Mariella Bellatoni was bored to tears in her grandfather’s restaurant and trying to keep her eyes open. The little Italian bistro in downtown Dallas was relatively dead on this Tuesday afternoon, with only three couples quietly enjoying a late lunch and leaving Mariella with nothing to do. She undid her black hair from the low knot and, after using her fingers as a comb, redid it neatly.

She wandered between the small round tables, her yellow flats padding softly on the hardwood floors, her pale blue and belted sundress swishing softly around her long legs. She was just about to return to the kitchen to seek out new ways to kill time when she spotted two dogs tied up outside a pharmacy across the busy street.

Mariella wasted no time hustling between the traffic and going up to the two labs, one chocolate, the other black. Holding out her hand, she let them smell her and when they licked her palm, she squatted down, looking for tags on their collars.

“Let’s see, my darlings, who was so stupid to leave you here alone.” The tags had rabies vaccination verification and the dog’s names, Marshall and Cash, but no owner information. “Figures.”

While she was busy doing this, a shadow fell across her back and she turned to face the smiling man who now stood behind her. “Handsome, eh?”

She stood to face him, hands on hips. “Are these your dogs?”

“Yeah. You can pet ‘em, they’re friendly and I always like to meet new -”

“You shouldn’t leave them alone like this. It’s not safe.”

Her accent was slight, but there, definitely Italian, he thought, probably born overseas, raised in the States, bilingual, and that wasn’t even the sexiest thing about her. Silky dark hair surrounded her naturally tan face built from high cheekbones, wide brown eyes, and a determined looking jaw. Her neck was long and led down to two perfectly round and elevated breasts that looked ready to burst from the thin summer dress that was simple, but elegant. She was gorgeous and currently staring at him like a harbinger of death.

Finally done drinking her in, he answered, “I was only gone a minute and I could see them from the store. They were safe, I promise.”

Mariella scoffed. “The arrogance of men is astounding. This is a busy street, they could have seen something and broken the leash, run out in the traffic and been killed. Someone could walk by and steal them in two seconds, easily, whether you could see him or not.”

The smug looking man gave her sly grin that she wanted to slap off his face. “People know me around here and they know my dogs, no one would do that.”

Sarcasm dripped from Mariella’s response. “Oh, well excuse me. And just who the hell do you think you are?”

“I’ll tell you who I am if you let me put a name to your lovely face.”

Mariella pulled back from him, almost laughing without smiling. “My God, does that really work on women in Texas?”

“Usually the dogs are charming enough. They seemed to work on you.”

“Your dogs are beautiful, you, on the other hand, are insufferable.” She poked a finger into his chest. “Don’t leave them alone again.”

“Or what?”

Before turning to jog back across the street she spit out at him, “Io scopare tua madre, pezzo di merda.”

He yelled back, “What the hell does that mean?” She ignored him and pushed open the door to the restaurant with a huff, muttering about him in a variety of languages under her breath.

He watched her walk away from him, enjoying the view while sporting a half hard cock that had grown from her sassy mouth and sashaying hips. Something about this woman was refreshing and utterly alluring. Something he wasn’t going to abandon so easily. Untying the boys, he followed her, bringing them into the bistro he had frequented many times over.

When Mariella saw him, she flipped, walking up to meet him at the door. “Ay, no, no, no, out!”

He stopped short and smiled. “If you’re going to refuse me service as least do it that beautiful language I know you just told me off in.”

Mariella was dumbfounded at his casual demeanor. She folded her arms across her chest. “You are…absolutely -”

“Handsome? Hilarious? Winning you over?”

“Good Lord, I -”

“Tell you what, give me your name, and I’ll leave.”

“Why?”

“Because I like to know who’s insulting me, even if I can’t understand it to be offended.”

She surveyed him for a moment. So far the only things she knew about him was he that is cocky, arrogant, annoying, irresponsible. But, she had to admit, he was also unbelievably handsome, tall and sinewy, bold tattoos exposed by his fitted grey t-shirt, and he certainly filled out those jeans well. His boyish grin was infectious, his brown eyes full of playful mischief. And he had taken her attitude in stride, not an easy task for many men.

She decided to give the dog a bone. “It’s Mariella. Now please leave.”

