The Banker Page 19

  “You’re just in a mood.”

  “Moods comes and go. I’ve been this way for a long time.”

  “Whatever. Don’t let this bitch think she knows you. She doesn’t.”

  The muscles in my forearms immediately tightened in retaliation. I didn’t need to defend her honor, not when she was just a fling, but my reaction was so natural, it unnerved me. “Don’t call her that. I mean it.” I told her I would hurt anyone who hurt her. That applied to my brother as well.

  He laughed into the phone, but it was a sad laugh. “Jesus fucking Christ, Cato. Please don’t tell me you’re falling for her game. You’re smarter than that. At least, I thought you were…”

  I was surrounded by liars and manipulators. My life revolved around staying one step ahead at every turn. The beautiful thing about Siena was there were no games. She only wanted one thing from me, and she got it. The rest of our time was simple. It was easy. We had real conversations that had nothing to do with money or power. “Good night, Bates.”

  “When the time comes, I won’t be a gentleman. I’ll be the asshole who said I told you so.”

  She threw a fit when I didn’t knock last time, but since she was sexy when she was pissed, I did it again. I picked the lock and let myself inside.

  She stood in the entryway, the gun hanging at her side. She was livid like last time. “What did we just talk about?”

  I loved the way her green eyes burned as if they were on fire. Her lips pressed tightly together like she was trying not to scream at me. Her petite frame was a direct contradiction to her enormous presence. Everything about her was sexy, including the way she held the gun like she knew how to use it. Even the scar on her shoulder was a turn-on. “Fuck, you’re hot when you’re pissed.” I grabbed my tie and loosened it as I stepped inside.

  “I warned you I would shoot you.”

  I grabbed her arm and placed the barrel right against my sternum. “Then do it.”

  She immediately lifted her finger off the trigger, scared she might accidentally pull it. She drew it back and set it on the table beside the door. “I’m serious, Cato. Stop just walking inside at night like that. You can have a key if you really want one.”

  “You want to give me a key?” I asked, shocked that she’d offered.

  “It’s better than having a heart attack every time you come to the door. At least I’ll know it’s you.”

  I knew she wasn’t looking for a relationship, so there was only one other reason she would offer something like that. My eyes narrowed as I looked at her pretty face. “Baby, who bothers you?”

  There was a quick reaction in her eyes, but it happened so fast, at the speed of a shooting star, I wasn’t sure if I really saw it or not. She crossed her arms over her chest then moved to the door so she could close it. “No one. I live out here alone and…what the hell is that?”

  I turned around and looked out the open door. The only thing I saw was the car lights from my security team. They spread out everywhere around the property, keeping a one-mile perimeter so no one could come and go without their knowledge. “My guys. They’ll be there until I leave in the morning.”

  She poked her head out and took a look around, seeing the faint lights from their phones and cars. “How many are there?”

  “Fifty.”

  “And they’ll just stay there the entire time?”

  “Yes.” I didn’t go anywhere without them following me. I didn’t even pick up a cup of coffee without them trailing behind me. “You don’t need to be uncomfortable with them.”

  “Ugh, there are fifty armed men around my property. That’s pretty scary.”

  “They would never hurt you.”

  “Still don’t like it.” She walked back into the house.

  I followed her then shut the door behind me.

  “Would it be easier if we just went to your place?” She grabbed the gun on the table and returned it to its hiding spot underneath the coffee table. “Because it’s pretty obvious you have an entire squad surrounding the property.”

  It would be simpler if we went to my place, but there was something about her quaint place I liked. I liked the paintings she had on the walls, the atmosphere she created with her presence. It was small, barely big enough for a man my size to get comfortable, but I still liked it. “Don’t worry about it.” I pulled my tie from around my neck and tossed it on the couch. I moved to my vest and jacket next before I could finally reach my collared shirt underneath.

  She watched me undress. “Had a big day?”

  “Something like that.” I tossed my shirt on the couch and stood in my slacks.

