Nico's Cruse Read online

  Nico’s Curse

  Jennifer Kacey

  Domenico was cursed six long years ago by a witch determined to teach him a lesson. A lesson in life, loss, and understanding that to love is to put someone first…always.

  His only escape from his beautiful prison is a dating site called Crossroads. He can choose only one woman a year to contact. One woman to convince, in nothing more than a week, that he’s worthy of her love. But there’s a catch. She must fall asleep during a video chat so he can crawl through his laptop into her world. Then all bets are off.

  His curse becomes his salvation when his beautiful submissive Rose is nothing but a dream away.

  A Romantica® BDSM erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

  NICO’S CURSE

  Jennifer Kacey

  Dedication

  PP—Skype with you will never be the same.

  Acknowledgements

  To Nina—My Omazing Mocha Goddess…oh how I <3 you!

  Chapter One

  Rose hovered her finger above the Enter key, trying to convince her stomach to stop the flip-flop gymnastics before she got sick. She nibbled her bottom lip, anxiety making a statement loud and proud between her temples.

  Online dating, good or bad she didn’t know yet, but chickening out sounded better and better the longer she sat there.

  After filling out her online profile for the dating site, Crossroads, all she had to do was send it. One little Enter key stood in her way of finding Mr. Right, or at least Mr. Right Now which sounded fine to her.

  Jumping into the dating pool at the ripe old age of thirty-four couldn’t have been more pathetic. Well—other than the fact she’d never actually been in the dating pool to begin with.

  Yep, she found something worse.

  She’d been busy managing, then selling her family’s company. It wasn’t a great excuse but she decided to stick with it. She shook her head, trying to focus on the problem currently staring her in the face. No, not the problem, the solution.

  Doubt kept creeping in, threatening to strangle her attempt to meet somebody.

  Do I really want to do this?

  Possibly.

  Will I just come across as desperate?

  Probably.

  And having conversations with herself? Totally healthy. Not.

  Her new white kitty, Miss Priss, rubbed on her legs and purred loudly, drawing her attention away from the screen for a moment. “Need some love, pretty kitty?” Rose smiled, reaching down to pet her with the other hand, but the cat jumped into her lap, startling her, making her jump. She nearly dumped her ice tea over on the living room table, pushing the Enter key in her haste to save her papers from a tea-soaked shower.

  “No, no, no,” she chanted, pushing esc several times, along with the back button to cancel her submission. Ctrl, Alt, Delete didn’t even help.

  “Your profile has been submitted,” popped up on the screen with little smiley faces and confetti.

  She blew out a resigned breath, petting the cat absentmindedly. “Oh lord…”

  Priss rubbed her forehead against Rose’s chin, looking her in the face and meowing, purring some more, blinking her mismatched blue and green eyes.

  Love filled Rose’s chest, and some of her worry eased away. She’d always been an animal lover, but hadn’t had a cat in years. Not since a few years before her parents had passed away. She’d found the beautiful white cat at the pound, dirty, matted fur, but something told her she was supposed to take her.

  She hadn’t even meant to go by the animal shelter that day. Getting a pet hadn’t even been on her radar, though it made perfect sense when she found her. Staring in her blue and green eyes each time made her think of the future and possibilities.

  She shook her head, “I really need to get out more, huh?”

  Priss meowed again, guiding Rose to scratch behind her ears. She went a bit limp when Rose found the right spot and Rose smiled. She continued to the other ear and then moved below her collar so she could scratch beneath it.

  Strangely enough the collar had come on the cat when she picked her up at the pound. It had been locked on her with a strange metal clasp. Neither she nor anyone at the shelter could remove it. Talk about the strangest thing.

  Plus, instead of a charm with a name on it or a phone number so they could find out who she belonged to, the collar had a small silver key dangling from it with a number on it. Like a house number but no street name, no city. Nothing helpful. Neither Rose nor anyone else had been able to find out anything about it.

  No one had come forward to claim the beautiful cat. One bath and daily brushings made her pristine coat shine. She looked like a show cat, if such a thing existed.

  Rose petted her some more and asked, “Want some food?”

  Priss meowed, standing up on Rose’s lap, acting like she knew exactly what she said even though she’d only been there for a couple weeks. She nibbled softly on the fleshy part of Rose’s palm. Then rubbed against her chest with a purr.

  Rose scooped her up, carrying her into the small apartment kitchen. She set her on the island counter where her food and water bowls sat on a pretty pink mat that read, “Dogs have owners, Cats have staff.”

  She grabbed the bag of dry cat food from underneath the counter, scooped out Priss’ daily portion and sprinkled it into her little metal bowl. She rolled the bag down, put a clip on it and slid it onto the shelf, closing the door behind it.

  Priss hunkered close to the bowl, purring while she ate.

  “Good gracious, kitty,” Rose brushed the front of her tank top and pajama pants. “You’re gorgeous but you sure shed a lot.” She grabbed a lint roller under the counter and cleaned herself off.

  “I’m still in my pajamas and it’s nearly noon. I wonder if that means I’m behind schedule, since I haven’t changed yet, or ahead of schedule because I’m all ready for tonight.” Rose petted Priss again while she ate.

