Page 23 of Sacred Blood

His eyes danced with merriment. “You are a smart woman, Gabriella, you tell me. Think, what do plants do?”

I knew that when we breathed out CO2, the plants took it and converted it into oxygen, which we then breathed in. I stared at the plants, recognizing many that were specifically recommended for clean breathing.

He said the plants were the lungs…

“Your house has lungs!” I blurted, almost yelling with excitement.

Tano chuckled. “I knew you could figure it out.”

Was it wrong to preen a little with the compliment? “I imagine they help control the dust too.”

“I wouldn’t know, but that’s a safe assumption. Wait until you see the rest,” he said with a measure of enthusiasm.

I could get whiplash from the shifting personalities of Gaetano Vitale. He’d shown me the cold and mechanical doctor, the controlling Dom, and now, this expressive, plant loving man standing before me in a single day!

“But that can wait for later.” Once again taking my hand, Tano led me through the house and outside to a sprawling deck fringed with more trees. An orchard of citrus fruits formed natural barriers between walking and sitting spaces. Spreading palms, flowering vines and potted grasses cupped a lap pool and hot tub, tricking the eye into thinking you had discovered some natural grotto beneath the stars. Twinkling fairy lights illuminated the surrounding shrubbery and railings. In a word, the place was magical.

I turned around and around, trying to see it all, hardly able to take it in. “I don’t know how you can leave this paradise to work in an urban hospital, when your wealth offers a bevy of choices. Why not retire?”

The light in his eyes dimmed a bit, but the amusement still glittered. “I’m too young to retire.”

“Really?” I deadpanned. “And here I thought you were in your late forties.”

Tano’s look of pure shock made whatever punishment he’d dish out in return totally worth it. No longer capable of keeping a straight face, I erupted with laughter.

“You little brat!” He swept me up in his arms and tossed me into the lap pool. “I think you need to cool off, cattivo bambina.”

I spluttered, allowing the water to fill my mouth enough to act as though I was drowning. “Help!” I coughed and spluttered while again trying to hold back the laughter. “I can’t swim!”

Splash! Tano’s huge hands seized me and in one dizzying swoop he pushed me to the surface and flung me over the edge of the pool, slamming my back painfully. “Gaby!” he yelled, the panic in his voice immediately making me feel guilty for the silly prank.

“I’m fine! Stop pounding on my back, would you? Geez, it was a joke already, relax.”

“A joke?” The pounding didn’t stop but moved immediately from my back to my ass. I couldn’t even kick my legs, or they would hit the wall of the pool I was currently bent over. The loud cracking of his hand on my wet ass intensified when he pulled the skirt off and tossed it on the pool deck. Now, the sound of flesh on flesh sounded as loud as gunfire in the quiet of the night.

“What if your neighbors hear?” I complained. “Or call the cops because of the sounds they’re hearing?”

Tano pulled himself out of the water and sat down, pulling me over his legs, and continuing the spanking. “Then they will think a very naughty girl is getting a well-deserved spanking.”

“It was just a joke!” I wailed.

“Explain the joke,” he shot back. “Explain to me just how it is funny for me to think that someone’s life is in danger, that I–” He sent a volley of very harsh spanks against my poor bottom, the next one landing before I’d even processed the first, painting my ass with fire. “—put someone’s life in danger! Where am I supposed to laugh, Allegra?”

“Okay! You made your point!”

I found myself airborne as Tano stood, bringing me with him. He may not be as big as a football player, but he was as strong as two put together. He placed me over an outdoor ottoman and told me not to move.

I could hear his belt unbuckling, so I knew what was coming, but I was woefully unprepared for the stinging slap that lit a fiery stripe across my ass cheeks. “Owie! That hurt.”

“You’re not in danger of any permanent damage, but you will feel this every time you sit down for at least a week. Let this serve as a reminder never to pull a stunt like that again.”

The belt whistled through the air until I lost count and lay sobbing over the ottoman, thoroughly spent and very repentant.

“I’m sorry, Tano! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you! I’ll never do it again!”

My wails of remorse seemed to be the key to my release. He stopped spanking me and steadied me while I cried it all out, tapering off into hiccups when I was finally able to draw air into my lungs.

He gathered me up and placed me on his lap. His pants, cool from the water, felt good on my scalding skin.