The Banker Read online

  I sat in my study on the top floor and puffed on my cigar. I wasn’t a big smoker, but every once in a while, I allowed myself the luxury. It gave my throat a break from the burn of the booze I downed all the time.

  I stared out the window and kept thinking about the same woman I always thought about.

  Siena.

  She told me off like no one else. She threw me away like she had nothing to lose. She treated me like I was nobody, not the handsome billionaire every woman wanted in their bed. To her, I was just another guy in the crowd. All she wanted from me was a job, and now that she had it, she didn’t want anything else.

  Why did that make me admire her?

  Why did that make me obsess over her?

  No idea.

  When my cigar burned out, I had nothing else to look forward to. Lighting another was tempting, but having Siena in bed tonight was even more tempting. I didn’t want to bend my rules for anyone, but I bent them for her already.

  If not, I would be fucking two women right now.

  I didn’t think twice before I’d pumped a bullet into that traitor’s skull. My hand didn’t shake, and my finger didn’t feel hot after pulling the trigger. But now I kept replaying my final conversation with Siena like I was filled with regret.

  She had a date tonight.

  Because she would rather do that than bend over backward for me.

  I wasn’t used to that.

  I stared at my cold cigar for a few minutes before I rose out of my chair, suffocated by my thoughts. I’d never been the kind of man to sit back and do nothing when something bothered me. If someone crossed me, I hunted them down and killed them. If there was someone I wanted, I didn’t stop until I had them.

  So why wasn’t I doing something now?

  When nearly the entire country was at my disposal, I could find a needle in a haystack instantly.

  I found Siena in five minutes. She was having dinner at a bistro in Florence. Her date was an accountant. His background was squeaky clean, so clean that it was dirty. Only pussies had nothing to hide. Real men had skeletons to be proud of.

  It would be easy for me to have her date dragged out of the restaurant. Or I could just drop an envelope of cash in front of him. He would take the bait just like anyone else. But Siena wouldn’t be impressed by any of that. She would probably slap me.

  Might slap me anyway.

  I spotted them together at a table in the corner. She looked beautiful in a red dress with a single strap. It was short with a slit up her thigh. Her hair was pulled back the way it was when we worked together, and the entire look made her the most beautiful woman in the room.

  I took a moment to stare at her before I looked at her date.

  He was a good-looking guy. Solid build with masculine features. He had a light beard and bright eyes. His t-shirt fit his ripped arms, and he had a muscular back that suggested he hit the weights hard. She definitely didn’t struggle to pick up handsome men for the night.

  Maybe she really didn’t need me, after all.

  I approached their table and pulled a chair with me, putting it in between them before I sat down.

  Siena turned to me, and her look of terror was undeniably sexy.

  Her date stared at me blankly before he looked at her again, clearly seeking an explanation.

  I leaned back in the chair and crossed one leg, letting my ankle rest on the opposite knee. My hands came together in my lap, and I kept my attention on her, even though her date’s look of bewilderment was probably entertaining. “You look beautiful tonight, Siena.” I liked the dark tones she wore at my estate, but the vibrance of that dress really complemented her coloring.

  Her eyes narrowed in ferocity. “What are you doing here, Cato?”

  “Getting a drink.” I placed my hand in the air, and instantly, the waitress arrived and took my order. “Scotch, one ice cube.” I kept my eyes on Siena because no one else in the room was important.

  Her date was obviously a pussy because he hadn’t said a word to me.

  Her beauty was even more apparent when she was pissed. Her eyes lightened noticeably, her cheekbones became more pronounced because she pursed her lips so tightly. Her thick lashes opened and closed quicker with her frustration. “I’m in the middle of a date, Cato. You don’t belong here.”

  The waitress returned with my drink, and I brought the glass to my lips. “The more, the merrier, right?”

  “No.” Siena’s eyes flashed with threat. “How would you feel if I crashed one of your dates?”

