Chapter Seven

Italy was absolutely gorgeous and even though she was still annoyed as they sat in the back of the large car, well she had to admit that this place was really a dream come true. John didnt say anything for awhile and she was just fine with that, it gave her time to calm herself and to just enjoy the view from the car. She had never been out of the country before and she had always wondered if she would and now look at her, in italy of all places and with John Mcbain, yep she wouldnt of believed it herself if she hadnt been living it right now..

"there are a few boutiques" he finally said as they drove through the beautiful city.."now this is a party so were gonna do it up pretty woman style" he smirked..

"except im not a prostitute" she said sarcastically..

"do you always have to take everything so literal" he said sarcastically now..."seriously Natalie there are ways to take away all that tension, even in this car"

Natalie looked at him now.."if you thought you were gonna be getting lucky then you should of rethought who you were bringing with you" she smiled tightly...

"who said luck has anything to do with it" he smirked.."You can pull over here" he smiled as he spoke to the driver who promptly pulled over.."Now I dont have to remind you that were in public, so tone down the attitude" he grinned and then he was getting out as the driver came around and opened her door, she sucked in a deep breath and then quickly got out..

The city street they reminded her of Rodeo drive in California, not that she had had any time to stop while she was there, it was strickly business at the time but still the similarities were remarkable..

"Madam" John said as he put his arm out to her and as much as she wanted to tell him to go to hell she knew she had to play the part, god knows who was out there watching them at this very moment and so she linked her arm with his.."see this isnt so bad" he smiled as he looked at her and she smiled back tightly.."come on I have the perfect place" he said as they began to walk down the very busy street. It wasnt lost on her that every woman they passed took a double take at him, he seemed unaffected but she had to fight the urge to roll her eyes..

He stopped at a large boutique and opened the door.. She would be lying if she said that this place wasnt a girls dream. The place was lined with the most esquizette gowns and dresses, they were immediately met by a rather tall brown haired woman who smiled sweetly at John, practically ignorning Natalie. He spoke something to her in Italian and Natalie really wished she had a translator at the moment, she moved past him as he continued to speak to the woman, she touched one silk gown in her hands, my god it felt amazing and then she saw the pricetag and she gasped, ten thousand dollars, my god!

Now Natalie wasnt new to money, her parents had left everything to her and she had more than enough of her own riches to live comfortably for the rest of her life but she was never big on material things, except her car, she loved her car..

"would you like to try it on" the woman said as she came over to natalie..

"no im just" natalie began and then she quickly walked over to John who was grinning from ear to ear.."do you see the pricetag on these things" she said quietly to him..

"like I said, get whatever you want" he smiled..

"no way, this place is too much" she began as he looked at her a bit more seriously now..

"I insist dear" he said tight lipped and she leaned in closer to him..

"Im not letting you pay ten thousand dollars for a damn dress" she whispered but with a smile on her face..

"either you pick one out or I will, either way were not leaving without one, dear" he smiled once more but there was no humor behind it..She challenged his stare..

"madam?" the woman called out from behind them..

"i will get my way" John said seriously..

"fine you want to blow your money then so be it" she said through gritted teeth and then spun from him and smiled big at the woman.."lets go shopping shall we Signora" she said overly friendly to the lady, if he wanted to play this game then she would play. Oh would she play!

Natalie tried on dress after dress and in all honesty all she needed now was the pretty woman sound track playing in the background. She was planning on sticking it to him, so he had all the money in the world, well then she was about to spend a big chunk of it and so she piled up different outfits stemming from pants suits to spring dresses to that beautiful emerald gown she had seen earlier. She picked out heels and boots, oh she was gonna stick it to him good. She moved onto hand bags and accessories, pretty woman had nothing on her..

John seemed unaffected as they stood at the register, the total bill nearly sixty thousand dollars, as they got outside Natalie laughed.."I should of tried to get a car out of the deal"

"is that what you want" he raised an eyebrow, he looked absolutely serious..

"You know your crazy right" she said with a shake of her head..

"whats the fun in being sane, right dear" he grinned and then in a surprising move he kissed her, like really kissed her, right there in the middle of the side walk, it completely took her off guard not to mention it made her stomach flutter something awful.. When he pulled back he smiled.."let the games begin, right" he whispered to her as she stood there completely and utterly shocked.."How about some lunch, I dont know about you but im absolutely starving" he smiled as he licked his lips and took her arm into his again, she honestly didnt know what to say..

