Chapter 3
Leo
I drove Isabella to Marco’s mansion, and the whole time I tried hard to not look at her in the rearview mirror. It was obvious that she didn’t recognize me. She had never known me at all, even though I had always known her. Now, thirteen years later, Isabella looked even more beautiful than she did before.
When I saw her standing at the gates of the airport, her presence had hit me like a shock to the system. Her chocolate brown hair had grown long and she left it fly wildly; it fell thickly down past her waist. She had a narrow waist, the perfect hourglass-shaped body with long shapely legs. She was wearing a thin floral printed dress that was narrow at her waist and stretched over her ample breasts. The denim jacket she was wearing over it didn’t hide the curves of her beautiful body.
Just like I remembered, she had the most piercingly green eyes. Her lips were thick and delicious and I had to do everything I could to not stare at her.
We arrived at the house, neither of us trying to talk in the car. I opened the door for her and grabbed the bags out of the trunk and then she followed me into the house. Isabella had never been here before, and I could sense that she was surprised by the grandeur and luxury that her father lived in now. He had amassed a lot of wealth in the past thirteen years and she wasn’t prepared for it.
I knew Marco would be waiting for us in his study, so I took her there while the housekeeper chased after us, collecting Isabella’s bags from me and offering her limoncello to drink.
I knocked and pushed open the door to the study, and there Marco was, sitting behind his desk.
“Ah, Bella!” he exclaimed and stood up from his chair. Matteo and Francis were by his side with their guns in their belts. They followed him everywhere. Marco had appointed them as his personal bodyguards several years ago.
Marco threw his arms open and Isabella rushed to him.
“Papa! I was expecting you at the airport,” I heard her say and watched them hug. Marco patted his daughter’s back before he looked up at me, narrowing his eyes.
“What was the delay, Leo?” he asked me.
I was standing at the back of the room with my hands in front, clasped together. I knew the consequence of our delay and I would now have to pay the price.
“I lost her for some time, boss. She wanted to visit the old neighborhood and got in a taxi,” I replied. I looked straight ahead while Marco dragged himself away from Isabella and took a few steps towards me.
“You’re saying that you let my daughter get in a taxi all by herself and go to that place?” Marco’s voice had turned into a sizzle as he approached me slowly.
“Papa, it was my fault, I was being stubborn. Leo warned me not to go,” Isabella said, but Marco wasn’t listening to her.
“I asked you to keep an eye on her!” he growled. I nodded my head. I knew what the consequences of failing to obey his commands were. Without another word, I took off my jacket and let it drop to the floor. Next, I rolled up my t-shirt and threw that to the floor, too. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Isabella hurl herself towards her father.
“Papa, what’s happening? Why is he taking off his clothes?” she asked in a pleading voice.
Matteo and Francis had already started walking towards me. I said nothing; I didn’t move. I was prepared for the punishment.
“Papa!” Isabella shrieked, throwing herself at him but Marco held her back.
“Bella! This is the way I do business. Stand back and let the men do their job!” Marco growled at her.
I met her eyes, she looked panicked, fearful as Matteo took a step towards me and cracked his knuckles.
“This is unnecessary! I told you it was my fault!” Isabella cried, but Marco had a firm grip on his daughter’s arm.
Matteo took the first punch, right to my stomach and he knocked the wind out of me. I straightened up, clenching my jaw and Francis stepped up, taking the second punch. I knew I would bruise later, but it didn’t matter. I had taken beatings worse than this before. With each punch Isabella shrieked louder and louder until the men stepped away from me and I picked the clothes off the floor.
“Good, Leo knows what needs to be done. He’s a good man,” Marco said and tipped his head at me before he turned to his daughter again. Isabella yanked her arms away from him, stumbling backwards to get as far away from her father as possible.
“This is how you greet your daughter who you haven’t seen in thirteen years? By beating up one of your men at her expense?” Isabella was shrieking while Marco continued to smile calmly at her.
“Of course not, Bella. I have a party organized for you, to celebrate your homecoming,” Marco said and threw open his arms at her again.
Isabella looked flustered; she couldn’t smile or look excited. I could sense that she was in shock, that she wasn’t used to this kind of behavior. But hesitantly, she stepped towards her father again, accepting the hug that he was forcing on her.
“That’s a good girl, you understand, don’t you? Papa has to keep his men in line,” Marco stroked his daughter’s hair while she stared at me over his shoulder.
