They'd both drifted off to sleep that way, and when she woke, he was still close. Closer even. His mouth on her breast, his fingers gliding over her body, sliding down and in, until she was panting and pleading. He made love to her so gently and tenderly, almost reverent in his touch on her body. The memory brought tears to her eyes.
Casimir was wild in bed, and she caught fire every time with him. They burned together, hot and passionate and so out of control it was crazy - ecstasy, but crazy. This time had been different, his every touch slow and beautiful. He'd whispered to her in Russian. She spoke the language, and he'd said, Ya lyublyu tyebya fsyem syertsem. I love you with all my heart.
She cherished those whispered words. He'd said them like they were ripped from his soul as he buried his face in her neck, his body deep in hers, while she pulsed around him, the moment so beautiful she knew it would be forever etched in her mind.
"Something like that," she admitted with a quick, teasing grin.
Coming to the hotel gave her breathing room. Without Luigi close she felt alive again, happy. Relaxed even. She was Lissa Piner, a glassblower from California, enjoying a favorite area of Italy. She had business with the owners of the hotel, yes, but she could appreciate her surroundings and even the bodyguard who had been appointed to her for security.
"Miss Piner?" An older woman dressed in a streamlined skirt and jacket greeted her with an outstretched hand. She was flanked by the head of hotel security and her manager. "I'm Mariana Loria. Please call me Mariana."
"And I'm Lissa," Lissa said, taking the woman's hand.
Mariana had a firm handshake. Her nails were beautiful as was her skin. Her hair was streaked with gray, but it only added to her elegant beauty. "Welcome to my hotel, Lissa. We're so grateful you made the trip. We're very excited about the unique designs you've come up with for us." She gestured around the lobby. "As you can see, we strive to give our guests a very different experience here. We want them to never forget their visit. Private balconies with dramatic views of course are offered, and the rooms are utter luxury, but we want every appointment inside the hotel, everywhere a guest looks, to look and feel like luxury."
"This is one of the few hotels that isn't owned by a conglomerate," Lissa said. "I love that it's a family hotel and so welcoming and beautiful. I think you've managed to convey that as well."
Mariana inclined her head with a small smile of approval. "I like to think so. We're very proud of the fact that this hotel has been in the family for generations and each generation has improved it. We want it to be very modern, yet maintain the old-world feel of a glamorous past."
Lissa walked through each room Mariana wanted to add a chandelier in. Five in the lobby. Two in the ballroom. Three in the five-star restaurant. If she got such a large order, the farm would be in money for a long while, especially since Mariana wanted the hotel's chandeliers to be original designs no one else had. She had sketched ideas based on the hotel's history, in keeping with a days-gone-by, opulent era. The chandeliers she had in mind would drip long spiraling white buds and cascading white leaves that shimmered with light from every angle.
"You do understand that because I have to do each piece by hand, each will be slightly different."
Mariana nodded. "We looked over the crystal chandeliers every other hotel has. They're beautiful but not unique. We want beautiful and unique. We want each piece to shout luxury and glamour. Your work does that. It's innovative, creative, and each piece is a work of art."
She led the way into her office. Tomasso put his hand on Lissa's back, barely there, but she felt his touch and it warmed her. He moved into the room with her and stepped to one side to stand against the wall, his hands at his sides, appearing relaxed. He didn't give anyone the option to tell him to wait outside.
Mariana waved gracefully toward a high-backed chair, and Lissa sank into its comfort. It had taken an hour to walk around the various rooms and allow Lissa to study each room's unique signatures.
"We would very much like three separate designs, but ones that look similar, so they go with our hotel and are unique to us."
Lissa caught that Mariana had used the term "unique" several times. Clearly it was important to her that the designs for the hotel were strictly theirs. A brand for them. Everything in the hotel was that way, from the silverware in the restaurant to the furniture and pictures on the walls.
Lissa nodded. "I can do that."
