Kara's POV:
I rushed in my room, dragging Hannah behind with me. I hopped in the shower while she rummaged through my wardrobe. I turned the water on, scrubbing my body hard, making sure I didn't smell like a slob. I shaved my legs and used a scented body soap to lather my skin before rinsing off and getting out of the shower. I wrapped my body in a towel, wiping the foggy mirror. That looks better.
As I walked out of my bathroom, Brooke was laying down on the bed, giving a thumbs up or thumbs down to every outfit that Hannah displayed.
"Brooke, you can't go meddling in my love life. You can't even spell the word yet," I groaned, joining her on the bed as she smiled innocently at me.
"Yes I can," she grinned.
"L....O...," I could see her eyes wandering behind my figure.
I turned around and saw Hannah's arms up, displaying the letters for Brooke. That little cheater.
"You cheeky little monkey," I sneered playfully, pinching her chubby little cheeks as she groaned.
"You have 10 minutes left mummy."
I sighed, turning to Hannah to see what she had for me. A royal blue dress with a halter neck that went down to the middle of my thigh, a light blue and white flowy flowery dress with puffy sleeves and lastly a simple black tight dress which hugged my curves with sheer long sleeves.
"The black one," Hannah and I said at the same time, "jinx."
We giggled at each other as Hannah dabbed on a bit of foundation and mascara, keeping my look natural and light. I brushed through my hair with my fingers before tying it up in a simple low ponytail, pulling a few strands to frame my face.
I heard someone knock on the door as Brooke jumped off the bed, dashing out from my bedroom to answer the door with Hannah trailing behind her. I hurriedly placed some simple sliver studs in my ears and a sliver necklace around my neck. I looked myself in the mirror, taking a deep breath in. Breathe, it's just dinner.
Taking one last look at myself, I walked out of my room. I stopped in my track as I saw Hannah holding her infamous bat in her hands, threatening Alessandro as he looked at her with a neutral expression, holding Brooke in his arms.
"If you hurt her, I'll wack you with this so hard, you won't be able to recognise yourself in the mirror," She sneered, "too bad, you have a pretty face anyways."
Figuring that it was time to save Alessandro from my crazy overprotective best friend, I walked down the stairs as he looked up in my direction.
"Hello Kara." He said, giving me a smile, making my heart skip a beat. How does one word affect me so much?
"Hi Alessandro." I replied, clutching onto my purse tighter.
"Shall we head out?" Alessandro said as he placed his hand out for her to hold.
"Yes let's go," I placed my hand in his, saying goodbye to Hannah, giving Brooke a kiss on her head, telling her to be good while I'm gone.
Brooke nodded her head enthusiastically.
"Bye mummy, bye Alessy," she giggled as Alessandro gave her a kiss on her head, letting her down from his arms.
I walked silently side by side with him as we headed towards his car. Instead of seeing the sleek black Bentley that Benjamin drove around for him, his midnight black Bugatti was parked in her driveway, shinning brighter than the stars above. Alessandro opened the door for me like a gentlemen as I slid in, putting on my seatbelt. He jogged over to the driver's side, unbuttoning his suit jacket before getting in as well.
He leaned over towards me, getting real close and personal. What is he doing? My body went into overdrive, my palm sweating as I tried to keep my breathing steady. He reached behind me, tugging lightly on the hair tie of my ponytail.
"I like it better down," he said simply, placing the hair tie into his suit pocket.
He secured himself with his seatbelt, putting the car into gear as it roared to life. I was mesmerised by the car itself. It was beautiful. I traced my hand along the threading of the detail, my eyes meticulously eyeing every spec of the beauty before me.
"You like this car?" He asked, his gaze still focused on the road.
"Who doesn't?" I said, facing him, "8.0 l W16 engine, horse power of 1,479 hp at 6,900 rpm, torque at 1,180 lb·ft at 2,000 – 6,000 rpm. This baby's a beaut."
We stopped at a red light as he turned to face me, amazement looming in his eyes. I shrugged, giggling to myself. I was my father's daughter after all.
"You know your cars," he said, with an impressed look on his face.
"You never fail to surprise me." He mumbled, turning back to the road as the light turned green, stepping on the accelerator.
