Page 53 of The Leader

“My grandfather was admitted to the hospital today. I would like to go visit him tonight.”

“No.”

It was as if a vice constricted around her heart. “No? That’s it? Just, no?”

“No.”

That one word crushed her and left her heartbroken. “I’m starting to understand how you earned the name Black Ice,” she whispered.

If she thought the comment would phase him, she couldn’t have been more wrong. He continued his dinner, as if she hadn’t spoken a word.

Unable to sit at the same table with him, she rose to her feet and left the room.

Counting on his sympathy clearly wasn’t going to do it. It was time to call in the big guns. She went into her home office and called Tess.

“Hi, Jaz, haven’t heard from you in a while,” her friend’s cheery voice sounded. “Need me to ground some more bad guys for you?”

“Hi, Tess. Nothing like that, but I do need some info on someone. A slimy someone.”

“Ooh, I like the sound of that. How slimy are we speaking here? The kind you want me to dig up dirt on and send his ass to a galaxy far, far away, as in, to prison by an anonymous tip? You know I can find anything on anyone,” she boasted.

No matter how dire the situation, Tess always managed to make her smile, and put in aStar Warsquote. “I just need to know that this person is still far, far away from me. As in, ‘on another continent’ far away.” She gave her Marco’s name and some basic information.

“On it. I’ll get back to you ASAP.”

She was going to have to be the reasonable one here. So, her plan was simple. Marco was in Monaco, or somewhere else in Europe, living the good life. She was going to make Gio promise to not take any action against him, and then show him proof that Marco hadn’t entered the States in over a decade. It seemed like it was the only way she was going to get out of this damn golden cage.

The next morning, she woke up to Gio’s hand gently grabbing her chin, turning her face to him. Then his hand trailed down over her body. Over her breasts, kneading her mounds, but not giving any attention to her treacherous nipples that had already sprung to life. From there, it continued its journey to her belly button, dipping in it, after which, it went to her special place. Her hot core that was already wet and burning for him.

All the while, they were silently laying next to each other, his face studying her. Him on his side, her on her back, panting, as his fingers reached her core.

She couldn’t help herself. She spread her legs, giving him more room to wreak havoc on her body, make the magic happen.

But even in her lust-induced mind, she had to keep this real. She wasn’t the type to lead anyone on, least of all him.

“I’m not going to suck you off or ride your dick,” she said, putting her foot down. He had to know what he was in for.

He didn’t react. He just pushed two fingers inside her, pumping them ferociously, as the pad of his thumb drew circles around her mound, making her shudder.

This was crazy. They were both in bed, covers tucked up to their waists, barely saying a word as Gio fingered her. He kept up the pace, going faster by the minute, harder, deeper; oh so deep.

She bit her bottom lip, determined not to make a sound as she got off. Yes, it was petty, but he enjoyed her being vocal in bed, and he didn’t deserve to enjoy this. This was for her. She’d earned an orgasm after all the stress he had put her through, damn it.

Her back arched when he pressed all five fingers inside her, and a violent quake moved through her, making her collapse into a quivering heap.

“You are so beautiful in your passion,” he said softly, finally breaking his silence. “How can you expect me to stand by and let harm come to that?”

With those words, he rolled out of bed, leaving her body behind, satiated, but her mind all the more clouded.

That afternoon, Tess called. Marco Rossi had boarded a plane to San Francisco in the morning.

CHAPTER 26

GIO

Never before had Gio cared about what others thought of him; apart from his family, that is. He knew his reputation and name in the cutthroat real estate world. Black Ice. No one had ever dared to call him that in his face, or even mention the nickname in his presence. Jocelyn’s remark had cut through him like a knife. Not because he was hurt by it, but because it was at that point he realized how much he hurt her by keeping her basically imprisoned.

Something had to give, and he feared that if he didn’t find a solution to their impasse, for the first time, that might be him.

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