FORTY-SIX |

Florence

chukka came to an end, Milan were winning by two points and I felt a surge of excitement course through me. Arturo would be pleased to hear that his favourite team had won, but I was disappointed he wasn't here to see it. The final goal had been scored by the player riding Amara, the beautiful dapple-grey mare I'd fed a carrot to.

"Now the real fun begins," Sofia said, turning away from the field to face Amber and I. It was clear she was trying to distract me from what we had seen before the chukka.

"The real fun?" Amber asked, clearly thrilled. For her, this trip was like a holiday filled with free champagne and good food. I envied her a little, but I was also happy to see her so carefree.

"The evening entertainment. This year it's a masquerade ball." Detecting the panic in Amber's eyes, Sofia quickly added, "don't worry, I have a few outfits you can try on."

We made it back to the house more than a little tipsy and hot from the afternoon sun. Most of the guests had returned to their accommodation to prepare for the ball, so except for close family members and the decorators who were setting up, the Lucchese house was quiet.

I found Arturo in our room, sitting on the balcony. His skin looked especially tanned against the white of his suit and in the sunlight the brown of his hair seemed to be flecked with golden threads.

"Did you enjoy the match?" he asked as I approached, opening his arms to invite me on to his lap.

I wrapped my arms around the back of his neck and nodded. "It was a shame you didn't get to see the end."

"Madre needed to speak to me concerning family matters, it's nothing to worry about. Who won?"

"Milan," I beamed at him, all of my worry immediately vanishing.

"Madre was right after all." Arturo buried his head in the crook of my neck and breathed deeply. "You smell incredible. I could eat you up," he said with a smirk, playfulness glinting in his eyes. He ran his mouth up and down my neck as if to prove his point.

"We need to get ready for tonight, Arturo," I giggled, pulling away from his ticklish assault. "I need to shower."

"What a coincidence. So do I."

"How very convenient."

"Indeed." Arturo helped me down from his lap and held my hand, leading me into the large en-suite bathroom. "It would only be right for us to shower together."

"Saving water, how responsible of us..." I trailed off, laughter drying in my throat as Arturo began undressing me. Instead, I felt the ache of desire stirring inside me.

He unzipped the back of my white dress, letting the material come loose. Then he traced a single finger down my spine, following closely with his lips.

"That feels like heaven," I whispered.

"You feel like heaven." He pulled the dress down from my shoulders leaving me in my underwear. "And you look like an angel..." his right hand trailed down my back and came to cup my ass, "...but your ass is sinfully nice." He gave it a quick smack. "Turn the shower on and get in."

I did as I was told, thrilled by the commanding tone of his voice. Being at his mercy was so sexy.

Arturo undressed and then joined me under the steamy water. The moment he was in reach I wrapped my arms around him, tugging his body into mine. A devilish smile curved his lips and he pushed me back against the cool tiles of the wall, his mouth commanding my own.

I reached down and started stroking his erection but he shook his head. "Put your hands on my shoulders."

The moment I did he picked me up, wrapping his hands around the tops of my thighs and pressing me back into the wall. I gasped, feeling him at my entrance, completely consumed as the water cascaded around us.

It was unfathomable to me how he was so strong, how he managed to hold me up as he plunged inside of me and made me moan.

"You feel so good," he hissed, each word spoken with a thrust. "Florence, fuck."

My hands got tangled in his mass of curls, tugging desperately as he fucked me against the wall. I could feel pleasure building between my legs, and Arturo's sloppy kisses told me he felt the same way too.

"Baby," he said, "I want you to come for me."

His words had such an effect on me, I could feel my body responding to his demand. I couldn't stop it even if I wanted to, and minutes later Arturo came after me, leaning against the wall with a groan.

"That was..."

"Amazing," I finished his sentence, still panting. "Ti amo."

Arturo smiled. "Nice accent. Ti amo, tesoro mio. Now let's finish this shower and get ready."

