Ace's Key: Book 1 Read online

  This time, instead of going downstairs, he took me through the roped off area to the side of the staircase. There, slightly hidden in a stone alcove, was an elevator that took us up what seemed like a couple of floors.

  When the doors opened, I felt myself being immersed in a small replica of an old-world castle. “This is breathtaking. Yours?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re the owner of the bar, aren’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re Lucas Giordano, aren’t you?”

  “I see you’ve done your homework.”

  “It’s public data, darlin’.”

  He winked. Then he gave me a tour of the place, and I found it exquisite. Every detail had been covered with more stone, marble, and carvings. Dark wood and decorative treatments in red and brown completed the look of the finest luxuries.

  Google had provided a detailed account of the design and building of the whole place. There were photographs of Ace and his family, explaining that he was a third generation wine-bar owner/restaurateur. Further research documented the family’s wealth and stature in Italy. It also mentioned that Lucas Giordano had a wife, Niccola.

  “You live here alone?” I asked as we walked around the penthouse.

  “Yes.”

  “No wife or children?” Okay, so I went for it. I didn’t want the evening to go any further without knowing everything.

  “I was married for a short time. My wife, Niccola, passed away a couple of years ago from leukemia. I came here on business and stayed. I rarely go back to Italy. My home is here now.”

  “This is your home?” I asked, while extending my arm.

  “One of them. Come with me. I want to show you something.” He escorted me to a lovely archway with a granite bar and pulled out a stool for me, then took his place beside me. He uncorked the wine and poured us both a glass.

  “You have a discerning taste for Chardonnay. I know this because of the bottle you ordered tonight. I’ve poured us a glass of 2007 Screaming Eagle Cabernet, or Screagle as some refer to it. Have you ever tasted this wine before?”

  “No. Tell me about it.”

  “It’s a small cult wine, producing about five hundred cases. They only distribute locally in the Sonoma area. I bought a couple of bottles while there and brought them back. The best way to find them is through auction, and the price is premium, but the flavor unbeatable. Tell me what you think.”

  I consumed a fair amount before I gave him my answer. “It’s delicious. How many bottles do you have?”

  “This was my last one and no one better to share it with than you.” He slowly placed his hand on my neck; with his thumb, he caressed my lips. His eyes asked for permission first. “I want to taste it on your lips,” he uttered through a breathy whisper.

  His kiss was delectable. Before I could react, he had me in his arms, and I felt the heat of his hands as they searched for the opening of my blouse with hungry intent. With his lips on mine, he pulled my blouse from my skirt and slid his hand up to my breast. The feeling elicited by his thumb caressing my taut nipples sent tingling currents through my body and short circuited my ability to breathe, leaving me panting and craving more.

  I wanted to say “No, stop”, but I couldn’t because I craved him to continue, my body defying me. I needed to be with him. When he lifted my blouse over my head, I felt drunk, but not on wine…from arousal. I pulled at his jacket until it finally gave and fell to the floor. Two seconds until his tie followed. We were kissing and doing the clothes dance, until I stood in my red lace underwear and heels.

  He studied me with dark and mysterious eyes. “You’re even more beautiful than I’d imagined.”

  “I’d like to see more of you, too,” I replied without being bashful. Where on earth has my courage come from all of a sudden? I’d never been aggressive in sex. With only one other partner besides Connor, I didn’t know much. I had no doubt Ace was about to show me a world I’d only read about.

  He closed the gap between us and took my face in his hands, kissing me passionately. He mapped out the contours of my mouth, bit at my lips, and trailed kisses down my neck while fisting his hands in my hair. He alternated from soft and sensual to rough and aggressive.

  He broke the kiss but kept his hands on either side of my face. “I want to spend the rest of the night pleasuring you.”

  “Please,” was all I could answer.

  He scooped me into his arms and carried me to his bed. When he undressed in front of me, I saw a massive body of solid, lean muscle covered by deep olive skin. Without realizing it, I allowed my eyes to fall to his groin, marked by one very large and erect cock. I licked my lips.