Tyler closed his eyes briefly in pleasure. “Mmm, Mariella, beautiful. Where in Italy were you born?”

His now intense stare was making her uncomfortable, so she figured more insults were in order. She asked him, “Could you even find Italy on a map?”

To his credit, he laughed this off. “I can, actually. I got perfect marks in geography.”

As much as it pained her to admit it, his carefree reactions were wearing her down. When he continued to smile at her, waiting for her to answer his question, she gave him a tiny, almost imperceptible flash of a grin. “I was born in Rome, lived in Paris for a long time, New York after that.”

“And what brought you to Dallas?”

Nothing good, she thought. “My grandfather, he owns this place, but he’s fallen ill. I came to help him and avoid certain unpleasantness in New York.” She hadn’t meant to be so revealing, but something about his smile made her more forthcoming than she would have normally been.

He told her honestly, “I’m sorry to hear that. What’s happening in New York?”

“Nothing of relevance to you.” He went to respond, but one of the couples got up to leave and asked him for an autograph when they reached the door. Mariella watched this exchange with a sort of cool interest and when they were gone she asked him, “Am I supposed to know who you are?”

He shook his head, actually pleased as could be that she hadn’t recognized him. “I’d rather talk about you.”

“Why?”

“Because you fascinate me, Mari.”

She visibly flinched. “Please…don’t call me that.”

He reached over and took her hand. She let him, for a moment. “What’s in New York?”

They shared a brief moment, a soft gaze before she pulled her hand free of his. “My husband, who’s being kept quite busy by my lawyers. And his mistress.”

He nodded. “Is he the one who calls you Mari?”

“Yes. And if you’re done interrogating me about my life, you promised to leave if I gave you my name and I’ve given you quite a bit more than that.”

He nodded, grinning. “Aren’t you even a little curious about who I am?”

“Not really.”

He gave her yet another smile. “Tyler. Tyler Seguin.”

“And if I Google you will it tell me why people were asking you to sign napkins for them?”

Tyler wrinkled his nose. “I wouldn’t recommend it, my reputation online isn’t very accurate. I play hockey for the Dallas Stars.” Mariella shrugged as if that meant nothing to her. He asked, “They don’t play hockey in Italy?”

“I’m sure someone does, but I couldn’t care less, to be honest.”

Damn, what was it about girls that didn’t know a thing about hockey that got him going like nothing else? His half of an erection was now raging, especially since she had obviously softened towards him and her hostility was now just a simmering level of sass he figured would never truly fade away, thank God since he found it so sexy. “You wanna come to a game? I could teach you about it.”

She raised one eyebrow at him. “Did you miss the part where I said I couldn’t care less?”

“Alright then.” He glance down at his boys now. “You seem to like Marshall and Cash. You wanna come to the park with us? We were on our way there before you interrupted with your scolding.”

Mariella smiled fully for the first time and Tyler felt his heart skip several beats. She was stunning, angelic almost when her face was lined with real joy.

“I don’t even know you, Tyler.”

The way she said his name…he could just about imagine it falling from her lips as he pressed his hips between her thighs and dove into the soft wetness there. He cleared his throat and focused. “Come to the park then, get to know me.”

“Tyler…”

“I like you, Mariella. And I think you’d like me if you gave it half a chance.”

“You don’t like me, you don’t know me, either.”

“Ah, but I do. You’re strong willed and you care more about protecting dogs than hurting someone’s pride. You love your family and you married an asshole who doesn’t deserve you. You dress well, even working at a restaurant where you need to be practical you still look stylish, and sexy. You’re smart, speak at least two languages -”

“Four, actually.”

He grinned her boastful interruption. “Four. You want me to go on?”

She let out a sigh, resigned to listening to her heart that told her this man could bring some much deserved fun into her life. “No, that’s not necessary.” She walked across the restaurant and called into the kitchen. “Benito, I’m leaving for the day.”

Tyler didn’t hear the muffled response, mostly because he was too busy feeling proud of himself. When Mariella walked out with her purse over one shoulder, he immediately grabbed her hand. This time, she let him keep it a while longer and made no attempt to pull away from him. Tyler just had a way about him, something that reminded her of the aggressive flirtation of men who had pursued her in Europe. Some women found it predatory, but for Mariella it was familiar and painfully erotic.

