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CLAUDIA

Claudia had hoped that things would turn out this way since she met Dominic Beretta. He surprised her with how quickly he calmed down after telling her they needed to get to know each other before getting too physical. She was just as interesting to him as he was to her. They sat relaxed on his sofa next to a fireplace, while she ended up positioned across his torso. She enjoyed being in charge of the boss of the criminal underworld, and once he finally told her everything, she was proud of herself. Dominic was no longer shy.

His enigmatic face, deep brown eyes, pinkish-red lips, and symmetrical face captivated her. Dominic kissed her deeply, using one hand to pull her head down. She wanted him to take off his button-down shirt, which he was still wearing but gradually ran her hands along his front. Sex in the living room sounded stimulating, even though they hadn't done anything yet. He gave her a back rub while bending his fingers firmly and fiercely, making her feel his long shaft wanting to be released between her legs.

Dominic placed one hand under the band of her dress pants and the other around her hip. She breathed when she caught on and realized her pants were about to come off.

When they did, Claudia's panties slipped. She felt vulnerable and open. He gently tugged her thong aside. She wasn't sure how she felt about him seeing her body like that.

Dominic looked down to see better and appeared hungry. He nibbled his bottom lip, staring erotically into her eyes.

His big fingers made their way into her wet opening. She could not believe he held on to her because she was so drenched. Dominic grabbed her and flicked her lower half like a guitar string. Regardless of what he was doing, it was perfect. He took his time. She thought he would be nice, but then he turned on her. Even though she didn't like how random things were right now, Claudia liked how everything kept her on her toes.

Claudia wanted to do better than this, though. She gripped his belt loops and took his pants off quickly. Then she moved away from him to see more clearly. She smiled at Dominic's white briefs instantly. Oh, what a beautiful sight! Only a small piece of cloth stood between her and his cock. She was hesitant to let the elastic down, but her urges won over.

His shaft throbbed with veins. She could not believe how aroused she was just by looking at it. Her emotions reached new levels. Claudia bit her bottom lip without even trying to.

He stared into her eyes and asked, "See anything interesting, Dia?"

When Dominic said that, Claudia once again lost herself. He took her somewhere else with him. A place in herself she'd never been before. It wouldn't be a short vacation, either. Dominic would take her on a trip to find out what she liked to do in the bedroom.

When she moved forward to grab both of his legs, Claudia's stomach lurched, making her throw up. Her vomit fell on his shoes, which he hadn't taken off yet. She wished the ground would open up while she was close to him so she could fall through and stay. What an embarrassment.

Dominic stood and said, "Oh, God, Dia. Are you okay?"

When Claudia turned around, she saw him run to the kitchen, where he grabbed a hand towel and rinsed it. She stayed by where she had thrown up. She had no idea what had happened to her or why she was sick. Suddenly, she understood why. She ate French peas at the restaurant. Her goo still had pieces of them in it. It wasn't just because of that. She also threw up because she had been drinking. Even worse, everything got onto Dominic's black Persian carpet. Tonight couldn't be any worse.

Dominic walked back to her and muttered, "Here," as he put his hand on her shoulder. "I also brought a bucket."

Claudia wept, and she was trying very hard not to throw up. "I'm sorry. This is so humiliating."

"No, it's not. Here. Drink some water."

She watched Dominic on his feet, getting ready and buttoning his shirt. If that were her, she wouldn't want to do anything else either. "Thank you," she said, taking a sip of water while her stomach calmed. "How could this have happened? Out of all the dates I've gone on, it had to be my date with you."

Dominic's warm touch on her shoulder made her feel better. "Don't worry about all of that; we'll have plenty of dates."

Claudia smiled. "I hope none of them will make me sick."

"This happens."

She couldn't believe how relaxed and rational he was about this. "You redressed yourself as if there was a fire coming through here. How can you still want to go out with me?"

"Easy. Because you're my Dia."

As she looked at him, Claudia turned her head and pursed her lips. "I knew you'd say something along those lines."