They ended up in a small cafe on the same street and Natalie hadnt said a thing since that kiss, hell she could barely think straight as they got inside and took a seat across from one another, he had a smug smile on his face..

"wow you really are something else" she said quietly but sarcastically..

"what ever do you mean?" he smiled as he ushered over a waiter and said something to him in Italian and then the waiter smiled and nodded as he walked off.."you were saying?"

"You know exactlly what I was saying" she said through tight lips..

John leaned over the table.."this is my terf natalie, get use to it" he reached over and took her hand in his and then kissed the top of it softly as he kept staring at her..She used the oppourtunity to grab his hand in hers and dig her nails slightly into it..

"dont push me" she whispered..

"im sorry what, I didnt hear you" he said and then he was getting up as he moved right next to her, his thigh resting against hers.."Now this is better"

"You are so lucky" she said with a forced smile but then his hand was in her hair as his mouth took hers over in an even more passionate kiss before, it literally took her breath away and then he was pulling back slowly as he looked at her, he was still inches from her..

"You know were being watched" he breathed against her lips.."so get use to it, you may just enjoy it"

"Oh I seriously" she began to say and then he kissed her again, she couldnt believe this, he was really gonna pull this shit but she decided to up the ante as she moved her hands into his hair and drew him closer, kissing him deeply not even caring that they were literally sitting in a cafe with people staring at them.. The sound of the waiter coming back over with a bottle of wine made her pull back, slightly panting and lips swollen..

"the wine, signore" the waiter said as he began to pour two glasses and Natalie just kept staring straight forward as she tried to calm her breathing..

"Grazie" John smiled as he took a glass and handed it to natalie and he took the other as the waiter moved from the table.."I say we toast" he grinned smuggly as he licked his lips..

"to humanity" natalie said with a sarcastic smile and he grinned too..

"well I would of said" he smiled but she downed her drink before he could finish and then he smiled even more as he slowly sipped his drink.."you wouldnt want to get drunk dear"

"Oh trust me dear, I plan on it" she said as she grabbed the bottle from the table and poured herself another drink..

Natalie did her best to ignore him as they waited for their food to come, she kept looking out the window even though his hand was resting on her thigh and every once in a while he would give it a squeeze and smile..

"Now isnt this nice, good drinks, good food" he grinned as he sipped his drink..Natalie was now on her third glass of wine.."admit it, you cant stop thinking about my mouth on yours" he whispered in her ear, sending delicious chills down her spine and she smiled sweetly at him and grabbed his hand from under the table, digging her nails into it as she moved it off of her.."You might as well just let it go Natalie, ive only gotten started" he grinned and then moved her hand directly onto his groin under the table and she jumped as the waiter came back with the food..

"thank god im starving" she said quickly as she yanked her arm back.."grazie" she said to the waiter and then without waiting for John to start eating, she started piling her food in..

"gotta love a girl with an appetite" John smiled at the waiter who nodded and then left the table.."enjoying yourself?" he smirked at her..She fought the urge to roll her eyes as she continued to eat..

The entire meal went the same way, John would say something and natalie ignored him, her heart racing dangerously fast and her new found buzz rocking her body, it wasnt a surprise by the time they got up to leave she was a bit wobbily on her feet..John took her by the arm as she smiled big..

"Oh what a gentleman you are" she smiled big..

"Oh it looks like someone had a little too much to drink, huh dear" he said with a smile but his features were looking angry and it made her smile..

"what can I say I like my alcohol like I like my men, hard and fast" she smiled big as they got outside.."and, well" she said as she glanced down at his groin and she went to touch him but he grabbed her wrist before she could..

"now now dear, there will be time for that" he said through tight lips as he began to lead her back to the car..

"Oh come on John, you like your girls loose" she laughed loud and then he was pushing her against the side of the car, his hands on the side of her face..

"You really dont want to push me Natalie" he whispered In her ear before placing a kiss below her ear and then he opened the car door for her, she stood there a bit stunned.."dont play a game that your not willing to finish" he smiled devishly as she quickly got in the car, her head was fuzzy and spinning as he got in next to her and then ordered the driver to bring them home, he looked at her now.."Now, where were we" he smiled as he closed the window separating them from the driver..