They made their way to his SUV and eventually got to a dog park overrun with rambunctious canines and their faithful owners. Letting Marshall and Cash off their leases, the pair of them sat on a bench to watch the boys frolic.

Tyler turned towards her and continued their conversation. “What do you do in New York?”

“I’m an editor at Vogue.”

He looked impressed. “Are they expecting you back soon?”

“I’m on sabbatical. They gave me indefinitely, but I figure I only have a few more weeks until the vultures start circling my desk.” Tyler agreed with that sentiment with raised brows and a nod. Mariella squinted at him in the bright sunlight. “Tell me about what you do.”

“I thought you didn’t care about hockey.”

She shrugged at him. “Make me care.”

With a smile, he went about teaching her the finer points of hockey, the basic rules, what his role on the team is, and he couldn’t resist telling her about the phenomenal season the team had been having thus far.

When Cash interrupted, bringing over a ball he wanted thrown, Tyler paused to reach for it, but Mariella snatch it quickly and threw it. She played fetch with Cash a few more times before looking back at Tyler. “Sorry, I love dogs.”

Jesus, if only she knew what a turn on it was to see her doting on his sons. “Don’t be sorry. You have any?”

“I did, my baby girl Zia, a French Bulldog. She died about a year ago. Things with my husband were already falling apart back then, so I didn’t want to adopt another and bring a poor animal into the mess. Seeing your boys today just reminded me of how much I miss their company.”

Tyler had his arm laying on the back of the bench and he rubbed her back to express his sympathy for her loss and also his delight that someone understood his love of canine companionship. “While you’re in Dallas you’re more than welcome to come play with us anytime.”

Mariella leaned back against his hand as she turned to look at him. “With them, or you?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them and she quickly looked away, seeking out Cash who was running back towards her again. She distracted herself with throwing the ball, hoping Tyler would let it drop. She hadn’t meant to sound so flirtatious, but it was rapidly becoming clear to her that this man with his sweet charm and killer smile was exactly her type.

Tyler, momentarily stunned at her insinuation, used a hand to force her face towards his after Cash ran off. “I meant them, but I’m obviously open to other possibilities as well.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Like hell you didn’t.”

Mariella felt her heart rate increase, her breathing was already elevating, her skin beginning to flush. When he licked his lips, she had to swallow down the urge to jut her mouth forward and meet his. Tyler’s erection, which had never ebbed, throbbed in response to her focused gaze. Her eyes were mesmerizing, made of a brown so dark her pupils nearly blended right in. She had on hardly any makeup and her natural beauty was almost shocking.

Tyler continued. “I thought you found me insufferable.”

“I may have spoken prematurely.”

“Mariella…ow!” Tyler looked down to see Marshall nearly crawling onto his lap and Mariella pulled away from him smiling, reaching down to pet the bothersome dog.

“Impeccable timing, Marshall.” She rubbed his sides and let him lick her face.

Tyler was becoming more and more intoxicated with the woman as the minutes ticked by. Not only was she beautiful, but she loved his dogs, and they seemed to adore her. He said a silent prayer of thanks to the universe for the dumb luck of running into her and then stood up. “Come on, let’s run some more energy off these mongrels.”

Marshall and Cash ran them ragged for the rest of the afternoon and it was the most fun Mariella had had in a long time. Tyler wasn’t sure what was better, seeing someone else enjoy his dogs as much he did or hearing the laughter bubble from between her plush lips. His face ached from smiling and Mariella, having gotten on a role, was quite unable to stop giggling at him and the dogs.

By the time the sun started to set, everyone was starving. Tyler took them to a cafe where they could all sit outside in the cool Texas air that settled in the evenings. He ordered steaks for himself and the boys and couldn’t hide the grin that appeared when she ordered the same thing for herself.

Over medium-well meat and tender potatoes, they talked. Tyler wanted to know everything about her, immediately and he was relentless with his questions. When he was done, she took her turn, mostly wanting to hear about his hockey heroics and road trip shenanigans.

It was nearly ten when he offered to drive her home. They were halfway there when he asked her, “Are you staying with your grandfather?”

“Yes, so trying to kiss me on the porch is probably a bad idea. He’s sick, but still mean as hell.” She had been teasing him and was then surprised at his response.

“I don’t kiss women on the first date.”

