Chapter 11 - Maxim

Her eyes glitter in the soft restaurant lighting as she looks over at me. There is a softness in her face that I have not seen before, and even though there is no one else with us, she appears to have dropped that cold attitude she usually blocks me with.

“Um, how is business going?” she asks, looking a little shy, perhaps because I was staring at her for too long.

“It’s going well. My brothers and I make a good team.”

“Business fascinates me. How things fit together, and the way you can change growth just by changing the patterns in which you move.”

“You studied business economics at university, didn’t you?”

“I did. I loved it. Apart from the fact that it was so interesting to learn so much, I also really just enjoyed being away from home, in my own space, doing my own thing.”

“That”s the time you really learn who you are as an individual, isn’t it?”

“It is. I love my father, he is the most amazing man, but he can be a bit overbearing.” She laughs lightheartedly. “It was nice to spread my wings a bit, learn about the world and meet new people.”

“What did you plan to do with your studies?”

“Oh, well, I mean, um, before I got called back home, I was already planning to start my own business. I wanted to go into consulting. I have a sort of a gift where I can see the big picture of things, how they operate. So I wanted to offer my services and knowledge to companies who need to be restructured or have things improved. But I guess it wasn”t meant to be.” She shrugs.

“Why not?”

“Well, because of—the marriage. I had to come home.”

I laugh and squeeze her thigh lightly. “Chiara, just because you got married does not mean you have to put your own dreams aside. You can be anything you want to be. In fact, the benefit is that you have someone on your side now to support those dreams.”

“Really? I thought mafia wives weren’t supposed to work,” she chuckles, still sounding nervous, but I can see she is enjoying the conversation.

“And who made that rule? And even if it was, who says we have to follow all of the rules?” I grin and tilt my head to the side, narrowing my eyes.

“I never was too fond of rules,” she grins back.

“I noticed. You have a knack for disobeying them.” The grin on my face is suggestive, a hint at what happened in the changing room earlier. An image flashes through my mind of how she looked in that bikini.

“Well, perhaps all I needed was for someone to…make me…obey the rules.”

“Mm.” A low growl rumbles through me, as my cock stirs as the idea of making her do things I want her to do.

I pour us each another glass of wine and Chiara giggles at her joke. I chuckle, watching the joy on her face. She seems to be a completely different version of herself tonight. She is relaxed and playful and flirting nonstop. There is no resistance, and her walls are broken down.

Perhaps the wine has gotten to her a little, but she doesn’t seem drunk, not in the slightest. Something has changed, though. I won’t question it—I”m just going to enjoy it.

I have gotten to know more about her tonight than in the entire time we”ve been married, and the more I know about her, the more I want to know.

“You know, when I was little, my grandmother once made us garlic butter snails and I was absolutely horrified. Literally horrified. I could not have imagined a more disgusting thing to want to eat,” she laughs.

“And? Did you like them this evening? You only ate one.”

“Well, I thought now that I”m all grown up, I should at least try.”

I grin at her, waiting for her verdict.

“I was right; they are horrible.” She laughs loudly, and I shake my head, laughing with her.

“You need to try them again, with a little chili sauce, or pepper. I”ll make them for you at home, my way, and you”ll see the difference.”

“I think they belong on the list with the liver.”

“No, not a chance. Promise me you will try it when I make it. If you still don’t like them after that, we”ll put them on the list with the liver.”

She rolls her eyes dramatically. “Fine, I shall suffer through that promise. Once last chance.”

“Did you enjoy everything else?”

“Everything else was amazing. In fact, I think I ate more than I should have. It was so good, I didn’t want to stop tasting it.”

“Well, I am just happy that you look so happy. This is what I want for you, Chiara.”

She looks at me, her expression shifting, something more serious hidden behind her eyes. For a while, she just watches me, and I stay quiet, letting her thoughts on whatever she”s turning over settle.

“Maxim, tonight was special,” she says quietly.

“It was,” I agree.

Just as I am about to lean forward and kiss her, the waiter arrives to clear our plates away.

“Can I get you two anything else? The desert menu, perhaps?”

“I can’t take another bite,” Chiara giggles.

“We are ready to leave. Thank you,” I say to the waiter.

Outside, the driver is waiting, and he opens the door for us as we walk toward the car. We both slide into the back seat.

The city lights, bright and colorful, flash past the window as we head home.

Chiara turns her face toward me, looking relaxed, a cute grin on her face, and her cheeks dimpled in the way I love.

She shifts closer to me, and my heart pauses.

She leans over me, and her fingers wrap around my neck.

Then she presses her mouth onto mine, and for the first time, she kisses me.

It is such a gentle gesture, and her kiss is so slow and intimate, that I can barely focus on anything else.

I slide my hands over her body and pull her onto my lap. She straddles me, and her kiss becomes more heated.

My body is ready to erupt, desperate to have her as I taste the sweetness of the wine on her lips. I run my fingers through her long hair and pull her head back, trailing kisses over her neck. She sighs softly and presses her hips against me. My cock responds instantly, growing hard against her, so she rocks her hips back and forth, teasing me to the edge of sanity.

Her lips return to mine and her fingers run up the back of my head, sending shivers down my spine. I grab her ass and lift myself against her. All I want to do is tear her clothes off and fuck her in the back seat of the car.

She giggles, and her soft laugh is so sexy, playful and naughty.

The more intense the moment becomes, the more I feel guilty about the fact that she”s had a few glasses of wine.

