The Proposition (Hush Hush Duet #2.5)

Chapter 5

Five

I forgot how much I love a full glam makeup routine. Feeling extra pretty and seductive, I bronze my cheeks and brush them with a light coating of mauve blush. All I have left is to line my lips red. Men love red lipstick. I lean forward and adjust my false lashes then use the pad of my pinky to swipe away the eye shadow dust above my cheek. I went with a smokey Cleopatra eye, wanting to embody the goddess of disguise. Valentina is a sexual illusion. Full of dark desire and craving. But she comes with a price, and her fee is how I live out my fantasies too. The thought of two men owning my body for the night so they can do whatever they want wets my panties. I’m turned on just thinking about them manhandling me. Demanding I do what they please.

My palms are starting to sweat. Reaching for the travel-size perfume, I spritz Miss Dior all over my body, making sure to add a light squirt between my thighs. I place the bottle down when my cell phone rings. I see Natalie’s name and swipe to answer her FaceTime call. She smiles and sits down on a high-back chair that resembles a chaise lounge.

“ Hi Valentina ,” Natalie says, her deep voice resembling a man’s. “Wow. You look gorgeous.”

I smile. “Thanks. I feel gorgeous.” The tension in my shoulders loosens. “I’m so glad you called. I could use the distraction.”

“Perfect timing. Where’s James?”

“He’s down at the hotel bar with Reece.”

“Good. So we can talk before they get there. Are you excited?”

“I can’t tell what I am. Maybe anxious. I’m nervous to see Reece. I mean, I see him occasionally, but never for a rendezvous. This is different. Then I wonder if things will be different the next time we see each other. Like awkward.”

“Has it been weird between the three of you since that night?” she asks.

I tilt my head to the side, musing over her question. I think back to all the instances I was with both James and Reece and how everything seemed completely normal.

“No, actually, it hasn’t.”

“Everything will stay the same. There’s no reason for it to change. Since you’re already pretending to work for Madame Christine again, take a shot of vodka before you get started like you did back then. I’ll take one with you.”

I eye the liquor bottle on the private bar in our bungalow room. “Good idea.”

“You’re going to have so much fun. I want the details immediately. I can’t believe James is into sharing.” She nods with her chin. “Show me your outfit.”

Standing up, I untie my silk belt on the long satin robe I’m wearing and show her my two-piece, deep-purple lingerie outfit.

“They’re going to eat you alive.”

I beam a huge smile at her.

“I may buy something like that just to fuck with Luca. What heels are you going to wear?”

Picking up the designer heals from the white shelf they sit on, I hold them in front of the camera. Natalie leans in. The pointed stiletto is wrapped in black satin, and the back of the heel is covered in crystals and gemstones. One can’t go wrong with Badgley Mischka pumps.

“Love them. Leave them on until the night is over. What are the rules?”

“Reece can’t orgasm inside of me.”

She shrugs like it’s a reasonable rule. “What about your mouth?” she asks.

I chuckle but then pause. Blinking, I say, “He didn’t say no to that. I told James I’d swallow them both.”

Natalie yells in excitement, her eyes wide and large. “You sick biddy. I love it. Can he touch you anywhere?” she asks. “Kiss you?”

I nod. “Not much is off-limits,” I say.

“No wonder James was a member of Sanctuary Cove.”

I chuckle under my breath and pour a shot. “I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“Yeah, but my Natalia days are over for good.”

“Do you miss it?”

“No. Despite all the shit talking I do about Luca, he keeps me grounded. He’d kill me with his bare hands if I ever tried anything like that. Could be fun, though.”

I gasp dramatically. “Who are you, and what have you done with Natalie?”

“Did I hear you say my name, wife?”

I watch as a real smile spreads across Natalie’s face at the sound of Luca’s voice. Her entire face lights up. I wonder if she’s even aware of it. Natalie giggles this time.

“No. I wasn’t talking about you,” she lies. “Get out of my room.”

“No,” Luca counters.

“Wait. You have your own room?” I ask, my brows bunching together.

“Oh, yeah. I need my space,” she says but doesn’t look at me as she does. Natalie’s eyes are trained on Luca’s. They’re twinkling. It’s so cute seeing her in love, even though she’ll never admit she is. “It was part of our arranged-marriage agreement.”

“What did you do?” Luca asks.

“Nothing.” But she says it too quickly.

