Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3: Natalie opened her eyes slowly and reluctantly.

The first thing she saw was a marble ceiling with a beautiful mural painted in the deepest darkest blues and golds in soft down strokes.

She traced it with her gaze, not wanting to move with the terror that coursed through her body with the knowledge of what had happened.

She had been kidnapped.

She had been kidnapped.

The very thought made her think she was going insane because what would anyone want to do with her? She was just a poor waitress with a rough past.

It's not like there was any ransom her captors would get.

Maybe a sex slave? The thought made her eyes well with tears of horror and fright and that was the final thought that made her get moving.

She sat up, looked around the room.

The floor was beige marble with accents of deep amber, the walls were a soft ivory and the chandelier that hung down from the middle of the mural in the ceiling was definitely antique. She needed to get out of here before somebody came back. She wondered what time it was and how long she had been out, if Ciara had even noticed that she had gone missing.

Standing, her head gave a throb and the room spun for a moment and she used the large canopy bed post as support until the spinning stopped.

She looked over and saw a large window that had a large balcony she ran over to them and tried to open them.

Locked.

She let out a frustrated growl as tears began to form in her eyes, hot and harsh.

She pulled at them only to have nothing happened. She looked over at the nightstand and found a large, beautiful vase.

She winced at the thought of breaking it, but she needed to get out and if that meant destroying the most beautiful vase she had ever seen and probably ever would see, then so be it.

She ran over and picked it up and then ran over to the large set of windows. She brought up her arms to bring it down, but stopped when a locked clicked and the bedroom door opened.

She took in a sharp breath and froze.

It was the same man who had grabbed her and knew her name.

Her eyes widened as fear shot through her once again.

The man looked up and he froze too. His gaze landed on her and then on the vase and he paled as his hand shot out.

Natalie backed up, holding the vase tightly to her.

"Arresto! Arresto! No! Don't!" he shouted and she blinked and looked at the vase in her hands.

He was worried about the vase? She fought the rising urge to giggle.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME?" Natalie shouted as she clutched the vase tighter. The man watched every movement intently and swallowed hard.

"We will explain! Just put down the vase!" he said and her eyes narrowed and slowly she lowered the vase and set it back down onto the nightstand.

He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, his large shoulders slumping with relief.

"Explain, now what is going on or you will be one less vase... I swear TO GOD!" She growled and he glared at her before tossing her a white silk lace robe.

"Put this on and then when you are done knock twice on the door. You will learn of everything soon, Ms. Brown." He said and with that he turned and left, leaving Natalie gaping at the spot he had stood. She stared down at the soft silk robe in her hands and fear stuck hot in her throat as she slowly stripped.

She hoped there weren't any cameras and just in case she made sure to cover herself well.

She wished she had worn something other than a strapless lace black bra and panties. She usually wore cotton panties but Ciara had made her wear something 'sexy'. She just hoped that the decision Ciara made wouldn't backfire.

She slipped on the robe and swallowed hard when she saw how short it was.

She looked down at her cherry red painted toe nails and took in a deep breath.

She could do this.

She was strong.

She squared her shoulders and knocked twice on the door. The door swung open not even a moment later and she shifted as the man's eyes ran her from head to toe. He gave a curt nod and gestured for him to follow without another word. As they walked she was stunned by the beauty of wherever she was. It was definitely a mansion. She couldn't help but gape after only seeing and hearing of things like this in the movies.

They finally stopped in front of a large set of dark wooden doors and the man knocked in a pattern, twice quick, stop, three quick. She took in gulps of air and willed the fast beat of heart to slow. If she was going to die she wasn't going to give them one ounce of fear.

There was a response in Italian and then the man opened the door. They walked in and the man shoved Natalie forwards so she was in the middle of the room while he stood next to the doors. Natalie's only escape.

There was a man standing by the window, his face obstructed by the dark and deepening shadows of night that filtered in through the window.

From what she could see he was in perfect physical shape. He wore a dark grey Armani suit and it fitted him perfectly.

He, whoever he was, exuded power, menace, danger, sex... Her breath was coming soft shallow pants. The man had a glass of what appeared to be whiskey in his hand. He brought it up to his lips and swallowed it down. Natalie watched with odd fascination as his throat worked. He slowly straightened and turned.

Her breath caught in my throat as he stepped out of the shadows and into the light golden glow of the room.

He...was beautiful.

He had perfect sculpted cheekbones, his jaw was strong and covered with a dark shadow of stubble. His lips were full and pink and his eyes were a beautiful sparkling blue. His hair was dark, not too short but not too long, either. He let Natalie examine him, his lips turning into a confident smirk. There was music playing in the background, but it was too soft compared to the roaring in her ears to hear.

"Leave us." He commanded and without another word the man standing by the door nodded and stepped out and then she was left alone. The beautiful man set down the class and lifted his chin as he slowly began circling her.

She felt like a display of artwork and he was a buyer deciding whether or not to have her... The thought made her physically ill.

He stopped in front of her after his examination.

"Finished?" she snapped and his eyes flashed.

He took a step forward and she stumbled one back until she hit a wall. His body pressed against hers and warmth pooled throughout her.

Desire flared like a livewire inside of her and she was stunned... how could she react to someone she had just met and someone who had not to mention just KIDNAPPED HER!

'Snap out of this, Natalie.' She told herself and lifted her chin.

The man set a hand on the wall beside her and stared down at her through his dark lashes, his gaze calculating and assessing. His other hand came up to trace her jaw, her lips, and her brow. Her lids fluttered shut as her knees trembled.

"Perfetto..." He murmured and it didn't take an idiot to realize he had meant 'Perfect'.

The compliment made her blush and she mentally slapped herself.

"Why. Am. I here?!" she finally mustered enough willpower to speak despite the slight tremor in her voice.

His lips twitched as his gaze caressed her face more.

"I guess I should explain." He said softly, his voice thick with an Italian accent and she nodded.

He sighed and moved off her.

She thought her legs would give out, but she managed to catch herself just in time. He walked over to the chair and pulled it out for her.

A gentleman.

A gentleman who kidnaps, she thought with an inward snort.

She wearily took a step forward and his gaze dropped to her legs as she sat down. She tried to pull down the short hem of the robe, only to no avail.

He chuckled, low and rich making her toes curl in the lush carpet. He pulled out a seat in front of her and sat down, his eyes watching her intently.

"Why am I here?" she repeated again.

He smiled, slow and sexy.

"Let me introduce myself, mi amour. My name is Giovanni Amaro, and you... are mine." ...

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Chapter done! Decided to get a lot done with this book tonight! *sighs* hope you liked it!! This is just the beginning... *wink wink* BTW this song is the theme song for this book...! I love this song! Vote and comment! xx :)