ROYAL BRIDE (A Billionaire Bad Boy Romance) (13 page)

Antonio leaned over toward the end of the meal and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. His hand slipped beneath the table and squeezed her knee. “I love this dress on you,” he said into her ear, the warmth of his breath bathing her neck. “I’d love it even more off.”

A shiver ran through her, and she could feel her body responding to him as his hand slid a little further up her thigh, gathering the dress up until the hem of the gown slid over her knee, exposing it to his touch.

“Antonio!” A rather robust man slapped her husband on his back. Dropping her gown, he turned away quickly to greet him. Isabella smoothed down the skirt of the gown and reached for the glass of iced water on the table. Her face had flushed from both the erotic touch as well as the slight embarrassment of almost being caught, and she welcomed the cool drink as it slid down her throat.

“Are you alright?” Maria leaned over and whispered.

“Oh, yes. Fine.” Isabella put on her freshest smile and nodded. “It’s just a little warm in here.” She set the glass back down.

“Really? Feels cool to me.” Maria grinned. “By the way, while your husband is distracted with that senator, I was meaning to call on you. Silver told me about the other night, and I wanted to see how you were doing.”

“The other night?” Isabella wrinkled her brow, having no idea what the woman was talking about.

“Yes. When I came home from the club, Silver lit into me about all sorts of things. My spending, my gallivanting around town with little-to-no security. He owns a rather large security company and does work for several governments and large corporations, so sometimes he gets a little paranoid.” Maria took a sip of her wine before she continued. “He went on and on about how I needed to start listening to him and doing what he said, and then he made the most obscene threat.” She let a little laugh out. “I’m sorry, I guess it’s not very funny.”

“What are you talking about?” Isabella was becoming dizzy just trying to follow Maria’s train of thought. She acted as though they both knew the subject matter, but Isabella had no clue.

“The other night,” she said as though that cleared the entire matter up. When Isabella continued to stare at her, she sighed and placed hand over Isabella’s. “Silver said to me ‘I should throw you over my knee and give you a spanking!’” The end of the sentence was barely understood because she’d succumbed to another a fit of laughter.

Isabella’s face flushed hot. “What did you say?”

“He did say that! When I got angry about it, he told me what Antonio had said to him. You know, about you spending the evening over his knee. “

Isabella grabbed the napkin in her lap and began to twist it. “What?”

“Yes, Silver told me all about it. Did Antonio really do that? Does he really spank you? I won’t tell anyone, I swear.” She moved even closer to Isabella. “In fact, I think it’s kind of sexy, you know? The big bad man spanking you for being naughty? It’s a little kinky.”

Isabella knew Maria wasn’t trying to be insensitive, so she opted not to throw the woman from her chair. She laughed it off. “I’m sure Antonio was just trying to be funny.” Isabella reached for her wine glass, glancing at her husband, who appeared to be in a very serious discussion with the fat man who had interrupted them.

“Hmm. Maybe, but Silver said he looked very serious. He also told me that Antonio’s island is a little behind the times with women’s rights.”

Isabella’s stomach clenched. Although that part was somewhat true, she felt she needed to defend her husband’s country. “Great strides are being made.” The non-committal reply was her best option.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend.” Maria looked embarrassed. “You are just so independent, I thought… Well, it doesn’t matter.”

Not sure she could keep her temper checked for much longer, she threw on a brilliant smile and flashed it at Maria. “No offense taken. I’m sure Antonio was just irritated and was making silly conversation. If you’ll excuse me, I saw a magic show was scheduled in the next salon. I get to see carnival acts so rarely.”

Without saying a word to Antonio, who had gotten up to finish his conversation, she slipped from the table and headed to the next room. She just needed some breathing space, a moment to calm her temper. The promise she’d made to herself to get along with her husband was quickly becoming too difficult to maintain.

By the time she entered the adjoining salon where the magic act had already begun, tears burned her eyes. It was bad enough he felt he could take his hand to her backside as though she were an errant child, but to have boasted about it to another man? It was simply too much to bear.

