Player's Ultimatum Page 15

Reaching down, he rolled the swollen button at the top of her sex. When his fingers touched her, she jerked once then quickened her pace. “Yes, Paolo…yes,” she groaned. “Do that again.”

  He did it over and over until her body shook and rippled along the length of his cock. Their eyes met and Paolo knew their arrangement had turned from a means of revenge to something much more overwhelming and soul deep, he shook to his very core.

  Desperate and filled with a need he couldn’t quite explain Paolo flipped her over onto her back.

  Ignoring her protests, he withdrew until only the tip of his cock rested inside her, before he pushed forward, deep and hard. They fought against each other, yet moved in a synchronized rhythm. With him driving into her as hard as he wanted, and she receiving him with a wild abandon.

  Soon the smell of sex was all over the both of them. Her juices coated his balls and the outsides of his thighs. She clenched down on his cock, breaking him. His mind became befuddled, barely able to dissect fact from fiction.

  Needing a focal point, Paolo looked into Yvonne’s enraptured face and his own release slammed into him. He came like a bottle rocket, his body arching while he continued to buck against her like a wild man.

  As he crash-landed on top of her, Paolo wondered how many more classes he would need to pay for in order to make her fall in love with him and leave Gutierrez for good.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Over the next month and a half, Yvonne met Paolo no less than three times a week. Every time they came together, the sex seemed to get hotter and hotter instead of abating.

  But it wasn’t always just sex. Sometimes he would cook dinner for her, of course while Gabe stood in the background wringing his hands.

  Other times they would just laze around, look at magazines and talk about everything under the sun.

  Surprisingly they had quite a bit in common. Besides the obvious interests like travel, art, and good food, both of them came from a one parent household filled with obnoxious siblings. He could also relate to being the oldest child and harboring a protective instinct toward his friends and family.

  And at times he could even be romantic. On one of his down days, he’d charted a private plane and flown them to the Island of Santorini where they had a picnic lunch and humped like rabbits on a private beach.

  Yvonne still marveled how they were able to pull it off for so long, but they had because neither the media nor Robbie had caught onto their affair.

  The only thing that materialized: her growing feelings for Paolo Saito.

  Every minute she spent in Paolo’s company she was finding it harder and harder to keep her head on straight and her eyes on the goal. She craved his touch, his kisses and ached for the days to pass quickly so she could be with him again.

  In layman terms, she was either going insane or falling in love with Paolo Saito.

  And that couldn’t happen not now or ever. There was just too much on the line for her to allow her stupid feelings to lay waste to everything she and Robbie had accomplished so far.

  In an effort to give herself some space and regain some control over her situation, Yvonne rescheduled her dissertation review a week after her lessons ended with Professore D’Amato and bought herself a round trip ticket to Tampa, Florida. Hopefully, two weeks away on her own would give her the opportunity to refill the hole she’d dug for herself.

  But while Robbie drove her to the airport, Yvonne wondered if two weeks would be long enough to regroup. Paolo had so engrained himself under her skin and in every fiber of her being she couldn’t wake up in the morning or go to asleep at night without thinking about him. And she’d even come close to canceling her ticket when he’d admitted how much he’d miss her while she was gone.

  “Are you sure you have everything you need?” Robbie asked, pulling Yvonne out of her thoughts.

  “If I don’t, I’ll do without,” she repeated for the third time

  Robbie pulled up to the terminal curb then turned to face her. “I really wish I could come with you, kiddo. I’d love to see my mom and dad.”

  Yvonne patted his knee. “I know but you need to take advantage of the four days off during this week’s bye and prepare yourself for the playoffs,” Yvonne repeated for the sixth time.

  A beatific smile turned Robbie’s expression into that of a kid on Christmas morning. “Girl, say it again.”

  “Can’t my jaw hurts.” Yvonne reached up and wiggled her chin. “Now help me with my bags.”

  Both of them jumped out. While she waited, Robbie pulled her two bags from the back passenger seat. “Make sure you call me when your flight lands.”

