My breath caught. I wanted him again. In fact, I was about to demand him again when there was a knock at the door.
Luca growled. “What?”
“Clara, are you in there?” Belinda’s timid voice was echoing through the door.
Luca grumbled and handed me my robe. “Don’t take too long. I need to have you again.”
I shook my head. “I do have a business to run, you know.”
“My cock first, your business second.” His stern look had me in a fit of giggles. “What’s so God damned funny?”
“Oh, please. Spare me. ‘My cock first, your business second.’ Jeez, put on the brakes, Casanova!”
Luca smiled and did up the rest of his buttons on his trousers. With a belter of a smack on my arse and a yelp from me, I answered the door.
“Belinda, good morning.”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realise you two were…” Belinda hitched up her eyebrow and copped a glimpse of Luca’s statuesque torso. “My God, he’s hot,” Belinda whispered.
I giggled. “I know; believe me,” I winked.
“So you two have…” she waved her hands in front of her.
“Yes. Twice already this morning. I think it was going to be a third before your knock on the door.”
“Sorry,” she whispered again.
“Don’t be. I’ve already told him how important this all is to me.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Luca shouted.
Getting near to the door, Luca’s eyes looked stern. “What you looking at?” Luca shouted towards Tony. I didn’t even realise he was there staring until Luca mentioned him.
Tony dutifully turned the other way, causing an eye roll from me.
“Clara, get in here now and close the door.”
“Yes, master. Whatever you say, master.”
Belinda’s giggles set my own off. Shutting the door, I turned to Luca. “Happy now?”
“No, I think you need reminding again.”
“Reminding of what?” Belinda was rather nosey at times.
“That Clara is mine.”
“Oh, really?” Belinda’s face looked amused as hell. She knew exactly what I was like and knew this wouldn’t go down very well.
“Yes. Really.”
I sighed. “Now do you see the double standard here, Belinda? I can’t stand outside—completely covered in a silk robe—and yet he can stand here bare-chested if he wants.”
Luca huffed. “That’s different. You don’t have Belinda drooling over me like Tony was obviously drooling over you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh really?”
“Yes. Really.”
“Belinda, please repeat what it was you said to me when I opened the door?”
Smiling, I knew Belinda would go along with this. She didn’t get embarrassed easily.
“I said, ‘My God, he’s hot.’”
I waved my hands in front of me. “See, there you go.”
Looking stunned and apparently lost for words, Luca grumbled something under his breath and headed for the kitchen.
Belinda immediately bellowed out a laugh, and before long, the two of us were both clutching our sides. I think that was the first time I had ever seen Luca lost for words.
Calming down, I turned to Belinda. “What can I do for you? Is everything okay?”
Looking serious all of a sudden, she said, “Oh, yes. Two things really. One, I just wanted to know if everything was okay after last night. It was pretty stormy out there with Luca and that other guy. Who was he anyway?”
How easily and quickly I had forgotten the outside world. Luca had me wrapped in his bubble. Normally, I would have been popping away, but for some reason I wanted to cement us in it instead. “His name is Antonio Cavelli. A rival of Luca’s.” I paused for a moment, wondering what on earth happened. “What happened after I left? Did you see anything?”
She leaned in and whispered, “Well, some people were just shocked. I think others were seriously ready to come in their pants after you slapped him one. If only Jeffrey had been here. I think he probably would have. He’s always liked you.” Pausing to giggle for a moment, she then carried on. “Well, anyway, Luca dragged that Antonio outside for a few moments, came back in looking like a bull about to charge, and then he stormed up the stairs to your room. Soon after, a lot of people wanted to get on with the reason why they were here in the first place. Lots of people disappeared after that. Despite the interference, the night was very successful.”
I smiled. “Good.”
“Which reminds me of why I’m here. Is it business as usual tonight? The phones have been ringing practically non-stop all morning.”