She turned in her seat. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Hmm, good thing this isn’t a date.”

Now Tyler was surprised. “It isn’t?”

“I don’t think so. It’s not a date unless it ends with a kiss and since you don’t intend to kiss me…it’s not a date.”

Tyler jerked the wheel and pulled over hastily, leaning over the armrest to come just inches from her shocked face. “Let’s say we had two dates today, dog park and dinner. That means this is the end of our second date.”

Mariella shifted closer, breathing him in, enjoying his imposing presence. “Are you trying to say you want to to kiss me, Tyler?”

He almost groaned. “More than you know. The first date rule, I just try to be a gentleman.”

“You know what I like about European men? They don’t worry about appearances, they seek out pleasure every minute of the day regardless of what anyone thinks.”

“Good motto. I think I’ll adopt it myself.” He moved to kissed her, but she tilted her head out of reach.

“I’m technically still married.” She didn't know why she said it, because it didn't matter to her, not at all. Her husband had spent their entire marriage sneaking around with other women and Mariella refused to feel guilty about being here with Tyler. Still, she though it only fair to remind him, in case he wanted to be a gentleman again. Luckily, he had no such desire.

He answered quickly, “I technically don’t give a shit.” He pulled her face toward his with a hand on the back of her neck and she let him do it.

When his lips made contact with hers, Tyler had to stop himself from hauling her out of her seat and directly onto his lap. Mariella’s mouth immediately opened to welcome his tongue that jumped right into action. There was no slow build, nothing hesitant about it, they both went right to work. Tyler made his lustful feelings quite clear and took her quiet moaning as a sure sign they were reciprocated.

His hunch was confirmed when she broke from him, nearly panting, asking, “Is your place nearby?”

He answered with a smile as he quickly pulled away from the curb and made a U-turn. Twenty minutes later, they were at his suburban home, herding the dogs into the house. In the kitchen, he pulled her into an embrace.

“I’ll take you upstairs right after you tell me what you said to me this afternoon.”

Mariella smiled up at him. “I said if you left your dogs alone again I would fuck your mother. Then I called you a piece of shit.”

Tyler burst out laughing. “Good to know. Now be nice and tell me something else.”

“Something like…il tuo corpo mi fa bagnato?”

Hearing her speak Italian made his rock hard cock engorge even more. “Yeah, like that. What’s that mean?”

She ran her hands up his sides and then down his chest. “Your body makes me wet.”

Staring down at her hard, Tyler pulled off his t-shirt and then watched as she caressed his well-defined abs with both hands. His pants were low cut and that perfect V of his pelvis was clearly visible. Mariella swallowed at the sight of it, feeling her body react even more at the touch of his skin under her palms. He was an expanse of well-defined muscle, a body sculpted through hours of work and she wanted to run her tongue across every inch of it.

When she cupped his cock over his jeans, his mouth came down swiftly and roughly on hers as he simultaneously started leading her backwards, then up the stairs. Somewhere in between, he started working on the zipper of her dress so that it was open and loose on her body by the time they reached his bedroom.

Tyler was aching to see her, even though the dress barely covered anything, the thought of everything it hid was driving him insane. He took hold of the tiny sleeves and pulled it from her torso.

At the sight of her bare, perfect breasts he nearly came. Softly he mumbled, “Fuck me.”

Mariella let out a laugh and pushed him gently away from her before undoing the belt of the dress. “That is the plan, yes? Jeans need to go, though.”

Unable to remove his eyes from her body, he watched as she pulled the dress off completely, leaving her in a pale yellow thong. By the time he got his jeans off, she was reclined on the bed, waiting for him.

She was too much, a dream come true: tan skin, curvy hips, and nipples so dark and puckered already that they made his mouth water. And then there was that luscious black hair she was freeing when he crawled over her body.

For the first time in a long time, he found his heart pounding with anticipation for what was to come in his bed. He had had countless women, sometimes several at once, but the thought of claiming Mariella filled him with an excitement that he had not felt in years.

Hooking his thumbs around her thong, he pulled it down her legs to reveal her shaved pussy topped by a small patch of black hair on her mound. Laying down next to her, he extended one long, tattooed arm down her body until two fingers found the slippery wetness between her thighs.