  “I should really commit to finding a house, huh?” She glared at her small apartment kitchen. Standard pale wood cabinets stared back, along with inexpensive door pulls, laminate flooring, and no-frills appliances. “I’ve got more money than I could spend in a lifetime. Yet I’m still here, in the same apartment, like I’m waiting for something to fall in my lap.”

  The cat watched her from the corner of her eye, meowed, and continued eating.

  “You stare at me like you understand what I’m saying.” Rose shook her head and grabbed a glass from the cabinet, filling it with orange juice from the fridge. “And I talk to you like you’re a person. Hence the reason I needed to sign up on a dating site.”

  She rolled her eyes, taking a drink of juice. “It’s like I’m at a crossroads, Miss Priss. Standing in the middle of something great but not knowing which way to go, which direction to take.” She scratched between the cat’s ears and the cat stopped eating for a minute to enjoy the attention. “Makes sense why I chose that dating site, huh? Crossroads. Seemed appropriate.”

  It had been months since she’d successfully sold her family’s steel business. Latica Steel had been a household name around Miami, Florida for her entire life. Her parents had been courted by another steel manufacturer for years. They’d groomed her to take over for them as soon as she had graduated college at twenty-one.

  Then they’d both died within months of each other.

  Her mom had died from breast cancer and she still thought her dad had gone from a broken heart. She’d been the only child and heiress to a steel fortune by the time she’d turned thirty.

  So she had sold the company like her parents had instructed her to do in their wills. It had been their passion, their focus, but they knew it hadn’t been hers. Not to mention it was way too hard for one person to tackle by herself. The staff
couldn’t have been any better and she’d managed to keep all of her employees’ jobs as part of the sale stipulations.

  That had been nearly six months before, when the sale had finally gone through after months of negotiating. Ever since she’d been waiting for something. Something big—

  A strange chime rang from the dining room and her heart kicked into high gear. It reminded her of the “you’ve got mail” notification and she figured it came from the dating site, since she’d left it up. She took her glass of juice and walked back in, leaving the kitty on the island in the kitchen.

  She slid into her chair at the dining room table where she’d set up her laptop and her makeshift office. A new laptop, with a big twenty-inch screen, was the only purchase she’d made since the sale. The huge monitor on it made her feel like she worked at NASA.

  She wiggled the wireless mouse and her screensaver disappeared, revealing the Crossroads website again and her profile page.

  In the upper right hand corner there sat a new message from someone on the dating site. She clicked on the icon, expecting a generic welcome message from someone to show up, but instead another screen popped up with a man’s profile information.

  Good God. “Gorgeous” wasn’t even an apt description of him.

  Domenico Manata, it read at the top.

  His profile picture portrayed a dark-skinned man with beautiful rich blue eyes, a panty-dampening half-smile, and completely white hair.

  His information was pretty generic, which she thought a bit odd but she didn’t have a clue about the norm.

  He was forty-one, single, worked as a graphic designer, and was obviously from some kind of Latin descent—which made her squirm in her chair. Then her stomach sunk. “Too good to be true” popped into her head like a jack-in-the-box with a sad face painted on it. He was either not anything like the person he portrayed himself to be or married and just trying to get laid.

  The thought made her pussy wet and she slapped her palm against her forehead, shaking her head. Being so hard-up for sex meant she couldn’t help herself. Toys could only take a girl so far. Apparently she’d reached her limit before a real man would be needed to finish the job.

  A message popped up on her screen, “Hi. Rose?”

  Miss Priss hopped up on her lap again and curled into a ball, purring softly. “Life would be easier being a cat.” She petted her absentmindedly, staring at the empty box with the blinking cursor in it, below his message.

  She’d never know if she didn’t take the plunge at some point, so she typed back, “Yes, that’s me. Hi. How are you, Domenico?”

  After just a few seconds she got a reply.

  “Please, call me Nico. My mother and grandmother were the only people on the planet who called me Domenico. It forever makes me feel like I’m in trouble. J”

  She grinned at his smiley face. It seemed charming and she rolled her eyes since her heart fluttered at the use of a simple emoticon.

  “I get that. My Croatian parents were pragmatic to a fault, except when they named me. Our last name means ‘petal’…”

  She tapped her fingers, waiting to see if he’d get the joke.

  “Rose Petal, very cute. At least you can’t say they didn’t have a sense of humor.”

  A smile tugged up the corners of her lips and she typed, “No, they were both wicked smart. It’s one of the things I miss the most about them.” She hit the Enter key and took a sip of juice, petting the cat while she waited for his reply.

  “Both of your parents are gone?”

  “Yes.”

  “Mine too. Been a while but it seems like yesterday.”

  “Same here…”

  While she tried and failed to think of something witty to say, another message from him came through.

  “You’re cute and young, why in the world are you on an internet dating site?”

  “I could say the same things about you.” She hit the Enter key then made a face at no one. “I mean you’re not as young as I am but you’re cute.” She meant to hit Backspace but she hit Enter by mistake.

  “Ugh, I thought this would be easier since we’re not in person but I still feel like I’m all thumbs. Literally.”

