Page 70 of The Sound in Silence

He does but a strange look enters his eyes and he lowers his arm slowly, almost in awe. “You’ve never squirted before, have you?” When I shake my head, he curses. “I can see why this would be alarming to you then. Well, let me ease you—” He reaches for my hips, somehow managing to lift me over most of the mess and off the piano. Once on my feet, he cups my face, staring into my eyes until I believe his next statement. “You are a goddamn dream come true, Ariella. A dream I didn’t even know I had. Now come,” he drops his hands to take mine, “let’s get you cleaned up.”

I follow him out of the room, but a quick peek back at the piano has me yanking on his arm to pull him to a stop. That’s twice now I’ve come and I still haven’t seen him undressed. Felt him between my legs, sure, but not beyond that.

Stealing my hand from his, I quickly grab my phone from its location on the piano bench, shooting him a text as I walk back to his side.

Me

What about you?

He smirks, looking up from his phone after reading the text. “Believe me, thatwasfor me.”

Erico

Caladin drops his feet from my desk after I basically shove them off. He’d come here earlier this evening, figuring the drive from here to the country club is closer and with the news he had to share, it was simpler. For him anyway, as that’s what he’s claiming.

The event’s at a country club owned by theFamiglia, one of our legal businesses purchased at the demand of my mother. She claims the beachfront property is the ideal location for celebrations such as tonight, and since most of the guests are flying in from other parts of the country anyway, she’s not concerned with a convenient location.

“Anything on Evan Brown?” Ariella’s ex-boyfriend’s name is laughably simplistic. Like his parents despised him. It was easy enough to find her school records, her graduating class, and from there, anyone she had previous ongoing conversations with.

Caladin rolls his eyes. “Yeah but not until you explain why I had guys searching for him. He was herhigh schoolboyfriend. Dude, that was how many years ago? Obsessive much.”

I level my glare at him. “Just answer my question.”

“Answer mine.” After a long stare from us both, he rolls his eyes again and concedes. “Whatever. Yeah, we found him, but he won’t be any help to you. In the couple years after high school, he was picked up for dealing a couple times. No charges really stuck for too long. Seemed a lot of community service or week-long stints in jail. One day, neighbour called something in, and he was found OD’d in his bed. Guy’s dead.”

“Well, isn’t that a shame.” In truth, I’d have enjoyed doing him in myself, but if he’s no longer breathing, then that’s good enough for me. Saves me from taking time away from Ariella to kill his unfit ass.

“Gonna now admit what he did to warrant you hunting him?”

“When they were dating, he hurt her in a manner of speaking. Wasn’t great with her.” It’s one thing to not appreciate a woman’s dominate nature, like he obviously hadn’t with Ariella, but it’s another to force her to the bed by her throat and take it howhewants.

“Well, shit.” Caladin whistles. “I take it all back then. I get why you wanted him found then.”

Glancing at the time on my phone, Ariella’s bound to be nearly ready, so I lead him from my office and down the hallway toward the entranceway to wait for her.

My cousin skips behind me. “Hey, nice job on the races, by the way. Three back-to-back wins. Damn, I bet two out three on you, but all three!”

I sharply turn so the dick almost runs into me. “You bet I’d only win twice? Asshole. You deserve that loss.”

My voice must have carried to upstairs because a flash of colour enters my peripheral vision and there she is, standing at the top, making Caladin’s comment matter less. So much, he’s no longer a thought on my mind.

Nothingis a thought on my mind. Nothing but the vision walking toward me.

Donned in a slim, shimmering, purple dress that catches in the overhead crystal’s lighting, it garners all my attention. It’s held up by two thin straps that lay on each shoulder, and the top is cut into a V, highlighting the slight swell of her breasts, alongside the diamond necklace. The dress falls right to the floor, the peep of silver heels preventing it from dragging on the ground. Her hair is up off her neck in an elegant bun. I wonder if she did that herself and where she learned to do it. Earlier, I offered to hire a hairdresser to come to the house, but she waved me off.

The closer she gets, the deeper her blush, but shemustrealize she has no reason to be self-conscious. Not when she’s a fucking vision. And the reason behind my private shopper’s raise.

A firm slap to my back tries to interrupt my unyielding stare. Death itself wouldn’t make me look away from Ariella though.

“Dude, tongue back in your mouth. You’re drooling. Quite unattractive for someone of your old age of thirty-one.” When I’m about to shove my cousin through the door, he shoulders me aside and dramatically drops into a bow as Ariella lands on the bottom stop. “Mrs. Rossi, you get prettier every time we meet.”

She smirks but her eyes find me, which makes my cousin’s antics less irritating.

Caladin notices too and with a dramatic pout, he straightens. “Fine, fine, I got the hint. Meet you two in the car.”

“Back seat,” I holler after him. He replies with a loud laugh

Once the door’s shut and Ariella and I are alone, I’m able to fully appreciate her. Unabashed and without a pesky voice over my shoulder.

---