  I grinned. “I would love that, actually.”

  Quick like a snake, she pulled her hand back and slapped me across the face.

  Slapped. Me.

  The hit didn’t hurt, but the shock slowly circulated in my veins until my adrenaline boiled over. No one had ever pulled a stunt like that besides my mother—and that was twenty-five years ago.

  I set my glass down and examined her harder, pissed off and aroused at the same time.

  Her date was still like a statue.

  “I just killed someone.” My words escaped as a soft whisper. “Are you sure you want to do that?”

  “Yes.” Just to prove her point, she slapped me again. “You think you own the world, but you’ll never own me, asshole. Now leave so Aaron and I can have dinner then have sex. Good night.”

  The thought of her screwing this guy when she should be screwing me only tested my resolve even more. Without turning to her date, I commanded him. “Leave.”

  He stayed put.

  Siena didn’t look at him. “Don’t listen to him.”

  This time, I turned in my chair and made direct eye contact with him. I gave him the same look I gave all my enemies, scaring him to death with only a subtle expression. My men were all over the place, and I could kill him with a flick of my fingers.

  “You’re Cato Marino…” He seemed to be saying it to himself more than to Siena and me.

  I snapped my fingers in his face. “Beat it.”

  This time, he listened. He pushed his chair back and left the restaurant.

  When I turned back to Siena, I couldn’t keep the smug look off my face.

  Now she looked like she wanted to murder me. Hatred burned in her eyes, and her palm was getting ready for the next hit.

  “Make it good, baby.” No one else would get an opportunity the way she did. No one else would survive such a strike. The only reason she did was because I allowed it to happen.

  She snatched my drink and prepared to throw it in my face.

  I didn’t appreciate booze on my face and clothes, so I swatted the glass across the table before she could do anything.

  But she got her palm in my face, striking me just as hard as last time. “You’re such a—”

  I fisted my hand in her hair, and I yanked her into me for a kiss. My cheek burned from the hits she planted on me, but it aroused me even more. I clenched her hair in my fingers and gripped her around the waist with my other arm. I pulled her tight against me and kissed her stubborn mouth.

  She didn’t fight me. Instead, she kissed me back with revulsion, as if she hated herself for what she was doing but couldn’t stop herself. Her mouth wasn’t pliant like it was during our first kiss. It was harsh and aggressive, conveying all her animosity for me in a single embrace. But then her hatred softened, and her lips turned apologetic. With lips full of remorse, she kissed me, felt my mouth with hers the way she had in the bar.

  The restaurant was full of people, but that didn’t seem to matter.

  I’d dare them to say something.

  When she pulled away, her eyes were full of self-loathing, like she hated herself for allowing that to happen. She hated herself for enjoying that kiss. She hated herself for being relieved that her pussy date was gone.

  My cheek must be red from the way she’d struck me so hard, but the burn felt so good. I could feel the outline of her hand against my cheek like she’d just hit me. If I focused, I could replay it in my mind over and
over. Every single flashback made my cock just a little bit harder. All the women in my life bent over backward for me, pushed away other men’s advances just in case I might notice them instead. They made out with me in clubs and shared me with strangers. They were willing to drop everything just for the mere opportunity to be with Cato Marino.

  This woman did no such thing.

  She didn’t give a damn who I was.

  That was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen.

  I dropped money on the table, grabbed her hand, and pulled her out of the restaurant, ignoring all the customers watching us make our exit. We’d just put on a sexy production no one could ignore. My cheek was red, and if only everyone were a little braver, they might have snapped a picture and put it online.

  I took her outside, and my car pulled up to the curb. Bulletproof with pitch-black tinted windows, it was the safest vehicle on the planet. Even a tank would struggle to take it down. With a large back seat, it provided ample room for my long legs—and my dates.

  She pulled her hand away from mine when we reached the sidewalk.

