The Cinderella Arrangement (22 page)

“What's so funny?"

“You will fall on your ass. That stuff is strong."

“I don't feel anything." I took another swig of the sickly sweet beverage.

“That's because you're standing still."

Sure enough, when I took a step and lurched upwards, I stumbled. My ears burned as William’s laughter rang out on the narrow path. My mind swimming, I focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

I yelped as I collided with Will’s stationary body and would have fallen down if he hadn’t grabbed my arm.

“Sorry,” I gasped as I righted myself.

“Lightweight,” he muttered. “Try not to kill us both, will you?”

I felt another wave of warm dizziness that had nothing to do with alcohol as he squeezed my arm. We continued up the trail and I drank the bottle of water to shake the warm sleepiness from my limbs. The buzz from the limoncello melted away, and we were rewarded with an incredible view of the next village, Vernazza. The pile of multicolored buildings sat on the beach below the green hills, wrapping around a tiny harbor where a half dozen boats rocked from the ocean waves.

We stood there for a while, taking pictures of the village and appreciating the view before we began the descent down.

The path became level. Ahead of us was a picnic table with a sign and a blue bucket hanging on a tree. A tabby cat sat on the table, licking himself. The sign was in Italian. William moved his lips as he read the sign and his face darkened.

“What does it say?"

“It says to feed the stray cats with the food in the bucket."

We stood in a small clearing in a forest area. Several yellow eyes blinked at me from hanging, low branches. A black cat watched us from the arm of a tree, another one scratched its claws on the bark of a tree, and yet another dashed from bush to bush. Another cat leapt on the table and meowed plaintively at us. Will outstretched his hand and the cat bumped its head against his knuckles.

“Poor bastards,” he sighed.

On closer inspection, we saw that many of the cats had filthy, mite-infested ears. Some were limping, and others had sores in their mouths. 

“I wish I could help them.”

“Well, why can’t you? Just hire people to trap the cats and bring them to a vet in town. It’s a huge waste of time, but it’s obviously important to you. I can’t wait to see the headlines, ‘Foreign Billionaire Saves Cats of Cinque Terre.’”

Will looked at me like I had just sprouted an extra head. “You’re a genius.”

“What?”

“I’ll make a few calls later.”

You should fix your own problems, first.

Still, the cat situation seemed to pull him out of the well of guilt and he talked excitedly about what he would do to help. He would set up a trap, neuter, and release program and pay locals to take them to the vets in La Spezia.

There were even more cats when we descended to Vernazza. They prowled the cobblestone streets and hopped on chairs to beg from tourists eating lunch. Will pet the ones that approached him, grief stirring in his eyes when they pawed his hand.

“I didn’t know you were such a bleeding heart,” I said as I stroked the yellowed, filthy fur of a white cat.

“I like animals, and I think I should help them, especially when I have the means to do so.”

My fingers brushed his hair. It was a sweet, sensitive side of him I’d never witnessed before. 

“I think I’ve one more village in me and then I should head back to work.”

He smirked. “You sure that’s why you want to head back?”

My heart slammed against my chest, the brief image of Will ripping my clothes off consuming my mind.

The ascent to the next town made my thighs scream in protest, but the views were perhaps the most breathtaking. We were on the edge of the terrace, looking down at the inviting ocean stretched out as far as I could see.

“Let’s just stay here. You can buy a place and you can rescue cats and I can sell my paintings to tourists. You speak Italian—it would be perfect!”

Will turned around with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “Oh, yeah? You’d be happy staying here, playing house? What about all of your ambition?”

Watching the rolling waves had me hypnotized. “All of that doesn’t seem to matter anymore.”

“You would get bored of it. And I would drive you crazy.”

William wiped the sheen of sweat from his brow with the back of his dark hand and squinted at me under the sun.

"I don't think I’ll every get bored around you.”

“Why do you want me, Natalie?” he asked suddenly.

Are you kidding me
? “I want you for your money, that’s all.”

“I would believe that, except that you haven’t asked me to buy you anything this whole trip.” 

