Whether merely fantasy or not, I’d never been free of the hold he had over me.
As if he was the puppet master and I was dangling on several strings.
Refusing to take no for an answer, he gently removed my mask, peering down at me with hooded eyes. With one hand, he flexed his fingers, tenderly placing them on my face. As he rolled them down to my chin and neck, I closed my eyes.
I’d never had anyone perform such a sensual move.
“You’re much too beautiful to hide your face behind a mask.”
His words were so unexpected that when I opened my eyes, it was as if tears had formed. Maybe because compliments from men were very hard to come by. I clung to him, pulling myself even closer. With my head tilted, I debated whether to snag a kiss of my own.
I licked my lips in anticipation and as soon as I did, he gently but firmly pushed me away.
“We’re leaving.” His voice boomed above the music, the kind of stern tone indicating he wasn’t taking no for an answer.
“We just got here.”
“No, that was two hours ago. We are leaving.” I was shocked when he took my hand, parting the ways through the crowd with nothing but his intimidating presence. There were people who backed away far enough we had a wide path to walk through.
But there were eyes that lingered, watching our every move and as I’d done dozens of times when in New Orleans, the self-defense training my father has insisted I take kicked in.
I wasn’t frightened but cautious, and for a few seconds, I remembered why my family had every right to be nervous.
However, if the people watching us bothered the huge man with a firm grasp on my hand in any way, I couldn’t tell. Once outside, he slipped the mask into his pocket then let go of my hand.
“Where from here?” he asked.
“How about a quiet little bistro?”
He acted as if he was going to say no.
“Remember, you’re my date for tonight and it’s my birthday.”
The way he was staring at me should be considered disconcerting. He was sizing me up. Everything about him was very intimidating and he did so on purpose.
Yet I could see right through his invisible mask to the man craving as much about life as he’d captured I needed.
After another deep sigh, he nodded. “Fine, but the rest of the evening I will make the choices.”
“And what if I don’t adhere to your game plan?”
This time as he lowered his head, the evil grin I knew and loved returned. “Then you’ll learn about harsh punishment.”
Why was it his words created a wave of tingles?
CHAPTER 12
Donatello
What in God’s name was the woman doing?
Driving me absolutely crazy.
Maybe the better question of the evening was why had I already tossed out every bit of protocol, every nuance of training?
The answer was easy, far too much so.
Because of her.