“There’s a seat if you’d like.” An usher pointed out an empty chair in the audience.

“Thank you, but I’m fine here.” She gave a wobbly smile and leaned back against the wall, taking deep breaths. How would she face Maria again? And Silver! He was under the impression that Antonio had put her over his knee and spanked her after their dinner.

He had spanked her, but not in that manner. It was sensual, erotic, intimate…and now completely ruined by the knowledge that Silver and Maria were aware of it.

The crowd clapped loudly as the magician continued his show. She heard laughter and small conversations going on around her, but all she wanted at that moment was to shrink into a small ball and roll away.

“Isabella.” Antonio’s sharp voice snapped her attention to him. “You disappeared.”

She twisted to the side, noting his narrowed expression. “I told Maria where I was going. You were engrossed in your conversation, and I didn’t want to interrupt.” Her voice was amazingly steady given how her insides shook with rage and hurt.

“Yes, she mentioned you were in here.” Antonio glanced at the show before them. “Did you want to sit? There are seats up there.” He pointed to the same spot the usher had.

“No, thank you. I’m fine here.” She turned back, feeling his worried gaze on her. Silently, he moved behind her, wedging himself between her and the wall. His hands wrapped around her waist, and he pulled her to lean back against him.

“I thought you would enjoy this evening. I’m sorry if it’s been a bore so far.” His gentle tone massaged the edges of her irritation.

“I am having a good time.” She nodded, her head bumping his chin as she did. “It’s been very educational,” she bit out.

“I didn’t think you listened during the speech.” His soft laughter filled her ear. She hadn’t heard a word the physician said about childhood obesity. Not that she hadn’t tried. She did. But his monotone voice and his dejected attempt at humor had left her daydreaming instead of interested.

“I heard most of it,” she muttered. No need for him to know exactly how ignorant his wife was. He already had his ideas on the subject, so she didn’t see the need to give him more proof.

“Would you like to spend tomorrow evening with Maria and Silver or would you prefer going to the ballet? I was given tickets as a gift from the senator, but he only gave me two.” She stiffened in his arms. An evening with Maria and Silver staring at her, wondering if she’d been punished that day? Hell no.

“I think I’d like the ballet,” she whispered and pretended to be intrigued by the magician who was beginning a new illusion. It would be so easy to melt into him, to embrace his warmth in the tender way he held her. His cologne hinted of musk, not stifling but completely manly. If only he could see her as something more than an ill-behaved child with no education or worth. If only she hadn’t put that image into his head to begin with, maybe they’d have a chance at a happy marriage. As it stood, he did see her in that light, and her chances of happily-ever-after were getting slimmer and slimmer as the days passed.

ANTONIO

Something was wrong with his wife. Very wrong. She hadn’t tossed an insult or made an under-her-breath rant at him in two days. She hadn’t been unpleasant either. She graced him with a warm smile each morning and listened to him politely as he went over both of their schedules for the day. When he insisted she increase her security during a day trip out to visit Elisabeth’s mother in the suburbs, she had agreed without hesitation.

The only place she wasn’t as prim and proper as any other respectable princess was in bed. She may have minded her Ps and Qs during the day, but at night when he ordered her to strip, she complied, not only obediently but with a desire that equaled his. No, there was no passion lacking in their marital bed. Just everywhere else.

He casually felt her forehead before getting out of bed that morning to see if she burned with fever. The civility was beginning to irritate him.

“The surveillance team has found the exact location of Karen Vega as well as the other women who have been taken.” Julian began the afternoon security meeting. Antonio forced his thoughts from the concern of his wife and focused on the matter at hand. “There are only half a dozen men securing the facility with very little artillery. “

“They underestimate our ability to track them down?” Damon, a newer member of the team though not new to the Royal Guard, questioned.

“Doubtful.” Antonio shook his head. “They overestimate my willingness to give in to their demands. They assume since they have taken these daughters of the council members, we will cave in and give them what they want.” He sat up in his chair, folding his hands on the large conference table. The hotel had given him full access to their meeting rooms.