Choosing to ignore the last part of what he said, I looked back out the window as we sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the drive. As I gazed out of the window, I noticed we were heading back into the city. He doesn't live in his office, does he? I don't think so. I admired the city lights and the peacefulness of the streets at night as it was completely different in contrast to the hustle and bustle during the day.
The car came to a stop as we reached a building. He got out of the car, tossing his keys to one of the valet men. He walked over to my door, opening it for me, giving me his hand as he led me out of the car. He placed a hand on the small of my back, guiding me into the building.
"Is this building yours?" I asked as all the employees in the lobby nodded their heads at him, making way for us as we walked past.
"Yes," he replied simply as we reached the elevator.
Alessandro's hand left my back as he leaned forward to the panel of the elevator. The machine scanned his eyes as the elevator started its ascension.
"Good evening Sir, welcome home." A voice sounded in the elevator as I jumped slightly in shock, unconsciously grabbing onto his arm for security. My sudden action caused him to look at me but he didn't remove my hand.
"Thank you Luca. Start up the fire place." I stared at him in shock. He's talking to a machine. What century are we living in?
"Yes Sir."
"Luca?" I asked, giggling at the name he chose.
"I've made quite a number of enemies doing business all these years. It's just for security purposes," he explained, "Luca Intelligence Corporation."
"Oh." I've heard about that company. It is the world leading company designated for artificial intelligence, serving world leaders and other important businessmen.
The elevator doors open as my jaw fell to the ground. His penthouse was beyond exquisite. It was fit for a king. Given the fact that Alessandro De Luca was technically the king of the business world, it fit him perfectly. My eyes trailed around the room, eyeing the chandelier hanging from the ceiling as the light reflected off the crystals, dazzling the room with beads of light.
"Wow, you live here?" I gasped in amazement.
He nodded.
"Fucking hell you're definitely loaded," I mumbled as my feet wandered around his house, moving on their own accord.
I felt his warm body behind me, his hand covering my mouth as my eyes widened in surprise.
"W-whh-," I tried to ask.
"No cursing tesoro," He said, still not removing his hand from my mouth.
Feeling a little bit cheeky, I stuck my tongue out and licked his palm. His hand automatically released my mouth as it wiped it off on his dress pants, staring at me in disbelief.
"Did you just lick me Kara?" He said with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Yes. You curse all the time." I rebutted smugly, changing the subject back to my cursing.
"That's different. You're too innocent to have those nasty words come out of your mouth." He said as his thumb reached out, gently rubbing against my bottom lip. My heart started racing, a tingly feeling creeping up my spine as my breathing went out of control. He looked down at me, staring right into my eyes for a moment, tension lingering in the air.
"Sir, dinner is served." Snapping out of our state, I backed away from him, folding my arms as he turned to the man who spoke.
"Shall we?" He said as I linked my arm in his as he led us to the dinning area.
We walked toward the balcony and I gasped as I saw the candlelight dinner that was set up for us. He pulled out my seat for me as I thanked him before settling himself down. I was in awe of the view in front of me, staring longingly into the sky.
The man from before came out with our first course, pouring out glasses of water for the both of us before leaving us alone. I twiddled my thumbs, nervous to be alone with him again. I picked up my fork and knife, trying to be as graceful as I could, cutting through the steak on my plate.
Alessandro picked up my plate in his hand making me almost drop my utensils, swapping his plate for mine. When I looked down at the plate, the steak he had in his was already all cut up nicely into bite-sized pieces. I whispered a small "thank you" before digging into the dish.
Once the tendon succulent piece of meat entered my mouth, I moaned in delight, closing my eyes and savouring its goodness. When I opened my eyes once again, Alessandro was stuck in a position, with his hand holding onto his glass tightly, turning white in colour.
"How's the food?" He asked, loosening his grip slightly.
"It's absolutely delicious," I replied, taking another mouthwatering bite.
"What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" I said, once I swallowed my food. I hated when people with their mouth full.
"What?"
"Brooke told me you called and wanted to tell me something."
"Oh yes," he said, wiping his mouth gently with a napkin, calling one of his employees to hand him a folder.
"The man we were supposed to meet in Singapore has sent me his report analysis," he handed me the folder, "I need you to run the numbers and make sure there's no discrepancies."
I nodded my head, taking the folder from him, looking into it briefly, examining the contents inside. I placed the documents back into the folder, setting it aside beside me, devouring the meal in front of me.