  “LOL. You’re definitely cute and I like that you’re kind of nervous. It’s enchanting. Not something you do all the time, huh?”

  “Try never. You’re the first person I’ve talked to on here.” Or at all in almost five years but she thankfully kept the last little jewel of knowledge to herself.

  “I’m glad I was on and happened to see your profile come through my feed. We already have a little in common. That’s something to start with if nothing else.”

  “Yes it is.” A reminder popped up on the corner of her screen, notifying her she had approximately fifteen minutes to get ready and be out the door for a spa appointment she’d booked weeks ago.

  Oh crap. “Hey, I’ve got to go. I’ve got an appointment I almost forgot about.”

  “No worries. Are you going to be on later? I’d really like to talk to you some more.”

  “Yes. I’d like that, too. Around ten-ish?”

  “Perfect. I’ll be here. Adiós, niña bonita.”

  “Bye.”

  She shut down her browser and closed the laptop lid, smiling from ear to ear. He could be a gigantic slob from Pittsburgh, living in his parents’ basement but for once she decided to live in the moment and not think it to death.

  Instead, she threw on a T-shirt and jeans, shoved her feet into flip-flops, and decided to think of Nico.

  Chapter Two

  After the sun had set hours later, she put away the last of the groceries she’d picked up after her trip to the spa. She’d had a massage, which normally left her feeling like a puddle but she couldn’t relax.

  Nico’s half-smile kept taunting her every time she closed her eyes. Especially while she tried to relax. His sexy face probably had something to do with the fact that she splurged and had a Brazilian wax done too. Her pussy hadn’t ever felt so smooth or naked before and it was a complete waste—at least on him. He wouldn’t be seeing it or feeling it…

  She rubbed her legs together, her bare skin caressing her silky panties she had on below her yoga pants she’d changed into when she’d gotten home.

  She shut the fridge, glancing at her watch for about the millionth time, not wanting to get online too early and look too eager but she didn’t want to miss him either. A few minutes before ten, she tossed the plastic bags from her grocery store trip and made her way into the dining room.

  She grabbed her laptop and passed the kitty asleep on the top of her scratching post in the corner of the living room. She settled on the couch with a glass of wine. It reminded her of a date, other than the fact her date wasn’t actually in the same room or building or city.

  She took a sip of wine, snuggling into the corner of the couch, not wanting to ruin her excitement. As soon as she logged on, an icon with Nico’s name showed up on her screen. She double-clicked on the message icon just as a screen from him appeared.

  “How’d your appointment go?”

  “Good. I had a massage. Felt very nice.”

  “Bet it did. So what do you do, Rose? I’m a graphic designer, work with clients all over the U.S. Keeps me stuck inside for a lot longer than I’d like since I love outdoors but it keeps me busy if nothing else.”

  “I’m actually writing a novel.” The words tumbled out before she could call them back. She hadn’t told a soul about it yet. None of her friends from growing up, no one from Latica Steel. Why is he special?

  “Awesome. What are you writing about? Biography, How-To, Self-Help…”

  “Fiction actually. Romantic suspense. I’ve had an idea in my head for years but I was so busy with my family’s business I never had time to do anything but make notes.”

  “What changed? Why do you have so much more time now?”

  “Sold the company and while I’m deciding what I want to do with the rest of my life I’m
writing the book. It’s been amazing and frustrating and awesome. I’m almost done with it actually. Only a few more days working on it and I think I’ll be good. The thought of someone reading it is terrifying though.”

  “I could read it for you.”

  Rose waited for a punch line but one never came. “Umm…thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” Not wanting to talk about her anymore she decided to change the subject onto him. “What about you? What are you designing right now?”

  “You know the cat cartoons out right now? Super popular? Whacks his owner and then acts like he’s asleep. Here, let me show you.”

  Another highlighted line showed up in the message box, asking her if she wanted to download a file.

  “Just click on the link.”

  She clicked on it and a cat cartoon showed up in the dialog box. It was one of her favorite cartoons. She read it every Sunday morning while drinking her coffee.

  “Oh, yeah. Love that cat, reminds me of mine.”

  “He’s my brain child. Someone picked up the cartoon and licensed it for newspaper. Someone else wants to make a line of apparel using the cat. T-shirts, socks, boxers, and hats. It’s been fun.”

  “That’s gotta be a lot of computer work.”

  “A huge amount actually. More than I ever imagined. What did we ever do before computers and the Internet?”

  “Don’t ask me. I live with my phone and laptop connected to my hip.”

  “So why don’t we take them out of the equation?”

  Rose stared at the computer screen, making a bit of a face. “What?”

  “Let’s chat.”

  Umm. “We are chatting.”

  “We’re typing. You’ve been working on your book all day and I’ve been drawing all day. Let’s video chat so neither one of us has to type anymore. I’d like to be able to talk to you. It’ll be more like a real date.”

  She immediately freaked out for a minute, thankful he couldn’t see her. She decided to grow a pair but warned him, “I’ve already got my contacts out for the day. I’ve got glasses on, no makeup, and my hair’s in a ponytail from the spa earlier…”