Dominic chuckled slightly, keeping close to her. "It was the truth. No matter what you do, I'm becoming more and more interested in you."

"So if I went outside, picked up some dirt from the lawn, and ate it, would that still turn you on?"

He smiled at her as he kept his hand around her cheek. "That won't get me aroused. But if you were lying in the yard, that's a whole different thing."

"You are such a pervert!"

"I like the way you're bringing it out of me." Dominic laughed as he looked into her eyes. "I got ready because I thought this was a sign. Let's stop for a minute and see where this connection takes us. I don't usually feel this good, but I do when you're around, Dia. I want to hold on to it."

Claudia couldn't hide her nervousness.

Dominic saw it and leaned forward, his eyes locked on her. "Come on. Let's clean you up so that you can sleep in my room and I can sleep in the guest room."

"You don't want us to sleep together in the same bed?"

"Well, I don't want to wake up with slimy, sticky liquid all over my body," he said, which made her grumble.

"That's funny coming from a man. A man who produces such liquid naturally," Claudia replied.

Dominic cracked up. "You got me there. But I think we should just chill out and not expect anything tonight. We don't have anything to do but spend time together."

"I'd like that, and just so you know," she said, looking at him but ending up peering toward his pants. "I didn't get sick because your big dick scared me."

I cannot believe I just uttered those words. Kill me now.

Even though Claudia wanted to hide her face under the covers, she couldn't help but look at Dominic's evil grin. What she said made him laugh. "Ignore that. Please," she mumbled.

"No, no, Dia," he told her as he took her hand. "What did we decide about before we came here?" He paused. "We'll talk. And it's great that you say what you think. So keep them coming. I'd like to hear more of what you have to say."

She groaned, dying of embarrassment. "Of course you would."

Claudia had a thought as she looked around the room. Dominic has yet to take her on a tour of his large estate. But it was late, about nine in the evening, and she didn't feel good.

Despite everything that happened, Dominic may have been right. The illness was a sign that she needed to spend more time with him and see where life could take them. He could be the man she had been waiting for her whole life—the one who could help her feel at peace.

Going to that interview with his company might have been the best thing she ever did. It brought her to him.

Once Dominic helped her to the bathroom in his bedroom, he set her on the toilet seat and looked at her face and forehead. Almost like a doctor. "I'm okay, Dom. Really."

"I think I should draw you a bath," he said as he reached for the knobs. But she shot her hand out and shook her head.

"I want to go to sleep."

One dark eyebrow went up. "You sure?"

She nodded. "It was the food and drinks we had tonight. Maybe I got sick from what I ate."

"I don't feel sick, and I had the same things as you did, minus the many glasses of champagne since I was driving. I had time to calm down while we chatted."

Claudia smiled and scanned the restroom. Shiny white countertops. Two white doors. White bathroom curtain. White knobs. Even the little tub window was protected by white shields. A luxury like this was new to her. Before, she had lived in a small studio apartment twelve blocks away from Beretta Corporation. After this fake wedding, she had no idea what was coming next. Will Dominic want her after seeing her place? It was nothing compared to how he lived, but she didn't worry. She had to get some sleep tonight and wait until morning to find out where things stood between them.

Dominic brought her to the bed, pulled back the sheet, and then settled her in. He then clasped her hand. She wasn't feeling sick anymore. She could have stayed in this moment forever and hoped nothing awful would happen.

He pressed his body against hers and said, "So, tomorrow, we'll go to your apartment and move everything in here. If you want to move in with me, that is. We can sleep in the same bed, cuddle, and do whatever we want."

Jitters filled her. "This feels very strange. I'm moving here."

"It's up to you, Dia. If you want me killed, you will have to live with it," he said, but Claudia could tell there was a bit of seriousness in there as well. After all, Dominic was telling the truth. She did feel sad when she thought about him dying.

"Dom, I don't want to imagine that."

"Don't worry about me. I can look after myself as well as my girl."