  She was in a tank top without a bra and little white shorts. Her makeup was gone, and her hair was in a ponytail. She didn’t look as hot as she did in a backless dress and heels, but seeing her like this was somehow sexier. She didn’t need any of that stuff to be totally fuckable.

  What was sexier than that?

  I undid my slacks then kicked off my shoes.

  She watched me strip down to my boxers. “So, you’re just gonna get naked in my living room?”

  “Do you want me not to get naked?”

  She pressed her lips together tightly and didn’t answer. “I have some leftover dinner. Are you hungry?”

  A woman had never offered anything to me before. Maybe I never gave them a chance, but this was a first-time experience. The only home-cooking I’d ever had was my mother’s. “I’m not hungry. But thank you.”

  “Wine or anything?”

  “No. I just want to go to bed.”

  “Oh?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You just come by whenever you want and—”

  As much as it turned me on to watch her get pissed, I wasn’t in the mood for talking. I’d spent the entire day on a plane, and all I wanted was pussy and a comfortable bed for fucking. My hands dug into her hair, and I silenced her mood with a kiss.

  It worked. She kissed me back right away, falling for my soft lips and the purposeful way I embraced her. She liked to be in charge of her life, but the second we were together, she gave me the reins. She acted like she didn’t care, but she liked having a man in charge, a man authoritative enough to put her in her place.

  And I liked having a woman to put in place.

  I scooped her into my arms and carried her upstairs to her bedroom. Just thinking about how incredible her pussy was made my cock twitch in my boxers. I’d been thinking about it all day, thinking about the moment I could sink deep inside it.

  I laid her on the bed and pulled off her shorts and panties. The second those were gone, I looked at her perfect pussy, those succulent lips and that delicious nub. My boxers hit the floor, and then I pressed my face in her cunt, kissing the area I missed so much. I didn’t go down on women because foreplay wasn’t important to me. But Siena’s pussy was just too intoxicating to ignore. I didn’t do it to make her feel good. I did it because I wanted to.

  Her legs widened, and she moaned as she felt me suck her clit into my mouth. She writhed slightly, tilting her hips so her pussy could get farther inside me.

  I loved the way she tasted, the way she smelled. I loved feeling the inside of her slit with my tongue. Two women used to bore me, but this single woman captured all my attention, and all the others were forgotten.

  I moved up her body and pinned her knees back with my arms. Missionary was boring as hell, and I preferred having a woman on her stomach. Having a beautiful ass in my face was what I wanted most. But with Siena, I liked kissing her, staring at her tits, and watching every reaction she had to me. I liked shoving myself as deep as I could go and listening to her moan in response. “Miss me?” I sank deep inside her, my cock pushing through my saliva and her wetness as I descended. I couldn’t keep the moan out of my voice as I sank deeper, finally getting the pussy I’d been thinking about all day. I’d always been a passionate man who needed sex constantly, but she elevated me to a new level.

  When my cock was completely inside her, she
dug her fingers into my hair. “Yes…I missed you.” She breathed a deep sigh like it was her first breath of fresh air. Her fingers yanked on my strands, and her nails dug into my skull.

  I’d conquered a woman who wasn’t easily conquered. I put her stubborn attitude in check and made her surrender to me. Last time I was with her, I established the dynamics of the relationship—and put her in her place. Now she was more responsive to me, becoming the subservient woman only a man like me could create. “I’ve been thinking about this cunt all day.” I thrust into her hard, rocking her with my momentum as I took control of her headboard. Men had been where I was before, but now I wanted to erase them, to make her think of me when she took on a new lover.

  I’d never been excited to be with one woman, to stare out the window from the back seat of the car and fantasize about her. A man like me could have any kind of sex he wanted. I could have women in whips and chains with the snap of a finger. But all I wanted was this woman, this small but fierce woman. “I’ve been thinking about your cock since the moment you left.”

