She spun around, a few of her beads and stones went rolling across the table and landed on the floor, bouncing and shattering, some rolled into the corner.

Isla forgot all about being shocked over Arturo’s sudden appearance.

“Shit!”

She placed her work carefully on the mat she worked on so nothing else would roll away, and then rushed over to pick up the beads and stones before they were lost forever in some hidden nook or cranny of the house.

It looked like only two of them had smashed, but a few others had cracked. Whatever, she could still use them and it would look more like a stylistic choice.

“I didn’t see you there.” She glanced over her shoulder as she scooped up the other colored stones.

To her shock, Arturo bent down and picked up a couple as well. “Caught you when you were working,” he said, standing straight and looking at her necklace, at all the glittering pieces she’d been assembling, almost like a puzzle. “I hope I didn’t ruin it. It looks good.”

“Thanks.” She was not too happy to have dropped so many glass pieces and stones. She corrected herself quickly, however.

The way to win him over, at least as a friend, wasn’t by being pissy with him. “Uh, how long have you been standing there?”

“A few minutes.” He placed the stones and glass beads he’d grabbed onto the mat where they wouldn’t roll away. “You did this for your grandfather’s boutique.”

“You know I did.” She looked around quickly and found nothing else. There were probably some more beads missing, but she got to her feet and returned what she’d found to the mat.

Because of how clean the floors were, there were no stray hairs or bits of dust on the glass. The broken pieces she’d have to either throw away, or find some way of using them that would look unique and interesting enough to attract a buyer.

“I’ll have you reimbursed for the damages,” he offered as he reached forward to take the glass. “I’ll call someone to dispose of these.”

“No.”

She grabbed onto Arturo’s hand without thinking. Both of her small hands wrapped around his much larger one.

It was warm and calloused in some places. Her heart beat so damned fast that her face heated like she was in front of a stove. The heat was unbearable.

The sound of her own heart was the only sound in her ears, and for whatever reason, her grip on his hand tightened, instead of letting go.

Let go. Let go!

She finally did, but the burning sizzle that began in her palms, heating her all the way up her arms and to her neck and face, remained.

Like she'd just drank a full bottle of hot sauce and was now tingling all over because of it.

Arturo was giving her a strange look.

"Sorry, that was an accident," she said. "You don't have to have them thrown out. I don't know what I'll use them for, but I can probably find a way."

"You use broken pieces for jewelry?"

Isla picked up one of the cracked pieces. “Everyone has different tastes. Some people like that look. To them it might look like cracked ice." She thought about that for a moment. "And a lot of these beads are sky or pale blue, so I could probably make something that looks like ice for when Christmas rolls around."

She was already planning what that piece would look like in her head, excited now that the idea was there. This was great. This was absolutely the best.

"You're smiling," he murmured, the corner of his mouth turning up in a smile she couldn't really decipher. "I take it this is a good thing."

"I just got an idea, so it's a very good thing."

He shook his head, still with that quirk in his lips. "I still can't believe women enjoy broken jewelry."

"It's not broken if it has a purpose. Not all girls like diamonds and rubies. Sometimes something a little more personal looking does just as well."

She was very aware of the way Arturo's eyes travelled up and down—not her entire body, but from her waist area to her throat and then her ears.

He was looking at the rings she wore—of which she only had two—her bracelet, the necklace around her neck, and her earrings.

She pointed to her ring. "This is an old ladies watch. It's kind of steampunk, but these are real rubies inside."

"I know."

Of course, he would know. The watch around his wrist probably had diamonds inside of it.

"Did you make all of these?" he asked.

"Yes, but they don't all have broken pieces, and some of the pieces I made with polymer clay."

She pointed to the little roses on her earrings, necklace, and bracelet. "See?"

"I do," he said, though he was now frowning a little. "Martina said you wanted to see me?"

Isla's eyes widened. "Oh, she said that?"

"Do you not want to see me?"

Shit. "I do, but I heard you were busy with business. I didn't think I'd see you here for a few more hours."

Arturo shrugged. "I needed a break, and there's some things we need to discuss anyway."

"My grandfather's boutique?"

Arturo shook his head. "No. I'll be taking you out. We will be seen together, and there will likely be photographs."

"Oh, is that it?" she asked, shrugging. "Sure. I can do that."

He nodded. "Good, Martina is delivering something for you to wear tonight."

