Resisting The Tycoon's Seduction (The Berutelli Escape) (2 page)

“School,” Sierra replied with a bored sigh.  “I just wish Dad would have let me take calculus this term.  It would be so much more fascinating than taking yet another literature class.  I hate reading.  What’s the point?”

Marissa laughed softly, knowing her sister’s math abilities were nothing short of brilliant.  “What was on the agenda today?” she asked.

“Voltaire,” Sierra said, shivering with revulsion.

“Voltaire isn’t so bad,” Marissa came back, smiling at the memory of how much she’d loved reading Candide so many years ago.  “He’s actually funny occasionally.”

Sierra’s response was only a roll of her eyes.  “Calculus doesn’t need to be funny to be interesting,” she claimed. 
They talked about their plans for the future, how Sierra wasn’t sure what she wanted to do but she definitely wanted to study something math related.  Marissa had her own business, but it wasn’t something she could share with anyone but her sister.  They’d kept many secrets from their father over the years and would continue to do so as they figured out how to get away from their father’s iron control.  The only reason Marissa was still living in her father’s house was to protect Sierra.  Marissa didn’t want to consider what their father might do to Sierra if Marissa were to leave.  He had a bad temper and took it out on anyone nearby. 

Three days later, Marissa stood by the pool, a cool glass of lemonade in her hand as she surveyed the crowd that had come to party at her father’s house. 
She hid the boredom and irritation behind a serene expression, hoping her father wouldn’t demand that she interact with any of his cohorts. 

“They’re all pretty loud, aren’t they?” Sierra observed, standing next to her sister with a glass of iced tea.  Neither sister drank any kind of alcohol because they’d observed this scene too many times.  The men crowded around the bar, each of them vying to get the attention of the many bartenders working any event.  The beer and whiskey were poured out like water with each man trying to show the big boss, namely their father,
that they could handle their alcohol. 

Marissa glanced around the crowd, letting her eyes move over the men without interest.  But as her eyes scanned for an escape, they were
unexpectedly caught by a tall, dangerous looking man.  A man she had prayed never to see again in her life! 

And he was staring right back at her.  Those dark, mysterious eyes were watching her, causing her to wiggle because she now felt like some sort of bug under a microscope.  When his eyes dropped lower, she could sense exactly what he was thinking and she actually hated him for that.  When his gaze focused on her chest, she couldn’t believe it when she felt her breasts actually tighten,
that obnoxious tingling starting up again, even more intense this time around. 

“What’s going on?” Sierra whispered
, her worried eyes looking at her sister’s arrested expression.  “Tell me what’s happening!” she demanded when Marissa just continued to stare at the man. 

Marissa heard the panic in her sister’s voice and took a deep, calming breath. 
“Nothing,” Marissa finally replied.  “Nothing at all.”  When she was able to pull her gaze away, she realized that her hand was shaking.  She put her lemonade down on a table and started walking towards the kitchens, needing an escape from the man’s intense and knowing gaze.  “I’ll be right back,” she explained to her sister.

She hurried through the house, eager to get away from this scene.  She knew her father would be furious with her, but at this point, she didn’t care.  She’d deal with his anger later. 

She’d just reached for her purse when her cell phone went off.  Digging into her purse, she pulled it out while grabbing her keys and walking towards the garage.  The party was still going strong as she raced through the living room and glanced down at the window, praying that one of her friends was letting her know of an emergency that would require her attention.  But the words she saw on her small screen made her come to a screeching halt. 

“You’re wearing the pink set aren’t you?” she read.

Looking up, she glanced out of the large living room windows, her eyes colliding once again with the one man she was trying to get away from.  He was still standing exactly where she’d seen him before, but he was looking directly at her.  From her position in the living room, she was actually closer than before and she gasped when he winked at her, the knowing smile coming across loud and clear. 

She was glad she was far enough away that he couldn’t see the blush spreading acr
oss her cheeks.  Because yes…she was in fact wearing the pink lace bra and panty set.  She actually loved the crystal that was right now dangling between her breasts, making her very aware of her femininity and of the impact this man had on her. 

She watched with increasing panic as he walked off of the pool patio and
unswervingly through the living room doors.  When he was standing directly in front of her, it suddenly occurred to her that she should have run away.  Why in the world had she just stood in place while he approached?

“What are you doing here?” she asked.  The overwhelming feeling
she had around this man seemed to be anger, but there was a very real sense of disappointment that he was doing business with her father. 

“Your father invited me.”

She wasn’t sure what to say, wishing that he would just turn around and walk away from any business ventures with her father.  She wanted to urge him to find legal ways of doing business and, more shockingly, she wanted to help him with those legal avenues, keep him from this side of the business. 

The overwhelming sadness and disillusionment were threatening to choke her.  She had to get away quickly. 
“Well, I’m sure that you need to hurry off and finish whatever…business, you have with my father.  If you’ll excuse me,” she said, not even bothering to look up at him.

He caught her arm, holding her in place.  “What just happened?” he asked softly, looking down into her suddenly sad, brown eyes.  “One moment you’re ready to tear off my head for being so rude to you, the next you look like you’re ready to cry.”  He stepped closer, his finger coming up to touch her cheek gently. 

Marissa wanted to pull back, but he held her firmly.  “I just…” her voice cracked and she cleared it before starting over again.  “I don’t associate with my father’s business partners.”  She tried to pull away again, but he simply shifted his body so she was trapped between his large thighs and the back of the living room sofa.  “Please let me go.”

“I don’t think I can,” he murmured
, almost to himself.  “You’re quite beautiful.  I’m guessing your father is in some sort of horrible business enterprises of which you don’t approve.  Is that it?”

Her eyes looked up at his,
startled by his question.  “Why are you here if you don’t know what my father does?”