  I looked back up to meet his beautiful brown eyes. The arousal on his face finished undoing me; I was his for the taking. With strong arms, he pulled me up to meet him with a slow, heated kiss. I didn’t want slow. I needed him to give me the release my body hungered for.

  With a flick of his fingers, I felt my bra release and slip from my shoulders. He lowered his head and took my nipple between his teeth. He wasn’t gentle. Then he trailed kisses up to my mouth. “Pain with pleasure,” he whispered against my neck.

  “Yes,” I cried out.

  He lowered me to the bed and slid my panties off in the same motion. Through the lamplight, I watched as he gazed up and down my body before giving me a scorching smile. When he nipped and bit his way down my stomach, I ran my fingers through the long layers of his dark hair. He left my skin stinging seductively with the small bites along the way.

  The first slip of his tongue against my cleft left me moaning out in pleasure. Ohmygod, how delicious it felt. I’d never experienced anything like it. I sensed my sex tighten and knew I was close to orgasm. His lips surrounded my clit. As he sucked, he slid his finger into my heat and rubbed the walls slowly before adding another finger.

  My orgasm was riveting and unlike anything I’d ever known before. Silky moisture flooded me…and him, as he slowly pulled his fingers out and brought them to his lips, tasting me.

  Watching him do that was scorching hot.

  Lowering himself over me to a close hover, he slowly gave me a beautiful smile of satisfaction.

  “That was incredible,” I uttered with a moan.

  “The way you were pulling my hair I thought you might’ve intended me to stop,” he uttered with a low growl.

  “No, please don’t stop.”

  “Well then, I’ve only begun.” He opened the bedside table and removed a foil packet. Ripping it open with his teeth, he slid the condom over his hard length. He put his arm underneath my left thigh, positioning himself at my opening. With his eyes locked on mine, he gripped my hip with his other hand and slowly penetrated me, sliding further and further into my slick heat. Each thrust opened me up more and filled me in places I’d never experienced.

  He released my thigh to lean forward and prop on his elbows beside my shoulders. His body was massive and powerful, leaving me feeling delicate underneath him. I wrapped my legs around his waist, which pulled him in tighter to me.

  “Easy baby,” he said softly. “You’re so fucking tight I don’t want to hurt you.”

  His lips were ruby red in the lamplight, full from aggressively kissing me. His brown eyes sparkled with bits of glittery anticipation and arousal. He sucked and bit at my sensitive nipples, just enough pain to cause more pleasure.

  With the movement of his hips, he drove his hard length deeper into me. It was pain, pleasure, anticipation, and desire all rolled into one thing…crazy sex with a hot, hard stranger.

  With each thrust, I thirsted more for my pending climax. He raised his body and pulled my legs over his shoulders. When his thumb drew circles on my clit, I waited no longer. An orgasm rocked me to my core, taking my breath away.

  Ace paused, allowing me time to recover, then lifted my ass in his hands and drove hard and fast into me until he reached his own climax. When I felt the thunderous pulsing of his hard cock inside my heat, I clo
sed my eyes to bask in the ever-growing sensitivity… Delectable.

  A beautiful moan of satisfaction slipped from his lips. Then he lowered himself to me without pulling out. “You’re beautiful. Insatiable. I don’t want to stop.”

  “Then don’t.”

  “Come with me.” He slipped out of me and carried me in his arms to the bathroom. I watched as he slipped the condom off and disposed of it. Every move he made was sexy.

  The huge marble tub in the corner had room for four people and had three faucets to fill it. While the water ran, he pulled me close to him and kissed the top of my head while large hands slid up and down my body. The room was chilly with all the stone, but he turned on heat lamps in the ceiling, which warmed me quickly, or maybe it was the heat radiating from his body. Either way, I felt like a warm, gooey marshmallow…with the stone walls around my heart melting from the inside out.

  “I’ll return,” he mumbled before disappearing.

  When he returned with our wine and more of that special bread, I laughed. “Perfect.”

