Seven years her senior, he’d done his best not to stare at her firm, round breasts or ogle her ass when she was at their house. A feat that became harder and harder as she got older and filled out those lovely curves. On her eighteenth birthday, he’d watched from a corner as she danced and charmed every male with a heartbeat. He remembered his lungs seizing up at the vision she made in the red corset. Several times, he was sure she would fall out of the tight garment, and he was man enough to admit he fluctuated between wanting to get a glimpse and praying she didn’t have a wardrobe malfunction.
He’d drunk more than he’d planned that night. He’d bought her a heart shaped locket similar to the one he’d bought his baby sister, but until that day hadn’t given to Gia. His thought had been to give them both the same gift, making it seem brotherly, only he hadn’t felt anything other than desire for Angel, and then each time she came home after that night, she made sure there was a wall between them. He’d watched as she opened his present, saw her eyes light up at his note and felt guilty for his impure thoughts. He’d finished his drink, making it an even half dozen whiskeys on the rocks, grabbed another glass, and headed outside to clear his head. Before he’d made it out, he’d run into an old fling.
When he saw the knowing look in Candis’s eye, she’d focused on the sizeable bulge in his dress slacks, his only intention had been to distract her. The hard kiss he’d given the other woman turned into more, and to this day, he still had no clue how they’d ended up on the couch in a public bathroom, with his dick out and in her mouth, before he could say a word. The woman could suck the chrome off a bumper, and he’d been hard as steel since Angelina Rugiero had made her grand entrance. If he could go back in time, he’d do things differently, but wishes were like fairytales. Make believe. Lorenzo, would do anything within his power moving forward, and if that meant groveling, he was man enough to do just that.
Thinking back to that fateful night, he remembered wanting to walk up and wish her happy birthday, but his erection, which would’ve been obvious to all, had stopped him. He could still remember the tortured sound that had made him open his eyes as his dick was in another woman’s mouth. It had sounded like a wounded animal. When he’d spotted his Angel at the door, he’d yelled at her. He didn’t want her to see him with his cock down some woman’s throat. God, he hated being the cause of the pain he saw in her transparent features. In that one clear moment, he’d known she’d loved him and he’d broken her heart.
With one last glance at the gorgeous woman who should have been his, he pulled his thoughts out of his own worst memory and made a beeline for the VIP section. If he knew his sister, she was up there. Once he found her, he’d demand she get her friend out of his club. For his sanity, and Angelina’s safety, she had to go, or he wouldn’t be held accountable for his actions. The very last thing he needed to do was pull the gorgeous woman down from his podium, lock them in his office, or the nearest closet, and fuck her senseless.
Pounding up the stairs, he spotted his sister. “Gia Delgado, I need to speak to you. Now,” he roared.
She held her hand up. “Sólo un minuto, por favor.”
The little minx had the audacity to tell him to wait a minute. He stepped forward, gripped her forearm, and smiled at the group she was talking to. “Excuse me and my sister, please.” Not waiting to hear what they said, he strode toward his office at the end of the corridor, keeping his fingers gentle yet firm on her arm. The black floor-to-ceiling two-way-windows prevented anyone from seeing in, but he was able to observe everything below, just the way he liked it. The soundproofed room also allowed him to hold a conversation without the noise from the club disturbing them or anyone from outside overhearing anything that was said, or, in this case, yelled.
Once inside, he released Gia and crossed his arms over his chest. Playing the waiting game they both knew he would win. To give his sister credit, she didn’t squirm or fidget, just crossed her own arms in a mocking imitation of him.
“Okay, I give. What’s the matter with you now?” Gia tossed her hands in the air.
He kept his voice even, a feat he was happy to achieve. “Why is your friend dancing in my club?”
“One of the ladies called in sick, and I couldn’t get hold of a replacement. I knew Angel was in town, and voila.” She waved her hands like she’d just done something grand, her gorgeous brown eyes going for the innocent act that didn’t convince him.
Pinning Gia with a stare that he hoped conveyed how serious he was, he kept his voice even. “Well you can just voila her right out of here.” He mimicked her exaggerated hand movements.
“What? No way am I telling her to leave. If you want her gone, then you’re gonna hafta do it because I refuse. You asked me to take over for Ando, and that is what I’ve done. Oh, and PS, she is a fabulous dancer and only here for a short time, so get over it.”
Her eyes spit fire at him, matching him glare for glare. Still unimpressed, he tried to reason with her.
“How do you think her parents would take it if they knew their baby girl was up shaking her ass for a bunch of strangers?”
She laughed, opened her mouth, and laughed some more. Finally, after wheezing out some words, she stopped.