Page 14 of Bianca's Choice

He takes the ice and I walk over to the bar and pour him his favorite glass of scotch, and bring it to him.

“Thanks,” he says, then drinks the shot down all in one gulp, then rests the glass on his thigh as he looks at the fire burning.

After it’s been quiet for far too long, I break the silence. “I called your mom tonight.”

He looks up at me. “Really?”

I nod. “I was getting worried. You’ve never been gone that long before.”

“We haven’t talked much about my job, but I promise I’ll tell you more in the future. After…”

“After you tell me why you had to go to Madame Lilith.”

His eyes snap to mine, studying me. “Who did you talk to?”

“I told you, your mom. She didn’t really tell me anything, just that she knew I had a reason to be at the auction, just as you did. What was that reason, Stefano?”

“You're not going to like it,” He sighs.

A pit forms in my stomach. “Try me.”

“A week before the auction my father called me into his office and told me if I wanted to take over for him, I needed to get married, have a family. Something about it settling me and keeping me sane. I hadn’t been with a woman in years and the women who were around weren’t the kind of women I could make a wife. I might not have been looking for a wife, but I knew what I wanted if I ever met her.”

“And that brings you to Madame Lilith, how?”

“She runs an escort service. A lot of my men use her services and I heard talk of her auction. I knew if I ever made a woman my wife she’d need to be pure. I couldn’t be with someone who had been touched by another, it would have driven me crazy knowing someone else had touched you. I hoped one of the women she was auctioning would be wife material.”

“So I wasn’t special then, just a virgin who hadn’t been touched by another?” I ask, ready to throw up.

“God no, I knew as soon as I saw your picture you were mine. I only had eyes for you. Only bid once, your final bid. Now answer my question, why were you pissed earlier?”

“Are you serious?” I ask.

“Dead serious.”

I shake my head. “I thought I was just a game to you, that you were playing with me until you got bored and moved onto someone else.”

“What the fuck, Bianca. Why did you think that?”

I shrug my shoulders. “You said I couldn’t leave until my obligation to you had been met. There was a time limit to our time together. How could I ever think this was going to be something permanent?”

Stefano runs his hand down his face. “I’m such an idiot. I just wanted more time with you, so you’d fall in love with me.”

“Well your stupid plan worked.”

Something changes in the way he’s looking at me. “Come here.”

“Why?”

“I need to show you something,” he says.

“What?” I ask walking over to where he’s sitting.

He grabs my hand and pulls me down so I’m sitting in his lap. “How much I fucking love you,” He says before spearing his fingers into my hair and pulling me in for a kiss.

“You love me?” I ask staring into his dark, intoxicating eyes.

“So fucking much, Beauty.”

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