I wanted something simple.
Something safe.
I wanted him to give up everything and walk away.
But I knew he never would.
He came home from work that day at his usual time. He walked through the door, gave me a kiss, held Martina, and then stripped off his clothes and got ready for his workout. “You want to have dinner with me tonight?”
“I always have dinner with you.”
“But I thought we could do something, just the two of us.”
It would be nice not to hold Martina while I tried to eat. She was too young for a high chair, so we had to take turns holding her. The only time we were truly alone was when she was asleep in the next room. And during those times, we didn’t talk much. We just made love—over and over.
Not that I was complaining.
“That would be nice. Where do you want to go?”
“I thought we could eat here. We can sit in the backyard and look at the stars.”
It was summer, so it didn’t get dark until late, but it would be nice to do something different. It would be wonderful to sit by candlelight and look into each other’s eyes. Maybe I could forget about the real things that were bothering me. “Oh, that would be lovely.”
“Great.” He pulled on his t-shirt then kissed me on the lips. “I look forward to it.”
After I stepped out of the shower, I found the little black dress lying on the bed. Cato wasn’t there, but there was a note from him.
Wear this. No panties.
A pair of black heels lay there too.
I smiled as I folded the note. The black dress was short and backless, definitely too slutty to wear out to a restaurant. Maybe that was why he wanted to stay here, so his eyes would be the only ones to look at me.
When I put it on, I realized I couldn’t wear panties anyway.
Too sheer for that.
I slipped on the heels, did my hair and makeup, and then made sure Martina was asleep before I headed downstairs. The baby monitor was in my hands because I couldn’t go anywhere without it. Even when Martina wasn’t with me, she was always in my thoughts. I’d become one of those obsessed mothers who thought only about their children and nothing else.
I wasn’t ashamed of that.
“Miss Siena, you look lovely.” Giovanni stood in the kitchen, the pots and pans sizzling with whatever he was making for dinner.
“Thanks. Cato picked this out for me.”
“He has great taste. And I’m not just talking about the dress.”
“Aww…thank you.”
Giovanni took the baby monitor out of my hand. “I’ll keep an eye on her while you two enjoy yourselves.”
“You don’t have to do that. I know you’re cooking—”
He held up his hand to silence me. “It would be my pleasure. Now, please enjoy yourself.”
“Thank you, Giovanni. You’re a sweetheart.”
“No, Miss Siena. I just like you.”
I smiled. “Have you seen Cato? I haven’t seen him since he went to the gym.”
“He’s outside waiting for you.”
“Thanks.” I walked out the back door and onto the terrace to find him standing in a deep blue suit. He wore a black tie, the watch his brother gave him, and the smile he gave me was brighter than the stars overhead.
“That dress…” He gripped my waist as he leaned down to kiss me. He kissed me softly, like he was doing his best to keep the kiss tame so we wouldn’t sneak off into a bush and do what we did best. “I told my personal shopper to get me something short and sexy. She did a good job.”
My hand moved down his chest. “She did a good job with you too. How about we skip dinner and just go to bed?” As good as Giovanni’s cooking was, it was nothing compared to Cato’s fucking. I could never eat again and just live off his lovemaking.
He rubbed his nose against mine. “That’s tempting…but the longer we wait, the better it’ll be.”
“I don’t think it could be much better.”
His hand moved to my lower back, and he kissed me again. “You know how to make me hard, baby.” He guided me down the path with his arm resting just above my ass. “I thought we could eat farther away from the house. You can hear the crickets better. See the stars better.”
“I’ve never been out here in the dark before. It’s beautiful.”
“I don’t take advantage of it as much as I should.”
We kept walking until we reached the dining table in the middle of the grass. A wooden platform had been built to hold the table and chairs. A black tablecloth lay over the surface, and white candles were spread out everywhere, illuminating the spot with subtle light.
“Wow…this is beautiful.”
He took my hand and guided me up the short steps until we were on the platform. “I’m glad you like it.”