Dominic smiled, got off the bed, and left her alone in the room. His room was big. The lights and distance were incredible. How did her life get this way? One minute, Claudia was barely getting by and trying to find a job. Now she was lying under a gorgeous chandelier.

Claudia felt better in the morning and didn't need the doctor. However, moving day changed things. Dominic had become a bit colder. She understood why. He wanted simplicity. He also wanted both of them to stay out of sight. So, things had to be relatively natural and follow guidelines.

They had to sneak Claudia's things in. He mostly grabbed moving truck boxes and avoided her. On his couch and in his office, Dominic's shoulders stiffened. That wasn't surprising. It was different. She wished he would explain what was going on inside his mind. He was a mystery. That was what Claudia had to do to try to find out while staying here.

She also questioned her behavior during the day. She pondered her decision after seeing a box of her childhood photos in his home. Getting lost in his presence was a thing for her. He unknowingly clouded her decisions. He took her places inside her mind. But he was a mafia member. She knew what that meant.

Claudia, on the other hand, preoccupied herself with his personality and her new life. What he gave her wasn't just a normal deal. She put her life at risk to change her identity, and she encouraged herself to remember that. It terrified her. And the fact that he was attractive made things worse. It complicated the situation immensely.

Both of them brought boxes in one by one until sunset. She only needed a few small items from home. The other things could wait. She took her toothbrush, most of her clothes, and some personal belongings like photos, birthday, and Christmas gifts.

They had dinner after moving in. Dominic made spaghetti. Though cordial, he was quieter than the other people she had been interacting with all day. She might have missed too many things because it had been a long day. Maybe she expected more.

Dominic's back flexed when he cooked. He stayed at the stove and added ingredients to the food. Then he stepped away after ten minutes while their food was in the oven. She sat in the kitchen, thinking. He left quietly. But it did seem like he wanted to talk.

After thirty minutes, Dominic emerged. It took that long for the food to be ready. Her stomach growled as she smelled the spaghetti cooking in the oven. She would have been starving if she hadn't been so taken with him. But thinking about him stopped her from feeling full.

She got her answer when he sat. "You might have expected this would happen, but maybe not. You're going to meet my father. Soon."

So that's what Dominic was anxious about. Though it was major news and made her apprehensive, Claudia didn't think it was as important as he did. She became uncomfortable as her legs started twitching under the table. Everything struck her.

"Are you okay?" Dominic asked. He looked concerned. His worried stare almost frightened her. Claudia had never had a panic attack, but she felt that was it at that table.

Because she didn't say anything, Dominic got out of his chair.

When his hand touched her back, Claudia said, "I'm scared. I knew I'd be nervous, but I don't know. I don't want to get hurt."

"Nothing bad would happen to you. Please understand that."

Her leg would not stop shaking. She struggled to keep it still. "No matter what, I keep getting myself into risky situations, Dom. I want to think that no one will touch me. I'm involved in all of this, and I'm never going to get rid of this icky feeling inside my stomach."

"If this worries you, you don't have to do this. You don't have to pretend to be with me, but please believe that I will do everything to make sure no one hurts you. I know you don't know me well enough yet, but I keep my word."

"Why me, Dom? You chose me out of all the women you could have picked and paid to do this. I can't wrap my head around that."

Dominic had a small smile on his lips. "Because I know a good woman when I see her. That's you, Dia. I want you to be by my side. No one else."

Dominic's voice, which was deep and relaxing and could draw people in, made her feel better. At first, Claudia didn't want to kiss him, but in the end, she did, and their kiss grew stronger. Even though they almost had sex twice, he was honest and patient, and he was open and willing to step back if needed. She was sure he would try to keep her safe if he was willing to stop all of this out of fear of hurting her if he ever had to follow orders. Especially from the Mafia.

Claudia's leg still shook, but she remained calm. Having Dominic hold her hand helped her feel secure. With a good man by her side, she was ready to embark into the unknown, praying that they would make it through this alive.

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