  Her bedroom had a queen-size bed, a large window right behind it that extended into a nook, a master bathroom with one sink and a tub as part of the shower. It wasn’t luxurious by any means, but it was well-decorated and reflected her personality. There was a vase of flowers sitting on her vanity, a picture frame with a photo of her and her mother beside it. There were different colored blankets at the foot of the bed and paintings of the Italian landscape on the walls. The entire room was the size of my closet.

  I woke up the following morning with her sound asleep beside me. Her arm was hooked around my waist, and her leg was tucked between my knees. She snuggled with me like I was her favorite stuffed animal.

  Women slept over all the time, but they didn’t hang all over me like this. I needed my space, but with Siena, it never felt like she invaded too much of my domain. She seemed to fit beside me perfectly well, like a lock and key.

  Her ponytail had come loose at some point, and now her hair spread across my chest. Dark like the wood of an oak tree, it was the most beautiful color. She had classic Italian features but with skin that was pale like a glass of milk. Some freckles dotted her cheeks and her shoulders, but the spots only added to her appeal. She was gorgeous but real. I watched her while I planned my day. I would head to the office in Florence and take care of business. Hopefully, I would be done before the late afternoon.

  Siena was the only woman whose house I stayed at. I always had women come to my place because it was more convenient, but the second I visited Siena, I felt right at home. It was nice not to be waited on hand and foot by Giovanni, or to see armed men on my property on a regular basis. It was my home, but it was still a place of business. This house was a lot simpler. Made me forget about all the tedious aspects of my life.

  When I couldn’t lie around any longer, I lightly shifted her away from me then got out of bed.

  Her quiet sigh announced her annoyance. “Sneaking out?”

  “Didn’t want to wake you.”

  “You never mind waking me up.” She propped her head on her open palm and stared at me as the sheets were pulled over her chest.

  “If I didn’t have somewhere to be, you know I would.” I went into her bathroom and brushed my teeth with her toothbrush before I put on the suit I’d arrived in. It was slightly wrinkled because I’d left it on the floor all night long, but I was too rich to care about my appearance.

  I grabbed my watch from her vanity and slipped it over my wrist.

  She stayed in bed, sleepy and sexy under the sheets. “I have to go to work too. But I could also stay here forever…” She pulled the sheets to her shoulder and closed her eyes. “It’s nice and warm because of you.”

  I sat at the foot of the bed and pulled on my shoes. “That could save you money in the wintertime.”

  “My heater is so old that it doesn’t really work. It’s impossible to get heat up here. I usually use the fireplace, but then I have to buy the firewood and then carry it up here… I’m pretty lazy.”

  Sometimes I forgot what it was like not to have everything I needed at my fingertips. There was always someone there to fix my problems. “With me, you don’t need a fire.” Once my outfit was complete, I stood up.

  She finally got out of bed and pulled on her purple robe. She ran her fingers through her hair and kept it out of her face as she came to my side. “I’ll walk you out.”

  “That’s awfully polite of you. Normally, you don’t give a damn.” I slid my hands into my pockets as I looked down at her, seeing those plump lips that I spent all night kissing. She was gorgeous, so gorgeous it was actually painful to look at.

  “I don’t.” She smiled at me, the playfulness reaching her eyes. “But I need coffee.” She turned away and walked out of the room, her bare feet hitting the hardwood floor lightly. Her hair shifted back and forth with her movements, the long strands reaching the middle of her back.

  I stayed behind even when she was gone from sight, understanding just how transfixed I was by this incredible woman. It was lust combined with respect, and I’d never respected a woman before. I didn’t just like fucking her. I liked talking to her, I liked dropping all the bullshit and being myself. I didn’t have to be the coldhearted killer Cato Marino. With her, I could just be Cato.

  I joined her downstairs and met her in the entryway. “Meet me for dinner tonight.”

  “Aren’t you sick of me?” She crossed her arms over her chest while the corner of her mouth was raised in a smile.