“Maybe I’m just waiting until we’re married.” I laughed at his widened eyes. “Relax, I’m just teasing.”

He shook his head and scowled at me with a don’t-joke-about-things-like-that expression. I brushed his hair from his face and fingered the back of his neck and ear. He closed his eyes.

“You’re a great guy and you’re fun to be around. Maybe I want you because you make me feel special. You realize you could get any girl you wanted, right?”

“Yes, but when you’re surrounded by people tripping over themselves to impress you, you look for something different. Someone like you. You treat me like you would anyone else. I’ve never met a girl who made me feel—normal.”

“Well—thanks.”

His hand tightened around my waist and he kissed my forehead. I hugged him, inhaling his scent and wanting more. He lifted my chin with his index finger and gave me a kiss that made me want to collapse in his arms. It was hard and biting, filled with all his pent-up sexual tension. He backed me against the fence separating the path from the vineyards and his hands groped my ass, squeezing hard. His tongue shoved into my mouth and mingled with mine, and then he retreated, giving my lips a small bite before he finally pulled back to breathe.

That fiery blaze was back in his eyes that said: I will fuck your brains out when we get back.

My palm slid down from his waist and anchored over the hard bump bulging in his shorts. He gasped as I squeezed him and I felt a little shock of excitement of my own. I kissed him and let go because there were people walking up the path.

William straightened himself before they caught up to us. He turned toward the fence as if he was tired. I stood beside him and laughed.

“Groping me in public,” he muttered, shooting me a hot glare.

When we reached the wind-swept Corniglia after a winding series of stairs that led down, we took the small train back to our bed-and-breakfast. Will kept his arm draped around me during the trip and I nestled in his embrace. It was almost as if we were a real couple. By the time we climbed Monterosso, the sun burned like orange glitter over the darkening water.

We held hands and walked along the beach, William’s flyaway hair flattened against his head. We kissed again, and the knowledge that we were so close to our hotel room made my heart throb with anxiety.

“We should eat somewhere.”

“Eat?” I said, as if I had never heard something so ridiculous.

“Yes,” he smirked, laying his hot lips over me again and again. “We’ve been hiking all day, I’m hungry.”

A series of camera flashes from the corner of my eyes distracted me. Tourists, probably. No, it couldn’t be. William curled his arm around me and roared at man clicking away, screaming something in Italian.

“Vaffanculo!”

The man scuttled away like a roach.

“Fucking paparazzi,” he roared.

I shuddered at the thought that our pictures would be blasted over social media websites. “Aren’t you used to it by now?”

“Never.”

While Will steamed about the run-in with the pap, I looked around for restaurants. Having no idea what was good, I suggested things at random. Will said he knew a great place, so I took his hand and followed his lead. We entered a dingy looking restaurant with a very humble interior and a surly waiter, however, Will assured me that the food was great.

I watched him in fascination as he conversed with the waiter in rapid-fire Italian, picking out only a few words from my mediocre Spanish. “Si prego” was a phrase I heard repeated often, but I wasn’t sure what it meant.

“Where did you learn it?” I asked when the waiter left.

“Italian school on Saturdays until I was about sixteen.” He rolled his eyes. “Never used it except with my parents and grandparents, when they were still alive.”

The waiter returned with a small carafe of wine. He poured me a glass but Will waved him off when he tried to fill his glass. I knew that Will didn’t drink, but I didn’t know why.

“I thought you might like their house wine,” Will explained.

It was dry, like Chianti. “It’s great. Do you want to try it?”

He licked his lips as if he really wanted it, but he shook his head. “I can’t.”

I raised an eyebrow but said nothing. This fell under the category of things Will didn’t like to talk about.

“So much for getting any work done today,” I sighed as I took another sip of wine. Its warmth washed over me like a sleeping spell. My eyelids were heavy.

“Tell me about your family. Your life. You know a lot about me but I know almost nothing about you.”

My face burned under Will’s flattering interest. “Not much to tell. No siblings. My parents are both dentists. They wanted me to become one, but I had no interest.”

“I don’t see you cleaning people’s teeth.”

