Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
An impressed smile touched my lips. My Caterina was a walking encyclopedia of art and the history behind it.
My voice grew soft so only she could hear me. “And do tell me the significance of this piece,” I prompted.
I caught the slight blush of pink touching her cheeks as she cleared her throat before speaking.
“Well, the significance doesn’t necessarily lie within the painting, but more so the artist,” she explained. “You see, according to some of my textbooks, Gustave Courbet wasn’t taken seriously as a real artist when he was younger. Many people considered his work to be unseemly and ‘lacking in taste’ because he chose to paint what he saw and what he believed to be beautiful. He didn’t care about superficial things like class boundaries and academic standards.”
I found myself smiling at her bout of knowledge that appeared endless and so insightful. I’d come to the realization months ago that I loved just hearing her talk about what interested her.
It was clear that her passions lied with the art of others, but to me she was the very definition of art, a walking masterpiece in every sense of the word.
We easily lost a few more hours just waltzing around the place until we’d had our fill of art. Cat was happily chipper and I was satisfied, knowing that I made her feel that way.
From there, she grabbed my hand and led me down the massive outside steps to what appeared to be some kind of food vendor. I raised my brows and turned to look at her with questionable judgment. Cat rolled her eyes and giggled.
“Oh, come on, Elio,” she huffed. “Don’t tell me you’ve never gotten a hot dog from a vendor stand like this.”
I pursed my lips and feigned offense. “Of course, I have,” I said. “I’m just surprised, is all. Are you sure you don’t want to go somewhere else?”
She nodded her head enthusiastically. “We’re in New York. I feel like it’s only right that we get at least one hot dog from a street cart while we’re here.”
She stepped up to the vendor and we each got a hot dog, and shared one of their salty, soft pretzels. With our lunch in hand, we started our leisure stroll through Central Park. The temperature was perfect for a walk, and it looked like many others felt the same way.
It was truly a relaxing afternoon that was well spent.
By the time we headed back to the hotel, the sun was finally beginning to set. Cat and I decided to each take a quick shower before getting ready for the important dinner.
I let her use the bathroom first while I took the time to check over some messages and emails. I knew if I saw her beautiful body, we might lose control and not even make it out of the hotel room, and I wanted everything to be perfect that night.
Admittedly, my nerves were starting to become a bit on edge. And, once more, it was entirely about the business end itself but rather about Cat’s presence.
Her perception was sharper than most men I worked with. If I managed to get through this evening without a single sign of doubt from her, I knew I’d be nothing less than stunned.
I heard the door to the bathroom open and I felt my heart skip several beats when my eyes took in the sight before me. Among the small puffs of steam stood Cat wrapped in a fluffy white towel. Her hair was still damp and small droplets of water were clinging to her skin. But what really caught my attention was how bits of her makeup were still smudged around her eyes.
She looked utterly debauched and downright sinful. I easily abandoned my phone on the bed and sauntered up to her with confident strides.
“Bathroom’s all yours,” she said with a sweet smile.
My heavy-lidded expression melted into her. My voice felt scratchy in the back of my throat as I spoke.
“Would you be willing to take a second shower with me?” I asked.
So much for control.
Cat’s eyes widened with interest. Her mouth curled into a devious smile that only pushed me further over the edge. “You know that’s not possible.”
“Of course it is,” I prompted. “All you need to do is drop that towel and allow me to do the rest.”
I leaned forward to capture her lips in a kiss that was filled with promise of pleasure. My tongue played at the seam of her mouth before she let me in completely, letting me deepen the kiss with a fevered hunger.
Cat gave me a solid two minutes before pressing her hands against my chest and pushing me away. She was breathless and her face was perfectly flushed.
“Nope. You’ll have to wait. We will not be late for dinner tonight.”
I was disappointed by her refusal to let me ravish her in the shower. But all was hastily forgiven when I saw just how breathtaking she looked once we were both ready. I’d chosen a black suit with a charcoal gray shirt underneath, whereas Cat stepped out wearing a deep midnight blue dress with a neckline that dipped well between her cleavage.
‘I will never stop being surprised over how utterly stunning this woman is,’ I thought to myself.
We finally made our way over to the restaurant where we were immediately greeted by the owners. From what I could tell based on a simple overview, the place did seem a little run down. Some basic repairs definitely needed to be done, but other than that, the place appeared well built.
Both Cat and I were escorted to a large table where the wine was beginning to be poured. Many other men that sat around the table occasionally glanced in Cat’s direction, probably wondering what someone like her was doing in a meeting like this.
But none of them really spoke to her directly. About halfway through the night, the owners and I had reached a pleasing arrangement that was guaranteed to work for everyone. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
I turned my head to check on how Cat was fairing. That was when my stomach dropped and whatever calmness I felt had instantly diminished.
She was not happy.
In fact, she looked down right pissed off.
I hastily excused myself from the conversation I was a part of and pulled her off to the side.
“Are you alright? What’s wrong?”
She narrowed her eyes and practically snarled under her breath.
“Expanding the real estate business? You must think I know nothing if you thought I’d believe that.”
*Caterina*
Son. Of. A. Bitch.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ I snarled to myself.
I should have known that something else was going on with this business dinner the moment I stepped into the restaurant. Apart from the owners, there were a suspicious number of other men that were present with us. I couldn’t possibly fathom why their presence was considered mandatory when this was supposedly meant to be just a real estate expansion deal.
Something from the dark recesses of my mind told me that this wasn’t the case.
While Elio was speaking closely with one of the owners, I’d taken the time to study each and every person who sat around the table. Each guy carried a lethal air about himself and gave no doubt that they were carrying some concealed weapon on their person.
And if it weren’t for the way they looked, then it was certainly the way they spoke to one another that made me suspicious. Nothing they said sounded as though it was real. It was all coded and meant to mask the truth.
It didn’t take long for me to grasp the truth of the situation, and by God, was I infuriated.
I’d lost whatever appetite I came in with and merely picked around my plate once dinner was brought out. Most of the people I sat around ignored me as if I wasn’t even there, which left me to nurse the glass of wine I refused to let go of.
I treated it like it was the only thing that kept me grounded. Otherwise, I would have simply gotten up from the table and left. It wouldn’t have been difficult for me to be taken back to the hotel, considering this entire meeting was nothing but a complete fucking ruse.
I struggled to keep my expression as neutral as possible, but the second Elio turned to glance at me, he was quick to pick up on my mood.
Dinner was all but done and everyone left the table to continue their conversations in the main lounge area. Elio excused himself from the conversation he was in the middle of and brought us off to the side.
“Are you alright? What’s wrong?” he asked.