  The hot water felt amazing to my sensitive flesh. Sex like I’d just experienced took some getting used to, I knew soreness was looming around the bend, but the hot water helped. I’d never had a man bathe me. In fact, I’d never even showered with one before.

  “You’re so mysterious and secretive. Is that part of your seduction routine?” I asked.

  “I like my privacy. I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to.”

  “I’m here, aren’t I?”

  “There’s so much more I want to show you. Do with you. But only if you want.”

  “So, you like to have sexual playmates?”

  “I like to have sex without complication between two people. I’m not looking for another wife.”

  “I’m not looking for anything. I caught my boyfriend of three years bangin’ his assistant in our apartment last week. It’s too early to even call it a rebound.”

  “That’s about him, not you. Don’t let him put that on you. Turn around.”

  I didn’t mind his commands or his control, so I turned around to face him. He pulled me onto his lap as water splashed over the walls of the tub. He kissed me passionately, reaching deep within the contours of my mouth with his tongue. The way he kissed left me breathless.

  Left my lips stinging with fire for more.

  Left me limp.

  Left me dreamy.

  I wanted him again.

  “You don’t have to worry about birth control. I’m on the pill.”

  “Not a risk I take.” He gave me a stern look and then kissed me again.

  Skilled fingers found their way to the perfect spot in my channel. With his arm behind me, I felt my hips lift and soon found myself sitting on the tall ledge beside the tub, a frosted glass window behind me.

  “Can anyone see me?” I wasn’t a roster member of the exhibitionist club.

  “Just the shadow of your body. It’s exquisite, don’t hide it.”

  I was so heated I didn’t care at that moment who watched. I craved him again. “Please,” I begged.

  “Please, what?” he teased with a smirk on his face.

  “Fill me. Make me come.”

  He stepped out of the tub and retrieved a condom from the drawer, dried his cock off with a towel, and skillfully applied the latex cover. The ledge was the perfect height for us. He spread my thighs and slid into my opening, slick and ready to be filled.

  Chapter Six

  I woke to strong arms holding me with my cheek propped on a defined chest and deep brown eyes staring at me.

  “Good morning,” he said with a sinful smile.

  “Hi. Um, what time is it?”

  “Ten o’clock.”

  “Oh no, I have to go. I have a baby shower to be at in an hour.” Quickly sliding off the tall bed, I looked around the room for my clothes and remembered my skirt and blouse were in the kitchen. While slipping on my underwear, I noticed he watched me with attentive eyes and upturned lips.

  “You like to watch a woman dress?” I prodded.

  “I do, but I prefer to watch them undress,” he answered coyly.

  “Last night was…amazing.”

  “Hmmm, even more delicious than the wine,” he answered seductively.

  Unschooled on how to properly thank someone for great sex, I felt awkward in the moment. There was no discussion about seeing each other again, no “I’ll call you” routine. He stayed in bed and watched me leave.

  I sat in my car for a few dreamy moments before I started over-analyzing the situation. It was great sex, make that amazing sex, but not the start a relationship—he more than said so.

  I could still smell his scent on my skin, picture the stir of arousal in his eyes flashing in my mind like a movie project and feel the emptiness in my core, where he was no longer. My heart clenched and skipped a few beats.

  Instantly I knew, seeing him again would only hurt me deeper. Casual was something I couldn’t do. That was Claire’s forte.

  Shit.

  Claire was going to be at the baby shower and full of a million questions.

  * * *

  The baby shower for Elisabeth, one of my friends through Connor, had already started by the time I arrived. Thankful I was only fifteen minutes late, I hoped to blame my tardiness on traffic.

  “You having a relapse?” Claire asked.

  “No. Why?”

  “Your skin is all flushed like you have a fever.”

  Oh, I had a fever all right. A sex-filled, hungering fever. “Just finished a workout,” I mumbled, trying to pass off the start of her inquisition. It wasn’t a lie. Steamy sex with Ace was definitely a workout. I couldn’t count high enough for the calories burned!

