Seduced by the Sicilian

By Yuwanda Black

PREVIEW

 

A birthday vacation.

A cheating boyfriend.

A best friend's betrayal.

 

Stranded in a Foreign Land

 

An unexpected windfall in the form of a big, fat bonus comes right on time for twenty-nine year-old Laura Hallaway.

 

Her relationship with her boyfriend of three years is on the rocks, and she believes this is just the ticket to get it back on track.

 

As Laura, her boyfriend, and her best friend board the plane from New York's JFK airport to Palermo, Italy, she has no idea that this would be the only part of her trip that would go according to plan.

***

 

Betrayed and stranded in a foreign land, she lands in the clutches of Alessandro de Luca, a wealthy Italian in need of a bride to secure his inheritance.

 

He decides that Laura fits the bill perfectly, and makes her an offer she categorically rejects.

 

Dangerously sexy, disgustingly wealthy, and doggedly determined, Laura went through a range of emotions dealing with the unpredictable Sicilian.

 

Her first instinct was to ignore him.

Her second was to fear him.

Her third was to ... become his bride.

 

Everything about their relationship is fake, except the very real passion that erupts between. Their desire burns hot; every touch igniting a flame that threatens to consume them.

 

Becoming the wealthy Sicilian's bride would forever change the trajectory of Laura's life, and set aflame the love in her heart. A fire that only he could control. And one she had no desire to, especially after she was ...

 

Seduced by the Sicilian.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Inkwell Editorial Publishing
• Release date: Oct 15, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393131120

Yuwanda Black

I've been a reader of romance novels since I was a pre-teen. I've read hundreds of them. "Everybody wants to be loved." This is the enduring theme of all romance novels. We all want to be loved and accepted for exactly who and what we are. And that's the beauty of love – it keeps the hope alive in each of us that there is someone out there, somewhere, who will love what is unique about us. This is what keeps me reading romance, after romance, after romance. Professional Background I've been a freelance writer – for businesses – since 1993. More about my businesses can be found below. A Romance Writer Is Born I wrote my first romance novel in 2013 (3 Weeks 'til Forever). I decided to give this type of writing a try because the title popped into my head one day and just wouldn't let go. After finishing up several more romances, I realize that I've finally found my calling. I love reading – and now writing and publishing – love stories. In 2014, I formed Inkwell Editorial Publishing to bring as many stories to readers like you as possible. I hope you enjoy reading these novels as much as I enjoy bringing them to you – whether they’re written by me, or by one of our ghost writers. My Businesses New Media Words (http://NewMediaWords.biz) is my online writing company. I also publish http://InkwellEditorial.com, the leading web portal for info on how to start a successful freelance writing career. I've self-published over 50 non-fiction ebooks, mostly on the business of freelance writing, self-publishing and internet marketing. My writing online writing courses can be found at http://InkwellEditorial.Teachable.com. My fiction titles (romance) can be found at http://InkwellEditorialPublishing.com.

Book preview

Chapter 1

LAURA, LET’S GO HAVE some fun in this big-ass pool, Anna said, a loud giggle escaping her. She was enjoying her swim in the cooling water, marveling at the way it glided over her skin. It was almost like ocean water. Heck, it might as well have been. It was a salt-water swimming pool after all.

Her best friend, Laura, on the other hand, was totally uninterested in indulging. Anna did her best to snap her out of her sulking behavior.

It’s your birthday trip for god’s sake! And you spent a fortune on it. Why are you letting him ruin it for you?

Don’t remind me how much this trip cost, Laura sighed. It only pours salt in the wound. If I’d have known it was gonna turn out like this ... Oh never mind. I should have just listened to my gut and stuck the money in savings. At least I’d have some peace of mind on that front.

What’s done is done, Anna said. Shelve everything and just concentrate on the here and now for the next ten days. It’s not like you can get your money back. So enjoy it. Your tax bill, your rent, your flaky client and your up-in-the-air bonus worries will all be waiting on you when you get back. But this is time you can’t get back, Laura. So come on, let’s have some fun.

"I know you’re trying to help Anna, but I have a lot on my plate right now. It’s not easy to just shove everything to the side. I might be able to if Pete would stop acting like an ass. It’s my birthday trip that I surprised him with, and he can’t even play the doting boyfriend. I thought this trip would revive our relationship, not kill it."

Things that bad, huh? Anna asked. You really think y’all are gonna break up?

I don’t know anything anymore. He won’t talk to me. I thought we were just going through a rough patch that this trip could smooth over, but now I just don’t know. I’m glad you came along, or I might not have anybody to talk to.

It was sweet of you to give me this early birthday present, Anna said.

It’s not every day that your best friend turns twenty-five. I remember my twenty-fifth. I worked, bought myself a cheap bottle of wine from the corner bodega, went home and cried myself to sleep. I was so lonely. So you could say, I wanted to relive my twenty-fifth through you.

Well I’m glad to be the vessel through which you chose to relive that, but I wish you weren’t stressing about so much right now. You should be enjoying yourself.

I know and I wish I could, but I just can’t. Worry is part of my DNA. I had no idea when I booked this trip a couple of months ago that so much crap was going to go wrong. But, don’t let me ruin things for you. Go. Have fun. It’s your birthday trip too, and I’d never forgive myself if I ruined your twenty-fifth. Remember, I’m living vicariously through you, Laura teased.

