Ori stoodunder the spray of the shower, trying to shake the dream she had just awoken from. Not that it was a nightmare—far from it—and it was a change to have such a pleasant dreams for once.Ha,she thought.Pleasant’ is hardly the word. Try hot. Try sensual. Try the sexiest, most erotic dream she’d ever had.
And of course, it had to be about that damn Maceo Bartoli, didn’t it?
Ori closed her eyes and the water poured over her body. For a second she indulged in the remembrance of the dream … the part where Maceo Bartoli ordered everyone out of his gallery except her, then made her stand naked in the middle of the floor while he circled her, watching, studying her, and describing everything he wanted to do to her. God, she shivered as she remembered, her hand snaking down her thigh and into her sex, rubbing her clit as she thought of him ordering her to spread her legs before he took out his enormously hard cock and …
“Ori?” Lucia yelled through her bathroom door.
Ori’s eyes snapped open and, flushing guiltily, she shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. Wrapping a towel around herself, she opened her bedroom door. Lucia looked apologetic.
“Hey, sweetie, I’m sorry. Maceo’s called me into work, so we’ll have to postpone our shopping trip”
Ori was disappointed. “Oh. Well, that’s okay, I can just wander around and get to know the place. We can shop another day”
Lucia smiled at her gratefully. “Thanks, darling, Iamsorry. Look, I have a handy travel guide book that I’ve left on the table—it was invaluable when I first moved here. Just be vigilant. OH, look what I’m saying. Is there a place in the world where we women don’t have to be vigilant?”
Ori laughed. “Can’t think of anywhere, but yes, I will be. I’ll keep to the tourist traps”
After her friend had gone, Ori dressed in jeans and a loose, flowing white shirt. She pulled her long dark hair into a messy ponytail. Sliding her feet into her old battered Chuck Taylor’s, she grabbed her bag, shoved the guidebook inside, and headed out.
This year, Venice in March was unseasonably warm, and soon Ori had lost herself in exploring the place, taking water taxis, letting herself drift down small passages. She ended up on the island of Giudecca and found a small bar-trattoria to have lunch in. She ordered a small tuna salad and ate with pleasure, a glass of wine on the table, watching the people as they passed on the street. She got lost in daydreaming, so when the man who appeared by her side spoke, she started in her chair.
Maceo Bartoli was smiling down at her andgod, if a beat didn’t start pulsing between her legs. He was gorgeous, all scruffy charm and confidence and very, very tempting, but Ori knew his type. Once he’d had her, she would be old news, and she didn’t think her confidence could take that kind of hit right now.
“I’m sorry,’ she said, coolly, “I didn’t hear what you said”
Without being asked, Maceo sat down in the chair opposite her and signaled to the waiter. “I said, if I pretend that you agreed to have dinner with me, I can count this as our first date”
She glared at him. “Did you follow me?”
Maceo laughed.God,his smile really was something else …no. Do not fall for it,she told herself sharply.
“I wish I were that sneaky,” Maceo admitted. “But no, I promise. Coincidence. A happy one for me, at least. You?”
Ori hid a smile behind her wine glass. She had to admit his confidence was amusing. And being flirted with by a stunningly handsome man?Not too shabby.But she’d be damned if she’d lethimknow that. “I haven’t made my mind up yet”
He laughed again, and something fluttered in her belly. Maceo took out a cigarette pack, offered her one, and when she declined, stuck one in his mouth and lit it. He blew out a lungful of smoke—away from her, she noticed with gratitude. He was studying her.
“Tell me, Orianthi—”
“Ori. Just call me Ori”
He inclined his head gracefully. “Tell me, Ori. What are you doing in my city?”
She hesitated only a beat. “I’m taking a vacation. A sabbatical”
“Are you working?”
“Not currently” Why did that always make her feel like a waste of space?
Maceo did not seem fazed. “I think sometimes we need to take stock and reevaluate. A sabbatical is good”
Ori blinked. What was his game? Agreeing with her about everything? She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you making fun of me?”
“Quite the contrary. I, myself, am a workaholic. I love the adrenaline rush, but I too have thought about taking an extended break”
Ori smiled at him. “And what would you do, Mr. Bartoli, on your break?”
He smiled. “I would dedicate myself to finding out the best way to fuck you, Ms. Roy. What you liked, what you didn’t. I’d use my hands and my tongue to pleasure you until you screamed my name loud enough for the whole of Venice to hear. Then, just when you thought you couldn’t take anymore, I would drive my cock deep inside you until you begged me to stop”