"Wow, you can eat alright," Alessandro stated.
"Is it a problem?" I asked with attitude. I hated it when men expect us to only eat salads when they go on dates with us. It was truly pathetic.
"Not at all," he replied right away, "in fact, I love it when a girl can eat as much as me. It's usually not the case in this day and age."
I blushed slightly, not expecting him to compliment my eating habits. It is funny actually, my mum used to call me a cow jokingly because I always cleared the fridge once I got home from soccer practice. Dad always said I had a black hole in my throat, once the food went in me, it disappeared into thin air. I was practically a hungry ghost.
"I want to take you somewhere." He said, standing up from his position, buttoning up his suit jacket.
I stood up with him, trailing behind him as he led us to a garden not so far from where we were at. We walked along the cobblestone pathway, lined with rose bushes, the sides lighted up with little bulbs. From my peripheral, I could see him taking small glances at me now and then, making me smile from end to end. Looking down at my shoes, I didn't realise he had stopped in his track until he gently tugged my arm, making me look up towards him.
"Let's sit for a while," he said, patting down on the seat beside him as he took off his suit jacket, placing it on the side of the bench.
"Thank you for dinner." I said, crossing my leg over the other.
"It was my pleasure," he smiled, "Your daughter is a real ragazza sfacciata."
"Huh?"
"Cheeky girl." I laughed, mentally agreeing with him.
"You don't even know the half of it," I grinned, "she's way too mature for her age."
"She has a soccer match this weekend actually. You should come," I looked towards him expectantly. I knew he was a busy man but I hoped that he could come for Brooke's sake at least. She had taken a liking to him alright.
"I'll be there." I smiled.
The fountain in the middle of the garden was beautiful, surrounded by statues with water flowing out, lightly crashing down. We were seated under an umbrella tree, well sheltered, having the perfect view of the constellations above. My eyelids drooped, as I blinked rapidly, trying to get the sleep out of my eyes. I let out a yawn, covering my mouth with my hand politely.
Feeling extremely tired, my right judgement no longer present in my mind, I made a bold action by leaning my head against his shoulder, closing my eyes fully. My body felt warm and secure, knowing I was safe with him around.
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Alessandro's POV:
We sat on the bench in my garden, comfortable in each other's presence, relishing in the moment when she leaned her head on my shoulder. I turned my head to her, looking at her peaceful calm face as she closed her eyes, her breathing slowed.
I kissed her forehead lightly as I picked up my suit jacket beside me, laying it gently over her body, keeping her warm. Deciding not to wake her, I continued to let her lay on my shoulder, enjoying her close proximity to me. Once she had fallen into a deeper slumber, I moved her head off my shoulder, placing my hands under her knee, lifting her up in my arms in a princess fashion.
I held her close to me as I moved into the house, walking up to my room and placing her on my bed. Deciding not to invade her privacy, I called one of my female employees to change her into one of my shirts and sweatpants.
I waited outside the room as I called Dante.
"Hello?" He answered, sounding like he had just woke up from bed.
"Dante, let Kara's friend, Hannah, know that she'll be staying the night at my place," I heard a crash from the other line, "I'll drop her off tomorrow morning."
"What?" I rolled my eyes. Dante can be so slow sometimes.
"I'm not repeating myself again fratello."
"Use protection! I don't want little Alessandro's running around just yet," I wish I could slap him across the head right now.
"Wait actually, I'm ready." He continued.
"Idiota, she just fell asleep in my house okay," I gritted my teeth, "Prendi la testa della grondaia. Goodnight fratello." (Get your head out of the gutter.)
With that, I hung up on him. My employee walked out of my room, bowing her head in respect. I nodded back at her before entering my room to see my tesoro sleeping soundly, curled up under the covers.
I sat beside her, my finger reaching out to touch her nose as she scrunched up her face, swatting my hand away. I smiled at her cuteness. I moved her hair away from her face as she purred in delight, cuddling more into the pillow.
"Goodnight tesoro," I kissed her head gently, rubbing my thumb against her cheek.
Deciding not to give her a heart attack when she wakes up and sees me next to her, I kissed her forehead once again before grabbing some pillows and blankets from my closet, moving to the adjacent room to sleep instead.
*****
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