(I love you, my treasure)

**

Since my wardrobe was limited to the few clothes I brought in my suitcase, Arturo had bought me a new dress and mask specifically for this evening. He handed me a rectangular black box with a pink bow around it.

"Let me guess," I said with a smile, untying the bow, "the dress is red."

"Actually, no. Open it."

I lifted the lid and was pleasantly surprised. The bodice of the dress was dark green, the colour of holly leaves, while the flowing skirt was iridescent, transforming from green to blue depending on how the light hit it. The material glittered slightly like tiny stars sat on the surface.

"It's the most beautiful dress I've ever seen," I said honestly, fingering the soft material.

"Have a look at the mask."

I lifted the dress out of the box and set it on the bed before returning to the mask which had been located beneath it. It was gold, only really covering the area around the eyes, with intricate flower patterns painted in blue. On the right side peacock feathers fanned out in a stunning display of colour.

"Wow," was all I could seem to say, but I knew when Arturo looked into my eyes that he could see how grateful I was. "We'll clash if you're wearing your red tie."

He smiled and walked over to the chest of drawers, opening the top one. From it, he retrieved a tie in the same iridescent material as the bottom half of my dress.

"It's perfect!"

"I know." Arturo checked his watch. "Hurry up and change, though. We're going to be late."

When we made it down to the ball, it was already in full swing, with hundreds of stunning gowns and suits to be seen. It was disconcerting seeing so many people wearing masks, especially since that made it difficult for me to identify the few people I knew here.

"Would you like a drink of champagne?" Arturo offered as a waiter passed us by.

"Sure."

He took two flutes off the silver tray, handing one to me. I took a sip of the chilled liquid, smiling to myself. Arturo's hand was holding mine firmly and I could see people staring at us as we walked past them. Being the son of Gio Lucchese was always going to turn a few heads, but I hadn't thought about that extra attention being directed at me, too.

"Do you recognise anyone?" I asked.

Arturo glanced around the room. "A few people, some of these masks provide an excellent disguise. Ah, here's Madre."

His mother walked over, unveiling her face which was pulled into a beaming smile. Her dress was black and glittering like ice under the sun, while her golden mask was held on a stick so that she could move it easily.

"My wonderful son and his beautiful girlfriend," she cooed, grabbing one of our hands each in hers. "What a day this has been!"

"You look magnificent," I told her warmly.

"As do both of you. I'm looking for my husband, have either of you seen him?"

"Not yet," Arturo replied. He also wore a half face mask but his was black with golden embellishments.

"Well, you two have a good evening. Save me a dance, Arturo."

"Yes, Madre."

And with that she departed, disappearing into the crowd. I finished off my champagne and swapped the empty flute for a full one.

Arturo leaned down to whisper in my ear, "you truly look stunning in green."

I straightened his tie, smiling. "So do you. You look so much like your mother."

"Florence!" Another voice interrupted our moment and I let go of Arturo's tie as Amber came towards us. "I've been looking for you everywhere! Thank god your hair is that colour or I think I'd have spent the whole evening looking."

"Hi," I greeted with a smile. "Your dress is lovely, Amber."

"Thanks, Sofia lent it to me."

"Amber," Arturo interrupted our conversation, pulling down his mask so he could unleash the full force of his eyes on her. He tapped a nearby man on the shoulder and he turned to us. "This is Francesco, my older cousin. Francesco, you look like you could use a dancing partner."

As Amber took in the six foot three man standing before her, I could practically see her eyes light up. I had to admit that they made an attractive couple. Francesco's dark eyes took in Amber's long blonde hair, her golden skin, and he started to smile. Without words, they came together and began to dance, moving slowly away from Arturo and I. I watched for a second as Francesco whispered something into Amber's ear and she smiled widely. As if finding a partner was just that simple. Some people had it easy.

"Did you just get rid of my best friend on purpose?" I laughed, linking my arm through Arturo's.

