An Aria in Venice: A Musical Interlude Novel by Kasonndra Leigh Read Free Book Online

me
that way … and my mouth falls open. I’m not sure if I believe in fate and
destiny or all that dreamy philosophical stuff the way Mother and Alek do.
However, I can’t help but to feel something has come into play as I stare
toward the door. The designer guy, Luca, the man with the dangerously sexy eyes
and messy hair—an intriguing shade that would almost look brown in a candlelit
room, but springs to golden life as soon as the sun’s rays kiss the
tresses—stands in the doorway.
    “Oh
no, no, no. This is just too good,” I say, laughing to myself. Lis frowns and
follows my gaze over to the opposite end of the pool. Luca’s now talking to a
man, his hands gesturing wildly as he does so. My brain shifts into devious
mode.
    Lis’s
eyes widen and she gives me a knowing grin. “Don’t even think about what you’re
thinking,” she warns, but she’s smiling and fueling the death of my inner
warning to back off before I even get started with what I’m about to do.
    “I
think I just found my guy,” I state without taking my eyes off Luca’s face. I
don’t even bother with drying off. Instead, I let my towel fall to the ground
and focus my gaze on the key to getting what I want from Nikolai.
    “Dare
me to do something crazy. No wait. Double dare me to walk over there and offer
my virginity to him,” I say to Lis, my gaze focused on Luca. I’m feeling bold
and wild, feelings forbidden to me, the pampered princess.
    “Yeah.
Right. I triple dare you to do that.”
    “Thank
you, my lovely friend,” I answer, turning to smile at her before continuing on
my mission.
     “Adriana
Dostovsky, what are you planning to do?” Lis asks as I walk away. However, I
hear the excitement in her voice, which in turn fuels the adrenaline pumping
through me.
    “God,
girl, you have lost your mind,” she responds.
    I
turn and shrug, giving her my most innocent face. “Watch this,” I mouth out and
start walking toward my mother’s newest designer.

Chapter 5 : Wet, Wild & Carefree

     
    Adriana
     
    You
must not eyeball another man.
    Repeat
after me.
    You
must not eyeball another man.
    Nikolai
is the goal, keep that in mind as you eyeball—no, that’s too nice of a
description—as you eyestrip another man’s body. Too late. The drooling has
begun. Maybe he’ll let me borrow that towel he’s wearing around his muscular
torso to wipe it away.
    Oh
my God, get your mind out of the V-line ... no, I meant to say gutter. That’s
what Mother always tells Alek, but somehow I think my brother’s mind has a
permanent space inside the world of the wet and wild, along with Nikolai,
although he tries to act like he’s the innocent one of the two. What neither of
them knows is that I’ve heard all about the underground parties they throw at
Nikolai’s place, and I don’t need to be experienced in sex to know all about
the things they do, especially when my brother makes it a point to take Nadya
along each time.
    Speaking
of my handsome bodyguard, he should be here at any moment, ready to pick me up
and take me home. Always the faithful servant to Mother, and never a minute too
late or early. My paranoid, and yes, overly protective brother wants me to be
escorted everywhere these days. So when my mother’s driver, Hagar, isn’t
available, Nikolai becomes the bodyguard. Checking out the designer guy, who
has been acting like he’s not watching me ever since he strolled through the
doorway, gives me an idea, and a grin spreads across my face. So Nikolai wants
to ignore me and treat me like I’m still a little girl, huh? Then I’m going to
give him a show he won’t soon forget.
    “Luca,
how’s it going?” I ask, reaching out my hand to him. Before answering my
question, he takes my hand, shaking it, and glances up and down my body, a
quick rake-over that kind of surprises me considering his reputation as a
player. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but for him to quickly take my hand
and then look away as though my