Are you sure? I hate to leave you like this.

I’m super sure. I’ll be along in a little bit. I just want to relax here for a little while longer.

The loud booming of the music filled the beach-themed club at the luxury Italian resort. Laura tried not to let it exacerbate the low throbbing that had begun at the side of one temple, and was trying to work its way to the other. She watched Anna dive into the water yet again, happy that at least somebody was enjoying this extravagant trip. It really was the vacation of a lifetime, she thought as she looked around. A guest had no need to leave the resort if they didn’t want to. Massage parlor, beauty parlor, boutiques, restaurants – La Villa had it all. And none of it meant anything. All she wanted was her relationship with her boyfriend to get back on track.

She remembered being so excited when she made the reservation for this trip. She’d been working non-stop for the last two years. Other than a weekend getaway to the Poconos, she hadn’t had a real vacation in all that time. So when she landed a big client a few months ago for the public relations firm she worked for and received a large bonus, she decided to treat herself.

Her gut had told her to save the money. And she had put a little of it away. But, the bulk of it had gone for this trip. Her relationship needed some TLC – ok, a lot of TLC – and she couldn’t think of a better way to get it than a ten-day getaway at an exclusive Italian resort.

Bringing her best friend Anna along wasn’t even a second thought. Laura, her boyfriend Pete, and Anna were like the three musketeers. They worked together and did practically everything else together too. Best of all, Anna knew when to disappear to give her and Pete alone time.

As she’d made the reservation, Laura had wondered what her rambunctious friend would be up to in a country full of handsome Italian men. It had seemed like the perfect way to spend her bonus – good times with the two most important people in her life.

Then, a week before leaving, all hell had broken loose. She’d gotten a dreaded notice from the IRS saying she owed $6,789.63 in back taxes. The rent on her apartment was going up, and the client she’d landed that had gotten her the bonus that paid for this trip was now trying to back out of the contract. The public relations firm she worked for had a crackpot team of lawyers, but her boss had intimated that she might have to give the bonus back if they lost the case.

All signs pointed to disaster as she had boarded the plane to Italy, but she had tried to put it squarely out of her mind. For the next ten days, she was determined that her focus was going to be on getting her three-year relationship with Pete back on track. She loved him, and hoped that before long, they could make things permanent. Laura was convinced there was nothing two people couldn’t work out if they both wanted it.

All of this flooded her mind as she tried to relax in the over-sized pool lounger. The first few days here in Italy had been a bust, but she was determined to get things turned around. She just had to figure out how.

She spotted her boyfriend returning to his lounger, which was right beside hers. She forced herself to flash a smile. Hey, wanna go for a swim and then some extra-curricular activities after? she winked.

Pete shook his head. Just wanna relax for a bit, he mumbled, stretching his long legs out on his lounger. He turned his attention to his phone.

Tears pricked the back of Laura’s eyes. He paid more attention to his stupid phone than her.

Relationships are hard. They’re never fifty-fifty. Sometimes you have to be the one giving a hundred percent to make them work.

The words of Laura’s deceased mother rang in her ears. She sucked her tears back and swallowed any tone that could be perceived as ‘nagging’ before speaking.  Things have been off between us for a while, baby. I was hoping this trip would get us back on track. Let’s have some fun together. We haven’t done that in a while and Anna swears the water is divine, she said, looking longingly at the humongous pool.

Pete’s head snapped up at Anna’s name. He looked around, but remained silent.

Pete?

Just not feeling it right now, he said, his gaze on the pool.

Not feeling a swim, or not feeling us? Laura asked, losing her patience. Three days of this was becoming unbearable. You’ve barely talked to me since we arrived. I’m trying here; you could at least pretend to try, she hissed, snatching his phone from his hand.

Pete rolled his eyes. I knew you couldn’t do it, he said, standing up and snatching back his phone.

Do what?

Not nag the fuck outta me! This is supposed to be a vacation for me too. And if I want to relax, why can’t you just let up and let me relax?

Because we’re supposed to be working on our relationship, Laura threw back. How’s that supposed to happen if you won’t even talk to me?

Keep your voice down, he demanded, and turned to walk away from her.

Where are you going? Laura asked, getting up after him. It’s my birthday trip, we should be having fun, not arguing. Why won’t you talk to me, Pete? Why won’t you even try to work on our relationship? Laura said, tears clouding her vision. You won’t even try, she whispered, flopping back down in her lounger, not caring about the gazes directed her way.

Chapter 2

ALESSANDRO LOST TRACK of what his assistant was saying the minute he spotted the dark-haired beauty across the pool.

Even sitting down, he could tell that she was tall, her white one-piece suit with cutouts on the sides sexier than women bouncing around in barely-there bikinis. Dark, curly hair tumbled across one slender shoulder. Her eyes were hidden behind a sleek pair of antique aviator shades. He wondered about their color. It was hard to take his eyes off the smoothness of her long, slim legs and the way the stark whiteness of her suit clung to her obvious curves and set off the richness of her brown skin.

Watching her argue with the man beside her was an interesting sight. It pissed him off that a man would walk away from her that way, when she was in obvious