Page 4 of Heart's Temptation
Giovani was sexy, and every girl had wanted to date him. He’d been the most popular guy all through school and walked the halls with a confidence and predatory nature that made him king. Marko, his best and loyal friend, always had his back, not that Gio needed it, as being part of the Vitale family meant he was considered hands off. By proxy, so was Marko and anyone else that Gio deemed worthy of his protection. At one time I would have been included in that, but that was a long time ago.
My life didn’t truly begin until I was transferred out of the shithole school on the east side to West Ridge high. Not only was it academically superior to every other school in the district, but it boasted a fantastic performing arts program, which was where my dream of becoming a ballerina was ignited.
My father had gone to work for the Vitales and having me in a better location was an unexpected perk. The first day I showed up in my only pair of jeans, a tattered T-shirt, and my favorite jacket. Upon entering the prestigious building, I stuck to the shadows, hoping to avoid any conflict that could get me into trouble. My father had threatened me with doing well or else, and I fully intended on complying.
I was given a classroom list and arrived at homeroom seconds late. The teacher opened the door wide, and I stepped in. I felt all eyes on me and knew my discomfort showed in the pinkness of my warm cheeks.
In the back row were two gorgeous guys as different in looks as they could be. One was staggeringly beautiful, even sexy. Danger poured off him in waves and when the corner of his mouth tucked up into a smile, I thought I’d go up in flames from the amount of heat coursing through me.
His friend was handsome with a chiseled jawline; his hair was short and his eyes equally intense, but holding a completely different message. I imagined he smelled like vanilla cookies, for despite his size, he had a wholesome boy-next-door vibe. An image of his big hand gripping the nape of my neck threw me into an emotional tailspin.
The sexy one lifted his nose as if he could smell my excitement from the back of the classroom and the heat in my cheeks intensified. Almost in unison, they leaned back in their chairs, crossing their arms. Dominant to the core. Holy Hannah, they were hot!
The big one pulled the empty desk in front of them back, until it was between theirs. With gazes focused on me, they patted the seat in tandem.
My heart was pounding as my worst fear came to light—being noticed. Hadn’t I skittered along the walls through the school just to avoid trouble. My mouth felt like sandpaper when I tried to swallow. There had to be a mistake, or worse, a joke? I felt obliged to look and see if there was a mistake. Maybe a gorgeous girl stood behind me and that’s who they were eye-fucking.
“Miss Angelucci, I believe Mr. Vitale and Mr. Marino have a space in back for you.”
“Erm, yes, sir. Thank you.”
As I approached, the net closed around me, the two men ensnaring me in their orbit. There would be no escaping them, but who would want to? The sexual energy pulsed from them in waves and had me swooning from all the way across the room. I barely made it to the chair they had pulled out for me, before collapsing onto the hard plastic.
It was only then that my brain caught up to what the instructor had said. Mr. Vitale. Sandwiched between the giant and his way too good locking friend I tried to think of a way to escape my situation. I couldn’t be around the boss’s son. If things went south at school with him, then my father and I could get sent back to the hole we’d just climbed out of.
Not to mention the punishment he would dole out. A shudder moved through me. Perspiration trickled down my neck. And then strong fingers were gently massaging my nape.
“Breathe, tesorina.” A rich velvety voice spoke.
A shiver moved through me at the closeness of that voice to the shell of my ear. Little treasure? Did he have me confused with someone else?
I began muttering, “Hail Mary, full of grace.”
“Mary can’t save you, tesorina, only I can,” said the same sexy voice.
“The lord is with thee.”
“Yes. And we are his vessels,” said voice two.
I closed my eyes, absorbing the strength, power, and promise in the voice belonging to the larger of the two men.
His vessels. What did that mean? “Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb…” I swallowed thickly, realizing belatedly that I should have omitted that last part.
“I’ll bless your womb,” said voice number one.
“Forget the fruit and let’s discuss our meat filling your womb instead,” said voice two.
My nipples pebbled in response to their dirty words.
“Miss? We’ve arrived.”
Huh? Where was I? I blinked furiously, pulling myself from my trip down memory lane and looking out the window. Oh right, my apartment building… Home.
Was it though?
I wanted to tell myself to shut up but that would have definitely been misconstrued by the driver.
“Thank you.” I scanned my card across the machine he held in his hand and hurried out of the cab. I was lucky to be in an almost middle-class neighborhood and have an apartment all to myself. Sure, it was tiny, but it was mine. Because of my prestige with the company, my days of rooming in a single flat with three other dancers were long over. When I’d qualified to receive donor sponsorship money, it covered most of my housing costs and my transportation to and from rehearsal and performances.