Falling into Black (10 page)

I coughed on my espresso
and set the cup down. “What dress?” I asked, although I had a feeling I knew
exactly what he was talking about.

“The wedding dress. I’ve
emailed a few designers who would love to work with you.”

Gaping at my new fiancé,
I wiped my mouth. “Isn’t this all a bit sudden?”

Dorian sighed and ran
his fingers through his hair. After spending several days with him, I learned
to spot a sign of distress when I saw one.

“Unfortunately, yes. But
I’m planning on making it a special day nonetheless. Lance can drive you to the
designers tomorrow. Then we have to pick a location, plan the food and the
guest list. Do you want me to invite all of your Facebook friends?” he asked
and glanced at me. His green eyes sparkled in the morning sunshine.

Color rose to my cheeks.
Did he actually enjoy planning this? No. It was all for his job, right?

“No, not everyone on
Facebook. I’ll make a list, although I don’t know how many will be able to make
it in such a short time frame.”

He nodded thoughtfully
and sipped his coffee. His eyes glazed over, like they did when he plotted.

Just as I finished my
pastry, he spoke. “We could get married here. That would handle the location.
There’re a few outbuildings large enough to accommodate a crowd. Unless –
did you want to be married in church?”

I shrugged and my mind
swam. “I don’t think my friends or family can afford to fly to Tuscany last
minute.”

A smile broke across his
face, his white teeth dazzling. “I’ll fly them, Alicia,” he said and took my hand
in his.

I stared down at the
ring glittering on my finger and nodded.
Of course he would
.

“Is it settled? We’ll
have the wedding here in a two weeks. That way it’ll be right before the
holidays.”

My hand trembled in his.
“Two weeks?”

He brought it to his
mouth, kissing my palm. “Two weeks and you’ll be my wife, Alicia.”

I stared at him –
the sharp cut of his jaw and cheekbones, the way his hair brushed his forehead,
and his arched eyebrows framing those keen green eyes. Married to Dorian Black.
No way my family would believe it.

I wasn’t the same
chubby, plain Jane nobody I’d been in college. I was going to be Dorian Black’s
wife!

Then another thought
struck me. “Wait. What about the rest of it? The part about starting a family
before a year is out?”

He cast his gaze toward
the window and shrugged. “We can discuss it later. Now, I have work to do, and
you have a wedding to plan. Money is no object, Alicia, so indulge your whims.”

He was some kind of
master at avoiding subjects. “What about a pre-nup?”

Dorian narrowed his
eyes.

That got his attention,
but not in the way I anticipated.

“Is there some reason
you’d want one?” he growled and squeezed my wrist. “Do you think I’d cheat on
you?”

“What? I didn’t think of
that. I thought you’d want a pre-nup to protect your fortune!”

He studied me, his jaw
tensed. Slowly, he released his hold. “No. I don’t think it’s necessary. I
already said I trusted you. Don’t you trust me?”

I did, although I wasn’t
sure if I should. What would keep Dorian Black from cheating once we married?
The board members? Unlikely!

“Yes,” I said.

“Good. This marriage
wouldn’t be worth much if you didn’t. I’ll be back by this evening. Lance will
see to any of your needs,” he said as he headed toward the door.

My stomach twisted into
knots. I couldn’t let him leave like that – even if our marriage was a
sham for the board.

Running after him, I
grabbed Dorian’s arm. “Wait! Isn’t Lance
your
bodyguard?”

He brought a hand to my
cheek and smiled before he kissed me. His lips burned, the heat of his mouth
engulfing me in the same sick desire I succumbed to the night before. A strong
hand wrapped around my waist, pulling my chest flush with his. Hot need rushed
through my veins, pooling between my legs as he pulled back.

“No. He’s yours,” Dorian
said and opened the front door.

I watched him go, my
eyes wide with a mixture of surprise and fear.

Why did I need a
bodyguard?

He left before I could
ask.

*
* *

Planning a wedding took
more time than I imagined. Even though it was forced upon me at the last
minute, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it at little bit. Dorian didn’t
argue with me over any of the details. Either he really trusted my taste or he
didn’t care about the whole affair.

I hoped it was the
former and feared it was the latter.

Lance drove me to Milan
to meet with a designer for my dress. As I fingered through fabric and looked
at pictures of designs, I wondered what would happen after we were married.
Would I really have a baby? With Dorian Black? Within a year? We had enough
unprotected sex to get me pregnant, but was it what he wanted or what the board
wanted?

He never said.

Then there was the issue
of my parents. Should I tell them the truth or let them believe I was really
marrying Dorian because he loved me? I didn’t want them to worry. It wasn’t
fair. No, I’d leave the board members decree out of the conversation.

And maybe I’d put off telling
them a few days longer.

After hours of trying on
dresses, I finally decided on the one I wanted. The corseted top seemed like something
Dorian would like and the full skirt reminded me of what princesses wore in
fairytales.

My prince, the
mysterious Mr. Black, was different than most
, I thought and fingered the tulle skirt.

Dorian spent most of his
time working in the villa or meeting with board members. Every time they saw
me, they eyed me with a mixture of either curiosity or annoyance –
depending on the person. As his assistant, I was too busy planning the wedding
to keep abreast of what they discussed.

Finally, about a week after
the first announcement of our engagement, everything was ready to go. I’d
carefully selected the decorations, flowers, wedding colors, announcements and
food – all with the help of our housekeeper, Flora, who was thankfully
bilingual in both English and Italian.

It wasn’t until I
settled down one evening, kicking off my heels and collapsing in a cushy chair,
than the whole weight of the situation hit me. I’d avoided it, planning the
wedding like it wasn’t my own. There was so much to do, so many little details
to cover, it was easy to pretend some other woman was marrying Dorian.

