Savio
Icouldn’t stop looking at them. I’d met fraternal twins before, but it was my first time meeting identical twins. My brothers had talked about twins in their classes, but I was always too young to catch a glimpse of them in school. Seeing the twins from the Bonifacio family in front of me was fascinating. There were small differences between them, but otherwise, they were the mirror images of each other.
And they were beautiful.
My eyes wandered over their willowy frames, enjoying the curves of their hips and the perkiness of their breasts. I wondered if they looked the exact same when they were naked. Did one of them have a mole that no one else knew about? A smile formed on my lips at the thought. What kind of differences were there between them? They were both identical, for the most part. I wanted to see them more and know more about them. It was just so fascinating and tantalizing.
I clenched my hand into a fist as I stood next to Marcello, staring them down. I had to force myself to look away and not think about bringing them both into bed with me. How arousing that would be. The same woman but different. I wondered which one was the more open one and which one was more innocent. I shifted from one foot to the other, trying to hide just how much the idea aroused me.
“Stay here and make nice with the Cavettis,” Lorenzo Bonifacio whispered, eyeing the twin girls and barely noticing that my brother was staring them down behind him. “I expect you both to be welcoming. I don’t want tonight to go poorly. Understood?”
A smile formed on my lips as I watched the girls stand around like statues. So, these were the mafia princesses? They barely wore any jewelry. In fact, compared to the astounding amount of time Lucia put into her appearance, they seemed kind of dull. Beautiful, but lacking the opulence that usually came with their titles.
There was music playing through a speaker a few feet away. I recognized the song immediately—Beethoven, no doubt. Why were they trying to appear classy? It was weird. Having to stand there and listen to classical music with a criminal family was the last way I wanted to spend my Friday, but that was how things were. If my father wanted me there, I would have to stay. I could’ve been at the club. But no. I was trapped, staring at the faces of our enemies, drinking wine, and listening to old music that was definitely not relevant to the situation.
I glanced over to the bar in the kitchen. There were a number of plates already set up, alongside a caterer, who was passing around hor d’oeuvres from behind the island in the kitchen. I was silent as I walked toward the kitchen. Marcello was already showing interest in one of the twins, which I thought was ridiculous. Once Lucia married Romeo, it was only a matter of time until they became our siblings, in a way. I wasn’t sure if that made them off-limits, but I wasn’t willing to risk it—until I knew, of course.
There was no doubt that their being off-limits only made it more appealing. I couldn’t deny that there was a sense of danger to it—but there was also the apprehensiveness of having to deal with my father. If he found out, it might turn out bad for all of us. He wasn’t exactly forgiving. Once someone made a mistake, it took a lot for them to gain back his trust.
I rounded past my sister, Natalia, and made my way toward the bar. There were a number of bottles of red wine standing up behind the glasses. I figured it didn’t matter which one I chose. One of the twins was likely to take it. Since the other sister was busy being eyed down by Marcello, I decided to approach the other twin, who was busy stepping away from my brother. I didn’t blame her. Marcello was massive and was always looking down on others as though they were bugs beneath his shoes. Most women, no matter what he did, reacted that way. I was surprised by the other twin, who remained where she was, all while he was peering at her.
I opened the bottle of wine, screwing the opener into the cork. I pulled hard until it popped open, and the bitter smell overwhelmed my senses. As the wine poured from the bottle, I brought my eyes back to the twin that Marcello had barely noticed. I wasn’t sure which one was which. One was called Alessandra, and the other was Chiara. I knew the best way to figure out who I was speaking to was to introduce myself. What better way than by offering her a drink?
I took both glasses in my hands and returned from the kitchen. Her twin had veered off slightly, and Marcello had backed off, but he was keeping his eyes on the girl still. I approached the other twin, all while holding out the wine glass toward her. She lifted her gray eyes to mine, and I knew that I’d chosen the right one. There was something about the gleam in her eyes that drew me to her immediately. I could tell that she was nervous because she was shifting from foot to foot, but there was a sense of excitement in the air between us.
I heard someone speak to the other twin and mention her name. So, the one in front of me was Alessandra. I placed the glass in the space between us, and she lowered her eyes. I wanted to make her feel more comfortable, but I didn’t know her well enough. I could only try to be as charming as I could be.
“You want a drink?”
She seemed apprehensive. I couldn’t tell exactly what she was thinking. The expression on her face wasn’t one that I could pinpoint. It was a mix of fear and confusion, which caused the drink to feel heavy in my hand. Had I made a mistake?
Her expression swiftly dissolved into a blank stare, which confused me even more. I could tell she was trying hard to hide what she was feeling. The way her neck tightened and how I couldn’t hear her breath made it apparent, but she didn’t realize it.
“Thanks,” she finally said and took the glass from my hand.
I gave her a large smile. “So, you must be Alessandra?”
She nodded lightly. “And you are?”
“I’m Savio,” I told her, keeping the smile on my lips.
A silence passed between us. My eyes narrowed onto her lips, and I couldn’t help but think of the feeling of them moving on my body, pouting and biting at my skin. My body tensed at the thought of feeling her against me, my muscles pulsing and twisting with the sensation. My jaw clenched, and the rush was beginning to overwhelm me. I had to take a step away from her. There was just something about those gray eyes of hers. I wanted to know more.
“So, what do you think of all this?”
She narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Obviously, I mean our family’s meeting. Lucia and Romeo getting married,” I said, grinning. “All of it.”
She took a sip of her wine and pursed her lips. “It doesn’t mean that much to me, I guess. My father wants this to happen, and Lucia doesn’t seem too bothered by it.”
She glanced over to Marcello and her twin sister, which caused me to shift my eyes in their direction. Marcello was as weird as ever, just staring at Alessandra’s sister as though she were a steak on a barbecue. Go figure that he wouldn’t say a word to her. Marcello backed away from her sister, who was standing off to the side. Still, he was eyeing her from a distance. It caused me to chuckle to myself. He really couldn’t use his words to do anything.
“Does he always stand around like that?”
I turned back toward Alessandra, who was busy checking out my outfit. I hoped that it was appealing to her. I couldn’t help but wonder if she imagined it off of me. I was more than willing to oblige her.
“He’s a man of few words, you could say,” I said, glancing at her legs, which were long compared to her torso. I could imagine them wrapped around me. “Does your twin ever speak?”