  Claire didn’t press the questions during the shower, which left me grateful, but we were meeting Ashley later for some holiday shopping, and I was certain the firing squad would be lining up.

  The questions that did come up with Elisabeth and some of the other girlfriends I expected. Connor had gotten to them first with his side of the story. I could not have cared less about who was right or wrong in our relationship, and I clearly professed I was happy to be done with him… End of discussion.

  After Ace, there was no going back to Connor, ever.

  * * *

  “Where’s your list?” Ashley asked, with her hand extended and open in front of me. We’d met up at the mall with a gazillion other holiday shoppers.

  “I don’t have a list. All I need is shoes for the work party tonight.”

  “You’re still going? I thought Claire said you’d changed your mind.”

  “No, I never changed my mind. I changed my ‘plus one’.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Tell me about it. I don’t have anyone to keep my attention, making me free game for Jim and his less-than-mediocre conversation about how great he is. What’s taking Claire so long? I’ll call her.”

  “No need. She’s over there at Starbucks having more than coffee with a cute guy.” Ashley pointed to the other side of the food court.

  “Typical Claire.” I laughed.

  I sent Claire a text, letting her know we’d meet her at Nordstrom’s shoe department. I hated shopping at the holidays. The mall was insane.

  We’d already bought shoes, a bag, and other trinkets by the time Claire finally emerged.

  “Who’s the hottie?” I prodded.

  “You don’t recognize him? That’s Mason Taylor. The guy that works in your condo-building’s sales department.”

  “Geez, he looks different unshaven, tat showing, and—a beenie. He looks…um, hot!”

  “We’re going out tonight.” Claire sputtered after a sip of coffee.

  “Good for you. What’s left on our to-do list?” I asked, while paying for my earrings, then the realization of what she said hit me. “Wait, you mean you and Mason are going out tonight?”

  “Yes, but before that, me and Ash are coming to your place, and you can tell us all ab
out your night with Mr. Wonderful, while you get ready for your party. Then I’m going to meet up with Mason.”

  I swirled around to witness the stubborn streak possessed by both Claire and Ashley. Claire was looking over her glasses and down her nose at me, while Ashley had her arms crossed on her chest and had that “Dare You” stance. There was no getting past them.

  We caravanned to my apartment, and on the way, I performed a role play in my brain. I had no intentions of spilling the goods about my evening with Ace. Things we did were private and too steamy to share.

  At my place, I tossed my purchases on the bed and started the shower. With a little over an hour to get ready, I’d hoped to avoid the interrogation.

  Ashley and Claire camped out on my bed while I primped for the party.

  “So, what’s he like?” Ashley asked.

  “Who?” I tried to stall.

  “You know who. Ace,” Claire screeched.

  “You don’t have to shout. I can hear you normal.”

  “I’m shouting because you’re pulling the blonde card. Now, cover up that skinny ass and get out here and tell us about last night. We know you didn’t come home last night. Ashley saw you getting into the elevator this morning still wearing last night’s clothes. That’s why you were late to the shower. Why did you lie about a workout?”

  Shit. Sometimes my best friends were worse than nosey neighbors. “Okay, fine. I’ll be out in a second.”

  It wasn’t the way I’d planned, but sticking to the lies wasn’t going to be any easier. I slipped on an old t-shirt and yoga pants and prepared for the interrogation.

  With my hands up in surrender, I opened the bathroom door all the way. While I put on my makeup, I told them about the card Ace had slipped me. Then I proceeded to tell them how he waited until I exited the bathroom and nabbed me for the dance, saying he wanted to see me later. I described his place and the wine.

  “That’s all great stuff, but what about the sex part? He’s got the whole package doesn’t he, big one and all?” Claire said, extending her hands out a foot or more.

  “Claire, get a filter.” I tossed my hairbrush at her, playfully. “Okay, fine. I slept with him, and it was amazing. But he doesn’t believe in relationships. He’s a one-nighter. It helped me realize I have to move past Connor, but I won’t be going to Ace’s again…and I don’t need any trouble out of you two about it. Please respect my decision.”