The Italian's Innocent Mistress

Chapter Eighteen.

Unedited

She was shaking all over as she reached her room and, in total desperation, she bunched her hands into fists and knuckled them to her mouth, biting down on the whitened skin, welcoming the distraction of physical pain.

She finally allowed her legs to weakly give way beneath her, dropping back into the chair behind her. Well, she might not have anything else, but she had been left with her pride. And a lot of good that was going to do her in the months and years ahead!

Hot surge of tears blurred her view. Clamping her teeth together, she turned from the window and back into the body of her bedroom. No time to weep, no time to begin the battle to overcome the shock that left her coldly aching inside, no time to try to come to terms with, what she had heard. She would leave him, this forsaken place and never look back.

In the middle of her turmoil, she didn't even hear the door opened but she instantly felt his presence in the room like she had a six sense, she stood abruptly.

"Nobody told me you were home already."

So she shrugged, just a little, maintaining a veneer of cool collectedness at enormous cost to her mental equilibrium. "I just came in."

"Join me in the swimming pool."

She forced herself to turn and face him then, her head rigidly high, her tongue feeling dry, too large for her mouth, as she dragged the words out, "No thank you. I'm tired."

"Now cut the crap, cara. What's going on?"

"I want to go back home."

"Did something happen? Is Theresa okay?

"Nothing happened. And yes she is."

"Then why." He took a step towards her and she recoiled.

"Don't touch me."

"I left a willing woman this morning on my bed. So tell me what really happened Bellissa."

Her throat constricted sharply. She wanted to scream out loud, to strike at him with her fists. The nails scored the palms of her hands as she fought for control. She said steadily, "I got my sanity back. That what happened."

"So you're telling me if I kiss you now you won't respond."

There were tears inside her, aching inside her chest, scalding her throat, burning behind her eyes, but she couldn't shed them yet. Straightening up, clamping her tumultuous feelings firmly back in place, she met his gaze unblinkingly "You're living proof, Leonardo that practice makes perfect." She shrugged. "In fact, you could probably get a response from a block of ice. Is that what you want to hear?"

He said harshly, "what I want to hear, is you begging me to take you, cara. Just like you did last night." Without prior warning he caught hold of her shoulders and turned her round before she had a chance to struggle. A hard kiss crushed her mouth, then she was free, and the sound of his brief laugh echoed in her ear. "Keep on lying on yourself, cara. You want me and I could take you if I want you. But be damned I won't beg you. So goodbye."

He strode out of the room and slammed the door shut left Bellissa stood there trembling with dismay of her own traitorous body.

When she awoke the following morning to pale sunlight filtering through the curtains, Bellissa thought at first it had all been some wild, preposterous dream. Dragging herself from the bed, she went mechanically through the morning ritual of bathing and dressing. She had put on a simple emerald dress and flat sandals grabbing her small luggage she packed yesterday and made her way downstairs. Her plane was leaving at ten, according to what Mario had informed her last night and one hour before would do to arrive at airport.