STEFANO {Published/Sample Only}

41

My eyes were up on the clock on the far wall, listening and watching each tick with bated breath. The voices at the table had faded out a while ago; I was letting Luca take the reigns, hoping he'd wrap the meeting up and get us the fuck out of here.

I'd been waiting for today for what seemed like years and now I was trapped, forcing fucking laughs and smiles while flashing my eyes to the signed contract on the table- trying to get Luca's fucking attention to end this meeting.

"Stefano... Stefano!"

Fuck... I whipped my head back towards the table, all of them staring at me. "Great." I pushed back in my chair, slowly rising. "I'll get finance to wrap up the remaining paperwork and we'll see..."

"Stefano..." Luca growled. "Mr. Suthers and Mr. Lee were asking about the company's projections for next year... sit your ass down."

"Oh..." Fuck, I'd completely tuned them out. "Romano Investing's valuation has gone up 22% this year, while we're expecting 37% next year. As for the market, our internal analysts are..."

Suthers' hand shot up, stopping me. "Stefano's right, we've been here all day. How about we table this, get all the paperwork in order and then we'll regroup for a strategy meeting in a few weeks."

Thank. Fucking. God. "Great!" I jumped up, hand out, shaking each of theirs before automatically swinging to Luca's- shaking his. "Shit." I dropped my hand, meeting his glare- eyes half squinting. I was gonna get the drug talk again.

"Let's celebrate!" Suthers boomed, grabbing for the boardroom door. "SL Holdings is now in the hands of Romano Investing and I expect big things."

"Romano's are known for big things!" Luca roared back as Suthers greeted someone outside, taking off, with his team following out behind him. But Luca stopped, turning around to face me, blocking the door.

"Thanks for joining us today, for the few hours you were actually fucking present."

"I... knew what was happening." I pushed past him, stepping out to the hall, seeing the suits huddled around... Tony.

"Giamatti!" Luca pushed past me now, hand out to shake Tony's. "Jesus your fucking everywhere."

"Our office is in the same building," he laughed back, eyes drifting to me, nodding over with a smile. "I hear there's a celebration in order. Let's grab some drinks, get this party started."

Not for me. "I'm out, gotta get back to the city. You guys enjoy." I started for the elevators, hearing the shuffles behind me.

"Wait!" Tony screeched, and I looked over my shoulder, realizing he was right behind me. "You're part of this Stefano, come on- a few drinks never hurt."

I flashed my eyes back to the guys who were now huddled around Luca, distracted and laughing about something. Then I looked to Tony, lowering my face to be closer to his. "I can't, I've got to get back to the city!" I slid my phone from my pocket, checking the time. "I'm already fucking late."

"Oh come on!" He rolled his eyes, lifting his hand to my arm, but I shook him off, flashing my eyes right back to the guys behind us as he continued. "You just closed a major deal, let's celebrate! The city can wait."

I lowered my face some more, whispering. "He's here... I can't."

He shook his head, sighing. "I can't is here? In New York?"

Yeah. Finally. "His flight just landed."

Tony opened his mouth to say something then promptly shut it, dropping his gaze to the floor before looking back up. "I... I... thought he refused to fly out here."

"He had, but when I cancelled my trip for this meeting he changed his mind and booked a flight out."

"That's..." He laughed under his breath, shaking his head side to side. "Just... fucking... great."

"It is!" Really fucking great.

"But surely you have time for one drink..."

"I haven't seen him in almost two months- I'm not wasting any fucking time! I've gotta go!"

"So you're going to rush off and sweep him off his feet."

"And right onto the bed. Lots to celebrate tonight. And like I said I'm not wasting any fucking time."

"That's... that's..." His teeth clenched, the words eking out. "Really... fucking... great."

Yup! I straightened, jamming my thumb against the elevator call button while throwing my other hand up to grab the guys attention. "Enjoy the night, have a drink for me. Ciao."

The drive took forever. Our car was staying with Luca so I had to take a dirty ass cab, sitting in here for an hour already, suffocating on warm recycled air, nasty green tree car fresheners hanging everywhere, and a driver who reeked of cigs.

Then finally, finally, I could see my building, and the lack of cabs pulling to the curb in front of us. There was no sign of... him. Him!

I threw the door open, every thought in my head suddenly gone, every smell wiped away, every beat of my heart ten times fucking stronger than the last, and every breath that much weaker.

It was a sprint, body bolting, the pit of my stomach churning, chest heaving, mouth watering, lips swelling- pouncing to the wall of my building that he was standing against. "Baby!" My hands were up, flying to his perfect face, capturing him against the bricks. "You're here."

"I am," he breathed back, bushy lashes flashing up, those hazel eyes- dark tonight, peeking out from under them. The best fucking eyes I'd ever seen.

"Fuck, I missed you." I sank my forehead to his, noses brushing, both of us inhaling the breaths the other was exhaling. "I'm not gonna fuck up, I won't hurt you again. This trip will be different, you'll see." I stretched my lips to his, realizing his were quivering, no- fuck- those were mine- mine were quivering, desperate. My whole body was trembling, collapsing against his, the bristles on our cheeks locking, lips sealing- then his tongue- breaking the seal- entering my mouth.

It was black, pitch black- I was blinded, attacking like a wild fucking animal, unhinged. It was sharp, bricks scratching my palms, deeper and deeper, the harder I pinned him to the wall, the sharper the cuts. Ridges and bulges, rough denim pounding into my suit, my body pounding right back, deeper and deeper, fucking through clothes. It was wet, sloppy, his tongue plowing my mouth, drilling in and out, while my lips devoured his, swallowing his whimpers, his groans, his fucking pleasure. "Inside..." I yanked my lips away, biting at his neck, inhaling his fucking scent as my hands slid from the sharp wall down his arms, finding his clammy, shaky hands and weaving my fingers through his, squeezing them as I rubbed my pants into his one last time.

"Mark..." I dropped my head to his shoulder, the darkness slowly clearing, the people around us- all staring- coming into focus. "Oh fuck..." I pulled away, barely able to fucking move, to hold myself up- lips swollen, just hanging- dick swollen, just hanging. "In... side..."

Shit, breathe, shit... I took a step, regaining my balance- meeting the wide eyes of the doorman who was slowly pulling the gate open. And I looked back over my shoulder, Mark still molded to the wall, wincing as he arched his back away from the brick, reaching for his bag as his eyes flashed to mine, his own swollen lips curling up into a smile- following me into my building.

It was black, pitch black- skin against skin, my hands running over the fresh scratches covering his back, my teeth biting over his lips as he gasped, whimpered, moaned. I held him tight, naked bodies entwined, my back against the bedroom wall, letting him capture me. And letting nothing but the friction milk us, no hands, no mouths finishing the job- just two bodies so fucking close that each rub, each grind was fucking destroying us. "Shit..." I slid my hands down his back, cupping his ass, thrusting hard against his cock while smashing my lips deep into his. "Fuuck... fuck... I love you."

It was a show, like the fountains in Vegas, his and mine, perfectly choreographed, shooting streams into the air- I could almost hear the fucking music playing. This. Him. This. Fuck. I could watch the world go down in flames but I'd be good, as long as I had this body against mine, these lips kissing mine, and this man in my arms.