house was thickly crowded with guests; it was loud, it was hot, and she wasn’t interested in spending her entire night wading through strangers.
He nodded and bit his lower lip, looking at her curiously. “The music is still pretty loud out here… what if we stayed out here and danced together?” He held his hand out to her. “May I have this dance?” he asked with a boyish grin, and she saw his dimple emerge again. She tried her best not to swoon at his romantic gesture and movie star good looks.
“I’d love that, thank you,” she replied, slipping her hand into his. He felt like he had never been as nervous or excited as he drew her into his arms and held her close against him, beginning to move as the music drifted around them on the warm air, cocooning them in their own private dance.
He closed his eyes as he swayed with her, lowering his head until he could feel her braids just beneath his face. He breathed her in, inhaling her sweet scent and wanting to hold it in his chest as long as he could.
Gabriella could hear his heart pounding away as she leaned close to him, and she liked that his was beating just as fast as hers was. She was thrilled to be in his arms, and there was nowhere else in the world that she wanted to be. The feel of his warm hands on her back as he held her close spread warmth through all of her body and she smiled, loving the sensation of it. She didn’t dream as sweet as the moment that she found herself in, and she wanted it to last all night long.
As the song drew to a close, he stopped their dance and looked down at her, keeping her in his embrace. She lifted her chin and her eyes met his, and something electric passed between them. Heat began to build and in the breathless moment that they were sharing, Antonio felt the pull to her magnified, and he let his desire pull him to her. He lowered his face to hers and his lips parted slightly as she raised herself up, nearing his mouth.
She closed her eyes, anxious to feel the touch of his lips against hers. She could feel his breath on her mouth and just as she was anticipating the soft kiss, a slamming noise startled them both and they broke their embrace, stepping back from one another quickly, looking behind them at the house where the noise had come from.
Julian was stalking toward them, a look of anger shooting across his face. When he reached them, he clamped his hand around Gabriella’s wrist and cutting a dark look at his brother, he turned and dragged her behind him into the house.
She turned and looked over her shoulder just before they passed through the doorway, and caught Antonio’s eyes. He looked miserable and he mouthed to her, “I’m sorry.” Then he was gone and she was being pulled through the mob of people in the house, following Julian on his beeline quest.
He took her to the garage and put her into his Lamborghini, closing the door sharply behind her. She frowned and turned to look at him when he sat down beside her in the driver’s seat.
“What are you doing?” she snapped at him.
“I’m taking you home,” he replied shortly, starting the car and backing it out of the garage.
She folded her arms across her chest and turned to look out of the passenger side window in frustration. Every annoying thing about him seemed to be culminating and building up in her the further they drove. She scowled as she watched the city lights go flashing by them.
It was uncomfortably silent in the car until they neared her apartment, and Julian couldn’t take the tension any longer. He had been angered by the questions that the board members had hounded him with, questioning his lifestyle, his motives, his actions, and his inactions… nearly everything he did. He felt that he owed them no answer, and it showed in his attitude as he spoke with them.
Then he went out to find Gabriella and had to hunt for her until Marcus mentioned having seen her and Antonio go out of the back door. He discovered her in his brother’s arms about to be kissed, and it was the last straw. He wasn’t going to take that kind of treatment from anyone.
“You’re not very grateful!” he spat at her as he drove, his jaw clenched in frustration.
She turned and stared at him. “What is it that I’m not grateful for?” She felt ire rising in her and didn’t try to hold it back at all.
He glanced at her as he drove, narrowing his eyes. “Anything! You aren’t grateful for anything! Here I’ve been trying to help you, trying to make your career move ahead and give you the cover you want; I’ve been spending time with you and doing so many things for you, and you repay me by getting it on with my own brother! How dare you!” he shot at her angrily.
Her eyes widened incredulously and she turned and stared at him. “You haven’t done anything about my career at all! All you’ve tried to do is to get me into bed and seduce me, even after I told you that we were going to be business only and nothing more! You have no respect at all for me!” she flung back at him, clenching her hands tightly and furrowing her brow at him.
Julian was totally unaccustomed to anyone speaking to him that way, and he was short of words to say or any way to respond as he pulled to the curb on the street beside her building. He parked his car and turned to look at her.
“You have got some serious audacity. Do you have any idea what almost any other woman would give to be in your position? Do you?” he raised his voice and glared hotly.
She narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice. “I don’t care what any other woman would give. I came to you to ask you for help in putting me on the cover of your magazine because I’ve worked my ass off for it and I’ve earned it, and all you want to do is try to make me sleep with you so before you give me the cover!”
