“Yes, in fact, I have to be at the club.”He checks his watch, then sighs before bolting back what’s left in his glass.“Emilia is coming with me, but she wanted to help Sophia get ready for the fundraiser tonight.”
I’m glad this is fun for them.Giggling together, doing each other’s hair.Guilia acts like she now has two new playmates at home.It’s all a game.Women have the luxury of treating life that way.
I check the time, scowling as I stand.This will be my study one day, once Papa officially steps down and hands me the keys to the kingdom.The memories of playing in this room when I was a kid are crystal clear, giving me a sense of the past and present overlapping.In the present, we are about to be late for this damn dog and pony show.Papa went to bed early, allegedly with a headache.I wouldn’t be surprised if he wants to avoid me, knowing how I resent the hell out of having to do this shit.
“Sophia?”I call out on my way down the hall, knowing my voice will echo up the stairs.If there’s one thing this house was designed for, it’s acoustics.Whether they planned it that way, I don’t know.I only know I’ve heard Papa’s voice echo through these halls my entire life, raised in excitement, anger, and everything in between.
“She’s coming!”My sister practically dances down the stairs, wearing enough makeup that I get the feeling she was playing dress-up too.
Luca notices, snickering.“Thinking of auditioning for the circus with all that paint on your face?”
“Shut up.It’s called contouring,” she replies in a withering tone before sticking out her tongue.“You are so clueless.”
“I think I can handle being clueless when it comes to makeup.”He looks up the stairs then, and I’m pretty sure I hear his breath catch when Emilia appears at the top of the staircase.She isn’t wearing anything flashy or over the top, simply jeans, a sleeveless shirt, and ankle boots.They’re only stopping by the club so he can look at a few things.
The way he’s watching her every move as she descends tells me he doesn’t care.She’s the only thing that exists.
I know the feeling.The memories of my world revolving around one particular woman are still fresh enough to keep me from slapping him upside the head and telling him to get a hold of himself.I remember those days, feeling like somebody knocked me on my ass, wondering sometimes if someone was playing a prank.Clearly, someone so beautiful would know better than to be with me, right?Clearly, I didn’t deserve her.
Well, I was right about that much.I didn’t deserve Monica.And she made sure I knew it before she…
Guilia’s gasp startles me away from the dark direction my thoughts were heading in.Following the direction of her gaze, I find my wife standing at the top of the stairs, smiling shyly down at us.
All at once, my mouth goes dry, and there isn’t enough air around me.The girl is objectively beautiful.I recognized that the moment I first set eyes on her.She glowed on our wedding day despite everything that must have gone on under the surface.
That’s nothing compared to tonight, when she slowly takes the stairs wearing gauzy layers of midnight blue that gently float around her legs and trail slightly behind her.She’s stunning from the thick waves clipped to one side so they can trail over her shoulder and down her chest, to the way her smile gleams and her blue eyes sparkle.There’s a faint flush on her cheeks by the time she reaches the bottom stair, where her gaze brushes over mine before floating away like a butterfly.Is she nervous?Why would she be?I’m the one standing here wondering how to speak.
“Doesn’t she look amazing?”Guilia gushes.“I swear, that dress was made for you.”
Sophia runs her hand over the front of the dress, which molds itself to her body, showcasing her sculpted shoulders and arms.“Itwasmade for me,” Sophia admits with a gentle chuckle.“I’ve never had a chance to wear it anywhere before.”
Luca clears his throat and nudges his way past me to take Emilia’s hand.“I’m glad you had a chance to wear it.Would’ve been a waste if he never got to show it off.”Looking at me, he arches an eyebrow.“Don’t you agree?”
For once, we are on the same page, but I won’t be goaded into paying an awkward compliment, especially when it’s obvious that’s what everybody expects.“You look good,” I tell her, patting the pockets of my black suit jacket to make sure I have everything I need.“Are you ready?”
Her face falls a little before she recovers, giving me a quick salute that makes the diamond bracelet sparkle on her wrist.“Yes, sir.”
Let her be sarcastic.We have a job to do, and all the ass-kissing in the world isn’t going to get it done.
It’s the job I keep firmly in the front of my mind as we walk out to where the car is waiting, making sure everyone in New York knows the Santoro and Vitali families are united.
Otherwise, I might have no choice but to stroke her creamy shoulder to see if her skin is as buttery as it looks.I might have to sink into the cloud of fragrance that envelops her, and I might never find my way out.Especially if I kiss her again, which I would definitely have to do until we’re both flushed and out of breath, questioning whether this fundraiser is really that important.It was damn near impossible to pull away from her the first time—the taste of her, those juicy lips yielding under mine, her throaty groans.Hungry.
I was hungry too.Starving.I still am.No way am I strong enough to stop myself again.
“From now on, my life belongs to the family.No matter what.”This was the promise I made to Papa long ago, out of grief and gratitude, and enough to keep me from skipping the fundraiser and getting her out of that dress.
* * *
It was a good night,if boring, but boring is better than the shit the family has contended with recently, so I’ll take it.
“They’ll publish our picture in the local papers tomorrow,” I murmur as we roll through the front gate.The grounds are almost eerily quiet this late at night.Guards move in the shadows, always watching, but most of the windows in the main house are dark as we approach my home.
Our home.It will take time to get used to that.
“I’ll have to keep an eye out,” Sophia murmurs.There’s an edge to her voice, but then, she’s been sharp all night.Brittle.The glimmer of warmth she revealed during our first night out last week is nothing but a memory.
I don’t have the energy to get to the bottom of it.I don’t care much, either, after spending the entire night expecting Enzo Amato to show up and pull my wife away for a private talk that never happened.That doesn’t mean I can’t resent the distraction.We’re doing this to strengthen relationships and improve the family’s image.