  “I will now give me a hug.”

  Robbie opened his arms to give her one last hug farewell.

  “Scuzi, Signor Gutierrez. May I have your autograph?” A young boy asked shyly stepping up to Robbie. No older than nine or ten, the boy looked up at Robbie with hero worship, his eyes wide as saucers.

  Robbie squatted down to the boy’s level and took the pen and paper the child held out to him. “What’s your name?”

  “Antonio,” The boy responded never taking his eyes off Robbie.

  “So Roma Internazionale is your favorite team?”

  “Si`, signore,” The boy nodded.

  “Who’s your favorite player?” The boy looked down and took an undue interest in the laces of his tennis shoes. “I-I like Paolo Saito. He’s the best. You are really good, Signore Gutierrez,” he rushed to explain, “But Il Duca e fantastico.”

  Robbie chuckled as he signed his name to the scrap of paper, and then handed it back to the boy who stared down at it as if trying to memorize every detail.

  “I will tell Paolo I met one of his biggest fans today.” The boy’s smile widened. “He loves to hear about all of his fans, especially the truly loyal ones.”

  “Grazie signor, grazie!” Antonio exclaimed before scurrying off to his parents waiting just inside the terminal’s sliding doors. As if on cue, the flood gates opened as more football fans petitioned Robbie for autographs.

  “I’m going to go, lover. I’ll call you.” Even though she’d arrived well ahead of her departure time, a long check-in line and Rome Fiumicino’s multiple security check points would slow her down. After one last kiss, for appearances sake, Yvonne grabbed her bags and headed inside.

  *****

  Forty-five minutes and one boarding pass later, Yvonne headed to the first security check point. As she was taking off her sandals, a commotion erupted behind her. She turned about and like a sucker punch to the gut, she watched an ever-growing contingent heading toward her at a swift clip. In the center of the swirling vortex of flashing light bulbs and screaming fans, walked Paolo Saito.

  Cool, calm and unaffected by the commotion he was causing, Paolo made a beeline right toward her. Where was he going? Was he traveling with someone? Or was he off to see another woman in some exotic locale?

  Not wanting their paths to cross less all her answers be answered—ignorance could be such bliss—Yvonne hustled the two people in front of her along. Her efforts succeeded in getting her through security and onto a transport bus to the main terminal, but it didn’t forestall the tears stinging the back of her eyes.

  What was wrong with her? Why was she close to tears? She should use his philandering ways to exercise him from her mind and body. Wasn’t that the reason for this trip?

  Easier said than done, Yvonne mused. Despite her best efforts, she’d slipped along the way and given him her heart. Well, nothing like a good kick in the butt or a cheating lover to get one’s priorities back in order!

  Like all airports in the states, Fiumicino’s main terminal resembled a mini mall. Shops and restaurants provided one with the basic essentials such as magazines, gelato, French fries, and bottled water. While more high-end tastes were tempted with duty-free Louis Vuitton bags and Hermes head scarves.

  Yvonne swept past all the shops and hunkered down at the back of an English-style pub steps from her departure gat
e. Bright and crowded with sports fans watching the pre-game commentary before the start of an Italian league basketball game, she garnered a few curious glances, but otherwise no one bothered her.

  “What can I get you, love,” a woman asked with a crisp British accent.

  Her vision blurry, Yvonne tried to read the drink menu.

  What beer went down well with tears?

  *****

  Two pints and a bowl of pretzels later, Yvonne boarded her flight with only five minutes to spare before departure. Since she’d refused Robbie’s offer to buy her a first class ticket, she ended up in the middle aisle sandwiched between a family of four.

  Per her usual pre-flight ritual she located the exit signs and studied the airplane’s safety card. She barely had her seat belt fastened when one of the stewardesses stopped at the end of her row.

  “Scusi, Signorina. We have a few seats open in magnifica, our business class, if you would like to upgrade.”