"what im just playing my part" she laughed some but then he was moving closer to her as she sucked in a deep breath..

"Your lucky I am a gentleman" he smiled big.."Plus I want you to be completely coherent when I climb into that sweet body" he licked his lips and then slid a bit away from her..

Naalie huffed now, the alcohol doing its part as she turned to look at him.."oh come on like you havent been waiting for this to happen" she said drunkingly..

"Like I said before I like my women to be receptive" he smiled and then in a surprising move she slid on the bench seat and then straddled his lap as he looked at her.."what are you doing Natalie" his voice was more of a rasp then anything else..

"just playing my part or is it that you cant handle my part" she said as she ground herself against him and then leaned her arms on either side of the seat behind him, moving her face close to his..

"Oh trust me natalie if you werent five sheets to the wind" he licked his lips and she took the oppourtunity to kiss him and hard too as she pressed her body against his, she pulled at his long hair, drawing him in closer to her as his hands grabbed at her back and then his hands were in her hair as he roughly pulled her mouth from his as she gasped and panted.."i said not now" he said seriously..

"Oh come on John, I know you want it, I can feel it" she said as she ground on him again but he kept his hands in her hair, holding her head back from his..

"I said thats enough" he said a bit angrily now..

"what is your fucking deal" she snapped as she scrambled from his lap and his hand came out of her hair.."Your the one throwing around sexual innuendos" she huffed angrily, granted she was drunk and granted she would want to bury herself under a rock later but right now she couldnt help herself..

"and there is a time and a place and this is neither" he said as he ran a hand through his hair..

"wow so when it comes down to it your just all talk, fucking figures" she said with a sarcastic laugh but then within seconds he had grabbed her and moved her under him as he laid on top of her, his hands holding hers above her head in a surprising move as he leaned his mouth closer to hers..

"is this what you want natalie, right here, right now" he said through panting breaths.."or maybe you rather I have the car pulled over and I fuck you against it while the world watches, it that what you want" he said with heavy breaths, her eyes were wide with shock, her buzz quickly fading as she looked into his angry eyes.."say the word and I promise you there will be no talking" he said seriously... She didnt say anything as she stared up at him with wide eyes.."Thats what I thought, now get yourself together your no good to me a drunken mess" he said angrily as he quickly moved off of her and she scrambled to sit up, the reality of the situation coming in bright and clear as she sat there and she quickly looked out the window, neither of them saying anything else for the remainder of the car ride..

Natalie felt like shit by the time they got back to his place, not to mention mortified and a rock would be amazing at this moment so that she could hide under it, she quickly walked to the house, she needed to get away from him..

He stopped her as he grabbed her elbow as she neared the door.."let go of me" she snapped as she tried to yank her arm back but to no avail...

"dont get me wrong natalie, I would of taken you in the car" he said seriously as she looked at him..

"your an asshole, I was fucking around" she snapped as she tried to yank her arm back..

"maybe you were, maybe you werent" he said seriously as he pulled her close to him and she sucked in a deep breath.."dont tempt me, cause next time I wont be so patient, drunk or not" he said deadly serious..

The sound of the door opening and Isabella standing there gave natalie perfect oppourtunity to yank her arm back and then she was storming inside, she needed a cold shower, a very cold shower..

As soon as the water from the shower began to hit her sobriety began to kick in and hard, she wanted to yell, hell she wanted to cry, what had she done.. She was more pissed at herself then anything else, she had let him get to her and not to mention she had practically and literally thrown herself at him and he looked at her like she was crazy and maybe she was, god she felt like shit..She took more time then needed in that shower, she was better then this, hell she had been around men like him her entire life, so what the hell was it about him!

By the time she had found her boxed clothes and she had gotten dressed, she felt miserable, she didnt even want to see him now plus she had a massive headache and they literally had about four hours until the party. She entered the large livingroom where John sat with a paper in his hands, he looked over it at her, she couldnt even look at him.."have some coffee you'll feel better" he said as he looked back at the paper and she was half tempted to say some sarcastic remark to him but she thought twice about it as she grabbed the cup of coffee and made her way across the room, standing in front of a rather large fireplace.."You may want to take a nap before we head out later" he said as he continued looking at the paper..