I know she isn’t drunk, but how can I know for sure that she really wants this?

All the way home we play with each other, getting closer to doing something I don’t want to force on her. It”s becoming more impossible to control myself, and I need to. I need to stop this.

The driver stops outside the house, and it”s the moment I desperately need in order to pull myself together.

We adjust our clothing and climb out of the car. Chiara grins at me and wraps her fingers through mine as we walk towards the front door.

Inside the house, my minds screams, telling me to take her. To do whatever I want with her—that she wants me, too.

But I can’t.

I pause in the hallway, and she turns to look at me. Her eyes narrow, unsure about why I”ve stopped.

“Chiara.” I swallow hard.

“Mm?”

“I know you have had a few glasses of wine tonight, and as much I would love to—I want to be with you, but I don’t want to take advantage of you. When we”re together again, I want to know that it”s because you want it as much as I do. I don’t want you to wake up in the morning and regret it or kick me out of the room as soon as it”s over.”

Her eyes lock into mine, watching me closely for what feels like the longest time.

Then she nods, seeming to understand how I feel.

“I think it”s best if you go to your own bedroom alone, for tonight,” I say with regret.

She nods again, and her fingers slip out of my hand. I can see the disappointment on her face.

But I can’t just let her walk away like that. Not after the most amazing evening. So I reach out and pull her back toward me, pressing her against my body, and kiss her again. Slowly, sweetly, with no other intentions behind it.

When the kiss ends, I whisper against her ear, “I had the most amazing night tonight. I hope you sleep well, and I will definitely be dreaming of you.”

The smile on her beautiful face imprints in my mind, and when she turns towards her own bedroom, I can see she is still smiling, and I feel good about my decision not to follow her.

I watch her, until she is out of sight, then I make my way to my own bed.

My body is aching for her. I have no idea how I managed to gather enough strength to not be with her tonight, but I also know that I want to do things right.

I climb into bed, without showering, because I can still smell her on my skin, and I don’t want to lose that. I feel like we”ve made a breakthrough somehow. I am not even sure how it happened, but I feel so close to her, like I am really seeing her for the first time.

I toss and turn, as my mind taunts me with the idea of going to her room.

I can’t. But I also can’t sleep with all of this tension in my body.

I roll onto my back and close my eyes, letting my mind drift over the memory of her against me, and the way she tasted.

I push the door of the changing room open and she jumps in fright.

“You can’t be in here, Maxim,” she says angrily.

“I told you if you disobeyed me again, there would be consequences.”

I step closer to her, my body pressing against hers as she backs up against the wall. The tiny bikini she is wearing hardly covers anything at all. “There is no way in hell I would let you wear this in public,” I snarl, pulling the thin strings. They snap lose and the bikini top falls to the floor, revealing her beautiful, round breasts, slightly pale compared to the rest of her tanned skin.

I run my hand over them, and she tries to push me away.

I grab her wrists and pin them against the wall above her head.

“When will you learn to obey me, my love?”

“When you make me,” she purrs, arching her back and pressing her hips against my already throbbing cock. A deep moan rumbles through me, and I run my hand over her waist, lifting her leg to wrap it around me. My fingers trace across the warm, soft skin of her thigh, toward her pussy.

I run my hand over her bikini bottom, feeling the heat between her legs.

She purrs again and lifts her face towards mine. Her lips brush over my mouth, teasing me.

I lean harder into her, my mouth pressing against her as I slip my fingers beneath the fabric of her swimwear and slide them inside her.

She moans and rocks her pussy against my hand.

“This belongs to me,” I say, pressing my fingers deeper into her. “You belong to me.”

She lets out a little whimper and closes her eyes. My cock is so hard it”s threatening to tear the fabric of my pants.

I slide my fingers out of her and pull my belt loose. She watches me with hungry eyes as I unzip my pants and my cock springs free.

Her breath catches in her throat, and I grip my cock in my hands, rubbing it over the fabric of the bikini.

Then I grab the thin string, tying it to her and rip it, letting it fall to the floor and leaving her naked, her beautiful body pressed against the wall, trapped beneath mine.

I lift her with both hands cupped under her ass cheeks, and she wraps her legs around my waist, her arms around my neck.

“If you”re a good girl, I”ll let you feel my cock inside you,” I whisper against her ear, and I feel her entire body shudder against mine.

“I promise I will be good,” she breathes.

“Tell me what you want, my love.”

“I want your cock inside me.”

I press my hardness against her pussy.

She holds her breath, waiting tensely.

I push into her, my cock slowly penetrating her, and she lets the air out of her lungs as relief rushes through her. She wants me so badly.

I begin to thrust into her, pressing deeper and deeper each time as her pussy clamps over my cock.

I pull her legs wider open, moving faster, thrusting harder.

She lets a short cry escape her lips, a muffled attempt to stay quiet in this very public place.

I can’t hold back anymore. I start fucking her so hard that she digs her nails into my back, the pain searing through me and adding to the pleasure.

She begins to shake and buries her face in my neck to soften the sounds of her moans.

Then her pussy clamps onto my cock tightly, and pulses as waves of her orgasm rush through her.

I thrust into her again, even harder, and explode my own pleasure into her.

I sigh in the darkness of my bedroom as my body finds release and some of the tension of the night fades away.

It isn’t enough, though. I still want her, but at least I have some control back, and I might be able to fall asleep tonight.