He shrugged slightly. 
“Because I met you the other day and wanted to make love to you.”  He ignored her sharp intake of breath as he continued, “The only way I could figure to do that was to get to know you, show you that I’m not such a horrible guy, prove that I’m a good lover and that I’ll satisfy your every need.”  He said this so softly, his hand reaching up and pushing her dark hair behind her ear and letting his finger caress her earlobe, causing her whole body to shiver with the contact.  “I can, you know.  And I think we could be very good together.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she whispered, trying to tamp down the terror that was making her tremble so he wouldn’t know just how tempting his words sounded to her ears, or how much she suddenly wanted him to touch her again.  His large, muscular body was so close, so tempting and she could feel the heat emanating from his thighs and his chest against her own body.  She almost swayed closer, wanting to know what he felt like and she had to keep her hands fisted by her sides so she wasn’t tempted to reach out and touch him, to
discover the texture of his skin.  “Please let me pass.”  She tried to sound firm, but even to her own ears, the command sounded more like a whispered plea. 

“I can’t do that, love.  You’re just too tempting.”  He bent down and kisse
d the corner of her mouth, enjoyed the feeling of her trembling which told him that she wanted him almost as much as he wanted her.  In fact, he’d never been so fascinated by a woman before.  Her soft curls teased his nose as he moved his mouth to her earlobe, kissing the sensitive area right below before taking the lobe between his teeth and gently biting down.  He smiled when she jumped, but she didn’t pull away.  In fact, one of her small hands came up and rested against his chest.  He suspected it was initially to push him away, but her fingers curled slightly as if she needed to both hold onto him and touch him more firmly. 

“Come home with me, Marissa.”  He kissed her neck, grazing his teeth against her skin before kissing it.  He wanted to taste the pulse at the base of her throat, to wrap his hands around her tiny waist and pull her closer, but he sensed her hesitation and didn’t want to frighten her any more than what she was
already feeling.  He didn’t want her fear, he wanted her passion. 

“Marissa!” a loud, booming voice came from the doorway.

Marissa jumped, quickly extricating herself from this stranger’s embrace and took several steps backwards.  “Dad, this isn’t what you think,” she was quick to assure her father who was glaring at the two of them.  She actually stood in front of the tall man, her arms pushing him behind her as if she could protect him.  “We were just having a conversation.”

“About what?” he
r father demanded, stepping into the living room and looking as if he were in a towering rage.  “And where the hell is your sister?” His short, rotund body swiveled as if he suspected that his youngest daughter were hiding somewhere behind a chair.  He looked angry, ready to take that anger out on whoever irked him even slightly. 

Marissa blinked, not sure how he could have changed the subject so quickly.  “Sierra is outside,” she came back.  “I just left her by the pool.”

Joe Berutelli’s hands formed fists by his side and Marissa knew this was a very bad sign.  “Your sister left the party right behind you.  Care to explain what’s going on?”

Marissa hadn’t been aware of
Sierra’s departure.  In fact, she’d only been aware of this man and the anger, and other feelings that he seemed to invoke inside of her.  “Dad, you don’t need to worry about this man.  I don’t even…” she started to say but the stupid man interrupted her.

“I’m Zeke Vaughn,” the tall, mysterious man said, stepping around her and extending his hand towards her father.  “I appreciate you inviting me on such short notice.”

Marissa was amazed at the transformation in her father at the mention of the man’s name.  It was as if all of his anger had suddenly dissipated for some reason.  And this man named Zeke…who was he and how could he contrive to dissolve her father’s anger so quickly? 

Her father seemed to be positively exuberant now as he shook the taller man’s hand with enthusiasm. 
“Zeke Vaughn!  I’ve heard a great deal about you,” her father effused.  “Come, let’s go into my office and talk.  I think we can do a lot of business together.”

Zeke glanced back at Marissa, noting the stoic expression that suddenly came over her lovely features.  “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to take a rain check on that discussion,” he said, turning back to the man.  As Zeke surveyed the man’s bloodshot eyes, the
spot of blood on his collar and the florid cheeks, things started to fall into place.  Zeke had known that Joe Berutelli wasn’t a man to mess around with.  But now that he was here, and he understood the fear in Marissa’s eyes, he found himself trying to figure out how to get her out of the house. 

He was being ridiculous, he told himself as he made his excuses and turned to leave.  Marissa was twenty-four years old and had survived living with her father for a long time.  He was sure that her father wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. 

But even as he walked out into the summer heat, something niggled in the back of his mind.  For the first time in his life, he felt something more than just sexual need for a woman.  He had this strange feeling, as if he wanted to protect Marissa.  And was that actually possessiveness he was experiencing?  He’d never cared if a woman came or went, as long as they were both mutually satisfied with the relationship.  But something about the worried look in her eyes, and the relief when he walked out the door, struck a chord inside of him. 

Shaking his head, he realized that he was being ridiculous.  Marissa was just another woman.  A
strikingly lovely woman, but merely another luscious, feminine body.  They could have a good time together if she would just learn to relax and accept this mind-blowing attraction that they had for each other. 

As he pulled the door to his black
Jaguar open and slid into the leather seats, he looked back at the house, surprised that he hadn’t made the connection between Marissa’s father and the infamous Berutelli family before. 

“Y
ou wanted to speak with me?” Marissa asked as she walked into her father’s office.  She looked around at the room, surprised to find so many books lining the shelves of his office.  This was one room in the house where she was forbidden to enter unless she was called in here by her father.  All other times, she was to stay away.  The office was even separated from the main house by a long hallway with a separate entrance to the garage and outside.  Her father could come and go from the house without her or Sierra ever knowing.  He was a very secretive man.  Marissa had seen people coming and going from this room often over the years, always wondering what happened behind these heavy doors.