"Im fine" she said quickly as she sipped the coffee..

"are you?" he raised an eyebrow at her as he put the paper down..

"i need to use a phone" she said quickly as she refused to look at him.."i cant get a signal on my phone" she said quickly, she wanted to talk to anyone but him, maybe Bo , maybe rex..

"theres one in my study" he said as he got up now..

"Im sure I can find it myself" she said quickly and then left the room as he stood there..

Natalie wandered the large house until she saw the room in question, she quickly went in and closed the door as she sucked in a deep breath and then she quickly got the phone and began to dial..

"Bo Buchanan" he answered on the first ring as natalie inhaled deep..

"Hi Uncle Bo" she said softly, suddenly very releived to hear his voice..

"Natalie jesus I left a ton of messages, are you ok" he said with concern..

"Yeah im fine, in Milan" she said quickly..

"what Milan, as in italy" Bo said in shock..

"yeah it was quite a big shock for me too" natalie said quickly..."Listen I called cause I umm" she began quietly..

"is everything ok, you sound upset, did John do something" he began to get increasingly angry..

"No, I mean, not really he's just you know" she said quickly..

Bo exhaled deeply.."i take it Mitch is in Milan then"

"yeah it would seem, im meeting up with him tonight" she said as her nerves began to get the best of her, for the fist time in her life she wondered if she was in over her head..

"I really wish you werent across the world, I swear if John fucks this up, if he does anything to put you in harms way" Bo began protectively..

"come on Bo, you know I got this" she faked courage even though she felt less then at the moment..

"I know you do sweetheart, I would of never agreed to this if I didnt believe that" he said honestly..

"Hows rex" she asked quickly..

"Oh you know rex" Bo began with a sigh.."But he is good, out stalking those wolves in the mountains" he continued.."are you sure your ok"

"Yeah, just jet lag you know" she lied..

"I have faith in you natalie, were gonna get that son of a bitch, we are" Bo said with reassurance..

"I know" Natalie said with a nod of her head.."listen I um should go"

"You call me ok, if you need me for anything at all, I'll do whatever I can from here" Bo said quickly.."I love you sweetheart"

"i know, me too" Natalie said as she hung up and inhaled deep..

"Hows that uncle of yours doing?" John said from by the door as she spun around quickly..

"You know its rude to listen in on peoples phone calls" she said quickly as she put the phone down..

"you always do think the worst of me" he said nonchalantly..

"yeah well hard not to when im dealing with a fallen angel" she said sarcastically..

"we all have our reasons for what we do" he said as he walked past her.."so how is the big man"

"Like you really care" she said with a shake of her head..

"You know im not the bad guy natalie, as much as you think I am" he walked around to his desk and touched some papers on it and then looked at her.."and trust me being a holy roller isnt all its cracked up to be" he smiled some..

"yeah well its better then the alternative" she said quickly as she spun for the door but he was already standing there.."you really need to stop doing that"

"all joking aside natalie I need to know that you got this, we have one chance here" he said seriously as he looked at her..

"I told you I got this" she said with annoyance..

"yeah well considering what happened early" he raised an eyebrow..

"and like I told you before, I know how to pretend" she walked past him and out the door.."im gonna get ready" she said as she continued down the hallway as he stood there..

Natalie stared at the emerald gown that hung on the door of a ridicoulsy large bedroom. This was it, everything came down to this night and she wasnt going to let anything get in her way of getting close to Mitch and to that book, and so she quickly grabbed the dress, she had a party to get ready for..

John sat in the livingroom with a scotch in his hand. He was incredibly uncomfortable at the moment, his body was in a constant state of arousal and he felt annoyed that hadnt jumped on the oppourtunity to take her, drunk or not, cause really thats all he needed just to get it out of his system. John wasnt one to be sentimental when It came to women, hell the word relationship wasnt even in his vocabulary, well atleast not for a very, very long time..

It was back during his so called righteous time, nearly one hundred years ago that life had been very different for him. It was against the rules for a man of his stature to fall for the woman he had sworned to protect but then again Caitlyn wasnt like other mortals in this world. There was such a kindness about her, a gentleness that it was hard for him to do anything but fall for her..

