Forbidden Attractions (Book #2)

10. delirium

HER POV

       I stared out at the beautiful ocean view. I rested my arms on the concrete balcony and let the evening breeze fan my face.

       There was no honking of cars, no cuss words flying around and the mixture of savory street food scent was no where to be found. I closed my eyes trying to imagine myself in the place that was miles away.

       I tried hard to vividly imagine the good memories. A pair of strong arms gently wrapping themselves around me, the familiar touch gliding over my milky white skin as I leaned into it. The slightly cold breeze, replaced by warmth and comfort. My safe place.

       "Samantha," I could hear his voice whispering my name into my ear before gently nibbling on it.

        "Brian," I mumbled but then it was gone. His warm embrace vanished with the wind and I was left to face reality. I opened my eyes and realized it was all in my mind.

       I locked my arms over my chest, rubbing my arms as a lonely feeling consumed me.

       I could not help but wonder what he was doing at this moment. Would he be at his office working on his next project? Would he be in bed sleeping in like we used to do on weekends?

       My face sunk into my palm with a saddened pout. At times like this, I wish he would be here to cheer me up.

       "The fall weather is beginning to be felt," Caterina's voice caused me to jump back in surprise. She bit back an amused smile as she walked over to me.

       "You know, my brother is planning to take us all back to Italy before the snow begins to fall," Caterina informed. "He feels that it will be safer for us there. He is just waiting to close the deal with Mrs Zamora and we will be back home."

       I looked back at the landscape with a frown. I thought I had more time. Once, we go to Italy it will be impossible to escape Dante. That is if he chooses to not stick to our agreement.

       "It has already been a month," I noted. "Do you still think there is a possibility I can leave this place... leave him?"

       Caterina followed my gaze toward the beautiful scenery in front of us.

       "The real question is—do you want to leave him?" Caterina asked back with a raised brow. "I saw you two at the banquet and that hate you say you have for him was all of a sudden gone."

       I thought back to the moment she was referring to. Yes, in that split moment all the the bad things that happened between Dante and I vanished, but it was just for that split second. Even if I wanted to forgive Dante, I knew I couldn't forget. The nightmares of his actions still haunted me.

       "The love I once had for him, i-it's gone now," I confessed. "There is someone new my heart yearns for. The man that pulled me out of the darkness Dante buried me in."

"You never told me what his name was," Catherine looked intrigued to find out more about the new lover of mine.

"His name is Brian," I told her. "I met him at this club I would frequent and one thing led to another and I ended up the next morning in his apartment. I was going to leave things at that, but he was very persistent and eventually I gave into his charm."

I tried to spare her the unnecessary details. Particularly, my hobby of seducing and then stealing from men at that club. Or the fact that I worked at a strip club after leaving Dante.

"He is also a very talented photographer and reminded me of my love for modeling," I smiled at the memory.

       "Shall we capture this beautiful moment?"

       I shrugged with a nod. "Why not?"

       I pulled the sheets up to my bare chest and looked at Brian who was now dressed. He took a few steps back and aimed the camera lens at me. I leaned onto the wall and stared seductively at the camera.

       "You're a natural," Brian complimented.

       "He brought me peace when all I had experienced was hardship and pain," I added.

       "It seems like you miss him a lot," Caterina looked at me with a sympathetic expression.

       "I do," I smiled sadly as I tried to hold back the tears.

       Every time I went to bed I imagined his arms wrapped around mine and he left a trail of kisses from my shoulder to the sweet spot behind my ear. It felt so real, but I always awake to find the side next to me empty. He was like a ghost now, only visiting me in my dreams.

       "Ahem," we turned to Dante who cleared his throat to catch our attention. We looked at him wondering how long he had been standing there.

       "It is starting to get cold," he said as he scratched the back of his head nervously. "Come inside, dinner is almost ready."

       We walked into the large library and Dante laid his blazer over my shoulders. He gave me a smile before kissing my forehead gently.

       "I had them prepare your favorite dish, amore mio (my love)," Dante kissed the back of my hand. "Ratatouille accompanied by the best Italian wine."

       "Thanks," I replied as we walked toward the dinning room. Caterina walked after us as we made our way down the staircase. I forced a smile as we reached the dinning table where my sister, Alessandra and Derek were already waiting.

       All my favorite dishes were being set out by the maids along with my favorite champagne and wine. Dante looked at me to see my reaction. I gave him a small smile of gratitude.

        However, no matter how much he tried, it would not change the fact that my feelings for him were gone.

       At least I hoped they were.

Author's Note
Hola my lovelies! Happy Wednesday! So, I have been noticing that Sam hasn't talked a whole lot about Brian so I wanted to add this small chapter to show that she hasn't forgotten him. It is also time for her mixed emotions to start to dual. What do you guys think is happening with Brian? Let me know in the comments. Thank you all for reading. I will see you on Friday with the final chapter for this week!
Xoxo, Liz 💋💋💋