“Ay, Tyler…” His name on her lips sounded even better than he had imagined and made him thrust his hips against her leg.

Sliding two fingers inside her, he widened his thighs when she reached down to palm his cock between their bodies. Mariella was practically squirming with the need to feel him. When his fingertips drummed her g-spot, she lost track of time and space, letting her hand fall away from his cock as her hips rose and fell in time with his pumping hand.

Suddenly impatient, Tyler pulled his fingers from her body and reached to pull off his boxer briefs. Mariella sat up to watch, appreciating his body now fully exposed. And he was heavenly, barely an ounce of fat on him, those beautiful tattoos sexy as hell. His cock, long and veiny like the rest of him was drool-worthy. The man had a body made for sin and she reached out to touch him.

Tyler grabbed both her wrists and pulled her to the edge of the bed, telling her authoritatively, “I want you on your hands and knees, begging me for it.”

Mariella gave him a one-sided smile and eyed him hard. She wanted him, but she would have him on her own terms. She told him, “I’ve never begged for anything in my life and I don’t intend to start now. Is that what makes you feel like a man? To have women pleading for you to fuck them?”

Her accent had deepened the more aroused she became and it threatened to destroy the small semblance of control he was maintaining. His initial impressions were right, this woman was something else…And he loved it.

When he didn’t answer, she pulled her hands free of her wrists and turned away from him, kneeling with her hands on the bed, her ass and glistening pussy presented perfectly. She peered over her shoulder and watched his eyes rake over her body.

“I won’t plead with you, but I won’t make you beg either. If you want to fuck me, help yourself, otherwise I’ll just finish without you.”

She brought one hand between her thighs and started to play with her clit, circling her hips at the same rhythmic pace. She hardly felt the mattress dip before his cock was nudging her entrance and then filling her completely as he surged forward.

Tyler groaned at the contact. She just felt so good, hot and moist around him, her inner muscles already pulling at his cock as she gasped. Mariella’s hand fell from her pussy as she pressed back until her ass hit his pelvis and she felt him bottom out inside her.

And the feel of him filling her, she felt like her entire body was electric, supercharged with energy that could only be released one way. She moved her hips forward and felt his cock drag along her slick walls. As she snapped her hips back, Tyler came forward and together they started to move as one, with pleasure the only thing on either of their minds.

Everything he enjoyed about her was present in his bed as well. She was strong willed, but giving, feisty, but sweet, tough, but soft. Filled with the desire to prove that he was in fact in control, he grabbed her hips to hold her still as he thrust deeply and quickly. He was rewarded with little moans as her orgasm built.

“Ay, yes! Tyler, right there, oh God, right there. Don’t fucking stop. Yes!” She came from the pressure of his cock rubbing her g-spot and he fucked her until she suddenly pulled away and turned to face him, kissing him frantically.

While he was busy palming her glorious ass, she pushed at his shoulders until he shifted and laid down on the bed. Two second after that, she threw a leg over his torso and sunk back down onto his cock, causing him to moan deeply.

Taking a moment to catch her breath, Mariella then started to move, rocking her hips slowly at first until she built to the speed they both enjoyed. Tyler ran his hands up her abdomen until he had a breast in each hand and he molded the globes to his palms.

Mariella let his hands do as they pleased as she used her fingers to rake the wild hair from her face and then hold it back as she fucked him from the power in her hips and legs, no hands for balance.

“Fuck, Mariella. You’re a goddamn dream.”

At this she paused to come down and kiss him. He wasn’t in the mood to slow down, though. Holding her thighs firmly against him, he flipped them over and went right back to fucking her. His sweaty skin slid across hers with ease and he nearly lost his mind when she reached down to grab his ass, forcing his cock even deeper.

“Make me come, Tyler. Make me come again.”

That boyish grin of his returned and he told her, “I’d love to.”

His face burrowed in the crook of her neck and her arms wrapped around his back before stroking his tattooed biceps. Lower, his hips pistoned between her thighs even faster than before, forcing her pussy to react, to clench, and then finally to release as she came around him yet again. This time, as he kissed her neck, he came with her, jerking and sputtering to a halt.

Barely breathing, he pulled back to look at her contented face. “Like I said, come over and play anytime you want.”

Notes

All Italian is Google Translate and most likely terrible, forgive me.