“Then why would I need to strangle you?” Luca says, his voice growing closer.

“If I wanted to bring another man into the bedroom, you’d strangle me for asking.”

Silence permeates in the background. Natalie’s smile grows bigger, and her blue eyes stand out. Luca starts speaking in Italian. Then says, “That is because no one touches what is mine. And, my love, there is no other man who can satisfy you the way I can,” Luca says confidently in broken English.

“Is that a challenge?”

“Natalia” is all Luca says. He says her name like it’s a warning, and it does the trick because she changes the subject.

I chuckle quietly to myself. Luca is from Italy. Natalie is Natalia there. Her past is part of her present.

“What?” she says innocently, knowing she’s far from innocent. “Have a shot with Aubrey and me,” she tells Luca. “We’re celebrating.” Natalie stands to walk with the phone. She places it on a counter like I did and then sets up her shot glasses.

“If I have a shot, then you have to kiss me.”

She gives him a droll stare then drops her eyes to look at the phone. She exhales a dramatic sigh. “The things I do for you,” she says, as if it’s a hardship.

I smile, grateful Natalie is a ride-or-die best friend. “You’ve done worse for yourself.”

She raises a brow and the corner of her lip at the same time. “True.”

“Is there a bar in your room?” I ask, curious, looking at her background. I just realized she didn’t leave her room to get alcohol.

“A bar for both coffee and cocktails. I even have a mini fridge so I never have to leave my room.”

I bob my head, impressed. Natalie hands Luca a shot glass in the shape of a skull.

“I give her a castle, and she acts like a prisoner.”

Natalie puckers her lips at Luca in response.

Luca shakes his head. He isn’t playing around. “No. I want to kiss my wife. Give me your tongue.”

Her eyes light up with delight. “That’s going to require two shots,” she tells him. “You didn’t stipulate that the first time.”

“Negotiating? That is fine, my love, but you better be prepared to handle me after.”

Natalie turns back to the camera and smirks. Luca peers around to the phone and waves at the screen. I smile, greeting him.

“What is the celebration for?” Luca asks me.

Realizing she can’t tell Luca about my party-of-three secret, Natalie gives me a fleeting look before she says, “Aubrey is going to a nude couple’s spa for swingers.” She lifts her shot glass. “Liquid courage.”

My eyes widen in shock. Natalie is so serious that Luca stills. Of all the lies she could have come up with, she goes with that. His perplexed stare makes it a struggle not to laugh.

He peers cautiously at me. “Your husband is okay with this?”

I catch the aversion in his tone, but it doesn’t bother me. “It was his idea.”

Luca pulls back and stands tall. “I do not understand Americans,” he says. “All you need is one good lover.”

“Speak for yourself,” Natalie tells him.

“I speak for you too,” Luca says quickly. His eyes lower. He speaks Italian, and Natalie raises her glass.

“Ready?” she says.

Natalie counts down, and we all three take a shot together. I grimace from the awful taste. It’s been so long since I’ve drunk straight vodka that I’ve grown to dislike the liquor. I’m partial to cognac now because of James. But vodka was part of my ritual in becoming Valentina. I swallow thickly, and a cringe follows. The hair on my arms rises.

“ Salute ,” Luca says then turns toward Natalie. “Come see me when you are done so I can claim my prize.” He puts the glass down, swoops in to give Natalie a quick kiss, and then walks away.

I catch the faint sound of the door clicking shut. “You love to get under his skin, don’t you?”

Her eyes twinkle with trouble. “It’s my favorite part of the day.”

I chuckle, but my heart races in anticipation. It’s almost showtime. I’m a little anxious since I didn’t think I’d be doing anything like this ever again, but there’s a part of me that’s excited to explore James’s fantasy together.

Knowing James wants to see another man’s hands on my body has me eager for this night to begin. He’s possessive, and I know deep down it makes him hard with envy. I’m going to lay it on thick and be a seductive temptress that’ll make him crave me. My thighs rub together just thinking about it.

“Twenty minutes before they’ll be here. I want to freshen up and get dressed. I’ll text you when it’s over. I’m already starting to sweat,” I say.

“Normally I’d say spit or swallow, but something tells me that tonight you’re going to only swallow.”

I giggle. “Now it really is just like the old days.”

“If I don’t hear from you the moment Reece leaves, I’m going to turn into the stepdaughter from hell for you.”