ANTONIO

Holding Lauren’s hand, I guide her forward on the small, worn path around the lake. “We’re almost there.”

Even though this is now my sister’s house, I grew up right down the street in an equally large estate dotting the coast of Lake Como. The house had ten bedrooms, twelve bathrooms, and could’ve easily housed a small village. I thought I lived in a castle straight out of the fairy tales my mother used to tell us at bedtime. As I grew older, the house didn’t seem as large, especially with five other children and staff roaming the halls.

“Where are we going?”

“To my favorite place as a kid.”

Pushing the overgrown tree limbs out of the way, I walk forward and clear the path for Lauren. The moon overhead is full, shimmering off the lake, and it gives us enough light to make the walk possible. When we come to the clearing and the spot where I spent hours dreaming as a child, I turn to Lauren and take the blanket from her hands.

She watches me as I spread the blanket out on top of the flattened rocks that line the shore. “It’s beautiful here,” she says as her eyes peer across the lake, sweeping over the dim lights of the houses in the distance.

I help her to the blanket so she doesn’t lose her balance on the rocks and tumble into the cold lake water, ruining the entire evening. “It’s even more beautiful in the daylight.”

“I’m sure.” She steps onto the blanket and takes my hand before we sit down next to each other. “Why haven’t you brought anyone else here?”

“In a house filled with so many people, and with Stefano constantly around me, I used this as my escape for a little peace and quiet. It’s the only place I could come to think without being interrupted.”

“I imagine that must’ve been a problem. My entire childhood was filled with solitude, but I can guess it would get annoying sometimes.”

I’m saddened by her words. “I didn’t mean to sound so…”

“No,” she says quickly, squeezing my hand gently. “I wish I had what you did, but I can understand how you must’ve felt. Your family can be a little overwhelming.”

“And loud.” I laugh. God, were they loud. We’ve quieted down over the years, but as teenagers, it was more like a rock concert in the house with all the screaming. I lie back and pull Lauren down with me to look up at the cloudless sky.

“This has always been my place and only my place, but I wanted to share it with you.”

She shimmies her body closer and rests her head in the crook of my arm, staring upward. “I like that I know something about you that nobody else does. It makes me feel special.”

I roll onto my side, peering down at her beautiful, moon-kissed face as she lies against my arm. “But you are special, Lauren. I’ve shared bits of myself I’ve never shown to anyone before. I’ve said words to you that I’ve never uttered to another living soul outside my family. I want you to know how very special you are to me.”

She lifts her hand, resting it against my cheek. “I know you feel differently about me. I know that I love you as you love me. You’re flawed, but I accept you for who you are and who we could be.”

“I’m not flawed.”

She sweeps her fingers across my skin as she peers up at me with a smile. “We’re all flawed, Antonio. It’s what makes us human.”

Lauren is one of the most magnificent creatures I’ve ever met. Her life hasn’t been easy, losing her mother and then her father early in life with no one else to lean on but herself. I don’t know if I could be so optimistic in her shoes. Hell, I’m jaded, and I’ve had an easy life compared to her.

Unable to resist the pull of her in the quiet darkness, I lean forward and press my lips to hers. My hands slide under her body as I cradle her in my arms and deepen the kiss, needing her more than I need anything else in the world.

When my hand slides up her leg, she grabs my face and pulls away slightly. “Not out here,” she says softly.

“But I need you,” I admit, inching my fingers higher on her warm, soft thigh.

“What about the party?”

“The only party I care about is here. They won’t even know we’re gone,” I say against her lips before devouring her response with a more demanding kiss because nothing is stopping me or making me leave this rock until I’ve had my fill of her.

Her fingers curl into my hair as she holds me close and kisses me back deeper and harder. My fingers slide up her skirt, finding the garter belt underneath, and I almost lose it. The vivid picture in my mind of her standing in the light in nothing but her garter belt and sexy matching lingerie makes it impossible to stop and pull back even if I wanted to, but I don’t.

Skipping over the garter, my fingertips find the edge of her lace panties and dip underneath. She’s wet, ready for my taking. I don’t want to rush a single moment. I swallow her moans of pleasure while the pads of my fingers glide over her clit, slowly stroking the very spot that makes her legs fall to the sides as she opens to me.

LAUREN

Antonio’s fingers dip inside my pussy and my back arches, pushing against the rock, but the pleasure his hands deliver outweigh the painful bite of the hardness underneath me.

“Antonio,” I moan against his mouth.