“What is this party that you’re talking about?” she asked him, slowly pulling away from him again.
“I’ve invited all your friends, you’ll have a lot of fun!” Marco exclaimed. Isabella gulped and then nodded her head.
“I don’t have anything to wear. I need to go shopping,” she said and crossed her arms over her breasts.
“Anything you want, Bella,” Marco replied.
“Okay, I want Leo to take me,” she added.
***
Marco was initially surprised by Isabella’s request and so was I, but eventually, he decided that it was a good idea if I accompanied her since I was tasked with keeping an eye on her anyway.
Isabella and I walked out of the mansion. She was leading the way this time and she went straight to the car. I followed her, keeping my distance. I was still surprised that she wanted me around; I had got the feeling that she hated me.
She stopped right in front of the car and whipped around to me. I could see that her cheeks were flushed red and her green eyes were filled with resentment.
“Okay, look, I may not be used to the way things are done around here, but that is not…he should not…you shouldn’t let him treat you like that!” she was yelling with her finger pointed right at my face. I could see that she had worked herself up. She was still upset over what Matteo and Francis had done in there.
I stared back at her lazily. I couldn’t even feel the punches on my body anymore.
“Let’s go,” I said instead and opened the backseat door for her, which she slammed shut immediately.
“And I’m not riding in the backseat this time, you’re not my chauffeur!” she yelled.
“You have to ride in the backseat,” I said, trying to keep my voice down. Isabella was making it very difficult for me to do my job right.
“No, I am not!” she yelled, yanked the front passenger door open and jumped in. I breathed deeply, trying to control my mounting frustration and then I walked around and got in the car.
She was sitting right beside me now, making it very difficult for me to keep ignoring her. My fingers brushed against her exposed knee as I started the car and she looked up at me. Her expression had changed; she didn’t seem so aggressive anymore.
“What has he become?” she exclaimed and shook her head.
“Your father has not changed. He is exactly the way I’ve always known him. Maybe you didn’t know him well enough when you were a kid,” I replied and the car came alive. I started driving in the direction of the main street where all the clothing stores were.
Isabella remained silent beside me for a few moments. This time when she turned to me, her voice had become softer.
“How long have you been working for my father?” she asked me as I drove.
“Over fifteen years, I think. He took me in when I was a kid,” I replied, trying to not look at her. As much as she frustrated me, Isabella also had the unique quality of being able to get my blood pumping with desire at the same time.
“And has he always treated you like this? Punished you that harshly if you messed up even a little bit, even if it wasn’t your fault?” she continued.
“Harshly?” I chuckled, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel as I drove.
“That wasn’t harsh?” she asked, and I looked at her, right into her bright green eyes. I could feel the movement in my pants and I snapped my head around again.
“That was a couple of punches in the stomach, like mosquito bites. I got over them in a couple of minutes,” I told her and from the corner of my eye, I could see her shaking her head.
“I don’t understand this violence, this brutal aggression. He didn’t even want to listen to the whole story…this was exactly what drove Mama mad. She never told me, but I knew she hated it here, living with him and then she…she got killed,” Isabella’s voice grew soft as she spoke and she looked away, out of the window to hide her face. I could sense that she was close to tears and I clutched the steering wheel tighter. The sound of her cries made my body stiffen. I wanted to pull her into my arms, to stroke her hair and tell her she was safe with me.
“Your father is one of the most powerful men in Naples,” I said instead and she jerked her head around to look at me again.
She scoffed and said nothing.
“I love him only because he’s my father, because he gave me life and fed me and looked after me. That is it. I can’t think of any other reason why I would love that man, or respect him,” Isabella spoke again after a while, just as I drove into the parking lot at the back of the main street.
I stopped the car instead of replying to her and she turned in her seat, looking up at me again.
“Don’t you have any opinion on him? Can’t you speak your mind?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at me. I held her gaze strongly and clenched my jaw.
“Marco rescued me from a life on the streets. I was an orphan; I had nobody. He saw something in me and he cultivated that. I wouldn’t be the man I am now if it wasn’t for him. I owe him everything,” I said. Isabella had watched my speaking, her gaze dropping to my lips. Our faces were just inches away as we sat on the front seat of the car.
“And what kind of man are you, Leo?” she asked in a low husky voice. Her lips were close enough to taste. I could smell the perfume she was wearing and I could feel myself going weak.