  I let her pull away only because I was interested in whatever she had to say. My cheek was still throbbing after being her punching bag, and my dick was so hard it was about to rip through my fly. This woman needed to be stuffed full of my dick, to be satisfied the way she deserved. Now I didn’t care she would be the only woman in my bed tonight. I didn’t worry I would be bored. My knuckles ached with excitement because I couldn’t wait to have her legs spread in my bed.

  Her hair was a mess from the way I’d fisted it, so she pulled out the pins she had set in place and let her brown hair fall around her shoulders. It immediately framed her face perfectly, like she planned for it to look so beautiful. After a slight shake of her head, she scolded me. “You’re such an asshole, you know that?” She didn’t possess the same rage as she had before, but there was no doubt she meant her words.

  “Yes. I do know.” I stepped closer to her and focused on her top lip, the soft pillow I wanted to kiss again and again. I wanted to brush the backs of my fingers along that soft bow then feel the rest of her cheek. I wanted to explore this woman everywhere, to see her gorgeous curves under that skintight dress. When I spotted her across the bar on that unforgettable night, I forgot about the women who were already at my beck and call. None of them compared to this hostile woman.

  “You can’t just sabotage people’s dates like that.”

  “He could have fought for you.”

  “Really?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Against Cato Marino?”

  I shrugged. “You do it all the time.”

  “That’s different.”

  “I don’t think so.” She was the only person in the entire world who had the balls to stand up to me. Sure, my brother gave me shit, but not so adamantly. She spoke her mind without fear of repercussions, and when I was a dick during her date, she slapped me like I deserved. “The only person who’s ever slapped me is my mother—and I was five.”

  Her eyes stared at the red mark on my cheek, the product of the powerful strikes from her small hand. “Don’t expect me to apologize for it.”

  “I wouldn’t like you so much if you did.” I snapped my fingers at one of my men, and they opened the back door. “Let’s go.”

  “Where are we going?”

  My look said it all.

  “You chase off my date, and now you think you get to fuck me?” She cocked her head slightly, her hair swaying with her motions. Any other woman in the world would be thrilled to score my intimate attention. This was a dream come true, a fairy tale. But unlike the rest of the world, Siena didn’t care.

  “You get to fuck me too.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Just when I think you can’t be a bigger pig, you somehow manage it.”

  My hands rested in my pockets as I stared at her in the light from the lamppost. With messy hair and angry eyes, she was the most alluring thing in the world. I could walk into my bedroom and see three naked women on my bed, but the image wouldn’t be nearly as arousing as the look on her face. “You could go home alone. Or you could go home with me.”

  She shook her head slightly. “I could walk into a bar and pick up someone else.” She had the kind of confidence that rivaled my own. She knew exactly what she was worth, and she owned it.

  “As could I. But neither one of us wants that.” I stepped closer to her, noting the way she didn’t step back. I moved farther in until our faces were close together in the dark. A couple left the restaurant and walked down the sidewalk, the woman’s heels clacking against the concrete. Cars sounded in the distance. But all I could think about was the soft sound of her breathing, the way her eyes held mine with a mixture of desire and uncertainty.

  My hand moved around her neck, cupping it right in the front. Her pulse thudded against my skin, slow and steady like she wasn’t the least bit afraid of me. That controlled response was arousing, the way she held her own against an opponent like me. My fingers moved to her soft jawline before I pressed my mouth to hers. I kissed her softly, the way I did in that bar all those weeks ago. I took my time because there was no need to rush to the ending. This story would end exactly how I wanted it to end—with her digging her heels into my ass as she came.

  There was no hesitation on her part. Her lips parted for mine just the way her legs would soon. Her warm breath greeted me along with her tongue. Her hand snaked to my bicep, and she kneaded my muscle as she kissed me, as she dropped her dislike and enjoyed the undeniable chemistry between us.

  I’d never had a kiss quite like this. I’d never taken the time to slow down and cherish an embrace with a woman. I preferred to be sucked off in the back seat on the way back to my place while another woman sucked on my neck.

