Chapter 8

"I noticed you were very thoughtful today, Ale. Are you feeling okay? Did something happen?" Clara asked, concerned, as she saw her sweet companion being particularly quiet and distracted that day. "I'm fine, thank you for asking," she smiled half-heartedly. "I couldn't sleep well last night, that's all," she replied in a neutral tone, taking a bite of sushi. Throughout the weekend, she couldn't get out of her head the indecent proposition made by her boss's brother, and she wondered if she should talk to Vittorio about it or just stay quiet. But the worst part and what tormented her the most was that she felt like a real idiot for experiencing a strong attraction towards him, despite his boldness towards her. Of course, she was not willing to be just another conquest. "Has a guy stolen your thoughts?" the dark-haired girl suddenly inquired. Alessandra unconsciously blushed. "No, no, of course not," she denied immediately, coming to mind a pair of grayish-blue eyes. Clara laughed at putting her on the spot. Her reddened cheeks gave her away. "It seems to me that there is a guy who has taken your breath away and you don't want to tell me," she winked. "Well, yes, there is a guy I like, but nothing important, in fact, I hardly remember him anymore," Alessandra lied to get out of the predicament. Under no circumstances did she want anyone to discover what she was starting to feel for Dominic Lombardo, the most womanizing and boorish man in all of England. "Ok. I'm sure you'll soon find one who takes your breath away here." "Anyway, I'm not in a hurry, if he wants to find me, whoever he is, because I'm not going to look for him", she shrugged. Both laughed. The door suddenly opened and Alessandra lost color when she saw him there, standing before them, as imposing as ever. She had been praying all morning not to see him and in the least expected place, she found him. "Mr. Lombardo " the dark-haired woman stood up surprised from her seat " Can I help you with something? " she asked. " Alessandra also stood up by inertia but did not look at him. "I know your lunch hour is not over yet " he explained, glancing at his fine gold watch " But I need you to help me with something important " he added with an impassive voice, directing his gaze at the chestnut-haired woman." "Of course, whatever you need." "Come with me " he ordered seriously. Clara dashed out of the small cafeteria, while Dominic stayed for a few seconds mesmerized watching the beautiful woman with gorgeous hair in front of his eyes, who clearly avoided looking at him. Good Lord in heaven! How he loved her, he was dying to be near her, to feel her, to touch her skin, she was like a magnet that attracted and enveloped him more and more each day. He desired her, damn it. Alessandra watched as he turned around and walked away without saying anything, she sighed in relief and sat heavily on the chair, covering her face with both hands. Her body was trembling, her face was burning, and her hunger had completely disappeared. She dried her hands and stood there, motionless, pensive, disturbed by the flood of sensations she was experiencing. A familiar scent suddenly filled her nostrils and the sensation of a presence alerted her. She was about to turn around to see if there was anyone else inside, but she was surprised by the hands that suddenly appeared in her field of vision. There was one on each side of her waist, not touching her but pressed against the small marble countertop. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was. She swallowed hard and slowly turned between the strong arms that held her captive. Their bodies didn't touch, just barely grazed each other, but they were too close. They could feel each other's irregular breathing. Their eyes met, making her even more nervous than she already was. Those eyes had her lost, they were fascinating, everything about him was, his presence, his gaze, his demeanor, his scent. He was mesmerized by the intense shine of her greenish and transparent gaze, so much so that he fell silent once again. The feminine perfume enchanted him and he felt the crazy impulse to kiss her again. What he didn't understand was what was holding him back. Why was he acting like this? They stood there, looking at each other in absolute silence, very close to each other. Dominic shifted his gaze to her slightly parted lips and wanted to devour them, possess them, cling to them, and kiss them until they were spent. "Miss D'Santi, have you thought about what I told you? About my proposal?" he whispered seductively and hoarsely, not taking his eyes off her luscious lips. That question was like a bucket of cold water for Alessandra. That simple question brought her back to reality. She escaped from the spell of his blue eyes and the arms that had her cornered, heading to the table where she had previously been sitting. She needed to stay away from him to think clearly. "I have nothing to think about, sir," she replied with an impressive confidence that disconcerted the magnate. She was annoyed. He furrowed his brow, as he always did when something displeased him, and turned towards her in frustration. "I don't understand your little game. What's so fun about playing hard to get when in the end, you're going to give in to my request?" "And who told you I'm going to give in to your request? I didn't give you any reason to think I would accept something like this. What made you think I would agree to something like this?" she asked, offended, crossing her arms. Dominic's phone began to vibrate insistently in his pocket. He cursed under his breath for the interruption, annoyed, he took it out and saw the name of the person calling reflected on the screen. He looked at her sternly, turned on his heels while answering the phone, and with great elegance, he left, leaving a girl annoyed, indignant, and without an answer. "Alessandra, can you come to my office for a moment, please?" Vittorio said on the phone. "I'm here right now, sir." "I need you to take these documents for Dominic to sign, please," the blonde asked once she was inside the office. She tensed up, however, she didn't show it. "Of course," she said, taking the documents he offered her. He nodded with a half-smile. He acknowledged that Alessandra was a beautiful woman, very beautiful and intellectual, he already knew that his brother was after her, just by seeing the way he looked at her every time he had her in front of him, to realize, what a pity that he was already interested in someone else, his thoughts had an owner, if not, he wouldn't let the opportunity pass. He just hoped she wouldn't succumb to Dominic's charms, he wished that a woman would finally manage to make him fall in love and give him what he deserved, the list of women with broken hearts because of him was almost endless. With her nerves on edge, Alessandra headed towards the president's office, her pulse quickening even more when she didn't see Clara at her desk and realized she would have to deal with him directly. Her hands were sweaty and her legs felt like jelly as she knocked on the door, but no one answered. She knocked again, but still nothing. Starting to feel desperate, she decided to knock a little louder. Seconds later, she heard the magnate's voice, in a very strange tone, authorizing her to enter. Once inside, she was met with a very clear and obvious scene. There was a blonde, tall, slim, and very beautiful woman standing to the side of the office. Out of the corner of her eye, Alessandra noticed how the woman tried to discreetly adjust her crimson dress. Her lipstick was smudged, and her hair was slightly disheveled, seemingly unaware of her appearance. Then, her eyes landed on Dominic. She noticed his flushed face, not from embarrassment, but clearly from what he had been doing and was obviously interrupted. He tried to appear calm but failed miserably. He was standing behind the back of the chair, giving the impression that he was hiding something, probably a major... major flaw in his pants that would only further expose the situation. His tie was slightly askew, the items on the desk were somewhat disorganized, and the image of the woman with her legs open for him on that surface disgusted him. "Idiots, degenerates, shameless..." she thought.