Page 24 of Sin and Seduction

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Dante’s family ballroom is a fairytale come to life. There are crystal chandeliers everywhere, and both the walls and floors are made of stone. There’s a piano in the center of the ballroom with a man playing melodic tunes as well as waiters running around with trays of champagne and food. I lean over and whisper into Gabriela’s ear.

“This is more than just a dinner and a small gathering, I think,” I say nervously, and she chuckles.

“Mama doesn’t understand the word small. Not really her style.”

“I can tell,” I say as Dante walks toward us.

“I need a drink. I’ll catch up with you in a little. Don’t be nervous; enjoy some attention for once,” Gabriela says to me with a wink before she disappears into the crowded ballroom.

Dante stops before me with a shadow of a smile before leaning down to kiss the side of my mouth.

“As much as I want to make a mess of you right now, I figured I’d be a gentleman and let you keep your lipstick intact for a bit longer.” He says darkly, making me blush as I reach up and grab his arms, my face near his neck.

“How courteous of you,” I whisper breathlessly.

He pulls back with a smirk and grabs my hand, spinning me into the center of the dancefloor with him.

“This may be our engagement party, but between you and I, we’ve yet to have our first dance as husband and wife,” he says into my hair as he pulls me to him and begins moving us across the dancefloor.

It never occurred to me that Dante would be a great dancer. He’s so Stern and business-oriented that I guess I’ve never had the opportunity to witness him having a good time. He’s more than a good dancer; this man is whisking me across the floor like a professional like it’s natural. Of course, he would be great at it. What isn’t he great at?

The music slows, and as the song ends, my husband leans down to kiss my cheek. He pulls back, and I see a dark shadow cross his features before his hand wraps protectively around me. He pulls me to his side as a group of men walk toward us. They are older but perfectly in shape and well-groomed, much like everyone else here.

“Ah, Dante. A pleasure to see you after all this time,” says the man in the center who now is shaking my husband’s hand.

He has salt and pepper hair that’s slicked back and a shaved face. His eyes are a chocolate brown, and even though they should be inviting looking, they have me on edge. This guy is powerful. I can sense it pouring from him.

“And your future bride. Esmeralda, right? A pleasure to meet you.” He leans down to press a small kiss on my hand, and it makes the hairs on the back of my neck raise. Dante pulls me closer to him as the man steps away.

“Paolo, it’s good to see you. How have things been back home?” Dante asks, his voice low and not all too inviting.

“Eh, things are well. However, you would know if you would take the time to check in with your boss now and then. Though I guess things have had you... preoccupied lately,” Paolo says as his brown eyes lock with mine.

I stand tall and offer him a tight, fake smile. This must be the man Dante’s father worked for. Which means Dante works for him now, instead. What I don’t understand is why he doesn’t look or sound Spanish. His accent is thick and almost...Italian sounding.

“My apologies. I’ll be sure to check in more now that things have settled down,” Dante says, and Paolo nods, his eyes still on me.

“Indeed. I heard of your triumph with Juan Carlos. Have you had any luck in contacting his boss?” Paolo asks.

“Not at this time, though we have a lead and an inside that will lead us to him shortly,” Dante says, and Paolo nods slowly.

“I see. Well, no need to ruin the night with business talk. We have much more time for that this week. Please, enjoy your evening together. You have quite the life ahead of you now,” Paolo says with a smile, nodding his head at me before disappearing into the crowd.

“What was that about?” I whisper to Dante.

He doesn’t look down at me, just stares after Paolo when he speaks.

“That was my boss giving us his version of congratulations,” he says

“I see. He didn’t sound Hispanic.”

“That’s because he’s Italian,” he says with a smirk.

“How is that possible?” I ask, and he shrugs.

“Because he was born in Italy, I guess.”

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