Without warning she felt the brush of a thumb across the nipple of her left breast. She had to suppress a gasp as little arrows of fire streaked straight to her sex. Instantly she was damp. She glanced over her shoulder at Casimir. He wasn't looking at her. His gaze was straight ahead, as if zoned out, but his thumb was pressed tightly into the center of his palm.
Clearly your thoughts are on something besides your job, she accused.
Casimir didn't reply or show in any way that he heard her.
"The family particularly loves this design." Mariana handed Lissa the sketch of the chandelier she'd loved the most and had hoped the hotel would go with. It was a little bit more difficult to create, but it was gorgeous. The piece spoke to her. Beautiful, like Italy, glamorous and even a little decadent.
"I do too," Lissa admitted. "It was my favorite." Another nipple brush. A hot mouth closed over her breast, drew it deep, tongue pushing her nipple hard against the roof of his mouth. His teeth scraped erotically. She gasped as flames rushed through her bloodstream to burn low and sinful between her legs. She felt the familiar dampness.
Two can play this game, Casimir, and I have a vivid imagination.
Not as vivid as mine. Pure male amusement. Pure arrogance.
She didn't want to start a war with him she couldn't win, but she was definitely going to retaliate.
"Using this design for the lobby, can you make a variation of it for the restaurant and another for the ballroom?" Mariana asked.
Lissa nodded, trying to keep the flush from creeping up her body to her face. "I've already been playing around with ideas because I loved it so much."
"It's elegant - exactly what we want, and it feels like it comes from this region. That it might have been here in times gone past, but yet is very sophisticated."
Casimir's tongue teased at the underside of Lissa's breast. Clearly his imagination wasn't nearly finished.
I'm conducting business here.
I'm just standing here passing the time while you close this deal.
Lissa had to concentrate on what Mariana was telling her. She clearly liked the design, but really, for the chandelier to come off the way they needed it, color was important. "The other thing I love about this piece is the color. It is a muted white like the cliffs in places. It says your hotel like nothing else," Lissa admitted. "This is one of my favorite places in the entire world, so it was a privilege to create something that made me feel it was part of a place I love."
They got down to business, discussing price. Fortunately, Casimir didn't continue his assault on her senses during the money discussion. Lissa had learned not to sell herself short. She knew the worth of her masterpieces, and these chandeliers would be masterpieces. Mariana didn't wince. They'd had a tentative discussion before. In the end, they came to agreement, one that made Lissa want to dance around the room, but she kept her business face on, smiling and allowing the talk to drift into personal avenues.
She found out that the Loria family expected their children and grandchildren to work in the hotel from the bottom up, learning every aspect of the care and maintenance of their family business. Their employees were treated with respect and many workers were generational. Clearly Mariana was proud of her hotel and family. Lissa liked her even more for that.
Wrap it up, malyshka. I'm hungry for you all over again.
You worked yourself up, she teased, although in truth, he'd worked her up. Still, she wanted to be somewhere she could practice a little payback.
"We would love to have you eat lunch here," Mariana said.
"You're welcome to walk around the grounds. They're beautiful and very extensive."
"Thank you," Lissa said, rising with her hostess. "I'd love that. It's very relaxing here and I would enjoy exploring." She turned to Tomasso. "Are you hungry? Would you join me for lunch?" Better to ask him right in front of Mariana than to have any speculation afterward. She was from the United States and who knew what they did there, maybe everyone had meals with their bodyguards.
Tomasso raised an eyebrow, but inclined his head. "I would enjoy that, Miss Piner."
"Lissa," she corrected, sounding slightly annoyed, as if she'd corrected him a million times. If anyone was reporting back to Luigi, they would tell him his houseguest found her bodyguard a little irritating.
Mariana graciously hid her smile as she opened the door and waved them through. "If you need anything at all, let us know."
Lissa nodded, wanting to kick Tomasso in the shins when he deliberately crowded her. His body heat set her heart pounding. His masculine scent enveloped her, and the brush of his body against hers sent more damp heat spilling into her panties. "Thank you, Mariana. I'll get the contracts to you and get started on the chandeliers right away."
As they walked away she glared at Tomasso. "You are terrible. I should kick you."