"You can hardly blame a man for wanting you all to himself," he whispered into my ear. "Though Francesco will be grateful for my assistance, I'm sure."

"I'd never have put you down as a match maker."

"I am full of many surprises, tesoro."

Arturo pulled me to a stop and placed his hands on my shoulders. He leaned down so that our noses brushed, so close we were sharing breath. "Dance with me."

He placed one hand on the small of my back, guiding me and holding my body close to his, while his other hand held mine. We moved slowly to the beat of the music, eyes locked as we circled the room. I wasn't paying attention to anyone or anything other than Arturo. It felt like we were alone in the room dancing to our own tune, just like we had when he first played the melody he wrote for me.

"This weekend has been perfect," I whispered, closing my eyes and letting the music wash over me. Arturo's familiar scent was all around me.

"I'm glad you came."

"Really?" Since he hadn't thought to invite me at first, I wasn't certain Arturo truly wanted me here. But in his eyes I couldn't find any deception.

"Yes, Florence. I am proud of you."

Content with his reply, I rested my head on his shoulder as we continued to dance. The rest of the room faded away again until I felt Arturo's body stiffen. I pulled back. "What is it?"

I spotted Cecelia coming in our direction, her expression hard and unreadable. "Why don't you go and grab us some more champagne while I give Cecelia a dance?"

"You're joking, right?" My mouth tasted bitter.

"Florence, dancing with guests is a tradition. Madre would have a cow if I turned anyone down. I swear to you, I'll be back with you in a few minutes." He tilted my chin up. "I love you. Don't forget that."

"Okay, fine. I love you."

Not wanting to be stuck in an awkward triangle with Cecelia and Arturo, I left before she reached us. I didn't feel like dancing with anyone else so I pushed my way through the crowd, trying to reach the edge of the room.

Amber caught my arm as Francesco swung her round and she pulled me into her. "I'll listen to what they say," she said over the music, gesturing in the direction of Cecelia. A second later she was being whisked away again by her partner and I was alone.

I made it to the edge of the crowd and found a waiter handing out drinks. I threw the first flute down my throat and then held another to sip on as I watched my boyfriend dancing with Cece. Of course I understood that it was tradition, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

As they danced, there was a tense distance between them. Whatever their conversation was about, it was heated. Arturo locked eyes with me for a second and I noticed the frown on his face, but the next moment his back was to me as they span around.

"They make a pretty couple, don't they?"

Jumping with fright, I turned around to find a man stood behind me. He wore a mask that concealed his identity, but I recognised his voice from somewhere.

"Not really," I muttered.

"Not as pretty as you and Arturo, of course, Florence."

There. It was the way he said my name. It felt as though I knew the voice intimately, but still I couldn't put a name or face to it.

"Sorry, do I know you?"

"Oh, yes," he chuckled. "I was almost your fiancée."

"Viktor?!" I gasped. "What the hell are you doing here? How did you get past Gio's security?"

As I appraised Viktor Ivanov, I finally recognised the coldness of his eyes behind the mask, his powerful aura that should have been unmistakeable. I knew he was a dangerous man, but I had never felt threatened by him before and I still didn't now.

"I have my ways," he shrugged. "I came to observe, nothing more. It's always a good idea to keep tabs on future partners."

I nodded. "Meaning Arturo."

"Yes."

We fell into silence again as we watched the heated discussion between Arturo and Cecelia continue. I took a sip of champagne, feeling like I could drink a whole bottle.

"Are you enjoying the party?" I asked. It felt strange, talking to Viktor as if he was a friend. But then again, he had never really been an enemy.

"Not enough vodka for my taste. And I fucking hate the weather. Too hot."

"Does Arturo know you're here?"

"No. And I'd like it to stay that way, if you don't mind. I don't want to cause a scene during Dina's birthday. I will introduce myself when it is time."

"And when will that be?"

Viktor tapped his nose. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

"Funny," I griped.

"I know I am. Now go and have a good time, your friend is coming over."