"I've got some pretty nice things."

"This will be different," he said sharply. "I want you in this dress."

That sent off her spidey-senses like crazy. Her father had always been a Spider-Man fan. "That makes me think it's something I won't want to wear."

He looked at her, his gaze never wavering for several long seconds. She felt the need to shrink in on herself, to hide away from that calculating stare. She didn't move.

Not even when Arturo stepped forward.

"You will wear what is provided for you. Martina will help you dress if you need her to."

He didn't stop until they were toe to toe with each other. She should've felt intimidated, considering how he was standing so close to her, but all she felt was more of that buzzing heat that just couldn't seem to find the right way to escape.

Isla's throat worked hard in a desperate swallow. Great. Now her throat ached.

"What if I don't want to wear it?" she asked. "You could be making me wear something completely see through, without my underwear. Your contract says you can't publicly humiliate me."

He slid his hand along her shoulder. The short, thin sleeves of the blouse she wore made it easy for her to feel him all over, even when he wasn't touching her skin to skin.

"Then you know the dress will not be something that will embarrass you."

"That's all you're going to tell me."

"That's all you need to know."

Great. Why did she have to be so hot and bothered for a man who had to speak to her like this? This alpha thing was stupidly hot, and she wished she didn't love it so damned much.

But her entire body was on fire, and the nerves in her arms and legs twitched, desperate to move, to act, to do something to get rid of all of this excess energy she had building inside of her.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the only way to do that was with Arturo.

Arturo’s voice was low, a sexy rumble that made her ache. "What would you do if I wanted to kiss you?"

Isla looked up at him. She hadn't even realized she'd lowered her gaze to his chest. "I… I guess I'd let you. I don't have much of a choice, right?"

Arturo's dark eyes flashed. "You have every choice. You can walk away at any time."

She shook her head. "I know, sorry. That's not what I meant. I just meant… fuck."

She didn't know how she meant it, but Isla was a big girl, and she knew that, despite all the control he was lording over her, she had just as much control as he did.

She had the control to put a stop to all of this, and she was choosing not to.

"You should say it properly, then." His hands squeezed her arms just a little. "Answer my question properly if you know the correct answer."

That should've also been irritating, but she didn't want to pull back or stop. More of that alpha talk and those demands—why had she never before realized there was something inside of her that craved this?

"I would let you kiss me," she confessed.

"And?" he prompted.

Isla's tongue darted out to wet her lips. "And I would kiss you back."

Arturo smiled. It was more like a happy smirk, but it was something.

"And if I told you I wanted to fuck you on this table, right where any of my staff could walk in and see us at any time, what would you say then?"

Her mouth opened in a soft gasp. His breath and naughty words ghosted over his skin in what could have been a physical caress.

As it was, his hand was barely stroking her shoulder and arm. The warmth of his touch remained. It sizzled through the nerves of her body whenever his hand so much as moved an inch. The effect was a hundred fold with those softly spoken words whispered in broad daylight at the table where Martina had pulled out Isla’s chair and Jeffery had served her an unhealthy breakfast of peanut butter and chocolate.

Her mouth went desert sand dry. She tried to swallow but couldn’t.

Arturo was as cool as a cat. She didn’t have anything cleverer than that to describe it; it was just how he looked.

“You’re a very beautiful woman, Isla. Why would you be shocked that I want to have sex with you? Or is it that I want to fuck you at all? Might I remind you that we already did that last night?”

She clenched her teeth and fists. “I didn’t forget.”

She took a breath, not because she was angry and needed to calm herself, but because she was getting excited. Turned on. Hot, bothered, and just downright… well, horny. She had so much excess energy inside of her and she needed somewhere to put it.

“Then why did your face turn so red when I asked if you want me to fuck you on that table?”

He was playing with her. He was testing her limits to see if she would get offended and storm out, regardless of the contract and what leaving would mean.

And wouldn’t it be just great if Isla got so angry that she turned around and walked right out of here after she’d already spent the night with Arturo inside of her. She would lose everything, and he would’ve at least been laid for his trouble.

She squared her shoulders and stared him right in the eyes. “I want you to fuck me on the table. And make sure to do it hard this time, not that easy stuff you gave me last night.”

Arturo’s eyes flashed brightly right before he reached out and grabbed her.

To Be Continued...........

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Mandy