When his thumb finds my clit, drawing slow torturous circles around the most sensitive part of my body, I gasp for air and shudder against his body. My hand curls around his bicep to keep him in place and as a silent plea for him to keep going. His fingers thrust in and pull out repeatedly, driving me precariously closer to the edge and ready to burst with so much pleasure I’m worried I won’t be able to stay quiet.

As if on a mission, he drives forward, pumping more of his fingers through my wetness and deep into my core. Unable to wait another minute, I lift my hips in offering. I want everything he has to offer and more.

Antonio’s tongue sweeps inside my mouth, capturing my moans as his thumb closes in on my clit. My bottom shifts against the rock, pushing my clit harder against his fingers as my entire body tightens. Colors explode behind my eyelids so vividly it’s like a firework display on the Fourth of July. I gasp for air, drowning in the orgasm that’s ripping through my system. My moans are swallowed by his lips to keep our location private. My calves ache from the delicious bliss that starts between my legs and emanates to every extremity and fiber of my being.

His lips leave mine first, followed by his fingers slowly slipping out of my body. When I open my eyes, Antonio’s staring down at me with nothing but lust in his eyes. He brings his finger to his mouth, slowly licking away my wetness with his tongue, savoring it like it’s the best thing he’s ever tasted.

“Never anything sweeter than this,” he says, closing his eyes as he slides his fingers backward across his tongue and closes his lips around the base.

I thrust myself upright and place my hand on his chest, pushing him back against the rocks. I tear at the buckle of his belt and make quick work of the button and zipper. He lifts his ass off the ground, making it easier for me to slide his dress pants down his legs and exposing his glorious hard cock to the cool night air.

Wrapping my warm palm and fingers around him, I stroke his hardened shaft slowly from root to tip, and he bucks his hips in response. The moonlight dances off his skin, causing shadows across his chest that match my movement.

Leaning forward, I press the tip of my tongue to the head of his swollen cock and lick. He groans and seals his eyes shut, knowing I’m not going to be rushed. I’ve worshiped his cock before, and unlike some women, I enjoy giving head, especially to Antonio.

I close my lips around the top, circling the crown with my tongue before letting the underside of his shaft slip down. My hands move in unison, working his shaft while I concentrate on hitting every sensitive spot around the tip. He tangles his hands in my hair, pushing my face down and forcing me to take him deeper.

His body convulses as his cock nudges the back of my throat, and I resist the urge to panic as he blocks my airway. Using my free hand, I push his hips back down and tighten my grip around his dick to control the depth. It’s not my first rodeo and men always like to push the limits, but I’ve learned ways to stop them from becoming a little too overeager.

Sucking hard and squeezing tighter, I increase the speed of the strokes, continually flicking the tip of my tongue against the underside of his head. His fingers dive farther into my hair as he moans and shudders against the rock.

“So. Fucking. Good,” he mutters with his eyes still closed.

I peer up his body, taking in the way his lips are parted as he tries to breathe and the unsteady rise and fall of his chest as he nears orgasm. Powerful…that’s how it makes me feel controlling his pleasure and watching him shatter from my touch.

Spurred on by his desire and the need for his orgasm, I suck harder, faster than I had before. His hips buck wildly, driving his cock into my mouth until my fingers stop his forward movement.

His upper body seizes, and I prepare myself as the orgasm crashes over him. I swallow him down easily because, in all honesty, we’ve fucked so many times today, I’m surprised he has anything left. Each time I draw back and my lips graze the head of his cock, his body jolts upward as he gasps. Once his arms fall away and his body goes limp, I release my hold and my mouth from his dick.

His eyes open, and he smiles up at me with a small laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“I used to dream about something like this, but I figured it would never become a reality.”

I wipe the corners of my lips and suck the tip of my fingers into my mouth before I reply. “It’s pretty hard to get a blow job, especially if you come here alone.”

“Come here,” he says, motioning for me to join him before he stuffs his prick back into his pants and zips himself up.

I lie against him, resting my head near his shoulder, and peer up at the starry night sky. “I wish life were always as easy as this.”

“Baby.” His hand sweeps up my back, pulling me closer. “I’ll always be this easy.”

I slap him playfully before leaving my hand against his chest. I sigh, content and happy, as we watch the tiny shining dots move ever so slowly across the darkness.

I want this life. A small part of me has always envied others without such a stressful job. Even after I leave the office, the work follows me home. Heading a major corporation isn’t the usual nine-to-five job, rather a constant dance that’s interrupted a few hours every day by sleep.

I almost want to run away with Antonio and live on his private island, escaping the world and the companies we helped build. The Mercury engine was my gift, the grand accomplishment of my life, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to top it.

Instead of dwelling on what’s waiting for us in Chicago, I look at the stars and watch the beauty as it passes by.