He grunted in anger and turned away from her, balling up his fists for a moment and then he closed his eyes and breathed in, making himself relax. She was infuriating and maddening all at once. He turned to look at her and shook his head slowly.
“I’m not just in this with you to get you into my bed.” He knew he was lying, but she didn’t need to know it. “I’m trying to help you in your career. I know you have potential. I know you’d be good on the cover, and we are talking about that. I also happen to like you and I’m trying to build something good with you, but you keep backing off and now you’re teasing my brother! You agreed to be my date at that party tonight!” He tried to keep his voice and his temper in check.
“I did no such thing! I never agreed to a date! I said I would come and that was it!” she shot back. She was infuriated that he continued to try to take so many liberties with her and she still hadn’t gotten anywhere with the magazine cover.
He buried his face in his hands and groaned, letting go of as much of the frustration as he could. He drew in a deep breath and then turned to look at her.
“Listen, I’m sorry we’re fighting. I didn’t want the night to end like this.” He leaned close to her and cupped his hand around her jaw. “Come here,” he insisted, moving his face toward hers.
He was going to try to make her kiss him. She was livid. She yanked her face from his grasp and leaned back away from him. “Don’t you dare!” she almost growled at him. “I’m not yours to touch or kiss or lay your hands on. You keep your distance from me! I’m your employee, and we have a business relationship and that is all we have and don’t you forget it!” she fired furiously at him.
He sighed and his shoulders slumped as he turned his head and looked out of the window at nothing. She unbuckled the safety belts and pushed the door open. A moment later she shut the door closed hard and he closed his eyes and sighed, wondering how he could have ever lost all the charm he had been so richly blessed with.
Gabriella stomped into her apartment and locked the door behind her, promising herself that she would never get into any kind of situation like that with him again.
Julian drove home in a foul mood, and by the time he reached the mansion, it was much worse than when he had left Gabriella at her home. He barged into Antonio’s quarters and yelled for him. Antonio appeared a minute later, his jacket off, his tie loose, and his shirt unbuttoned. He was brushing his teeth. He’d left the booming party on the main floor and retired to his quarters after seeing his brother drag Gabriella away. He couldn’t stomach being at the party any longer than that.
“Just what in the hell do you think you’re doing?” Julian fumed at him.
“What in the hell are you talking about?” Antonio demanded, knowing full well what his brother was talking about.
“Gabriella! I go in for a meeting and when I come back out, you’re about to lock lips with her on the balcony! If I’d come out a minute later, you two would have been making out! You think I can’t see what you are doing?” he hollered at his brother.
“I know you’re after her, I know you want her! She’s mine! You can’t have her right now! If you want to wait around until after I’ve screwed her all that I want to, and you want some sloppy seconds, then go for it, but don’t you touch her until I’m done with her!” Julian fired like a shot from a cannon.
Antonio thought he might vomit on the spot. The idea of his brother using Gabriella for his own pleasure and then dumping her when he was through with her was one of the worst things he’d ever felt, or ever known his brother to try to do.
“Don’t you talk about her that way!” Antonio raised his voice and lifted his hand, pointing his finger at his brother. “You have no business treating her the way that you do! She deserves better!” he shouted.
Julian shook his head. “She’s no better than any other woman who has thrown herself at me, and all she wants from me is that damn cover anyway! She’s trying to use me, just like all the other women I have ever known… they all want something for themselves and it’s never about me!
She’s using me, so I’m using her right back. Fair is fair!” He turned to leave and shot one last look at Antonio over his shoulder. “You just leave her the hell alone until I’m through with her, and then you can have her all you want. Are we clear on that?” he demanded.
Antonio began to walk swiftly toward Julian, his face flushed with fury. “Get the hell out of my quarters!” he fired at Julian. “Out!” Julian stepped out of the door just before his brother reached it, clamping his hand on it and slamming it shut.
A gusty sigh escaped him as he turned back toward the bathroom where he had been readying himself for bed. He glared hotly at his reflection in the mirror, furious that his own brother could be so cold hearted and cruel to anyone, but especially to a woman like Gabriella.
She began to fill his thoughts again, and his tension eased as his body calmed, and the sweetness of the dance they had shared came back to him. He had loved every moment of it; the way she smelled, the way she moved, the way she felt in his arms, her eyes as they gazed into his.
He was beginning to wonder what it was about her that affected him so much. His head was rarely ever turned by any woman, and yet with this one he couldn’t look away. She had begun to take over every one of his thoughts, and it was all he could do to focus on anything else that required his attention.
Even in his dreams, he thought, as he laid down in his bed and his head sunk low into his pillow, even in his dreams thoughts of her had saturated every part of him. There was no escaping her, and he knew deep down that he didn’t want to escape her at all.