“Neither did I. Parents were disappointed that I became a graphic designer.”

“They’ll get over it,” he paused for a moment and thought about it. “Actually, they might not.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, feeling suddenly heavy. “I don’t think they will—even if everything else in my life was perfect.”

“Hey,” he said in a soft voice I never heard before. “Don’t be upset. I’m the only person whose opinion matters in your life.” He winked.

We ended up ordering seafood dishes with handmade pasta and ate slowly, talking little. It was enough to sit comfortably in each other’s presence. When we left the restaurant, night had fallen, and the streets were empty. Laughter echoed from the few bars in the tiny village, but we held hands and walked toward our hotel. It was a balmy night, with the smells of lemon trees and the mixed aromas of the restaurants surrounding us.

He’d glance at me and smile and I felt the beginning of something stirring in my chest. I knew that it would be hell when we were separated. I opened my mouth several times to ask him, but I couldn’t summon up the courage.

“Will, thanks for bringing me here. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

We stopped in front of the hotel room and Will used the keycard to let me in. I kept wiping my hands on my jeans.

“How grateful are you?”

The door closed and Will’s commanding presence overfilled the small room. The air thinned and his laser-like eyes rooted me to the spot, frightening and exciting me at the same time. The hint of something suggestive in his voice made me shudder all over. I clawed at my necklace and twisted the pendant in my fingers.

“I—I’m really—” I broke off with a nervous chuckle as Will stood in front of me, smiling with so much confidence that it ought to have been fined. “I’m nervous.”

“Yes, I can see that. You’re a scared little bird. I’m afraid that if I move too fast you’ll fly away.”

But I wanted him, so I took a small step and leaned into his chest, sighing with relief when he wrapped his arms around me. I felt the reassuring thump of his heart against mine and relaxed.

His hands moved to the back of my head. “Natalie, kiss me.”

I launched myself upwards and felt the roughness of his cheek, the bump of his hips, his hands suddenly possessing me. His lips roughly claimed mine, and he pushed me backward, toward the small bed. I fell onto the mattress and Will’s heavy weight followed me, his lips and tongue refusing to let go of my mouth.

I moaned into his mouth as his fingers slid my tank top and bra down so that my breasts bulged.

“Fuck.”

I gasped when he bit my lip hard and sent a trail of heat blazing down my neck, kissing and sucking my flesh. I knew where his lips were headed and I wrapped my hands around his head, so impatient that I wanted to jerk him by his hair. He stopped to give a wet kiss on the crest and then teased his tongue over the center of my breast, my whole body shuddering when he touched my nipple.

I cried out when he went in for the kill, his mouth opening to devour my tits and sucking hard on my firm nipple, groping the other breast with his hand. I pressed down hard on his head, flattening my chest against his face, but I didn’t care.

My breast popped out of his mouth, red and shining.

He smiled at me wickedly. “You liked that, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” I gasped. “Don’t stop.”

The bulge digging into my hip told me that William liked it too. My stomach shivered as he attacked the other breast, kneading the swollen one with his hot hand as he sucked the other one. Jesus. He tongued my nipple, sending electrical shocks of pleasure all the way down, making me buck against his waist.

I wanted to see his body again. I tugged the hem of his shirt until Will finally sat up and ripped it off his body. He sat on me, straddling my waist as I gazed at his olive-skinned, athletic body in all its glory. I sat up and he let my hands explore his body, traveling up his flat, hard stomach to the slight dent between his pecs. I smoothed my hands over his flat chest and he reached around me to pull the tank top and bra over my head.

He pulled me against him and I sighed with the thrill of having our naked bodies touching. I reached down and stroked the bulge in his pants as we kissed. I unzipped his pants and gripped his length, still trapped in his boxers. The head of his cock was damp and it had seeped through the fabric. I slipped my hand between the boxers and his skin, curling my fingers around his hard rod.

Then suddenly, he flipped me around and tore my jeans and panties down to my knees and forced me on all fours. I heard a quick, plastic sound and suddenly his hardness slipped up and down my wetness, massaging my clit.