The Vindication Gents

Chapter 3.17

Kiara Hoffman’s POV

After we got the message from the boss, we were checking out of the hotel as we were rushing to catch the plane to Italy. It was all in a rush as I was running with Charles next to me to catch our flight. Thankfully, we reached our destination on time.

“Ladies and gentle people, we will be landing in Rome in about 30 minutes. Please be seated as the flight attendants will collect any disposal that you wish to throw away. The weather is 30 degrees, which is nice for a picnic,” the captain said as I was still doing my reading under reading lights.

However, I cannot enjoy my reading that much as Charles was drawing something with his fingers on my arms. I tried to ignore it but the heat that came from him was making me dizzy and bothered.

Needy for his touch.

I shut my book as I turned to glare at him. He smirked at me as his hazel eyes were looking at me. I cleared my throat as we would be descending afterward, but he appeared not to be nervous at all.

“Charles,”

“Yes, sweetheart?” He asked as he was still drawing stuff on my arm.

“Will you cut that out?” I said sweetly before he smirked at me.

“No,”

“No?”

“No,” he said as he was drawing some flowers or something on my arm still.

“Are you not afraid of this time?”

“Of what?” He asked as he was arching his eyebrows at me. I gritted my teeth as I was looking around.

“You know where we are, right?” I asked him.

“Yes, I am very aware of where we are,” he said as he was humming at my statement. I sighed as I was turning my body enough to make sure that I would look at him.

“Don’t you feel nervous?”

“For whatever for?” He asked as I tsked at him. I was taking my arm away from his touch and regretted it already. I missed his warmth from this morning as I wanted to talk about it but we had to rush to catch the flight as well.

“How can I be nervous when the only thing that brings out my nervousness is you, sweetheart,” he whispered in my ear before I felt my face was hot. I think I blushed at his statement before he rested in his seat as we were descending.

After going through the hustle and bustle of immigration and customs, we went out of the airport as I was looking for the sign that the boss had arranged for our ride. I did not see any Durand on the board.

“Kiara,” Charles called after me before he was walking toward someone. I didn’t see who it was before I was being bear-hugged by someone.

“Kiara, I cannot believe you were here,” her sweet voice was penetrating my eardrums. I turned to look at the head who was hugging me while she was sniffing. I turned to look at Charles as he was handshaking someone that I would never think of seeing again.

“Romano,”

“Hoffman,” Tony said as I was rolling at his smirk. The woman that was hugging me finally let me go as I turned to look at my best friend.

“Christina, it’s nice to see you,” I said as Christina, Tony’s wife, was beaming at me.

“I know this is crazy and consider that was last month, the last time I saw you. You are with a guy, I see,” she whispered to me as I blushed.

“It’s not what you think, we are working together,” I said. I think that I made it worse as she smirked at me.

“Of course, you guys are partners,” she said as mischief was gleaming in her grey eyes.

“It’s not like that,” I said as I was looking at Charles, who was talking animatedly with Tony.

“Well, whatever you say, you know it better than I am, or you’re just in denial,” she said as she looped her hands around my arms.

“It’s not like what you think—“

“I think we should get to the house now, Tony. I’m sure Kiara and her partner are exhausted from their trip,” Christina said as she was smirking at me. I glared at her.

“Coming, bella,” Tony said before we were walking toward the car that they owned. We got inside, as Tony and Charles put our luggage inside the trunk before they got to the driver’s seat and shotgun. Christina and I were sitting behind.

“So, what brings you here?” Christina asked me as I was looking at Charles, who was still talking with Tony in a different language than I hadn’t learned.

“Don’t mind your man now, Kiara. Tell me what brings you here,” she demanded as I turned to look at her. She was beaming before I sighed.

“I have some business to attend to,” I lied as I was trying to conceal the fact from Christina. Charles looked at me through the rearview mirror as I avoided his heated gaze.

“So, I understand that you will be staying with us.”

“What?” I asked Christina after she dropped the bomb. She smirked at me as she whispered in my ear.

“Don’t worry, you can sneak into his bed, I will not tell anyone,” she said as I was blushing hard and Charles was smirking as he saw my face just now. Tony parked the car in front of the house—nope, scratch that, it was a f*****g mansion actually—as I was gazing at it from the inside of the car.

