The rest of the drive was ridden in silence, giving me time to hatch a plan to get back at him.
We passed by many farms, vineyards, and acres of land before finally coming up on the most beautiful estate I've ever laid my eyes on.
The entire mansion was surrounded by giant green sequoia trees. To the side of the massive structure was a cute mini pond and in the back was a garden filled with colorful flowers of all sizes. As we drove up the paved driveway, a grey granite water fountain with a family crest carved in the middle of the stone came into view. The fountain was surrounded by recently trimmed shrubs creating the perfect square with the fountain placed right in the middle.
Nathaniel parked the car in the parking garage beside the mansion before strolling over to open my passenger door.
"When did you get manners?" I scoffed exiting the sports car.
"Nonna," Was all he said as I followed him to the entrance of the grand palace.
"Benvenuto, a casa, signore!" A few landscape workers called out to Nathaniel as we walked by. (Welcome home, Sir! ) He nodded towards the men but said nothing, as usual. The closer we got to the entrance, the more nervous I became.
What if his family is like him and doesn't like me? I always thought of myself as a likable person, but what if I was wrong? These types of thoughts circled my brain up until the front door opened, revealing a short beautiful old woman who looked to be around her 70's. Her long shiny black hair cascading down her fragile-looking shoulders was streaked with grey causing a peppered effect throughout her locs. She, too, had the same striking blue eyes as Nathaniel and Stella, which clearly ran in the family. Her features resembled Stella's with her high cheekbones and rosy cheeks that matched the color of her small lips.
"Oh, mio bellissimo nipote quanto mi sei mancata moltissimo!" She gushed, embracing Nathaniel's massive figure into her tiny arms. (Oh, my beautiful grandson, how I have missed you dearly.)
"Matteo si è preso cura di te?" Nathaniel asked, gently kissing the woman's cheek. (Has Matteo been taking good care of you?)
"Si si, and who's this beautiful young lady behind you? Girlfriend, yes?" She asked through a thick Italian accent, shifting her attention towards me.
"Oh no, Nathaniel's girlfriend is back home," I smiled, stretching my hand to shake hers. "I'm Anastazi Faye, Nathaniel's business partner; it's a pleasure to meet you."
Instead of shaking my hand, she pulled my arm and embraced me tightly, just as she did Nathaniel. The smell of her sweet floral perfume instantly made me feel relaxed and at home. "Call me Nonna," she said with a warm smile. "It's pleasure to meet you." I could tell we would get along perfectly.
"Paffuto, you no tell me you have girlfriend in states," Nonna scolded her grandson as she welcomed us into the mansion.
"I have no such thing," he answered, glaring down at me.
Inside the manor were large white pillars lined up on either side of the wall adding to the first floor's open concept. The mansion was very Victorian like with its tan walls and red wallpaper with splashes of turquoise. Two sets of wooden spiral staircase wrapped around the entrance leading to the second floor while various family members' pictures were littered on almost every house wall, which was definitely Nonna's doing. Maybe when I get time alone, I'll find a few of Nathaniel's old pictures.
"Come, come I show you to room, breakfast will be ready soon," Nonna informed us, leading the way up the staircase and into a wide hallway. We passed by many rooms before stopping in front of a set of large white double doors.
"Grazie Nonna," Nathaniel said, pecking his grandmother's cheeks. She nodded then smiled at me before leaving us alone. (Thank you.)
"So, where's my room?" I asked as he opened the doors revealing the inside of the master suite. A huge king-sized bed sat in the very center of the large room. To the left of the bed was a white leather sectional with a coffee table placed in front of it, and on the opposite side were doors leading to the walk-in closet and master bathroom.
"This is your room," he stated, as if that was an obvious answer.
"Then, where's yours?" I asked, not understanding.
"Here."
No fucking way. "I let you kidnap me all the way to fucking Italy; I deserve my own room," I protested, crossing my arms against my chest.
"You're in my house, so you'll abide by my rules," he growled. "I don't trust you to be alone, which is why you'll be staying with me."
