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“What if you met someone who checked all your boxes but didn’t want children? Would that work?”
“No,” Bruno said swiftly, with a head shake. “My primary goal is to find a wife, but children are a must. You can put that down as one of my deal breakers—a woman who doesn’t want children. And no pawning them off on the nanny. She must be a loving and involved parent. The nanny should not be the primary caregiver.”
He spoke with such hard resolution in his voice, Marissa suspected he had experience in that area.
He continued. “I would want to have children within a year or two of marriage, early enough in my life to enjoy activities with them. Frankly, they’ve practically been mandated by my parents.”
Marissa heard dry humor in his voice and smiled. “Parents can be very demanding in that area.”
“Particularly Black and Latino parents.”
She frowned, surprised.
“My stepmother is Black and has been asking for grandchildren for some time,” he explained. “My father is no better. I’m the second oldest in my family, therefore the pressure is intense. We’re a family of nine with seven kids.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s a large family.”
Bruno laughed. The sound took her breath away and stroked her nipples, making them tighten. His laugh was sexy, and that smile was dangerously seductive. Wow. Marissa dipped her eyes to the notepad.
“My father had three sons, and my stepmother had three kids when they married.”
“Sounds like a modern-day Brady Bunch, but that’s six children, not seven.”
“Then they had one together, making seven of us. The baby, as we teasingly call him, is currently completing his medical residency.”
He spoke with such warmth in his voice, she understood why a family-oriented woman was important. He clearly had a great relationship with his family. She envied him.
“Two children and family-oriented. It’s good you have such clarity. We can certainly make that clear to the women we interview, to ensure we choose candidates who are on the same page.”
“I do have one more deal breaker that I should mention. I’m not interested in anyone who already has children. I’ve gone down that messy and dramatic road before, and I’d prefer not to do so again.”
His dismissal of single mothers tightened her chest. She shouldn’t be surprised. Quite a few people had an aversion to single parents, but it didn’t fail to hurt when they made their thoughts known.
“Understood.” Marissa noted her pad.
Chapter Four
The conversation continued for another half hour and covered political preferences and religion, where he explained he was a non-practicing Catholic.
Finally, Marissa asked, “Do you have any preferences in the bedroom that I should be aware of?”
She kept her voice matter-of-fact, but this question often resulted in a moment of awkwardness, which was why she left it for last, until they’d established a rapport. Men were either eager to share their proclivities or didn’t deem the answer any of her business.
“Are you asking if I have a dungeon in the basement where I handcuff and tie up unsuspecting women?” he asked slowly, his voice low and seductive.
He was trying to shock her, but a flash of heat touched her skin. She’d never heard anyone make being tied up in a dungeon sound so deliciously hot before.
Her pulse rate increased, but she kept her voice cool and even. “Yes, I am. Sex is an important part of any relationship, and matching you to the right woman involves sexual compatibility. If you like tying up women in your dungeon, I need to know about said dungeon so the women I match you with don’t run away screaming when you haul them down there and break out the whips and chains.”
A slow smile touched his lips. That smile was damn dangerous. His lips were sculpted with a sensual curve that hinted at mischief and the promise of pleasure.
Holding her captive with his eyes, Bruno spoke in the same low voice. “I am as much a perfectionist in the bedroom as I am in the kitchen. I like to be in control in the bedroom, but it’s very important to me that any woman I sleep with experiences the utmost pleasure. I always take care of my lovers’ needs first. Their satisfaction is my number one priority, and no woman leaves my bed unsatisfied. No whips and chains needed.”
There was carnal promise in every syllable he spoke.
Her pulse rioting out of control, Marissa nodded and then scribbled gibberish on her notepad with a shaky hand to buy time. She couldn’t ever remember reacting to a client in this way before. That was enough probing into his sex life.
“Thank you for that thorough answer.”