  I kept my hands in my pockets even though I wanted to grab her. I wanted to hold on to the back of her hair like a leash. Sometimes I wanted to be soft with her, but most of the time I wanted to be the dictator lover she’d turned me into. “Are you sick of me?”

  Her smile slowly faded away, the seriousness entering her gaze. Something about my question struck her, chased away all the playfulness she had a moment ago. Her chest rose with the deep breath she took. “No…”

  My fingers moved under her chin, and I lifted her mouth to mine. I planted a soft kiss there, an embrace that was gentler than any other. I kept my eyes open as I looked into hers, watching the emotion enter her gaze as the kiss continued. When I pulled away, it didn’t seem like she wanted the kiss to end. “Me neither.”

  16

  Siena

  When I finished work at the gallery, I stepped outside and prepared to walk to the restaurant where we were meeting. Instead, a black car pulled up, all the windows tinted and bulletproof.

  The man in the passenger seat got out of the car then opened the back door for me.

  I knew who was waiting in the back seat.

  I sat down and saw Cato beside me, his knees apart and his hands resting on his thighs. He wore a different suit than he had that morning. Now it was navy blue and crisp like it’d just been pressed. His blue eyes were more stunning when he wore the color on his hard physique. The more time I spent with him, the more terrified I felt. All of this was just a ploy to get what I wanted, and now that I actually liked the guy, I was so conflicted.

  “Baby.” He grabbed my hand and rested it on his thigh, holding me like a man held his wife. His thumb brushed over my knuckles, and he held me delicately, his enormous hand having the power to crush mine.

  The words died in my throat.

  The car took us to the restaurant, and we walked inside. Like last time, we sat in a private section away from the rest of the public. It was quiet, only the sound of the music overhead audible. I couldn’t even hear the other guests from the restaurant.

  Cato looked at his menu. “Something wrong?”

  My pulse quickened in my neck. “Just hungry.”

  “Then what are you having? Something with cheese, I’m guessing?” He placed the menu to the side, a playful look in his eyes.

  I forced a smile even though my stomach was full of acid. “You know me so well.” I set my menu down and sipped my wine. Something about the way he’d left
that morning made the guilt suffocate me. I thought about my father every single day, but now that I spent most of my time with this man, I felt torn. Betraying him didn’t feel right anymore. Maybe he did criminal things, but he seemed like a decent human being to me.

  He stared at me for a long time, his powerful gaze drilling into mine without a single blink. If this was how he stared down his clients, it was no surprise he always got what he wanted. A man was truly powerful if he could negotiate in silence. That was something I learned from my father, but Cato was a better example of it. “How was work?”

  My job at the gallery was so simple it was boring sometimes. “Good. I’ve found a few pieces for your home. I’ll show you the next time you’re available.”

  “I’m always available for you.”

  My pulse quickened even more. “I’ll bring them by tomorrow afternoon, then.”

  “Alright. Pack a bag.”

  The only time I’d slept over had been awkward. I was in a hurry to get out of there, but he wanted me to stay. I’d remained detached and indifferent, and that attitude worked well. It made Cato more interested. Perhaps if I hadn’t been that way, I never would have been special to him. “Should I just barge in?”

  When he smiled, he looked so ridiculously handsome. It was a rare sight because he hardly ever grinned, and when he did, it was breathtaking. Made him look more like a man than a villain. When we first met, he was such an asshole, but when he dropped his arrogant exterior, he was charming. It was the real him—and it was obvious he didn’t show that version to anyone. “I think that’s fair.”

  I took a sip of my wine then examined the bottle. “Barsetti Vineyards again.”

  “Can’t go wrong.”

  “Do you know the Barsetti family?”

  “I met Crow Barsetti once. It was a few years ago.”

  “Were you buying wine from him?”

  “No. It was related to business.” He didn’t elaborate, no doubt because it involved money and threats. He didn’t share that information with me, probably because he just didn’t want to talk about it.