“Are you f*****g serious?” I asked Christina as she was nodding at me. She giggled at my expression, as it was the biggest house that I could see, well aside from King Peter’s castle and Christina’s old home.

“Well, don’t be shy. Come on in,” Tony said as he opened the door before we were stepping inside the house. There was a chandelier that was hanging in the center of the hallway before the staircase was separated into two sections.

“It feels like you were living in a fairy tale,” I mumbled as Tony was hugging Christina by the shoulder.

“You are welcome to stay here. I can show you the room—“ Tony said before Christina cut him.

“Amore, why don’t you get some tea for them as I show them the room?” Christina said as she was caressing her husband’s cheek. Tony kissed her knuckles.

“If you wish, Bella,” he said as he went to the kitchen," Bella, I don’t know where it was. Christina was looking at me with her mischief.

Uh oh. Not good.

“Well, shall we go to the room then?” She asked as we were ascending the stairs. She was talking and getting to know Charles before he mentioned that he was also there, knowing that Christina was the Hungarian Princess that Tony saved.

“Oh my. You worked for my father?”

“5 years ago. I quit when Tony departed for Hungary.”

“Oh, where did you go to?”

“France,” Charles said, as if he had been friends with Christina for a very long time. France? I never knew that. I thought he was dead on the way to Denmark.

Huh, maybe I don’t know about him as well as I thought.

“So, how are you doing, Princess?” He asked Christina before she waved her hand dismissively.

“Please, no one calls me that. I mean ever. I was doing great, got a new expansion of Tony’s boutique and I get to do what I love,” she said. Charles smiled at her.

“And what would that be?”

“Designing dresses and gowns for Romano’s Reality,” she said before I stopped in my track. I blinked a few times before I remembered that we had been to that boutique a few days ago.

“Wait, so you’re meaning to tell me that you designed the dresses?” I asked. She nodded.

“At Romano’s Reality?” I added. She nodded.

“Has Tony expanded his business across Europe, let say Finland?” I asked before Christina smiled at me.

“Kiara, that was the first country Tony got his branch with the help from Charles here.”

“What do you mean?” I asked as Charles smirked behind Christina. I glared at him before Christina answered.

“Don’t you know, Charles owned the shopping complex and other business premises across Europe, mostly in Denmark, Finland, and Switzerland,” Christina said before she opened the door to the room.

“Well, here we are,” she said happily as I was getting into the room. It was masculine, so I must think that it was for Charles.

“Cool room for Charles. So, where’s mine?” I asked her before she blinked at me.

“What? This is your room. You need to share as the others were occupied. So, I will let you guys settle down and wash up before dinner in an hour. Ciao,” she said before she went to the door as she closed it. I was about to shout before Charles was hugging me from behind.

“At least she knows that you will be sleeping with me from now on,” Charles whispered before I turned to look at those hazel orbs that had mischief in them.

Lord, help me so I will not kill this guy right now.

Christina Romano’s POV

We were getting ready for dinner as I went to the kitchen to help Tony with the dinner. I smiled as I was thinking that my plan to make sure that Kiara would be happy with her man was a success.

“Why are you smiling from ear to ear?” Tony asked me as he was tossing some spices onto the salmon that will be baked for our dinner tonight. I smiled at him before I went to kiss him.

“Nothing,’’ I said as I was kissing his lips. He stopped as he closed the oven and put the towel on the stove.

“I know you, Bella. Nothing means anything,” he said as he was eyeing me. I laughed as I was wrapping my hands around his neck.

“If I give you my body, will you shut up?” I asked him as I arched my eyebrows. Tony shook his head before he put his hands on my waist.

“Even though you did not flaunt your sexy body, I will always come for it,” he said as he was kissing me again. I can feel the hardness in my stomach.

“Behave and if you are, I will make sure that you come many times tonight,” I whispered to him as his light brown eyes were darkened.

Dark with desire.

He groaned as he was kissing my neck and my shoulder blades. He was trying to control his lust before the time was right.

“Can’t I have a quickie? I promise I will behave after that,” he said before he pulled me up as I wrapped my legs around his torso.

“You’re incorrigible.”

“Only for you,” he said as we went to the bedroom that was near the kitchen.

“What about the salmon?” I asked.

“Eh, they’ll cook, but now I want to taste you before the big dinner,” he said as I was laughing at that, later replaced by low moans and panting.