I peeked around the opened door, knocking once to let Aria know I was entering. She was standing in front of the mirror, focusing on putting her earrings in.

My eyes went straight to her ass, covered in a short and red dress. The material was tight, stretching around her hips and my gaze shifted to her bare legs. She had heels on her feet – the ones she told me she liked and I had it delivered the next day. It was pretty.

I took a deep breath in, leaning against the doorframe because I could already feel my stress levels rising. It pained me how beautiful she was.

"Stare at me or help me zip this?" she asked, looking at me through the mirror.

"Stare at you," I replied, crossing my arms.

She chuckled, shaking her head. "We're going to be late."

"I don't care," I said, leaning my head to the side to soak in every part of her. Aria turned around—and her cleavage almost had me falling to the ground. 

I groaned, holding onto the frame and Aria's chuckle turned into a laugh. Then, she put her hands on her hips and I dropped my head, letting out a heavy exhale.

"Carlo cares. Come on, it's his birthday," she explained, giving me a look and I practically glared at her.

"Carlo can wait," I said, pushing myself off the frame to approach her. She faced the mirror again, showing me her bare back and she flicked her hair over one shoulder.

I bent down, giving her a kiss on the tattoo at the nape of her neck. She smiled at me through the mirror—and I couldn't resist giving her another kiss on her shoulder while my hands went to her waist.

"Do you like it?" she asked, referring to her silk dress.

"Let me show you how much I like it," I whispered, letting my teeth graze over her soft skin.

I would have loved to fuck her in that dress—right there, in front of that mirror. The thought had me tightening my lips together, an attempt at stopping myself from pulling her dress up to her waist and bending her over.

Aria chuckled and leaned her head to the side, exposing her neck and I let my lips caress the spot underneath her ear.

"We're going to be so late, Sandro," she said, but her sentence stammered midway. I smirked against her, stepping closer until my crotch met her ass and I heard her intake a quick breath.

"Does it matter?" I asked, sliding my hands from her waist to her hips. Her eyes were dropped low, her lips shaped into a sultry smile and I saw the contemplation on her face.

It disappeared immediately when she glanced at the watch on my wrist. 

"Yes, it does. I don't want to arrive late and have everyone's eyes on us, Sandro," she said, turning around in my hold and I felt her wrap her arms around my waist. Aria had to strain her neck to look up at me and she puckered her lips for a kiss that I wasn't hesitant to give her.

My hands rested on her cheeks as I bent down to give her what she wanted. It was soft, and the way it felt had me wanting more. My hands slid around her back, finding the zip and I secured in place while my lips never left hers.

She moaned a 'thank you,' and I liked how it sounded. I grunted—so unbelievably infatuated with the woman before me that I couldn't think straight.

"Put this on for me," she said, pulling my lower lip between her teeth before letting go entirely. She was holding a small blade in her palm.

I had given it to her when I realised that perhaps carrying a gun when she wasn't completely confident yet wouldn't be the safest option. A dangerous person wouldn't hesitate to shoot you with your own weapon. It was too soon, so we opted for a blade—one that wouldn't be as noticeable.

Aria grabbed the hem of her dress, lifting it over her hips while I dangled the handle of the blade between my fingers.

Her underwear was white, lacy and almost fucking see through. I saw a glimpse of her pussy through the material. Fuck. She was definitely doing it on purpose.

I scowled, "Why are you doing this to me?"

Aria chuckled, "Doing what?"

"You know what the fuck you're doing," I grumbled, and all she did was laugh because I was right.

She raised her leg, holding onto my shoulders to maintain her balance. Her thick thigh had the blood rushing straight to my dick but I shook the thoughts away as I strapped her up, putting the blade in the tiny pocket and giving it a small pat.

When I was done, her hands went to the tie around my neck to fix it for me and she straightened out my collar.

"Handsome," she murmured, a small grin on her lips as she dragged her hands down my arms. Her compliments always struck something in me but that particular night, as soon as she uttered the word, I wanted to call Carlo and tell him that we weren't going to make it.

"It's as if you're trying to kill me," I commented, my gaze dropping to her exposed cleavage.

Her dress was tight, pushing her breasts together and I wanted to drag my entire face through it. Her mere presence was enough to send me into overdrive—and I was starting to think that I might actually have a problem.

"You're just easily flustered," she said, raising her arms to wrap around my neck. She wasn't wrong. Anything she did—literally anything—had some type of effect on me.

I gave her a kiss on her forehead. "I really don't mind staying at home with you,"

"Alessandro."

Shit.

"Okay, okay. Carlo's birthday is important," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"We can stay for an hour or so, and when we get back—" Aria dragged her finger down my chest, giving me a suggestive smile. "I'm all yours," she whispered, standing on the tips of her toes to speak into my ear. I closed my eyes, dropping my forehead onto her shoulder.

Carlo was always one for throwing an extravagant birthday bash. His own way of building his personal clientele. Men and women from all over the world were going to be the guests, and Aria was my date for the night. For the first time in years, I had a woman by my side attending the event with me.

I also realised that I would much rather spend the night with her in my penthouse, but Carlo was a friend and my second-hand man. I had to, at least, show up.

"Promise?" I asked, and I felt her body shake with a small laugh.

"I promise."

"Turn around," I said.

"What?" she asked, a confused expression on her face. "Sandro, I swear if you try to fuck me right now—"

I laughed out loud, "Turn around, bellissima,"

She narrowed her eyes but nevertheless did as she was told. I retrieved the necklace from my pocket while she gazed at me through the mirror. She didn't see it until I unclasped the hook and settled the cold jewellery on her collarbones. Her eyes softened as she touched it with the tips of her fingers.

It was simple, dainty and covered in small diamonds. Aria never directly told me that she wanted anything—she always tried to hide it. But I paid attention and quickly caught on to the fact that she liked this necklace when she stared at it for a second too long as we passed the store.

"Sandro," she said softly. "It's beautiful. Thank you. How did you even know I wanted this one?"

I shrugged, giving her a kiss on the top of her head. "I have my ways,"

Aria grinned, facing me again. She grabbed my jaw in both hands, bringing me down to her height for rough and hard kiss. "I love you so fucking much," she whispered, and I felt my own smile stretching across my lips.

"I love you more. So much more."

We stepped out of the elevator, walking over to my parked car. I clicked the immobiliser, unlocking it while my free hand was interlaced with Aria's. Her heels clicked on the ground, echoing through the partially empty lot.

"Sandro?" Aria asked, tugging at my hand and I looked down at her.

"Yes?"

"Can I drive?"

I smiled, tossing her the immobiliser and she caught it with ease. "I was hoping you'd ask."

• • •