Read Online PunishingPhoebe by Kit Tunstall - Free Book Online

and she sat on the edge of the bed, breathing deeply. Tonight
promised to be an ordeal, but she had to get through it. Nervousness served no
productive function. She had to get herself together.
    The pep talk did little to ease her nerves,
and she still couldn’t fasten the necklace. With a long sigh, she got to her
feet and left his bedroom, in search of her boss. She found Luca in the
apartment’s living room, a crystal glass on the table beside him. He appeared
to be in deep thought and his unguarded expression revealed several emotions
she had no time to analyze before he became aware of her presence. His face lost
all trace of emotion. “That was fast,” he said, getting to his feet.
    She shrugged. “I can’t get this thing
fastened.” He walked toward her and she extended the pendant. Arcs of
electricity flared when their hands touched during the transfer and she had to
hold her breath when he stepped behind her to place the necklace.
    Once he’d fastened the clasp, he cupped her
bared shoulders instead of stepping away. “You look lovely.”
    “Thank you.” She started to step away, but
his hands tightened slightly, making her freeze.
    “It will drive Salvatore crazy,” said Luca,
with a hint of amusement. His breath caressed the back of her neck. “Me too.”
He lowered his hand from her shoulder to cup her breast, thumbing the nipple
until it beaded into a hard bud. “As beautiful as you are in this gown, I still
can’t wait to strip it from you.”
    Phoebe struggled to keep her thoughts
focused as he played with her breast. “Luca…” She moaned when he squeezed the
soft globe. “Um, I…” With a cough, she cleared her throat, and her passion-fogged
mind. “Do you want to take the time for me to get dressed again later? If not,
you’d better stop.”
    He nibbled on her neck, but his hand fell
from her breast. A moment later, he straightened and stepped away. “We should
be on our way.”
    Her lips twitched, but she didn’t smile,
uncertain how he might take her mirth. With all the misunderstandings between
them, he’d probably think she was amused at having some kind of control over
him, or at his weakness for her.
    A private car took them from his apartment
in Midtown East to Salvatore’s sprawling home in the Upper East Side. The old
man wasn’t content with an apartment in one of the exclusive buildings
overlooking Central Park. Instead, he had purchased the entire building and
converted it into a palatial estate suitable for an Italian duke of the past.
    As she exited the car in the private
parking garage, Phoebe admitted the comparison was apt. The Androttis had royal
lineage, and the old bastard still liked to pretend he had the same power over
people that his ancestors had wielded. It turned her stomach to know he had
that kind of power over her life—or the power to ruin her life, at least. She
had ended up doing almost exactly what Salvatore had wanted. His plans hadn’t
eliminated her from Luca’s life, but they had effectively prevented his son
from ever wanting more than sex from the lowly personal assistant.
    Luca took her arm to lead her into the
foyer, through to the salon, where Salvatore sat in the center of his court.
She rolled her eyes at the way the old man sat in his wheelchair, as though it
were a throne. It would be nice to crown him, she thought with a slight
giggle. Thankfully, the cacophony of voices in the throng covered the sound
before her companion heard.
    On his arm, Phoebe endured the next hour,
meeting countless new people whose names she forgot as soon as they moved to
the next group. Her stomach clenched when they finally made it near Salvatore,
surrounded by several people. She schooled her face into an expressionless
mask, though her nerves threatened to make her throw up all over the man’s lap.
    He greeted Luca with an incline of his head
and didn’t spare a glance for her, to her relief. She pasted on a polite smile,
the same one she’d used