“We’ve never wavered before.”

“They’ve never taken the council’s family members before,” Antonio countered. “Has a plan been drawn up to extricate these women?”

The air conditioner unit of the room kicked in, and a cool breeze washed across the table, a welcome sensation. Antonio missed the tropical heat of his island. The humidity of this city was stifling. He wondered briefly if Isabella might enjoy an afternoon at the beach. She’d asked before to go and he’d denied her, but if he was with her, he saw no reason they shouldn’t. Seeing her smile genuinely again as she had when watching those juggling clowns would be payment enough. And well worth any aggravation he would endure for canceling whatever his other engagements were.

“They are ready to go when you give the okay.” Julian slid a paper in front of Antonio. “They believe they should have the women out safely within a day. But there will be casualties.”

“Not all of them. I want one man left standing, and I want him questioned. Once he has given us all the information he can, then he will go before our military board.” Antonio shoved the paper away, not needing to see the exact details. His team would not disappoint. Standing from the table, he buttoned his suit jacket. “Give them the okay to proceed at the earliest opportunity.”

The men stood around the table, giving their nods of acceptance before filing out of the room. Julian stayed behind to scoop up his belongings. “Julian.” Antonio laid a hand on his arm. “I am taking Isabella to the beach this afternoon. Please arrange a team.”

“Of course, Your Highness. I will let Dimitri know to cancel your previous plans.” Dimitri would probably want to take his head off, but Antonio would brave his public relations officer later. After he spent the afternoon making his wife happy.

“Thank you. Also, has Isabella given her team any trouble lately?”

Julian thought for a moment and shook his head. “No. In fact, they haven’t complained about her in several days.”

“They were complaining before?” Antonio’s face tightened—had they said something to her? Could that be what had been bothering her the past few days?

“No, Your Highness.” Julian was quick to defend his men. “Not complaining about her. They mentioned that she didn’t always stick to protocol and a few times they had to search for her. She tried slipping away from them several times, it seems.”

Antonio understood their frustration, but it wouldn’t do for his men to think speaking disrespectfully about her was acceptable. Only he was allowed to comment and deal with her spirited behavior. “Well, see that they keep their opinions about my wife sealed tightly.”

“Of course, Your Highness. I’m sure they said nothing to her.”

“I would hope not.” Antonio didn’t mean to sound as angry as he seemed to himself, but if they were the cause of her unhappiness, they would hear more of it from him. He dismissed Julian and headed out of the room, aiming his quick steps for his room.

Taking Isabella to the beach would surely brighten her day.

***

Antonio glared at his wife as she walked down the beach toward him. She had wandered off to the changing room to slip into her bathing suit. The guards were walking at a decent pace behind her and were already in their swim gear, trying to blend in with the crowds.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, pushing up her large sunglasses to peer at him from beneath the shade of her wide-brimmed hat.

“Your suit.” He pointed at the black one-piece suit that looked more like a summer dress than it did a bathing suit. Although her curves weren’t completely hidden from view, almost all of her skin was. It wasn’t her suit. She never would have picked that waterproof nightgown out herself.

She looked down at herself and back at him with a confused expression. “I thought you would approve. Is the neckline too deep?” she asked, trailing her finger along the rounded line that went all the way up to her neck.

“Deep?” He wanted to laugh. He knew he should be pleased that she had thought of him when she picked out the swimwear, but contrary to his own thoughts, he hated it. “Where did you get it?” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“The store.” She smiled teasingly.

“Which one?”

“Why?”

“Because I want to call them and have them remove that horrible thing from their racks.” He waved a hand at her suit.

Her smile dropped, and instantly he felt like a sodden ass. “It’s appropriate, isn’t it? Not too slutty?”

Slutty? Where the hell did she get that from? “I never said you dressed like a slut,” he defended himself, getting the impression that something he’d said before made her think such an absurd thing. She did dress a little more provocatively than he wanted her to when they were in public. He didn’t like everyone else viewing what was his and his alone, but never did she dress in such a way that made her appear cheap.