"You can't fucking do this."
"Watch me. Nonna left spare clothes in the closet for you; breakfast will be ready at 10:00 AM, be down then," he conveyed before closing the doors behind him.
"Fucking asshole!" I yelled in frustration, throwing my purse against the floor.
When I think I can't hate him any more than I already do, he goes and pulls something like this. Desperately needing to clear my head, I walked to the bathroom and yanked off my clothes to shower. There were about five different nozzles to choose from, all having different water pressures; it took forever to find the right setting to go with, but once I did, it was all worth it. The warm water pellets unloosened every knot in my back from all the stress I've endured over the months.
By the time I got out of the shower, my skin was already starting to prune. Wrapping the soft towel around my wet body, I went into the closet to find the clothes that were left for me. The options were very minimal, which is why I settled with the only dress available. It was a beautiful yellow flowy dress that fit my curvy figure perfectly, stopping above my caramel knees.
I don't know if it was the shower that made me exhausted or the jet lag, but my body felt totally drained as I stepped out of the closet to check the time. Sitting on the nightstand was a clock that read 9:15 AM, giving me more than enough time to take a short nap before going downstairs for breakfast.
~
The feeling of someone pushing me over a cliff in my dream caused me to jump out of my sleep. I rolled around lazily to look at the time, and to my utter horror, it read 6:00 PM. I had slept through breakfast, lunch, and almost dinner. Why didn't anyone wake me up? A pang of guilt stabbed my heart, knowing I missed out on the breakfast Nonna had prepared for us. Stretching and smoothing out my hair and dress, I slowly walked down the stairs only to be hit by a savory aroma that filled my nostrils.
Dishes ranging from meatloaf to freshly baked apple pie were all lined up along the dining room table. I didn't realize how hungry I was until my stomach began growling from looking at the delicious food in front of me.
"Nice of you to join us," Nathaniel said, eyeing me head to toe as I walked into the dining room where five unfamiliar faces awaited. Accompanying him and Nonna at the table were two females who looked to be around my age; one resembled a stripper while the other looked the exact opposite.
The female sitting to the left of Nathaniel had platinum blonde hair with a face full of caked-on makeup; the dress she wore was so revealing a two-piece bathing suit would've done a better cover-up job.
The other woman wore a beautiful long floral dress and had minimal to no makeup; her short black hair stopped just before her jaw, giving her a youthful look.
Along with the woman were three very handsome men; two looked as if they just left from a business meeting, while the third was dressed in skinny jeans and a fitted polo shirt.
The man sitting at the head of the table had long black hair pulled into a tight, low ponytail, and unlike Nonna and Nathaniel, the man had green eyes, much like the other two guys. The other stranger at the table had ash brown hair, while the man sitting beside him had striking blonde hair. Given their apparent differences, they all looked as if they were somehow related to each other.
I ignored Nathaniel's snide comment and turned to Nonna. "I am so sorry I missed breakfast," I began, twirling my finger around the end of my dress.
"Nonsense," she waved her wrinkly hand. "I told them no wake you up, but you're here now, so come come, let's eat."
I nodded, grateful for her understanding, and took a seat beside Nathaniel remembering my plan would only work if he was next to me.
"Aren't you going to introduce us to your girlfriend, Nate?" The black-haired stranger sitting at the head of the table asked.
"Don't start with your nonsense Antonio" Nathaniel warned lowly.
Antonio flashed a bright smile and held his hands up, surrendering. "I'm only asking what everyone else is thinking."
"I'm Anastazi Faye, Nathaniel's business partner," I informed the company sitting before me.
"Ah, so not Nate's girlfriend," Antonio noted, standing up and placing a kiss on my outstretched hand.
"Definitely not," I laughed.
"Welcome to the family," the blonde-haired man wearing the causal clothing said happily, giving me his best smile.
"Thank you..?"
"Luca," he answered before I could ask his name.
"Thank you, Luca."
"No problem."