  Surprised at her sudden stroke of luck, yet not looking a gift horse in the mouth, Yvonne grabbed her purse and followed the willowy red head to the front of the plane to the very first row of seats nearest the exit door.

  Yvonne sat down in the leather seat near the window. Now this is an upgrade!

  Like a kid in a candy store, she tried out the reclining back and footrest. Her day was finally turning in a more positive direction! Her pride still smarted, but the comfortable flight over would help it heal that much easier.

  Drawn by the ground crew’s preparations, Yvonne looked outside her window. Her eyes drifted over to the other planes lined up outside the terminal and she foolishly started to wonder which one Paolo had boarded.

  “Missing Robbie already?”

  Yvonne whipped around and came face-to-face with Paolo. Wavering between slapping him and kissing him, she could only gape as he took the aisle seat. One thing was for sure, her heart threatened to break through her breast bone.

  “W-what are you doing here?”

  As if she were a child, Paolo buckled her seat belt. He leaned toward her and despite her best efforts Yvonne’s gaze drifted to his oh-so-kissable lips. “I’m on vacation with my lover.”

  Yvonne refused to acknowledge how much his calling her his lover affected her. “What about the playoffs?”

  Paolo pulled out the in-flight magazine from the seat pocket and proceeded to flip through it.

  Peeved by his nonchalance, Yvonne snatched the book from him and tossed it. “Hey!” someone objected from the seat behind them.

  “Both of us know the team was given four days off. Instead of lazing around Rome, I decided to laze around you.”

  His words evoked images of them lying about his estate naked over the past several weeks. A wave of desire swept over her and she shivered.

  Stay on course, Yvonne! Ten minutes ago you were crying in your pale ale.

  “Why are you here, Paolo?” She asked, knowing there was much more to his being here than just sex. He could get that anywhere.

  “Curiosity.” Sensing her confusion, Paolo continued, “I wanted to know what it would be like to be around you without all the obligations and responsibilities surrounding us in Rome. For the next four days, I want to see how you are with your guard down. I want to see you laugh and be carefree without worrying if someone is watching us. I want to wake up with you in my arms.”

  Boom! And just like that he blew her well laid plan not to fall in love with him out of the water. “B-but I have to prepare for my dissertation review.” Okay, she was grasping for straws but who could blame her when she was slowly sinking with the ship.

  Paolo bounced his eyebrows up and down. “I’ll help you study.”

  Well, what could she say to that?

  “Would you like a glass of wine before we take off?” he asked.

  Why not? He’d just killed her buzz. “Two glasses, please.”

  *****

  “Rise and shine, sleeping beauty.”

  Yvonne blinked. She blinked again as her memory filtered in with the morning sunlight streaming through the open curtains.

  “Are you hungry?” Paolo asked.

  “Starving.” Yvonne groaned as she rolled over onto her back. She felt like a human pretzel. Soon after landing, Paolo hustled them to the hotel, upgraded her hotel room to a suite, and then once inside had his perverted way with her all night long.

  And she’d loved every single orgasmic minute of it.

  “Why are you staring at me like that?” He asked, running a hand through his rumpled hair. Even with a bad case of bed head and eyelids heavy with sleep he had to be the sexiest man alive.

  Yvonne sighed like a love-sick teenager as she rolled from the bed. Before he could beat her to it, she picked up the complimentary terry cloth bathrobe she’d discarded earlier and wrapped it around her. “No reason.”

  Without warning he reached out and pulled her onto his lap. “If you want me to leave, I’ll go,” he said as he ran the tip of his nose along the side of her neck.

  Yvonne wrapped her arms around his neck. He only had to touch her and she melted.

  “Do you want me to leave?”

  Despite her better judgment, she whispered, “no.”

  A smile curved his lips and like a cliché romance novel her heart performed a cartwheel. Geez, she had it bad! Really, really bad.

  “Since that’s settled let’s order something to eat, then we can get down to business,” he said, setting her back down on the bed. Before she could give into the foolish urge to pull him back into her arms, he stood up. With more grace than any man deserved, Paolo padded across the room and flipped open the hotel’s room service menu.