But it was me. He chose
me, for whatever reason, and I couldn’t back out of it now.

Even worse, I didn’t
want to. He’d break my heart into a million little pieces someday, and I could
do nothing but wait for it to happen.

The front door squeaked
open after midnight, and I sat up in the chair and glanced around the room.
Dorian walked down the hallway, and stopped when he spotted me. He’d been
working late into the night for days. It seemed like I hadn’t seen him at all
since the morning after he slipped the ring on my finger.

Was he avoiding me?
I didn’t want to ask.

He leaned over the
chair, trapping me between his strong arms. “You waited up for me?” 

I blinked at him. “I must
have drifted off after I sat down.”

He smiled, although he
had bags under his eyes. “I know the feeling,” he said and sunk to his knees,
resting his head on my lap. “How’re the wedding plans coming?”

I didn’t realize how
much I missed his touch until he ran his fingers up and down my bare calves.
“Done. Everything’s ready for next week,” I said, my breath catching in my
throat.

His fingers tightened on
my legs. “I knew I made the right choice. You’re perfect, Alicia. Absolutely
perfect,” he said and kissed my knees.

“Not really,” I mumbled.

“It’s not open to
discussion. If I say you’re perfect
for me
than you are. Accept it.
You’re going to be my wife in a week, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” I said to the top
of his head.

“Good. That’s what I
like to hear.”

His fingers roamed
higher, urging my thighs open in my loose skirt. I glanced around the room, but
Lance was probably in bed or off patrolling the grounds. It was difficult to
keep track of him at times.

“What if someone comes
in?” I whispered, although my body ached for his caress.

“Then I guess they’ll
get a show,” he growled and ran the blunt edge of his thumb over my sex. “I’ve
been neglecting you lately. I intend to make up for it.”

Electric lust surged
over my flesh as he rubbed my hungry lips in delicate circles. My whole body
throbbed with need for him – his lips, his hands and his fat, dripping
cock. God!

His other hand crawled
over my stomach, pulling at my tucked in blouse and nudging the buttons from
their holes.

“Do you like this,
Alicia?” he groaned as his finger gripped my pink nipple and turned it
painfully to the side.

The sudden stab of pain
mixed with the delicate pleasure between my legs. My chest heaved into his
powerful hands, and I answered him with a moan.

“Yes.”

“That’s what I like to
hear,” he breathed and took my other nipple in his teeth.

My hips arched into his
hands – my sex aching for a stronger touch. For the penetrating thickness
of his length pounding inside me. But he held off. Content to tease me into a
state of arousal so complete I could no longer think straight.

“I have a present for
you,” he cooed into my breasts. His tongue flicked over the reddened nub.

“What?” I groaned as my
pussy contracted. Why was he playing around with me like this? After a long
week I wanted something more than his fingers!

“Bend over the couch and
I’ll show you,” he said and leaned back on his heels.

Air chilled my feverish
flesh in his absence. Nodding, I hurried and bent over the back of the chair.
My whole body trembled with anticipation.

Dorian wasted no time
pulling down my skirt and thin silk panties. When my bare ass faced him, my
thick thighs and full bottom on display, he ran his palm over the cheek.

“So lovely. Do you want
to be filled up, Alicia?” he asked, his strong hands stroking my legs.

“Yes,” I begged.
Planning a wedding was more stressful than I imagined, especially when the
groom was busy wrangling his own company into order. My sex wept for him to
relieve it.

Suddenly, something cold
and round, like a marble, slipped inside my pussy. Gasping, I gripped the back
of the chair and turned my head.

“What is that?”

Dorian answered with a
smirk and another bead slipped inside. “A new toy.”

The chill sent shivers
over my skin, and the walls of my sex gripped them mercilessly. I moaned as he
slipped another two inside. What was it? And what were they made of? The cool,
slick surface felt almost like glass.

“Wouldn’t it be charming
to wear this is public?” he asked and slid another two inside me.

“For a punishment, I
suppose,” I managed.

A blush heated my
cheeks. He’d made me wear a vibrator to a board meeting once – one he
controlled with a remote. While I wasn’t sure if I wanted to repeat the
situation, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. The idea that he had control over my
body turned me on.

A drop of sweat ran down
my back.
How many beads did he have?
 

Another slipped inside,
then two of his fingers spread me wide while a third stroked up and down my
moist clit. His thumb caressed my lips with slow circles once again. My whole
body vibrated with lust for him, for his sweet release.

I buried my head in the
couch. Dug my nails into the material.

“This feels like a
punishment,” I moaned.

Dorian’s lips singed my
lower back. “Does it?”

My answer was little
more than a breath of air. “Yes.”

“Don’t you enjoy my
punishments?”

“Yes.”

I couldn’t lie. Not to
him -- not at that moment.

Suddenly, he pulled a
bead free as his fingers flitted across my sex. Each lingering touch enticed my
body closer to the edge of my arousal. My cunt gripped the remaining beads, and
I gyrated my hips in time with his glorious hands.

“You’re so beautiful
like this. So free,” he said and kissed my hip.

Another bead slipped
out, his fingers moving faster over my slickness. I groaned and gasped at every
caress and stroke. Every bead slipping past my hungry sex. As he pulled the
final one out, the fat heat of his cock slipped in.

His powerful hands
gripped my waist, forcing himself deeper into my desire slick depths. The world
spun. Air leaked from the room, and I gasped at each thrust. The orgasm shook
my body to the core. Moaning and panting, I pressed my hips into his.