"I'm Giovanni, and this is my girlfriend Maria," the brown-haired man announced, wrapping his arm around the female sitting beside him, rocking the bob cut.
"And I'm Rosetta," the stripper next to Nathaniel finished with an attitude.
"Nice to meet you all," I smiled, acknowledging everyone except Rosetta.
"Now, you all know each other; let's eat!" Nonna rejoiced, handing each of us beautifully decorated plates with matching utensils. We all piled our plates with the delicious food in front of us before the interrogation I anticipated began.
"So Anastazi," Antonio started, swallowing a mouthful of lasagna. "Tell us about yourself."
I chewed on my pasta slowly before answering his question. "There's really not much to tell," I began as I dabbed the corners of my mouth with my napkin. "I was the CEO of Faye Industries until my father died, leaving me his mess to clean up, but thankfully Nathaniel here came to the rescue, and now he's helping me build my company back up," I smiled as my hand crept up to Nathaniel's thigh.
Just as he was getting ready to speak, I palmed his thick manhood with my hand and started to stroke it through his pants causing him to snap his mouth shut and stiffen. Like I said, two can play at this game.
"Tell them about our plans Nathaniel," I teased, continuing my movements underneath the table.
"There's nothing to talk about," he rasped as his hand shot out and gripped my wrist- a silent warning.
"He's just being modest," I laughed, rolling my eyes at Antonio as I wiggled my hand out of his iron grasp and cupped his balls through his tight pants suit. Nathaniel jerked forward at my sudden movement, earning himself a few odd looks from the guests in front of him.
"I think what you're doing is great, Nate," Luca beamed, ignoring his strange behavior.
Nathaniel tried to speak again but was cut off by the sensation of my fingers slowly massaging the tip of his now hardened shaft, making it twitch with pleasure.
"What did you say?" I asked innocently, meeting Nathaniel's murderous glare. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid of what was going to happen the moment he had me all alone to himself. If I die tonight, I will die a happy woman, knowing I left the infamous Nathaniel Creed speechless.
"Excuse me," he growled, dismissing himself from the dinner table.
"Paffuto, where you think you going?" Nonna asked her grandson as he moved towards the spiral staircase, trying to conceal the tent in his pants.
"Forgive me, Nonna," he apologized to his grandmother before turning to me. "Come."
I shook my head and popped a piece of Nonna's mouthwatering homemade garlic bread in my mouth. "I'll be up after I eat."
"Now," Nathaniel demanded through clenched teeth.
I smiled and looked straight into his beautiful blue eyes as I said, "No."
His eyes flashed red at my disobedience, furious he wouldn't be able to get his hands on me until I was away from his family. I blew him a kiss to rile him up even more before turning back to my meal.
The rest of the dinner was spent with Antonio and Luca, taking turns asking me more questions about myself while Giovanni and Maria sat there listening. Nonna soon took over, telling us stories about her childhood giving my voice and brain a well-needed break. I eventually found out that the three men are indeed brothers, which makes them cousins to Nathaniel.
Rosetta, the stripper, is just a family friend that Nathaniel dated off and on, which explains why she disappeared as soon as Nathaniel left. After dinner was over, Giovanni and Maria were the first to leave, and an hour later, Luca and Antonio followed.
"Nonna, let me help," I offered, as I watched the sweet woman pack the leftover food into containers. I was also trying to buy myself more time before going up and facing Nathaniel's wrath.
"Nonsense, your guest, I'll pack, you go," she insisted, shooing me out of the kitchen.
"Are you sure?" I asked, hoping she would change her mind.
"Si, Si, you have good night Tesoro," she said, giving me a tight hug before pushing me in the direction of the staircase. (Sweetheart.)
I sighed reluctantly and slowly made my way up the stairs, debating whether I should run while I can. The second my foot hit the top step, a large rough hand clamped around my mouth, muffling my anticipated scream.
"Strike two piccola volpe." Nathaniel's gruff voice whispered in my ear as he dragged me into a dark room, locking the door behind him. (little vixen.)
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