  But this was better.

  My dick became uncomfortable in my pants the harder it pressed against my jeans. The only thing my dick should be pressing against was a soft, wet pussy. The fantasy of sinking deep into her beautiful cunt aroused me to the point of insanity, so I ended the kiss and turned to the door. “Get in.”

  She usually protested my commands, but this time, the lazy look in her eyes said it all. She didn’t want to argue anymore. She wanted to be on her back in my enormous bed, a real man giving her the best sex of her life. She gave me a final glance before she ducked her head and got inside. “Don’t make me regret this.”

  I narrowed my eyes at the challenge. “Never.”

  12

  Siena

  We stepped inside the door of his Tuscan estate, and Giovanni appeared out of the shadows to serve him. “Sir, I—”

  “It can wait until tomorrow.” Cato ignored his most loyal servant and guided me to the staircase. The trip back to the house had been spent in quiet tension, his hand squeezing my thigh and his eyes staring deeply into mine. He didn’t kiss me, as if he was waiting for the right moment to drop his restraint.

  Giovanni disappeared again, obeying Cato’s orders.

  He unexpectedly scooped his arms underneath my body then lifted me to his chest. Like I weighed nothing and he could move a mountain, he carried me up the three flights of stairs to his bedroom on the top floor.

  I circled my arms around his neck, and I stared at his handsome expression, the pretty color of his eyes and the way they contrasted against the hardness of his jaw. If any other man pulled a stunt like he did, I would kick him in the crotch and storm off. No man had the right to control my life, to sabotage my evening just because he didn’t like it. There were so many things I disliked about Cato—and his arrogance was at the top of the list. But he was the sexiest man on the planet, with those good looks and perfectly chiseled body. His power and wealth weren’t necessary to make him irresistible because he already was. If he weren’t so attractive and confident, this would be a million times harder. I could sleep with someone I disliked—if he were this beautiful.

  He carried me into his bedroom without effort and then set me down on his enormous bed,
the bed where he often had several women at once. Sweaty and kinky sex happened here on a nightly basis. The women were willing to do anything, dirty things I would never compromise on. So, would fucking me be enough? Or would he be finished with me in the morning? There was only one way to find out.

  He kneeled on the floor in front of me and held my gaze as he slipped off each of my heels. He handled me delicately, his fingers gently rubbing against the softness of my skin. His blue eyes were focused on my face, like it was impossible to pull his gaze away for even a moment.

  I liked seeing Cato beneath me, a strong man on his knees to assist me. When he wasn’t being an arrogant prick, he was a sexy gentleman. I studied him as he took his time with the straps before both my heels were off. Then I watched him press a kiss to the inside of my ankle.

  I closed my eyes automatically, loving the way those soft lips felt against my skin.

  He did the same to the other foot before he trailed kisses up my legs and to the inside of my knees. He kept going, moving higher and higher until he was between my thighs.

  My breathing escalated, and I slowly lay back on the bed as he tilted me backward. My eyes closed for long periods of time as I waited for that mouth to reach the area that ached the most. Maybe I disliked Cato Marino, but there was no doubt I wanted him—bad.

  He kept moving until his lips pressed against my black thong. He kissed me gently, my dress bunched up to my hips. He kissed me a little harder for the friction then took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of my arousal through my lacy thong.

  He pulled back then raised his head level with mine, a look of arousal on his face so intense he seemed angry. He gripped my hips with his hands, and he stared at me without fear, as if he was struggling not to fuck me so hard he might break the bed.

  I’d been the focus of a man’s desire before, but a man had never looked at me the way Cato did now. This was just sex, a conquest he was obsessed with completing, but it still made me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. It was more fulfilling than making love to a man I cared about. It was more fulfilling than a booty call with a man who could make me come. I was prey to this man—and it was the first time I enjoyed feeling that way.