“I’m the man who’s going to keep you safe in this city,” I said and got out of the car. I didn’t open the door for her this time; she stepped out of the car herself.
“Well, today you’re going to give me your opinion on cuts and colors and dress lengths. Be prepared to feel the least manly you’ve ever felt,” Isabella said, and with a wide smile on her face, she led the way out of the parking lot and towards the stores.
***
It was hard keeping up with Isabella as she flitted in and out of clothing stores all along the street. I had never been shopping with a woman before. In fact, I couldn’t remember the last time I had gone shopping at all. And here I was, following this woman around, who I was trying hard to keep my eyes and hands off.
Isabella tried on a few dresses at the different stores and I wished I could tell her exactly how beautiful she looked in all of them. Instead, when she asked me for my opinion, I mumbled that the dress was nice. I didn’t want to speak out of turn. It was obvious that there was some tension between father and daughter, but I wasn’t ready to pick sides.
The truth was exactly what I had told Isabella earlier. That I owed everything to Marco and he was my boss.
It didn’t matter how crazily I wanted Isabella, it didn’t matter that I had wanted her even when we were teenagers…she was my boss’ daughter and that was the end of that.
“Okay, one last store and then I’m going to decide which one I want to buy,” she said as she led me to the very last boutique on the street. I walked behind her with my hands thrust into the pockets of my jacket, trying to keep some distance between us. However, I didn’t fail to notice the way her ass moved in the dress she was wearing. I cursed myself under my breath. I shouldn’t have been looking like that at her.
In the store, Isabella did the usual rounds of picking out dresses that she wanted to try on. Then she carried them to the dressing room.
“Leo, stand here, I want you to see me in them,” she said and I followed her, standing at the end of the corridor with the doors along the side.
She entered one of them, and I could hear her changing, her dress sliding off her body and I saw it fall to the floor. I could see her feet, stepping out of the dress, then heard the zipper being dragged down, the swoosh of silk as she slipped on the new dress.
A few moments later, she unlocked the door and stepped out.
“What do you think?” Isabella asked me and I straightened up as I stared at her. This was definitely the one—the dress that had been created for her.
It was a shimmering navy silk, cut low down the neck, enough for me to be able to see her cleavage heaving up and down. I gulped as my gaze traveled down her body to the slit on the side of the dress that revealed her long leg. She was standing with her breasts thrust out, her hands on her small hips.
“So?” she asked and slowly turned. The dress had no back; I could see right to the top of her ass and I suddenly felt very hot as I stood there. I could feel the back of my neck burning up, my cock coming alive in my pants. Isabella looked beautiful…not just beautiful, she looked like the sexiest creature I had ever set my eyes on.
She faced me again with a shy expression on her face.
“It’s perfect,” I found myself saying. I felt like I was going to choke.
“Okay, I’ll take it. Could you please help me with the zipper?” she said and stepped towards me. She had taken me by surprise; I hadn’t expected her to come up so close to me. She turned to the side where the zip on her dress was firmly closed up.
I gulped, avoiding her eyes, and placed my hands on her dress. I could feel the electric shocks running up and down my spine. She was standing too close to me for comfort. My lungs felt empty of air.
I tugged at her zipper, her face an inch away. Our lips were just about to graze. She was watching me from under her heavy lids and I felt too dazed to do anything, to even pull down the zipper. All I wanted to do was kiss her, to nibble her earlobes, to run my tongue down her milky smooth neck. I could see her cleavage rising and falling in that dress, and my cock raged in my pants.
“Leo…” she said my name softly, and with a swift tug, I had pulled the zipper down. Isabella grabbed the front of her dress just in time, stopping it from falling down to the ground, revealing her bare beautiful body.
“I’m going to wait outside,” I said in a deep gruff voice. Turning from her, I marched out of the corridor and straight out of the store.
Outside, with weak hands, I lit the cigarette that was behind my ear. I had come so close to losing control. I was just seconds away from kissing Marco’s daughter. If he found out…if he knew…I didn’t know what the punishment to that offense would be.
I waited for her, smoking my cigarette in silence and Isabella emerged from the store sometime later with a bag in her hand. She said nothing to me, just walked past and I followed her, keeping my distance.
We both knew what had happened back there. She knew it, just as much as I did; that if I hadn’t walked out of the store, I would be fucking her right now, right up against the wall of the dressing room.
I looked away from her as she walked in front of me. She was driving me crazy. I felt like I was losing my mind.