Fratelli: The Awakening (The Vampire Cartel #1)

16. Dolly’s Truth

Chapter 16

Dolly’s Truth

H ouse of Draca - New Orleans, LA

April 14, 2018

(8 Days Before Death)

Dolly woke in a black, porcelain, claw-foot bathtub surrounded by the glow of countless scented candles. Nestled between hairy thighs, she laid back and relaxed on his chest. The water gently stirred as he glided a large loofa sponge across her breasts cleansing the blood away. Soft kisses landed on the back of her head. The sponge dipped into the tepid water before rising with rivulets. He once again repeated the ritual. The sponge traveled from her neck, over her breasts, and down into the water again; a profound sense of contentment and comfort lulled her, and she closed her eyelids, easing back into sleep.

Dolly woke to the kiss of her life. She was in a bed of clouds; that’s how soft every pillow and the mattress felt. Rapture was found in his arms. He first kissed her awake while she was on her side, then he turned her in their embrace to her back as he moved over her—taking possession of her. The hardness of his mouth melted down to persuasive tenderness, and his tongue enticed, explored, and pleased her as she went to her back and slipped into a deepening connection. That was only the beginning of it all. He had the magic touch. It was the explanation her brain conjured. How else would one explain the decadence of the wet heat of his mouth, lips, and tongue as it glazed her skin, electrifying her with sexual yearning? A persuasion that slid from her neck to her collarbone, then her breasts. A sensual descent that set her soul on fire.

The sleek caress of his body over hers as he suckled her left nipple made her call out his name. Lucio’s thick and spry pubic hair rubbed and stimulated her clitoris as his pelvis, instead of his dick, that pressed in. The hotness of his seduction was so provocative that it stirred and mixed in with her barely remembered body aches from their previous passionate tango. He whispered in a foreign language, appreciation of her imperfections. He had a delicate way of oiling her skin. His hands searched for pleasure points, giving her the pampered treatment she didn’t know she needed. Lucio’s hands and lips tenderly worshipped her body, prompting her to stretch and yawn and bask in the sweetness. She surrendered to the feeling and drifted back into a blissful sleep.

Dolly rolled over. She curled into the curve of his body. He was so warm, so strong, and perfect in that meaningful manly way. He turned again to face her. Their bodies aligned, side by side. She pressed her face against his chest and surrendered to a lover’s sleep embrace once again. In the haze of her dreams, the fading rhythm of his heartbeat barely registered.

“Good morning,” Don Lucio said.

Dolly’s lashes fluttered.

“Wake up, sleeping beauty,” he brushed his lips across her brow.

Dolly's eyes opened. She shifted away from him, but his arm dropped over her to keep her close. Lucio propped his head up with his hand, his elbow sinking into the pillow beside her. With a smile that radiated his boyish charm, he gazed down at her.

“Hi? Um, what time is it?” Dolly asked, and she drew the sheet up to her neck. He quickly pulled it back down, and she couldn’t help but laugh. If what her body told her was true, he’d already explored and seen every part of her. Recalling his tender, loving moments boosted her confidence and enabled her to remain uncovered and comfortable with her breasts in his view.

“Early,” he replied, then glanced at his watch. “I didn’t want to wake you, but I had to.”

She felt wonderful. Memories of the night trickled back—a slow dance in a room lit by candles, her covered in his black satin robe that concealed everything, him in black satin pajama pants, chest bare, all to the soundtrack of her favorite slow songs by Beyonce. She wished her memory wasn’t scattered. She felt almost a desperate need to recall every detail of their first night together. However, the satisfaction she experienced from what she remembered was unmistakable. Never had she been so completely and quickly cherished by a man.

“How do you feel?” Lucio asked. He ran the back of his fingers across the side of her cheek.

“Like a lottery winner,” she half-laughed.

He leaned in and kissed her nose.

She wrinkled it a bit.

“Are you real?” Dolly asked.

“I am, but you’re not,” he teased. He moved a strand of hair from her brow. “You barely let me sleep. You’re not from this world, il mio tesoro. ”

“I’m not?” Dolly half-laughed.

“No. You’re a goddess from a place far away, and a time long, long, long ago. I’ve met no one more mysterious and magnificent than you,” he confessed.

“Same,” she frowned. Finding the words hollow. She’d just met him, and without remembering the full night, she could not understand his levels of attraction. She knew she was good in bed, but not that good. How many women had he had?

“I hate to be a party pooper, but I need to get home. So, I think I can call an Uber if Tristan isn’t here,” she yawned. When he didn’t respond, she looked over and into his eyes. Once they were midnight black from afar, up close, she could see swirls of brown, almost amber, with flicks of light.

“You think you need to leave?” Lucio asked.

“Well, yeah, well, it’s a long story,” she admitted.

“I don’t want you to go,” Lucio confessed. “So, let’s end that story.”

“Just like that?” She peeked up at him.

“Just like that,” he replied.

“But why? I mean how… I mean, are you saying stay the day?”

“Stay with me,” he corrected her.

“Here?” Dolly asked.

“Wherever I am,” he answered.

“Here in bed? Or in New Orleans?” she asked again.

“Here, anywhere. I own the Americas—North and South. Point to anywhere on the map, and I’ll take you to the jewel of the city and give you a crown.” He traced his finger over her collarbone and brought it up to her chin.

“I can’t take you seriously when you talk like that,” she turned to escape him.

He stopped her. “I’m not mocking you. I’m sorry if I’m moving too fast. Come with me to Vegas this morning. I have a business meeting. And then I’m all yours. Have you ever been? Ever played in the casinos?”

“Nope. And don’t change the subject. You speak like a poet. You said you own the Americas?” She crossed her arms over her exposed breasts and saw that it disappointed him. She knew she had perfect titties, even her friends told her so. He seems distracted by his proximity to them. She needed his full attention. It was time he told her what kind of trouble he really was.

“What are you? A record executive, or something dangerous,” she laughed.

“If the truth confuses you, say that. Don’t laugh,” he warned her.

“Sorry, but I’m not sure what is happening,” she yawned. “Excuse me.”

“Why must you be sure?” he pressed.

“Because that’s the way the world works. Answer my question. What is this place and what are you into?” Dolly asked.

“Come to Vegas with me.”

“Vegas? That would be a no. I, uh, can’t,” she said. “I got my brother and… I lost my job.”

Lucio's brows drew together with concern. “You lost a job? Dis-moi ce qui s’est passé .”

She grasped the essence of his question this time because he spoke in French instead of Sicilian. Was this the moment she could use to confess to the man of her dreams that she was unemployed, tired, and trifling when it came to keeping a job? His curious gaze held hers. The intention hadn’t been to seduce him for employment, yet she had to confront the possibility that, on some level, that had been part of her plan. Gathering her courage, she prepared a response that didn’t make her look like a loser.

“I quit my job. I did it to keep from being fired. I guess it’s complicated,” she admitted.

“Breakfast? Are you hungry?”

“What?” she asked.

“Let’s talk over breakfast. My staff is here; beignets are coming out of the oven. What do you think?”

“Now I know I’m in love,” she joked.

He gave her a sly smirk. “Me too.”

“Wait!” She sat up, alarmed, and looked around in utter disbelief.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“Yes! No! Yes!”

“Dolly? You aren’t making sense,” Lucio said.

She blinked, squeezed her eyes shut, and then reopened them. “I can… I can see!”