  “Do you know what you want?”

  You. Now where did that come from? She only needed to be around him for more than a just a few hours and she was already picking out china patterns. What about Robbie? He needed her to remain true to him.

  Why couldn’t she help Robbie and enjoy herself with Paolo at the same time? This was only for a few days and there was no guarantee Roma would make it to the finals. So why not take the moment for what is was worth and face the consequences later?

  Yvonne leaned back on her elbows. “I’m going to live a little. I want some turkey sausage and a Belgian waffle with strawberries?”

  “Sounds good. Maybe we can get a side of whip cream.” He looked up at her and winked.

  Yvonne watched him as he called down to room service and with each touch of the phone pad, a piece of the wall she’d erected to protect her heart crumbled.

  What if every day could be like this? Who was she kidding? There would never be a ‘them’. The man had his own Wikipedia page.

  “Breakfast will be up in thirty minutes or less,” he said, hanging up the phone.

  Yvonne groaned. “I’m hungry now.”

  “I can think of something else we can do while we wait.”

  As he walked back over to the bed, she scrambled to the center. He plopped down next to her, and then reached out to pull her over to him. Yvonne went willingly, but at the last minute she put her hands on his chest before he could seal the deal and turn her into one big shuddering hormone.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “I told you I wanted to be alone with you.”

  Yvonne shook her head. “Not this weekend. I’m talking about our arrangement.”

  Sighing, Paolo sat up. “I guess my wanting you isn’t enough?”

  “Not buying it,” Yvonne muttered. “Not only am I engaged, but look at you and look at me. You can have anyone you want.”

  Paolo hesitated for the longest and then he let out a long sigh. “I hate not getting what I want.”

  “That’s it?” She asked. When he didn’t immediately answer, she pitched herself off the bed. She didn’t get very far because he caught her arm and pulled her back around to face him.

  “As a child I grew up in a concrete block no bigger than the bathroom with noth
ing but a thin sheet of metal between me and the sky. No bed, no electricity and barely enough to eat. Every night before I went to bed, I prayed to God that when I awoke it would all have been a bad dream.”

  Paulo paused and his eyes grew distant. “My prayers were never answered. So I stopped praying for that and instead promised myself whatever I wanted, and if I had the means, I would never let anything or anyone stand in my way.”

  His fingers tightened on her waist as if she were his lifeline. “If that makes me a selfish bastard then that’s the cross I have to bear. I was shaped by a brutal environment that would have eaten me alive if I would have let it. I survived unrepentant.”

  Unable to help herself, Yvonne leaned into him. “And here I thought you were going to tell me I was different.”

  Chuckling, Paolo fell back onto the bed, dragging her on top of him. “You are different. You do something to me no other woman has ever done in a very long time.”

  “And what’s that.” Yvonne cocked her head to side, giving him the proper angle to kiss the side of her throat.

  “You make me come back for more.” He nipped at her ear and Yvonne groaned. “I know this may have started with a much baser objective, but I’m falling for you.”

  Why did he have to hit her below the belt and turn her all mushy inside! She assumed this was all one sided. His confession just brought their arrangement to a whole new level. And she wasn’t prepared for it, either mentally or emotionally. Thank goodness she was lying down because her knees had gone weak.

  Paolo must have sensed her dilemma because he traced her bottom lip with his thumb, gaining her attention.

  “Caught you off guard?” he asked.

  Understatement of the year! “With my pants down.”

  Paolo’s lips quirked upward into a lopsided grin. “That makes two of us.” His expression grew serious and Yvonne braced herself. She wasn’t sure she was prepared for any more of his revelations. “Leave Robbie and be with me.”

  If that wasn’t the perfect sucker punch! Yvonne knew she’d probably catch flies with her mouth hanging open but she couldn’t help it. He’d totally broadsided her. She could barely think straight with the way her blood was pounding in her ears.