He had been sworn to protect her, she was the daughter of a very long line of white witches or wiccans some called them.. She had a purity about her and the fact that she could literally heal the sick made her a target and one that needed to be protected constantly..

But one warm spring night, a night that seemed like so many others the unthinkable had happened.. John had been getting shunned by his brothers for his involvement in Caitlyns life but he refused to listen to them, he was a grown man, he could make his own decisions.. On this particular night he had been spending it with Caitlyn like he had done so many other nights, he was suppose to be trying to track down a demon by the name of karau, the demon of death had been rumored to be hunting for the book of the dead, an ancient text that gave whoever had it the ability to take or give life..But Johns mind was elsewhere and so was his heart..

He had even began to live like the mortals, he barely used his powers anymore. He had gone into the kitchen to retrieve more drinks when he first heard the crashing of glass, the sound was so loud, so vivid that he was sure that he was dreaming but then he heard her scream that broke through the night and he ran..

Frozen in fear as he got to the livingroom only to see Karau standing there, caitlyn in his grasp as he smiled with blood red eyes..

"Jonathon what a pleasant surprise" the demon smiled..

"Listen just let go of her" John said as he looked at an absolutely frightened Caitlyn who was shaking from head to toe as the demon held her in his arms..

"oh Jonathon I can see why youve chosen to stay, she is so sweet" the demon smiled as he licked up the side of Caitlyns face as she cried out..

John had never felt so much fear in his life as he looked at her in the demons arms.."its me you want" John said quickly as he tried to remain composed but was failing miserably, see the longer he lived as a mortal the more weak he had become..

The demon laughed loud as he looked at John.."see that is where your wrong Jonathon, she is what I have wanted all along and thanks to you for hand delivering her to me" he smiled with razor sharp teeth..

"John... john please" Caitlyn began to cry out to him as he looked at her..

"Oh sweet caitlyn, dont you worry this wont hurt, I promise" the demon smiled and as John lunged for him the demon drove itself right into Caitlyn as she collasped onto the floor, John scrambled to her..

"Caitlyn...caitlyn" he said as he lifted her head up but he was met by bright red eyes and a vicious smile..

"think again Jonathon" the demon laughed as it pushed John with such a strength that he went flying across the room and against the adjacent wall..

Natalie made her way into the livingroom, she had to admit it she looked pretty damn hot in that dress.. As she entered the room she saw John staring blankly across the room but he had a horrified look on his face, one she wasnt expecting to see from him ever, it actually made her nervous..

She decided to make light of the situation, I mean they were gonna be working together tonight and no need keeping up with the tension.."penny for your thoughts " she said as she neared him and touched his shoulder but what she wasnt expecting was him grabbing her wrist and yanking her down hard as she gasped.."John what the hell" she snapped at him as his eyes cleared from the fog they were in and he looked down at her as he held her pinned beneath him. She watched the fear move aside as he quickly jumped up from her, breathing heavy as he did so. He hadnt dreampt of caitlyn in ages, why was he dreaming of her now.."jesus are you ok" natalie said as she got herself up, she was quite shakened herself..

"You shouldnt sneak up on people" he snapped at her as he walked across the room..

"I didnt" she said quietly as she watched him, something was bothering, something big that much she could tell..He walked over to the fireplace and retrieved a half empty glass of scotch, downing it as he stood there, trying to compose himself but he could still see her in his head!.."John" she said again as he spun and looked at her now, and then he was storming over to her and she backed up some, he had a look in his eyes, one that she had a hard time decifering.."your kind of freaking me out" she said as she backed up and he stopped now and then just like that he seem to look more like his normal self and he looked her up and down..

"you look good enough to eat" his eyes filled with so much heat and lust that she had to swallow hard, what the hell is that all about?

"thanks, I think" she said quickly as he now slowly came over to her..

"I mean it, absolutely delicious" he licked his lips.."are we ready to go" he held his hand out to her..

"I dont know, are we" she said with confusion and he smiled..

"or we could just stay here and make use of some time" he smirked and she felt her heart ease up some, he was definitely back to his oversexed ways..

"yeah we should go" she said quickly as he took her hand in his..

"well lets do this thing" he smiled and then they were leaving. Natalie was still a little more then confused at his previous behaviour but right now they had other things to deal with, mainly Mitch lawrence..